"Forget it," Chen An said with deep meaning as he glanced at Chen Qi, then said, "Just behead him."
Chen An was not a sadist. He wanted to kill, but not torture someone to death. Simply killing someone was enough.
As Chen Qi nodded in agreement, he said, "I will do it."
After Chen An did not intend to do anything else, Chen Qi quickly nodded, "I'll do it."
After the execution ground before, please seal it."
Chen An's voice came next, sounding calm, "I don't want any bad news coming from you later."
"Understood?"
"Understood, understood!"
Chen Qi hurriedly nodded and agreed, "Chen Li privately setting up an execution ground was truly deserving of death. That execution ground should be shut down, and no one should be allowed to use it!"
"You changed pretty fast!" People around silently commented.
But Chen Qi didn't seem to mind. He smiled brightly, trying hard to please Chen An.
"Then it's up to you, uncle." Chen An nodded, somewhat satisfied with Chen Qi's attitude.
Chen Qi might be just as greedy as Chen Li, but still useful.
In just two or three days, he had organized the entire Chen State Duke's Mansion smoothly.
A list was sent in quickly. One was a list of the estate of the Chen State Duke's Mansion, and the other was a list of those who had once been friends with Chen Li, or who had once joined Chen Li.
Chen An scanned the lists casually and smiled, "Uncle is polite. These are all the estate of the Chen State Duke's Mansion?"
"Yes." Chen Qi said respectfully, seemingly treating himself as Chen An's steward, "There are many loans to outside traders that haven't been recovered yet."
"Alright, everything remains the same." Chen An nodded and said casually, "I won't look at the list in detail, just let uncle handle it."
"I trust uncle won't disappoint me, right?" He looked at Chen Qi and smiled.
However, Chen Qi did not pay much attention to the smile. He quickly nodded and said earnestly, "I will never disappoint you, Duke Chen."
"It's OK." Chen An nodded, "I won't stay long in the Chen State Duke's Mansion. I'll leave after some time, and you and Ziling will manage it together."
"You can do whatever you like, but it's best not to cause any trouble."
"Understood?"
"Yes." Chen Qi's face showed joy. "I will definitely manage the estate of the Chen State Duke's Mansion and not disappoint you, Duke Chen."
Chen An's meaning was clear.
He wouldn't actively manage the affairs of the Chen State Duke's Mansion, or pay too much attention to the specifics of the estate.
Chen Qi could still act as he pleased in the Chen State Duke's Mansion, even if he embezzled some things, Chen An wouldn't mind.
But the premise was that Chen Qi had to be clever enough and not do anything outrageous. Otherwise, he would end up like Chen Li.
Chen Qi was naturally overjoyed.
Handing over a considerable share of the profits to him was equivalent to a great reward.
Even if most of the profits had to be given to Chen An, the rest would be enough to fill his belly.
Of course, Chen Ziling was also with him.
By putting Chen Ziling with him, Chen An probably had his eyes on him.
But Chen Qi didn't care.
After all, he was just a junior, and if he was here, he was here.
He had spent most of his life in the Chen State Duke's Mansion, wouldn't he be able to compete with a junior?
"You know your limits." Chen An nodded and continued, "I will be leaving in a few days."
"If you need anything, I will send someone to inform you."
Listening to this, Chen Qi privately breathed a sigh of relief, but still earnestly said, "Duke Chen, since you rarely return to the mansion, why not stay a little longer?"
"The entire mansion is looking forward to your presence for a while longer."
"If I stay in the mansion for a while longer, it's fine for me, but I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep well."
Chen An looked at Chen Qi, then got up and left silently.
Seeing Chen An's departing figure, Chen Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen An had left just like that.
Carefully counting, he had not stayed in the Chen State Duke's Mansion for long at all, just under half a month in total.
It could be said that he had left hastily, just as he had arrived.
But Chen An had come to the Chen State Duke's Mansion mainly to deal with Chen Li's family.
The rest was just a side issue.
Now that his goal had been achieved, he naturally left.
As for staying in the Chen State Duke's Mansion for long, it was not possible.
It was too dangerous.
Chen An took control of the Chen State Duke's Mansion quickly, which also meant that there were not many casualties among the people in the mansion, just the same group as before.
Among these people, there might be some who were loyal supporters of Chen Li and even Chen Hua.
It was like the enemy's stronghold.
If Chen An stayed long in the Chen State Duke's Mansion, he would probably not even sleep peacefully, having to be vigilant at all times for poison attempts.
Instead of worrying and losing sleep over it, he decided to leave early.
He wouldn't risk losing precious sleep there.
Interestingly, Chen An had no long-term plans regarding the Chen State Duke's Mansion. He intended to treat the entire mansion like a cash cow, and he would cut into it every now and then.
As for the operation and management of the whole mansion, there were people like Chen Qi and Chen Ziling for that.
He didn't need to worry about it himself.
However, before leaving, Chen An took away the largest part of the wealth within the Chen State Duke's Mansion.
The arsenal that had been accumulated over many years at the Chen State Duke's Mansion.
In that arsenal, there were many martial arts accumulated over the years, including a martial art that involved Qi, the Chen Family Martial Arts.
The Chen Family Martial Arts was a Qi-based martial art passed down from the ancestors of the Chen family. Its content was profound and could elevate one's Qi to the peak, reaching the third level of gathering Qi, which was a significant feat.
If he had received this martial art at a young age, Chen An would have been ecstatic.
However, it didn't matter now.
He already had the Xuan Ice Force martial art, so even if he received the Chen Family Martial Arts, it seemed useless.
Practicing two Qi-based martial arts?
It was theoretically possible but not practically feasible.
Qi was much stronger than internal energy, and the different Qi could cause severe conflicts in the body because the nature of the Qi nurtured by different techniques often differed significantly.
However, if the nature of the martial arts were similar, it might be possible to practice them simultaneously.
For example, the Yin Body Technique of the Bai family and Chen An's Xuan Ice Force might be suitable for simultaneous practice, both reaching the level of Qi.
However, it was risky and seemed unnecessary.
Chen An had a follow-up technique anyway.
The source force that could enhance the Yin Body Technique, why not use it to enhance the Xuan Ice Force directly?
When reaching the Qi realm, the amount of source force required to advance one level was quite substantial.
Chen An wasn't willing to waste it.
Additionally, having different Qis in the body seemed to have a significant impact on the future promotion to the innate realm.
So from every perspective, the Chen Family Martial Arts was basically useless to Chen An.
Its only purpose may be to enrich Chen An's databank and prepare for any future deductions he might make.
This was why, even though those martial arts were not useful for Chen An now, he made an effort to clear out the arsenal at the Chen State Duke's Mansion.
After leaving the Chen State Duke's Mansion, it took several days before Chen An returned to Shengjing.
And now, Chen An's reputation had once again changed compared to before.
Because in this period, what he had done at the Chen State Duke's Mansion had spread.
Of course, the versions circulating outside were slightly different from what had actually happened at the Chen State Duke's Mansion, slightly modified.
The version spreading outside was that upon returning to the mansion, Chen An was received with great joy by the former Chen State Duke, who wanted to pass the title directly to him, which led to the jealousy of Chen An's birth father Chen Li and his wife.
In order to seize the title, Chen Li's family poisoned the Chen State Duke to kill him, but the Duke discovered it and in anger, executed Chen Li's family.
Afterwards, the poisoned Duke had no choice but to resign to the court and pass the title to Chen An.
Hmm. It seemed a bit far-fetched.
But as long as someone believed it, it was fine.
Smart people surely wouldn't believe it.
After all, a Qi user being poisoned, almost dying from it, was already unbelievable.
What kind of poison could poison a Qi user like that?
Why didn't you say that the Chen State Duke choked to death while eating?
Actually, similar rumors existed.
Chen An was familiar with rumors like these.
So before taking action, he prepared different versions of rumors to be spread around.
Among these rumors, the truth became like a rumor, and no one could believe it.
What! You don't believe it?
Then go and ask the people involved yourself!
Whether it was the former Chen State Duke, Chen Qi, or Chen Li, you could go and ask them.
Let's see what they say.
Obviously, few would be so bored to do that, and even if someone did ask, they would surely get a different answer.
However, no matter how the rumors spread, the fact that Chen An inherited the title of the Chen State Duke was already a done deal.
"Half a month without seeing you, Chang An, you've indeed changed a lot," Cheng Zheng said, looking at Chen An in surprise.
"Really?" Chen An was puzzled. "I don't feel that way."
"Defeating the Chen State Duke, isn't that a change for you?" Cheng Zheng asked with surprise.
Obviously, he had received the news.
After the events at the Chen State Duke's Mansion that day, Chen An had written down everything that happened there in a letter and had it delivered to Cheng Zheng.
Therefore, Cheng Zheng was well aware of the details of that battle.
"Former Chen State Duke was strong, even among Qi users, he was one of the best."
"However, he was old and not as strong as before." Chen An said, "Even so, it's impressive."
"Just recently achieving the Qi level, you were able to defeat an opponent like the former Chen State Duke. If given more time, you will be even more formidable."
"It seems I should be kinder to you in the future, to avoid offending you." Cheng Zheng pondered.
"You're overthinking." Chen An smiled. "Even so, would I dare to lay a hand on you?"
The two of them chatted happily for a while, even with Chen An writing off Chen Hua, Cheng Zheng didn't seem to want to pursue it further.
This reaction was almost what Chen An expected.
The Chen State Duke was a Qi user, and usually in such cases, if such an influential figure was sidelined, the court would surely investigate.
But what if the Chen State Duke was still alive?
Is he still alive?
Of course, he was, but to others, a Qi user who had been set aside was almost as good as dead.
For the court, he had lost his usefulness.
However, the crucial point was that Chen An was Cheng Zheng's person, having pledged loyalty to him from the start.
While the Chen State Duke's mansion followed the second prince, Cheng Ming.
If someone else had sidelined a duke, it would have surely been investigated.
But if it was his own person sidelining the opponent's follower, then no one cared.
Loyalty was the most important thing.
Undoubtedly, this was how Cheng Zheng viewed it.
So from start to finish, he never brought up the matter and let it pass.
"By the way," after chatting for a while, Cheng Zheng suddenly remembered something and said, "When you go back, remember to spend more time with Yier."
"During your absence, she has caused quite a bit of trouble in Shengjing."
"Really?" Chen An was surprised, but still nodded, "I understand."
For Cheng Zheng, who appeared serious most of the time, to take the initiative to mention it, it seemed that the troubles caused by the fourth princess Cheng Yiyi in Shengjing during this time were significant.
After bidding farewell to Cheng Zheng, Chen An returned to his mansion.
His current residence was the former fourth princess's mansion.
This mansion had been given to the fourth princess by the emperor, spacious and exquisite in appearance, it was a rare place in Shengjing.
It had been given to the fourth princess as part of her dowry, and it now belonged to Chen An.
When Chen An returned to the mansion, the fourth princess happened to be there.
Seeing Chen An, she came over and embraced him.
"Why were you gone for so long?" She complained as she hugged Chen An.
"It took some time on the way back." Chen An explained softly, his voice as gentle as ever, making people can't help but feel fond of him. "I didn't actually spend much time at the Chen State Duke's Mansion doing things."
"Is that so." The fourth princess nodded. "Anyway, as long as you're not hurt."
"Tell me, what did you do while you were there?" She was evidently curious about Chen An's experiences.
Differing from the Crown Prince Cheng Zheng, although Chen An had written to the fourth princess, he had not told her about what had happened at the mansion.
Therefore, on one hand, he was afraid that she would worry, and on the other hand, he was afraid that she would boast and directly reveal what Chen An had done.
With the fourth princess's troublemaking nature, this was a very likely scenario.
For this reason, even though she was Chen An's wife, the fourth princess could only listen to the rumors outside and speculate on the true situation.
Now, meeting Chen An again, she couldn't help but inquire.
Chen An smiled and told her about his experiences.
Of course, it was filtered.
For the reasons mentioned earlier, to prevent her from blurting out the truth.
Chen An's storytelling skills were quite good. Clearly a trivial matter, he had managed to make it into an exciting narrative.
If this were in the past life, he could probably make a living writing novels or something.
It was a pity.
The fourth princess was engrossed in listening and clung to Chen An for a while before reluctantly leaving.
Chen An returned to his room and quietly began his practice.
In the following days, everything seemed to return to normal.
Living with the fourth princess, Chen An spent most of his time practicing. Occasionally, he would go to Cheng Zheng's mansion to help with tasks.
This was because Cheng Zheng had found that besides his strength, Chen An had a good ability to handle many things. So after a brief surprise, he would often pull Chen An over to help out for free.
Chen An was helpless about this, and tried to refuse many times, but in the end, he had to accept it.
Time passed slowly.
Soon, another half year had passed.
After a calm period of six months, a major event finally occurred in Shengjing.
The Son of Heaven had passed away.
The Son of Heaven's passing was actually something that everyone had expected.
Half a year ago, the Son of Heaven had been in poor health. At that time, he had even been on the brink of death.
Without various tonics and supplements, given the Son of Heaven's condition, he should have died a long time ago. It was just hanging by a thread, even leaving the court affairs to Cheng Zheng.
In this situation, the passing of the Son of Heaven was not a surprise to anyone, and even some breathed a sigh of relief in private.
Finally, he's gone.
Although the passing was normal, it was still a big event.
The funeral, the ascension of the new emperor - these were all very important matters.
After a quiet period of half a year, Shengjing finally became lively.
People from out of town came to offer condolences, and even foreign envoys came with gifts for the new emperor's enthronement.
As the Crown Prince, Cheng Zheng eventually ascended to the throne in front of the Son of Heaven's coffin, officially becoming the new emperor of Dahua.
With the new emperor on the throne, everything was bound to change.
"Forget it," Chen An said with deep meaning as he glanced at Chen Qi, then said, "Just behead him."
Chen An was not a sadist. He wanted to kill, but not torture someone to death. Simply killing someone was enough.
As Chen Qi nodded in agreement, he said, "I will do it."
After Chen An did not intend to do anything else, Chen Qi quickly nodded, "I'll do it."
After the execution ground before, please seal it."
Chen An's voice came next, sounding calm, "I don't want any bad news coming from you later."
"Understood?"
"Understood, understood!"
Chen Qi hurriedly nodded and agreed, "Chen Li privately setting up an execution ground was truly deserving of death. That execution ground should be shut down, and no one should be allowed to use it!"
"You changed pretty fast!" People around silently commented.
But Chen Qi didn't seem to mind. He smiled brightly, trying hard to please Chen An.
"Then it's up to you, uncle." Chen An nodded, somewhat satisfied with Chen Qi's attitude.
Chen Qi might be just as greedy as Chen Li, but still useful.
In just two or three days, he had organized the entire Chen State Duke's Mansion smoothly.
A list was sent in quickly. One was a list of the estate of the Chen State Duke's Mansion, and the other was a list of those who had once been friends with Chen Li, or who had once joined Chen Li.
Chen An scanned the lists casually and smiled, "Uncle is polite. These are all the estate of the Chen State Duke's Mansion?"
"Yes." Chen Qi said respectfully, seemingly treating himself as Chen An's steward, "There are many loans to outside traders that haven't been recovered yet."
"Alright, everything remains the same." Chen An nodded and said casually, "I won't look at the list in detail, just let uncle handle it."
"I trust uncle won't disappoint me, right?" He looked at Chen Qi and smiled.
However, Chen Qi did not pay much attention to the smile. He quickly nodded and said earnestly, "I will never disappoint you, Duke Chen."
"It's OK." Chen An nodded, "I won't stay long in the Chen State Duke's Mansion. I'll leave after some time, and you and Ziling will manage it together."
"You can do whatever you like, but it's best not to cause any trouble."
"Understood?"
"Yes." Chen Qi's face showed joy. "I will definitely manage the estate of the Chen State Duke's Mansion and not disappoint you, Duke Chen."
Chen An's meaning was clear.
He wouldn't actively manage the affairs of the Chen State Duke's Mansion, or pay too much attention to the specifics of the estate.
Chen Qi could still act as he pleased in the Chen State Duke's Mansion, even if he embezzled some things, Chen An wouldn't mind.
But the premise was that Chen Qi had to be clever enough and not do anything outrageous. Otherwise, he would end up like Chen Li.
Chen Qi was naturally overjoyed.
Handing over a considerable share of the profits to him was equivalent to a great reward.
Even if most of the profits had to be given to Chen An, the rest would be enough to fill his belly.
Of course, Chen Ziling was also with him.
By putting Chen Ziling with him, Chen An probably had his eyes on him.
But Chen Qi didn't care.
After all, he was just a junior, and if he was here, he was here.
He had spent most of his life in the Chen State Duke's Mansion, wouldn't he be able to compete with a junior?
"You know your limits." Chen An nodded and continued, "I will be leaving in a few days."
"If you need anything, I will send someone to inform you."
Listening to this, Chen Qi privately breathed a sigh of relief, but still earnestly said, "Duke Chen, since you rarely return to the mansion, why not stay a little longer?"
"The entire mansion is looking forward to your presence for a while longer."
"If I stay in the mansion for a while longer, it's fine for me, but I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep well."
Chen An looked at Chen Qi, then got up and left silently.
Seeing Chen An's departing figure, Chen Qi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen An had left just like that.
Carefully counting, he had not stayed in the Chen State Duke's Mansion for long at all, just under half a month in total.
It could be said that he had left hastily, just as he had arrived.
But Chen An had come to the Chen State Duke's Mansion mainly to deal with Chen Li's family.
The rest was just a side issue.
Now that his goal had been achieved, he naturally left.
As for staying in the Chen State Duke's Mansion for long, it was not possible.
It was too dangerous.
Chen An took control of the Chen State Duke's Mansion quickly, which also meant that there were not many casualties among the people in the mansion, just the same group as before.
Among these people, there might be some who were loyal supporters of Chen Li and even Chen Hua.
It was like the enemy's stronghold.
If Chen An stayed long in the Chen State Duke's Mansion, he would probably not even sleep peacefully, having to be vigilant at all times for poison attempts.
Instead of worrying and losing sleep over it, he decided to leave early.
He wouldn't risk losing precious sleep there.
Interestingly, Chen An had no long-term plans regarding the Chen State Duke's Mansion. He intended to treat the entire mansion like a cash cow, and he would cut into it every now and then.
As for the operation and management of the whole mansion, there were people like Chen Qi and Chen Ziling for that.
He didn't need to worry about it himself.
However, before leaving, Chen An took away the largest part of the wealth within the Chen State Duke's Mansion.
The arsenal that had been accumulated over many years at the Chen State Duke's Mansion.
In that arsenal, there were many martial arts accumulated over the years, including a martial art that involved Qi, the Chen Family Martial Arts.
The Chen Family Martial Arts was a Qi-based martial art passed down from the ancestors of the Chen family. Its content was profound and could elevate one's Qi to the peak, reaching the third level of gathering Qi, which was a significant feat.
If he had received this martial art at a young age, Chen An would have been ecstatic.
However, it didn't matter now.
He already had the Xuan Ice Force martial art, so even if he received the Chen Family Martial Arts, it seemed useless.
Practicing two Qi-based martial arts?
It was theoretically possible but not practically feasible.
Qi was much stronger than internal energy, and the different Qi could cause severe conflicts in the body because the nature of the Qi nurtured by different techniques often differed significantly.
However, if the nature of the martial arts were similar, it might be possible to practice them simultaneously.
For example, the Yin Body Technique of the Bai family and Chen An's Xuan Ice Force might be suitable for simultaneous practice, both reaching the level of Qi.
However, it was risky and seemed unnecessary.
Chen An had a follow-up technique anyway.
The source force that could enhance the Yin Body Technique, why not use it to enhance the Xuan Ice Force directly?
When reaching the Qi realm, the amount of source force required to advance one level was quite substantial.
Chen An wasn't willing to waste it.
Additionally, having different Qis in the body seemed to have a significant impact on the future promotion to the innate realm.
So from every perspective, the Chen Family Martial Arts was basically useless to Chen An.
Its only purpose may be to enrich Chen An's databank and prepare for any future deductions he might make.
This was why, even though those martial arts were not useful for Chen An now, he made an effort to clear out the arsenal at the Chen State Duke's Mansion.
After leaving the Chen State Duke's Mansion, it took several days before Chen An returned to Shengjing.
And now, Chen An's reputation had once again changed compared to before.
Because in this period, what he had done at the Chen State Duke's Mansion had spread.
Of course, the versions circulating outside were slightly different from what had actually happened at the Chen State Duke's Mansion, slightly modified.
The version spreading outside was that upon returning to the mansion, Chen An was received with great joy by the former Chen State Duke, who wanted to pass the title directly to him, which led to the jealousy of Chen An's birth father Chen Li and his wife.
In order to seize the title, Chen Li's family poisoned the Chen State Duke to kill him, but the Duke discovered it and in anger, executed Chen Li's family.
Afterwards, the poisoned Duke had no choice but to resign to the court and pass the title to Chen An.
Hmm. It seemed a bit far-fetched.
But as long as someone believed it, it was fine.
Smart people surely wouldn't believe it.
After all, a Qi user being poisoned, almost dying from it, was already unbelievable.
What kind of poison could poison a Qi user like that?
Why didn't you say that the Chen State Duke choked to death while eating?
Actually, similar rumors existed.
Chen An was familiar with rumors like these.
So before taking action, he prepared different versions of rumors to be spread around.
Among these rumors, the truth became like a rumor, and no one could believe it.
What! You don't believe it?
Then go and ask the people involved yourself!
Whether it was the former Chen State Duke, Chen Qi, or Chen Li, you could go and ask them.
Let's see what they say.
Obviously, few would be so bored to do that, and even if someone did ask, they would surely get a different answer.
However, no matter how the rumors spread, the fact that Chen An inherited the title of the Chen State Duke was already a done deal.
"Half a month without seeing you, Chang An, you've indeed changed a lot," Cheng Zheng said, looking at Chen An in surprise.
"Really?" Chen An was puzzled. "I don't feel that way."
"Defeating the Chen State Duke, isn't that a change for you?" Cheng Zheng asked with surprise.
Obviously, he had received the news.
After the events at the Chen State Duke's Mansion that day, Chen An had written down everything that happened there in a letter and had it delivered to Cheng Zheng.
Therefore, Cheng Zheng was well aware of the details of that battle.
"Former Chen State Duke was strong, even among Qi users, he was one of the best."
"However, he was old and not as strong as before." Chen An said, "Even so, it's impressive."
"Just recently achieving the Qi level, you were able to defeat an opponent like the former Chen State Duke. If given more time, you will be even more formidable."
"It seems I should be kinder to you in the future, to avoid offending you." Cheng Zheng pondered.
"You're overthinking." Chen An smiled. "Even so, would I dare to lay a hand on you?"
The two of them chatted happily for a while, even with Chen An writing off Chen Hua, Cheng Zheng didn't seem to want to pursue it further.
This reaction was almost what Chen An expected.
The Chen State Duke was a Qi user, and usually in such cases, if such an influential figure was sidelined, the court would surely investigate.
But what if the Chen State Duke was still alive?
Is he still alive?
Of course, he was, but to others, a Qi user who had been set aside was almost as good as dead.
For the court, he had lost his usefulness.
However, the crucial point was that Chen An was Cheng Zheng's person, having pledged loyalty to him from the start.
While the Chen State Duke's mansion followed the second prince, Cheng Ming.
If someone else had sidelined a duke, it would have surely been investigated.
But if it was his own person sidelining the opponent's follower, then no one cared.
Loyalty was the most important thing.
Undoubtedly, this was how Cheng Zheng viewed it.
So from start to finish, he never brought up the matter and let it pass.
"By the way," after chatting for a while, Cheng Zheng suddenly remembered something and said, "When you go back, remember to spend more time with Yier."
"During your absence, she has caused quite a bit of trouble in Shengjing."
"Really?" Chen An was surprised, but still nodded, "I understand."
For Cheng Zheng, who appeared serious most of the time, to take the initiative to mention it, it seemed that the troubles caused by the fourth princess Cheng Yiyi in Shengjing during this time were significant.
After bidding farewell to Cheng Zheng, Chen An returned to his mansion.
His current residence was the former fourth princess's mansion.
This mansion had been given to the fourth princess by the emperor, spacious and exquisite in appearance, it was a rare place in Shengjing.
It had been given to the fourth princess as part of her dowry, and it now belonged to Chen An.
When Chen An returned to the mansion, the fourth princess happened to be there.
Seeing Chen An, she came over and embraced him.
"Why were you gone for so long?" She complained as she hugged Chen An.
"It took some time on the way back." Chen An explained softly, his voice as gentle as ever, making people can't help but feel fond of him. "I didn't actually spend much time at the Chen State Duke's Mansion doing things."
"Is that so." The fourth princess nodded. "Anyway, as long as you're not hurt."
"Tell me, what did you do while you were there?" She was evidently curious about Chen An's experiences.
Differing from the Crown Prince Cheng Zheng, although Chen An had written to the fourth princess, he had not told her about what had happened at the mansion.
Therefore, on one hand, he was afraid that she would worry, and on the other hand, he was afraid that she would boast and directly reveal what Chen An had done.
With the fourth princess's troublemaking nature, this was a very likely scenario.
For this reason, even though she was Chen An's wife, the fourth princess could only listen to the rumors outside and speculate on the true situation.
Now, meeting Chen An again, she couldn't help but inquire.
Chen An smiled and told her about his experiences.
Of course, it was filtered.
For the reasons mentioned earlier, to prevent her from blurting out the truth.
Chen An's storytelling skills were quite good. Clearly a trivial matter, he had managed to make it into an exciting narrative.
If this were in the past life, he could probably make a living writing novels or something.
It was a pity.
The fourth princess was engrossed in listening and clung to Chen An for a while before reluctantly leaving.
Chen An returned to his room and quietly began his practice.
In the following days, everything seemed to return to normal.
Living with the fourth princess, Chen An spent most of his time practicing. Occasionally, he would go to Cheng Zheng's mansion to help with tasks.
This was because Cheng Zheng had found that besides his strength, Chen An had a good ability to handle many things. So after a brief surprise, he would often pull Chen An over to help out for free.
Chen An was helpless about this, and tried to refuse many times, but in the end, he had to accept it.
Time passed slowly.
Soon, another half year had passed.
After a calm period of six months, a major event finally occurred in Shengjing.
The Son of Heaven had passed away.
The Son of Heaven's passing was actually something that everyone had expected.
Half a year ago, the Son of Heaven had been in poor health. At that time, he had even been on the brink of death.
Without various tonics and supplements, given the Son of Heaven's condition, he should have died a long time ago. It was just hanging by a thread, even leaving the court affairs to Cheng Zheng.
In this situation, the passing of the Son of Heaven was not a surprise to anyone, and even some breathed a sigh of relief in private.
Finally, he's gone.
Although the passing was normal, it was still a big event.
The funeral, the ascension of the new emperor - these were all very important matters.
After a quiet period of half a year, Shengjing finally became lively.
People from out of town came to offer condolences, and even foreign envoys came with gifts for the new emperor's enthronement.
As the Crown Prince, Cheng Zheng eventually ascended to the throne in front of the Son of Heaven's coffin, officially becoming the new emperor of Dahua.
With the new emperor on the throne, everything was bound to change.
