The second day
By the time he reached Qin Prefecture, it was already mid-August.
The wheat harvest was bountiful, and the people of the city were making mooncakes for the little god of wealth. Moon Palace was the best time of the year. The Governor led a group of officials and guards to welcome King Lu. He even ordered people to keep an eye on King Lu.
The last person returned and pointed, "We've arrived!"
The Governor looked up and saw that not too far away, a huge army of a thousand men was approaching. He paused before ordering, "Fire the cannons and play some music!"
At this point, three cannons were fired, as the drums and music started to play. King Lu was exhausted from the journey, and only calmed down when he saw Qin City. It was autumn, and the air was crisp and refreshing. He looked around and heaved a sigh of relief. Eunuch Liao pointed, "King Lu, the Governor of Qin Prefecture is here to welcome you!"
"I've seen it." King Lu smiled as he saw the Governor welcoming him. He then led several officials to kneel down and kowtow, "Your subject, Governor of Qin Prefecture, Zhang Ji Long, pays his respects to King Lu!"
According to the system of the dynasty, the Duke was a first rank official, the Marquis was a second rank official, the Count was a third rank official, the Son was a fourth rank official, and the Prince was a fifth rank official.
The Governor was a third rank official, and thus had to bow to him. King Lu accepted the bow and smiled. He then bent down and helped the Governor up, "Rise!"
The Governor was fifty-five years old, and had deep wrinkles on his face. He replied, "Thank you, your Highness."
The Governor stood up and spoke, "King Lu, please enter the city."
King Lu had been rushing the entire way, and was covered in dust. He nodded his head as he entered the palace.
The moment he entered the palace, he noticed that it was much bigger than the palace in the capital city. Although the autumn air was crisp, the sun was still hot, and everyone was sweating profusely. When he entered, he saw that the entire courtyard was filled with dense foliage. The cobblestone paths were laid out, and the trees were shaded by the flowers. There were even pavilions and pavilions hidden within. King Lu was extremely satisfied as he looked around. It seemed like the Governor had put in a lot of effort to renovate the palace.
When they entered the hall, King Lu took the seat of honor. Although the hall wasn't very big, it was decorated with wooden planks. The pillars were carved with dragons, and it looked very imposing. At this point, three men dressed in fourth ranked robes stepped forward.
The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties. He had a pair of straight eyebrows that exuded a murderous aura. Next to him was a short general with a dark red face. Finally, there was a middle-aged man with a medium build who looked to be in high spirits. They all knelt down together, "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Watching as the general finished his salute and confirmed his status, the Governor-General stood up and said, "Your Highness, it must have been a long and arduous journey – please!"
When they reached the main hall, the banquet had already been laid out. King Lu then ordered for the banquet to begin. After three rounds of wine, everyone was already drunk. King Lu then retreated to the back of the hall, where eunuch Liao and Xie Cheng Dong were already waiting.
King Lu drank a bowl of soup before he strolled to the window and looked out at the garden. He then exhaled and asked in a hoarse voice, "How's the situation in the palace?"
"I sent someone to take over at the first instance. Now, the Blackguard has taken over all the defenses of the Prince's Mansion."
"This servant has also taken care of everything, especially the kitchen and the storehouse."
"There's ten thousand stones of rice in the kitchen and the granary. There's twenty thousand taels of silver in the storehouse. This is the salary that the Imperial Court has given you this year." Eunuch Liao explained.
"With you taking care of things, I'm assured. We need to take control of the Prince's Mansion as soon as possible. This is our foundation." King Lu spoke calmly. He then turned around and asked, "Mister Xie, what do you think of the reactions of these officials?"
"The Governor-General and the other officials are all civil officials. They're just following the rules of etiquette, and can't be said to be disrespectful. However, it's hard to expect them to board your Highness's ship."
"These civil officials are all fence-sitters. However, your Highness is the son of the Emperor after all. This is an internal affair of the Imperial Family. As long as your Highness is victorious, very few people would object."
"What about the three manors?" King Lu nodded his head and asked.
Xie Cheng Dong smiled, "Although the Emperor has handed over the soldiers of these three manors to your Highness, and they're naturally under your command, the Imperial Court can still strip them of their authority."
"Out of the three of them, I think two of them can still be roped in. The leader, Xu Guang, is extremely arrogant. I'm afraid it'll be hard for him to submit to your Highness."
King Lu's eyes gleamed coldly as he spoke, "If he doesn't submit, I'll take his head!"
"Take it slow." Xie Cheng Dong laughed, "There's no need to be too meticulous. Since we have a reputation, we can start roping them in. Whoever is obedient will be rewarded. Those who are disobedient will be killed. Isn't it easy to find a reason?"
"The lives of these lowly officers can be taken care of with just a word from your Highness. We don't even have to report this to the Imperial Court."
"Once we've taken control of the officers, we'll take control of the Battalion Officers.
Slowly, we'll take control of them. "" Once we're above, we can't kill anyone who's of the sixth rank and above. We'll make sure that they're just a figurehead. Once your Highness takes action and they refuse to submit, we'll behead them and hang their heads on the city gates. "
Hearing these words, King Lu turned around, "Good!"
He then asked, "What about the Crown Prince?"
"I have a plan. We can take down the Crown Prince. At the very least, we can prevent the Crown Prince from paying attention to your Highness." Xie Cheng Dong spoke as he leaned closer to King Lu and whispered.
King Lu's expression changed several times before he sighed, "Mister is truly a hero!"
Pure Moon Monastery
The sky was gloomy, and it was drizzling. However, many guests had gathered.
The monastery was decorated with lanterns and ribbons. Bright red silk and gold leaf decorated the walls. A female Daoist nun was directing the young Daoist nun to change the decorations.
Even the guest rooms of the monastery were filled with newly made blankets.
Ye Su'er was in her room, and the Sect Leader was helping her with her makeup. She could see in the bronze mirror that she had bright eyes and white teeth. Her features were as beautiful as a painting. Now that she had opened the gates of heaven, Ye Su'er looked even more beautiful.
"Master, this is a celebration for the opening of the gates of heaven. Why do I look as though I'm getting married?" Ye Su'er asked shyly.
Seeing her expression, the Sect Leader stretched out a hand and tapped Ye Su'er's forehead, "You, you're the first person to open the gates of heaven in the past ten years."
She sighed as she spoke. Honestly speaking, even though the techniques they taught were the same, geniuses were different from ordinary people. Geniuses were also hardworking.
"Are we like some other sects that forbid marriage?"
"But that's too harsh on them." The Sect Leader shook her head. She knew that once many disciples got married, they would focus on their families. Hence, their cultivation would be delayed. However, she could not forbid them from marrying.
She could only console them, "That's good too. Those who don't want to pursue the Dao can marry and become an outer disciple. Those who are good at cultivation can become an inner disciple."
Just as he was thinking, he noticed that Ye Su'er was restless. The time had come, and someone was rushing her. She did not move. The Sect Leader sighed and was about to speak.
Outside the monastery, the sound of a flute could be heard. At first, it sounded as thin as a strand of hair. It seemed to be there and not there, but it seemed to be lingering in the air.
Meeting is fate, longing is entwined.
The Sect Leader had heard many kinds of music, but at this moment, she stopped what she was doing. She could not help but fall into a daze.
The sound of the flute was filled with emotions. Every note, every turn, conveyed a sense of longing. Everyone could see someone playing the flute with his eyes closed.
The sound of the flute was long and moving, causing everyone to feel jealous.
Ye Su'er stood up abruptly and said, "He's here."
Before the Sect Leader could react, Ye Su'er stepped forward and brushed her hair back, revealing her pale white neck. Her delicate fingers then gently picked up a flute from the wall.
There were some spots on the flute. It was made of bamboo, and she started playing.
The sound of the flute was loud and clear, and the sound of the flute was gentle. There were many Daoists in the hall who were chatting excitedly. When they heard the flute and flute playing together, everyone quietened down.
The Senior Brother of Yan Shan Monastery heard the flute and sighed, "It's really a flute and flute playing together. It must be one of the junior sisters from True Element Sect."
A Daoist with a long sword on his back laughed, "It's a pity that it's already taken. The flute must be played by a man. The sound of the flute and the flute together is filled with love."
Another Daoist frowned and closed his eyes, "It's a pity that love and hate are all bitter. It's a waste of energy, and it's hard to attain the Dao."
"What does attaining the Dao have to do with love and love?" Someone else was unconvinced.
Ye Su'er stood up and was about to walk out when she opened the door. She saw a familiar face, it was Pei Zi Yun's master, Yu Yun Jun. She was holding a card with the word 'Happiness' written on it.
Ye Su'er looked at it and was extremely nervous. She wanted to say something but stopped. Yu Yun Jun looked at it and was a little sad. She then smiled and said, "Su'er, what do you think this is?"
She took the card and looked at it. Ye Su'er's eyes turned red and she was at a loss. The Sect Leader took it and looked at it. He was surprised, "So it's a card of the eight characters. Does it mean that it's a card of the eight characters?"
A card of the eight characters was one of the procedures for an engagement in ancient times. First, the groom had to hand over his eight characters. If the groom was willing, the groom's eight characters would be written below it. Sometimes, a fortune teller would say that the two characters were not incompatible. Of course, to a cultivator, this was unnecessary.
Once the two characters were combined, the marriage certificate would be formed. It was commonly known as the 'Engagement'!
In fact, in ancient times, once the marriage certificate was signed, they were considered to be engaged. The next step was to present the bride and groom the bride. To this era, this was the greatest form of sincerity.
Reneging on an engagement was something that people looked down on.
"Naturally, this is a card of the eight characters that Pei Qian Shi asked me to bring. I am Pei Zi Yun's master, and you are Su'er's master. We have an alliance within our sect. Furthermore, we are both young and have opened the gates of heaven. This is the best choice for marriage." Yu Yun Jun said. Suddenly, she thought of Chu Xia, and her heart ached.
The Sect Leader was about to speak, but when she heard this, she swallowed her words. Yu Yun Jun then looked at Ye Su'er. Today, Ye Su'er was extremely delicate and delicate. She lowered her head and neck, looking docile and gentle. When she heard these words, she blushed. Yu Yun Jun then said, "Now you know why your brother Pei doesn't want to see you personally?"
"Yes!" Ye Su'er replied softly. During this period of marriage, they shouldn't see each other. Yu Yun Jun then retrieved a letter from within her sleeves, "This is from your brother Pei!"
She received the letter. It was written with the words "Longing". It was obvious that it was a love letter. At the end of the letter, there was a sentence, "The Crown Prince has summoned you to the capital."
At the end of the letter, there was a poem. The title was "A phoenix seeking a phoenix!
The phoenix wishes to return to its hometown, roaming the four seas in search of a phoenix.
The time has not yet come, and there is no general. How can I comprehend the present and ascend to this hall!
There is a beautiful lady in my room, and the people around me are poisonous to my heart.
How can we be fated to be mandarin ducks, and soar together!
The phoenix wishes to perch with me, and to be my concubine forever.
Our hearts are harmonious, and in the middle of the night, who knows me well?
Raising his wings and flying high, I feel nothing but sorrow.
As she read, Ye Su'er smiled and said softly, "Hm, on account of this poem, I shall forgive you for leaving without saying goodbye."
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