The few people present were all taken aback when they heard that the second prince had been invited by the Black Feather Building, finding it somewhat ridiculous.

    The dignified second prince, how could he be associated with an underground force like the Black Feather Building?

    Bu Tiange raised his eyebrows and looked at Han Zheng: "They even invited a prince, so should you consider admitting defeat this time?"

    Han Zheng said indifferently: "It''s just a prince, not the crown prince, why should I admit defeat?"

    Although the opponent was Second Prince Ji Xuanjing, Han Zheng was really not afraid of him, because in Great Zhou, princes had no real power, nor could they have any.

    In fact, most of the princes had the attitude of keeping a low profile, fearing to offend others.

    This was due to the system of Great Zhou, where each emperor feared that their descendants would fight and kill each other for power after their death, so they weakened the power of the princes as much as possible.

    Among the princes throughout the ages, only the Eastern Palace of the crown prince had subordinates and some military power.

    The other princes were strictly forbidden from participating in politics, and even the number of their guards was restricted.

    Moreover, all princes could not be conferred as kings, and had to wait until the new emperor ascended the throne before they could be enfeoffed as kings by their brother.

    This was also intended to make these princes owe a favor to the new emperor, letting them know that they must curry favor with the other party while they were still the crown prince, so they could secure a good fief after the other ascended the throne.

    Of course, this was meant to limit the fight for succession, but in practice, it did not completely prevent it.

    Few emperors ascended smoothly, almost always accompanied by bloody storms.

    And this generation was no different, with the crown prince deposed, and the emperor having not yet appointed another crown prince, so strictly speaking, anyone was eligible to become the crown prince.

    Ji Xuanjing, as the second prince, was the natural successor. S~ea??h the N?vel?ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Moreover, he was known for his benevolence and wisdom, praised as having the potential of a wise ruler, with a great reputation outside. His maternal grandfather was the top-ranking noble, Duke Jingguo Li Changming.

    Logically speaking, Han Zheng should be wary of such a status, but in reality, Han Zheng was not very afraid of him.

    The reason was simple, in Han Zheng''s view, the odds of this second prince ascending the throne were very low.

    The crown prince was disliked and deposed by the emperor, yet Ji Xuanjing, the second prince, with such good reputation and background, had not even the slightest rumor of being made crown prince, indicating what Emperor Ji Taichang thought of his second son.

    The more high-profile he was now, the more likely he would arouse Ji Taichang''s suspicion.

    Before you even become the crown prince, you have the aura of a wise ruler, will you take my throne after you become the crown prince?

    In short, Han Zheng was very dismissive of this second prince.

    Although he seemed low-key, in fact, he was ostentatious, and somewhat short-sighted.

    However, since the other party took the initiative to speak up to act as a mediator, Han Zheng would give him face.

    Just as well, he wanted to see what the Tower Master of Black Feather Building was planning.

    At noon the next day, Han Zheng, with Xiang Yuangong and three others, along with Bu Tiange, arrived at Tianxing Restaurant, one of the top ten restaurants in the Capital City.

    It was said that this nineteen-story luxurious restaurant was owned by the second prince, Ji Xuanjing.

    Upon reaching the top level, two guards stood by the door of the private room, both with Xuan Gang Realm cultivation, clearly elite military personnel.

    "Master Han, please enter."

    After verifying their identity, the two guards opened the door of the private room, inviting Han Zheng and others to enter.

    Inside the private room, members of the Black Feather Building were already waiting.

    Besides the Tower Master, there were three Sub-building Masters including Huai Rang.

    Sitting at the main seat was a youth in his thirties, with a sunny and gentle appearance, dressed in luxurious clothing.

    This was the second prince, Ji Xuanjing, although his real age was over fifty, he appeared young due to his cultivation.

    Seeing Han Zheng arrive, Ji Xuanjing stood up and laughed heartily: "I''ve long heard of Master Han''s great name, meeting you today, you truly are extraordinary.

    The Demon Cleansing Bureau has always been full of talents, but Master Han, not long after arriving in the Capital City, has already made a name for yourself, a true outstanding talent."

    Ji Xuanjing showed a sincere smile, without a trace of arrogance as a member of the Imperial Family.

    Now Han Zheng understood why he had such a good reputation in the Court.

    It''s hard to punch a smiling face, Han Zheng also cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, you flatter me, the Capital City is full of hidden talents, I, Han Zheng, am just an inconspicuous person, nothing much."

    The Black Feather Tower Master replied with a false smile: "Master Han is too modest, not just anyone can destroy two of my Black Feather Building''s sub-buildings in one day."

    Although his purpose was to have Han Zheng solve this matter, after all, Han Zheng had destroyed his two sub-buildings, so it would be strange if the Black Feather Tower Master had a good attitude.

    Han Zheng squinted at the mysterious Black Feather Tower Master, and transmitted a question to Xiang Yuangong behind him, asking: "Do you know this person?"

    Xiang Yuangong hesitated for a moment, suddenly remembered something, and transmitted: "So it''s him! This Black Feather Tower Master is Sheng Tian''an! No wonder the Black Feather Building rose so quickly.

    Master, Sheng Tian''an''s background is not small, his father is Duke An, one of Great Zhou''s top nobles, Sheng Xuantian, and his mother is Princess Lin''an, the current emperor''s sister.

    The Duke An lineage held tremendous power in the Court and military, and Sheng Tian''an was an astonishing prodigy rarely seen in the Capital City, reaching the Martial Arts Grandmaster level at eighteen, and making a name for himself."

    "Given such a background, why would he become the Tower Master of Black Feather Building?"

    A young prodigy from a top noble family of Great Zhou, with a duke as his father and a princess as his mother, Sheng Tian''an''s future should have been very bright.

    Although being the Tower Master of Black Feather Building was impressive, it was still an underground force, lacking legitimacy.

    "Because he chose the wrong side during the power struggle for succession.

    His mother, Princess Lin''an, was friendly with another prince who competed for the crown prince position, so Duke An Sheng Xuantian stood on the opposing side.

    They seemed to have caused significant obstacles for the current emperor, almost preventing him from ascending the throne.

    So after he ascended, the emperor ordered the Duke An lineage to be stripped of their titles and property seized.

    However, considering Princess Lin''an''s identity, and possibly to avoid being called cold-blooded, he spared Princess Lin''an and her only son, Sheng Tian''an, opting for imprisonment instead.

    But Princess Lin''an chose suicide rather than humiliation, and since that event, Sheng Tian''an disappeared, who would have thought that the quickly rising Black Feather Building''s mysterious Tower Master was him.

    The Duke An lineage wielded great power back then, top nobles, although they chose the wrong side, still they had many connections with other nobles, and knew many of their secrets.

    Sheng Tian''an built the Black Feather Building around this core, no wonder it thrived.

    Additionally, he even cultivated to the Yang God Realm, with such cultivation as a foundation, it''s not surprising that Black Feather Building became the leader among underground forces in the Capital City."

    Han Zheng squinted at Sheng Tian''an, and said indifferently: "Compared to the once famous youngest grand duke, I, Han Zheng, am just a small figure, am I not?"

    With these words, Sheng Tian''an''s face immediately darkened, his gaze towards Han Zheng carrying a hint of coldness.

    The events surrounding the Duke An Mansion were a sore spot for Sheng Tian''an.

    Although Emperor Ji Taichang ultimately pardoned them, the losers of the power struggle for succession remained disgraced, unable to bear the light of day.

    If he stayed low-key, it was fine, but if he came back into the spotlight, who knows if the emperor would trouble him.

    Over these years, hadn''t Sheng Tian''an wished to return to being that famous young grand duke? But he didn''t dare.

    So now there''s only the Black Feather Tower Master in the Capital City, no young grand duke Sheng Tian''an.

    Han Zheng mentioning it now was like stabbing him in the heart.

    Facing Sheng Tian''an''s blade-like gaze, Han Zheng calmly stared back, and the atmosphere was tense.

    At this moment, Ji Xuanjing hurriedly said: "Both of you are here to resolve things; why make it so stiff?

    Give me face, let''s sit down and talk it over nicely, wouldn''t it be good to resolve this peacefully?"