Chapter 169: The Unsophisticated Zhao Qi’an (4K)

Inside the Chengping Palace.

“Da da!”

In a secluded courtyard, the sound of whips could be heard.

Ji Haoyu held a black sheathed whip in his hand, and his chubby face had lost its usual warmth and was now filled with ferocity.

“clatter!”

He raised the black-scabbard whip and lashed down with all his might, with such force that the fat on his face trembled.

In the main hall, a young eunuch was huddled into a ball, his robe torn in several pieces, and the skin exposed beneath the holes was covered with whip marks.

As the whip fell on the young eunuch’s body, his robe was torn again, leaving a bloody mark on his skin, and blood beads oozed out of the wound.

“Your Highness, spare your life, Your Highness, spare your life!”

The sound of heart-wrenching wails echoed in the hall, followed by cries and begging for mercy.

But the more he cried, the more excited Ji Haoyu became. He whipped him harder and harder, cursing:

“You killed my flowers! Are you against me?”

“Why the hell are you all against me?”

“Am I so damn easy to fool?”

He never said a vulgar word on weekdays.

He was well-versed in classics and when talking with people, he often quoted from the scriptures to convince people. All the court officials praised him for his “elegant style” and “the qualities of a wise ruler.”

But now, every word he said was filled with vulgar and vicious curses.

At first, he was just blaming the young eunuch for killing his favorite flower due to negligence, but the curse gradually deviated from this incident.

It was as if he wanted to vent out all the negative emotions that had been accumulated over time and that had been suppressed under his gentle and humble appearance.

“Hachi, Hachi…”

After venting, Ji Haoyu panted and looked fiercely at the little eunuch on the ground.

But the little eunuch who had been crying and begging for mercy had fainted and fell limply to the ground.

He kicked the little eunuch’s body with his toes, but there was no response.

This made Ji Haoyu feel bored. He cursed and threw the black sheath whip in his hand to the ground.

He walked to a tea table nearby and sat down, opening his shirt to reveal his white flesh. The fat on his body piled up layer by layer, accompanied by the panting sound…

Like a big fat pig.

If we only judge by body shape and appearance, the son who is most like the current emperor nicknamed “Pig Dragon Emperor” by the world is the second prince Ji Haoyu.

The Emperor Tianwu, who was like a mountain of flesh, brought people an unprecedented sense of oppression.

Even Zhao Qi’an was extremely cautious in front of him, with his heart tense. Even if it was just a few brief exchanges, he would review them over in his mind several times after leaving.

But Ji Haoyu’s obesity only made people realize his weakness.

He had no foundation in martial arts, and his obese body made him even weaker. Even when he was whipping his servants, he only tired himself out and made a sound like a pig.

He picked up the teapot on the tea table, tilted his head back and took a few sips of tea, then casually wiped his chin with his hand.

At this time, the door of the side hall was opened.

Eunuch Fu walked into the hall and saw the little eunuch fainted on the ground, dying, and the second prince sitting beside him with his chest and abdomen exposed. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

But he said nothing, just lowered his head and walked towards Ji Haoyu in small steps.

“Your Highness.”

Eunuch Fu came in front of Ji Haoyu and bowed.

Ji Haoyu pointed at the little eunuch on the ground and said, “He killed my flower, my favorite orchid.”

Even in front of his closest confidants, he would find an excuse for such things.

It seemed that by doing so, he had a suitable excuse for his cruelty, and he was still the prince known for his “kindness and virtue.”

But Eunuch Fu remembered that Ji Haoyu didn’t like orchids.

Orchids have never been planted in Chengping Palace.

Eunuch Fu lowered his eyes and said respectfully, “It is because I did not discipline him properly. I will take him away and punish him.”

“Forget it, I’ve already punished him, let’s just let it go.” Ji Haoyu waved his hand, showing his magnanimity at the right time.

He asked Eunuch Fu, “What are you doing here? Didn’t I say I wanted to be alone for a while?”

“Your Highness, we have a visitor.”

“But is it someone sent by my grandfather?”

“That’s… not the case.”

“Then I won’t see you!”

“Yes, I will go and inform Viscount Haiqing and ask him to go back to the mansion first.”

Ji Haoyu was stunned for a moment, then he called out to Eunuch Fu: “Wait, let Zhao Qi’an come in.”

Eunuch Fu did not ask Ji Haoyu why he changed his mind, but still responded with a humble look: “Yes.”

……

When Zhao Qi’an came to Chengping Palace again, he was still waiting in the guest hall.

When he saw Ji Haoyu, Ji Haoyu was still smiling and greeted him warmly.

“These days, there are so many people coming to me to ask for mercy that I almost turned you away, Haiqing. Sit down.”

After the two of them sat down, Zhao Qi’an asked, “Why do you say that, Your Highness?”

Ji Haoyu said, “Didn’t my grandfather’s purge of the court these days stem from the list you submitted? My grandfather wanted to discipline those people under his command who had contact with the Third Brother. Some people couldn’t sit still, so some went to my grandfather’s house to plead for mercy, and some came to me to plead for mercy, didn’t they?”

At this point, a hint of disgust appeared on his face. “How dare they come to me to beg for mercy? Since they have betrayed me, how can I dare to use them? If the time really comes… am I going to gamble on their loyalty?”

Zhao Qi’an listened quietly until Ji Haoyu finished his complaints, then he said at the right time: “Fortunately, Prime Minister Wu is on your side. With Prime Minister Wu’s help, I believe that your Highness will soon be surrounded by loyal and useful ministers.”

“Haiqing, you really… take it too superficially.”

Ji Haoyu looked at Zhao Qian’an, with a hint of helplessness on his face.

When he came into contact with Zhao Qi’an, to be honest, what he valued was not Zhao Qi’an, but the Zhao family behind Zhao Qi’an.

It’s just that the Zhao family’s influence in the capital was originally managed by Dean An Shoudao, and Dean An was indeed an important figure, but which prince dared to contact Dean An of Bailu Academy?
Does the third brother dare?

Who in Kyoto doesn’t know that President An and the Imperial Master once had a dispute over the great power?

Who would dare to risk offending the Imperial Master and go to Dean An to show their courtesy? Even their father chose the “Exiled Immortal” instead of the “Supreme Confucian”, so who would dare to make a choice that goes against the Emperor Tianwu?
But they didn’t dare to make enemies with Dean An, at least Ji Haoyu didn’t dare.

So before this, everyone knew that the Zhao family had a big business in Kyoto City, but everyone tacitly pretended not to see it.

And now, the Zhao family actually let their eldest son enter the officialdom, and also invested a certain amount of resources in Zhao Qi’an, even the famous hyena official became his deputy…

This seems to be a signal—the Donghai Zhao family is going to push Zhao Qi’an to the forefront!

Ji Haoyu felt that by making friends with Zhao Qi’an, he could at least make friends with the Zhao family in Donghai.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t get anything good in the end, just try your best.

This is also the reason why Ji Haoyu has always been so friendly to Zhao Qian’an.

However, after experiencing all the intrigues around him, Ji Haoyu felt that everyone around him was suspicious. These guys who claimed to be loyal to him might be sitting on the fence, and they would all go to whichever direction the wind blew.

On the contrary, in his eyes, Zhao Qian’an, who had just entered the officialdom, “didn’t have so many tricks” and “didn’t have so many scheming”. Although his words were blunt and a bit harsh, now listening to him makes people like his “sincerity”.

He sighed softly, and didn’t beat around the bush in front of Zhao Qian’an. He said directly, “If it were up to me, I would have to kill all those who betrayed me, but my grandfather didn’t think so. He just wanted to kill a chicken to scare the monkey. Don’t look at the big commotion in the court these days, but in fact, it was just a promotion and a light release, and some insignificant official positions were removed.”

“I went to the Wu residence to see my grandfather yesterday. I wanted him to give me an explanation, but he just gave me two words – politics.”

“Bullshit politics. To put it bluntly, he doesn’t have that many people to fill the vacancy. He thinks I’m trying to put my own people in the position.”

“Yes, I do think so. But shouldn’t my grandfather and I share the same fate? If I can arrange some of my own people to important positions in the court, wouldn’t it be easier to win people’s hearts and establish prestige? But I feel like he is guarding against me!”

These words have been in Ji Haoyu’s mind for a long time.

But he couldn’t find anyone to talk to.

Talk to the eunuchs around you? Most of these eunuchs have never walked out of the gate of the Taiping Palace in their lives, so they can understand shit!

As for the bureaucrats under him… he didn’t dare to say.

Which of these officials around him was not sent to him by Prime Minister Wu?
Which one is not labeled as “Wu Party”?

He had realized this several years ago and tried to train some talents on his own. However, the talents he had trained with great effort can now only serve as small officials, and none of them can even participate in the government affairs.

His maternal grandfather was intentionally or unintentionally suppressing the power he had cultivated!

This “cockfighting prime minister” even fights with his own grandson!
Damn it!
In the end, he could only say these words to Zhao Qi’an, an outsider who was not strictly speaking from his faction.

At least Zhao Qi’an had deeply offended the third brother and had no contact with Prime Minister Wu at all.

Even so, Ji Haoyu only dared to tell Zhao Qi’an half of his complaints.

Zhao Qi’an listened silently, with some surprise in his eyes.

He didn’t expect that Ji Haoyu would come to him to confide all this.

This bit of cunning… is disappointing.

What could Zhao Qi’an say? He could only say, “It should just be a misunderstanding. Your Highness, don’t think too much about it.”

Ji Haoyu smiled bitterly and nodded: “Yes, I just thought too much.”

He didn’t expect Zhao Qi’an to give him any good ideas. He talked to Zhao Qi’an today just to vent his complaints and find someone to talk to.

Ji Haoyu turned and asked, “You’ve only heard what I said. Haiqing came to see me today, but what’s the matter?”

He knew that Zhao Qi’an was a person who did not like socializing. Generally speaking, if he came to his house, it must be for something. It would be difficult to invite him if there was nothing going on.

Zhao Qi’an said: “I came here today to ask Your Highness for a small favor.”

“What’s the matter? Tell me first.”

“I have a maidservant who was a foreign slave sold to the capital after the fall of the Anuyi Kingdom. I promised to find her relatives for her, but I couldn’t find her relatives after searching the capital. Later, I learned that the palace bought a batch of slaves from the Anuyi Kingdom. I wonder where those slaves are now? I want to check if the relatives of my maidservant are among them.”

Zhao Qi’an did not rush to hand the thing in his arms to Ji Haoyu, but asked about this matter.

What he said was all true.

After buying the ugly slave, he had already roughly found out the origin of the ugly slave.

When the eldest prince’s “Expedition Army” conquered the Anuyi Kingdom, many Anuyi warriors became slaves of the Daqian Kingdom.

Chounu was a princess of the royal family of the Anuyi Kingdom, but somehow she ended up working as a pimp.

What she was looking for should be the descendants of the royal family of Anuyi.

Zhao Qian’an had helped to search privately, but he only found out that among the captives of Anuyi, except for some ordinary people who were taken into the pawnbrokers as slaves, the real elite among them were missing.

The Anuyi Kingdom is different from the Daqian Kingdom. It is a small country where everyone is a martial artist. Even ordinary people are not inferior to warriors of the eighth or ninth rank, not to mention those alien races who have practiced martial arts. Even if there are only a thousand people, they have incredible combat power.

Zhao Qi’an kept Chounu by his side because he wanted this elite alien force.

But after searching everywhere, the whereabouts of his body could not be found in the entire city of Kyoto.

Then there is only one possibility – these elite alien troops are in the palace.

Since this matter involved the imperial palace, even Zhao Qi’an would find it inconvenient to investigate further.

After all, when he bought the ugly slave, the old eunuch Wei was no longer a “Grand Eunuch” who could compete with the Five Marquises, but just a “Wei Gongfeng” who begged for a living under his command.

This matter had to be delayed until now when he had a better relationship with Ji Haoyu, and then he thought of investigating it through Ji Haoyu.

Ji Haoyu frowned after hearing what Zhao Qi’an said, “She’s just a private slave, why are you so concerned about Hai Qing?”

Zhao Qi’an said calmly, “It’s just for convenience. If it’s inconvenient for Your Highness, forget it.”

Ji Haoyu smiled and said, “It’s not inconvenient, they are just private slaves. I’ll send someone to ask. But there are many slaves of different races in the palace. What race is your private slave from?”

“The Anuyi Kingdom was destroyed by the expeditionary army.”

“Anuyi…”

Ji Haoyu squinted his eyes and thought for a while, but he was unfamiliar with this word, so he nodded: “Okay, I’ll ask Ah Fu to search the palace, and if there is any news, I’ll send someone to your house to inform you.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

After Zhao Qi’an expressed his thanks, he paused for a moment, then reached into his arms, took out a book of documents, and placed it on the tea table between the two of them.

Ji Haoyu lowered his head and looked at the certificate booklet with a straight gaze.

The last time, Zhao Qi’an also took out a booklet of documents slowly and placed it in front of him.

And this one… is exactly the same.

“Haiqing, what is this?”

Zhao Qi’an’s eyes fell on the document book on the tea table and he answered, “When I was looking for the relatives of my maid, I checked some pawnbrokers. I didn’t expect that I didn’t find much about the whereabouts of the maid’s relatives. Instead, I found some tricky things.”

“I don’t know what to do for a moment, otherwise…”

He raised his head and looked at Ji Haoyu, his eyes became deep and he said, “Your Highness, can you make a decision for me?”

My body has almost recovered, but I still have a runny nose.

I will update another chapter later, and resume 6K updates later
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(End of this chapter)