Crown Prince's Mansion
According to the rules of the dynasty, the Crown Prince's Mansion was the most majestic out of all the other Princes. The walls were covered in dark red moss, and in the middle of the mansion was a silver hall.
The Crown Prince was a refined man who kept a low profile and rarely interacted with officials. At this point, there was an endless stream of horses and carriages. Outside the mansion, the lights were shining brightly. Hundreds of officials were standing at the entrance of the mansion, presenting gifts and registering their names.
An official was handing over an invitation when he heard the sound of horses galloping. He hurriedly stepped aside, only to see a white faced eunuch leading the Feathered Cloth Guards.
"His Majesty has an edict!" The eunuch shouted.
"Hurry, hurry and inform the Crown Prince his highness!" The officer guarding the door shouted out as he ran into the courtyard to look for the Crown Prince.
"Your highness, your highness, the Emperor has bestowed a gift upon you." A eunuch came to the door and reported.
"This little kid is really blessed." The Crown Prince was playing with the baby as he laughed before he turned around and left.
According to the rules of the dynasty, when a Prince was given a name, he would be conferred a title at the age of one year. However, the Crown Prince's son was different.
According to the rules, he would be conferred the title of Regional Commander first. Following which, he would be conferred the title of Duke, Prefecture Prince, and King.
The white faced eunuch announced the Emperor's edict and bestowed the Crown Prince with a yellow jade ornament. This ornament had always been a favorite of the Emperor.
"Thank you!"
The Crown Prince returned to his room and carried the baby back to the eunuch. If Pei Zi Yun was here, he would have realized that she was the woman he had met when he went to the capital city.
The Crown Prince looked at his son and was overjoyed. He stretched out a finger to play with him, "Little kid, your grandfather the Emperor really dotes on you. You're only one month old, and he's already conferred you the title of Regional Commander. Even I don't have such honor."
"How old are you, and yet you're jealous of your own son. Take your hand away." The eunuch looked at the Crown Prince and laughed.
"Alright, alright, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous." The Crown Prince smiled when he heard what the eunuch said.
"I've waited for so many years, and now, I'm finally a father. It's all thanks to you that you gave birth to an imperial grandson for me. You've done a great service for my family." The Crown Prince held the liangyuan's hand tightly and said, "His Majesty has issued an imperial edict, promoting you to be the liangdi, but this cannot be praised, your father, I will ask the imperial court to confer posthumously."
According to the system of the Great Xu Dynasty, the Crown Prince had one Crown Princess, two Imperial Concubines, and six Imperial Ladies. When the Crown Prince ascended to the throne, the Imperial Concubine would be one of the four Imperial Concubines. As for the daughters, they did not count in the political sense. So although the Crown Prince had two daughters, he said that it was his first time being a father.
"Yes, this is my duty." The Imperial Concubine replied in a low voice.
"Qingying!" The Crown Prince called out to the woman in front of him. The concubine lowered her head shyly. Looking at the woman's expression, he couldn't help but kiss her.
After a long time, the Crown Prince finally let go of the woman in front of him. Liang Di's face flushed red and she looked a little shy.
"Crown Prince, although the child is already one month old, you still have to be careful."
"Ever since I was pregnant with the child, I've been attacked multiple times. If it weren't for the protection I received from many parties, I'm afraid the child and I would not have been able to keep our lives. Especially last year, when I was visiting my parents, I was ambushed. Luckily, I was protected. If not, the child and I would not have been able to live."
The Imperial Concubine leaned into the Crown Prince's embrace and spoke softly. The child seemed to feel something as well, and when he heard his mother's words, he started crying loudly.
"Hm, I've already investigated what happened that year. I'm afraid it was my good brother who did it. I've also investigated the swordsman who saved you. It was the Top Scorer of Ying Prefecture, Pei Zi Yun."
"So it was him. He saved my grandson, and we have to repay him." The Imperial Concubine said.
The Crown Prince's eyes resembled the eyes of the Emperor when he was young. He was extremely happy as he nodded his head, "If he's meritorious, he has to be rewarded. If he's guilty, he has to be punished."
"We have to get rid of all the secret agents within the palace as well. Initially, the child was still in the womb, and I did not wish to kill too many people, as I was afraid that it would affect the harmony of the heavens. Now that the child is one month old, it's time to do all these things."
The Crown Prince's words were calm, yet carried a sense of awe.
The Crown Prince picked up the brush and wrote down the name. When he wrote down Pei Zi Yun's name, he hesitated, "Pei Zi Yun is a man of great talent. He wrote down the strategy of exterminating the pirates, and has many poems that have been passed down through generations. Even my father, the Emperor, has praised him. It's a pity that he's entered a Daoist sect. Wouldn't it be great if I could take him under my wing?"
The Crown Prince looked at the Imperial Concubine and said, "In front of you, I shall not talk about the affairs of the nation."
Hearing the Crown Prince's words, the Imperial Concubine laughed out, as if she was thinking of something, "I've heard that Daoist sects confer titles as well. They are Dao Masters and True Sovereigns. Your Highness, you can give this kid the title of Dao Master. That would be a form of repayment."
When the Crown Prince heard the Imperial Concubine's words, he hesitated for some time before speaking, "This person saved my son and you. Naturally, he should be conferred the title of Dao Master."
"But the Imperial Court has its own rules. Only the Sect Leader of the Daoist Sect can be conferred the title of Enlightened Being, and only those who have made great contributions can be conferred the title of Enlightened Being. He is a Daoist, and it is not appropriate for him to be given an official title. How about this, we can confer the title to his parents. This is more suitable than directly rewarding him."
The Crown Prince thought about it for a while before saying this. In his heart, he felt that this merit was similar to protecting the Emperor from the heavens. Not to mention being a Spiritual Master, he could even be conferred the title of a True Lord. However, after being the Crown Prince for so many years, he knew very well that he was not the Emperor and could not afford to be careless.
When the Imperial Concubine heard this, she replied, "Let the Crown Prince make the decision. How would this concubine understand such things?"
Hearing these words, the Crown Prince smiled and filled in the name list.
Dark Altar Daoist Temple
Xie Cheng Dong hurried over. Xie Cheng Dong had just entered the temple when he saw the Blind Daoist. The Blind Daoist was in a terrible state. His body was charred black, and there was a strong aura of death around him.
"Young Master, there was a sudden flash of lightning and thunder yesterday. The lightning struck the Daoist Temple and the Daoist Priest was struck by it. That's why he became like this." The guard at the side reported.
"What?" When Xie Cheng Dong heard the guard's words, his face fell. He then asked coldly, "Why didn't you report to me yesterday?"
The guard trembled as he replied, "Young Master, this was the Daoist Priest's request. He told us not to look for Young Master. Young Master had ordered us to listen to the Daoist Priest's orders. We didn't dare to disobey."
"Bastard!" Xie Cheng Dong's expression was ugly as he scolded the guard. The Daoist Priest seemed to have heard some noise as he woke up from his sleep. He tried to move his body but was unable to get up. He then asked softly, "Is Young Master Xie here?"
His voice was hoarse and hoarse.
"All of you, get out of here." Xie Cheng Dong saw that the Daoist Priest had awoken and gave the order to the guard beside him. The guard then retreated out of the room.
Xie Cheng Dong's expression softened as he leaned over to the Daoist. The blind Daoist was panting as he spoke, "Young Master, are you here because of Pei Zi Yun and my disciple?"
"Yesterday, I had a feeling that my disciple, Shi Mu Zhong, had been forced by Pei Zi Yun to reveal the secrets of the heavens. Pei Zi Yun was the source of the backlash from the heavens. The moment he revealed the secrets of the heavens, I suffered the wrath of the heavens. If it weren't for the protection of my Patriarchs and Paradise, I wouldn't even be able to survive." The blind Daoist spoke hoarsely.
Hearing the blind Daoist's words, Xie Cheng Dong fell silent, "I received news today that Pei Zi Yun has become a Yin Master. Not only did he kill Song Zhi, he also killed Shi Mu Zhong and Qin Gao. Ying Prefecture's stronghold has basically been uprooted."
Hearing these words, the blind Daoist started coughing violently.
"This person is my greatest enemy. I have to get rid of him. What do you think I should do?" Xie Cheng Dong didn't seem to mind. He then sat down beside the blind Daoist and asked softly.
The blind Daoist fell silent for some time before coughing violently again. He then said, "This person has become a Yin Master. We have to think of a way to stop him from advancing further."
"The foundation of an Earth Immortal lies in Paradise. Without Paradise, one cannot become an Earth Immortal."
"Sowing discord, destroying and occupying Free Cloud Sect's Paradise. All of these would cause him to lose all hope of advancing further. Especially since he has already used Free Cloud Sect's Dao Arts to become a Yin Master. This is the mark of Dao Arts. Besides Free Cloud Sect, who else would be able to accept him? This isn't just because of the differences between sects. It's also because of the nature of Dao Arts. "
"Other Dao Arts would find it difficult to assimilate them into Paradise."
"But regardless of whether it's sowing discord, destroying or occupying, it's not going to be easy. Especially since the Patriarchs of Free Cloud Sect have been bestowed the title of True Sovereign. Their powers have increased tremendously, making them even more difficult to deal with."
"You're right. It's not going to be easy!" When Xie Cheng Dong heard this, he laughed out. His face was cold, "But it's not too difficult to deal with them."
"Our sect has been accumulating strength for a long time. We've long had the intention of conquering all the Daoist sects. What does a mere Free Cloud Sect amount to? As long as the sect pays attention to this sect, we'll be the first to conquer it. So what if this mere Free Cloud Sect has a True Sovereign? It's like a mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Hearing Xie Cheng Dong's words, the blind Daoist coughed and said, "Young Master, perhaps we can sow discord between them and attack them from both sides. No matter how talented Pei Zi Yun is, he will not be able to become a Yin Master."
When Xie Cheng Dong heard this, he laughed. He then changed the topic, "However, we don't have to be too anxious. Do you know that King Lu is enraged?"
"King Lu is enraged?" The blind Daoist did not understand.
Xie Cheng Dong glanced at him and thought to himself, 'So there's something you're not familiar with as well. All of a sudden, he felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He then laughed, "I've followed your instructions and got to know King Lu. All these years, I've helped King Lu pave his way."
"All the chess pieces in the eighteen prefectures were not for me, but rather, for King Lu."
"Pei Zi Yun has continuously removed the chess pieces. Not only has he offended me, he's offended King Lu as well."
"Even so, King Lu is a magnanimous person. He likes talented people and has the disposition of a wise ruler. According to what I know, he still admires Pei Zi Yun. Who knows, he might even let him off. But this time, Pei Zi Yun has committed a capital crime. He saved the Crown Prince's mistress, and even gave birth to a grandson."
"The Emperor himself likes the Crown Prince very much. But why has he allowed King Lu to expand his influence all these years? It's because the Crown Prince has no sons, and King Lu already has three sons. For the sake of the empire, the Emperor has no other choice."
"Now that the Crown Prince has a son, the Emperor's attitude towards him will change. In other words, even if Pei Zi Yun didn't do it intentionally, he has already forced King Lu into a corner."
"What do you think King Lu will do?"
Hearing Xie Cheng Dong's words, the blind Daoist was filled with fear. After some time, he sighed, "Young Master's words are worth ten years of studying."
"Mister, is there any other way to save you?" Xie Cheng Dong's eyes gleamed as he looked at the blind Daoist and asked.
The blind Daoist laughed bitterly, "Young Master, there's no way to save me. I only have a few years left to live. I can only hang on for a little longer. I can only count on Young Master to become an Immortal. Cough cough."
When Xie Cheng Dong heard this, he fell silent. After some time, he sighed, "Rest well. I shall send someone to deliver some pills to you tomorrow. Take them, and it might help you."
Xie Cheng Dong then left the room. When he reached the door, he instructed, "No one is to disturb mister's rest. If anything happens, report to me immediately."
"Yes, Young Master." The guard outside replied loudly.
Within the monastery, only the blind Daoist was left coughing. His breathing was weak. As the door closed, the entire monastery was plunged into darkness once again.
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