Because he had already become a pariah both inside and out.

From the moment he met Xu Qing, he had no choice.

Primarily, it was because Duke Wei never expected Xu Qing could be so crafty.

He was indeed careless.

But hadn't he also intended to seize the opportunity to bind himself with Xu Qing?

Alas, if he had no such intention, he certainly wouldn't have gone to see Xu Qing.

One can only say...

...

...

At Xu Mansion.

The Duchess was chatting with Feng Wu, complaining endlessly about her own old matters. She praised Xu Qing enthusiastically.

Feng Wu chatted with the Duchess with a smile, easing the elder sister's worries.

In fact, the Duchess already knew that Wei Yuan, the little disciple of the Temple Master of Chaotian Temple, was her husband's illegitimate son.

And Feng Wu had a blood relation with the Temple Master.

Because the Temple Master was Feng Wu's mother's granduncle.

Thus, she was very worried that the Xu Family would support Wei Yuan to ascend, which would truly doom her precious son.

For this reason, she made a huge fuss, forcing the old fool to cooperate with Xu Qing, so that her foolish son could make a contribution, thereby securing the position of the Princely Heir.

As for harming other families in South Zhili,

among these people, nine out of ten were beasts, and they deserved death!

She, in any case, did not care at all.

As for bringing many troubles to Duke Wei, she did not care anymore.

If even her son couldn't be protected, what was the point of having the Duke Wei Mansion?

Feng Wu was very clear about the Duchess's demands, therefore subtly hinting to her, making guarantees.

But Wei Yuan always remained a card beneficial to the Xu Family.

Feng Wu could not entirely give it up.

With Wei Yuan around, the Duchess could not defy.

With much persuasion, the Duchess was sent away.

Xu Qing came out and said, "Ah Wu, it's really a hard day for you."

"It's all something I should do," Feng Wu smiled brightly.

Xu Qing shook his head, "I wasn't referring to this matter, but to the Xuanhu issue."

Feng Wu's gaze was startled, then she sighed, "You've found out already. It's not that I wanted to hide it from you, but seeing as there have been so many things happening recently, I didn't want you to worry even more. Once the external matters are more or less resolved, we can then..."

Xu Qing: "He's still a kid, keeping him tied up and not letting him out is definitely not a good thing."

It turned out, Xu Qing had exchanged the Heavenly Spirit Elder to get his own son back.

Initially, Feng Wu was very happy.

But over time, she realized something was wrong.

This child turned out to be a prodigy in cultivation.

At first glance, this seemed like a good thing.

However, this child was different from the usual prodigy; he actually self-validated and self-enlightened, developing a divine skill that devoured all things.

When Feng Wu discovered this, even a household servant was drained of essence qi and died on the spot.

With no other option, Feng Wu could only confine him with Dao Skill, waiting for Xu Qing to deal with major issues first before managing it.

"He is destined to be the fourth generation Black Mountain Demon. Each generation of Black Mountain Demon is an unparalleled genius. Each generation's divine skills are stronger than the last one. Even if the Black Mountain Demon of this generation doesn't take him away, he is doomed to walk the path of a Black Mountain Demon," Xu Qing sighed deeply.

If the current Black Mountain Demon was Xu Qing's biggest trouble now, then this child would be his future greatest trouble.

He also understood why the old Emperor returned the child to him so decisively.

Because only by the old Emperor's side, would the child be suppressed by the Dynasty Destiny and Emperor's Dragon Qi, unable to truly grow.

Once he left, it turned out as it is now.

However, the old Emperor underestimated him too much.

Since he brought the child back, Xu Qing had no intention of sending him back.

"Raising children is a matter for two people; how could I let you bear it alone. Rest assured, even if the sky were to fall, I would be there to shield you and our son. We'll face this together," Xu Qing reassured his wife.

Feng Wu couldn't help but burst into tears.

She always considered her husband a shrewd, self-interested person, logical and calm, but she didn't expect that in this matter, her husband would be so emotional.

"No more crying. We've been through so many hardships, and there's no obstacle we cannot overcome. Is the matter with the servant taken care of?"

"Yes, I feel really sorry for their family. I have already tried my best to compensate, but the dead cannot return to life," Feng Wu sighed gently.

They were people they saw every day, and suddenly dying at their son's hands was unbearable for anyone.

But this was all they could do.

They couldn't possibly have Xuanhu pay with his life.

She couldn't do it even if it meant her life.

Previously, she thought of the case of Lord Anhan of the previous dynasty, where his son killed a servant and he let his son pay with his life at the end.

Her husband was a sage of the present age, and if this matter got out, would he be morally blackmailed?

Feng Wu previously had doubts about this in her heart.

Xu Qing: "Don't let it weigh on your mind either. Your husband has dark hands and a darker heart, and has caused quite a few deaths. Just don't despise your husband for being a hypocritical and selfish person."

"I won't. If you are a great villain, I will be your wicked wife, and we will never part for all eternity."

Xu Qing gently laughed: "Then you must keep things interesting, you know, eternity can be quite dull."

Feng Wu spat lightly.

Though the couple had discussed the matter, the matter of the Xu Family Demon Child was ultimately not concealed.

Especially under Xu Qing's thunderous methods, many people harbored resentment, and with it being an ironclad fact, Xu Qing didn't bother silencing people.

There was nothing to silence.

Many families secretly laughed.

That Xu Gongming, who claims to act for the public good, has borne a demon child who harms his own servants.

If today he can kill a servant, tomorrow might he not kill his own, and the day after that...

In any case, let the world see for itself, Xu Gongming is not a good person either, and those of you who follow him will find no shared prosperity in the future.

...

...

Nonetheless, though Xu Qing utilized the Duke Wei Mansion to resolve temporarily the potential hidden hazards,

the army ultimately did not march.

Because the siege of the Capital had been lifted.

The outcome surprised everyone.

Prince Yu successfully defended the Capital, awaiting the border town armies to come to the monarch's aid.

Moreover, the Snowfield Living Buddha personally entered the Capital to help Prince Yu repel Grandmaster Murong.

In a short span of time, Prince Yu's reputation soared, closely following the renowned Emperor Jing from a century ago.

This was both detrimental and beneficial to Xu Qing.

The detriment was that Prince Yu gained great fame from this event, and the Northern opposed nobles and generals found their focal point.

Thus Xu Qing's faction, including General Yu, his father-in-law Feng Xifeng, and Master Wu, would find it increasingly difficult in the North.

The benefit was that the army was already assembled, and Xu Qing's army, by not heading North, could concentrate on sweeping through the South, fully deepening the reform.

Xu Qing's confidants gathered at the Xu Residence.

"The lifting of the siege of the Capital certainly has something fishy about it, it's a setup," Xie Quan hit the nail on the head.

"According to intelligence, there has long been a Lama from the Esoteric Sect by Prince Yu's side, assisting in forming secret service agencies like the Blood Drop Guards. It seems there were shocking deals behind this siege of the Capital...," Yan Shan supplemented.

The crowd debated spiritedly.

Clearly disbelieving that Prince Yu could guard the Capital by his own capabilities.

There had to be a major conspiracy within.

Xu Qing waved his hand, "Since we could uncover these messages, how much more would His Majesty know. What this setup is, maybe His Majesty is clearer than us."

"Gongming's meaning is..." Xie Quan shuddered with a chill.

He realized the essence of things.

It turned out that the old Emperor was using Prince Yu to trap them all.

The Snowfield Living Buddha, Grandmaster Murong, even the Black Mountain Demon behind Grandmaster Murong, were all lured out by Prince Yu, were they not?

What does the old Emperor want?

Indeed as vicious as a tiger eating its cubs.

Xie Quan understood very well that regardless of what the old Emperor aimed to accomplish, in this vortex, Prince Yu was doomed to be shattered with no escape.

Xu Qing: "Now the Northern opposition forces have surfaced entirely in this siege of the Capital, rallying around Prince Yu. Prince Yu is now riding a tiger without any way down."

This was another version of the Jingnan Rebellion.

Involving the Northern reactionary forces, Prince Yu had no other choice.

Yet, it was also a perfect opportunity to eradicate these reactionary forces completely.

The old Emperor was ruthless!

Using his own son to set a trap.

But he had too much confidence, thinking he could handle such chaos for real?

Or he indeed believed Xu Qing could handle it?

Xu Qing had now developed a higher estimation of the old Emperor's control over forces.

Undoubtedly, this was also a silent contest between the old Emperor and the Black Mountain Demon.

Xu Qing knew, regardless of who came out on top, there would be no place left for him in the end.

So it depended on who could have the last laugh.

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