240: Chapter 238 The Crown Prince

The night was deep, but the palace of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty was brightly lit.

The Crown Prince sat behind the desk in the Imperial Study, with a three-foot-high stack of memorials piled in front of him. He wore the bright yellow daily robes of a Crown Prince, his hair tied high, a white jade belt around his waist, sitting upright with a straight back. His face was square-jawed, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, a high nose bridge, and slightly thick lips, exuding majesty without anger. His gaze was steady as it fell upon the memorials, reading line by line, his annotations written both quickly and steadily.

There was a knock on the door of the Imperial Study.

"Come in." The Crown Prince did not even look up.

The door was pushed open, and a general clad in armor walked in quickly, kneeling on one knee before the desk. He lowered his head, his voice loud yet carrying a hint of caution. "Your Highness, an urgent report from the front lines."

The Crown Prince's brush paused for a moment before he continued writing. "Speak."

"True Lord Luoyun refused to surrender, and his Nascent Soul was allowed to escape by our side's Imperial Protectors. The Third Prince took General Qin Zhao and Shen Yizhi, and the three of them are now missing. My subordinates have already sent people to search, but we have not yet found their whereabouts." The general's voice grew lower and lower, as if waiting for the Crown Prince's wrath.

The Crown Prince finished writing the last few characters, put down his brush, and leaned back against his chair. He looked at the general kneeling before him, his gaze calm. "They let him go?"

The general's head dipped even lower. "The Imperial Protectors said that True Lord Luoyun self-detonated his Physical Body and his Nascent Soul fled. The protectors asked Your Highness whether to pursue or release him. I thought that since Your Highness is benevolent, I took it upon myself to let them release him."

The Crown Prince did not speak. He looked at the night scene outside the window and remained silent for a moment. Then he spoke, his tone neither heavy nor light, revealing no emotion. "If he's gone, he's gone. A Nascent Soul without a Physical Body cannot cause much of a stir. No need to pursue."

The general breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes."

The Crown Prince asked again, "What about the Third Prince? How is the investigation going?"

The general shook his head. "The Third Prince vanished very cleanly. I sent men to search all of the Third Prince's territory but found no trace of him. Qin Zhao and Shen Yizhi are also gone. I deduce that they may have already fled the Zifu Immortal Dynasty or are hiding in some unknown place."

The Crown Prince picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. The tea was already cold, but he did not call for anyone to change it. "No need to search further. My third brother is someone with great ambitions but little talent; he cannot accomplish anything. Since he has run away, there's no need to pursue him anymore. Withdraw all searching forces and redeploy them to the Second Prince's side."

The general was stunned for a moment. "Your Highness, what if the Third Prince makes a comeback..."

The Crown Prince put down his teacup and glanced at him. "With what would he make a comeback? His army has dispersed, his supporters have surrendered, and even his Master has been defeated. He is just one man with two remnants of a defeated army; what can he do? Rather than wasting energy on him, it is better to deal with my second brother." The general did not dare say more and bowed his head in response.

The Crown Prince spoke again. "What is the situation with the Third Prince's supporters now?"

"They have all surrendered," the general said. "No one is resisting. Some proactively surrendered their cities, some sent people with letters of surrender, and some simply fled. I have already had their names compiled into a list."

The Crown Prince nodded. "Pass down the order. The people on this list are to be handled in three categories. First, those who have not committed any evildoings are to be incorporated. Their official positions and treatment remain unchanged. Second, those with past misdeeds that are not too serious are to be dismissed. They are not to be killed or punished; let them return home to farm. Third, those who have committed evildoings and incited great public outrage are to have their clans and Sects exterminated. Leave not a single one."

Beads of sweat broke out on the general's forehead. "Your Highness, is exterminating their clans and Sects perhaps too..."

The Crown Prince looked at him. "You think it's too harsh?"

The general did not dare to answer.

The Crown Prince stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the general. "These people took the court's salary and consumed the blood and sweat of the commoners. While secretly defecting to my third brother, they exploited the people's wealth behind his back and persecuted the loyal and good. If I spare them, everyone will dare to rebel in the future. If the rebellion fails, they can just surrender? How can things be so easy?"

The general swallowed hard. "I understand."

The Crown Prince turned around, walked back behind the desk, and sat down. "Continue."

The general took a Jade Slip from his sleeve and presented it with both hands. "These are letters sent by the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion and the Shenduan Sect. Both Sects have expressed their willingness to cooperate with Your Highness."

The Crown Prince took the Jade Slip and scanned it with his Divine Sense. The letters were written very politely, with respect between the lines, but hidden beneath that respect was probing. The Xuanhuang Pill Mansion wanted a larger share of Medicinal Pills, and the Shenduan Sect wanted more Spirit Stone veins. The Crown Prince put down the Jade Slip without a word. He picked up a brush, wrote a few lines on a blank piece of paper, and handed it to the general. "Send someone to deliver these two letters back. Tell them that cooperation is possible, but the condition is—from now on, all their actions must be reported to the court. Without the court's permission, they are not allowed to ally with any other power."

The general took the letter, glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly. "Your Highness, isn't this condition too harsh? Both the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion and the Shenduan Sect are Soul Transformation Sects; they probably won't agree..."

The Crown Prince leaned back against his chair, his hands crossed over his stomach. "They won't agree? Then there will be no cooperation. I am not lacking those two Sects."

The general opened his mouth to say something, but seeing the Crown Prince's expression, he swallowed his words. He tucked the letter away and responded, "Yes."

The Crown Prince picked up his brush again and began reviewing memorials. He finished half a stack, then suddenly stopped and looked up. "Is there anything else?"

The general hesitated for a moment. "Your Highness, the Princess Royal sent someone with a message, saying there is an Alchemist named Yun Ming under the Third Prince with superb Alchemy skills. She hopes Your Highness can recruit him for the use of the imperial family."

The Crown Prince's brush paused. "Yun Ming? That Loose Cultivator living in Qingyao City?"

"Yes." The general nodded. "Although this person is a Loose Cultivator, his Alchemy skills are extremely high. During the trial, he refined a batch of Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills, and the entire batch was High Grade. The Fourth Elder was full of praise for him, and the Xuanhuang Pill Mansion is also very interested in him."

The Crown Prince was silent for a moment. He put down his brush, leaned back, and lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest. Then he spoke. "Send someone to Qingyao City to find him and recruit him. Give him an official position, a salary, and resources for Alchemy. As long as he is willing to come, he can name any condition."

The general asked cautiously, "What if he refuses?"

The Crown Prince's fingers stopped for a moment. "If he refuses, then let it be. He is but an Alchemist; no matter how high his success rate, he is only one man. The Zifu Immortal Dynasty has thousands upon thousands of Alchemists; we are not lacking that one. If he is unwilling to come, we will not force him."

The general breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the Crown Prince did not like to force people, nor did he like being refused. If refused once, he would never give a second chance.

The Crown Prince picked up his brush again. "Are there any other matters? Do not make this Prince ask about everything."

"Yes, there is indeed one more thing," the general said. "In the North, the Second Prince has been increasing his troops at the border recently, making significant moves. I am worried he might launch a surprise attack while Your Highness has just finished dealing with the Third Prince and your footing is not yet firm."

The Crown Prince finished a memorial, put down his brush, and looked up. "Don't worry too much about my second brother. His strength is about the same as the third's; what kind of waves can he make? Pass down the order for all provinces and cities to maintain their usual level of alert. No need to make a big fuss."

"But Your Highness, the Second Prince..."

The Crown Prince raised his hand to interrupt him. "The Third Prince has just been defeated, so my second brother must be watching and waiting. His troop increase is just for show, fearing I'll strike him next. It's nothing more than bluffing. Ignore it." He paused. "Once I've handled the matters here at court and have a free hand, it won't be too late to deal with him."

The general wanted to say more, but seeing the Crown Prince's dismissive expression, he swallowed his words. He bowed. "I understand."

The Crown Prince picked up his brush again and began reviewing the next memorial.

The general stood up and bowed, "May Your Highness rest early."

The Crown Prince did not look up, only giving a soft "Mm." The door closed gently behind him.

The Imperial Study fell silent.

The Crown Prince finished the memorials on the desk, stood up, and walked to the window.

The night wind blew in, carrying the chill of early autumn. He gazed at the moonlight outside, silent for a moment. The Third Prince had been defeated, and True Lord Luoyun had been defeated.

Those who had followed the Third Prince in rebellion had either fled, surrendered, or died. It had taken him only a month to suppress this rebellion. Next would be the Second Prince.

He was in no hurry. The Second Prince's strength was similar to the Third Prince's, and his military forces were also comparable.

As long as he played it steady and advanced step by step, the Second Prince wouldn't last long.

The Crown Prince walked back behind the desk, took a map from a drawer, and spread it out. The map was marked with the troop deployments of various provinces, grain reserves, and the distribution of Spirit Stone veins.

His gaze moved from east to west, from south to north, and finally landed on the provinces occupied by the Second Prince. He was determined to take those provinces. But he was in no rush to act. He wanted to first straighten out the internal affairs of the court, clear out the fence-sitters, and replenish the national treasury. Then he would slowly deal with the Second Prince.

The Crown Prince folded the map and put it back in the drawer. He picked up his brush and began writing the memorial for tomorrow's morning court session. His handwriting was beautiful, each stroke neat and orderly. His thoughts were clear, moving point by point in a logical progression. His tone was calm, neither hurried nor impatient, neither angry nor overbearing. He finished the last character, put down his brush, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes. The Imperial Study was very quiet, with only the sound of the flickering candle flame. His breathing was light and steady, as if he were resting, yet also as if he were thinking.

The sound of a guard's footsteps came from outside the door, very light, for fear of disturbing him. The Crown Prince did not open his eyes. "What is it?"

The guard's voice came from outside the door. "Your Highness, there is movement from the Second Prince's side."