Just as Ren Jie and the others left and entered the Ren family abode, the incidents at the entrance spread like wildfire to the various influential organizations within the Jade Capital. They all had varying reactions. Those who were in organizations that belonged to the Ren family began feeling uneasy. Many had even hurried to the Ren family abode in secret or sent someone to inquire about what had happened.
The Ren family was an enormous tree, and they were like the leaves on the tree. It was only natural that they were concerned about the changes happening to the roots of the tree.
There were also some people who were extremely happy. One of them was the emperor, who did not manage to have an imperial meal with the family heads of the other four family clans in the imperial palace but instead ate individually with some ministers who were firm followers of his. He was in a great mood and had specially brought nice wine that was secretly stored within the palace to reward the ministers.
The emperor himself drank happily. The few ministers who did not know about the situation had thought that the emperor was happy about the upcoming Empress Dowager's birthday celebration.
In the Gao family abode, Gao Peng's private courtyard was serene and elegant. It had a pleasant environment. Although it was not decorated extravagantly, it emitted sheer magnificence. Gao Peng had decorated the place himself.
"Great. This is great. Fight on. It would be best if they had fought each other. This little rascal has definitely gone mad. He created a ruckus in the imperial palace and thoroughly fell out with us and the Fang family clan. After he returned home, he also fell out with the elders in his own family clan. He is still not of age yet. Those elders will definitely not allow him to regain control over the family clan that easily. There's going to be more drama for us to watch." When Gao Zhanyuan received firsthand information about the incident that happened at the entrance of the Ren family abode, he felt incredibly satisfied and felt that his anger had been vented.
Just then, Gao Peng walked out of his room. He had tended his injuries, consumed his medicines and was back to his usual nonchalant self.
When Gao Peng walked out, he saw that his father had something to say to him. Before Gao Zhanyuan could say anything, he said, "I have already heard everything just now. It looks like troubles will soon stir in the peaceful Jade Capital."
"It would be best for us if the Ren family has some disputes internally. All the four other family clans in the Jade Capital would love to see that happen. The Ren family grew too powerful in the recent twenty years. Their power has reached the stage that threatens all the other four family clans and disturbs our sleep." Although Gao Zhanyuan was not very talented, he had years of experience being the family head and could thus look at the bigger picture.
The uncontrollable tears in the Five Clans Hall and the anger and insanity at the entrance of the imperial palace had all disappeared without a trace.
"Humph!" Gao Peng snorted. "When one is at the pinnacle of power, he is bound to suffer a fall. Without Ren Tianxing, the Ren family is in a state of disunity, just like a sheet of loose sand. However powerful they may be, they are of no threat anymore. Those elders within the Ren family are negligible. No matter if Ren Jie has really gone insane and acted recklessly due to that blow to his head, or if he truly wants to fight for power, the upcoming show will definitely be interesting. Ren Tianheng and Ren Tianqi are the two persons within the Ren family that truly possess military power. They have left together with their families after Ren Jie succeeded in the family head position. What they did is worth deliberating about. They are each managing their own organizations. If Ren Jie is obedient and remains the puppet family head that he was, the Rens may be able to sustain this situation for a longer time period. However, if he continues causing trouble, it will not be long before the entire Ren family collapses."
"In reality, the fate of the Ren family has already been destined ever since Ren Tianxing's disappearance, and when he reappeared to force the entire family clan to hand the family head position over to Ren Jie." Gao Zhanyuan stood up and looked at Gao Peng, who seemed to have returned to his normal self and looked extremely nonchalant and calm. He said to him, "The emperor, the Fang family, the Wen family, us and even some other organizations have been waiting for that day to arrive. At this point in time, we cannot utilize external force to provoke the Ren family, or that will help to unite them together. The more singing and dancing there is outside, the more it will benefit us. It's apparent that the emperor knows this too. That explains why he made an exception and allowed the three elders in the Ren family to attend the imperial feast. The other big aristocratic families have conceded some benefits to them as well to stir trouble within the Ren family. We originally thought that this plan would take years and would only be executed after Ren Jie was of age. It looks like we do not need to wait that long anymore."
Gao Peng smiled at this. He smiled in a relaxed and nonchalant manner. He was mindful that the reason why Gao Zhanyuan said that was to persuade him carefully and cautiously so he would not get revenge on Ren Jie after the humiliating incident that happened today. That would destruct the situation that everyone was trying to maintain.
"Do not worry. If I cannot even endure such humiliation, how am I going to achieve big things in the future? How do I go against inhuman talents such as Lan Tian? The disagreements within the Ren family are intensifying. Why will I help them at this point in time? I had indeed wanted to murder Ren Jie then…" When Gao Peng mentioned the incident, he touched his broken teeth. Although they would grow back in no time given his cultivation stage and with the help of elixirs, he would never forget what happened.
"However, I thought afterward that doing so was not satisfying enough. Lan Tian is way more brutal when it comes to handling such things. I want Ren Jie to be alive. Killing him only takes a moment. I want him to be alive to watch himself lose everything that he has, lose all his authority and become the most abject slave. I want him to witness my rise and watch me stand at the very peak." As he spoke, Gao Peng displayed an extremely relaxed and delighted expression. He continued, "That will be much more wonderful than killing him. The vice chief of staff. With the emperor's assistance, I believe that in no time, the Gao family will become the second strongest family clan again, ranking only below the imperial family."
When Gao Zhanyuan heard what Gao Peng said, he let out a breath. He was extremely cautious around Gao Peng. If Gao Peng had insisted on planning his revenge, Gao Zhanyuan had originally planned on inviting Grandmaster Gao out of his secluded cultivation. Grandmaster Gao was the only person within the Gao family who could truly control and influence Gao Peng.
After all, he was the person who discovered that Ren Tianxing was not within the Ren family and noticed that problems had arisen within the Ren family then. He had also devised the plan to reduce external pressure exerted on the Ren family and allow their internal disagreements to escalate. Currently, the disagreements within the Ren family had started to truly escalate. As time progressed, the situation within the Ren family would intensify. The Ren family held military power. When the person who truly had the right to become the family head of the Ren family made his move, the situation would then become the most intense. That was the moment they were all anticipating for a long time.
Fortunately, Gao Peng did not lose his head. Although Gao Zhanyuan felt chills running down his spine when he looked at Gao Peng's relaxed and delighted expression as he spoke, he was not overly concerned as long as that did not affect Grandmaster Gao's overall plan.
After all, any ordinary person would find that kind of humiliation unbearable. Even an ordinary civilian would risk his life to seek revenge, not to mention a talented genius like Gao Peng, who held actual power within the Gao family. It was highly possible that the emperor had made an unprecedented exception and appointed Gao Peng as the vice chief of staff directly to prevent him from seeking revenge. That resulted in him receiving what others might have to spend ten whole years achieving.
"Useless. Useless. A bunch of f*cking useless people…" As Fang Tianen stepped out of Fang Qi's room, he could not control the urge to curse incessantly because of the results that he saw. The servants that were following behind him did not even dare to breathe heavily. They were fearful that Fang Tianen would vent his anger on them.
When Fang Tianen reached the antechamber of Fang Qi's accommodation, he suddenly noticed the servants following behind him. "A bunch of useless people. Why are all of you following me? Go back to look after the maiden." He scolded angrily.
"Family Head, those people that we have just found do not have any solution either. The Seventh Princess wanted to come over, but I have convinced her against it. After all, if she was to come over, we would have to host her carefully. She would not be able to offer any help but would instead cause more trouble for us." Fang Yan had found an excuse to leave the imperial palace. At such a critical time, he must express his concern and follow Fang Tianen closely. When he saw Fang Tianen leave the room, he walked forward hurriedly to express his concern.
"A bunch of f*cking useless people." Fang Tianen cursed again. He calmed himself down before looking at Fang Yan in approval. "You have done an excellent job. Thank the Seventh Princess on my behalf. Tell her that I will notify her immediately if there are any changes to Fang Qi's condition."
"Rest assured, Family Head. I have told the Seventh Princess that. I have also asked for the Emperor's permission to be absent from court. I will stay in the family clan to help in finding a cure for Sister Fang Qi's poison."
Fang Tianen could not sit still. He walked to and fro in the antechamber. Suddenly, he stopped moving and looked towards Fang Yan.
"You… Do you think that Ren Jie was intentionally humiliating Fang Qi and finding trouble with us, or does he really have some treasures that could be used to treat poison?" Being the family head of a family clan like the Fang's, Fang Tianen was experienced and knowledgeable. After such a long time, he was almost in despair when the imperial physicians and the family clan ran out of solutions. He could hardly think of any better solutions. Therefore, not long after he had returned, when he looked at Fang Qi again, he could not help but recall Ren Jie's words.
"This…" Fang Yan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Ren Tianxing was one of the most powerful persons in the world. At the later stages, he did not want to be constrained by the Jade Capital. From what I have heard, he had explored many historical remains and had interacted with many people who were truly cultivating for immortality. Back in the days, he had once received a heavenly pill which was at a much higher level than spirit pills. If Ren Jie's poison-treating treasure was indeed left by him, it is highly plausible that it is capable of treating Fang Qi's poison. However, Ren Jie's attitude did not seem to match what the rumors said about him pursuing Fang Qi relentlessly. It seemed as though they were enemies."
Fang Tianen was not at all surprised by Ren Jie's attitude. He said, "Ren Jie is a pampered and prodigal kid. He spends his days roaming about the red-light districts. There are countless people that he is pursuing within the Jade Imperial Academy. Fang Qi had used Gao Fei to puncture a hole in his head earlier. It is no surprise that he is resentful about that. However, no matter what, we cannot get in touch with Lan Tian currently. If Ren Jie really has a poison-treating treasure…"
Fang Tianen wanted to find Ren Jie for the treasure. Yet, he also recalled Ren Jie's words during the imperial feast in the Five Clans Hall. He recalled the smug expression on Ren Jie's face and the words he said about Fang Qi. That made anger build in his chest.
"We have just received news that Ren Jie has almost beaten Ren Qiancheng, the nephew of the third elder in the Ren family, to death at the entrance of the Ren family abode. He has also had an argument with the three elders. In the end, the elders gave in so as to save Ren Qiancheng's life. However, problems have arisen within the Ren family. The third elder has just experienced the benefits of authority. He will definitely not allow Ren Jie to do as he wishes. The good days are gone for Ren Jie. We can try to find a solution temporarily. If there are really no other measures, I will talk to Ren Jie personally."
Before Fang Tianen could say anything, Fang Yan said, "The most important thing right not is to find a way to save Sister Fang Qi. Everything else is not as critical. Ren Jie is now at the extreme of insanity and arrogance and he is overly-pampered. He had the guts to stir trouble right in front of the imperial palace. Not only did he cause trouble within the family clan, but he also offended the Gao family and us, the Fang family. There are not many days left for him to continue messing around. Family Head, you need not make yourself angry over such a person."
"The situation within the Ren family is not that simple. This is only the beginning. Did he really think that everyone cannot do anything about him? We were only…" When Fang Tianen was in the middle of his sentence when he suddenly realized something amiss. He stopped talking and looked at Fang Yan. He patted Fang Yan's shoulder before saying, "Ok. Everyone has been looking down on you ever since your father passed away. However, Fang Qi has always told me that you are the pillar of our family clan and that you will definitely succeed in the future. Let us wait and observe the situation. If there is no other alternative, we can only give that a try. Do not worry. There will definitely be some changes after the Empress Dowager's birthday celebration."
They had gradually exhausted all the plans that they could think of. Fang Tianen could only start to think of other plans. Everything was going according to what Ren Jie had expected. He had even deliberated those words that Ren Jie had intentionally said.
"Thank you, Family Head. I, Fang Yan, am a member of the Fang family. The family clan's blood runs in my veins. It is only natural that I give my all for the family clan." Fang Yan's heart skipped a beat. Even though he had been contacting the Second Prince in private and was the future prince consort in everyone's eyes, he still lacked the support from a strong backing like the Fang family clan. He had been waiting for that sentence.