Chapter 29

Song Tianxing's clear attitude made Qiao Baishi heave a sigh of relief. To be honest, the things he had done recently had been under great pressure, relying on his personal decisiveness to make choices.

From the attitude of the Grand Hall Master, it seemed that his choice was correct.

"Third Elder, Jiang Hanhou's Jiang Chen has always been interacting with you. This relationship relies on you to maintain. From various details, it seems that the major events in the capital recently have the shadow of this young man. This person is probably not simple at all."

Song Tianxing had never met Jiang Chen, but from the details of various intelligence, he deduced such a surprising conclusion.

Even the usually mature Second Elder Yue Qun couldn't help but say, "Grand Hall Master, isn't your evaluation of Jiang Chen a bit too high?"

Song Tianxing smiled faintly, "I have never met Jiang Chen. I have met Jiang Feng, the Marquis of Jianghan. If all these variables are on the Jiang family, I would choose Jiang Chen, not Jiang Feng."

Qiao Baishi was moved. He knew that the Grand Hall Master had a high position, sharp eyes, and a broad perspective. His judgment of people and events was usually very accurate.

A young man he had never met could receive such high praise from the Grand Hall Master, and Qiao Baishi felt fortunate that he had made the right choice.

"Hehe, Grand Hall Master, I have always admired your insight. This time, I am also curious whether you might be wrong, Grand Hall Master?" Yue Qun chuckled. Given his status, making a few light-hearted jokes with Song Tianxing was not out of line.

With the conclusion of the Grand Hall Master, the high-level meeting was adjourned.

After the meeting, Song Tianxing called Qiao Baishi to a secret room and patted his shoulder, "Baishi, your handling of this matter was very decisive, which makes me very pleased."

Although they were in the relationship of Grand Hall Master and Third Hall Master, Song Tianxing, in terms of age, experience, and status, was far superior to Qiao Baishi.

One could even say that Song Tianxing intended to groom Qiao Baishi as his successor.

Qiao Baishi was flattered and quickly humbly responded.

"Baishi, you must not be negligent with Jiang Chen. Have you ever summarized how many incredible things have happened to this young man?"

"Subordinate is dull-witted, please enlighten me, Grand Hall Master." Qiao Baishi was extremely respectful.

"First, this young man was caned during the Heaven Worship Ceremony. Why did he not die from the caning?"

"Second, why does this young man, who was caned by the king, have a dragon-shaped gold medal personally bestowed by the king?"

"Third, how did this young man, merely the son of a vassal, obtain the divine elixir formula from ancient times?"

"Fourth, with his martial arts strength, which failed all three basic tests, how could he defeat Yan Yiming in one move at the Longteng Marquis' banquet and then easily toy with Bai Zhanyun?"

"Fifth, why are the two princesses of the royal family so closely related to this young man?"

"Sixth, in front of the Longteng Marquis, this young man showed no fear, harshly criticizing a group of nobles, which is completely inconsistent with the demeanor expected of a young man. Where does his confidence come from?"

With each point Song Tianxing listed, Qiao Baishi's expression became more serious. He had considered some of these issues, but not as thoroughly and comprehensively as the Grand Hall Master.

Suddenly, Qiao Baishi vaguely associated something from Song Tianxing's hints. He exclaimed, "Could it be that the backing of the Jiang family is actually the current king? And their previous low-key and humble behavior was all an act to confuse their opponents? Could they be pawns arranged by His Majesty to stir up the situation?"

Song Tianxing said calmly, "Apart from this, do you think there is any other possibility that can explain everything that has happened?"

Not to mention other things, just the fact that he survived the caning, if it wasn't for the king's secret instructions, would the king's subordinates, with their strength, be unable to beat a young man to death?

"No wonder, no wonder." Qiao Baishi suddenly remembered the day he bought the Dragon Bone Yang Grass. Didn't Jiang Chen say he made the right decision?

Didn't Jiang Chen tell him that the Dragon Bone Yang Grass was for the royal family?

And at the Longteng Marquis' banquet tonight, Qiao Baishi clearly felt the familiar spiritual energy of the Dragon Bone Yang Grass from Princess Zhiruo.

So, the Dragon Bone Yang Grass was indeed purchased by the royal family. Jiang Chen was not exaggerating on this issue.

Thinking about this, Qiao Baishi became even more convinced of the Grand Hall Master's judgment.

It's no wonder Song Tianxing made such a judgment. In fact, from all angles, if the Jiang family had not reached an agreement with the royal family early on, none of this could be explained.

And how could Princess Gouyu lavish such praise on a young man's martial arts performance?

Clearly, it was to offset the impact of Long Juxue's innate Azure Phoenix body.

"Baishi, if the Jiang family is a pawn arranged by the royal family, what does it mean? It means the royal family has been planning for a long time."

"The Longteng Marquis is ambitious and his ambitions are becoming more and more evident."

"One has been planning for a long time, the other is openly ambitious. If these two forces really clash, to be honest, I don't have much hope for the Longteng Marquis. Unless—"

Song Tianxing paused here. Clearly, the "unless" behind this possibility made him feel a deep sense of unease.

"Unless what?" Qiao Baishi couldn't help but ask.

"Unless the leader of a hidden sect personally intervenes in the struggle for the kingdom's power. However, for a sect leader to involve themselves in the power struggle of a secular kingdom is too demeaning. Moreover, the Eastern clan has controlled the kingdom for over a thousand years and has many hidden cards and unknown strengths. Compared to a vassal, apart from the variable of Long Juxue, I can't think of any advantages the Longteng Marquis has."

"So, whether from the perspective of interests or politics, the choice you made today is an extremely wise one!"

Song Tianxing praised Qiao Baishi again.

...

In the inner courtyard of the royal palace, it was also a sleepless night.

The news brought back by Princess Gouyu made Dongfang Lu fall into deep thought.

"Brother, the Longteng Marquis' ambitions are becoming more and more evident," Princess Gouyu was the only one who dared to speak to Dongfang Lu like this.

"Sitting in the position of the first vassal for a long time, it's natural to feel a bit tired and want to advance further," Dongfang Lu's tone seemed calm, but it carried a killing intent that made people's breathing heavier.

"Fortunately, today he forced Jiang Feng, who is a hard bone. If it were another vassal who was a bit softer, they might have submitted on the spot."

Princess Gouyu recalled the situation at the time and was extremely dissatisfied with the Longteng Marquis' behavior. Forcing another vassal's territory in front of the royal family's representative was essentially a slap in the face of the royal family.

Dongfang Lu sighed lightly, "The world is unpredictable. A few days ago, who would have thought that the Jiang family would turn out to be my good fortune?"

Thinking about the current situation in the capital, Dongfang Lu felt a bit amused and helpless, "Perhaps many forces now think that the Jiang family is part of our Eastern clan, a pawn arranged by me long ago?"

Princess Gouyu also smiled, "If I didn't know the inside story, I might have thought so too."

"Have you noticed that every change in the capital's situation seems to be related to one person?"

"Jiang Chen?" Princess Gouyu's eyes brightened, and she blurted out.

"Have you noticed too, Sister?" Dongfang Lu smiled with a hint of amusement.

Upon careful reflection, the situation in the capital really began to change from the moment Jiang Chen farted during the Heaven Worship Ceremony.

Since then, almost every event in the capital has had his shadow.

"I originally believed that he was truly blessed by the gods. But after tonight, I can't help but suspect that perhaps from the beginning, he was just using the name of the gods?"

To be honest, Dongfang Lu found this issue quite troubling.

Logically, a vassal's son shouldn't be so extraordinary. Surviving the caning, diagnosing Zhiruo's illness, intimidating the Hall of Medicine, defeating a high-level True Qi competitor with only initial True Qi strength...

All these abnormal behaviors occurring in the same person, Dongfang Lu absolutely didn't believe that this person had no secrets.

Of course, as the king, he would not overly investigate these matters at this time.

After all, a capable assistant like the Jiang family, who could inadvertently undermine the prestige of the Longteng Marquis, was not only not to be investigated but must be rewarded!

"Gouyu, you go to the Jianghan Marquis' residence tomorrow on my behalf."

Going to the Jianghan Marquis' residence was naturally to reward the Jiang family. It was also to express support and naturally incorporate the Jiang family into the royal family's camp.

These political tactics, Dongfang Lu used with ease.

"Moreover, at the Hidden Dragon Examination, we must ensure that Jiang Chen passes." Dongfang Lu's mindset had subtly changed compared to before.

Previously, his impression of Jiang Chen was limited to the fact that he could cure Dongfang Zhiruo's illness. So, even if the Jiang family lost their vassal order, Dongfang Lu didn't care. It was better for them to stay in the capital as a wealthy and idle official, which would be more beneficial for Zhiruo's illness.

However, after the events of tonight, the strategic significance of the Jiang family has clearly increased a hundredfold. In this case, whether the Jiang family can continue to hold the vassal order is a matter of great importance.

To put it simply, if the Jiang family loses their vassal order, the Longteng Marquis' residence might have the opportunity to seize the semi-spiritual land of the Jianghan territory.

This is something Dongfang Lu absolutely does not want to see.

If one vassal can arbitrarily plunder another vassal, it means that the royal family's control has problems.

The Jiang family's desperate resistance, preventing the Longteng Marquis from succeeding, indirectly maintained Dongfang Lu's control over the kingdom!

Therefore, the vassal order of the Jiang family must be protected!