Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 121

“It’s not a cold or fever.” Zhou Yuanhe walks to Ye Zhou’s side after the examination. He lowers his head slightly and whispers in Ye Zhou’s ear, “He’s been poisoned. I just checked—there are no bite marks, but there is a fairly deep wound. It should be that someone extracted venom from snakes or other poisonous creatures. Although the wound isn’t shallow, it’s not too deep either, so there’s no immediate threat to his life. It may also be that the amount is too small and the poison not strong enough.”

Ye Zhou lowers his voice as well. “Can he be saved? Can you identify the poison? Is there any serum we can buy?”

Zhou Yuanhe replies in a hushed tone, “I can’t tell exactly what creature the toxin came from. I’ll need to take a blood sample back for analysis. I don’t really know the animals around here—many of them I’ve never even seen before.”

Ye Zhou falls silent for a moment, then says, “Take the blood sample first. I’ll search for corresponding products in the system.”

He hopes there is a medicine in the system that can cure all poisons. However, it might be better to hope that the poison is not strong enough to kill Chen Hou.

“Has Chen Hou been conscious since he became ill?” Ye Zhou asks the eunuch.

The eunuch shakes his head slightly. “His Majesty has been in a coma since he fell ill, rarely waking up. Even when he’s conscious, he just asks me to open the window or draw the curtains. At first, His Majesty just felt unwell, saying he was dizzy and vomiting. It lasted for two days.”

Ye Zhou nods slightly. He knows there’s no point in asking any more questions. Even Chen Hou probably doesn’t know who is behind the attack.

After killing Zhang Rong, things only get worse for Chen Hou in Chen State.

The noble families are likely to retaliate violently. This is a crucial test for Chen Hou. If he passes, he will hold the majority of power in Chen State. If he fails, Prince Chen Rui will become the new “Marquis Chen.”

After meeting with Chen Hou, Ye Zhou does not leave Chen Palace immediately. He has the maid report his presence and meets with Madam Chen—a woman he hasn’t seen since the supermarket incident.

Only Ye Zhou’s arrival can compel the Marquis’s Wife to dress and receive a visitor so late at night.

Madam Chen arrives quickly. She looks haggard, even worse than when she was seriously injured. Her face is pale, her eyes bloodshot, and her eye bags are so swollen they’re frightening.

“Immortal.” Madam Chen salutes Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou raises his hand slightly. “Madam, please don’t be polite.”

Madam Chen stands straight. She knows why Ye Zhou has come, so she speaks before he can ask. “Immortal, this has nothing to do with my mother’s family. My father has passed away, and the Jiang family has yet to choose a new head. If something happens to the monarch, my Jiang family will be thrown into turmoil. There will be no benefit, only chaos.”

She doesn’t appeal to emotions, but speaks plainly about the situation, and Ye Zhou believes her.

“Madam, which family do you think would do such a cruel thing to Marquis Chen?” Ye Zhou asks. “I heard from the eunuch that after Marquis Chen became ill, only the Zheng and Zhang families sent people to check on him.”

Madam Chen thinks for a moment, then says hesitantly, “If it was Zhang, it would be too obvious. The king had just killed Zhang Rong, then something happened. The Zhangs shouldn’t be that foolish. But if it was Zheng… the head of the Zheng family is already the left prime minister. One step closer and he could…” Madam Chen doesn’t finish her sentence. She looks up at Ye Zhou and sees no anger on his face.

Ye Zhou just smiles. “So it was directed at me. Marquis Chen suffered because of me. He wants to become the prime minister.”

Madam Chen hurriedly replies, “This has nothing to do with the Immortal. Even if there was no Immortal, my husband would not allow the Zheng family to become prime minister.”

Under Madam Chen’s guidance, Ye Zhou learns that the Zheng family is not originally from Chen State. They fled from Zheng State, but unlike Zhao Mu, who fled his homeland only a few decades ago, the Zheng family has been in Chen State for around three hundred years.

When Ye Zhou hears this, he can’t help but feel that the order of this world is quite clear.

In his world, a new generation can be considered locals no matter when they were born, even if they are only a few decades removed from their homeland.

The Zheng family, despite being in Chen State for three hundred years, is still seen as outsiders. Even though they hold high positions, Chen Hou remains wary of them.

But this suspicion is understandable.

Madam Chen quickly explains that there was a family that defected from their homeland and was taken in by Wei State. After five hundred years, it is revealed that this family has acted as spies in Wei State. This causes a national uproar when the truth comes out.

Since then, every state begins investigating noble families. All must present genealogies—those with records shorter than five hundred years are deemed unacceptable.

Fortunately, noble families update their genealogies every five years, or else records from five hundred years ago would have long turned to dust.

It’s also extremely difficult for foreign families to forge genealogies. The records include not just the main line but also branches, which must submit copies to the main line every ten or twenty years.

To forge a complete genealogy, one would need to fabricate far too many details, even creating fake “marriages of ancestors.”

Most foreign noble families would never go to such lengths, since it would mean their descendants would have to honor ancestors who never existed.

Thus, the Zheng family’s three hundred years in Chen State are not very valuable.

At least in the eyes of Chen Hou and Madam Chen, three hundred years are not enough for the Zheng family to forget their homeland.

They can accept scholars switching between countries, but they cannot accept a family that harbors loyalty to another nation.

It’s like a company tolerating an employee changing jobs—even a senior employee. But they could never accept a core executive doing the same.

You can always hire new workers, but if a core member turns traitor, the damage is devastating.

The same logic applies to the country. If something happens to a country like Chen, it would be impossible to recover without help, and no country would step in to assist. They would only seek to divide it.

If Chen is not caught between two powerful nations, it might have already been annexed.

The prime minister holds the highest position after the monarch, managing state affairs, and is almost like a vice-monarch.

If something happens to Chen Hou, Ye Zhou could easily control Chen State in the name of the prime minister.

However, since Ye Zhou becomes the prime minister out of necessity and without forming any faction or personal power, the only people in his camp are two scholars he recommends to Chen Hou.

A prime minister with no one to protect him doesn’t seem hard to deal with.

No wonder.

After listening to Madam Chen’s explanation, Ye Zhou pieces everything together.

The Zheng family’s goal is to take down Ye Zhou, and the poison they give Chen Hou is not lethal. Even without treatment, Chen Hou will likely recover on his own.

Their aim is simply to incapacitate Chen Hou long enough for them to take control while he is unable to govern.

Once Chen Hou recovers and regains consciousness, it will be too late. Even if he wants to get angry, he will have to consider that losing “Ye Zhou” would leave him with no choice but to make peace with the Zheng family.

“Don’t worry, Immortal.” Madam Chen immediately reassures him, “Though my Jiang family is in turmoil now, my brother controls all the soldiers in Linzi. Immortal, why don’t you go to the Jiang family for protection? I’ll deal with the Zheng family later.”

Ye Zhou looks at her and smiles. “What do you have in mind, Madam?”

It’s not that Ye Zhou underestimates her, but her two biggest supports—Chen Hou and the Jiang family—are both in disarray.

Madam Chen lowers her head and speaks calmly, “To be honest, Immortal, there are six powerful families in this country, and three of them rely on me.”

Ye Zhou raises his eyebrows. Madam Chen hesitates before continuing, “It’s not that I’m hiding anything from the king, but noble families depend on each other, and the in-laws are constantly at odds…”

Although Madam Chen is the wife of Marquis Chen, she is also the daughter of the Jiang family.

The noble ladies of such families don’t think of themselves as subservient to their husbands. Their nobility comes from their surnames, so even if they marry and become part of new families, they remain proud of their lineage.

Most noble women work hard to increase their standing within their maternal families after marriage.

That is Madam Chen’s approach. She becomes the wife of the marquis, but she also becomes the de facto head of the Jiang family.

When her father is alive, she respects his authority, but after his death, she will do anything to secure power for her brother.

Ye Zhou even guesses that if her brother doesn’t follow her orders, she will probably find another sibling to support her.

However, Ye Zhou doesn’t care much about Madam Chen’s ambition for power.

If she can become the second Empress Lu, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. The most important thing is the welfare of the people.

“No need,” Ye Zhou says, stepping forward. “Rather than hiding me, it’s better you put your energy into dealing with the Zheng family.”

Madam Chen grits her teeth. “Rest assured, Immortal. I will uproot the Zhengs—utterly and completely!”

Ye Zhou nods slightly and says nothing more.

Even if Zhou Yuanhe can’t find a cure for Chen Hou’s “disease,” it won’t kill him.

The Zheng family never intends to kill Chen Hou. At its core, this is because the Crown Prince is born of a Jiang woman. If Chen Hou dies, the Jiang clan will be the one to benefit. Even in the midst of internal chaos, the Marquess’s wife can emerge as the biggest winner, seizing this opportunity to gain true control of the Jiang family.

What the Zheng family wants is always the position of prime minister.

After visiting Chen Palace, Ye Zhou learns the cause and effect of his troubles and resolves his doubts, making the trip worthwhile.

Madam Chen personally escorts Ye Zhou out of the inner palace, handing him a token before his departure.

“This token allows the Immortal to take charge of affairs in the palace,” Madam Chen says solemnly. “If the Zheng family is stubborn and wants to deal with the Immortal, he may kill them on the spot. I know the Immortal spared the Yang family for the sake of the monarch. The Immortal is kind-hearted.”

She bows deeply.

Ye Zhou smiles. “Madam, please return. Now that I know Chen Hou will be fine, I can rest easy.”

He still has to deal with the Yang family.

In the early morning, water droplets gather on the weeds in the yard, hanging from the tips of the leaves and falling as the leaves sway. The sound of cocks crowing is endless. The people of Linzi City wake from their sleep, dressing and washing as the whole city stirs.

Only the Yang family seems to still be asleep, with no movement coming from the house.

All the main branches of the Yang family spend the night in the hall. The younger ones are fine, but the elders can’t take it any longer. They sleep against the pillars, waiting to be woken by the younger generation.

The people they send out haven’t returned. No good news. No bad news.

Not even a single servant comes back with a report.

The family head’s younger brother has also grown listless after his initial rage.

No one speaks. The room is filled only with heavy breathing.

Even the servants don’t dare enter. Though the Yang house is full of living people, it feels as lifeless as a tomb.

“There’s no need to investigate further,” says an old man, woken by a junior. With support from his family, he slowly stands and speaks, his voice trembling, “From this day on, we no longer dare to call ourselves the Yang clan. We leave Linzi today.”

At his words, the silence in the room shatters.

The young man looks at the old man. “Great-Uncle… what do you mean by this?”

The old man smiles bitterly. “Yi’er, the Yang family can’t continue like this.”

Yang Yi stares at the old man without flinching.

The old man meets his gaze. After a long silence, he says softly, “Yi’er, things have come to this. There’s no other choice. For the Yang family’s sake, we must leave Linzi and no longer be members of the Yang family. We are just branches of the Yang family. The Yang family can continue without us. As long as your son can stay in Linzi and remain part of the Yang family, there’s still hope for its revival.” He looks at the child who once acted recklessly and now repents. He has watched this child grow up. Taking a deep breath, he speaks again. “The hero cuts off his arm, and so must the Yang family. And you,” he adds softly, “you… go with peace of mind. When the time comes, your son will present your head to the Marquis to apologize. In this way, the Yang family will live.”

The head of the family has been arrested. Now, the only important head left to present to Marquis Chen is Yang Yi’s.

No one in the Yang family can replace him. They took this risky step to remove the businessman, not only because he endangered their interests, but also to fulfill the demands of the patron family they rely on.

The Yang family knows that if their plan had succeeded, both they and their patron family would have benefited.

But since it failed, they are the ones who must bear the consequences.

The Marquis will soon awaken. Once he does, the use of private soldiers and armed conflict in Linzi will come to light. Even if the king doesn’t execute them, the Yang clan will have no place left in the city.

To save themselves, they must either quell His Majesty’s fury—or silence him.

Their only option is to plead for mercy. The clan head’s life, Yang Yi’s head, and more than half of the Yang clan—that’s all they have left to offer.

The old man takes a dagger from his robes and walks to Yang Yi, handing it to him.

Yang Yi kneels on the ground, takes the dagger with both hands, and raises himself.

He gives a bitter smile. “It was me. I was ambitious, foolish, and impatient. Great-Uncle, please give me a moment—let my attendant accompany me to the side room.”

He has failed to elevate the Yang family.

Now, all he can do is repay that failure with his life.