Chapter 159: Three People Conspiring
"Chengyi, do you think the news from the Nanzhu Kingdom is true? Do we have a chance? Will my third brother make any moves?"

In the Qinzheng Hall of the Ming Palace, the Crown Prince and the Duke of Yan, who had just sent off a group of people who came to pay their respects to the Ming King, began to communicate tacitly after receiving the news that high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth were suspected to have appeared in the Nanzhu Kingdom.

"Whether it is true or not still needs to be investigated! But it is better to believe it than not! We must be prepared to enter Nanzhu Kingdom at any time!" After being turned into a background board by Zhu Chengwu, Duke of Yan Zhu Chengyi has been coveting high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth for a long time. Now that high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth have suddenly appeared, Duke Yan will never give up.

In fact, Duke Yan didn't pay much attention to high-level treasures of heaven and earth in the past. Although high-level treasures of heaven and earth are precious, they are too rare. In Duke Yan's mind, instead of wasting energy on searching for high-level treasures of heaven and earth which may be in vain in the end, it is better to improve martial arts!

That is the tangible benefit!
The records in the Zhu family secret library do state that high-level treasures of heaven and earth have the power to help ordinary masters become supreme masters (grand masters).

However, in the history of martial arts, there are many people who have achieved the pinnacle of martial arts without high-level treasures of heaven and earth.

Moreover, the Zhu family secret library records many cases in which people pinned all their hopes of becoming top masters on high-level treasures of heaven and earth, but in the end they were unable to find any trace of such treasures until their death. On the contrary, because they delayed their martial arts training, they did not get far enough into the ranks of masters until their death.

Therefore, the former Duke of Yan believed that it was not worth it to search for high-level rare treasures from heaven and earth that were hard to come by by chance, taking the great risk of returning empty-handed!

But the battle of Xuzhou City changed Duke Yan's mind.

Although Duke Yan will not give up his martial arts practice, the importance he attaches to high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth has reached the highest point in his life.

"I received a secret report that the major forces under my third brother have begun to take action. Not only the newly reorganized Internal Affairs Department and Military Affairs Department of the Marquis of Fu'an Mansion, but also the major forces that are on good terms with the Marquis of Fu'an Mansion have received a message from my third brother, asking them to assist in investigating the authenticity of the news from the Nanzhu Kingdom!"

Just then, a figure stepped in from outside and suddenly interrupted the conversation between Duke Yan and the Prince.

As the light and shadow swayed, the figure revealed her true appearance.

It was the Crown Prince’s wife - Fang Huiju!
With the passing of King Ming, Zhu Chengwu became a master, and the pressure on Crown Prince Fang Huiju increased, and she finally decided to step to the front.

The first step she took when she stepped onto the stage was to take over the Ming Dynasty's intelligence system.

Upon hearing the information brought by Fang Huijue who had just walked in, Duke Yan's eyes narrowed, and then he sneered and said, "It seems that our martial arts legend is still not satisfied after having the Earth Core Fire Lotus!"

Although his tone was full of contempt and ridicule, Duke Yan felt extremely heavy in his heart.

Zhu Chengwu, who only has one "Earth Core Fire Lotus", has already become a martial arts legend and ranked first among the masters of the Ming Dynasty. If Zhu Chengwu were to obtain another high-level treasure of heaven and earth, his enemies, opponents, and competitors would be even more uneasy.

"Chengyi, if I give you a high-level rare treasure from heaven and earth, are you sure you can fight against my third brother?" The prince seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked.

Crown Prince Zhu Chengzhi and Duke of Yan Zhu Chengyi are of the same generation. After completely offending Zhu Chengwu and after Zhu Chengwu's rise, under the pressure of Zhu Chengwu, the relationship between the Crown Prince and Duke of Yan began to become extremely close.

The way the Crown Prince addresses the Duke of Yan is clear evidence of their close relationship.

"I can't guarantee this, but we can give it a try!" Duke Yan looked at the prince's eyes, thought for a long time, and then said with a serious expression.

Although his tone was heavy and his expression was solemn, Duke Yan's eyes revealed an eagerness to try that was hard to conceal.

With just one sentence and one look, Duke Yan understood what the prince meant.

Precisely because he understood the prince's intention, the Duke of Yan looked solemn and eager to try.

The more powerful and knowledgeable you are, the more you understand how terrifying Zhu Chengwu is!
The kind of terrifying talent that allowed him to create the "Lotus Fire God" secret technique just a few days after obtaining the high-level rare treasure "Earth Core Fire Lotus".

The kind of wonderful idea and amazing talent that was able to effectively utilize the "Earth Core Fire Lotus" where no one had done before becoming a master.

But although Zhu Chengwu was very capable, Zhu Chengyi was also the most outstanding genius in the Zhu royal family.

Therefore, Zhu Chengyi did not think that his talent was much worse than Zhu Chengwu's.

What's more, Zhu Chengyi has now become a grandmaster. According to historical records, a grandmaster can effectively utilize high-level treasures of heaven and earth.

As long as he could obtain high-level rare treasures from heaven and earth and make up for the gap between him and Zhu Chengwu caused by those high-level rare treasures, Zhu Chengyi believed that there was a high probability that he would be able to compete with Zhu Chengwu.

Isn’t it just a secret technique?

After obtaining the high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth, Zhu Chengyi will not be unable to create his own!

This is the confidence of a warrior and the pride of a master!

"One try? How confident is Duke Yan in this try?" Fang Huirui frowned as she listened to the conversation between the Crown Prince and Duke Yan.

Don't even try this kind of thing!
"Fifty percent!" Duke Yan glanced at Fang Huiju, the Crown Prince's wife, and expressed his estimate.

To be honest, Duke Yan did not like Fang Huiju because she was too smart and the prince was too obedient to her.

Duke Yan knew that, even before the late king's body was cold, the crown prince wanted to use his status as the successor king to ask the Grand Chamber of Imperial Clan to open the Zhu family's secret vault and take out the rare treasures from heaven and earth to help Fang Huiju break through.

Things have come to this now. Once the crown prince succeeds to the throne, he will definitely take out more Zhu family resources from the Zhu family's secret vault and give them to Fang Huiju and the Fang family!

However, even though he was unhappy in his heart, Duke Yan had no choice but to be patient with Fang Huigui.

After the battle of Xuzhou City, the conflict between Duke Yan and Zhu Chengwu had reached an almost irreconcilable point.

Under the pressure of Zhu Chengwu, the Duke of Yan, the Crown Prince and Fang Huiju had the same stance.

Even though the Crown Prince's current request was unreasonable, the Duke of Yan had to find a way to persuade the Zhu clan members in the Grand Clan Hall to take out rare treasures from heaven and earth for Fang Huiju to help Fang Huiju break through.

After all, once Fang Huiju breaks through, a Yangshen who has refined his spirit will be a big weight on the prince's plate.

"Fifty percent? That's too small!" Fang Huiju felt that Duke Yan's chances of success were too slim.

"But it's worth a try!" The prince interrupted Fang Huigui's words, making Fang Huigui's frown disappear.

Fang Huiju felt that a 50% chance of success was too low, but the prince thought that a 50% chance of success was enough.

Fang Huijue did have a profound influence on the crown prince, and could often get him to accept her opinions. But the crown prince was still the crown prince, and Fang Huijue's husband.

After the prince clearly expressed his opinion, Fang Huiyi didn't know what to say. This is the nature of this world!
Male dominated!
"Chengyi, I will fully support you in obtaining the high-level rare treasures that may exist in the Nanzhu Kingdom!" The prince looked at Duke Yan Zhu Chengyi, with obvious expectations in his words.

"I will do my best!" Duke Yan spoke firmly, his tone full of excitement and confidence.

"It's not easy to compete with the Fu'an Marquis' Mansion. We need more fighting power!" Fang Huiqi's eyes sank slightly, and he was already thinking more.

Although Fang Huiju felt that it was too risky to fully support Duke Yan in obtaining the high-level rare treasure that might exist in the Kingdom of Nanzhu, after the Crown Prince spoke, Fang Huiju was already thinking about how to increase the chances of Duke Yan finally obtaining that high-level rare treasure.

It was because of Fang Huiju's way of handling things that the prince was able to change for her and almost obey her every word.

“Uncle Xingcheng can’t do it! I noticed that Uncle Xingcheng’s aura was looming before, and I thought Uncle Xingcheng had an accident. I went to find Uncle Xingcheng, but found that Uncle Xingcheng was meeting with Cui Shuyun and Xiumin in private…” Duke Yan first excluded Duke Qi Zhu Xingcheng as the helper.

"Duke Qi met with Cui Shuyun and Xiumin in private. Chengyi, why didn't you tell me earlier? Forget it, if that's the case, uncle Xingcheng won't be able to do it!" The prince was stunned when he heard what Duke Yan said, but then he reacted. It made no difference whether he was told about this or not.

Not to mention the crown prince, even the previous king had no control over the Duke of Qi.

Moreover, the late king had already discussed and anticipated the wavering of some Zhu clan members, such as the Duke of Qi, with the Crown Prince long before his death.

However, when such a thing really happened, the prince couldn't help but feel anger and fear in his heart.

In his heart, he quickly classified the Duke of Qi as a person who was not trusted.

Unlike the Crown Prince, Fang Huiju did not rush to express his opinion after hearing what Duke Yan said. Instead, he looked at Duke Yan with a deep gaze before interrupting, "Although I don't know whether Duke Qi has decided to betray us and lean towards the Marquis Fu'an Mansion, we cannot choose Duke Qi as our helper. Duke Qi is the clan leader and an elder! Once we successfully obtain a high-level treasure of heaven and earth, it will be a difficult problem whether to give it to my cousin Chengyi or my uncle Xingcheng!"

Fang Huiqi's words immediately made Duke Yan's eyes darken slightly.

“However, without sufficient Grandmaster-level combat power, it is impossible to compete with the Fu’an Marquisate for possible high-level treasures!
Your Highness, I wonder if Xiao Li Tanhua, Shen Tianjun, and Wu Gensheng can make another move?"

Without giving Duke Yan a chance to interrupt, Fang Huiqi continued speaking, bringing the topic back on track.

Fang Huiju pointed out that if the Duke of Qi and the Duke of Yan set out together to compete for the high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth, even if they succeeded, no one would know to whom the treasures should be given. This was just to tell the prince not to immediately doubt the Duke of Qi's position because of Duke Yan's one-sided statement. The Duke of Yan had a conflict of interest with the Duke of Qi in the competition for the use of possible high-level rare treasures of heaven and earth.

But although it was a reminder, Fang Huiju only wanted to remind the Crown Prince of the situation and did not want to have an argument or unpleasantness with the Duke of Yan right now!

Therefore, Fang Huiju did not give Duke Yan any space to interrupt, but immediately continued with his own words!

What Fang Huiju was afraid of was that once Duke Yan was given room to interrupt, the two of them would get more and more vocal, eventually leading to a quarrel and unhappiness, which would affect the unity of the Crown Prince's faction.

"Xiao Li Tanhua and Shen Tianjun only took action once because of my father's favor! It will be difficult to ask them to take action again this time! However, if I only ask Xiao Li Tanhua, I am still confident." It is not known whether the prince understood Fang Huiju's implicit hint or not, and he only answered the second half of Fang Huiju's question.

Xiao Li Tanhua refers to Xiao Li Flying Dagger Li Xunhuan!
Li Xunhuan was born into a prominent family and was extremely talented. When he was young, he participated in the imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty and won the title of Tanhua. Later, he quit his official position and retired because he was tired of fame and fortune.

But in this world, wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes and there are fights. It is extremely difficult to achieve freedom by resigning from office and retiring.

Li Xunhuan, who left the imperial court and entered the martial arts world, did not get the freedom he wanted. Instead, he encountered several life-and-death crises in the martial arts world, and on several occasions it was Ming Wang who secretly helped him from behind.

Xiao Li Feidao owes Lord Ming Wang a favor.

It's a bit difficult to repay this favor with just one favor.

Xiao Li Tanhua is the most loyal and righteous knight in the martial arts world in the past thirty years. In fact, if he was not so loyal and righteous, with his martial arts skills, he would not have encountered so many life-and-death crises while wandering around the world.

However, it was precisely because of his loyalty and righteousness that King Ming repeatedly helped Xiao Li Tanhua in secret.

Otherwise, if the person is someone who bears grudges but does not remember kindness, the King would be crazy to keep helping him secretly and doing favors for him.

Faced with the prince who inherited the favor of King Ming, the loyal and righteous Li Tanhua was persuaded and the probability of him taking action again is very high.

As for Shen Tianjun, his entanglements and personal relationships with King Ming were not that deep.

King Ming only gave him some information when he needed it, letting him know the conspiracy of the "Happy King" Chai Yuguan and the Fairy Yunmeng couple, and helped Shen Tianjun capture Chai Yuguan and Fairy Yunmeng, who were both at the level of minor masters at the time.

Although it was to assist Shen Tianjun, taking down the restless Chai Yuguan and Fairy Yunmeng would also be beneficial to the rule of the Zhu royal family. In addition, Shen Tianjun has now made another breakthrough and achieved the master level.

Shen Tianjun, who is at the Grandmaster level, helped King Ming once, which was enough to repay King Ming for his help in the past.

"Is it just Xiao Li Feidao? What about Wu Gensheng?" Fang Huiqi frowned slightly.

Although Xiao Li Tanhua's Flying Dagger of Li Tanhua is famous for its never-missing attack at the same level, Zhu Chengwu's martial arts legend is obviously more important.

What's more, before, outside the capital, Li Xunhuan, Wu Gensheng and Shen Tianjun had not been able to completely suppress the mysterious master invited by Zhu Chengwu.

In fact, after the previous battle, Xiao Li's reputation of never missing a target has been questioned recently.

Many people in the martial arts world began to think that Xiao Li Feidao was only okay against masters below the Grandmaster level, but that his magic of never missing a target was lost against a Grandmaster.

After all, if Xiao Li's Flying Dagger still had that magical power, how could it be possible that three people joining forces could not defeat a guy who suddenly appeared.

"Wu Gensheng is the last disciple of Eunuch Zheng, the former top master of the palace! Both Eunuch Zheng and Wu Gensheng are loyal to King Ming and our Zhu royal family!" When the prince said this, there was a hint of pride in his expression.

To have the loyalty of two generations of masters, which other aristocratic family could achieve such an achievement except the Zhu royal family.

Grandmaster, in which force does he not exist as the ultimate foundation!

"Duke Yan, Little Li Tanhua, and Wu Gensheng, if there are only three of them, facing Marquis Fu'an, I'm afraid..."

Fang Huiqi understood the pride revealed in the prince's words, but this pride was of no benefit to the current situation.

The combat power they have is still not optimistic.

After all, Zhu Chengwu had a record of defeating the four great masters of Shaolin Temple alone, and leaving one of them dead, one disabled, and two seriously injured.

(End of this chapter)