The Demon Lords-Chapter 776 - 170: Drunk_1

Indeed, he was a little drunk, but not to the point of senseless inebriation. In such a situation, his tipsiness and alcohol-fueled chatter served to mask the real issue at hand.

Was he concerned that the Eldest Prince might blurt out the matter of the Wild King being in his hands? To be honest, he wasn't worried.

The Eldest Prince giving him the dowry was an investment in itself, with Zheng Fan being the recipient of that investment.

However, years ago, he had only seven sycophants and no capital. He had to beg and plead, exhausting all connections, which finally led to an angel investment from Ji Chengjue.

Now, he was still losing money, and it was predicted that investing in him would continue to yield losses for several years. Profitability was impossible. For investors, the odds of making a profit were so insignificant they could be easily disregarded. Dividends were even less of a possibility.

Despite that, he had made some progress over the years and controlled Snow Sea Pass, a strategic location. He was conferred the title of Lord Pingye. The Snow Sea cavalry was still small in number, but with gradual development, a promising future was certain.

Therefore, if the Eldest Prince wanted to get on board now, it would have to be Series B financing.

Lord Zheng was no longer the broke sycophant he once was. To invest in him now, besides needing to offer more "resources" and pay a greater "price," an investor would have no say in decisions and would also need to actively maintain this power dynamic.

This was the Eldest Prince's current situation. He had essentially lost his "military life," and his remaining "political life" served merely as a tool for marriage alliances.

He wanted to buy a late ticket, to get on board. Though previously the "eldest brother," he could now only be a "third brother," and even that position wasn't secure.

Investing in Lord Zheng was tantamount to joining Prince Chengjue's faction.

Perhaps Lord Zheng hadn't experienced Ji Chengjue's glorified childhood, so he wasn't fully aware of how favored Ji Chengjue had been in his youth.

But the fact that the Eldest Prince would rather invest in Ji Chengjue than try to ride the coattails of his second brother, the current Crown Prince, spoke volumes.

Any relationship purely driven by profit can seem impersonal; too much rigidity, and it might break. Conversely, an excess of sentiment can turn matters into a tangled mess. Ideally, a suitable balance should be struck between them.

Taking advantage of the slight looseness brought on by alcohol, General Zheng made his commitment. The Eldest Prince must have understood that this deal might not yield any profit for a long time, but at least he secured a fallback, a certainty.

Anyway, a dowry given for free certainly wouldn't be rejected. And once received, it wouldn't be for his personal use. It was to be gifted, naturally to someone more appealing.

Lord Zheng's luck on the battlefield had always been quite low, often leading to unexpected incidents. However, when it came to being "looked upon favorably," Lord Zheng had never really lost out to anyone along his journey.

Shatuo Queshi from his hometown, and the current Sword Saint—hadn't he won them both over with his charm?

Imagine it: in the future, when the Sword Saint has recovered and Shatuo Queshi's bloodline has advanced further—even if he doesn't return to his peak, just to his original Third Rank. With Shatuo Queshi on his left and the Sword Saint on his right... what an emperor-level bodyguard lineup!

So why are many deals negotiated at the dinner table? Because at a dinner table, there's more room for probing, a mix of truth and falsehood, allowing for more composure.

Xue Three walked in at this time and reported, "My lord, shall we begin the interrogation now?"

Zheng Fan waved his hand and said, "Let him stew for a day. I need to sleep first." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Lord Zheng knew exactly the caliber of opponent the Wild King was. Even if the Wild King was now a prisoner, forced to kneel before him, Zheng Fan had to ensure he was in peak condition to deal with him. He couldn't afford the slightest carelessness.

So, Xue Three had the Wild King taken away. Tonight, with Xue Three and Fanli on guard, the Wild King wouldn't be able to cause any trouble.

Lord Zheng, the master, continued to snuggle under his large blanket.

Ke brought him a cup of hot tea.

Zheng Fan took the teacup, sipped it, and found the tea tasted remarkably ordinary.

He glanced at Ke, a trace of lingering desire in his eyes, and Ke's face turned bright red.

"It's fine. You can go rest too."

"Yes, My lord."

After Ke left and returned to her room, she vigorously fanned her slightly flushed, hot face.

Heaven knew why she had been so wild in the first half of the night. But men who haven't been fathers, or women who haven't been mothers, wouldn't understand the pain of milk engorgement. The child couldn't drink that much, and yet her supply was so abundant. So, in the first half of the night, she had, as if possessed...

Now, recalling the look in My lord's eyes when he was drinking the tea earlier, Ke suddenly wondered, had My lord truly been unconscious in the first half of the night?

「The latter half of the night was peaceful.」

Zheng Fan slept until morning. Without time for breakfast, he dressed, mounted his horse, and rode to the city outskirts to see off the Eldest Prince and the Imperial Eunuch bearing the edict.

The Imperial Eunuch and his entourage were already waiting. The Eldest Prince, having quite a few women—two of whom already showed signs of pregnancy—had more carriages and belongings, so he would be delayed a little longer.

General Zheng had always believed that the Eldest Prince made a significant contribution to the cause of resisting and weakening the wild people. Seven wild women. If they were allowed to remain on the snow plains, assuming each gave birth to six children in her lifetime, and the child mortality rate was, say, fifty-fifty...