Evil of all ages

Chapter 75: Suppressing the Ghost Market
“Grandpa, the more we back down, the more those who are targeting us will take advantage of us.”

"What should we do if they even take advantage of the emperor's suspicious nature to deal with us?"

Gao Ge asked.

"I have served under four emperors. The first three emperors had short lifespans and were easy to manipulate."

"The current emperor is different; he is indeed the one I am most wary of."

"Even if I feign illness, lower my profile, and cut off contact with other officials, I can still feel that the emperor's suspicion of me remains unchanged."

"Perhaps I've lived too long and have disciples all over the world. Maybe the emperor is cursing me right now for not dying yet."

"They even plotted against our Gao family and the Xu family, making us fight each other so that they could remove us as thorns and clear the way for the new emperor."

"Yes, the old emperor, who is inherently suspicious, is really capable of anything."

Upon hearing this, Gao Ge became anxious.

As I listened, it sounded like Grandpa was praising the emperor.

Shouldn't you be trying to protect yourself at this point?
"Calm down"

Gao He noticed that his grandson's temperament was a bit lacking, and felt that his grandson hadn't experienced enough.

"If the emperor insists on taking me with him before he dies, I can tell you that no matter what tricks the emperor plays, our Gao family will ultimately be safe and sound."

Gao He remained remarkably calm.

Upon hearing this, Gao Ge was finally relieved.

My grandfather was a man who rose and fell seven times. If he dared to say that, he must have many backup plans and foolproof strategies.

After sitting for a while, Gao He, wanting peace and quiet, chased his grandson out of the back garden.

He continued with his slow, health-preserving techniques.

If a peak-level expert were to carefully observe Gao He's moves, they would definitely notice the faint fluctuations of true energy between his techniques.

……

The Seventh Prince's Residence

"What audacity!"

The Seventh Prince, Li Xingwen, slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

Someone actually dared to issue a notice to him.

They also threatened him, saying that if he didn't evacuate his people from the ghost market, he would have to bear the consequences.

Has Mr. Wen returned yet?

He was a prince, and he was naturally unhappy that some people didn't respect him as a prince.

But he feared it was a trap, that someone wanted to lure him into it.

Mr. Wen was his strategist, offering him advice and strategies, but unfortunately, his strategist was not by his side at the moment; he had gone back to his hometown.

"Your Highness, not yet."

The butler replied.

At this moment, the gatekeeper respectfully walked in.

"Your Highness, the leader of the Chang Le Gang requests an audience."

The gatekeeper bowed his head and said.

"Let him in"

Li Xingwen frowned slightly. He didn't know why Xue Zixian wanted to see him, but Xue Zixian was a Xiantian expert, and his martial arts and Chang Le Gang were his support, so he had to see him.

"Greetings, Your Highness"

Innate experts are not required to kneel, but Xue Zixian still knelt down.

Upon seeing this, Li Xingwen beamed with joy. Whether one kneels or not, the attitude expressed is naturally different.

"Chief Xue, what brings you here in person?"

Li Xingwen asked.

"Your Highness, the Chang Le Gang's stronghold in the Ghost Market has been wiped out by the Mingxin Pavilion."

Xue Zixian replied.

Upon hearing this, Li Xingwen's eyes turned cold. It was Mingxin Pavilion again; they were determined to oppose him.

"Chief Xue, take a look at this."

Li Xingwen instructed the housekeeper to deliver the notice to Xue Zixian.

"This……"

After reading the announcement, Xue Zixian was shocked; someone actually dared to threaten a prince.

"Chief Xue, what do you think I should do about this?"

Li Xingwen countered with a question.

"As far as I know, Mingxin Pavilion only has two innate experts. No matter how ambitious they are, they can't possibly swallow an elephant and control the entire Ghost Market."

"Therefore, they must have someone behind them."

Xue Zixian dared not make the prince's decision; he could only analyze the problem.

"Besides investigating who's behind them, I also want to see what kind of consequences they mean by 'bearing the consequences themselves'."

Li Xingwen had no intention of withdrawing his men; in fact, he added a Xiantian expert and many Houtian martial artists to the Dengri Casino.

Day Three

Huang Taichu finally understood why Xu Xian liked playing with snakes.

So snakes are really moist.

It's so easy to linger there. Looking at the snake woman who was curled up in the blankets and didn't want to come out, Huang Taichu got up and went to the courtyard to bask in the sun and stretch his body.

"Lord Ghost Emperor, apart from Dengri Gambling House, all the other smaller forces that needed to withdraw have withdrawn."

"Those who do not withdraw and those who wish to stay are all willing to submit to us."

Yu Xuan came to report.

“The Dengri Casino is really stubborn. Well then, let’s satisfy them.”

"Yes"

Yu Xuan accepted the order and withdrew.

The Seventh Prince's Residence.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Dengri Gambling House has been wiped out by the Mingxin Pavilion."

The steward rushed over in a panic to report.

"what!"

"How dare they?!"

"And are our people so weak that they don't even have the chance to send someone for help?"

Li Xingwen was both angry and suspicious.

"A late-stage Innate Realm expert has appeared on the scene. Our two Innate Realm experts are no match for him and were captured in just a few moves."

the butler replied.

"They even have a late-stage Innate Realm expert!"

Li Xingwen was taken aback. His strongest subordinate was at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, while he didn't even have a late-stage Innate Realm expert. How could someone control the Ghost Market?

"Your Highness, Mr. Wen has returned."

Just as Li Xingwen was at his wit's end, he was overjoyed to hear that Mr. Wen had returned.

"Quickly, quickly invite Mr. Wen over."

A short while later, the butler invited Wen Tianzuo over.

Wen Tian dressed like a Confucian, but he was not a Confucian; he just liked to dress like that.

He looked to be in his fifties, had a small mustache, and often squinted; he was a squinty-eyed oddball.

“Mr. Wen, the butler told you about the Dengri Casino on the way here.”

"The other side even has a late-stage Innate Realm expert, could they be from a powerful force?"

"If it's someone from a powerful force, should I swallow my anger and remain silent, or..."

Li Xingwen wanted Mr. Wen to teach him how to do it.

"Your Highness not only refuses to swallow your anger, but also wants to use this incident to enhance your own prestige."

Wen Tianzuo said with a smile.

"What does Mr. Wen mean by this?"

Li Xingwen asked, puzzled.

"Your Highness, the First Prince has the support of the Censor-in-Chief Shen Zhonghe, the Third Prince's family is powerful, and the Sixth Prince is wealthy. May I ask what Your Highness possesses?"

Upon hearing this question, Li Xingwen's lips twitched slightly.

Knowing full well that he was the weakest of the four princes, they still asked.

"Your Highness has a little bit of everything, but if you take any single skill out, you are far inferior to the other three princes. So Your Highness can only strive for fame."

"As long as Your Highness wipes out the Ghost Market, Your Highness will definitely take the lead in terms of reputation."

Wen Tianzuo said.

How to wipe it out?

Although Li Xingwen had some private soldiers and assassins, he could not possibly use them to wipe out the Ghost Market.

If he dares, he'll be labeled a rebel.

“The Ghost Market is a lawless place. As long as Your Highness writes to the court and adds a little manipulation, the people of the capital will all know that there is a place under the emperor’s nose that breeds darkness.”

"Faced with public resentment and anger, the imperial court will definitely send troops to wipe out the ghost market."

"As long as Your Highness seizes the opportunity and becomes the person in charge of eradicating the Ghost Market."

"Once the Ghost Market is wiped out, the reputation of the other princes will be far inferior to that of Your Highness."

Wen Tian devised a plan.

"If a memorial passes through the Empress's hands, will she reject it?"

Li Xingwen was quite worried about this.

"No, the Xu family has no interests in the Ghost Market, so they have no reason to protect it."

Wen Tian said calmly.

"Very well, Your Highness will now submit a memorial to the court."

……

Wearing a straw hat, Huang Yu'er was watching with great interest as the high-ranking members of the Fierce Tiger Gang surrounded and attacked Sun Yang, the leader of the Flying Eagle Gang.

Now, only the leader Sun Yang remains in the Flying Eagle Gang.

Half of the credit goes to her.

Who could blame her for being so skilled in poisons?

(End of this chapter)