Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 1030 - 100: Negotiating with a Tiger for Its Skin (Part 2)

Ever since they were children, the two had known each other, locked in a perpetual cycle of rivalry. Each was driven by a burning desire to outperform the other.

A while back, Swamp Prefecture hosted a trade conference, an initiative championed by Song Dachuan himself. Despite the skepticism surrounding its inception, Song Dachuan stood by its potential, convinced of the region's immense growth capacity. Duan Jiangcheng, conversely, chose to bypass the event entirely.

Upon arriving in Swamp Prefecture and witnessing the prosperity the conference had generated, Song Dachuan was filled with pride. Following the event’s conclusion, he hurried back to Gusu to convince his parents to relocate the bulk of their commercial interests to the territory.

His parents ultimately yielded to his vision, granting him full autonomy to pursue business within Swamp Prefecture. Recognizing the undeniable benefits Prince Han’s trade initiative offered, the Duan Family acted swiftly, deploying their youngest son to the region to establish their own presence.

In the matter of the trade conference, Duan Jiangcheng had effectively lost to Song Dachuan, and the Duan Family had forfeited their chance to secure a strategic foothold ahead of the Song clan.

Though Song Dachuan felt he had triumphed, confident that the future of commerce and the task of monitoring Prince Han would fall solely to him, his superiors unexpectedly paired him with Duan Jiangcheng. This development left him frustrated, yet he had no choice but to comply.

Determined to remain ever ahead of his rival, Song Dachuan had spent years secretly investigating the surviving heirs of the Pei Family. He was certain that a particular item of extreme significance to the people of Southern Wei was hidden within the Pei Family’s treasure, and locating their descendants was the key to finding it.

Initially, Song Dachuan had dismissed Liang Dingyuan, who served as the Vice Minister of Personnel and had no prior connection to him. It was only by chance, while dining at a teahouse, that their paths crossed. Hearing someone address Liang as "Master Pei" immediately piqued his interest.

He did not obsess over everyone bearing the name "Pei," as it was common throughout the Great Zhou empire. What truly gripped his attention was the refined, noble aura emanating from Liang—a bearing that no ordinary background could cultivate. Discovering that this individual was, in fact, the Vice Minister of Personnel left him stunned.

While Prince Han’s court was primarily composed of young officials, very few had achieved the rank of Vice Minister of Personnel while still in their twenties like Liang Dingyuan.

At that time, Song Dachuan did not necessarily link Liang to the legendary Pei family, but his curiosity was piqued enough to order an investigation. The findings were staggering: Liang Dingyuan was indeed a legitimate descendant of the Pei Family.

For years, Song Dachuan had scoured the ends of the earth—from the Great Zhou to the Western Regions, the Xiongnu territories, and beyond—seeking any trace of the Pei heirs. He never imagined he would find one right under his nose in Swamp Prefecture. Truly, the object of his obsession had been within his reach all along.

Song Dachuan viewed this as divine intervention. By securing the Pei Family’s treasure and the secret item, he would earn such renown that he would not only crush Duan Jiangcheng once and for all but also ascend to unprecedented heights of power.

The thrill of his discovery did not cloud his judgment. He kept the secret of Liang Dingyuan’s identity to himself, refusing to even inform his own family. His plan was to secure the treasure and the hidden object before revealing his success to the world.

He had expected that finding Liang would lead him directly to the prize, but he was blindsided by the revelation that the man suffered from memory loss. While he initially doubted this, subsequent investigations confirmed that a severe childhood fever had wiped Liang’s past clean.

Digging deeper, he discovered that it was Prince Han who had rescued the boy years ago. As Liang possessed no memory of his own identity, it was Prince Han who bestowed upon him his current name and surname. This implied that Prince Han had some knowledge of the Pei Family’s history and potentially the existence of the Southern Wei people. Fortunately, Liang lacked his childhood memories, and it seemed Prince Han remained entirely unaware of the Pei Family’s treasure or the artifact.

The fact that Prince Han held any knowledge of the Southern Wei people was vital information. Song Dachuan initially considered reporting it, but he hesitated. Proclaiming that Prince Han knew of the Southern Wei would trigger a massive investigation by his superiors. Inevitably, this would uncover the truth about Liang Dingyuan’s bloodline, and in the process, strip away the exclusive value of Song Dachuan’s own discovery.