Firm Will
The Nanman Kingdom was a small country. The territory of the entire country was equivalent to a state of the Great Xia Empire. Although it was a state, its territory was still vast. Moreover, its geographical location was special. It was located between the Great Xia Empire and the Grand Shang Empire, equivalent to the west gate.
They had always had a good relationship with Great Xia. The two countries had close relations, frequent trade, and some military cooperation.
Therefore, Great Xia attached great importance to the fact that the Nanman Kingdom had sent an envoy this time.
Zhang Ronghua asked, “What are they doing here at this time?”
“Marriage!”
Seeing his frown, the Crown Prince explained, “The Nanman Kingdom sent their Crown Princess Fenghe and Princess Fenghe this time with a very clear purpose. They have already stated in the national letter that they want Crown Prince Fengyi to marry a princess of the side family and Princess Fenghe to be my concubine. If not, she can marry a prince. If it’s a prince, she has to be the main wife.”
“They’ve got a good plan.”
They knew that with the strength of their country, they could not marry the main family’s princess. Instead of being rejected and losing all their face, they directly stated his intentions of marrying the side family’s princess.
The Crown Prince had already arranged a marriage with Ji Xueyan. She had to be the Crown Princess Consort. The Nanman Kingdom knew the power of the Grand Tutor and did not dare to offend him. Therefore, they had designs on a concubine and even left a way out for themselves. The Crown Prince was out of their league and they could marry the Prince. The main wife had already been named.
“Everyone has desires. The Nanman King is the same.”
“What are you going to do?”
“The Imperial Court has already decided that I will be in charge of receiving them and ensuring their safety. With the personality of the mastermind, he won’t let go of this opportunity and think of a way to get rid of them. Once they die, I can’t shirk the responsibility. Although it’s not to the extent of losing my position, my impression of Father is greatly reduced. It’s not good for me in the long run.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I’ve already made arrangements. You’ll act according to the situation.”
Zhang Ronghua knew that the Crown Prince treated him as a confidant, so he informed him in advance. Otherwise, back then, he would have told him about Dou Jianwu later.
“I understand.”
They left the East Palace.
Zheng Fugui was waiting at the door and pulled him aside. “What did His Highness say?”
“To the Ministry of Justice.”
He told Ma Ping’an to wait for them at the Heavenly Fragrance Tower.
He explained the situation on the way.
After hearing this, Zheng Fugui felt comfortable and smiled proudly. He extended his palm and squeezed roughly, making a fierce move. “I’m going to do it myself later!”
There were a total of two prisons in the capital.
One was the prison of the Ministry of Justice, and the other was the Nether Prison.
The former targeted officials of the Imperial Court, but there were also exceptions. Some martial artists were imprisoned here, and most of them were related to officials. The latter targeted demons, ghosts, and serious criminals. For example, the Sixth Prince’s grandfather’s house was imprisoned in the Nether Prison last time.
The guards of the Nether Prison were very strong and notorious. As long as they were imprisoned, it was rare for them to come out alive.
When they arrived at the prison of the Ministry of Justice, the guards at the door stopped them.
Zhang Ronghua took out his identity token. The guard cupped his fists and bowed. “Greetings, sir!”
“Take us to Qian Shoucai’s cell!”
The guard hesitated. Qian Shoucai was the governor of the Capital.
Zheng Fugui’s expression darkened as he shouted, “This is His Highness’s order!”
The guard was shocked. They had heard about what had happened recently. Not daring to ask a word, they hurriedly led the way.
They entered the dungeon and stopped at the innermost cell.
The guardrail here was different from the outside. It was hard and thick. Qian Shoucai’s hands and feet were bound with chains. He was dressed in a white prison uniform and was sitting on the ground with disheveled hair. He looked like a lunatic. He no longer had the aura of a high-ranking official.
He opened the cell door and the guard tactfully retreated.
Qian Shoucai looked up, his pupils constricting as he probed, “Did the Crown Prince ask you to come?”
Zhang Ronghua walked into the cell and stopped in front of him, looking down at him. The latter met his gaze and kicked him in the face without warning, knocking him to the ground.
“Cousin, let me do it!”
Zheng Fugui rushed forward and punched and kicked him to vent the anger in his heart. He was as ruthless as he had been holding it in these days.
After a while, he stopped. He clapped his hands and stood up.
Qian Shoucai had lost half his life and was covered in blood.
Enduring the intense pain in his body, Qian Shoucai said, “You’re Zhang Ronghua and Zheng Fugui!”
“Have you guessed?”
“I can’t think of anyone else who would be so ruthless.”
Bang!
Zhang Ronghua kicked him to the ground again. “How dare a prisoner act so arrogantly?”
“Who asked you to let the rumors spread in the capital?”
As the governor of the capital, he managed the people of the capital. If he reacted in time and ordered the people to shut up, the rumors would be extinguished as soon as they appeared.
No matter how curious the commoners were, this concerned their lives. Once the government got serious, they would be very honest. At most, they would close the door at home and discuss secretly.
Inaction and letting the rumors ferment were the best help.
If it were any ordinary official, they would have been able to suppress it in time. They were afraid that the rumors would threaten their positions under their butts, but he did not care. No one would believe him unless there was something fishy.
“No one ordered it. I was negligent and let the rumors spread throughout the capital!”
“You don’t know how to appreciate favors!”
Zhang Ronghua stepped forward and used the Seven Soul Extinguishing Hands. He grabbed the bones all over his body and pinched them roughly.
When he was done, he stood at the side and watched with his hands behind his back.
Qian Shoucai’s perseverance was very strong. Even the old ghost could not withstand it, but he tried his best to endure it. Like a lobster, he curled up his body and rolled on the ground. Cold sweat drenched his prison uniform and he did not cry out.
Seven or eight minutes later.
Qian Shoucai’s eyes rolled back and he foamed at the mouth. He died.
Zheng Fugui was dumbfounded. “He… he died just like that?”
“Stand back!”
The latter was puzzled and looked at him in confusion, but he moved aside.
Zhang Ronghua mocked, “Do you think you can keep the secret just because you’re dead?”
He twisted his hand and used a secret technique. “Last Breath!”
A golden light entered his glabella, stimulating his potential.
A long moment passed. His corpse did not react.
“His perseverance is so strong?”
This secret technique was not omnipotent and had flaws! The other party could not die for more than two hours. In addition, it was useless on strong-willed people.
“What do we do now, Cousin?”
“Get out.”
They reached the hall.
He instructed them that Qian Shoucai was already dead. The prison head did not dare to ask. When they left, he would report the news.
Under the night sky.
Zheng Fugui was unprecedentedly happy. There was a hint of anticipation in the corners of his eyes. He secretly thought that he could see Xiao Mi again.
“What are you giggling about?”
“I was thinking about how handsome you were when you attacked just now, Cousin. Especially when you kicked him in the face. It was clean.”
Zhang Ronghua did not expose him. He guessed that he wanted to go to Heaven on Earth again. He had to pay attention.