Tome of Troubled Times

Zhao Changhe knew that Tang Wanzhuang, as well as a few others, had basically locked their sights on him as the most likely lost prince.

Originally, there were two people left alive back at the Luo Clan, and Xia Chichi had also been considered a suspect. But since she was a woman, nobody thought that she could be the prince. As such, their attention had all been set to Zhao Changhe.

Without much research, it would appear that there was no way that he was the lost prince. After all, there were quite a few deviations between the information tied to him and that of the lost prince. First of all, his age did not match up. Zhao Changhe claimed to be twenty, but the prince should only be around seventeen. Moreover, the Tome of Troubled Times confirmed that he had just started practicing martial arts, but the prince should have begun practicing martial arts much earlier. Cui Wenjing did not think much of it at first, thinking that the matter would conclude with his death.

However, the more research and investigation was done on Zhao Changhe, the more it seemed like he was a scholar at heart. He absolutely did not match the cultural background that a countryside boy should have. This made things especially suspicious. In addition, he also possessed all sorts of miraculous techniques and was recognized by Dragon Bird. These pieces of evidence alone could be considered conclusive. The flaws that were found earlier could not compare to the level of support that this evidence portrayed. Additionally, there were countless possible explanations regarding the existence of those flaws.

For example, he may have deliberately proclaimed the wrong age as he did not want to be recognized as the lost prince. As for the matter regarding martial arts, he may have simply held off on practicing martial arts as he wanted to live as a normal person. It was only when the Zhao Clan had been slaughtered by Luo Zhenwu and the Luo Clan suffered extermination that he finally realized that the only truth in this troubled world was the strength of his fist. Thus, he began training and working on improving his strength. The massive progress that he had been able to make in just half a year could be explained by having an extraordinary bloodline.

It was at this point that Xia Chichi truly began to sink into oblivion. She even became publicly recognized as the saintess of a cult...or rather, the witch of a demonic cult. Other than her age and surname, of which there were countless similar coincidences throughout the world, there was nothing else about her that matched what a prince should be. Even her skills were from the demonic cult, most of which she had acquired from the Four Idols Cult in her early years.

Zhao Changhe could roughly guess what they were thinking. He actually felt it to be incredibly ironic. However, this entire ordeal only made it much more difficult for him to guess what Xia Longyuan was thinking. Other than him and Xia Chichi, only Xia Longyuan knew that the White Tiger Art that Xia Chichi’s mother had was the most concrete evidence of Xia Chichi being the emperor’s descendant. However, if he never told anybody about it, no one would ever know.

I always feel like there is a pair of mocking eyes looking at me from a distance, saying “Hey, I know you’re not my son. Do you really want to call me dad that badly?”

Is he really the type of person who enjoys staying high above in the clouds, watching everyone below make a fool of themselves for his entertainment?

Zhao Changhe felt incredibly conflicted.

He could not deny that he coveted Xia Longyuan’s internal arts.

Although his status prevented him from becoming an orthodox cultivator, he knew very well that the potential of his cultivation technique was extraordinary.

The cultivation technique that he practiced had been immensely helpful to him all this time. Whether it was in the quicker progress in his training of external arts, the boost to his blood and qi during battle, the suppression of old injuries, or the fast recovery after being injured, his cultivation technique played a large part in all of them. It was also what allowed him to fight those beyond his cultivation level time and time again.

On the surface, it looked like he was just using the Vicious Blood Art, but his internal art contributed greatly to allowing him to use the Vicious Blood Art so well. If it were not for the internal art he practiced, he would be hard-pressed to fight those beyond his level.

Other than that, he also coveted the Dragon Bird of Great Xia. Once he had this saber in his grasp, he really liked it, and he did not have the heart to put it down. Even at the start, when he had not been able to wield Dragon Bird that efficiently, he had already been aware of how great it was.

In the end, he was not some immortal bereft of all worldly desires. He was not someone without greed.

Since he was greedy for things that Xia Longyuan had, it was only right for him to bear the consequences that came with coveting such things. As a result of that, it was now difficult for him to explain to others what was going on with his internal arts and Dragon Bird. He could not just sell out Xia Chichi. After all, Xia Chichi really hated Xia Longyuan and did not feel the slightest desire to become whatever princess.

When Tang Wanzhuang pointed things out, he did not know how to avoid taking responsibility.

Seeing Zhao Changhe stay silent for such a long time, Tang Wanzhuang sighed and said softly, “Did you... hate His Majesty all these years?”

The corners of Zhao Changhe twitched. You’re half-right. Chichi did hate His Majesty all these years.

Tang Wanzhuang was silent for a good while. She looked hesitant. After a while, she seemed to have finally made up her mind and whispered, “Although it might not seem like it on the surface, His Majesty is actually experiencing some problems with his cultivation. In fact, there are a considerable number of people who have guessed as much, and that is what has led to these undercurrents... So it isn’t actually that His Majesty doesn’t care about such things, it’s more so that he is unable to pay much attention to them.”

As she said that, she could not help but feel some embarrassment. After all, it had already been close to twenty years, and sending someone to pick up a mother and child did not really require much effort.

So she lowered her head, made tea in silence, and said nothing more.

Zhao Changhe simply said, “I’m not his child anyway, so there’s no point in telling me any of this.”

If his previous denial was a proper denial, then his denial this time sounded closer to a child throwing a temper tantrum. Tang Wanzhuang did not bother exposing him for this and directly said, “If Your Highness does not admit it, will you just sit back and leave the empire without a successor as it heads to its ruin?”

Zhao Changhe said, “It’s none of my business.”

Tang Wanzhuang sighed. “Is it, though? Since you have inherited the Six Harmonies Art and Dragon Bird, shouldn’t you at least do something?”

Zhao Changhe’s first reaction when he heard what she said was that he finally learned the name of the internal art he was practicing. Six Harmonies Art... you might as well call it the Eight-Methods Six-Harmonies[1]">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liuhebafa.[/ref].

Eventually, he let out a sigh and said, “It is true that I am indebted to him and should pay him back for the things I have inherited. As long as you do not drag me to be the prince, I am willing to work toward paying him back by contributing to the empire.”

Tang Wanzhuang was silent again.

If you don’t want to be a prince, then what else do we need you to do? Do you think we can just send you to war? You’re just a traveler of the jianghu who is merely at the fourth layer of the Profound Gate.

Zhao Changhe suddenly continued, “Haah, isn’t it actually better for you if I don’t become the prince? If I do, won’t you be embarrassed? We just apologized to each other, is the next step immediately getting married?”

Tang Wanzhuang was momentarily stunned, and her face, which had constantly been calm, reddened.

She had not been angered when she was compared to a brothel girl, nor when she was told to clean herself and wait for him. She had easily just brushed them off as nothing. But after hearing what he had just said, her face actually turned red, and there was clear embarrassment in her eyes. “Even if you become the prince, what does that have to do with me? Why would we have to discuss marriage?”

Zhao Changhe lowered his head and sipped some tea. “I know you’re anxious, but you really shouldn’t be so anxious just yet.”

This type of mental warfare was much more typical. Even if the other party was not anxious, they would become anxious by hearing such words. Tang Wanzhuang’s chest was heaving with anxiety, and she nearly could not stop herself from coughing again when hearing his words.

Zhao Changhe said, “I looked at the Tome of Troubled Times compiled by others. You’re ranked third on the Rankings of Earth?”

Tang Wanzhuang lightly exhaled, feeling a little weak. “What of it?”

“Although it does not say how old you are, I guess with your level of cultivation and being a member of the imperial court, you can’t be that young. Are you over thirty?”

“...Twenty-eight.”

Zhao Changhe was stunned momentarily and secretly thought that she was really awesome.

Was she also on the Ranking of Hidden Dragons when she was twenty-five? She probably immediately placed on the Rankings of Man back then too. If she did make it onto the Rankings of Man when she was twenty-five, then in just three years... No, wait, she reached that rank a year ago. In other words, within just two years, she went from the bottom of the Rankings of Man to the third rank on the Rankings of Earth? That is honestly quite terrifying.

With such potential and strength, no wonder she could become a high official in the imperial court at such a young age.

A sickly military advisor and a temperamental imperial sister, tsk.

While he was inwardly impressed, what he actually said was, “So you’re already twenty-eight, I’m twenty. According to your guesses, the prince should only be seventeen. Doesn’t that mean that you’re over a decade older than the prince? I really don’t think you should be going for someone so young.”

Tang Wanzhuang gnashed her teeth and said, “I already said that I don’t need to discuss marriage with you!”

Zhao Changhe sneered and said, “Even if you say so, does your family share the same opinion? Otherwise, why would you trick Yangyang into going to Beimang? Do you really think I’m a fool?”

Tang Wanzhuang gasped lightly, but she did not retort.

“So...” Zhao Changhe poured himself another cup of tea and spoke leisurely. “I do not want to become recognized as the prince, and you do not want to discuss marriage with the prince. Are we not then allies? Just help me cover things up. Then, you can assign me some missions so that I can repay the favor brought about by the internal art and Dragon Bird. That way, everyone is happy. Isn’t that great?”

Tang Wanzhuang’s face was expressionless.

Do you know how naive your proposal is?

But what can I say... As long as he admits to being the prince, not only can he inherit the empire, but there is also a good chance that we directly get betrothed to one another.

Tang Wanzhuang was aware that not many could resist that temptation, but it appeared that one of those few was right before her.

Zhao Changhe’s self-flattering remarks suddenly came to her mind, including when he had called himself “the man Tang Wanzhuang cannot obtain...”

It seems that he really meant it?

1. Wikipedia: ☜

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