114: Chapter 114 Isn't that... the royal family?

Hearing Murong Zhaoling's words, Chen Shanzhi was momentarily stunned.

He really hadn't thought carefully about this before.

After all, the poem "little pond" was a timeless masterpiece in his previous life.

It was only natural that taking it out to casually impress these people would amaze the entire audience.

He had always thought that the reason this poem spread so quickly...

...was purely because the poem was too good, and the literati and scholars had spread it spontaneously.

But now, thinking along Murong Zhaoling's line of reasoning, Chen Shanzhi was instantly broken into a cold sweat.

Something was wrong, nine parts out of ten something was very wrong.

That day at the Yiyuan Garden poetry gathering, the people who knew he had recited this poem...

...besides himself and Tang Xiaowu, only Madam Li and the group of lackeys she brought were left.

And after Madam Li returned, she was beaten to death by Minister Li the very next day.

To suppress the scandal, the Li family also conveniently silenced all those servants.

In other words, the true source of this poem, besides himself and Tang Xiaowu, should have been a case of "no witnesses left"!

But looking at the situation, not only did this poem spread throughout the Imperial Capital in a very short time as if it had grown wings.

And, as luck would have it.

It just so happened that a while ago, in his class at Four Seas Academy, he had extremely flashily deconstructed this poem, "little pond".

Not only did it lead the Master to an Epiphany, but he himself also had a Breakthrough in his Realm afterward!

Immediately, "grapevine news" began to circulate in the streets at just the right time.

Saying that the true author of this poem was none other than himself, the Heir of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion!

Looking at it now, how the hell was this a coincidence?

This was clearly someone fueling the flames in the shadows, using the moment he stood out at the Academy with extreme precision.

They took the opportunity to forcibly raise his reputation by a large margin!

Looking at the current situation, with his amazing performance at the Academy as a foundation.

Those literati and scholars in the streets who already liked novelty and following trends—many of them probably already deeply believed this rumor.

Otherwise, Murong Zhaoling wouldn't have specifically come to ask him just now if he had written this poem.

Although this rumor was a complete case of a blind cat finding a dead mouse.

But the purpose of the person behind this was truly terrifying when thought about in detail.

The other party was clearly overpraising him like crazy in the shadows!

This extremely massive hidden force seemed determined to change his image.

From a "useless piece of trash, the number one waste in the Imperial Capital"...

...forcibly twisting it to create an "unfathomable peerless Genius who endured humiliation and hid his light"!

But why would these people do this?

What benefit does this actually bring to the person causing trouble behind the scenes?

Chen Shanzhi's brow furrowed, his gaze deep, as he fell completely into deep thought.

Seeing his grave expression, Murong Zhaoling did not speak to disturb him.

She stood up very considerately, her emerald-green dress outlining her graceful curves.

Then Murong Zhaoling picked up the exquisite purple clay teapot on the stone table.

Very quietly, she poured a cup of steaming clear tea and gently pushed it in front of Chen Shanzhi.

Chen Shanzhi's mind was racing, and he subconsciously picked up the teacup and took a sip.

As the warm tea flowed down his throat, Chen Shanzhi's brain gradually gained a clear lead.

These people put him on a pedestal and then portrayed him as someone who wasn't a waste, but instead had terrifying talent.

And even more, a Genius heir with deep schemes who had been enduring in silence for over ten years.

This was nothing more than wanting to send a strong signal to the outside world, to certain forces in the entire Great Jiang Dynasty:

The Zhenguo Marquis Mansion has a successor! And he is extremely difficult to deal with!

Once this signal is received by those people.

Then those forces that had gradually shifted their gaze because the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion was "declining" and because the Heir was a "waste"...

...would inevitably refocus their vigilant and wary eyes on the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion!

They might even develop an extremely strong wariness because of it, and thus take action in the shadows to suppress them!

This is the most typical case of killing with praise!

Making the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion a target for everyone, so that the person behind this has an opportunity to exploit!

Having figured out this layer, Chen Shanzhi's train of thought suddenly became clear.

Then the question arises.

Looking at the entire court of the Great Jiang Dynasty, which force would most fear the resurgence of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion?

Without a doubt, it is definitely the Prime Ministers Mansion, where the current Prime Minister who holds sway over the court resides!

For so many years, the Prime Ministers Mansion had been firmly suppressed by the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, the founding merit-holder and the top figure in the military.

Until more than ten years ago, when his parents died in battle while suppressing a rebellion.

Coupled with the fact that his predecessor was a wasteful playboy.

In recent years, the Prime Ministers Mansion had finally shown a trend of completely controlling the government and surpassing the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

If someone now uses this method of killing with praise...

...to force the Prime Ministers Mansion to once again use most of its energy to deal with his Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

Then for whom would this be the most advantageous situation?

Thinking of this, a bolt of lightning seemed to flash through Chen Shanzhi's mind in the dark of night.

A force instantly surfaced: the Imperial Family!

To be precise, it was those two princes who had been fighting openly and secretly in the shadows for the position of Crown Prince.

In the original game setting.

The old Emperor was bedridden with illness, and the Prime Minister Prime Minister Ouyang Mingyuan took the opportunity to cover the sky with one hand and control the entire court.

Although the First Prince had quite a few forces under him, he was no match for this old fox in a direct confrontation.

So regardless of which path the original male lead, Tang Liu, chose in the game—the Prince of Qi, the First Prince, or the Second Prince...

...the powerful Prime Ministers Mansion was an extremely massive mountain that had to be overcome in the Middle Stage!

Prime Minister Prime Minister Ouyang Mingyuan was even one of the biggest BOSSes in the Middle Stage!

But now, due to the appearance of himself as a Transmigration player.

The original male lead Tang Liu, who should have already started to show his talent and joined a certain prince's camp...

...was currently only a Martial Artist at the Xuanguan Eight Apertures, and because he lost to himself in the Academy Martial Arts Demonstration.

As a result, the path of the Prince of Qi he was on had already been cut off.

And now, the Imperial Family lacked the help of the original protagonist.

They would certainly feel an extremely huge pressure when facing the increasingly powerful Prime Ministers Mansion.

Since they couldn't handle the Prime Ministers Mansion themselves.

Then, finding a sufficiently strong force to check and balance the Prime Ministers Mansion became an inevitable choice!

Looking at it now, the person behind this...

...was extremely sinister to have taken a fancy to him, the Heir of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion who had suddenly "seen the light."

They wanted to use overpraising to forcibly drag the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion into the fray, using it as a shield and a pawn against the Prime Ministers Mansion!

"Damn, these people in politics really have dirty hearts!"

Chen Shanzhi cursed inwardly, feeling an extreme headache.

Based on the special nature of the Prime Ministers Mansion as the "usurping" villain in the game.

As the Heir of the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion of the Great Jiang Dynasty, he would sooner or later have to face the Prime Ministers Mansion head-on anyway.

It's just that his original plan was to develop low-key in Four Seas Academy.

Wait until he got those fortuitous encounters from the Academy Secret Realm in the game and his strength increased greatly before dealing with the Prime Ministers Mansion.

Now, it's just great—pushed by these bastards causing trouble in the shadows.

He was forced to face off against the behemoth that was the Prime Ministers Mansion ahead of schedule!

Thinking of the Prime Ministers Mansion's terrifying power network in the Imperial Capital.

Then looking at his own side.

The highest combat power in the Imperial Capital was only his Aunt, who was barely at the Middle Stage of the Life Fire Realm because her old injuries hadn't healed!

How the hell was this anything but a certain loss?

However, fortunately, he still had an extremely powerful protective talisman.

That was his grandfather, the Marquis of Zhenguo, who was far away on the border holding the most elite fighting force of the Great Jiang Dynasty!

As long as the old man was there to hold the fort, even if the Prime Ministers Mansion wanted to move against him, they would have to weigh the consequences.

This could be considered a very slight margin for maneuvering.

It's just that...

Chen Shanzhi sighed helplessly in his heart.

Now the plot had been completely messed up by him.

Tang Liu, this kid, had not taken the path of the First Prince or the Second Prince.

And the Prince of Qi path he had the most hope for had also died in the womb because of his own shameless suppression during the opening Martial Arts Demonstration.

This meant that the ready-made walkthroughs in the game used to overthrow the Prime Ministers Mansion were now completely useless!

Because in the game, the plot to overthrow the Prime Ministers Mansion and the key NPCs triggered by the protagonist taking different paths were completely different!

"But fortunately..."

A glint flashed in Chen Shanzhi's eyes.

No matter which path was taken.

In the game, there was an extremely shameless but very useful "shortcut"!

That was to directly go and capture the heart of the Prime Ministers Mansion's Young Miss, Ouyang Wanqing!

After all, this was an adult game world.

In the game, as long as you could rely on extremely high-level rhetoric and extremely powerful "combat strength"...

...to successfully win over Ouyang Wanqing and make her devoted to you.

Then, through her, you could very easily obtain most of the core secrets of the Prime Ministers Mansion.

You might even have a chance to disintegrate this behemoth from the inside!

After all, in the eyes of this ambitious Prime Minister who could even use his own biological daughter as a bargaining chip...

Ouyang Wanqing was also an extremely important link in his plan to usurp the throne!

"It seems that I... must find an opportunity to have a 'deep exchange' with Ouyang Wanqing no matter what."

Chen Shanzhi sighed in his heart:

"Sigh, actually I'm not that kind of person. I used to be a pure-hearted warrior too.

It's just that in this game, because of the setting, there's no other way.

This damn adult game world."

Just then, seeing Chen Shanzhi holding the empty teacup and his eyes gradually clearing.

In the beautiful eyes of Murong Zhaoling sitting opposite him, a flash of nervousness and concern appeared.

She leaned forward slightly and inquired very softly: "Brother Chen, have you figured it out? Do you have a lead?"

Chen Shanzhi snapped out of it.

Looking at the eldest Young Miss of the Murong Family in front of him, who had taken off her armor and was full of gentleness and concern.

For a moment, he actually hesitated.

Should he tell her about these court calculations?

After all, this was a matter between the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion, the Imperial Family, and the Prime Ministers Mansion.

Although the Murong Family was one of the Four Great Families, they never participated in the muddy waters of these power struggles.

If Murong Zhaoling were dragged into this, it would definitely not be a good thing for her.

Seeing Chen Shanzhi's hesitant expression and how he stopped himself from speaking.

Murong Zhaoling, being so intelligent, reacted immediately.

Between her and him, after all, today was the first time they had truly sat down to chat in a meaningful sense.

For such core secrets when they weren't close yet.

The other party indeed had no reason to reveal everything to her.

A very subtle look of disappointment flashed through Murong Zhaoling's eyes.

But she quickly hid it and smiled very generously:

"Brother Chen, you don't have to feel troubled."

"It's good as long as you have a lead."

Murong Zhaoling looked at Chen Shanzhi with very sincere eyes, her tone extremely firm:

"If Brother Chen needs anything, but it's inconvenient for you or the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion to step forward because of your identity..."

"Just speak to Zhaoling."

"Although Zhaoling is untalented, the Murong Family can still help out more or less in the Imperial Capital."

Hearing Murong Zhaoling's words, Chen Shanzhi was directly stunned.

Since he transmigrated to this adult game world full of hidden dangers.

Besides that Aunt who doted on him like a treasure.

It seemed that no one had ever said these things to him.

But today, this woman who once awed the Imperial Capital...

...actually showed such pure goodwill to him without asking for anything in return!

Although Chen Shanzhi still couldn't figure out why this woman would be so good to him.

After all, he wasn't like the protagonists in those novels.

Having the attribute where women throw themselves at him as soon as they see him.

But that very real, unadulterated concern still caused a warm current to surge uncontrollably in his heart.

"Actually... there's nothing that can't be said."

Chen Shanzhi smiled naturally and put down the empty teacup in his hand.

However, he wasn't stupid; he very shrewdly selected only the most core part of the logic.

He briefly explained the plan of the person behind the scenes who wanted to overpraise him to make other forces realize that the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion still had a successor with excellent martial arts and Heart-Nature.

Thereby shifting the attention of certain forces to the Zhenguo Marquis Mansion.

As for the path of the Imperial Family's succession struggle, the Prime Ministers Mansion's ambition to rebel.

And the insider information from the game, he kept his mouth tightly shut and didn't mention a single word.

But this woman Murong Zhaoling, being able to reach her current level in martial arts, her Comprehension Ability was definitely beyond ordinary people.

She only listened to these few brief points from Chen Shanzhi.

Her beautiful brow instantly furrowed tightly.

In her beautiful eyes, a very strong sense of shock and worry suddenly surfaced.

"You mean to say..."

"Someone wants to very deliberately and forcibly shift the attention of the people from the Prime Ministers Mansion away from the court and onto your Zhenguo Marquis Mansion?"

Murong Zhaoling very intelligently grasped the key point.

Her beautiful phoenix eyes suddenly widened, and she even subconsciously lowered her voice, saying in surprise and a low tone:

"To dare to plot against the current Prime Ministers Mansion, and to be so urgent to weaken it..."

"Then wouldn't the person behind this be..."

Murong Zhaoling took a deep breath and spat out those two words with great difficulty:

"Wouldn't it be... the Imperial Family?"