"If your guess was correct, then you should know why I have deigned to visit you here."

Zheng Xiu nodded. "More or less."

The Second Prince smiled. "Conversations between intelligent men truly are effortless. I hope that, one day, you will lend me your aid."

He placed a heavy emphasis on the word "day" in "one day."

The implication was obvious.

He had designs on Master Zheng.

The Second Prince hoped Zheng Xiu would be sensible and not feign ignorance.

Whether rebelling, launching an uprising, or vying with his Elder and Younger Imperial Brothers, it all came down to one thing—money.

Lots and lots of money.

For years, the Richest Person in the Imperial City had been completely intractable, playing political tai chi with the three princes.

This four-way "ambiguous" relationship meant that on the surface, the three princes could be considered friends with the Richest Person, Zheng Xiu. After all, Zheng Xiu held the title of Marquis Zhonglie, bestowed by the Emperor himself; associating with him was by no means a loss of face.

Master Zheng’s success at playing all three sides had forced the Second Prince to make backup preparations, secretly winning over numerous officials and wealthy merchants within the city long ago. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Salt, iron, and commerce were the essential pillars of support for anyone who wished to achieve great things.

Zheng Xiu had long known the Second Prince’s intentions, so he wasn’t surprised. He immediately shook his head.

"My apologies, Your Highness. I only wish to remain in my place and be a virtuous, law-abiding merchant."

The Second Prince sneered, "When the nest is overturned, no egg stays intact. Do you really think you can remain uninvolved?"

Zheng Xiu looked seriously at the Second Prince. "If even I cannot remain uninvolved, then perhaps there won’t be a single intact egg left in this nest."

The Second Prince suppressed his anger and tried to persuade him earnestly, "Do you think your title of ’Marquis Zhonglie’ can protect you for a lifetime?"

"It can’t." To the Prince’s surprise, Zheng Xiu denied it flatly. "After all, it is merely glory inherited from my late father. It’s not worth mentioning."

"Then on what grounds?"

What he wanted to ask was, ’By what right are you so arrogant?’

Zheng Xiu replied with a smile, "In this life, a man seeks but one thing: happiness. I am all alone in this world. If I die, I die. It’s a weight off my shoulders. Besides, this sort of struggle isn’t for common folk like me to get involved in. Stepping into these muddy waters might just get me killed faster."

"All alone?" The Second Prince chuckled coldly. "So, the life and death of Zheng Erniang, who depends on you for survival, and the hundreds of servants who rely on you for their livelihood—that’s all of no concern to you?"

Zheng Xiu was dumbfounded. ’Your villainous true colors are showing a bit too obviously, aren’t they?’ Instead of getting angry, Master Zheng laughed. "Your Highness, are you... coercing me to submit?"

After a moment of silence, the Second Prince didn’t deny it. He turned and left a parting shot: "You’re a sensible man. You are the only heir left to the Zheng Family. Heh heh. Marquis, oh, Marquis, you wouldn’t want the Zheng family line to end with you, would you?"

A naked threat.

Such an arrogant proclamation.

The subtext was: ’No matter how much you hide behind your "Marquis Zhonglie" title, or how much your old man sacrificed for Daqian, that’s all in the past. Things are different now. Don’t be a fool. If you really are a fool, don’t blame me for being ruthless.’

Master Zheng lay back down, interlaced his fingers, and closed his eyes in deep thought.

A moment later, Zheng Xiu smiled. "I still wish to be a simple, law-abiding merchant. I hope Your Highness will not press me so relentlessly."

Hearing this, the Second Prince’s gaze turned chilling as he stared at Master Zheng:

"Zheng Xiu, I’m afraid you don’t know how to write the word ’death’."

...

...

.

The air suddenly fell silent.

Zheng Xiu stared at the Second Prince’s deadly serious face for a long, long time.

"AHAHAHA, AHAHAHAHAHA—"

In his cell, Master Zheng clutched his stomach and roared with laughter.

He laughed until he was out of breath, rolling around on the spacious Grandmaster’s Chair.

The Second Prince’s face grew darker and darker, turning ashen.

A person’s tolerance has its limits.

He was, after all, the Second Prince.

One of only three men in the entire world with the right to contend for the throne!

Ranked second!

’Zheng Xiu, you mere Marquis Zhonglie, what are you laughing at!’

"My apologies, my apologies."

Zheng Xiu felt his laughter had actually warmed the atmosphere considerably. It truly wasn’t intentional. It was just that, recently, he had seen the word "death" more than anyone else in the entire world. For the word to pop up so unexpectedly like this... Master Zheng found it genuinely hilarious.

’You’re actually asking me if I know how to write the word "death"?’

"I did not mean to laugh. I just... couldn’t help myself."

The Second Prince said, "Do you think that person behind you can still protect you?"

Those words sounded familiar.

Zheng Xiu retorted, "Does Your Highness know who the last person to say that to me was?"

The Second Prince said coldly, "Who?"

"Shi Wentong. The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Shi."

"???"

Further conversation was pointless.

The Second Prince felt a surge of killing intent.

’Since you refuse to recognize what’s good for you.’

’Don’t blame me for being ruthless.’

As he turned to leave, the Second Prince paused and asked one more question:

"Have my Elder and Younger Imperial Brothers been to see you?"

"Not yet."

"And if they come, you still won’t leave this dump of a prison?"

Zheng Xiu answered with only three words: "Obey the law."

"What a fine ’obey the law’."

The Second Prince finally gave up on recruiting him and strode out.

This was Death Row, after all, a place heavy with bad luck. The fact that he had come in person was already giving Zheng Xiu a great deal of face, but he hadn’t expected this man named Zheng to be so stubborn.

Just as he reached the entrance.

A sharp voice suddenly cried out from outside:

"The Holy Emperor arrives—! Summoning the Zheng Clan’s Marquis Zhonglie to leave prison for an audience with His Majesty!"

The Second Prince froze on the spot.

He didn’t know whether he should take another step or not.

’Why has Imperial Father come?’

’Why has he come now?’

’Of all the times to show up...’

’Could it be that our every move has been under Imperial Father’s watch?’

Those with a guilty conscience are always overthinking things.

They think too much, and they fear too much.

The Second Prince stood rooted to the spot, growing more alarmed and terrified the more he thought, until cold sweat streamed down his back.

"Leaving so soon? Why’d you stop?"

After a moment, Master Zheng calmly walked past the Second Prince.

Seeing Master Zheng looking radiant, his long hair tied up neatly, and his robes immaculate, it was clear he had taken the time to dress up.

The Second Prince heard this, and after a moment of shock, he grew furious.

’Didn’t you say you were obeying the law?’

’So this cell door wasn’t even locked?’

’You motherf—’

The Second Prince had been steeped in etiquette and classic literature since childhood. A man of culture and refinement, he didn’t know what to curse.

"Let’s go. You came all this way."

In truth, Zheng Xiu had also been stunned for a moment at first.

He never would have imagined that the "gravely ill" Old Wei Emperor from his speculations would choose this exact moment to visit the Prison Camp.

Glancing back at the Second Prince, who was drenched in cold sweat with an ashen face, Zheng Xiu chuckled. He more or less understood.

The Second Prince quickly regained his composure, steeled himself, and walked out shoulder to shoulder with Marquis Zheng.

As soon as they stepped out onto the surface, they were met with the sight of hundreds of armored and helmeted Imperial Guards from the Divine Martial Hall, arranged in a neat Military Array, completely surrounding the Prison Camp.

The Second Prince’s lackeys, whom he had sent away not long ago, were trembling off to the side.

In the center of the Military Array, a temporary tent had been erected at some point.

On either side of the tent, the Divine Martial Hall’s banners, emblazoned with the character for "Martial," flapped and snapped in the wind.

He had only been fortunate enough to witness such a grand display once before, when his Imperial Father and General Zheng had set out on an expedition against the Northern Barbarians.

The Military Array parted as the Imperial Guards marched in unison to open a path.

"Your son greets the Imperial Father!"

The Second Prince grit his teeth, steeled himself, walked forward, and knelt before the tent entrance to pay his respects.

A voice, old and hoarse yet radiating an unforced authority, came from within.

"Rise."

After the Second Prince rose, Old Wei spoke again from within the military tent: "You came to visit Marquis Zhonglie?"

The Second Prince glanced at Zheng Xiu.

Zheng Xiu smiled. "Zheng Xiu of the Zheng Clan, Marquis Zhonglie, pays his respects to the Holy Emperor."

The voice from within said, "Marquis Zhonglie, you are exempt from ceremony."

He truly was exempt from kneeling.

Zheng Xiu glanced at the Second Prince, paused meaningfully, and then said, "His Highness the Prince and I have something of a friendship. Hearing that I had fallen on hard times, he came specially to ’check in’!"

He heavily stressed the two words "check in."

There was silence from within the tent.

The Second Prince kept his head lowered, his jaw clenched, as a thousand thoughts raced through his mind.

’Didn’t they say that old man was on his last legs?’

’How is he out and about?’

’To see... the Marquis Zhonglie?’