From the fake emperor to the concubine

Wang Tianhai was dressed in a simple white robe today, his hair neatly tied back, and he looked much more energetic than the last time we met. However, his brows were furrowed, as if he had something on his mind.

“Mr. Dark Night, I apologize for my intrusion in visiting you,” Wang Tianhai said, bowing respectfully.

"You're too kind, Master Wang," Zheng Yi returned the greeting. "Please come inside and let's talk."

He invited Wang Tianhai into the living room and asked Zheng Bowen to make tea.

The two took their seats as host and guest, and Zheng Bowen served hot tea before leaving.

"What brings you to Tianyuan City, Master Wang?" Zheng Yi asked bluntly.

Wang Tianhai picked up his teacup but didn't drink it. Instead, he gently stroked the rim of the cup with his fingers, as if he was carefully considering his words.

"Sir, I have encountered a thorny issue and would like to ask for your advice," he finally said.

"What is it?" Zheng Yi asked.

Wang Tianhai put down his teacup, took a deep breath, and then said, "Three days ago, I received a letter."

"What letter?"

"It was sent by the Lu family, one of the nine great families," Wang Tianhai said. "The letter says that the Lu family is very interested in my reclaiming the position of City Lord of Qingyun City and wants to cooperate with me."

"Cooperation?" Zheng Yi raised an eyebrow. "How exactly will we cooperate?"

"They want me to submit to the Lu family and become their vassal," Wang Tianhai said with a wry smile. "To put it bluntly, they want me to hand over control of Qingyun City to them."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi frowned slightly.

The Nine Great Families are the most powerful forces in the Tianyuan Domain. Each family has a history spanning thousands of years, possessing profound foundations and countless experts. Even the Domain Control Bureau has to give them some respect.

The Lu family is one of the nine great families. Although it ranks in the middle among the nine great families, it is already a behemoth for a small border town like Qingyun City.

"Why would the Lu family take a liking to Qingyun City?" Zheng Yi asked. "Qingyun City is just a small border town; it shouldn't have much value to the Lu family."

“That’s what I thought at first too,” Wang Tianhai said, “but after investigating further, I discovered that things weren’t so simple.”

"How to say?"

"Does the gentleman know where Qingyun City is located?" Wang Tianhai asked.

"On the eastern border of the Tianyuan Domain," Zheng Yi said.

“That’s right.” Wang Tianhai nodded. “Qingyun City is located on the eastern border of Tianyuan Domain. Further east lies the Eastern Wilderness. The Eastern Wilderness is a desolate land, said to contain abundant mineral deposits and resources, but due to the rampant presence of demonic beasts, no one has been able to develop it.”

"In recent years, the nine great families have been coveting the resources of the Eastern Wilderness and have wanted to send people to develop it. However, the Eastern Wilderness is too dangerous, and ordinary teams simply cannot penetrate it. Therefore, they need an advance base as a springboard to enter the Eastern Wilderness."

"And Qingyun City is the most suitable forward base."

After listening, Zheng Yi suddenly understood.

So that's how it is. The Lu family wasn't after Qingyun City itself, but rather its geographical location. Controlling Qingyun City meant controlling the gateway to the Eastern Wilderness, allowing them to continuously send people in to develop its resources.

"So the Lu family wants you to submit in order to control Qingyun City and, in turn, the passage into the Eastern Wilderness?" Zheng Yi asked.

“That’s right.” Wang Tianhai nodded.

"So what do you think?" Zheng Yi asked.

Wang Tianhai was silent for a moment, then said, "I do not wish to submit."

"Why?"

"I've toiled for twenty years to finally reclaim my position as city lord. If I submit to the Lu family, it would be tantamount to handing everything over. From now on, although I'll still be the city lord in name, I'll be a puppet of the Lu family, obeying their every command."

"Moreover, the reason I wanted to reclaim the position of city lord was to ensure a better life for the people of Qingyun City. If we submit to the Lu family, they will definitely use Qingyun City as a tool for developing the Eastern Wilderness. At that time, a large amount of manpower and resources will be transferred to the Eastern Wilderness, and the lives of the people will only become more difficult."

"This is not what I want."

Zheng Yi nodded; he understood Wang Tianhai's thoughts.

Wang Tianhai is a responsible man; he is unwilling to sacrifice the interests of the people of Qingyun City for personal wealth and glory. This is admirable.

“If you don’t want to submit, then just refuse,” Zheng Yi said. “What’s so difficult about that?”

"You make it sound so easy, sir," Wang Tianhai said with a wry smile. "The Lu family is one of the nine great families. How could I, a mere border city lord, dare to offend them? If I were to refuse directly, the Lu family would surely be enraged and send people to deal with me, which I would be utterly unable to withstand."

"So what do you plan to do?" Zheng Yi asked.

“This is precisely why I have come to see you, sir,” Wang Tianhai said. “I have truly come up with no better solution than to ask for your advice. You are a man of great wisdom and resourcefulness; you are sure to be able to devise a solution that satisfies both parties.”

Zheng Yi fell silent.

This matter is indeed somewhat tricky. The Lu family is one of the nine great families, with immense power, which Wang Tianhai, a mere city lord, cannot contend with. If he refuses outright, the Lu family will certainly retaliate. But if he agrees to submit, Wang Tianhai is unwilling to accept it.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to move forward or backward.

"Did the Lu family's letter mention any specific conditions?" Zheng Yi asked.

“Yes.” Wang Tianhai took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Zheng Yi. “Please take a look, sir.”

Zheng Yi took the letter, unfolded it, and began to read.

The letter was written on fine Xuan paper, with neat and vigorous handwriting, clearly the work of a master calligrapher. The content was simple: it began by praising Wang Tianhai, saying his feat of reclaiming the city lord's position had spread throughout the Tianyuan Domain, earning him widespread admiration. Then, it abruptly changed the subject, stating that the Lu family was very interested in Wang Tianhai and wanted to cooperate with him.

The so-called cooperation was to make Wang Tianhai submit to the Lu family and become their vassal. In exchange, the Lu family would provide Wang Tianhai with resources and protection, helping him consolidate his position as city lord.

The letter ended by stating that the Lu family would personally come to Qingyun City in seven days to discuss matters with Wang Tianhai in person. It hoped that Wang Tianhai would carefully consider the matter and make a wise choice.

The signature reads "Lu Tianming, the Fourth Elder of the Lu Family".

After reading the letter, Zheng Yi placed it on the table.

"Lu Tianming," he murmured, "Do you know this person?"

“I know a little,” Wang Tianhai said. “Lu Tianming is the fourth elder of the Lu family. His cultivation is said to have reached the late stage of the Great Ascension Realm, and he is one of the core figures of the Lu family. He is in charge of the Lu family's affairs in the eastern part of Tianyuan Domain, and his sphere of influence covers the area around Qingyun City.”

"Late stage of the Mahayana realm?" Zheng Yi frowned slightly. This cultivation level was not low; it was even a small level higher than his current realm. If things really broke down with the Lu family, and they sent Lu Tianming, it would indeed be very troublesome.

"Sir, what do you think I should do?" Wang Tianhai looked at Zheng Yi, his eyes full of expectation.

Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, then said, "Master Wang, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you."

"Sir, please speak."

"First, besides the Lu family, are there any other forces interested in Qingyun City?"

Wang Tianhai thought for a moment, "I haven't heard anything about it yet. However, I suspect that the Lu family isn't the only one among the nine great families who has their eyes on the location of Qingyun City. It's just that the Lu family acted the fastest, contacting me first."

"Secondly, what is the Town Command's attitude towards this matter?"

“The Town Commandery,” Wang Tianhai frowned. “I haven’t contacted the Town Commandery yet. After all, they’ve colluded with Li Tiancheng, and I don’t trust them much.”

"Third, what is the current state of Qingyun City's defenses? Can they withstand the Lu family's attack?"

Wang Tianhai shook his head with a wry smile, "To be honest, Qingyun City's defenses are very weak. Although the city guards number over three thousand, most are ordinary cultivators, the highest being only at the Integration Realm. The only true expert is myself, and even I am only at the early Great Ascension Realm. If the Lu family really sends someone to attack, I simply cannot hold them off."

After listening, Zheng Yi made up his mind.

“Master Wang, I have an idea, but I don’t know if I should say it.” he said.

"Please speak, sir," Wang Tianhai said quickly.

"In my opinion, it's unwise to directly refuse the Lu family," Zheng Yi said. "The Lu family is powerful, far beyond what a mere border city lord like you can contend with. If you refuse directly, the Lu family will definitely take strong measures, and you'll be in a very passive position."

Wang Tianhai's face darkened. "Sir, do you mean for me to submit to the Lu family?"

“No,” Zheng Yi shook his head. “Submitting to the Lu family is certainly not an option. But you can try another approach.”

“What method?”

"Drag it out," Zheng Yi uttered a single word.

"Drag?" Wang Tianhai was taken aback.

“That’s right, just stall,” Zheng Yi said. “The Lu family wants you to submit, but you neither agree nor refuse. You just deal with them, make demands, bargain, and drag things out.”

"But what's the point of dragging this out?" Wang Tianhai asked, puzzled.

“It’s extremely useful,” Zheng Yi said. “First, the delay will buy you time to prepare. You can use this time to strengthen Qingyun City’s defenses, recruit experts, and accumulate strength. Once you are strong enough, you won’t have to fear the Lu family’s threat.”

"Secondly, delaying the inevitable will allow us to wait for the situation to change. As you just mentioned, the Lu family isn't the only one among the nine great families interested in Qingyun City. If other families also make their moves, the Lu family won't be able to monopolize Qingyun City, giving you more options."

"Third, delaying the inevitable will wear down the Lu family's patience. Although the Lu family is powerful, they can't wait indefinitely. If you keep dragging your feet and don't give a reply, they might feel it's not worth it and give up on their own."

After listening, Wang Tianhai's eyes gradually brightened.

“What you say makes sense, sir,” he said. “But how can I stall for time? The Lu family will be here in seven days; I must give them an explanation.”

“That’s simple,” Zheng Yi said. “Just tell them that submitting to the Lu family is a major matter, and you need time to consider it. Furthermore, Qingyun City has just experienced a coup, and everything needs rebuilding. You need to stabilize the situation first before considering anything else. Ask them to give you three months.”

"Three months?" Wang Tianhai frowned. "Will they agree?"

“They might not agree to three months, but they’ll definitely give you some time,” Zheng Yi said. “After all, forcing you to submit wouldn’t benefit the Lu family. A resentful puppet is worse than a willing partner. They should give you some time to consider.”

Wang Tianhai pondered for a moment and felt that Zheng Yi's words made sense.

“Very well, I will do as you say, sir.” He nodded and said, “Let’s stall them for time.”

“Besides delaying, you need to do something else,” Zheng Yi said.

"What's up?"

“Find allies,” Zheng Yi said. “It’s too difficult for you to fight the Lu family alone; you need to find some allies to help you.”

"Allies?" Wang Tianhai smiled wryly. "I have no foothold in the Tianyuan Domain, where am I supposed to find allies?"

“You can contact the Town Administration Bureau,” Zheng Yi said.

“The Town Commandery?” Wang Tianhai’s expression changed. “But the Town Commandery has colluded with Li Tiancheng; I don’t trust them.”

“That's all in the past,” Zheng Yi said. “Li Tiancheng is dead, and the Town Domain Division has no reason to continue opposing you. Moreover, as the official institution of Tianyuan Domain, the Town Domain Division shouldn't want to see the nine great families become too powerful. If the Lu family controls Qingyun City, it won't be good for the Town Domain Division either.”

"You can send someone to contact the Town Administration Bureau and sound them out. If they're willing to help, that's great. If they're not, you won't lose anything."

Wang Tianhai thought about it and felt that Zheng Yi made sense.

“Very well, I will send someone to contact the Town Commandery as soon as I get back,” he said.

"There's one more thing," Zheng Yi continued, "You said that the Lu family isn't the only one among the nine great families interested in Qingyun City. Have you considered using the conflicts between these families to your advantage?"

"Exploiting contradictions?" Wang Tianhai's eyes lit up. "Sir, you mean..."

“The nine great families are not a monolithic entity,” Zheng Yi said. “They also have competition and conflicts among themselves. If you can exploit these conflicts to make them check and balance each other, you can profit from it.”

"For example, if the Lu family wants you to submit, you can deliberately spread the word that another powerful family is also trying to win you over. This way, the Lu family won't dare to be too forceful with you, otherwise you might end up siding with the other family."

"Similarly, if another powerful family tries to win you over, you can use the Lu family to keep them in check. Let them compete with each other, and you can reap the benefits."

After listening, Wang Tianhai's eyes sparkled with surprise.

"Sir, you are truly insightful and astute," he exclaimed sincerely. "How could I have overlooked that?"

"You flatter me, Master Wang," Zheng Yi waved his hand. "These are just some simple political maneuvering techniques. Master Wang must have already figured them out, but those involved are often blinded by their own perspective."

"No, no, no, sir, you are too modest." Wang Tianhai shook his head repeatedly. "I consider myself a man of some worldly experience, but compared to you, I am but a small fry."

He stood up and solemnly bowed to Zheng Yi.

"I will never forget your guidance, sir. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will certainly repay your kindness." (End of Chapter)