Chapter 6: The Poisonous and Fiery Deer Cauldron

  Wang Guanlan smiled, with a hint of coldness in his smile. "Seventh Lady, I am indeed an educated person, which is why I dare to speak to you like this. You are my elder, but it's laughable. In the Wang Manor, only Fourth Grandfather and the other elders of the clan, as well as Father, the Queen, the three consorts, and my mother have the qualifications to be my elders. How can you be my elder? Did I not know that you, Fourteenth Lady, had become one of Father's three consorts? Or do you think you have the qualifications to stand alongside the First Lady and the three consorts?"

  These words are so venomous!!!!!

  Wang Xiāntáng's eyebrows furrowed, and his gaze at Wang Guānlán was filled with a few more parts of apprehension.

  In the Qi dynasty, except for the emperor who could have three palaces, six courtyards and 72 consorts, all others, even princes like Wang Bizheng, could only have one main wife, three secondary wives, and the rest were concubines. The status of concubines in the Qi law was not recognized at all. In short, the status of concubines was mainly determined by two factors: one was the degree of favor from their husbands, and the other was the status of their children.

  If the husband's favoritism is strong enough, it's not uncommon for him to abandon his wife and favor his concubine. However, this way of serving with one's body won't last long. Of course, legendary true love can be an exception. ??霸天武圣6

  For a concubine, the most important thing is the status of her children, which will also be their future reliance and ultimate reliance. Therefore, in large clans and wealthy families, the struggles between wives and concubines are often centered around their children. In order to gain a higher position for their own children within the household, obtain more resources, and even have their children achieve recognition from the imperial court in both literary and martial arts, they would have the opportunity to receive an official title from the imperial court. This way, even if their status within the household cannot compare to that of the first wife and three secondary wives, it is still much higher than that of ordinary concubines, and there may even be opportunities to sit on an equal footing with those four female masters of the household.

  This is what these concubines value most!

  But before that, their status was really not high, and they didn't even have the status of their children, at least in terms of the Qi laws. Although it has always been difficult for even the most aristocratic families to strictly follow the Qi laws, now that Wang Guanlan has brought up this point, no one can refute it, especially with Wang Xiantang present, who is a scholar and familiar with the Great Qi Laws. He didn't say anything, so naturally no one else dared to speak either. Only Wang Guanchao's face turned purple with rage. "Wang Guanlan, you're asking for death!!"

  No matter who it is, being told such things about one's own mother in front of others is unbearable.

  So Wang Guanchao angrily shouted, and suddenly took a step forward, directly charging towards Wang Guanlan. He was in the middle of the second layer of Lianqi, far stronger than Wang Guanlan. It could be said that with just one punch, he could cripple Wang Guanlan.

  Bang!!

  Wang Guanchao's body suddenly jerked to a halt, and an even more powerful force appeared out of thin air, sending his running form flying backward, retreating four or five steps before finally coming to a stop with his back against the pillar.

  "That's enough, what a racket! Wang Xiantang retreated from Wang Guantao, his face gloomy as he swept the crowd with a glance. Finally, he fixed his gaze on Wang Cheng, "Since Wang Guanlan said it was you who pushed him into the pond, come with me to the ancestral mansion for a visit!"

  Huh?!

  King Wang never thought it would end up like this anyway.

  As soon as Wang Xiantang spoke, his legs immediately softened, what kind of place is the Zong Fu?

  The Wangfu Temple, in Ningwangfu, is a legendary place, why is it a legend?

  Because the people who entered the mansion, especially the lower ones, had never heard of anyone coming out before, now Wang Xiantang actually wants to take himself to the mansion. This makes him feel unbearable. Originally, he just wanted to tidy up Wang Guanlan properly, but how did he end up getting tidied into the mansion?

  Under Wang Xiantang's gaze, he almost collapsed instantly.

  "It wasn't me, I didn't do it, it was Shiyi Shao who did it, it was Shiyi Shao who pushed him down!!!"

  "Shut up, you damned rascal!!!"

  In the gentle breeze of early spring, there was still a hint of the biting cold of winter days, blowing through the courtyard with a chill. No one expected Wang Quan to suddenly say something like that, and the cold spring wind in Baihua Garden instantly turned icy.

  Wang Xiandao and two others looked gloomy, staring at Wang Cheng who was being held by the soldiers of the Zong Mansion, without saying a word.

  Wang Guanchao and his mother looked at Wang Quan, their eyes filled with murderous intent, and after scolding him, they also didn't speak. ??Ba Tian Wu Sheng 6

  Wang Guantao's face was strange, he looked at Wang Guanlan and then at Wang Cheng, with a bitter smile on his face, but didn't say anything.

  As for others, they all stood there like cicadas in winter, not one of them dared to make a sound.

  "Take him away!" Wang Xiantang's face was gloomy, and he waved his hand. Before Wang Cheng could say anything else, a piece of rag suddenly appeared in his mouth, rendering him speechless.

  Wang Xiandang waved his hand, signaling the soldiers of the Zong Mansion to take people away. He then glared fiercely at Wang Guanchao and his mother, saying nothing more, before turning around and leaving with Wang Xianmin.

  Wang Guanlan smiled and knew that Wang Xiandang's mood was not good at the moment. He nodded to Wang Guantao, who still looked strange and stunned, and left Baihualou with a smile. The farce ended like this, but the impact it brought to the entire Ningwangfu was not so simple.

  …………

  …………

  The night was deep and dark, with twinkling stars in the sky. Occasionally, through the thick black clouds, starlight would sprinkle down, dotting the heavy darkness with a hint of faint light.

  Just after a light rain, the entire Nanhua City was filled with thick water vapor in the air.

  Nanhua City is the center of the three southwestern states because this is where the Ning Wang Fu is located.

  After several generations of operation, Ning Wangfu occupies a vast area, and has already included one-third of Nanhuacheng.

  "I heard I have a son who has come of age?!"

  In the most authoritative building in the Ning Wang Fu, a middle-aged man wearing a dragon robe and a purple gold crown was leaning lazily on a golden throne, his eyes opening and closing, emitting a faint, eerie purple glow. "Eighth Uncle, what do you think of that little guy?!"

  "If he can make progress, try to let him enter the imperial court as an official!" Wang Xiandang stood quietly beside the throne in a coarse linen blue robe and calmly said, "His vision is not bad, his grasp of the overall situation is accurate, and his courage is not small, but his strength is slightly inferior!"

  "It's okay if he's a bit weak, we can just assign him more guards!" The middle-aged man waved his hand and said, "What Eighth Uncle means is that this kid has potential!"

  "Not bad!"

  "Ah, good!" The middle-aged man nodded, "Swimming!"

  "Here comes the dwarf!"

  At the sound of the man's call, a tall and slender young man walked in from outside the door, "Your Highness, what are your orders?!"

  "Go to the Silver Birch Garden and tell Seventh Young Mistress that this is a trouble caused by her mother and son. Although there's already a scapegoat, I don't want to pursue it too far, but the rules of the manor can't be broken so easily. Since they've suffered injustice, they must receive sufficient compensation!"

  "Yes, Your Highness!" The young man named Yong'er bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

  "Seventh Aunt was from a merchant family, compensating Wang Guanlan and her son wouldn't be a problem. You're being too lenient with the punishment!" - Overlord of the Martial Arts 6

  "Uncle Ba, this is just a small matter, we're just casually discussing it here, did you really come here today just for this?"

  "Of course not," said Wang Xiantang, "I came here because of Lu Ding's matter!"

  "Lu Ding?! Haha, it's indeed reached Eighth Uncle's ears! " Upon hearing Wang Xiantang mention the two words "Lu Ding", a look of "I knew it" appeared on Wang Bicheng's face. "What, Eighth Uncle is interested in this thing?!"

  "Top-grade Taoist instrument, who wouldn't want it?!"

  "Not bad, a top-grade Taoist treasure actually appeared in Dianzhou, it's really a huge temptation!!"

  "When Qin loses its deer, the whole world will pursue it together!" Wang Xiandang muttered to himself, a faint flush appearing on his face, "If only I could get the Deer Cauldron..."

  "If we were to obtain the Deer Cauldron, then the Ning Wang Fu would not be far from its day of destruction!"

  "Is that so? Hmm? What?! King Wang subconsciously responded with a sound, then reacted, "King's meaning is——!"

  "Treasures, top-grade treasures, looking at the entire Great Qi, even if it's a royal family, they only have one low-grade treasure to suppress their aura. If our Ning Wang Fu were to obtain a top-grade treasure, do you think we would be able to withstand the forces of all parties in the world?"

  Wang Xiantang was stunned. The Great Qi imperial family had a low-grade Daoist artifact, which was also the reason why they were recognized as the overlord of all parties due to the suppression of their aura. As for the Ning Wangfu, although it was also a powerful force in the Great Qi dynasty and held a royal title, there were too many powers that could rival them in the world. How could they possibly obtain a top-grade Daoist artifact?

  "Can't just leave it like this?!"

  "The greatest treasure under heaven, only those with virtue can possess it. This thing is a calamity for the Ning Wang Fu, if it appeared elsewhere, I wouldn't even give it a glance. But now that it has appeared in Dian Zhou, the Ning Wang Fu will be dragged into it even if they don't intervene!"

  "If the prince really doesn't want to intervene, then we shouldn't have made our attitude clear from the start!"

  "There's nothing easy about it!" Wang Bizheng said helplessly. "This is too much, and it will only lead people to misunderstand that we have other intentions!"

  "Ah......!"

  "Let Wang Bi bring half of the masters from the prefecture to participate in this competition. If necessary, we can mobilize some of the family's Taoist soldiers. You should know that the Five Poison Secret Realm is not just about Lu Dingzi. From tomorrow on, strengthen the defense forces of the three provinces of Dian, Qian and Li. Robbery is robbery, but on my turf, you'd better behave yourselves and don't cause any trouble!" Wang Bi Cheng said with his eyes closed, speaking calmly.

  "Starting now is a bit too early, isn't it? The Five Poison Secret Realm won't open for another three years!"

  "There are still three years, but this time is special!"

  "I understand!" Wang Xiantang nodded his head. He was also a seasoned person, and in just a few words, he understood the meaning of Wang Bicheng.

  The ultimate treasure is a good thing, but the Ning Wang Fu does not have the qualifications to own this ultimate treasure now. If the Ning Wang Fu really gets this ultimate treasure, it's like an 8 or 9-year-old child holding a large gold ingot and walking in a bustling street, with no ability to protect it at all, and will inevitably be robbed, and those who rob the gold ingot will also kill the child by the way.

  An innocent man is not guilty, but he who holds a jade symbol of office will be blamed!

  However, if one remains unmoved by this extraordinary Taoist instrument and does not participate in the entire process, then, if that extraordinary Taoist instrument goes missing, as the ruler of Dianzhou, one will inevitably be suspected.

  In that case, the best option is to participate in the contention, appropriately show some strength and determination, make some preparations in advance, but ultimately fail to contend, so that everyone knows that things have not fallen into the hands of Ning Wangfu, this is the best outcome.

  As for who the last thing belongs to, it has nothing to do with Ning Wangfu anymore. Moreover, what Wang Bicheng said is right, isn't there only Lu Ding in the Five Poisons Secret Realm?

  "I'll go and take care of it right away, but I'm sure there will be different opinions about this matter within the government!"

  "Don't mind him, just convey my intention to Bichuan and that's it. Others don't need to know, nor should you care what they think or do, they're not capable of contending for the top spot!"