Chapter 87: The Heaven of Great Chu

“You…”

Eunuch Chen almost blurted out a curse, but years of self-restraint barely kept him in check.

This was the Fan household; even he did not wish to turn against Fan Li here.

With a sneering, ambiguous smile, Eunuch Chen said, “Marquis of Jin returned awfully quickly. I truly did not expect…”

Fan Li lifted a hand and cut him off.

“No need for nonsense. Speak of official business.”

Was one slap in the face not enough?

Then he would be slapped twice.

He would not listen to this old eunuch’s droning!

If Fan Li could not even command respect in his own home, he would not deserve to be the Great Chu’s foremost powerholder.

Eunuch Chen’s mouth twitched violently, and he nearly made a move then and there.

He was confident he could kill Fan Li, who was only at the Body Tempering stage, in an instant. The problem was that Black Stallion behind Fan Li could probably kill him just as quickly.

“Is Black Stallion truly the divine beast protecting Great Chu, or merely the Fan clan’s domesticated beast?”

Eunuch Chen felt truly aggrieved.

Fan Li was clearly no more than an ant, yet he still had to treat him with deference.

“Ahem. This humble one has come to deliver the imperial decree to the Marquis of Jin…”

“Wait!”

Just as he was about to read it aloud, Fan Li interrupted him again.

Eunuch Chen was so exasperated he nearly rolled his eyes. “Marquis of Jin, do you want this humble one to speak or not?”

“I allow you to speak, but not to spout nonsense.”

His tone was that of a superior, utterly dismissive of the old eunuch in the Harmonized Dao realm before him.

Fan Li asked coldly, “I heard that His Majesty was seized by force. I was just preparing to mobilize troops and generals, even if it means using the armed might of the entire realm, to strike straight at the bandits’ lair and bring His Majesty back. Yet now you come to deliver an imperial decree. What is the meaning of this?”

“Strike... strike straight at the bandits’ lair? And use the armed might of the entire realm?”

Eunuch Chen’s eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

He believed that, with Fan Li’s sources of intelligence, he must already know that the Pure Land of Brahma had forcibly taken Xiang Ning away.

But he never imagined Fan Li would react this way.

Launch an all-out campaign against the Pure Land of Brahma with the whole nation?

How could that be allowed?

Great Chu would be finished!

And once Great Chu fell, what meaning would remain in the Empress Dowager’s struggle for power?

“Oh, a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”

“Marquis of Jin does not know this: His Majesty was not seized. A holy master of the Pure Land of Brahma took a liking to Her Majesty’s natural talent and decided to accept her as a disciple. Her Majesty has chosen to accompany her master to the Pure Land for cultivation, and has already passed the imperial throne to the Crown Prince, Xiang Chong.”

“Now, with the support of the Pure Land of Brahma and the accession of a new sovereign, our Great Chu enters an era of flourishing fortune and peace across the four seas.”

“The new sovereign has issued an edict: three days from now, the court will be in session. By then, His Majesty will reward civil and military officials alike and grant a general amnesty to the realm... Heh heh, Marquis of Jin, you have labored long and meritoriously. The new emperor will surely grant you lavish rewards. This is a fine thing indeed.”

The old eunuch wore a sycophantic smile, trying his best to make the words sound pleasant.

He had originally come to strut and bluster, hoping to use the prestige of the Pure Land of Brahma to put Fan Li in his place.

Who could have imagined that the attempt to show off would fail, and instead he would wind up terrified Fan Li might raise troops? All he could do now was heap up flattering words to soothe him.

In truth, Fan Li was vexed as well.

As soon as Xiang Ning was taken away, he began to consider rescue plans.

But this was an enormous problem.

What kind of place was the Pure Land of Brahma?

Apart from the deceased Holy Master of the Blood Phoenix, nine Holy Masters of the Mahayana realm were in residence, and at least eight of them would stand against him.

Even if the Pure Land was sparsely populated, unlike the states of Chu, Han, and Ming with their million-strong armies and countless citizens, it was still an extremely hard bone to chew.

Xiang Ning had to be brought back.

But Fan Li could not truly resort to a sea-of-people tactic and incite the entire population and army of Great Chu to attack the Pure Land of Brahma.

At this moment, Fan Li’s true body was still on the road home.

True body and avatar shared all sensory information.

“Princess, I have a favor to ask.” Fan Li’s true body suddenly said to Princess Changle, who was riding in the same carriage.

“Hm?”

On the journey back to the city, Princess Changle was unexpectedly well-behaved.

Sharing the carriage with him, she did not flirt or tease, but sat alone in a corner, absorbed in the First Emperor’s notes she had just obtained.

Seeing Fan Li’s serious expression, the princess immediately put the notes away.

“The Pure Land of Brahma has dispatched six Holy Masters to abduct His Majesty.”

“What?” Princess Changle changed countenance.

Fan Li continued, “I know the princess can surely contact the Holy Master of Qingqiu. Please tell her to ensure Xiang Ning’s personal safety in the Pure Land. If Qingqiu can do that, I will owe her a tremendous favor from this day forth.”

Princess Changle nodded. “Rest assured. This request does not violate any law of the Pure Lands. My master will agree.”

With that, she took out a sheet of paper and used her index finger as a brush to write a line of invisible characters upon it.

Just by watching the movement of her finger, Fan Li could tell what the princess had written.

“Fan Li asks my master to shelter Xiang Ning. He is willing to owe you a great favor.”

“Many thanks.” Fan Li said solemnly.

The princess smiled with allure, flicked the paper away with a casual toss, and it instantly turned into a streak of pure white light, flying swiftly toward the northwest.

“Heh heh heh, I am the empress of Great Chu. Protecting my own ‘husband’ is only right and proper. Why should you thank me?”

After that one teasing remark, the princess took out the First Emperor’s notes once more, infused them with spiritual energy, and continued reading.

Since obtaining those notes, she had lost interest in all else, becoming like a bookworm wholly absorbed in their contents.

In Pengcheng of Great Chu, Fan Residence.

“Marquis of Jin, what do you think about the court assembly three days from now…” Eunuch Chen asked carefully.

He was truly afraid Fan Li would refuse to attend court, or refuse to acknowledge Xiang Chong as the new sovereign.

The Empress Dowager’s scheme was to rely on the prestige of the Pure Land to suppress Fan Li.

Once Xiang Chong had firmly secured the throne, they would gradually weaken the Fan clan. When the Fan clan had completely lost its influence within Great Chu, they would exterminate it!

For now, Fan Li still possessed the ability to force remonstrance with troops, so this was far from the time to break openly.

“I know. Three days from now, neither I nor the hundred officials will be absent from court. And remember to remind Xiang Chong as well: when the new sovereign appears before the court for the first time, he is not to be late.”

“Ah... yes, I will remember.”

Eunuch Chen truly did not know how to take those words.

What sort of speech was that?

Could Xiang Chong be late?

This would be his first time presiding over court and hearing state affairs!

Yet Fan Li sounded as though he were lecturing a child, showing not the slightest regard for Xiang Chong.

“Could it be that on the day the new emperor takes the court, Fan the Second will force the new emperor to call him ‘Minister-Father’ too?”

Eunuch Chen suddenly thought of this, and was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

He stole a glance at Black Stallion, sighed inwardly, and suppressed that mad impulse once more.

Let him call if he wants. It’s not as though I’ll be the one saying it.

“I have other matters. Leave the imperial decree and you may go.” Fan Li waved impatiently.

Eunuch Chen was speechless.

Was the decree not to be proclaimed?

He had even been waiting for the chance to see Fan Li kneel and kowtow, and now he would not even be given that little secret delight?

Eunuch Chen was unwilling to leave, so he stood there thick-skinned and prepared to announce the edict.

“Black Stallion, see our guest out for me.”

Eunuch Chen lost all spirit in an instant.

He set down the decree, repeatedly saying there was no need to escort him, and fled from the Fan residence in a flash.

“Ah!”

With no outsiders left at home, Fan Ming could only sigh and shake his head.

“Second Brother, Great Chu has changed.”

Fan Li sneered. “Great Chu has not changed, because I am Great Chu’s heaven.”