Chapter 72

 Things went even more smoothly than Ye Zheng had anticipated.

After returning to the upper district, she did not face any questioning. The imperial family was busy hunting down Sela. Every extra day Sela remained at large was another day the imperial family’s face was trampled underfoot. Meanwhile, the church was frantically dealing with the sudden outbreak of public opinion.

This time it was not only the Pope’s personal reputation that had fallen into crisis. The entire church had been implicated.

One of the church’s important sources of income in recent years was issuing Peace Coupons to the citizens. In these years, as aberrant realms grew increasingly rampant, people desperately longed for miracles to appear again. Wen Jian took advantage of the public’s fear and claimed that the Peace Coupons were personally blessed by him through prayers to the God of Hope. After receiving divine permission, they were infused with the power of the Dragon Bone. Carrying a Peace Coupon could deter monsters from aberrant realms and represented the protection of the gods.

When they were first issued, the church deliberately arranged for some people to promote them, both commoners and nobles, so it seemed as though the Peace Coupons were extremely effective and useful. Commoners carrying them could stay far from aberrant realm threats, while nobles carrying them could enhance their luck.

But as the Saintess of the church, Ye Zheng knew very clearly that they were just ordinary pieces of paper. There was not a trace of Dragon Bone power infused into them.

A single Peace Coupon was not too expensive. Lower district residents could still grit their teeth and buy one or two each month.

Nobles bought them even more casually. The people in the upper district might not truly believe in the Peace Coupons, but this was an excellent way to bribe the church and the Pope. So those with intentions in the upper district purchased them in large quantities. When the lower district citizens heard that the nobles were so enthusiastic, they became even more convinced of the coupons’ power.

That was the cunning part of Wen Jian.

When people were lucky, they would thank themselves for buying the Peace Coupon and attribute their smooth and safe period to it. When they were unlucky, they could not blame the coupon either. After all, it was not very expensive. How could one expect it to have perfect effectiveness?

Ye Zheng tore the coupon in her hand. The portrait printed on it immediately split in two, tearing apart the man’s gentle smile on the paper.

She flicked it away carelessly. The torn pieces fell to the ground and were lightly stepped on by her.

Wen Jian had been too greedy. If he had not used his own portrait as the mark of the Peace Coupon back then, the lower district would not now be filled with shreds of these coupons everywhere.

Who would believe that such a cruel and hypocritical man could bring anyone protection?

Ye Zheng walked out of the room and stepped into the corridor. Right in front of her, she ran into Ye Di.

The boy showed her a deliberately crafted smile, walked over, and put his arm around her shoulders. Pretending to be flawless in his concern, he said, “Sister, I heard about what happened with the church. You must feel really bad right now, don’t you? Originally, with the favor of the Crown Prince and Father, plus your status as Saintess, no noble young lady could compare to your glory. Now, sigh, it’s all because of that whatever Sela!”

Sela had now thoroughly become a celebrity across the empire. Originally she was a thug feared by everyone, wantonly slaughtering nobles, provoking the imperial family, and controlling the prince. But now, because of the execution incident, different voices had begun to appear toward Sela in the lower district.

Ye Zheng unobtrusively brushed off Ye Di’s hand and smiled as she said, “Don’t worry. My mood is actually quite good right now.”

Ye Di put on an expression that said you must be forcing yourself to hold it together, carrying condescending pity and not very well hidden glee.

He comforted her, “Alright, I won’t bring up your sad matters anymore. I’ll be going to work under the Crown Prince soon. Even if the church declines, it won’t affect our Ye family.”

“Then Little Di, you have to work hard. As long as you carry a devout heart and work diligently, whether in the church or the imperial family, you will get the results you want.”

Ye Zheng still wore the appearance of a good-tempered older sister. While speaking, she reached out to straighten Ye Di’s loose tie for him, her tone earnest and caring.

Suddenly her hand tightened. Ye Di felt as though his neck was almost strangled by the tie. He suffocated for an instant and was just about to curse out loud when Ye Zheng blocked his words with a gentle tone.

“The Crown Prince does not like people who dress sloppily. He probably also does not like others dressing that way in front of him. Every single detail before him must be meticulous and flawless, otherwise…”

Listening to his sister’s words, Ye Di almost held his breath. All at once he recalled the rumors about the Crown Prince’s brutality and fell into not so pleasant imaginings about his future.

“Otherwise, the Crown Prince might very well expel you. So from today onward, adjust your state properly.”

Ye Zheng suddenly let out a light laugh.

“Look at how worried you are. Did you think the Crown Prince would casually kill you?”

It was not entirely impossible, but seeing Ye Di’s relieved expression, Ye Zheng decided not to shatter his expectations for the future.

Ye Zheng quickly tied a dead knot with her fingers. Ye Di let out a short “urgh,” like a fish suddenly thrown onto shore and deprived of breath. She looked with satisfaction at her brother, whose neck was now tightly constricted. The usually frivolous boy finally could not smile anymore.

Ye Fanjing, who had come downstairs at some point without anyone noticing, looked at the scene of brotherly and sisterly affection before him and showed an expression of relief and contentment.

“Ye Zheng, rest well these next few days. If there’s anything, just take leave. My daughter has suffered such hardship. Even the Pope cannot order you to continue working.”

Ye Fanjing’s expression was solemn. His words carried a rare sense of protectiveness, making him appear every bit the concerned father.

“Mm, the Crown Prince is looking for me. He probably wants to ask for more details about what happened in the aberrant realm.”

“Ah, I see. That is good. The Crown Prince has suffered such a fright recently. We really should show some consideration and cooperate with the investigation.”

Ye Fanjing lowered his head slightly. A trace of embarrassment passed over his otherwise serious expression.

Ye Zheng lowered her gaze a little, concealing the faint smile that appeared in her eyes. She tactfully moved past the awkward topic and brought up something her father had recently been proud of. “I heard that the empire is about to establish a special agency responsible for coordinating efforts against high-risk aberrant realms. It will have command authority over both the imperial family’s and the church’s knight orders.”

When this was mentioned, Ye Fanjing raised his head slightly higher. His smile became more natural. “Yes, this is a clear sign of a major reshuffle of power in the upper district. Real military authority.”

The recent blood-colored aberrant realm incident had not only claimed the lives of several noble heirs but had nearly killed the Crown Prince as well. The culprit remained at large. Both the imperial family and the Pope had their faces thoroughly trampled. The emperor was furious and had dismissed multiple relevant officials in succession. Even the knight order captains had been removed from their positions.

Ye Fanjing had finally waited for the opportunity he wanted. He could already see that the emperor was not acting purely out of anger. The emperor also intended to weaken those great noble families. Right now, did the emperor not need someone like him, capable, with suitable status and position?

He looked at his daughter’s gentle and approachable face. He still remembered what she had once said: she would help her father and younger brother reach even higher positions.

Originally, Ye Fanjing had felt some resentment toward Ye Zheng. If she had not provoked the thug in that square, the Pope would not have fallen into his current predicament. Now that the Pope had no time to deal with it, when he regained his composure, he might very well punish this troublemaking Saintess. At that point, the entire Ye family could be implicated.

But looking at it now, this might not be a bad thing at all.

The public opinion this time had fermented uncontrollably. It was said that commoners were brazenly waving Peace Coupons printed with the Pope’s portrait in front of church doors, demanding explanations. Was it possible that the imperial family had not secretly fanned the flames?

Now the church showed signs of decline. Meanwhile, Ye Zheng had earned merit by saving the Crown Prince in the aberrant realm. She had also invisibly helped push forward the imperial family’s actions to weaken the church. It was said that His Highness the Crown Prince now regarded her with different eyes. At this critical moment, she could absolutely make the imperial family take notice of the Ye family’s existence.

“Little Di, your sister has not yet fully recovered. Come and escort your sister to the palace. Take good care of her. Remember to greet the Crown Prince properly.”

Ye Di was still fiddling with the tie that was choking him. Suddenly pushed by his father, he almost could not catch his breath.

He had originally heard that the school was recruiting for the Crown Prince’s personal guard team and had wanted to try out. But after hearing Ye Zheng mention how difficult the Crown Prince was to serve today, he had immediately given up the idea. He had absolutely no desire to face someone even more spoiled than himself.

“I’m not going. What is wrong with her health? She looks perfectly fine to me, ah!”

Ye Fanjing glared and slapped his son across the face, completely stunning Ye Di.

He looked at his son with disappointment. Although Ye Di’s talent was higher than Ye Zheng’s, his mind remained childish and immature. If this continued, even if he paved the way for this foolish son, the boy would only end up being manipulated on the field of fame and fortune.

Ye Di covered his face in disbelief and looked at his father with disappointment. Why would Father hit him for Ye Zheng’s sake? Was he not Father’s favorite child?

Ye Zheng silently watched this father and son drama unfold. She found it utterly ridiculous inside, yet she could not laugh. It made her feel somewhat stifled.

After the two of them cycled through complex emotions, disappointment, sorrow, expectation, and more, in their gazes, Ye Zheng finally stepped forward to ease the atmosphere. “Ye Di, accompany me on the trip. You can just see me to the palace gates. His Highness the Crown Prince might not wish to meet others anyway.”

“Father, rest assured. I have already prepared a gift to greet His Highness. I believe he will be satisfied with the Ye family’s courtesy.”

Ye Fanjing looked at his sensible and well-mannered daughter. The anger toward his useless son dissipated somewhat. In the end, Ye Di still had a good older sister.

Although he occasionally felt a prick in his heart at his daughter’s excessive cleverness, Ye Zheng was ultimately a member of the Ye family. Even if she later left her Saintess position and married, the Ye family would remain her greatest support. What reason would she have not to uplift her family?

With this thought, Ye Fanjing watched the backs of the departing siblings with a relieved smile. He turned and returned to his study to continue pondering the complicated recent situation in the upper district.

Outside the main gate, Ye Zheng lifted her long hair and got into the car. Ye Di followed reluctantly and sat down beside her.

The car started slowly. Ye Zheng looked at the faint reflection in the car window. Ye Di was tilting his head, seemingly still immersed in the sadness of his father hitting him.

As they expected, as a member of the Ye family, she would of course help them climb higher.

After all, directly monitoring the imperial family and the Crown Prince was difficult. But monitoring Ye Fanjing and Ye Di was simple.

The events of these past days had suddenly given Ye Zheng many more cards in her hand. She needed to carefully consider and play each one for the best possible effect.

This time, the church’s Saintess had risked entering the aberrant realm to save the Crown Prince, only to be captured by a vicious thug and nearly executed in front of everyone. Now she might even face the Pope’s wrath.

With such misery, Sykes owed her an enormous debt of gratitude. She needed to remind him to be a person who knew how to repay kindness, even if Sykes himself did not understand, the people around him would understand reason.

Judging by the speed at which public opinion had fermented this time, the imperial family seemed rather dissatisfied with Wen Jian remaining as Pope.

However, they probably had no complaints about her, this considerate Saintess.