Chapter 209 - The Filial Su Wen
In the princess"s residence, Xiang Sheng was lying on the bed like a mummy.
Su Wen sat by the bed with an apple in his hand.
He slowly peeled as he spoke.
"It hurts, right? It must be very painful. With so many bones broken, how can it not hurt?" Su Wen smiled.
Xiang Sheng looked at the roof without saying a word.
He still didn"t know that it was Zhao Jin who had hit him.
In Xiang Sheng"s opinion, this was the result of being beaten by an a.s.sa.s.sin, and Su Wen… saved him.
This displeased him, but he also felt some grat.i.tude. After all, the despair he felt when he was beaten… was extremely traumatic.
However, that did not mean that he could forgive Su Wen and Xiang Feiyan for having an affair…
He did not expect Su Wen to come and chat with him. It seemed like he was peeling an apple for him…
"Hmph, is this fellow trying to please me?"
Xiang Sheng thought to himself.
Unfortunately, he was thinking too much. After Su Wen finished peeling the apple, he did not give it to Xiang Sheng.
Instead, he bit down hard on it.
"F*ck, d*mn! This Iron Mountain Apple that your third uncle sent over is really delicious." Su Wen praised as he ate.
Xiang Sheng gritted his teeth. "If you like it, take it away. Why are you eating it in front of me?"
Su Wen swallowed the apple and smiled. "That won"t do. How will you know that the apple is delicious after I leave? I have to tell you."
Xiang Sheng wanted to get up and punch his head!
However, even though Xiang Feiyan had obtained many spirit medicines, he still had to lie down for half a month before he could move.
During this period… he had to rely on others to take care of his needs.
Kacha. Su Wen took another bite.
"Hmm, crispy! Sweet!"
Su Wen praised. This was not fake. He had never eaten such delicious apples in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
In reality, this breed of apple only grew in a place called Iron Mountain in Chu. It was very delicious, but there were very few of them. It could be considered an expensive fruit.
"You said that you don"t want them, right? Then I"ll take them all away later."
Su Wen did not know how to be polite.
"Let me see… What else did your uncle give you… healing elixir? Pui! Is this thing for treating illnesses? Is he a doctor? Who knows if there"s poison inside…"
When Xiang Sheng was injured, many princes and princesses came to visit.
They also sent some gifts. There were quite a few specialties from Great Chu inside.
"I think this ice lotus orange is not bad. Do you want to eat it? You don"t seem to like fruits, right? If you don"t, I"ll take it away…"
Xiang Sheng remained silent. He did not want to say another word to Su Wen.
Su Wen was flipping through the gifts when a voice came from outside.
"The Fourteenth Princess is here to visit."
As he spoke, the door opened and a girl appeared in front of it.
Their eyes met.
At this moment, Su Wen was holding a basket filled with apples and stuffing oranges into it.
He even had an apple in his mouth.
"He is?" The girl turned to look at the maid beside her.
"He is the guard of the Inner Residence, Su Daqiang, Mister\\ Su, after Young Master was injured, in order for such a thing not to happen again, the Eldest Princess asked him to move into the Inner Residence so that it would be easier to take care of him."
Xiang Sheng felt bitter. His injury had given Xiang Feiyan an excuse.
However, he could not expose him as well.
The Fourteenth Princess looked at Su Wen and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Su Wen smiled. "Xiang Sheng said that he doesn"t like to eat fruits, so he asked me to help him take this fruit away. Otherwise, it would be a pity if it rotted."
From start to the end, Xiang Sheng… had never said whether he liked fruits or not.
Su Wen carried the fruits and walked out.
The Fourteenth Princess sat by the bed and looked at the miserable Xiang Sheng. She could not help but sniffle…
"Sheng"er, are you alright?"
"It"s fine…"
Hearing the greetings from the people in the room, Su Wen returned to his room.
He started to split the fruits.
"There are 12 of these Iron Mountain apples. I"ll reserve six for my family, two for Muyu, and two for Wanrou. There are 4 more left… Unfortunately, Luoying is at the front line. Then I"ll give two to my mother, one for myself, and give the last to the old man."
"There aren"t any ice lotus oranges in Great Zhou. I"ll try one first. Hmm… not bad. It"s extremely sweet and even has the effect of suppressing the chill. It"s good stuff. Same thing, six for my family, two for Muyu and two for Wanrou. It"s a pity for Luoying, so I still have six left… four for my mother. As for the old man, it"s not good to eat too many oranges, since it"ll be heaty. It"s better to just give the old man another one… and I"ll keep another for myself… I"m really filial."
In the capital of Great Zhou!
In the Prime Minister"s residence, Su Changqing looked at the orange on the table with a conflicted expression… and a lone apple…
And his good son.
"You can travel between two countries?" He couldn"t help but feel shocked.
Such methods were too shocking.
Su Wen nodded and said, "That"s right. Did you see that? I"ve never eaten the fruits that are unique to Great Chu, right? I specially brought them to show my filial piety to you. I can"t even bear to eat them myself. See, we"re thousands of miles apart, but I don"t forget how old you are. Look at the eldest and the second, they don"t even give you a fart usually. Now you know who to keep in mind when you"re splitting the a.s.sets in the future, right?"
Su Changqing: "…"
"We can"t let His Majesty know about this."
"I know."
"How"s the situation in Chu?" Su Changqing asked.
Su Wen explained the current situation and said, "I"ve already gotten Zhao Rui and Chu He to take action in the Great Yan Country. When the intelligence network is established, there will be many ways to report back."
Su Changqing nodded and said, "Then what do you think of doing now that you"re trapped in the compet.i.tion for the throne of Great Chu?"
Su Wen frowned and said, "Let"s take it one step at a time. If we want the two countries to fight, we have to stabilize the internal affairs of the Chu Country. Otherwise, they won"t have the time to attack the Yan Country. Right now, I"m still quite close to Xiang Feiyan. If we really succeed in seizing the throne, perhaps we can use our influence to make her attack the Yan Country from the south."
Su Changqing"s eyes narrowed slightly as he tapped the table repeatedly. He muttered, "Perhaps you can take the opportunity to take over the throne!"
"Ah?!"
Su Wen looked at Su Changqing and saw that his gaze was sharp and not at all like his usual kindness. His eyes were filled with excitement as he said, "According to what you said, Xiang Feiyan is not very powerful in the royal court and is not considered outstanding. However, the advantage is that she can only rely on you. Once she succeeds, the trust she has for you will definitely be extremely high. At the time she ascends, you will naturally wield a lot of authority!"
"The two moves you"ve taken so far can be said to be exquisite. Firstly, it allowed Xiang Feiyan to establish a pretty good image of the eldest daughter in Emperor Chu"s heart. Secondly, she framed the Crown Prince. That Emperor will definitely be displeased."
"However, you have to stop your actions for a moment. With the emperor around, Xiang Feiyan will not be afraid of any tricks in the open for a short period of time. With your protection, it shouldn"t be a problem. However, if you move too much, others will definitely notice something!"
Su Changqing reminded him.
However, Su Wen shook his head and said, "No, the longer we delay, the more beneficial it will be for the Crown Prince. We have to continuously give him some tricks, but I will think of a way to get Xiang Feiyan out of it. I won"t let anyone investigate her."
Su Changqing looked at Su Wen in front of him and sighed. "You"ve grown up. Your current methods aren"t inferior to mine. You just have to take care of yourself. If you need help, just let me know. Also, if you really have a chance to break through to Heaven Rank, don"t come back. The Great Zhou Capital has already built a formation, and Heaven Rank experts will trigger it when they enter! Perhaps you"ll be more at ease outside than in Great Zhou."
"Although I don"t know how to break through to the Heaven Rank, I do know that every grade in the nine grades of Heaven Rank cultivator is vastly different. This is especially true regarding the "three grades one tier". Once you break through, it"s nigh impossible for you to fight above your level. The more strength you have, the more stable the Su family will be."
"Yes! I understand."
Su Wen smiled after saying that. "Then I"m leaving!"
He immediately changed his appearance and activated the teleportation formation.
Su Changqing looked at Su Wen who had disappeared and sighed. "How many tricks does this brat have up his sleeve?"
With that, he looked at the fruits on the table.
He shook his head and said with a smile, "If this thing is really that delicious, let"s cut it up later and let everyone have a taste."
Unfortunately, when he entered the backyard… he saw Su Nuannuan hugging a big orange and eating it happily…
In the capital of Yan Country…
A new shop had just opened.
Zhao Rui was standing at the door.
As the red cloth slipped from the plaque…
The firecrackers started at the same time.
"Jade Water Clear Skies Sauna!"
A term that had never been heard before appeared…
When he saw the series of plans in the letter Su Wen sent to them, Zhao Rui became excited.
Wasn"t this much more awesome compared to the traditional brothels?
All sorts of enjoyment… he could almost see how it would be a major shock to the entertainment industry of Great Yan.
As for the news… as long as those who went in used the services, did he need to worry that no one would help spread the word?
As Zhao Rui had expected, this restaurant became the favorite place for the male n.o.bles of Yan Country after opening for just seven days…
Meanwhile, Xiang Feiyan came out of the palace.
She was overjoyed. She could feel that Emperor Chu"s att.i.tude had changed a little.
To her, this was unprecedented.
That night…
Su Wen"s room door was knocked on again.
Xiang Feiyan had changed into a light purple dress this time, one which showed off a lot of skin…
As usual, the maid brought the dishes in.
Su Wen took a look… It was not much different from the dishes on the first day.
Chives, fried eggs, hot cashews, lamb chop stew, wolfberry tiger whip soup…
The two of them sat down. Xiang Feiyan kept putting food into Su Wen"s bowl and pouring wine for him.
She smiled and said, "Mister Su, thanks to you, I can already feel that my father"s impression of me has changed. What should we do next?"
Su Wen said in a deep voice, "It"s fine as long as you maintain your current state. You can"t make a move, especially since you cannot hide your people from the others at all. Just relax and show your filial piety in front of your father. I will think of a way to give your younger brother some problems."
Xiang Feiyan slowly moved the stool closer.
She looked at Su Wen with reverence. If it was said that she only wanted to use her body to urge Su Wen to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Crown Prince the other time, now, she had some respect for Su Wen.
Not only was Su Wen powerful, but Xiang Feiyan also realized that he seemed to be better at political battles.
"Mister Su, I underestimated your methods previously. If you had helped me earlier, perhaps my matters would have been settled. Let me toast you."
She drank with Su Wen.
After three cups, Xiang Feiyan covered her forehead.
"I… I can"t take it anymore…"
As she spoke, she sprawled on the table, seemingly drunk.
Su Wen was in no hurry. He continued to eat and drink his soup by himself…
Su Wen was almost done eating and shouted, "Guards!"
Xue Qianxun appeared.
However, there was not a single servant of the princess that came.
"Go and send her back to her room," Su Wen instructed casually.
"Yes!"
Xue Qianxun stepped forward, picked up Xiang Feiyan, and walked out…
Xiang Feiyan"s head was on Xue Qianxun"s back, and her hair hung down, blocking everything. She opened her eyes.
She gritted her teeth and thought to herself, "Little baddie! You did it on purpose, didn"t you? Hmph!"
After watching the two of them leave, Su Wen pursed his lips. "Tsk, tsk, tsk, old cow wants to eat young gra.s.s? Just stick to your carrots! Hmph, I"ll go home and beat up a demoness tonight. I"ll deal with you another day!"
These days, Xiang Feiyan"s actions naturally could not be hidden from others.
Su Wen also entered the sights of many people.
Just as Xiang Feiyan left the house today, someone delivered an invitation.
"His Highness, the Third Prince, invites Mister Su to his residence for a chat!"
Su Wen"s eyes lit up. Wasn"t this the person who sent the apples over?
He nodded and said, "Alright!"
Su Wen took Zhao Jin and headed straight for the Third Prince"s residence.
At this moment, a red carpet had already been laid out in front of the Third Prince"s residence. Beautiful maids stood on both sides, and the Third Prince personally stood in front of the residence.
The moment Su Wen"s carriage arrived, the firecrackers immediately lit up!
The Third Prince welcomed Su Wen with a smile as he stepped out of the carriage.
Compared to the fierceness of the Third Prince of Great Zhou, this Third Prince of Great Chu appeared cultured and refined.
He laughed loudly and said, "I didn"t expect Mister Su to be so young. You"re really a talent! To be able to meet you, I"m blessed for three lifetimes. Quick, quick, come in!"
His att.i.tude was pa.s.sionate.
Su Wen narrowed his eyes. No wonder Xiang Feiyan was not their match.
He was much better at boosting someone"s ego than Xiang Feiyan.
In the end, people were very strange with each other. Even if they knew that the other party might have a certain motive, when the other party performed well enough, their hearts would definitely tilt.
With the Third Prince"s att.i.tude, even Su Wen found it difficult to have any ill feelings.
Immediately after, the two of them entered the residence.
The Third Prince had set up a banquet and started to chat with Su Wen.
As for roping him in, there was not a single word about it!
Halfway through the banquet, the Third Prince called for a female to provide music accompaniment. Beside Su Wen were two beautiful women.
One was responsible for pouring wine and bringing dishes for Su Wen, while the other served him the food and drinks.
When they were almost done with their meal, the Third Prince smiled and said, "I think Mister Su is a little tired. I have already instructed someone to clean up the room. Mister Su, please take a rest for a while."
Any man would understand what this meant.
Su Wen smiled. "No need, no need. It"s better for me to go back…"
He however turned to the prince and asked, "I wonder if Your Highness still has the Iron Mountain Apples? The last time I ate them, I found that they were really good."
The Third Prince was caught off guard for a moment before he smiled and said, "Yes, yes, yes! I"ll send someone to get it now! Sir, please wait a moment. You can rest for a while in the meantime before leaving."
However, Su Wen firmly refused.
Not long after, a servant from the Third Prince"s residence brought over a basket of apples.
Su Wen did not stand on ceremony, taking it and leaving the residence immediately.
The Third Prince personally sent him off until he reached the main entrance. He patted Su Wen as he exclaimed, "Mister Su is a genius. I hit it off with you at first sight. The next time we meet, we will definitely not go home until we"re drunk."
Su Wen agreed with a smile and turned around to get on the carriage.
As the carriage gradually departed, the smile on the Third Prince"s face gradually disappeared, and his body straightened up.
He said calmly, "Since you"re here for the banquet, it looks like you"re not very loyal. Big Sister is going to be vexed."
Su Wen sat in the carriage and sighed. "Brother Zhao! This Great Chu royal family is not simple. Even without talking about the Crown Prince, in the compet.i.tion for the throne, I"m afraid none of the princes of Great Zhou can match up to the Third Prince."
Zhao Jin laughed, "To be able to receive such praise from Young Master, it seems he isn"t an ordinary person."
Su Wen flipped through the fruit basket and as expected, he found a sachet under the basket. After opening it, it was filled with colorful gems. It was obvious that they were all priceless jewels.
He sighed and said, "This person is extremely thorough when dealing with people and is also shrewd. If an ordinary person were to encounter any problems with Xiang Feiyan, they would immediately have second thoughts about joining him."
"And today, he brought me into the residence with great fanfare. When I return, Xiang Feiyan will definitely ask, but he didn"t even try to rope me in. However, humans are like this. Even if I tell Xiang Feiyan the truth, I"m afraid she won"t believe me! His blatant plan to sow discord is actually an open scheme."
"Those few from Great Zhou are lacking in their methods. Boring, boring!"
Zhao Jin smiled, "Then, Young Master, are you planning to change your sides and join the Third Prince?"
Su Wen stretched his back and said, "If I were a Chu, I would definitely be like this! Unfortunately, if I want to succeed, it"s better to support someone who"s a little stupid."
At this point, he asked, "Did you manage to do the thing I asked you to?"
"I finished it last night!" Zhao Jin laughed.
In the capital city, a huge fish was fished out of the water at this moment.
"Boss, help me clean up this fis.h.!.+" The customer was a scholar and said with a smile.
The boss immediately opened his stomach!
However, after it was opened, a jade token actually appeared in the fish"s stomach!
"What is this?" The boss subconsciously wanted to hide it, but how could the scholar allow it!
"What are you holding in your hand?!"
"This… this is mine!"
"Bullsh*t, it"s clearly from the fish"s stomach. Hurry up and hand it over. I"ve already bought this fis.h.!.+"
"This is mine!"
Both sides started arguing.
The scholar immediately went to s.n.a.t.c.h it, and the two of them started fighting.
More and more people gathered to watch, and soon, even the guards arrived.
When he heard that the two of them were arguing over a jade token, he immediately said disdainfully, "Why would there be jade inside the fish stomach? Let me see."
The boss did not dare to disobey and handed over the jade token!
The official picked up the jade token and saw that it was covered in dragon patterns. When he looked at the jade tablet, he saw that there were actually words carved on it!.
"Bo Shan Emperor, Prosperity to Great Chu!"
When he read this phrase, he immediately felt that something was wrong!
Bo Shan was the Crown Prince"s name!
However, word had already spread.
In the carriage, Zhao Jin was somewhat puzzled. "Young master, wouldn"t the Crown Prince be in even more limelight after you do this?"
Su Wen smiled and said, "Don"t you know about the saying "extreme popularity will eventually lead to decline"?"
Su Wen"s actions were naturally learnt through his nine years of compulsory education.
It was just that at that time, Chen Sheng, the leader of the Uprising in China, used this move to win the hearts of people.
However, Su Wen did the exact opposite. He used this move to start a dispute!
The situation was different, but it could be used as a reference.
To put it bluntly, Chen Sheng could use this method to fool those ignorant commoners, but Su Wen knew that this method would definitely not be able to hide from the Great Chu Royal Family.
Everyone would know that it was man-made!
But who was the person who did it?
It was extremely difficult to find out.. On the other hand, as the Crown Prince whose name was engraved on the jade tablet… this matter was difficult to handle. One had to know that Emperor Chu was not dead yet!