I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 860 - 321: The Empress’s Schemes! Crown Prince: Chen Mo Wants to Be My Godfather?

Gazing at Chen Zhuo amid the blossoming flowers, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, but he said nothing, breaking away from the crowd and heading directly towards the palace's exit.

Leaving the Imperial Palace, he arrived beside a soft sedan chair by the street.

"Master."

The attendant bowed in greeting and reached out to open the sedan door.

Zhuang Jingming lifted his leg to step inside, where Jiang Wangye had long been waiting, dressed in pure white without a speck of dust, leaning back in the chair, toying with a teacup in his hand.

Zhuang Jingming, long accustomed to this, sat across from him, lifted the hot tea from the table, and drank it down in one gulp.

"Judging from Mr. Zhuang's expression, it seems the situation isn't good?" Jiang Wangye raised an eyebrow slightly, scrutinizing him.

Zhuang Jingming put down the teacup and said bluntly, "The mastermind behind this turmoil is Chu Heng, who has already been cut down by Chen Mo, and Prince Yu has fled, whereabouts unknown."

Jiang Wangye's expression showed a momentary pause, then he seemed to realize something and sneered:

"Prince Yu is seriously ill and can hardly walk, how could he escape the Capital City?"

"Moreover, if Chu Heng had such capabilities, why didn't he blow up the Chen Mansion as well?"

"He has neither soldiers nor power, so even if he managed to kill the Crown Prince, what of it? Could he possibly ascend to the throne? He's merely a scapegoat..."

"Perhaps, but from the Empress's intention, this case is to be closed, with no further investigation planned." Zhuang Jingming tapped his fingers on the table and said, "My main point is about Chen Mo."

"Chen Mo?"

Hearing the name, Jiang Wangye's face darkened, "What happened?"

Zhuang Jingming took a deep breath and said, "Chen Mo has performed heavenly deeds this time and has been exceptionally promoted to Fire Department Thousand Households, bestowed with the Second-Grade Officer honor..."

Crack—

Before he finished speaking, the teacup in Jiang Wangye's hand shattered to pieces!

The veins on his forehead bulged, and the once scholarly, handsome face turned somewhat hideous, with a voice seemingly squeezed out through his teeth: 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Are you saying..."

"Not only did you fail to bring down Chen Mo, but instead allowed him to rise so effortlessly?"

"A Fifth-Grade official and Third-Grade Honorary Officer, even a toad turned spirit wouldn't dare to leap like that!"

Zhuang Jingming admitted, "I've done my best, but the Empress is resolutely supporting Chen Mo, and no one can change that."

Jiang Wangye took a deep breath, calmed himself, and shook his head, "Is this court really ruled solely by Jiang Yuchan's will? Even if she favors Chen Mo, she must consider the ministers' views, especially for such irregular and exceptional promotions?"

He stared at Zhuang Jingming, his tone with some pressure, "Or is it that Mr. Zhuang chose to watch from the sidelines? Historically, fence-sitters never end well."

Questioned by this young fellow, Zhuang Jingming grew angry, suppressing his discontent, and coldly said, "On the contrary, today in court, I was the only one who stood up in opposition, almost becoming a public target for it!"

Jiang Wangye sensed something amiss and asked, puzzled, "What on earth happened?"

"You've clashed with Chen Mo before, you should know better than I." Thinking of Jiang Wangye's backing, Zhuang Jingming's tone softened, "Chen Mo has already broken through to the Heavenly Human Realm, becoming the youngest Grandmaster in Great Yuan's history!"

"The significance of this doesn't need my explanation; who can stop him from entering the Qilin Pavilion?"

?!

Jiang Wangye's expression suddenly froze.

Grand, Grandmaster?

What a joke!

As a cultivator, he naturally understood how difficult this threshold was to cross.

Not only does it require talent, effort, and opportunity, but also a deep understanding and affinity with the Great Dao... This can't be achieved just by relying on prized resources, otherwise, the Hidden Clan would have been mass-producing Grandmasters long ago!

In such matters, Zhuang Jingming couldn't possibly lie. How did this guy accomplish it?

"Mr. Jiang, go back and tell the clan leader that it's not due to my inaction but rather my complete helplessness." Zhuang Jingming sighed and said eerily, "With such a Grandmaster present, the Chen Family is truly on the rise."

Jiang Wangye felt a stifling sensation in his chest, as if weighed down by a heavy stone.

The appointment to Thousand Households was trivial; it was just a Fifth-Grade military officer. But the key was the imperial bestowal of the Second-Grade Officer honor... This mud-legged fellow is actually starting to climb into the ranks of the nobility?

"Wait..."

Jiang Wangye suddenly thought of something.

If the Princess openly selects a consort, surely the families and noble sons would be prioritized.

Could it be that Chen Mo is preparing for this event?!

Realizing this, Jiang Wangye could no longer sit still. He rose and said, "Mr. Zhuang, please keep a close eye on the movements in the court. I have some matters to attend to, so I must take my leave."

With that, his figure flickered and disappeared.

"Tch..."

Zhuang Jingming poured himself a cup of tea, his expression coldly sarcastic, muttering to himself, "Whether royal family or aristocracy, each generation is worse than the last... Chen Zhuo has mediocre skills, but he did raise a good son..."

"Wings flutter against a thousand waves, soaring straight to the sky..."

"Unstoppable..."

...

...

After the court session ended, the Crown Prince returned to the side hall of Ningde Palace in the company of the Chamberlain.

According to the Empress's instructions, he was to stay here for at least a month until everything settled in the Capital City before returning to Linqing Palace.

At first, the Crown Prince felt a thrill of escape, but as time wore on, he realized it was merely a change of "prison" locations.

The Empress was preoccupied with state affairs and only visited occasionally. He couldn't go out to play and had to spend his days in the room reading.

"It's a pity, Chen Mo was taken away by Eunuch Jin; I wanted to hear him continue telling the stories of enshrined gods." The Crown Prince changed into casual clothes, lying on the bed, and sighed in disappointment.

"Cough, cough."

Suddenly, a series of coughs echoed behind him.

?

The Crown Prince turned around and was taken aback.

An elegant figure had somehow entered the room, sitting on a chair with legs crossed, smiling at him.

"Aunt? How did you come here?"

The Crown Prince showed surprise and joy, jumped up, and bounded over to the woman.

Although this imperial aunt had a fierce temper and always clamored about punishing his father, she treated him very well, even sending letters often over the years even when she wasn't in the Capital City and secretly sending new wonders from the palace...

"Just came to see you." Chu Yanli smiled and said, "I heard you did well at the court meeting, almost driving those old men to death with rage."

"Hmph, those ministers are so annoying, scaring me, saying I don't understand propriety and act against principles..."

The Crown Prince put his hands on his hips, looking puffed up, recounting everything that happened at the Golden Hall in great detail.

Chu Yanli propped her chin on her hand, listening patiently, curiously asked, "Just now, I heard you talking about Chen Mo. Are you good friends with him?"

"Mm-hmm." The Crown Prince nodded, "He's my best friend, very interesting to talk to, knows a lot, not only is he good at playing ball, but he also tells stories... Though he's usually busy and can't often come to play with me."

Chu Yanli blinked and said, "What if I have a way for you to see him every day?"

The Crown Prince's eyes lit up at this, "Is that true?"

"When has Aunt ever lied to you?"

"No matter how good your relationship with Chen Mo is, there's still a difference between ruler and subject; closeness leads to disrespect, and you two will only grow apart."

"But if you could become family, that would be different..."

"At that time, not to mention coming to see you, even taking you out of the palace to play would be possible."

Chu Yanli's voice carried a seductive allure.

"Go out to play?"

The Crown Prince's heart pounded, but he was still somewhat puzzled, scratching his head, "But the problem is, I already have a father, so how would we become family? Does it mean making Chen Mo my godfather?"

"..."

Chu Yanli said in exasperation, "What a load of nonsense, I mean making him your uncle!"

[・_・?]

In the Crown Prince's bewildered gaze, Chu Yanli whispered, "Just do as I say..."