Chapter 51 of 100

Chapter 51

17 min read4,161 words

"Mom, I can now control 128 different flame transformations, and my fire control ability has been upgraded to level five!" Song Li said again with an extremely confident tone.

Yun Lin was stunned for a moment, speechless.

Too monstrous! Too incredible! It's only been a few days, and his fire control technique has actually advanced. Yun Lin, who considered herself a very talented alchemist, had spent over a decade, relying on the powerful resources of the Yun family and her father's meticulous guidance, to barely upgrade her fire control ability to level three. And her son, Song Li, was born with a level four fire control ability, and after just a few days, he had advanced to level five! If he continues to develop at this rate, in a few years, wouldn't his fire control ability reach the heavenly level?

After receiving this information, Yun Lin first felt a great sense of loss. This sense of loss was due to the huge gap in talent she felt as an alchemist compared to another alchemist.

But after the brief loss, came an uncontrollable joy! This prodigy who was far ahead of her by seventeen or eighteen streets was none other than her son, the precious gem that fell from her. The blue has surpassed the indigo, and this was simply a great blessing!

"Mom, what's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're scared silly?" Song Li waved his hand in front of his mother's eyes, trying to wake her up.

"Go away, you're the one who's silly, this brat has no manners!" Yun Lin scolded Song Li first, then said with a beaming smile, "Son, are you serious? You're not fooling your mom, are you?"

Song Li was too lazy to explain. He recited the incantation, and his hands moved in a series of hand seals. Yun Lin, being an expert, naturally knew what she was looking at. She saw him perform 128 hand seals, some of which were complex and profound, making her head spin. Although she couldn't do it herself, she knew that each hand seal represented a different flame transformation. It seemed that his fire control ability had indeed advanced to level five!

"Ah!" Yun Lin let out a surprised scream, then gave her son a big hug!

It seemed that saying her son was a once-in-a-century genius in the letter she left for her father was still a bit conservative. This wasn't once in a century, it was once in two centuries! Many alchemists spent their entire lives and still couldn't reach level four fire control ability, while Song Li was born with a level four ability and had advanced to level five in a short time!

Do you see? This is my son, my pride! He's a natural-born fire control prodigy and will surely become a grandmaster alchemist in the future!

Yun Lin hugged her son tightly, her heart soaring!

Now she wasn't in a hurry to report this to her father. One day, she would take her son back and surprise them.

"Mom, you're going to strangle me!" Yun Lin was almost suffocating from her tight embrace.

"Scared? Haha, sorry, our precious son is becoming more and more outstanding, and mom is just too excited!" Yun Lin loosened her arms and affectionately pinched her son's face, finding him more and more delightful. "Oh, this naughty son, how can he look better and better every time I see him!"

Song Li thought to himself that if she knew he had the "Imperial Fire Seed" inside him, she would probably be so excited that she would faint. Seeing his mother so happy, he really had an impulse to tell her everything, but he quickly dismissed the idea, knowing it wasn't a smart move.

After a while of happiness, Yun Lin asked, "Where's your dad? Hasn't he returned from court yet?"

Song Li looked at the sky and shook his head. "No, it's already past noon. Why hasn't he come back? Could it be that Prince Kang and his people have started their move?"

A regular morning court session would end quickly if there were no major issues. But today's session had already passed noon, and his father still hadn't returned to the mansion. This meant that something significant must have happened in the court. Song Li was almost certain: Prince Kang and his people had chosen to act today!

"Son," Yun Lin anxiously stroked her hair, worried. "Is there any flaw in your plan? Prince Kang and his people are cunning and won't easily fall for others' tricks. If they see through it, won't your father be in great danger?"

Song Li frowned and said, "It shouldn't be. Unless they check the contents of the brocade box again before acting, there's no way they can see through it. We were in the open, and they were in the dark, but now it's the opposite. With us being the ones with the plan, Dad should have a sure victory."

In fact, Song Li's plan to turn the tables was quite simple. After the plan was agreed upon at home, his father secretly went to Vice Premier Wen's residence and informed him of Prince Kang's conspiracy. Since they knew the brocade box was hidden in Vice Premier Wen's study, it didn't take long to find it.

Vice Premier Wen was shocked and furious at the evidence of the false accusations against him, and of course, he was willing to cooperate fully with the plan. He placed some ordinary letters inside the box and hid it in the original place. Then, according to Prince Kang's plan, he copied the incriminating letters verbatim, only changing the names to Huang Tingxuan and Prince Kang.

The reason for choosing Huang Tingxuan and Prince Kang as the targets was that these two were the most suitable. Huang Tingxuan was the Chief Cabinet Minister and the direct superior of Wen Liren. If he could be taken down, it would be like cutting off one of Prince Kang's arms and removing a thorn from the Emperor's eye. It would also clear the way for Wen Liren to advance further. This brilliant plan, which achieved two goals at once, could only target Huang Tingxuan. Prince Kang was too treacherous, always lurking in the shadows like a venomous snake, ready to strike at any moment! This plan might not eliminate him, but it would at least make him suspect and weaken his power. The Emperor would not let this opportunity slip by.

The biggest challenge in this plan, according to Song Li, was finding someone skilled at imitating handwriting to perfectly mimic Huang Tingxuan's and Prince Kang's writing. The more realistic the imitation, the higher the chance of success. When Song Xinghai mentioned this problem to Vice Premier Wen, Wen Liren laughed heartily. No one would have guessed that Vice Premier Wen himself was an expert at imitating handwriting. In his youth, he came from a poor family and supported himself by imitating the works of famous calligraphers to earn some income for his studies. Over time, his skills improved to the point where he could create perfect forgeries that even the original authors couldn't distinguish.

After passing the imperial exams and entering the bureaucracy, Wen Liren rose rapidly and eventually became a cabinet minister. He never mentioned his past, as it was not a proud part of his life. But this time, his skill in imitating handwriting finally came in handy! Since he was a cabinet minister and often helped the Emperor review the memorials of various officials, he was very familiar with everyone's handwriting. So, he immediately wrote the letters in the handwriting and tone of Prince Kang and Huang Tingxuan, then found an identical brocade box and placed the letters inside.

The task of secretly placing the brocade box in Huang Tingxuan's residence fell to Song Li and Pang Da.

Since they had received a promissory note from Huang Feihu at Man Tingfang, Pang Da often brought a group of friends to Huang's residence to collect the debt. Huang Tingxuan, of course, wouldn't yield to these young troublemakers, so they had been collecting the debt for a long time without success. This time, Song Li used this as an excuse and, with Pang Da and a group of friends, continued to collect the debt. Coincidentally, Huang Tingxuan was not at home, so they found Huang Feihu. As soon as Huang Feihu saw Song Li, he was like a mouse seeing a cat and quickly paid the gold coins he owed. At Song Li's request, he also took them on a tour of the residence. While "touring" the Chief Cabinet Minister's study, Pang Da distracted Huang Feihu, and Song Li secretly placed the brocade box in a hidden spot behind the bookshelf, completely unnoticed.

Who would have thought that a group of children's mischief could hide such a significant plot? Huang Feihu, after sending Song Li away, naturally didn't dare to tell his father about Song Li's visit, unless he wanted a beating from the Chief Cabinet Minister.

After Pang Da was released, he later learned that Song Li had gone to Langya Cave to save him and was extremely grateful for his leader's "righteousness." He became even more obedient to Song Li. This time, Song Li didn't tell him the details of the plan, only that they were going to place something in the Chief Cabinet Minister's study to annoy him. Pang Da thought the box contained toads or insects, which they often used to scare people, so he didn't suspect anything. Since he was often scolded and chased away by the Chief Cabinet Minister when he came to collect the debt, he had no good feelings toward the old man. Imagining the Chief Cabinet Minister's "pale face" when he opened the box, Pang Da felt especially satisfied. So, he worked even harder to help Song Li complete the plan.

Because the plot was so shocking, Song Li didn't tell Pang Da the truth. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, but the fewer people who knew, the less chance of a leak. After hiding the box, Song Li instructed Pang Da not to tell anyone, or the Chief Cabinet Minister wouldn't be scared. Pang Da naturally kept his mouth shut.

Once everything was set, Song Xinghai and Wen Liren went to the palace to report to the Emperor. They explained everything and formulated a plan. After everything was prepared, they waited for Prince Kang and his people to make their move.

Song Li reviewed the plan and felt there were no obvious flaws, unless Prince Kang sent someone to check the letters in Vice Premier Wen's study again or the Chief Cabinet Minister discovered the brocade box in his study. But both of these possibilities were extremely unlikely.

Hopefully, everything will go according to plan; otherwise, Dad and Vice Premier Wen will be in trouble.

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