Great Dao Lord through Deducing Myriad Arts

Chapter 278: Chapter 230: Seal the Palace Gates, Plan Moved Ahead

Prince Jing’s Mansion.

As the most powerful man in Great Yan today, Yan Jun’s mansion was naturally the epitome of extravagance. It was so vast that it spanned three entire city blocks, earning it the nickname "the Little Imperial Palace" among the common folk.

At this moment, a banquet was underway in the heated pavilion behind Prince Jing’s Mansion.

The heated pavilion stood in the center of the rear garden, surrounded by a world draped in silver snow. A few plum trees were in full, glorious bloom.

Despite the bitter cold, the pavilion was as warm as spring. This was because a dense network of "Earth Fire Dragon" tunnels was laid beneath it, with charcoal fires burning day and night. The cost of this alone was a staggering sum.

A river of delicacies, both famous and obscure, was served. Because of the cold weather, dishes were left on the table for less than a quarter of an hour before being taken away and replaced with freshly cooked ones.

This ensured that every bite of food eaten was still hot.

As for how much manpower and resources this consumed, Yan Jun never gave it a thought, nor did he care.

To him, at this point, money was just a number.

As long as he was happy, any expense was worth it.

Those in attendance were all retainers supported by Yan Jun.

Prince Jing’s Mansion alone housed as many as a thousand such retainers. Some of them possessed genuine talent, but others were mere charlatans who got by on trickery and flattery.

But as long as they could make him happy, Yan Jun would reward them without a moment’s hesitation.

This moment was no exception. A retainer told a joke that made Yan Jun roar with laughter, and he was immediately rewarded with one hundred silver coins.

Watching the retainer gleefully lift the heavy money pouch, the others’ eyes turned red with envy. They then scrambled over each other to fawn over and flatter Yan Jun.

Yan Jun, beaming, savored the feeling of being adored. The wine cup in his hand never stopped moving as he drank cup after cup.

Just then, the man from the horse-drawn carriage walked into the heated pavilion, treading through the thick snow.

Upon seeing him, Yan Jun laughed heartily and slapped the seat beside him.

"Your timing is perfect. Come, sit. Have a couple of drinks with me."

The man, however, did not move. He only glanced at the retainers at the table.

Seeing this, Yan Jun waved his hand, and the retainers immediately withdrew.

Not only that, but even the serving maids and eunuchs retreated outside the pavilion, terrified of overhearing something they shouldn’t.

"What’s the situation?" Yan Jun asked coolly.

"The Emperor and the Empress Dowager both sent lavish gifts to Wu Liangchen. He rejected all of them."

"Oh? He rejected them?"

"Yes."

Yan Jun mulled it over for a moment, then sneered. "I really didn’t see this coming. This Wu Liangchen may have come from nothing more than a cart-puller, but his methods and vision are surprisingly grand."

The man said nothing.

"And then?" Yan Jun asked again.

"Then they sent everything to the Martial God Temple."

The man then recounted the events that had transpired in the Imperial Palace in great detail, so rich in specifics it was as if he had been there himself.

"Tsk, tsk. My dear cousin is truly living a hard life. He’s the Son of Heaven, yet he doesn’t even dare to burn the Earth Fire Dragon systems too much. He has to rely on a eunuch to bring him charcoal. How pitiful," Yan Jun remarked with a click of his tongue.

Then he looked at the man. "Is there anything else besides this?"

He knew that the man would only come to him in person for something truly important, and what he had just heard clearly wasn’t it.

The man was silent for a moment before saying slowly, "We just received news from the Huangpu Guard. About eight days ago, Prince Yu disappeared."

"What?" Yan Jun, who had been leaning back in his chair drinking with nonchalant confidence, shot to his feet. He didn’t even notice the wine that had spilled on his clothes. His eyes locked onto the man, his expression grave.

"What exactly happened? Didn’t I tell you to have people keep a close watch on him? How could he just disappear?"

"I did send enough men to watch Prince Yu, but the distance is just too great. Our manpower has its limits. Furthermore, he cozied up with Zhang Pengcheng, the commander of the Black Banner Camp in the Huangpu Guard. The two of them hit it off, and with the heavy protection of the Black Banner Camp’s soldiers, 24/7 surveillance was simply impossible."

Frowning, Yan Jun began to pace back and forth inside the heated pavilion, all traces of his earlier composure gone.

In his mind, Prince Yu, Yan Rui, was his one true enemy, his lifelong rival. Everyone else—the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, all of them—had to take a backseat. This showed just how much weight Prince Yu carried.

That was why the moment he heard the news of Prince Yu, Yan Rui’s, disappearance, he immediately grew tense.

"Have you sent men to search the city and its surroundings?"

"We’re already investigating, but I doubt we’ll have any results anytime soon."

"Then send more men, set up cordons, do whatever it takes! I don’t care what it costs, you will drag this Yan Rui out for me!" Yan Jun snarled, his face thick with killing intent.

It wasn’t that he had never thought of killing Yan Rui.

In fact, after Yan Rui was overthrown and placed under house arrest, he had tried all sorts of methods to have him assassinated.

Without exception, every attempt failed.

Although Yan Rui had fallen from power, the royalist faction’s influence remained. While they couldn’t compare to the Empress Dowager or Yan Jun himself, they were more than capable of protecting Prince Yu’s life.

Later, through various machinations, they even managed to secretly spirit Yan Rui out of the Imperial Capital.

By the time Yan Jun learned of it, it was too late to give chase. He could only send people to investigate secretly until Yan Rui reappeared in the Huangpu Guard, at which point he was put under surveillance.

But the Huangpu Guard was simply too far from the Imperial Capital. Even someone as powerful as Prince Jing couldn’t help but feel that his reach was too short.

Fortunately, although Yan Rui was now missing, it was obvious he had only one destination: the Imperial Capital.