Chapter 2

After sorting things out, Jiang Chen finally managed to understand the ins and outs of the matter and also figured out the reason for the previous Jiang Chen's death.

"Damn! It seems the previous Jiang Chen died a truly unjust death. A mere fart caused a fatal disaster? This emperor of the Eastern Kingdom is truly bizarre. Grand Sacrificial Ceremony? Haha, as the son of the Heavenly Emperor, I have seen through all the heavens, and I have never heard that taking a bath, changing clothes, and burning a few incense sticks can earn the protection of the heavens. The way of heaven is orderly; those who follow the way receive much assistance, while those who do not are punished by heaven. Sigh, well, in a way, the brutal emperor killing this Jiang Chen has also fulfilled my destiny."

Jiang Chen sighed. Lying in the coffin, he felt a myriad of emotions. He felt both sorrow and injustice for the previous Jiang Chen, and secretly rejoiced for his own rebirth.

However, he had heard every word of the conversation between the two people earlier. One of them was naturally the father of the previous Jiang Chen, or more accurately, his current father.

Seeing his father in this life, who was furious over his son's death and ready to rebel, Jiang Chen felt a warmth in his chest. This kind of doting fatherly love felt familiar to him, both in his past and present lives.

"Who would have thought that in both my past and present lives, I would have the same good fortune to have a doting father. This Marquis Jianghan, as a regional lord, is willing to rebel to avenge his son's death. He is truly a man of blood and courage."

Perhaps because this body was connected to Jiang Feng by blood, Jiang Chen felt a strong appreciation for Jiang Feng as a father from the very beginning.

At least, he was not a timid, foolishly loyal minister.

Of course, Jiang Chen would not let things develop to the point of rebellion.

Rebellion by a regional lord against the emperor might be satisfying, but from a broader perspective, it was a dead end. Not to mention that Jiang Feng was not in his own territory at the moment.

Even if he were in his own territory, even if he commanded a million troops, opposing the entire kingdom as a regional lord would be like a moth flying into a flame.

In his past life, Jiang Chen was the son of the Heavenly Emperor, well-versed in classics, and deeply understood the principle that "a gentleman can wait ten years to take revenge." He would not let his father in this life do something so foolish.

In his past life, he was indeed the son of the Heavenly Emperor.

But that identity from his past life was now meaningless!

If his father, Jiang Feng, rebelled, there would be no safe place under the collapsing nest. Jiang Chen had gone through great lengths to reincarnate, and he did not want to die just after waking up.

Therefore, seeing his father's impulse to storm out of the capital, Jiang Chen couldn't help but make a sound, a noise that made Jiang Feng freeze.

Jiang Feng indeed froze, his eyes fixed on Jiang Chen lying in the coffin, his anger instantly turning into deep fatherly love.

Fatherly love is like a mountain. Jiang Feng almost pounced over, grabbing Jiang Chen's hand: "Chen, you... you're not dead?"

The face was unfamiliar, but the feeling of fatherly love was the same in both his past and present lives, making Jiang Chen feel extremely familiar.

"Father, I have caused you trouble."

Jiang Feng was completely immersed in the joy of his son's return, oblivious to the flood of troubles behind him.

"Nonsense! You are my son, how could you cause trouble? Chen, you're alive, and that's all that matters! What's a fart? If the daughter of Dongfang Lu has an incurable disease, and a sacrifice to heaven can cure it, then what's the point of doctors?"

"Moreover, is the life of Dongfang Lu's daughter a life? Is my son's life not a life? He sacrifices to heaven because of his daughter's illness, and my son is beaten to death for accidentally farting?"

Jiang Feng's anger was evident, and he made no effort to hide it in front of his son. He even called the emperor of the Eastern Kingdom by his name.

It was clear that Marquis Jianghan was truly angry. Jiang Chen was certain that if he had really died, Jiang Feng would have rebelled.

"This is a man who would dare to defy even the heavens for his son."

"Having such a father is truly fortunate." Jiang Chen's impression of this father improved even more.

"Chen, don't be afraid. Now that you're awake, as long as I have a breath left, I will not let you suffer any more. I will contact the other lords I know and petition together to have Dongfang Lu pardon you of those ridiculous charges."

Desecrating the sacrificial altar, causing chaos in the holy temple, defiling the gods, disrupting the Grand Sacrificial Ceremony!

If these charges were not cleared, even if Jiang Chen came back to life, the subsequent troubles would be endless.

Jiang Chen also knew that to survive in the Eastern Kingdom, he could not carry these charges. Otherwise, he would face constant trouble wherever he went.

"Father, clearing the charges is not urgent. Now, the Dongfang family is in a rage. Wait a few days until they calm down a bit, and then it won't be too late. I was beaten once, and he can't lose face by beating me again, can he?"

To deal with the current situation, Jiang Chen had many methods.

However, Jiang Chen was not in a hurry. He needed time to adapt to this identity and to familiarize himself with this body.

Jiang Feng was about to say something when he suddenly heard a slight movement and whispered, "Chen, lie down, someone is coming."

Jiang Chen had no choice. His resurrection was too sudden. If someone saw him, it would be a huge news. His father clearly wanted him to continue pretending to be dead.

Well, with this coffin as a cover, pretending to be dead was the easiest thing in the world.

"Brother Chen, you died so unjustly." The footsteps were still far away, but the wailing voice was extremely piercing.

Accompanied by this wailing, the footsteps gradually approached.

Indeed, they were rolling.

The person who came was more like a ball of flesh than a person. This fat man was almost the same in both width and height, forming a very perfect, fleshy ball.

The fat man was not ashamed of his weight and figure but was proud of it. He once boasted that among the 108 heirs of the lords, his loyalty and talent were not the best, but his weight was unmatched.

It was already quite unusual for a person to grow to such a size, but his father gave him an even more unusual name: Xuan Xuan, a name that sounded very feminine.

Behind the fat man were two young men of about the same age, all with sorrowful expressions, clearly coming to mourn Jiang Chen.

The fat man led the way, squeezing to the side of the coffin. With his size and weight, he almost blocked everyone else from getting close, forcing them to stand back.

The fat man wiped his tears and kept taking things out of his chest, throwing them into the copper basin where paper money was burning.

"Brother Chen, this is your favorite illustrated version of 'The Carnal Prayer Mat.' I used to keep it to myself and never lent it to you. Now that you're gone, I have no one to share it with. What's the point of keeping it? I'll burn it for you, so you can read it in the afterlife. Remember, don't be stingy like me, sharing is the way to go."

"Also, here is a ten-thousand-tael silver note. Last time, I couldn't control myself and got a girl pregnant. If my father found out, he would have killed me on the spot. In the end, you gave me ten thousand taels to settle the matter. I never had the chance to pay you back..."

The fat man cried and sobbed, becoming more and more upset. After burning the items, he even lay on the ground, pounding it, showing how sad he was.

Jiang Chen lay in the coffin, feeling at ease and silent. He also wanted to observe the reactions of these close friends.

Without a doubt, the fat man Xuan Xuan was the closest and most loyal.

"Brother Chen, I am not capable, but the old man Dongfang Lu had you beaten to death. I swear here that if I inherit my father's title as Marquis of Gold Mountain, I will never send a single soldier to help the Dongfang family for the rest of my life."

The fat man turned to the others behind him and shouted, "You guys, are you Brother Chen's close friends? Do you consider him a brother? If so, come and swear to his spirit!"

A tiger-faced young man behind the fat man said, "Fat man, are you the only one with loyalty? Am I, the heir of Marquis Huqiu, not as good as you?"

Saying this, the young man also rushed to the spirit altar: "Brother Chen, I, Huqiu Yue, also swear that if I inherit the title of Marquis Huqiu, I will never send a single soldier to help the Dongfang family for the rest of my life!"

With these two swearing, the remaining young man in brocade clothes was at a loss for a moment.

"Yang Zong, do you still consider Brother Chen a brother?" The fat man saw the hesitation of the young man in brocade and became angry.

"Have you forgotten that when you first came to the capital, you were bullied by Yan Yiming, the son of Marquis Yanmen, and Brother Chen stood up for you?"

"Last time, when you failed to complete a task to cultivate a spirit medicine, wasn't it Brother Chen who gave you his extra portion? Do you know that because he gave you a portion, his excellent grade was reduced to a pass?"

The fat man became angrier the more he spoke, almost jumping up to attack the young man in brocade.

With each thing the fat man mentioned, Jiang Chen's memories in the coffin became richer. Gradually, he had completely merged the people in his memories with those in front of him.

While the fat man was still entangled, the steward of the Marquis's residence quickly walked in: "My lord, the emperor and some ministers and lords have come to offer incense for the young lord."

"Offer incense?" The fat man immediately became angry, "Is this like a cat crying over a mouse? After killing someone, can they just offer incense and be done with it?"

The fat man could be impulsive, but Jiang Feng, as a regional lord, could not be so foolish. Now that his son was alive, he was also considering how to handle the aftermath.

No matter what, he had to ensure his son's life and status. This was Jiang Feng's bottom line.

Jiang Feng knew very well that Dongfang Lu, as the emperor of the kingdom, would not feel any remorse for killing a lord's son. To be an emperor, one must be heartless towards others.

His so-called offering of incense was nothing more than a hypocritical performance. Another layer was to warn Jiang Feng not to act rashly.

Clearly, Dongfang Lu was not afraid of Jiang Feng's hatred or even his rebellion. However, as an emperor, he did not want such things to happen.

After all, once internal strife broke out, it might cause some turmoil. After all, Marquis Jianghan still had some connections in the entire Eastern Kingdom.