Chapter 288: The Timing
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“Absolutely not! You cannot possibly trust that man!” Big Sister Bai says, pointing at Feng Zhuo.
The three of them have returned to Storm Dragon Palace. Liu Jin has assimilated his soul fragment back into his body, and Lu Mei has joined them.
“Of course, we don’t,” Lu Mei says, crossing her arms. Her eyes are cold as she looks at Feng Zhuo, who kneels in the center of the throne room while wearing a guileless smile. “However, trust has little to do with this, Lady Bai.”
“How cruel of my own sister to say that,” Feng Zhuo laments, hanging his head. “Aren’t you all being a little too distrustful? I do not see why this is an issue. It is as I already explained to His Majesty. Everyone benefits.”
Liu Jin’s eyes narrow as he recalls what Feng Zhuo told him less than half an hour prior.
The reveal of Lu Mei’s parentage might have tarnished Lord Feng Shang’s reputation, and Lord Feng Gui might have derived some pleasure from that. However, though he had already known about it, it did place him in an awkward position. Allowing his brother’s daughter, illegitimate though she might be, to marry the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire is giving his brother an advantage.
Thus, Lord Feng Gui needs something to even the scales, even if only nominally. A victory in the Crimson Cloud Tournament will accomplish that. It does not matter that Liu Jin already planned to compete. All that the people of the Eternal Flame Clan need to know is that the Emperor of the Storm Dragon Empire decided to claim victory for Lord Feng Gui where Lord Feng Shang failed.
“My brother-in-law already planned to compete. We are simply making use of it to create an interesting story,” Feng Zhuo explains. “If the story you want to tell the people of this country is different, that is fine. You were probably going to have to do that anyway. All that matters is achieving the desired result, and that is where this Feng Zhuo, whose talent is like a tower that pierces the highest clouds, enters.”