Chapter 61: You Have to Acknowledge Your Father

"Foster father..." Tian Ergeng began, then hesitated.

Wei Zhongxian stopped laughing. With a look akin to being high on drugs, he opened his eyes wide, revealing a large expanse of the whites, tilted his neck forward, and demanded, "What is it you want to say? In the capital, a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is dead! What is it you have to tell me?"

Tian Ergeng swallowed hard, the sound loud enough for those standing right beside him to hear clearly.

"Commander Xu's death, coupled with this token, has made your son realize something. This is all a conspiracy orchestrated by Prince Xin!"

"Guo Zhen is the Keeper of the Imperial Ceremonial Office, and the previous inspection of the treasure ships was handled by them. Now Commander Xu and Wang Lu have been assassinated simultaneously precisely because Commander Xu ordered Wang Lu to investigate Guo Zhen's case. It all makes sense now!"

The more Tian Ergeng spoke, the more fluent he became. "There were already countless doubts surrounding His Majesty falling into the water. Now your son has figured it all out. His Majesty has only one full brother. If His Majesty were to pass away, then ultimately..."

"Silence!" Wei Zhongxian roared, hurling the sphere in his hand straight at him.

Tian Ergeng instinctively wanted to block it with the bamboo hat in his hand, but for some reason, he stopped himself and took the blow full in the face, while the second sphere slammed into his chest.

Wang Lu witnessed the entire exchange.

"Since they were assassins, why would they bring a token with them, and why would they be so careless as to drop it here?"

Tian Ergeng opened his mouth, and after a moment, replied, "Perhaps because there were many night patrols in the city, and having the token made it easier for them to enter and leave Prince Xin's residence?"

Wei Zhongxian lowered his eyelids. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Keep a close eye on Prince Xin's residence for now. See who has been coming and going recently."

"You take charge of the Northern Guard Office. Tear Guo Zhen's estate apart, down to the last brick. Starting today, the entire city is under martial law!"

"Understood!" Tian Ergeng's face lit up with joy. He immediately cupped his fists and said, "Foster father, rest assured, I will not let a single fly flutter out of the capital!"

Then, Wei Zhongxian looked at Wang Lu. In a calm voice laced with a slight tremor, he asked, "What reward do you want?"

With an expression of utter mortification, Wang Lu replied, "Your humble subordinate failed to protect Commander Xu properly and deserves Commander Xian's punishment. How could I dare ask for a reward?!"

Wei Zhongxian waved his hand impatiently, as if swatting away a fly, and muttered, "His death was a result of his own lack of caution. You weren't part of his personal guard. Among all the chiliarchs in the capital, you were the quickest to respond, and now you've uncovered the problems at Guo Zhen's estate. You deserve a reward."

At this moment, Wei Yu's face was pale and her hair was damp, though she had already changed into a clean cloak that dragged along the ground.

Seeing Wang Lu refuse, she anxiously interrupted, "You saved my life, and that is your greatest merit! Previously, a certain chiliarch spent several hundred taels just to catch a glimpse of my uncle, yet now my uncle is offering you a reward and you won't even take it? Are you a fool?"

Whether he was a fool or not, Wang Lu felt he shouldn't be the one to say it—let others judge. But Wei Yu was certainly a bit simple-minded.

"Then may this subordinate speak?" Wang Lu looked at Wei Zhongxian.

With a knowing expression, Wei Zhongxian said, "Go ahead. A promotion, gold, anything goes. The only reason I've been able to sit securely in this position is because my rewards and punishments are strictly defined."

"This subordinate wishes for a pardon decree from the Ministry of Punishments."

Wei Zhongxian's shrewd gaze locked onto him instantly, and he asked in a chilling tone, "For whom?"

Sensing Wei Zhongxian murderous intent, Wei Ting's hand had already drifted to the hilt of his blade.

Ignoring all of this in the dim room, Wang Lu spoke up, "A beauty from the Office of Music Instruction."

The room fell silent. Everyone stared at Wang Lu, especially Shen Lian, whose face was a mask of sheer disbelief.

Wei Zhongxian scrutinized Wang Lu's face for a long time before finally saying, "Granted. But I don't want to hear any more bad news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Assist Commander Tian in overseeing the Northern Guard Office. If anything else goes wrong, you will go and keep Xu Xianchun company."

A look of joy crossed Wang Lu's face. He immediately cupped his fists and bowed his head. "Thank you, Superintendent!"

The light rain had washed the streets completely clean. Tian Ergeng, wearing his bamboo hat, stood at the doorway and looked at the chiliarch who stood even taller than himself. Unable to help himself, he remarked, "Who would've thought you were such a romantic at heart? But given how much foster father values you, you really shouldn't have asked for a pardon decree."

"Then what should this subordinate have asked for?" Wang Lu asked with a puzzled expression.

"You should have done what I did—acknowledge him as your foster father," Tian Ergeng said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "If you had acknowledged him, given your current status and capability, you might well climb higher in the future. At that point, we'd all be family, and when people give you opportunities, they can rest easy knowing where your loyalties lie, right?"

"Ah! I truly am dim-witted. Is it still possible for me to go back inside and change my request?" Wang Lu asked.

"That's definitely out of the question. You'll have to wait for the next chance. But the next time won't necessarily bring such a good opportunity. You should understand in your heart that if you hadn't saved Grand Eunuch Wei's own nephew, your fault today would actually outweigh your merit."

"Understood! This subordinate will escort the Commander back."

After eight years in the service, what was there left not to understand?

Once Tian Ergeng was settled inside his carriage, Wang Lu mounted his horse and followed right behind the convoy. Tian Ergeng did not object.

Xu Xianchun had died just like that. To say there was no lingering sense of shared sorrow would be a lie.

The death of a stranger, the death of an enemy, and the death of someone you saw regularly—the feelings elicited by each were entirely different.

The fine drizzle pelted Wang Lu, and the droplets rolling off the brim of his bamboo hat continuously soaked into his shoulders.

As the horse's hooves pressed forward, Wang Lu rocked gently up and down in the saddle. Yet, shifting his focus inward, his mind turned to the quests that had been triggered after his encounter with Wei Zhongxian.

[Current World: Brotherhood of Blades (Integrated)]

[Identity Information: Wang Lu, Chiliarch of the Northern Guard Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard]

[Main Quest 1: Game of Thrones (Available for settlement)]

[Quest Reward (Special): Determined by the ultimate degree of power mastered]

[Main Quest 2: Jinchiyi Jinchuriki (Available for settlement)]

[Quest Reward (Special): Determined by the quantity and importance of spies captured or killed, directly or indirectly]

[Side Quest 1 (Available for settlement): Settling Karma]

[Quest Reward: Deduction Points 2~10 (5)]

[Side Quest 2 (Triggered): Prince Xin Without Trust?]

[Quest Description: You have chosen to remain detached from the factions of both Wei Zhongxian and Prince Xin, thus rendering you unable to choose the option of helping Prince Xin ascend the throne. Disrupt Prince Xin's ascension.]

[Quest Reward: Deduction Points * 30]

[Side Quest 3 (Triggered): Neither Loyal nor Virtuous]

[Quest Description: You have chosen to remain detached from the factions of both Wei Zhongxian and Prince Xin, thus rendering you unable to choose the option of helping Wei Zhongxian control the imperial court. Wei Zhongxian is currently steeped in evil; killing him and thereby changing your stance seems like an excellent choice.]

[Quest Reward: Deduction Points * 15]

[Side Quest 4 (Triggered): Wei Ting?]

[Quest Description: Subdue or kill Wei Ting]

[Quest Reward: Deduction Point * 1]

[Current Deduction Points: 10]

[Current Martial Art: Xinyu Saber Technique (Realm of Perfection)]

Wang Lu withdrew his gaze, feeling slightly exasperated.

The quests related to Prince Xin and Wei Zhongxian were understandable. Preventing Prince Xin from taking the throne was indeed far more difficult than dealing with Wei Zhongxian, given that Prince Xin was backed by the Six Ministries, the Three Judicial Offices, and the Twenty-Four Yamas mentioned by Lu Wenzhao.

Still, giving a mere single deduction point for Wei Ting felt a bit excessive, didn't it?