62: Chapter 62 From a humble peasant in the morning to a high-ranking official in the evening

[As Qian Youcai's personal bodyguard, he could be said to have been dutiful and responsible these past few months.]

[Accompanying him to brothels to block drinks, clapping along while listening to music, he had the young master completely wrapped around his finger.]

["This is my brother, Chu Sheng! Beast taming, swordsmanship, alchemy—he can do it all!"]

[Just like that, Chu Sheng became half a member of the Qian Residence.]

[Half a month later, Qian Youcai dragged Chu Sheng to the imperial court.]

["There's a big show to watch today!"]

[He looked excited. "The Four Great Families are all gathering; it's bound to be lively! You must stick close to me and don't get lost."]

[The two of them mingled with the crowd and entered the main hall of the Yan Kingdom palace.]

"I've gained access to the Emperor's Hall thanks to this rich brother."

Seeing this, Chu Sheng couldn't help but recall the days when he was a servant.

"It could be considered going from a peasant at dawn to the Emperor's Hall at dusk."

[The hall was magnificent, with civil and military officials lined up on both sides.]

[Directly above, the King of Yan, Ji Yi, sat high on the throne, his face aged.]

[The Crown Prince, Ji Yuanzhao, stood to the left of the throne, eyes lowered and submissive, looking entirely timid.]

[To the right, the representatives of the Four Great Families stood in order.]

[Qian Family, the Prime Minister, Family Head, wore a smile, looking smug and satisfied.]

[He was the main character today, standing at the very front with his back straight.]

[Zhao Family, General Zhao Lie, wore armor, his tiger-like eyes filled with menace. He stared at the back of Family Head's head, his gaze as if it would spew fire.]

[Sun Family, Censor-in-Chief Sun Zheng, was thin and scholarly, with an air of integrity. He held a jade tablet, expressionless, impossible to read.]

[Li Family, Minister of Rites Li Yuan, stood at the back, eyes fixed on his nose, looking as if none of this concerned him.]

["The Qian Family is riding high lately," someone whispered.]

["Indeed, Family Head just impeached three officials last month, and all their replacements were his people."]

["Can the Zhao Family tolerate this?"]

["They have to tolerate it whether they want to or not; the King of Yan is still here. Once the old man is gone..."]

[The voices lowered further, becoming unintelligible.]

[Chu Sheng listened silently, his expression unchanged.]

[Family Head was smug today because he had recently secured several key positions.]

[Zhao Lie was holding back anger because his military power had been curtailed.]

[Sun Zheng appeared neutral, but in reality, he was at odds with the Qian Family.]

[That old fox from the Li Family was still watching the wind.]

[And the Crown Prince...]

[He glanced up at the young man with his head lowered beside the throne, sighing inwardly.]

[Who would have thought that this Crown Prince, with such pitifully low presence, was the real mastermind?]

[Halfway through the court session, Family Head stepped out to request an increase in commercial taxes to expand the national treasury.]

["Your Majesty, the borders are currently unstable, and military expenditures are enormous. I propose increasing commercial taxes by thirty percent to replenish the national treasury."]

[Zhao Lie immediately stepped out to oppose.]

["Absurd! Increasing commercial taxes will surely harm merchants; prices will skyrocket, and the people will suffer!"]

[Family Head sneered, "Does General Zhao understand economics? Increasing commercial taxes means wealthy merchants pay more and the poor pay less; what is wrong with that? Besides, if military funding is insufficient, what will the soldiers eat? The northwest wind?"]

["You!" Zhao Lie's face turned livid.]

["Family Head, don't think I don't know that your Qian Family monopolizes trade routes. Increasing commercial taxes will ultimately fall on those small merchants, while your Qian Family won't pay a cent and can even use the opportunity to squeeze out competitors!"]

[Family Head's smile didn't fade: "Does General Zhao have any evidence for these words?"]

[The two engaged in a verbal battle, arguing incessantly.]

[The King of Yan never spoke, just watched silently.]

[The Crown Prince kept his head down, saying nothing, like a piece of furniture.]

[Chu Sheng stood in the corner, his gaze sweeping over the people in the hall, when he suddenly felt a gaze land on him.]

[He turned his head slightly and met the Crown Prince's gaze.]

[Those eyes held no weakness, calm as a deep pool of water.]

[The Crown Prince looked at him, just that one glance, then shifted his gaze away, continuing to look submissive.]

[Chu Sheng felt a shiver in his heart.]

[No response, no signal.]

[Between the two of them lay the entire imperial court, layers of status, and the distance between life and death.]

[The court session ended amidst the arguing.]

[The officials departed; Family Head wore a smile, chatting and laughing with several courtiers.]

[Zhao Lie flicked his sleeves and left, his face livid.]

[Sun Zheng walked out of the main hall expressionlessly; Li Yuan remained unhurried.]

[Chu Sheng followed Qian Youcai out, and as they passed a side hall.]

["Why is His Majesty rebelling?!"]

[Chu Sheng's footsteps paused.]

[This voice... is it the Third Prince?]

["Your Highness, have you lost your mind? How dare you say such things?" another voice said, filled with panic.]

["Lost my mind? I think it's the Father Emperor who is crazy! He actually wants to cut our fiefs! Does he still see us as his sons in his eyes?"]

["Keep it down! Walls have ears!"]

["What is there to fear? The Qian Family has already promised to support me. The Zhao Family has also loosened their stance. Once the Father Emperor dies..."]

[The voice lowered further, turning into a whisper.]

[Chu Sheng lowered his eyes, pretending he hadn't heard anything, and continued walking forward with Qian Youcai.]

[Qian Youcai was completely oblivious.]

[After exiting the palace gate, Chu Sheng looked back at the towering palace.]

[The sun was setting, casting a golden glow.]

[But Chu Sheng knew that beneath that golden light lay a storm of blood and slaughter.]

[That night, Chu Sheng sat alone in the courtyard.]

[The moonlight was like water, shining on his young face.]

[He touched the crown princes token in his robe.]

[The Remnant Soul of the Red Python in the pot was getting weaker and weaker; after refining it for a while longer, it could be completely converted into cultivation.]

[But was there enough time?]

[The simulator suddenly popped up a notification.]

[The King of Yan, Ji Yi, is about to die.]

[The conflict between the Four Great Families and the princes has reached a critical point; a coup d'état could erupt at any moment.]

[Triggering ultimate choice: The winds of change are blowing, what path to take?]

[1. Firmly support the Crown Prince. Go to the Crown Prince's residence, reveal his identity, and stand with the Crown Prince. The risk is extremely high, and he may die in the coup, but success will bring the merit of supporting the new ruler, ascending to the heavens in one step.]

[2. Lean towards the Qian Family. Completely tie himself to the Qian Family's big tree and take advantage of the chaos to seek benefits. The Qian Family is powerful, but they may not have the last laugh, and he may be purged by the Crown Prince.]

[3. Take refuge at the Dao Seeking Sect. Hide in the Wen Xin Hall Branch and seek the protection of Fairy Yunxia. It is safe, but he may miss the grand trend of the world, rendering all previous efforts futile.]

[4. Flee. Leave the Yan Kingdom and return to the Tianfeng Kingdom to find his wife and daughter. The risk is medium; everything will start from scratch, and the Yan Kingdom story arc will be completely abandoned.]

Chu Sheng stared at these four options, silent for a long time.

[Outside the window, the night was deep.]

[In the distance, the sound of troops moving could be faintly heard, and the air was filled with the oppressive feeling of a storm about to break.]