In the face of the situation, Jiang Nan ultimately did not mention the matter of Zhang Gaoqiu and the Little Princess.
Meanwhile, Zhang Gaoqiu was also caught in a dilemma. He stood alone in the pavilion, silently gazing at the distant sea of clouds.
"If I propose to annul the marriage with Shen Ling now, once the matter of Shen Ling’s pregnancy is exposed, the Shen Family won’t spare me. The Shen Family is already in a dire situation, a trapped beast on the verge of desperation. If I dare to stand out now, I’ll surely be marked as a fool and get killed. The Shen Family is currently in a precarious position in Jinling City, with undercurrents surging, and they need to assert dominance." Zhang Gaoqiu grappled in his heart:
"The Shen Family has reached such a point, they surely wouldn’t care about old familial ties, nor would they consider the support I have from Kyoto’s Zhang Family. If I run into the Shen Family’s gunpoint, I’m afraid I’ll die without a proper burial."
"But the Little Princess is pressing hard! Difficult! So difficult!" Zhang Gaoqiu was momentarily consumed by inner turmoil.
"Perhaps it would be best to wait until the Shen family’s issue is settled. By then, Shen Ling will be alone, and handling things will be much easier for me. Or I could simply leverage the forces of the Yellow Heaven Dao and the White Lotus Sect to bury Shen Ling in this calamity. As for Shen Ling being pregnant with my child... I can’t even take care of myself now, how can I still be concerned about descendants?" Zhang Gaoqiu’s thoughts flowed, his eyes showing a cold gleam as he gradually made up his mind.
"Of course, there’s also the safest route, which is to reconcile Zhang Chen and Shen Ling. If this plan succeeds, I can not only resolve all troubles but also preserve my reputation, leaving no hidden dangers for myself. If I wish to marry a Royal Family princess, my reputation must be flawless."
A day passed without incident.
Zhang Chen was leaving the academy when Zhang Gaoqiu stopped him.
"Zhang Chen!" Zhang Gaoqiu called out to Zhang Chen’s back.
Zhang Chen turned to look at Zhang Gaoqiu, seeing Zhang Gaoqiu approaching with his hands behind his back: "I’ve decided to return Shen Ling to you!"
Zhang Gaoqiu’s words were lofty, as if bestowed by a king.
"Shen Ling is a good girl, you must cherish her in the future," Zhang Gaoqiu said. "We are blood brothers, and the marriage agreement between Shen Ling and you was left by your mother; how can I barge in? These days I’ve been tormented by my conscience day and night."
Jiang Nan, walking towards the entrance from afar, changed his expression upon hearing Shen Qiu’s words, showing a hint of shock in his eyes.
Zhang Chen glanced at Zhang Gaoqiu, shook his head at him without speaking, then turned and vanished at the entrance.
Zhang Chen wouldn’t accept a piece of scrap, would he?
Could it be that Zhang Chen can’t find a wife?
"What does this boy mean?" Zhang Gaoqiu watched Zhang Chen walk away, his brow gradually furrowed.
"You want to get rid of all troubles by pushing Shen Ling to that little wildling?" Little Princess Chai Wenji approached, her voice filled with admiration: "That’s indeed a good idea."
"But this guy seems unwilling to cooperate," Zhang Gaoqiu said.
"He’s unwilling because the price isn’t high enough," Chai Wenji said. "As long as the price is right, he wouldn’t dare refuse. A wildling living in the Northern Land, with a court bounty on him, what’s his right to refuse our offer?"
Hearing this, Zhang Gaoqiu nodded: "Let’s go! Let’s summon the boy first, lest he disappears and we can’t find his traces."
Zhang Chen was just exiting the Exquisite Tower when Zhang Gaoqiu had already chased after him: "Zhang Chen, I have some matters to discuss tonight, I’ve reserved a table at the First-class Building."
Zhang Chen coldly glanced at Zhang Gaoqiu, his eyes full of bafflement: You invite me, and I should go?
"I think you ought to go, otherwise if the Government gets tangled up in your identity issue, now that the dean is also trapped by Zhang Xiaohua, no one can help you." Little Princess Chai Wenji slowly emerged, her voice tinged with subtle threat.
Hearing this, Zhang Chen fell silent but his eyes looked at the Little Princess, then he sighed softly: "I’ll attend as scheduled later."
Since they mentioned the matter of his identity, he had no choice but to personally confront it.
After speaking, Zhang Chen walked away, while Zhang Gaoqiu watched his back with a cold smile: "As long as I have this hold, there’s no fear he won’t bow."
Previously, he hadn’t used this leverage because the Shen Family was still formidable; as long as the Shen Family remained strong, no one in Jinling City could touch Zhang Chen.
Now the Shen Family was struggling to survive, and with the Little Princess involved, Jinling City’s Government wouldn’t be foolish; they would surely know what choice to make.
Now with the dean Zhou Qiucheng from Chongzheng Academy imprisoned, if the Government wanted to apprehend Zhang Chen and his family, who could speak up for them?
"What a despicable character," Tushan Qing followed behind, cursing under his breath.
Tushan Qing had witnessed the earlier scene, and given his intelligence, could easily guess what they intended to do.
"It’s indeed troublesome. He wants to sacrifice Shen Ling to cleanly resolve all affairs without leaving any flaw for others to criticize, and I’m the best choice." Zhang Chen also cursed: "The guy’s really cunning."
"He’s inviting you to the First-class Building tonight, intending to use your identity to threaten you, forcing you to allure Shen Ling," Tushan Qing analyzed beside Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen remained silent, while Tushan Qing leaned forward and asked, "What do you plan to do?"
"I don’t know what to do, but there’s no way I would agree to seducing Shen Ling," Zhang Chen replied.
"Why not secretly invite Shen Ling over, let her hide next door to see Zhang Gaoqiu’s true face, and then we can stay out of it and enjoy the show," Tushan Qing said with a mischievous smile. "Once Shen Ling causes a scene, the Shen Family will never let Zhang Gaoqiu get away with it. The Shen Family is already like a trapped beast; if he dares to treat the Shen Family’s daughter so badly, it’s possible they’ll crush Zhang Gaoqiu’s bones to dust."
"I can’t involve Shen Ling; my matters are my own, and Shen Ling’s matters are hers. I don’t want any entanglement with Shen Ling, including helping her see the truth," Zhang Chen said.
Help Shen Ling see the truth? What a joke! He’s not some benevolent saint, there’s no reason to help Shen Ling.
"But if you want to avoid Zhang Gaoqiu’s threats, this is the only way. Only by making Shen Ling cause a scene with Zhang Gaoqiu can we render him worthless," Tushan Qing said.
Zhang Chen stayed silent, just focusing on the road ahead.
Next to him, Tushan Qing grumbled, "I just don’t get it. That little princess knows full well that Zhang Gaoqiu is scum, yet why does she still want to marry him?"
"Political alliance!" Zhang Chen stated.
Tushan Qing couldn’t understand the situation, but Zhang Chen could. If the little princess gets connected with the Spiritual World, it would definitely provide the current Crown Prince with considerable leverage.
"Actually, there’s another way. If someone could entice the little princess away, wouldn’t that be great? Without his facade, Zhang Gaoqiu would be at our mercy," Tushan Qing sighed.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen’s eyes lit up. He turned to Tushan Qing, the brightness in his eyes making Tushan Qing shiver, "Why are you looking at me?"
"You go entice Chai Wenji," Zhang Chen said.
"If I were capable of that, I’d need you to tell me?" Tushan Qing said with a scowl, "She wouldn’t even look my way."
"Then there’s no other way, we’ll just have to adapt as we go," Zhang Chen muttered.
The two then parted ways, and Zhang Chen returned to his courtyard, seeing an alchemy furnace had appeared there, while Mrs. Zhang was chatting with Fox Fairy Nannan under the eaves.
Seeing Zhang Chen enter, Mrs. Zhang spoke up, "Eldest son, this girl is here for you; she brought you an alchemy furnace."
Then she told the Fox Fairy Nannan, ’You two chat,’ and went inside the house.
The Fox Fairy Nannan approached Zhang Chen proudly, "How’s this alchemy furnace?"
"Not bad!" Zhang Chen said as he looked at the furnace. The furnace was about two meters tall and around three meters wide, with soot stains indicating it had seen some years.
"Where did you get this furnace?" Zhang Chen asked while examining it.
"Haha, don’t worry about where it came from, just use it without worries," the Fox Fairy Nannan whispered as she got closer, "But if you manage to make any elixirs, don’t forget my share."
"I understand," Zhang Chen replied.
Zhang Chen sat in the courtyard and took out the Ascension Pool, beginning to cultivate herbs.
Watching the herbs sprout like chives from Zhang Chen’s alchemy furnace, the Fox Fairy Nannan’s eyes widened in disbelief, "Quite the technique! What kind of method is this? How did those seeds suddenly sprout and grow so quickly?"
"This is my secret technique," Zhang Chen refused to divulge the details to the Fox Fairy Nannan.
The Fox Fairy Nannan pouted at his response and walked off grumpily, "Don’t be stingy, men shouldn’t be stingy."
Hearing the Fox Fairy Nannan’s grumbling, Zhang Chen looked at her, a sudden idea flashing through his mind: "This Fox Spirit is sly and cunning, why not ask her for a way to break the situation? See how she’d resolve it?"
"I have a question for you. If you answer well, I’ll give you a few more elixirs I’ll make," Zhang Chen said to the Fox Fairy Nannan.
"What is it?" The Fox Fairy Nannan, hearing she could get more elixirs, immediately brightened and asked eagerly.
Zhang Chen then recounted the troubles he encountered that day.
Upon hearing it, the Fox Fairy Nannan was furious, "What a shameless scoundrel! Zhang Gaoqiu deserves to be torn to pieces! Such treachery and lack of morality, only among you humans could such a person exist."
Zhang Chen ignored the Fox Fairy Nannan’s sweeping attack and urged, "Do you have a strategy to break the situation?"
"A way to break the situation?" The Fox Fairy Nannan walked back and forth with hands behind her back in the courtyard, "It’s actually quite simple. We can knock Zhang Gaoqiu out, make him faint for a while, can’t we?"