Chapter 41: Ulterior Motives!

Upon closer inspection, people eventually realized that Chen Xuan was indeed a good-for-nothing incapable of cultivation.

Moreover, his personality was cowardly, allowing anyone to bully him, and he seemed rather dim-witted.

At first, everyone assumed Chen Xuan was merely feigning weakness for self-preservation.

Yet, unexpectedly, Chen Xuan remained a good-for-nothing year after year, for twenty whole years.

Consequently, everyone came to believe in the reality of his uselessness, and even the members of the Chen family were convinced.

Who could have anticipated that after being framed for theft and exiled to the frontier, Chen Xuan would suddenly begin to show his true brilliance?

"For this boy to endure with such patience, he is bound to achieve great things in the future. Even if he fails to match his father's accomplishments, he will certainly not remain obscure. I wonder if placing Liu Jin-yu by his side was a correct move or a mistake?"

Qin Zhen muttered to himself, his deep gaze filled with complex thoughts.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, the Spring Breeze Pavilion stood as the largest brothel in the metropolis.

Inside a private parlor.

"To think that damned good-for-nothing managed to walk out of the Fierce Bandit Mountain alive and unscathed? Hmph! So what if you managed to reach the frontier? You still dream of spreading your family roots there? Pure delusion!"

Chen Tian held a slender woman in his arms with one hand, his fingers restlessly wandering over her smooth and delicate skin.

With his other hand, he continually lifted a wine cup, drowning his sorrows in heavy drinking.

Yet as he drank, he suddenly let out a cold sneer, "For all these years, the Chen family clan members at the frontier have long drifted away from the capital's Chen family in heart and mind!"

"The capital's Chen family has always sought to control the frontier clan, but in truth, they no longer obey the Patriarch at all. They acknowledge orders but refuse to heed summons!"

"Chen Xuan, oh Chen Xuan, do you really think you can live in peace once you reach the frontier? Over the years, how many clan members sent from the capital to the frontier have ever returned alive? With just a letter from me adding fuel to the fire, I won't even need to lift a finger—there are plenty of people already eyeing your petty life!"

With that, he took another heavy gulp of wine, his eyes drifting vaguely as if he could already envision the moment Chen Xuan's head would be severed from his body, and he burst into a crazed, uproarious laugh.

"The only regret is that I couldn't slaughter you with my own hands. And that little bitch An Ru-xue—I can't have her either. That is the Ice-Skin and Jade-Bone constitution! If I could have possessed her, I would have broken through to the Martial Master realm in less than a year. Damn you, Chen Xuan, you ruined my grand plan!"

The Sima Residence.

At this moment, Sima Tengfei, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was sitting in his study, flipping through a dossier.

Thud, thud, thud—

A knock echoed on the door.

"Come in."

Sima Tengfei was a middle-aged man with a square face and a wispy goatee, exuding an extraordinary demeanor.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Sima Xiba walked in.

"Father, the latest news has arrived. That Chen Xuan you've been paying attention to has already walked out of the Fierce Bandit Mountain."

Sima Xiba reported every piece of information he had gathered to Sima Tengfei.

"Heh, after hiding for so many years, he finally couldn't keep it up anymore, eh?"

Sima Tengfei chuckled immediately.

Seeing this, a look of perplexity crossed Sima Xiba's face, and he could not help asking, "Father, didn't you wish for him to die? Why are you instead so pleased now that he has walked out of the Fierce Bandit Mountain alive?"

The only reason Sima Xiba had colluded with Chen Tian to frame Chen Xuan and push him to his death was because he had been acting under Sima Tengfei's instructions.

He could not understand why his father—a dignified Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and a high-ranking second-rank official of the imperial court—would want to take the life of a worthless nobody.

And now, not only was the target not dead, but his father was even happier about it. What was the logic behind this?

Sima Tengfei glanced sideways at his son and said indifferently, "Do not ask questions that are not your concern. Knowing too much will do you no good."

"Understood!"

Sima Xiba was a smart man; he immediately lowered his head and did not press for another half-word.

Sima Tengfei gave him a deep look and suddenly asked, "Have you been visiting Princess Changning frequently as of late?"

Sima Xiba fell silent instantly, not knowing how to respond.

For Princess Changning was truly hideous in appearance, with a fiery and vulgar temper that made a mockery of refinement.

The fact that his own father intended to matchmake him with this princess filled Sima Xiba with boundless depression.

He would rather marry a courtesan from a brothel than become the husband of Princess Changning.

Noticing his expression, Sima Tengfei let out a cold snort and reprimanded, "Fool! Princess Changning is Prince Qi's most beloved daughter. If you can marry her, it will be a blessing cultivated over eight lifetimes!"

"Furthermore..."

Sima Tengfei's eyes flashed with a burning intensity. "The current reigning sovereign is not a man, and there are many murmurs of discontent within the imperial court. Quite a few people are secretly pledging their allegiance to Prince Qi."

"Did you not notice how much resistance the Emperor met just by suppressing some bandits? The ministers below simply do not submit to her. If Prince Qi manages to ascend the throne in the future, Princess Changning will become a true princess, and by then, you will be even less worthy of her!"

Hearing this, Sima Xiba's eyes widened instantly.

He felt as though he had just stumbled upon a heaven-shaking secret!

"Father, does Prince Qi intend to replace the current Emperor?"

Sima Tengfei immediately glared at him and rebuked, "Watch your tongue!"

Sima Xiba hurriedly clamped his mouth shut. After all, calamity stems from the mouth; if walls had ears and the Emperor discovered this, the entire Sima clan would be executed to the last man!

Sima Tengfei's gaze flickered as he slowly continued, "Prince Qi has long possessed the strength to stand as a rival to the Emperor. The reason he has delayed his actions is because he is searching for a certain object. If the chance of success right now is only half, then once that object is found, the probability of success will rise to ninety percent!"

Sima Xiba could not help but ask in shock, "What kind of object could possibly raise Prince Qi's chances of seizing the realm by that much?"

Sima Tengfei said coldly, "You have no need to know what this object is. You only need to understand that throughout the entire Great Gan Dynasty, the only living person who knows the whereabouts of that object is Chen Xuan!"

Sima Xiba's pupils constricted. He never imagined this matter would actually be linked to Chen Xuan!

"For twenty years, this brat played the fool and acted like a useless waste for twenty whole years. Everyone had given up hope on the artifact left behind by his parents, but now, this brat has slipped up, heh."

"If I can acquire that object and assist Prince Qi in successfully ascending the throne, that will be the supreme merit of a dragon-slaying foundation. On the roster of merits, I will rank first, holding a first-rank official post. The position of Prime Minister in this Great Gan Dynasty will be mine alone—one person below the monarch, and above ten thousand!"

"You must dispatch more men to keep a close watch on that brat Chen Xuan in secret. Mind you, you must not alert him, nor can you let anyone else discover it!"

Sima Xiba took a deep breath. At this moment, he finally realized the immense importance of Chen Xuan.

He nodded heavily and said, "Father, I know what must be done."

...

After leaving the Fierce Bandit Mountain, Chen Xuan and his group continued their journey toward the northwestern frontier region of the Great Gan Dynasty.

Following a grueling trek that lasted nearly half a month,

they finally caught sight of a massive city wall rising majestically in the distance!