He Xiao was not Chiyan himself, but he carried the title of Chiyan envoy, had rendered no small service in the elixir of immortality case, and was the man of the hour in Lingxu City. Yet the celestial gods took none of that into account—violating his mind without a second thought!
Seeing Fu Shanyue's sour expression, He Lingchuan patted him on the shoulder. "Come now, what else could we do? Without the celestial gods, there would be no Beijia."
Fu Shanyue kept a stiff face. "I worry they'll do the same to me."
"Since they didn't put you under the knife tonight, they probably won't later either," He Lingchuan said pragmatically. "You're different from me, after all; you're the bona fide Crown Prince of Chiyan. Laying hands on the heir to a vassal demon king without cause wouldn't be easy to justify, even for a celestial god, right?"
Something seemed to have gone amiss at the end of the celestial intrusion; He Lingchuan didn't know if that was why they had abandoned testing Fu Shanyue.
He changed the subject. "What did the Demon Emperor say about Crown Prince Huan committing murder and arson? Did they catch the instigator?"
Fu Shanyue shook his head. "The Demon Emperor summoned me and tried to soothe things over with pleasant words."
In truth, after ascending Lingxiao Peak and entering the Demon Emperor's presence, Fu Shanyue had dropped straight to his knees and knocked his head repeatedly against the floor with heavy thumps, refusing to utter a single word.
It was the posture of one nursing tremendous grievances, demonstrating absolute resolve to demand justice.
The Demon Emperor offered gentle words of comfort, at which Fu Shanyue raised his head and unleashed a torrential barrage of complaints.
He insisted firmly that the mastermind behind the Crown Prince of Lingxu's murder and arson could be none other than the Minister of Agriculture's Yao family.
When the Demon Emperor asked if he had proof, Fu Shanyue appealed to emotion and reason, enumerating how grueling the investigation into the elixir of immortality case had been. The more he spoke, the more impassioned he became, stopping just short of weeping tears of blood.
Yet proof, he had none.
Not that a lack of proof mattered. Grab any passerby on the street and ask who they thought was behind it, and ninety-nine out of a hundred would tell you it had to be the Minister of Agriculture or Madame Cen.
If she couldn't break her husband out of prison, she would at least vent her spite—wasn't that blatantly obvious?
Wasn't that just human nature?
The Demon Emperor said, "Without solid proof, it may not be the Minister of Agriculture's house."
Fu Shanyue sneered. "If his family wasn't trying to harm me, why would they offer me a grand manor?"
This sharp retort left even the exalted Demon Emperor momentarily speechless.
In the end, left with no alternative, the emperor simply summoned the Minister of Agriculture, who had been waiting outside.
Fu Shanyue was reckless and unruly by nature, feeling not the slightest intimidation upon facing the man himself, and browbeat Yao Mao until the minister didn't have an ounce of temper left.
However, Yao Xingning never showed her face from start to finish. The Demon Emperor had likely feared that with both of them having fiery tempers, confronting each other directly would cause an irreparable scene and turn the court into a vegetable market brawl.
As Fu Shanyue recounted the scene in detail, he and He Lingchuan slapped the table and roared with laughter.
He Lingchuan only laughed a few times before clutching his head. Damn, it hurt!
In short, the Minister of Agriculture knew his family had made a terrible impression on the gossip-loving public across the realm and that no excuse would wash. He could only state that the Yao family would assist in investigating the culprits to clear their name.
Fu Shanyue accepted with pleasure, declaring right in front of the Demon Emperor that he would visit the Minister of Agriculture every few days to check on progress.
The Demon Emperor hadn't objected, which amounted to approval.
That meant any future visits to the Minister of Agriculture would be considered royal inquiries.
The Minister of Agriculture knew he was cornered, but there was nothing he could say.
Having reached this point in his tale, Fu Shanyue slapped several sheets of deeds onto the table and burst out laughing. "The deeds to Xiangxue Residence! Hahaha! I demanded them right from the Minister of Agriculture in front of the Demon Emperor!"
"The minister offered other apologetic gifts too, and I kept those for myself." He shoved the deeds toward He Lingchuan. "Here, Xiangxue Residence is yours, as compensation for the Panshan Residence burning down!"
Having fulfilled his promise to win compensation for He Lingchuan, he was immensely pleased with himself.
He Lingchuan pocketed the deeds and offered genuine thanks.
Fu Shanyue was no saint, but he was a man of his word.
"And then?" he asked Fu Shanyue. "Was that the end of the matter?"
"Not yet. There's more."
After the Minister of Agriculture withdrew, the Demon Emperor summoned Crown Prince Huan and had him apologize to Fu Shanyue right in court.
Only then did Fu Shanyue feign modesty, saying he didn't dare accept such honor.
As if he truly dared not!
Seeing how that brat Crown Prince Huan had strutted around yesterday, yet stood with downcast eyes today, it was clear the Demon Emperor had already given him a severe dressing-down.
Of course, Fu Shanyue knew the prince was rebellious at heart, apologizing only because his royal father commanded it.
"Crown Prince Huan claimed he hadn't met with Yao Xingning recently. The palace only told him she had gone away on official business. It was from hearing a few palace attendants gossiping in private that he learned she was washing her face with tears day in and day out because of her husband's plight. Overcome with indignation, he came looking for trouble with me."
He Lingchuan shook his head at this. "That foolish kid is certainly devoted to Yao Xingning, yet he dumps all the blame onto his own father."
If no one instigated him, then Crown Prince Huan's actions were entirely voluntary. In that case, the only one who could clean up his mess was the Demon Emperor.
Hah, and who could deny the Demon Emperor was powerful enough to bear it?
"The Demon Emperor didn't want to shoulder it either, so he ordered a strict interrogation of Crown Prince Huan's personal guards," Fu Shanyue said. "They accompany Crown Prince Huan at all times and know everywhere he goes. How hard could it be to plant a few attendants along his path to wag their tongues and fan the flames?"
"A strict interrogation means torture. And among those guards are plenty of the culprits who committed murder and arson last night."
This was also the Demon Emperor's way of soothing Fu Shanyue, quietly letting him vent his wrath.
"Can they get anything out of them?"
"Depends on the methods of the Court of Judicial Review." Fu Shanyue exhaled. "The Demon Emperor said the progress on the elixir of immortality case must be pressed forward."
"By the way, on my way out of the palace, I ran into several envoys from the Jeweled Tree Kingdom, the Xuluo Kingdom, and others. They all came to offer their regards."
He Lingchuan understood. These kingdoms, like Chiyan, were determined to pursue the elixir of immortality case to the end. With the Chiyan Crown Prince now having faced danger twice in Lingxu City, they came not just to offer sympathies, but to show staunch support and bolster his influence. The investigation had been launched by Chiyan, and the vassal demon kingdoms shared the same interests in this matter.
Helping Chiyan was helping themselves.
Hearing this, He Lingchuan also let out a breath.
Crown Prince Huan had committed murder and arson, putting the imperial court heavily in the wrong. Going forward, neither the Demon Emperor nor Bai Ziqi would want to provoke the Chiyan contingent again. And with the celestial gods having already tested He Lingchuan, they wouldn't move against him again for the time being.
Having the most formidable official powers tied down by mutual constraints was magnificent news for him.
"Oh, right. The Demon Emperor wanted me to move back up to the Floating Isle, saying the security is better there. Well, I politely declined, saying the lower city makes it easier to follow up on the investigation. So the Demon Emperor assigned me Pianxiang Villa on Mount Qilin. It used to be the residence of the disgraced Chunyu clan. Their family was convicted seven years ago and their assets confiscated, but after all these years, the court still hasn't finished auctioning everything off."
"Sounds like they were once an illustrious clan."
In Lingxu City, dignitaries walked every street and wealthy magnates were a dime a dozen.
"Naturally. The Chunyu clan operated in Lingxu City for over two hundred years and produced two prime ministers. Their wealth was immense and their properties countless—not something upstarts from humble beginnings could ever match."
He Lingchuan wondered, "Then how did they fall?"
Such deeply rooted, established families typically grew into local behemoths that no one could easily touch, nor could one expect them to decline on their own.
Usually, only seismic shifts in the times or irresistible external forces would bring about their ruin.
Fu Shanyue glanced toward the door twice and lowered his voice instinctively.
"The heavens changed."
"Huh?" He Lingchuan didn't catch the meaning.
"Ten years ago, a new monarch ascended the throne." Fu Shanyue cleared his throat softly. "Before that, the Chunyu clan stood on the wrong side. They once dealt the current Demon Emperor a vicious double-cross."
He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh." Now he understood.
Just like Hong Chenglüe—a miscalculation.
Having stood for over two hundred years, the Chunyu clan had likely weathered every kind of storm Lingxu City could throw at them, except a change of dynasties. After all, the previous emperor had reigned for more than three centuries.
And so, lacking experience, they made a blunder.
And blunders came at a price.
"Is moving into Pianxiang Villa compulsory?"
"It was designated by the Demon Emperor, no discussion permitted." Fu Shanyue gave a wry smile. "Refusing simply isn't an option. Furthermore, the Demon Emperor rebuked the South City prefecture for inadequate policing and is reassigning men from the Tongxin Guard to protect Pianxiang Villa."
"What the bloody hell!" He Lingchuan blurted out.
Wasn't this protective custody?
Under the guise of protection, it was surveillance in truth. The Chiyan Crown Prince had stirred up so much trouble the moment he entered Lingxu City that the Demon Emperor decided to put him right under his nose and have him watched like a hawk.
And he was sending the Tongxin Guard—the very men with whom they held a personal grudge!
Enemies truly were bound to cross paths; the Demon Emperor had to have done this deliberately, hadn't he?
Normally, assigning a residence like this carried a semi-compulsory, house-arrest nature. Inflicting it upon a vassal demon king or crown prince who had committed no crime or offense risked provoking backlash and intensifying tensions between both sides.
The Demon Emperor likely wouldn't do this under ordinary circumstances, but who could have foreseen Fu Shanyue being attacked twice? To ensure the Chiyan Crown Prince's personal safety, wasn't there now ample justification?
Assigning men to watch you is for your own good.
"Most likely, it's because you were too aggressive on Lingxiao Peak and embarrassed the Demon Emperor." No matter how much attitude a vassal kingdom prince threw around, the Demon Emperor could retaliate with a flick of his wrist.
Fu Shanyue rubbed his nose.
Indeed, when he lodged his complaint against the Minister of Agriculture earlier, he had been a bit... tempestuous. Neither overt hints nor subtle nudges from the Demon Emperor had swayed him, which surely irked the monarch.
If he hadn't been the victim, the Demon Emperor might have thrown him out long ago.
"Looking on the bright side, the Fan brothers won't have an easy time either. They have to watch their enemy's house and guard his gates while bystanders look on and point fingers. If anything happens to you, the Demon Emperor will hold them solely responsible, and their punishment next time certainly won't be light." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "Besides, picking up a villa for free in the imperial capital where every inch of land is worth gold—personally bestowed by the Demon Emperor, no less—what could be better than that?"
With the Panshan Residence destroyed, Fu Shanyue, as the Crown Prince of Chiyan, did need a permanent residence in the lower city. He also had so many subordinates to settle—the original Panshan Residence had been far too small to house them all anyway. The grand residence assigned by the Demon Emperor could actually be considered thoughtful, if one disregarded any ulterior motives.
Fu Shanyue grinned. He hadn't looked at it from the Fan brothers' perspective before.
Now that He Lingchuan put it that way, he felt much better.
Yet He Lingchuan knew in his heart that the Demon Emperor was killing two birds with one stone.
Both the celestial gods and the Demon Emperor were pursuing leads on the Dafang Pot. Fu Shanyue had shown up at two different locations investigated by Bai Ziqi, naturally making him a prime suspect.
By pinning him down in Pianxiang Villa, the Demon Emperor could easily monitor his every move.
It was a brilliantly played maneuver that left Fu Shanyue unable to utter a word of protest. Truly worthy of a realm's supreme ruler.
Chapter 594