Chapter 157: A Scholar Like a Smiling Tiger
” Is that so?” Li Qing smiled. ” Then Brother Jia must be a fortune of the heaven, sent to aid the Cai Family.”
” I am Cai Family’s live in son in law.” Jia Hao grinned. ” It’s obvious that I will support them.”
” But I doubt the Shen Family, Niu Family, and Silkward Chambers would sit and do nothing.”
” What are they going to do?” Jia Hao asked in an amused voice. ” Come to Magistrate Cai and lodge a complaint? Or go to City Lord Suo to whine?”
” Who are they going to complain? What’s the cause of the fire? Who is the suspect?”
” Even if His Majesty sends the Scaled Dragon Guards of Divine Martial Guards, I am not really concerned.”
Zhou Yan’s lips twitched as he wanted to say something. But he stopped and stood silently behind Li Qing.
” How interesting, Brother Jia. I actually wonder something. Where are you from?”
” Pardon me?”
” I mean, A person like you, he must be pretty famous around here. But, You have no past records.” Li Qing smiled.
” What if I say I crossed nine mountains and seven seas, crossed the river of stars and the tower of heaven?” Jia Hao spoke with an amused tone.
” Haha, Even while lying, Brother Jia lies with elegance.” Li Qing laughed lightly.
” Well then, Should I not ask your origin, Brother Qing? I am sure you are no ordinary young master either.” Jia Hao smirked, throwing Li Qing’s question at him.
Li Qing was taken aback, seeing a cunning light in Jia Hao’s light.
‘ Does he know? I thought my disguise was perfect?’ Li Qing muttered in his heart. But like Jia Hao, he didn’t disclose his identity.
” You can say I am someone close to the Imperial Family.” Li Qing gave a vague reply.
” Then, Do you know anything about Third Prince Li Yuan?” Jia Hao smiled.
“Little Yuan? What’s about him?”
” Interesting. You can call Third Prince like that. It looks like your standing in Imperial Family isn’t low at all.”
Li Qing almost choked as he couldn’t help but laugh with embarrassment. Since he is the crown prince, it’s natural he would call his brothers like that.
However, calling Li Yuan before Jia Hao is the same as giving away his identity.
” So, What’s with him?”
” Haha, He is actually eyeing on my wife and my sister in law. It was only because of his help, that Silkward Chamber weaved all these problems for us.”
” I…I see.” Li Qing’s expression didn’t change, as if he knew about it somewhat.
” So, My impression towards the Imperial Family isn’t much good, you see.” Jia Hao’s smile didn’t falter. ” So, I better not meet His Highness Third Prince. Otherwise, hehe…”
” Taking him down is very hard.” Li Yuan sighed. ” He has his own strength along with the support of his mother’s family.”
” Hmph, Talking about an Imperial Prince like that. How bold you are.” Zhou Yan looked at Jia Hao and snorted.
” I am bold because I have the capacity to be bold, Mr. Zhou.” Jia Hao smiled lightly. ” I don’t wish to make enemies of the Imperial Family either. But it looks like the Imperial Family has started to see their loyal pillars as thorns and trying to uproot them.”
” After all, If that’s not the case, the Cai Family wouldn’t have fallen into this state.”
” It’s not the Cai Family, though.” Li Qing tried to reason. ” His Majesty is reducing the strength of all military families and condensing them into a central army.”
” Really? Are you sure?” Jia Hao retorted. ” Brother Qing, I guess you aren’t seeing the consequences of this action, eh?”
” What do you mean?”
” Let’s say, The military family loyal to the Emperor got reduced.” Jia Hao tapped on the table. ” However, I believe not all the families are favorable towards His Majesty, Yes?”
” So, when the loyalist’s power reduces, what if there is a sudden rebellion? Without any loyal partner, You think the Imperial Family will stay unharmed?”
Li Qing’s gaze squinted when he heard that. ” That’s not possible.”
” Who knows?” Jia Hao grinned. ” Anyway, I am very dumb regarding the politics, so I shall not comment.”
” However, there is a thing I wish to know.” Jia Hao looked at Li Qing. ” Is the Twisted Dark Forest as safe as everyone treating it?”
” This…This is true though?” Li Qing tilted his head. ” I mean, there are terrifying monsters there. But they never come out from the core zone. So, It’s safe.”
” Most of the time, Yes.” Zhou Yan finally spoke. ” However, a monster tide comes in once every 10-15 years. It creates a lot of havoc,”
” But I don’t think any monster tide would come before the next two or three years.”
‘ Heh, Really? One is coming in less than a month.’ Jia Hao snorted. But he got an idea of how the mastermind managed to pull the entire plan around it.
‘ But, It’s fascinating how they managed to guess the timing of this abnormal monster tide.’
‘ Amusing, I have to pay attention to this.’ Jia Hao tapped on the table.
” What happened, Brother Jia? You seem to be in deep thought.”
” Of course, I am indeed.” Jia Hao chuckled. ” As Mr. Zhou said, I can’t naturally rebel against the Imperial Family. But that doesn’t mean I can’t raise my sword against the enemies of Cai Family.”
” Hehe, Niu Family is the first. My next target is obviously Silkward Chambers.”
” Silkward Chamber is one of the biggest merchant units of the entire Nanhai City. And their influence is not smaller than a large-scale noble family at all.” Li Qing was surprised.
” Well, Not entirely against Silkward Chamber, but certainly against the Lian Family.” Jia Hao smiled.
” There is a particular woman whom I need to show something.”
Both Li Qing and Zhou Yan felt a chill when they saw Jia Hao’s amicable smile.
No matter how harmless and scholarly he looked, Both Li Qing and Zhou Yan felt Jia Hao was like a smiling tiger, full of deceit and malicious intent.
” Anyway, I recently heard about something.” Jia Hao smiled as he used his Sage’s Divination Eyes.
” It’s about a Bright Snow Lotus…”
Li Qing and Zhou Yan’s expressions changed when Jia Hao mentioned that.
