Young master, why not become a corpse immortal?

Chapter 320 Anyway, he won't be happy for long.
The three men, carrying a small ginseng root, did not rush to appear before the crowd. They circled around twice before finally finding Zhao Liulang's study.

Upon arriving at their destination, the Imperial Advisor draped a robe over Lin Jiang. Zhao Liulang, who had been too embarrassed to ask further questions, hesitated before speaking, seeing that Lin Jiang was now clothed.
"Does Master perhaps have a penchant for going shirtless?"

Lin Jiang glared at him, annoyed.
"You've ruined all my clothes, and you actually dare to ask me that?"

Zhao Liulang immediately fell silent.

After finishing these tasks, the Imperial Advisor took out a paper kite from his robes.

He whispered a few words to the kite, then gently released it out the window.

A moment later, three figures hurriedly walked into the study.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that the leaders were the ancestor of literature and the ancestor of law, with Jiao Gong following closely behind.

As soon as they entered the room, their eyes all fell on the dark-skinned boy.

Fazhu had the most doubts on his face, after all, he had never seen Zhao Liulang when he was young; Jiao Gong, on the other hand, recognized his old friend who looked like he was in his prime at a glance.

His previously blank face suddenly lit up with excitement, and he even carefully wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of his eyes with his fingers.

After calming himself down for a while, he said in a trembling voice:
"You old codger, you've finally gotten up."

"Haha! How could I so easily lose my life?"

Zhao Liulang laughed heartily.

The people in the study recounted their respective situations to each other. When Jiao Gong learned that Lin Jiang was the immortal who had taught them the methods, his expression, which he had finally managed to calm down, spiraled out of control again.

"Old Zhao, you're not making fun of me, are you?"

"I would never find a reason to amuse myself with this matter," Zhao Liulang said angrily.

Although Jiao Gong understood, he still couldn't hide his astonishment.

After all, their elusive master held a revered position in their hearts, and given Zhao Liulang's personality, he certainly wouldn't lie about something like this.

But Jiao Gong had never had the chance to see his master's face, and rarely sensed his aura. At this moment, he appeared somewhat shy and reserved, his gaze fixed on Lin Jiang, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself:

"I did recognize this young master at the time; he looked somewhat familiar, and his demeanor and bearing were somewhat similar to our deceased master, but this..."

"You brat, you've forgotten your master now that you've grown up?" Zhao Liulang lightly poked Jiao Gong twice, making the latter extremely embarrassed.

Jiao Gong fell silent.

Lin Jiang then briefly recounted the events of the Primordial Fog to Jiao Gong, who was somewhat confused and didn't quite understand.
However, the Imperial Preceptor's attainments in many fields of knowledge far surpassed those of others. After listening to Lin Jiang recount the whole story once, he suddenly understood the meaning of "the primordial fog has no years" and couldn't help but marvel at the profound mystery of worldly methods.

After saying all this, Jiao Gong mostly believed Lin Jiang's identity, but his tone was still somewhat ambiguous.

"Young master, I can't change my address right now."

"It's alright." Lin Jiang didn't seem to care at all.

"You're really muddle-headed," Zhao Liulang said, pursing his lips. "Since you can't change your tune now, why don't you talk about the current state of the court?"

Jiao Gong nodded and explained the current situation.

After hearing about the current situation in the court, Zhao Liulang's face grew increasingly gloomy.

When he heard that the Crown Prince and Fang Changqing had rebelled in the capital, despite his youthful appearance, he could not hide the deep sorrow in his eyes.

After a deep sigh, he looked at Lin Jiang with deep regret:
"My eldest son has caused you trouble, Master."

"He wasn't like this before, was he?"

Lin Jiang recalled the First Prince he had seen in the mist. At that time, the First Prince was gentle and kind, and his knowledge and talent were outstanding.

Although he was not a perfect successor due to his lack of cultivation, he undoubtedly helped Zhao Liulang a lot.

Ultimately, however, under the corrosive influence of calamity, the eldest prince's former glory degenerated into obsessive madness.

Just like Fang Changqing and Yu Wenyun.

"At that time, I was so engrossed in studying calamities and focused solely on how to eradicate this scourge completely that I didn't even glance at this child..."

Zhao Liulang's tone was filled with regret, and he couldn't help but sigh, holding his forehead with his hand.

Lin Jiang couldn't accuse Zhao Liulang of any wrongdoing. After all, his years of effort had finally led him to the root of the calamity, but he had misjudged its intensity, thus inviting disaster. All karmic debts should be attributed to the calamity, not Zhao Liulang.

Zhao Liulang sighed softly.

However, the turmoil in the imperial court was clearly not limited to this.

Jiao Gong then continued:

"Now that the southern warlords are severely weakened, the Ministry of War probably has no energy left to cause trouble. However..."

"I'm afraid the third kid will take this opportunity to cause trouble."

"Given the Third Prince's temperament, he will surely fight for it."

"Ugh."

Zhao Liulang revealed his helplessness:
"I have three sons. The eldest was the best, but he suffered a calamity. The second son has always resented me, believing that I harmed his mother, and has long since left for the capital. The third son... sigh, this child."

Needless to say, the youngest of the three children is the most worrying.

He really wanted to sit on the dragon throne.

"Old Zhao, what are you going to do?"

"In a few days, summon the Third Prince to the palace," Zhao Liulang sighed. "Those corrupt officials around him should be purged." "When should we do that?"

"Wait another four or five days," Zhao Liulang said after a moment's thought. "While I am still somewhat weak, it might be too much trouble to clean up this filth now. It would be better to spread the word first and let the dregs gather here, so that we can clean them up all at once later."

……

The matter of the eldest prince's rebellion has come to a temporary end.

This incident caused quite a stir, and even small vendors in the capital city knew a little about it.

After all, this is no small matter.

As the heir to the throne of Daxing, the Second Princess is a given. The struggle between the First Prince and the Third Prince is already common knowledge. Now that the struggle is over and the Emperor is seriously ill and bedridden, the succession to the throne is self-evident.

At present, rumors and gossip are rampant in the capital, and all sorts of chaotic talk are emerging. Discussions about this matter can be heard everywhere on the streets and alleys. Some laborers even whisper and mutter to themselves while drinking.

Some people speculate that the Third Prince will enter the palace and ascend the throne in just a few days, while others believe that the Third Prince will probably observe three years of mourning in order to fulfill his filial duty and gain the approval of everyone in the world.

Aside from the common people in the capital, even everyone on the Third Prince's side held this view.

Inside the Imperial Palace, the Third Prince Zhao Hongyan paced back and forth around the table twice, an uncontrollable smile on his face.

He chuckled to himself in the study, then plopped back down in his original spot.

At first, it was just a small smile, then a sound came out of his throat, and finally, he even slapped his thigh and laughed wildly.

He truly hadn't expected that his elder brother would orchestrate such a grand spectacle, ultimately costing him his life.

Originally, Zhao Hongyan was in a very unfavorable position during their fierce confrontation.

His elder brother was truly outstanding, far surpassing him in every skill; if his elder brother hadn't forcefully suppressed the civil officials' opinions, causing them to break with him, he truly wouldn't have been able to gain any power at all.

Although the words were unpleasant to hear, Zhao Hongyan knew perfectly well that if his elder brother hadn't suddenly lost control a few years ago, he wouldn't have had even the slightest chance!
It's better now.

No amount of planning can compare to someone handing victory to you.

What is this called?
This is destiny!
If Heaven has ordained me to the throne, then I should be the emperor!

This Daxing should naturally submit to my feet!
Squinting and leaning back in his chair, humming a little tune as he swayed back and forth, Zhao Hongyan could already imagine what he would look like sitting on the throne in the future, and his tune became even more cheerful.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard. Looking up, an old man walked in with a smile.

Upon seeing this person, Zhao Hongyan immediately broke into a smile:

"Grand Secretary Zhou, what brings you here all of a sudden?"

"Of course, it's to congratulate you, Your Majesty."

Zhou Canshen spoke with a smile, bowing respectfully at the same time; Zhao Hongyan, though overjoyed at the sight, waved his hands repeatedly:
"Hey, you can't say that. I haven't ascended the throne yet."

"It was only a matter of time before you became the ruler of a country; now even the Grand Preceptor acknowledges your authority."

"National Division?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongyan was first taken aback, then his face lit up with ecstatic joy:

"really?"

"Today, a few of us went to find out what the Imperial Advisor was thinking, and he greatly admires you."

Zhou Canshen cleverly flattered Zhao Hongyan, who immediately showed a smug expression.

However, Zhou Shenshen actually told a small lie.

These people did indeed inquire about the Grand Preceptor's message, and the Grand Preceptor did indeed state that "the Third Prince should now ascend the throne."

However, his attitude subtly conveyed the message that "since things have come to this, can we choose someone else?"

It was obvious that the Imperial Advisor was not satisfied with the Third Prince, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

"According to the Imperial Advisor, in five days, we hope Your Majesty will come to the main hall of the palace. At that time, the Imperial Advisor has something to say to Your Majesty."

"Five days from now, to the main hall?" Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongyan's face immediately showed a worried expression: "What will he want with me?"

Zhao Hongyan had been punished by the Imperial Preceptor many times when he was young, and given the Imperial Preceptor's extraordinary abilities, Zhao Hongyan couldn't help but feel fear.

"It shouldn't be a bad thing. The Grand Preceptor's every word and action is for the sake of supporting the entire Daxing. Now he is seeking you out most likely to discuss the way of governance with you."

“His old ways are outdated,” Zhao Hongyan sneered, but ultimately said nothing more. “Let’s go check again in five days. I don’t think he’ll do anything.”

Zhou Shen respectfully bowed and took his leave.

After leaving the study, he glanced back at it.

In the study, Zhao Hongyan still looked relaxed and carefree, occasionally letting out a silly chuckle, his face full of excitement.

A cold smile appeared on Zhou Canshen's face. He finally shook his head and said nothing more.

The Third Prince's abilities are truly weak. If the First Prince were to ascend the throne, he might be able to contend with his group of minor officials; but if it were the Third Prince...

Ultimately, it will only become an empty shell.

Five days later, the Grand Preceptor will likely summon not the Third Prince, but this group of people.

As for the present, let him be happy for now.

Anyway, his happiness won't last long.

(End of this chapter)