Chapter 11630 — So the First Stop Is the Han Princely House, and by the Look of It They Have Already Been Absorbed into Its Ranks—Then Is the Second Stop the Son of Heaven's Palace? These Old Monsters Are Betting on the Zhou Son of Heaven—What Is That Supposed to Mean?

Han Niansan shook his head. "That I would not be so sure of. The old monsters do not necessarily see the new age in the same light. Laying down a wager is one way to play the game; holding up the falling sky is another; and there may well be other schemes besides. At any rate, let me give you one word of warning—whatever you do, do not go wandering about the present Son of Heaven's Palace. The waters there run very deep."

Wei Zhao tapped his fingers lightly on the table. This, at least, was an unexpected gain.

Just then, someone came in with a report.

Ren Xuande had arrived.

Ren Xuande came in hurried and harried. He had earlier declared his break with the Night Central Palace, but now that the palace's master had changed to Wei Zhao, he had been invited back.

After all, with an enterprise the size of the Night Central Palace, if it truly came down to Cheng Shuang'er alone—however capable she might be—she would spend a vast amount of time simply getting a grasp of its inner workings.

To have the counsel of an insider like Ren Xuande, who knew every root and branch of the place, was a stroke of fortune not to be passed up.

Ren Xuande did not hem and haw; he agreed on the spot.

Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback. "What is it, Brother Ren?"

Ren Xuande said gravely, "Miss Cheng has been detained in the Son of Heaven's Palace."

At those words, even Han Niansan, standing to one side, could not help but show astonishment.

No sooner had they spoken of it than it came to pass—they had just been saying that one must not wade into the murky waters of the Son of Heaven's Palace, and now someone had been caught fast in them.

Wei Zhao asked in amazement, "How did she come to go to the Son of Heaven's Palace?"

"Have you forgotten Miss Cheng's status?"

Ren Xuande reminded him, "She began her service as a palace maid in the Son of Heaven's Palace. Her person may have regained its freedom, but her records remain there. By the letter of procedure, Miss Cheng is, strictly speaking, still one of the Son of Heaven's Palace's own."

Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes.

Ren Xuande said solemnly, "I flatter myself that I have some eye for character. You need not worry about Miss Cheng's integrity—from first to last, you are the one she is loyal to."

"This time the Son of Heaven's Palace issued a sudden summons and called her into the palace; her thought was to seize the chance and settle the formalities once and for all."

"But a full day has passed now, and there has been no word of Miss Cheng at all. I fear something may have gone wrong."

At this, Wei Baizhan and the others rose to their feet one after another.

"What the hell is there to worry about? Let's just go take her back by force!"

Han Niansan had painted the Son of Heaven's Palace as unfathomable, but to men like these, just how much weight those old monsters truly carried was a question that could only be answered by fighting a battle first.

Wei Zhao shot them a glance, and at once they sat back down meekly, a whole pack of fierce, murderous fellows turning all at once into a nursery of well-behaved children.

Han Changshi and the others could not help but laugh and cry at the same time.

Han Niansan, for his part, grew all the more astonished.

With his keen eye, he could naturally see that Wei Baizhan and the others were no ordinary men. With their strength, they could carry themselves with proud defiance wherever they went—so why were they so utterly docile before Wei Zhao?

Every one of these people was at least a Venerable of the early Heaven Tier. However strong Wei Zhao might be, could he really be stronger than all of them combined?

Wei Zhao said calmly, "Tell me what you're thinking."

Ren Xuande's expression turned grave. "I made inquiries. Miss Cheng was this time summoned into the palace in the Queen's name. After she entered the Fengyi Hall, she never came out again."

"I believe someone has grown restless and means to use Miss Cheng as leverage."

"You are their true target."

Wei Zhao laughed. "You mean some of them want to lure me to the Fengyi Hall?"

Ren Xuande nodded. "We must guard against it."

Wei Zhao decided on the spot. "Since that is what they want, I will give them what they wish—I'll pay the Fengyi Hall a visit."

Han Niansan was taken aback. "No need to be so hot-headed, is there?"

He had only just managed to bind the Han Princely House to Wei Zhao. If Wei Zhao lost his head and delivered himself up to die, that would be downright laughable.

Han Niansan warned him again and again. "The waters of the Son of Heaven's palace run deep these days. If you go charging in recklessly, you may not be able to withdraw unscathed."

Wei Zhao said with meaning in his voice. "Has the senior ever heard of the little horse crossing the river? Whether the water is deep or shallow, one only knows once one has waded through it oneself."

"..."

Han Niansan was stunned for a long moment, then finally forced out, "Young people really are full of fire. Very well—since your mind is made up, this old man has no reason to stop you."

With that, he handed Wei Zhao a jade talisman.

"This is a summoning talisman I refined with my own hands. So long as you initiate the summon, I can descend to your side within three breaths."

"To be honest, I too am rather curious to test just how deep the waters of the Son of Heaven's palace really run."

Wei Zhao took the jade talisman and smiled. "It seems the senior had a young man's days too."

This declaration was hardly surprising.

Now that the two sides were bound together, by both sentiment and reason the other party would not simply let him come to harm—otherwise, aside from wasting all their efforts, they might well suffer a backlash.

Even so, Wei Zhao regarded him a shade more highly.

Whether it came from true sincerity or not, to make such a declaration was proof the man was worth cultivating ties with.

Wei Zhao turned to Wei Baizhan and the others and said, "You should return to the Yeyang Palace first."

Everyone was struck dumb at once.

Han Niansan was startled too. "You mean to walk into the Son of Heaven's palace alone?"

Truth be told, even with Wei Baizhan and the rest at his back, he would not have dared claim he could walk away unscathed. If Wei Zhao truly went in alone, and those old monsters inside took it into their heads to act, it would be no different from delivering a lamb into a tiger's jaws.

Wei Zhao nodded. "I want to try."

The Ten Great Sinners of Wei Baizhan's lot were formidable, to be sure, but this was the Son of Heaven's palace. The moment Wei Zhao showed up at its gates with men at his back, it would be tantamount to a declaration of war on the entire Inner Royal Court.

As things stood, Wei Zhao had no intention of taking that step.

What was more, if trouble did come, he alone could slip free at any moment, whereas dragging Wei Baizhan and the others along would only hobble him.

Ren Xuande, for his part, had a different worry. "You fear someone may seize the chance to stir up trouble?"

Wei Zhao clapped him on the shoulder. "The Night央 Palace is my base of operations. I'm leaving it in your hands."

The others exchanged glances, then answered in unison.

Wei Zhao set out at once for the Son of Heaven's palace.

Along the way, he made no effort to conceal his movements.

As a result, attention from every quarter was inevitable.

The great powers of the Inner Royal Court privately puzzled over Wei Zhao's intentions.

Given the scale of the uproar at the Night央 Palace, they had guessed Wei Zhao would not let the matter rest, but that his follow-up move would come so swiftly still caught them off guard.

For a time, some were elated and others dismayed.

These days, every move Wei Zhao made was liable at any moment to reshape the whole landscape of the Inner Royal Court.

The most panic-stricken of all was the Zhou Son of Heaven.