Chapter 26

When the attendant reported that the person who had beaten someone was Song Li from the County Duke's residence, the Seventh Prince was immediately taken aback. He thought to himself that the Sixth Prince's son had been quite troublesome lately, and now he had even caused trouble at the Jing Prince's residence. However, he had no real way to deal with it, as Song Moran and Song Li had engaged in a fair duel in front of many people. In the Holy Lion Empire, duels to resolve personal grudges were quite common. Both parties had to compete fairly, and no one could interfere with the outcome, whether it was a win, loss, or even death. If either party broke the rules and sought revenge afterward, they would be despised by everyone, and their reputation would be ruined.

Although the Seventh Prince also loved Song Moran, his illegitimate son, he did not value him as much as he did the heir. If he had to get involved in a matter concerning a child, it would give people the impression that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. At this time, their faction was in a fierce struggle with the Holy Emperor, and he had to consider the bigger picture and not let small matters affect the greater cause.

Once the Loyal Prince gained power, the Sixth Prince's family would be at his mercy, to be shaped as he pleased. The only thing that truly pained him was that Song Moran had gambled away the hard-earned fire seed. It made him quite angry that Song Moran had not fought to the best of his ability. Losing 2.5 million gold coins was a minor issue, but losing the fire seed was truly regrettable.

However, since the matter had already happened, his regret was of no use. Moreover, it was said that Song Li had immediately sold the fire seed at an auction house, making it impossible to find him even if they wanted to seize it.

The Jing Prince had the best doctors treat his son's injuries and did not pursue the matter further.

At this moment, upon hearing the Loyal Prince's inquiry, he recounted the entire story to them.

The Loyal Prince and the Kang Prince found the story quite interesting, especially when they heard that Song Li had sold the fire seed he had won. Both of them burst into laughter. The Kang Prince curled his lips and said with disdain, "He's just a wastrel. Even if he has improved his realm through elixirs, he will never amount to much."

To the princes, a fire seed as rare as this, once obtained, should not be sold for money. In their eyes, this was a typical act of a wastrel. What they did not know was that Song Li had the "Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires" fire seed within him, and he did not value such a small flame. His intention was to create it to exchange for money, and the more he sold, the better.

"The Sixth Prince's family has been quite troublesome lately," the Loyal Prince smiled slightly. "I think the Holy Emperor appreciates them."

Although the Loyal Prince was smiling, his words were like a knife. His true intention was to remind the Jing Prince and the Kang Prince that they needed to think of ways to deal with the Sixth Prince. For someone as cautious as him, any force that could potentially cause him trouble must be eliminated at its inception.

He never said harsh words, did evil deeds, or devised vicious plans. Harsh words, evil deeds, and vicious plans would naturally be carried out by his subordinates, while he always maintained a positive image.

The Jing Prince slammed the table and said angrily, "That old man Song Xingtian is a shrewd one. I suspect he wants to support the Sixth Prince to oppose us."

The Kang Prince narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "We must prevent trouble before it happens. I think the Sixth Prince's family cannot be left alone." As he spoke, he made a gesture with his right hand, mimicking the act of beheading someone.

The Loyal Prince, maintaining his usual style, neither supported nor opposed this, and said with a smile, "How is the investigation into Vice Chancellor Wen Liren's alleged rebellion going?"

The Jing Prince and the Kang Prince were taken aback. Wen Liren was the second-ranking scholar in the cabinet, second only to the Chief Chancellor Huang Tingxuan. Huang Tingxuan was known as the "Left Chancellor," while Wen Liren was known as the "Right Chancellor."

Vice Chancellor Wen Liren was a direct descendant of the Holy Emperor Song Xingtian and the main political opponent of the Loyal Prince's faction in the court. They had long wanted to find a reason to remove this thorn from their side, but the old man was loyal to the Holy Emperor, had no bad habits, and was difficult to bribe. For a true leader, there were only two ways to deal with an enemy: turn them into an ally or make them a dead man.

Since Wen Liren could not be turned into an ally, he had to be made a dead man.

However, with the Holy Emperor's support and a group of loyal followers, and his own strong character, it was not easy to bring him down. They needed solid evidence and a handle to do so.

The Jing Prince and the Kang Prince had been sending people to find Wen Liren's weaknesses, but the old man was neither greedy for wealth nor lustful, and he was meticulous in his work, making it difficult to find any flaws. If there was any weakness, it was his son, Wen Ruyu, a typical wastrel. Wen Liren, who had a son in his middle age, had spoiled him and not disciplined him strictly, which had become the only blemish on his otherwise illustrious career.

The Jing Prince and the Kang Prince planned to use Wen Ruyu's weaknesses to set a trap and implicate his father. Wen Liren was not greedy for wealth, but Wen Ruyu was. Wen Liren was not lustful, but Wen Ruyu was. As long as there was desire, it was easy to be bought. Once Wen Ruyu was taken care of, his father, Wen Liren, would also be implicated.

However, when the Loyal Prince suddenly mentioned "rebellion," the Jing Prince and the Kang Prince were startled.

How could Wen Liren, who was loyal to the Holy Emperor, be involved in a rebellion? After a moment of shock, the Kang Prince, who was always involved in plots and schemes, quickly understood the Loyal Prince's true intention.

Throughout history, emperors had always been cautious about rebellion, preferring to believe in its existence rather than its absence. By fabricating some evidence of rebellion and making Wen Liren suspect, and then stirring the waters, they could make it difficult for the Holy Emperor to distinguish the truth. Even if the Holy Emperor did not fully believe in Wen Liren's rebellion, planting a seed of doubt in his mind would be enough to end Wen Liren's political career.

"The investigation into Wen Liren's alleged rebellion is ongoing, and we believe we will find evidence soon. Please rest assured, Brother Prince," the Kang Prince smiled, emphasizing the word "rebellion" to show that he had understood the Loyal Prince's intention. He knew his fifth brother's nature, always preferring to play the good guy. To thrive under him, one had to not only understand the true meaning behind his words but also be ready to play the bad guy when necessary.

The Kang Prince had always excelled in this.

However, the Jing Prince, being a warrior at heart, was not as adept at these intricate schemes. He was skilled in battle, but when it came to these devious plans, he could not keep up with the Loyal Prince and the Kang Prince. So, the words of the other two brothers left him somewhat confused. When had Wen Liren rebelled? How could he have rebelled?

But having been with the Loyal Prince for a long time, he knew his character and did not dare to question him openly.

"Wen Liren has always been close to the Duke of Hai. If it is true that he has committed treason, then the Duke of Hai cannot escape involvement," the Kang Prince said solemnly. "No wonder the Duke of Hai's family has been so active lately. It seems they are about to make their move and can no longer hold back."

The Loyal Prince looked at the Kang Prince with approval. It seemed that the Ninth Prince truly understood his intentions. He had only given a hint, and the Ninth Prince had already deduced his thoughts and expressed them. The Ninth Prince was a smart man, but such a person must also be guarded against. Once he became emperor, he could not have such a person by his side. The art of the emperor was not something a minister could easily fathom. If the Ninth Prince understood him so well, would he not be transparent in front of him?

The Kang Prince did not realize that his displayed wisdom had already made the Loyal Prince wary. But even if he did, he had to act this way to gain favor. If he did not, he would not be trusted.

The Jing Prince, though somewhat slow, finally understood. The two brothers intended to frame Wen Liren for treason and, in the process, implicate the Sixth Prince, eliminating them all in one fell swoop.

In reality, the Duke of Hai and Wen Liren had no close relationship. They might not even speak to each other once a year. But since it was a frame-up, they could always find a way to make it seem like they had been close for years. This was something they would have to figure out.

The Loyal Prince stayed for a while longer and then got up to leave. He had already given his instructions, and the rest was up to the Jing Prince and the Kang Prince to handle.

Song Li and Pang Da sent the "Purple Heart Crystal Fire" to the Mandala Auction House again. Although no one deliberately inflated the price this time, the number of bidders was greater, making the competition even more intense. In the end, a customer wearing a hood won the fire seed for 2 million gold coins, which, though not as high as the previous auction, was still a substantial sum for Song Li.

This time, both brothers had a good harvest. Song Li earned his first fortune, and Pang Da won over 300,000 gold coins through side bets. With a large sum of money in their pockets, they felt more fulfilled than ever. Pang Da knew that this was all thanks to Song Li, so on the way home, he showered him with flattery, praising him as a rare talent.

Song Li had developed a strong immunity to Pang Da's flattery, but he could not help feeling excited deep down. In his previous life, he was a poor man, a standard nobody. He never imagined that after being reborn on this continent, the God of Fire would give him a golden finger. Just by creating a low-level fire seed, he had become a millionaire. The future was bright.

Pang Da soon bid farewell to Song Li. Song Li knew that this guy could not keep money for long and would definitely go out to spend it. However, he did not intend to stop him. Men first needed to learn how to spend money to have the motivation to earn more. Miserly people would never achieve much.

Song Li also needed to spend money, but he would not indulge in food and entertainment like Pang Da. His main goal was to buy medicinal herbs.

The "Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires" seed within him was incredibly powerful, but like a car needing fuel to run, it required energy to activate.

Throughout his life, his mother had fed him many elixirs. Although they had no effect, some of the medicinal power had accumulated in his body. It was this residual power that had allowed the Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires seed to repair his body and help him advance in realm. However, after the duel with Song Moran, this power had been completely depleted. When he tried to use the "Red Emperor Purple Flame Technique" to control the Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires seed, he could no longer feel its energy.

Song Li knew that the "fuel" in his body was exhausted and could no longer activate the Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires seed for cultivation. Therefore, his immediate task was to refine an elixir that could effectively activate the Emperor of Ten Thousand Fires seed, so he could continue to extract energy from this great treasure and accelerate his cultivation process.

However, his specialty was fire manipulation, and he knew nothing about alchemy. He did not even understand the basic combination of materials. In this situation, even with money, he could not buy things randomly in the market. Therefore, his most urgent task was to learn alchemy.