The Demon Lords

Chapter 510 25 Is it a Coincidence_1

Zheng Fan picked up the object and studied it in detail. Surprise, surprise, once anything is taken to the extreme, it can indeed give off the vibe of a piece of art.

"AHH!"

The Empress Dowager of Jin State let out a surprised cry, nearly passing out from embarrassment. This time, there was no need for Zheng Fan to act; she buried her face in the blanket, not daring to look up.

"HEH HEH."

Zheng Fan chuckled.

He knew about this object.

Don't think that only people in modern times would play with such things. Ancient people also enjoyed them. After all, societal development and changes are only external conditions; basic human desires always remain.

This thing was called Mr. Jio, also known as "Mr. Guo." It had other aliases in different periods, for instance, "eastern Jing Affairs" and "Canton Affairs."

Similar to the Jinhua ham and Gaoyou Preserved Eggs from later periods, it had established quite a brand.

Plenty of such objects have been unearthed during archaeological excavations, most of them found in the tombs of eunuchs. Ordinary people were simply too embarrassed to bury these objects with them, whereas eunuchs, due to their lack, always held a deep "reverence" and "longing" for them.

Usually, they were made of porcelain, as wood degraded quickly when soaked for too long. Of course, if one's conditions were better, they could choose bronze, silver, or jade.

However, the Jin State's Empress Dowager had one that was even more luxurious: it was made of ivory!

"Empress Dowager, intimacy between men and women is a matter of human nature. There's nothing wrong with it. Please do not feel shy. Although I have offended you previously, I am not so base as to spread this matter. You can rest assured."

For some reason, the Empress Dowager's mood stabilized upon hearing this promise. Perhaps it was because Zheng Fan hadn't feigned anything earlier, which made her, in turn, believe his current pledge.

Zheng Fan chuckled for a moment, then placed the object back into its box and returned it to the secret compartment. He covered everything with the soft quilt again, ensuring it was well-hidden.

Then, he rose and walked to the table in front, picked up the teapot, and began to pour water—to wash his hands.

Hearing the sound of water, the Empress Dowager lifted her head and looked over. Seeing Zheng Fan washing his hands, it was hard to tell if her already crimson face had turned even redder, but a hint of anger flashed momentarily in her eyes.

This brute, he actually finds my... disgusting!

After washing his hands, Zheng Fan turned around and noticed the Empress Dowager's flushed face. She's actually quite attractive.

Perhaps it was because of Mr. Jio that the previous restraint between them had vanished. Zheng Fan began to speak, "Let me be frank with you. The Grand Temple and the royal treasury—I definitely have to get into those two places. I came here this time for wealth. As long as you behave and don't cause trouble, you and your son can go to Yanjing to enjoy a comfortable life. Hmm, and you can bring your ivory along."

The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, seemingly having completely let go of her inhibitions, and said directly, "The Grand Temple cannot be touched!"

"Aside from your ancestral shrine, where else in Jin State is there any spare wealth?"

"No matter what, the Grand Temple is not to be touched!"

"Your words don't count anymore. Be good, don't act on impulse."

"I... I still have some private coffers here."

"Don't bother with that little bit of pocket money of yours. I'll make the call; you can take it with you to Yanjing."

"Should I thank you for that, General Zheng?"

"As you wish."

Although this Empress Dowager of Jin wasn't as sensible as Princess Consort Fu, men just have that perverse streak. Those who offer themselves willingly aren't cherished, sometimes even met with a touch of reserve and 'self-respect.' Conversely, Chief Zheng actually found some interest in teasing this Empress Dowager type. Of course, even though Siniang had always talked about arranging a harem for him with princesses or empresses... but can a woman's words be believed? Zheng Fan still remembered when he was supplementing the later plot for the *Feng Siniang* comic, alone in his studio room, designing those scenes where Siniang tormented those unfaithful men in all sorts of cruel and inhumane ways. He vaguely remembered being quite excited back then. Thinking about it now... he was truly like a complete idiot.

"Let's stop our chat here. Besides, I can't really go out for the time being. Do you have anything to eat here?" Zheng Fan asked.

"Aren't you afraid I'll poison it?"

"You wouldn't bear to die," Zheng Fan said nonchalantly.

"I... I... I am the Empress Dowager of a nation! I..."

"Alright, you're not that old. Stop acting so old and dignified. Go, find me something to eat."

After a moment's hesitation, the Empress Dowager went over and brought back a fruit platter, which contained quite a few pastries and dried fruits.

After the items were placed before Zheng Fan, he merely picked up a pastry and toyed with it in his hand.

"Aren't you going to eat?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"I've lost my nerve."

"..." The Empress Dowager.

"By the way, how many years has it been since the late emperor passed away?"

"Over ten years."

"Oh, it really hasn't been easy for you, a widow with an orphaned son."

The Empress Dowager silently picked up a piece of pastry, put it in her mouth, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed.

Zheng Fan continued to play with the pastry in his hand, as if it were a toy rather than something to be eaten.

"General Zheng, I find you to be a very interesting person."

"Hmm? Are you interested in me?"

"You..."

"Don't be nervous, and don't be angry. Many unexpected things have certainly happened today. You should relax. After all, there will be many more similar incidents in the future. You'll have to get used to it."

"..." The Empress Dowager.

"Actually, your Jin State could have held on for quite a bit longer."

The Situ Family was preparing to deal with the wild people on Skybreak Mountain. The Yan people wouldn't have attacked the Situ Family at this time. Both sides would have tacitly divided Jin State's national destiny—good for you, good for me, good for everyone. Yet, Emperor Jin himself set off this chain reaction. In Zheng Fan's view, Lord Jingnan's objective in coming this time was merely to conveniently sweep away the capital city, which had little value left, and relocate Emperor Jin, the Empress Dowager, and close members of the Royal Family to Yanjing. In the future, Jin State would be cleanly divided between Yan State and the Situ Family. Lord Jingnan had no intention of using troops against the Situ Family at this juncture; otherwise, he would certainly have brought the main force of the Jingnan army from Li Tian City.

"My son's plan—I approved of it," the Empress Dowager stated.

"What use is your approval? A woman like you, who has spent most of her life in the palace, you might be adequate at palace intrigues. But when it comes to matters of military and state, what right do you have to meddle? Actually, if your son hadn't stirred up this mess, I might have come bearing gifts to pay my respects to you during festivals. I am the City Commander of Shengle City. You know of Shengle City, right?"

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, "Jin State... the most barren, impoverished, and destitute place."

"..." Zheng Fan.

After calming his emotions, Zheng Fan began to speak, "Originally, when your son was returning from Yanjing, I shared the road with him. We traveled together for many days. I was thinking of flattering your son a bit, getting acquainted, so it would be convenient for future cooperation and such. Who would have thought, your son didn't even deign to acknowledge me. My warm enthusiasm was met with his cold indifference."

SLAP!

A crisp sound echoed.

The Empress Dowager's face, which had just calmed, instantly turned red again. She looked at Zheng Fan in disbelief.

Zheng Fan, however, brought his palm before his face, gently rubbing his fingertips, and said, "Now we're even."

Just then, a commotion was heard outside; more cavalry had entered the palace.

"Alright, I have to get back to work. Thank you for your hospitality, Empress Dowager. We'll meet again if fate allows."

Zheng Fan rose, satisfied, and walked to the entrance of the bedchamber.

He saw Ren Juan, the Garrison Commander of Xinsu City. Ren Juan had not dismounted, and behind him followed a troop of knights, all drenched in blood.

"Your subordinate, Shengle City Commander Zheng Fan, greets General Ren!" Being in armor, he didn't need to kneel.

"Yu Huacheng is dead," Ren Juan said, his expression somewhat displeased.

Zheng Fan was momentarily stunned, then understood. It seems Liang Cheng and the others inherited my good fortune in snatching kills.

"Chief Zheng truly commands his subordinates well. This general is impressed."

"You flatter me, General. We are all fellow soldiers of the Jingnan Army."

With Li Fusheng, it was 'we are all from Beifeng Prefecture, our own people, very much our own people.' With Ren Juan, it was 'we all follow Lord Jingnan, also very much our own people.'

"Could it be that this general would be envious of your merits? The Lord is not here at the moment. This general came specifically to see, is the Empress Dowager of Jin inside?"

"Reporting to the General, she is inside, completely unharmed."

"Good. This general orders you to continue guarding the Empress Dowager of Jin and maintain the stability of this imperial palace. There must not be the slightest mishap."

"This subordinate obeys the order."

"Alright, this general still needs to lead men to the outskirts to rendezvous with the Lord."

"General, please proceed. I will handle things here."

"Mmh."

Ren Juan might have been trying to deliberately show some closeness, forcing a slight smile. The smile was very awkward and unnatural. Only then did Zheng Fan realize that the other party's sour face wasn't because Liang Cheng and his men had killed Yu Huacheng and he was jealous of Zheng Fan snatching military merit. Rather, this person naturally had that kind of 'resting hostile face.'

Ren Juan led his troops away, even assigning Zheng Fan an additional two hundred soldiers. This meant Zheng Fan now had five hundred cavalry to guard this bedchamber, or rather, the entire imperial palace of Jin State.

In the past, this would have been an absolute joke. However, now… consider this: with five hundred Jingnan Army cavalrymen at his disposal, Zheng Fan dared to charge a thousand regular Jin State cavalry. At present, in the capital city, forget a thousand regular cavalry; could they even scrape together a thousand organized troops, or even a thousand-strong rabble?

After stretching lazily, Zheng Fan walked back into the bedchamber.

Inside, the Empress Dowager of Jin was still seated in her chair, seemingly in a daze. Upon seeing Zheng Fan return, the Empress Dowager visibly shivered.

"Well, if it isn't the Empress Dowager? What a coincidence, fancy meeting you again."

"..." The Empress Dowager.