blogombal Chapter 78 The person arrived, but became an honored guest.
Chapter 78 The person arrived, but became an honored guest.
Several days later, in the back garden of the Prince of Ruyang's mansion.
The maidservant hurried along and handed Zhao Min a sealed letter.
"Princess, it just arrived from the south, urgent!"
Zhao Min opened the letter, and the moment she saw its contents, she was utterly shocked.
"What...?!"
Bright Peak is deserted; is the Ming Cult gone?
"How is this possible?!"
Zhao Min suddenly stood up.
She paced quickly, her mind racing.
Is it a trap?
Is it a disguise?
However, the two elders of Xuanming reported that the sacred flame at Bright Peak had been extinguished and weeds were growing in the training ground...
"Speaking of which..."
She stopped in her tracks, her eyes sharpening.
"In the past two months, the number of reported 'riots and uprisings' in various places has indeed decreased by more than half."
She knew very well that many of the sparks of rebellion in the Central Plains were fueled by the Ming Cult to varying degrees.
This collective silence is anything but ordinary.
An even more absurd idea crept into my mind.
"Could it be... that the Ming Cult has retreated to its headquarters in Persia?"
She immediately shook her head vigorously, rejecting the idea.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
The Ming Cult had been operating in the Central Plains for hundreds of years, and its roots were already deeply established.
The new leader, Chen Yuan, displayed ambition and ability to conquer the world as soon as he took power.
How could someone like that give up so easily?
But if they didn't leave...
This empty headquarters, this vast organization that has vanished without a trace...
What exactly are they trying to do?
Where did you go?
A chill ran down my spine, a feeling of things being completely out of control.
For the first time, she felt that she might have greatly underestimated her opponent, Chen Yuan.
"Princess."
Another maid's voice interrupted her thoughts.
"His Highness requests that you come to his study immediately, as there is something urgent."
Zhao Min took a deep breath, suppressing her chaotic thoughts.
No matter what tricks the Ming Cult is playing, the current situation is still largely under her and her father's control.
She straightened her clothes, regained her composure, and walked towards the study.
The study door was pushed open, and the ambergris scent that Prince Ruyang was used to wafting out.
But the next moment, Zhao Min froze at the doorway.
Her father, the Prince of Ruyang of the Yuan Dynasty, was not sitting in the main seat at this moment.
He stood beside the desk, his posture...exuding a subordinate-like respect.
The person sitting behind that large rosewood desk was casually flipping through a volume of secret documents from the Prince's mansion.
Dressed in simple white, with an upright posture, his profile appeared somewhat cold and hard in the light filtering through the windowpane.
A myriad of thoughts flashed through Zhao Min's mind in an instant.
Who is this?
Why was his father so respectful to him?
There's probably only one person in the world who commands such respect from one's father.
Hearing the door open, Chen Yuan looked up and calmly looked over.
Zhao Min suppressed her surprise and doubt, composed herself, and first looked at her father, her voice carrying a hint of doubt.
"Father...this is..."
Before the Prince of Ruyang could speak, Chen Yuan put down the secret file and looked at Zhao Min with a smile.
"Is this the young princess?"
The Prince of Ruyang's expression tightened, and he quickly said...
"This is my daughter, Zhao Min."
"Not bad, to be able to come up with such a vicious plan at such a young age."
Chen Yuan calmly sealed Zhao Min's fate.
"From now on, she should not leave the manor."
The Prince of Ruyang trembled and lowered his head.
"Yes."
Zhao Min's face immediately turned to disbelief. She turned sharply to Chen Yuan and questioned him.
"Who exactly are you?!"
"Why should my father obey your every word?!"
Chen Yuan sized up Zhao Min, his expression playful.
"Didn't you recently present my Ming Cult with a grand gift in the martial arts world?"
"What, you don't even recognize the person in question?"
Zhao Min's face showed a moment of confusion, her heart suddenly clenched, and then she was replaced by a sense of absurdity and anger.
This is Chen Yuan, the leader of the Ming Cult!
"Father! What does this mean?!"
Her voice suddenly rose, and her gaze shot towards Prince Ruyang like a knife.
Why is he here?!
A complex emotion flashed across the Prince of Ruyang's face, a mixture of helplessness, struggle, and finally, submission.
He avoided his daughter's burning gaze and said in a deep voice.
"Minmin, don't be rude."
"Master Chen... is a distinguished guest of the Prince's Mansion. From now on, you and I will have to follow Master Chen's arrangements in all matters."
"Follow...his arrangements?"
Zhao Min could hardly believe her ears. She pointed at Chen Yuan, her fingertips trembling slightly with anger.
"Father! Look carefully!"
"He is the leader of the Ming Cult, a major threat to the imperial court, and the target of our plan to eliminate him!"
"You want me to listen to him?!"
"A planned annihilation?"
Chen Yuan spoke in a calm tone.
"You sent the Xuanming Elders to Shaolin and Wudang to carve words and frame others."
"Or do you mean to imprison the people from the six major sects in Wan'an Temple, waiting for me to walk right into their trap?"
Zhao Min was struck dumb, frozen in place.
The core details of these plans were things she discussed in secret with her father.
How could he... know so much?
"you......"
A chill ran through her, instantly freezing her anger.
She suddenly realized that the situation before her might be far more terrible than she had imagined.
Chen Yuan ignored her shock and continued speaking in his usual calm tone.
"What good are your schemes except to provoke me?"
He stood up and walked to the side of Prince Ruyang.
Prince Ruyang subconsciously lowered his head slightly.
Chen Yuan's gaze swept over the huge map of the Yuan territory hanging in the study, finally settling on Zhao Min's pale face.
"You're a smart person, and you enjoy playing chess."
"But do you know that a true chess player is not satisfied with just capturing a few of the opponent's pieces?"
"What he wants is to rearrange the chessboard and set new rules."
He paused, then continued.
"Keeping those people in Wan'an Temple is just a waste of food."
"I will send people to take over; they will still be of some use to my great cause of reviving China."
"As for your father..."
Chen Yuan turned his head and glanced at the Prince of Ruyang, whose forehead was already covered in a fine layer of sweat.
"The prince is a wise and shrewd man who knows when to stop. He has agreed to fully cooperate with our Ming Cult army from now on."
"Including... the upcoming strategy guide for Jiqing Road."
"Travel guide...Jiqing Road?"
Zhao Min's voice was hoarse, and she suddenly looked at her father.
"Father! You agreed to his request?!"
"You want to help the rebels attack a key city of the imperial court?! Are you insane?!"
The Prince of Ruyang's face was ashen, his lips moved but no sound came out, he could only nod with great difficulty.
"Why?! What did he use to control you?!"
"Is it poison? Is it a curse? Or are you threatening my brother's and my lives?!"
Zhao Min rushed forward, grabbed her father's sleeve, her eyes filled with disbelief, anger, and frustration.
All her meticulously designed plans, all her proud schemes.
The man before them spoke so casually, making them seem so ridiculous and so easily defeated!
She didn't even know how the other person did it!
This utter, overwhelming sense of defeat nearly drove her to the brink of collapse.
The pain in Prince Ruyang's eyes deepened, yet he remained silent.
Chen Yuan didn't explain much, and with a wave of his hand, he made Zhao Min fall into a deep sleep.
The Prince of Ruyang summoned two guards, whose voices were hoarse.
"Take Minmin away and let her reflect on her actions."
"yes!"
When Zhao Min was taken away, the Prince of Ruyang seemed to age ten years in an instant, and said dejectedly.
"Master Chen, my daughter..."
"Your Highness, rest assured, your daughter is a rough gem; she can be polished with a little care."
Chen Yuan sat back down in the main seat and pointed to the location of Jiqing Road.
"The most urgent task is the major plan for the South."
"Is your son, Wang Baobao, ready?"
"My son is already waiting outside."
"Then let's set off."