Chapter 28

Let Jiang Chen never expected, the series of events that occurred at the Longteng Marquis Manor stirred up hidden undercurrents in the originally calm capital.

Inside the Longteng Marquis Manor, Longteng Marquis Long Zhaofeng was naturally the one with the greatest anger. Being rejected by Jiang Feng, he could perhaps temporarily endure it for the sake of the bigger picture.

However, being rejected in such a forceful manner by the Jiang family father and son made Longteng Marquis feel humiliated.

Although Longteng Marquis did not burst out on the spot, nor did he fly into a rage. It was not because he was magnanimous, but because as a superior, he knew that in such a situation, he must control his anger.

When all the guests had left, and only his close confidants remained, Long Zhaofeng's first words were: "Those who follow me will prosper, those who oppose me will perish. I don't care what methods you use, but this time, the Jiang family must be eliminated from the Qianlong Examination!"

"Do you think they can still talk about the semi-spiritual land without the feudal lords' order? What can they use to defy me, the Marquis?"

"Also, find out what's going on with the Alchemist Hall." Longteng Marquis was very displeased. The Alchemist Hall actually stood up for the Jiang family in such a situation. This was something no one had anticipated.

The remaining close confidants all nodded in agreement.

"This father and son from the Jiang family are indeed unreasonable. If we don't suppress them this time, the Marquis' authority will surely be damaged!"

"There must be something strange between the Alchemist Hall and Jiang Chen. That day, my daughter was at the Alchemist Hall..." Long Juxue recounted the events of that day at the Alchemist Hall. The Third Hall Master of the Alchemist Hall refused all the top feudal lords' descendants and sold the Dragon Bone Yang Grass to Jiang Chen, treating him as a distinguished guest.

Recalling this, even Long Juxue found it quite peculiar.

Long Zhaofeng, upon hearing this, could only laugh bitterly: "Xue'er, why didn't you mention such an important matter that day?"

Long Juxue also regretted: "Xue'er thought that a mere wastrel wouldn't be worth your attention, Father. Who would have thought that the Alchemist Hall would actually..."

In fact, what Long Juxue said made sense. The competition for the Dragon Bone Yang Grass was, after all, just a small matter. It was a minor episode among the feudal lords' children. Although Long Juxue hated Jiang Chen because of this, she didn't think it was necessary to tell her father about it.

However, in the capital, a small matter often revealed significant implications.

If Longteng Marquis had known about this matter in advance, he could have made better preparations for inviting the Alchemist Hall to the banquet. At least, he wouldn't have suffered such a significant loss today.

The unexpected appearance of the Alchemist Hall made Longteng Marquis lose his initiative.

"Right! Marquis Long, is there something you haven't noticed, which is quite strange?" The one speaking was Yan Jiuzhuang, the Yanmen Marquis.

Besides Yanmen Marquis, there were at least a dozen other feudal lords present. Those who remained were all Longteng Marquis' confidants.

This meant that among the 108 feudal lords in the Eastern Kingdom, more than a dozen had secretly pledged allegiance to Longteng Marquis.

This was a very formidable force.

Yanmen Marquis, among the 108 feudal lords, could rank in the top ten. Therefore, in this group of feudal lords who had pledged allegiance to Longteng Marquis, he still had considerable influence.

"Marquis Yan, what have you noticed?" Long Zhaofeng asked.

"There are two strange things about tonight's banquet. One, why are Princess Gouyu and Princess Zhiruo so familiar with Jiang Chen? Two, why did Tian Shui Marquis behave so abnormally? Remember, Tian Shui Marquis is Jiang Feng's mortal enemy. Normally, he would be the first to oppose Jiang Feng. But did you see him speak up tonight?"

"Not only him, but his son Shui Qing Shu, who used to bully Jiang Chen every time he saw him in the capital. Did you see him speak up tonight?"

These words reminded everyone present.

Indeed, the behavior of Tian Shui Marquis and his son was too abnormal.

To say that Longteng Marquis was targeting Jiang Feng was for the sake of the semi-spiritual land. Longteng Marquis himself had no previous enmity with Jiang Feng.

However, Tian Shui Marquis was Jiang Feng's mortal enemy. Their territories were adjacent, and due to the struggle for territory, resources, rankings, and achievements, they were almost at a point of no return.

But tonight, Tian Shui Marquis did not make any move, nor did he take this opportunity to suppress Jiang Feng!

Abnormal behavior must have a reason!

"I remember that after Jiang Chen was flogged at the Heaven Sacrifice Ceremony, Tian Shui Marquis accompanied the king to the Jianghan Marquis Manor to pay respects. Why did Jiang Chen come back to life, and what happened that night? This matter has never been investigated. The few old men who went that night were tight-lipped."

Various abnormal details were brought to light.

Long Zhaofeng fell into deep thought. He also found it strange. The king, Dongfang Lu, had many capable people under him. Flogging a wastrel should not have any reason to be survivable.

However, Jiang Chen managed to survive. Moreover, it seemed that the relationship between the Jiang family and the royal family had not been affected by that incident; instead, it had become closer.

"The information you all provided is very useful. It seems I underestimated Jiang Feng. Could it be that he has already gained the favor of King Dongfang Lu?"

The term "king" in Longteng Marquis' mouth lacked much respect.

"Find time to arrange a meeting with Tian Shui Marquis. It seems we need to find a breakthrough from him." Long Zhaofeng ordered.

"Also, tell Du Ruhai to do whatever it takes to block Jiang Chen in the Qianlong Examination. Once the Jiang family loses the feudal lords' order, even if he has a great backer, it will all be like clouds!"

Cutting off the root, no matter how strong your backer is, or how many tricks you have, without the feudal lords' order, you lose control of your territory.

Without control, how can the Jiang family father and son have any say?

This method, simple and brutal, is the most direct and effective!

If cunning methods fail, then only brute force will do.

Longteng Marquis was not a kind person. To achieve his goals, his methods were ruthless, with no lower limit.

In his view, starting with courtesy and then resorting to force was not because he feared the Jiang family's strength, but to establish a reputation for being virtuous. Now that this hypocritical approach is ineffective, and the Jiang family father and son do not know their place, it's time to tear off the mask and use brutal methods!

...

While Longteng Marquis was holding a meeting late at night, at the Alchemist Hall, all the high-ranking officials were also convening a council.

The four Hall Masters, the ten Elders, and all the high-ranking officials of the Alchemist Hall were present.

Third Hall Master Qiao Baishi recounted the events that occurred at the Longteng Marquis Manor in detail.

In the Alchemist Hall, First Hall Master Song Tianxing had absolute authority, and it was not an exaggeration to say he was the pillar of the entire Alchemist Hall.

After Third Hall Master finished his recount, all eyes turned to First Hall Master Song Tianxing. Clearly, no one dared to speak rashly before understanding the First Hall Master's thoughts.

Song Tianxing chuckled: "I won't express my opinion yet. Everyone, share your thoughts first!"

"That Divine Creation Pill, since it has a 90% approval rate from Elder Shun, must be reliable. I think Third Hall Master's choice was correct." One of the Elders spoke up first.

"I also support Third Hall Master. The Alchemist Hall has stood in the capital for hundreds of years and cannot please everyone. For the benefit of the Alchemist Hall, offending some people is inevitable."

"Exactly. Given the promising prospects of the Divine Creation Pill, the market profit is enormous. Even if we offend Longteng Marquis, or even more feudal lords, we have no choice."

It was clear that there were many high-ranking officials who supported Qiao Baishi. They considered the Alchemist Hall's interests and found no problem with Qiao Baishi's choice.

"Old Two, what do you think?" Song Tianxing smiled and looked at Second Hall Master Yue Qun.

"I agree with everyone. As long as it benefits the Alchemist Hall, I think it is acceptable." This statement was quite slippery, essentially saying nothing.

It was Elder Lan who suddenly spoke up: "First Hall Master, let me say a few words."

"Sure, everyone is welcome to speak freely. Elder Lan, go ahead."

"I think the Jiang family father and son are not reliable. Have you considered the possibility that Elder Shun might be wrong? If that happens, wouldn't the Alchemist Hall be in a big mess? If the Divine Creation Pill turns out to be a bluff, wouldn't we have needlessly offended the Longteng Marquis Manor? I heard that Longteng Marquis' daughter, Long Juxue, is a先天青鸾之体, highly favored by a hidden sect. This could elevate the Longteng Marquis Manor. Could the kingdom's situation change in the future?"

The Alchemist Hall was not an official organization, so discussions about politics were unrestricted and open. Even when talking about a change in the kingdom's rule, everyone's expressions showed no fear.

"Elder Lan, you are overthinking. First, Elder Shun would never be wrong. Second, the change of a kingdom follows its own rules and would not be suddenly overturned by one or two individuals. Longteng Marquis is growing in power, but the royal family, the Dongfang clan, would never sit idly by."

Qiao Baishi immediately refuted Elder Lan's argument: "Moreover, even if Longteng Marquis has the ability, he would never openly oppose the Alchemist Hall over a business deal. The Alchemist Hall has stood for hundreds of years and is not so easily moved. To forego obvious profits over unlikely scenarios is not our way of doing business."

No one could deny the promising prospects of the Divine Creation Pill. If this pill were mass-produced, it would dominate the market for physical healing, leaving current healing medicines far behind.

The market for this pill is like a treasure trove. If utilized well, the profits from this single pill alone could sustain the entire Alchemist Hall.

After much debate, everyone's eyes ultimately turned to First Hall Master Song Tianxing.

"It seems most people agree with Old Three's choice. My stance, as you can guess, is clear. When I was away, I entrusted everything to Old Three, which is a sign of trust in his judgment and control."

With these words, Song Tianxing's stance was clear.

"Here, I also want to remind everyone that our goal is to maximize benefits. As for political struggles, we try not to get involved, but we should not fear involvement. We cannot always stand on both sides. When we need to take a stance, our stance is clear: it is for our benefit. The Divine Creation Pill can bring us benefits, so we choose it! As for who wins or loses in the political struggle, the Alchemist Hall has survived for so long. Do you think we lack the adaptability to survive?"