Grand Princess' Mansion
There was a birdcage hanging in the courtyard, and a parrot was jumping around within it. The Grand Princess was holding onto some bird food as she teased the parrot, "Does it taste good?"
"Delicious, delicious. It's too delicious." The parrot spoke happily, causing the Grand Princess to laugh. Although she was laughing, her face was filled with worry. She then called for an old maid, "How's the Canton Princess's meal?"
The old maid saw the Grand Princess's expression and whispered, "The Canton Princess hasn't been eating well recently. She only eats one or two bowls of rice, and most of it is vegetables. She doesn't eat meat, and has gotten skinnier."
The Grand Princess asked, "What about before?"
"She was better in the past, and even invited an imperial physician over. The physician said that she wasn't ill, just depressed." Before the old maid finished speaking, a female official rushed up to her. The Grand Princess waved her hands, "I understand."
At this point, the female official bowed, "Grand Princess your highness, someone from the imperial court has accused Dao Master Pei of recommending Count Zhong Qin."
Hearing these words, the Grand Princess was distracted, "Who submitted the memorial?"
The female official stepped forward and handed a copy of the memorial, "It's Li Zhi, Zhu Cheng, and Chen Zhi Huang. They said that a person cannot be appointed as a Marshal."
"They even recommended Count Zhong Qin to be the Marshal."
"Ai!" The Grand Princess's interest was piqued as she received the memorial. She looked at the appendix and asked, "Why is there such a rumor in Shi Lin? Have you found out?"
"I've found out. It's because the imperial court was discussing how to reward Ying Zhou's officials. This was a public matter. When the officials and scholars heard about it, they felt that Daoists were disobeying the laws of the imperial court. Furthermore, there were many bad historical precedents. Hence, this rumor started."
Hearing this, the Grand Princess frowned, "Is that so?"
According to the appendix, this sudden rumor was that the officials and scholars hated Daoists. Hence, the Ministry of Rites couldn't keep it a secret. It was normal for such a situation to occur. However, she felt that something was amiss, "It feels familiar."
"Delicious, delicious." The parrot chirped loudly.
The Grand Princess turned around and asked, "Where's the imperial envoy's ship?"
"It's still on its way. It'll take another ten days to reach the capital."
The Grand Princess pondered for a while before saying, "Inform me once we've arrived."
"Yes!"
In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed. The sun was shining brightly, scorching the deck. Green mountains and clear waters passed by on both sides of the river, but the mountains were gradually becoming shorter. Large fields appeared along the shore. On the ship, Prince Chengshun, Count Zhongqin and several generals looked relaxed as they chatted idly.
"Eh, Daoist Pei still hasn't come out today?" County Prince Cheng Shun asked. Chen Yong poured a cup of tea and smiled, "Your Highness, I believe Dao Master Pei is having morning lessons."
The cabin was very dark. There were candles in the room, but they were not lit. Pei Zi Yun sat on the couch, as a sliver of sunlight shone through the blinds, bringing with it the scent of the sea.
"System!"
A Plum Blossom appeared in front of him and quickly enlarged, turning into a translucent information interface. It floated in front of him with a faint sense of light, and data appeared in front of him.
"Yin Master: Level 8 (102.1%)"
'Yin Master – Materialization, Ascension, Night Roaming, Removal of Records and Immortality. Once you reach the fifth level, the Reputation gained from the novel will start to diminish.'
"At the eighth and ninth level, I feel like even Calm the Chaos' reputation isn't enough."
"Before I reached the eighth level, I had an excess of 88%. But after Calm the Chaos spread, it took me almost a month to reach the ninth level."
The translucent Plum Blossom remained motionless between Pei Zi Yun's eyebrows.
"Boom!" The Plum Blossom expanded in size and enveloped his entire body. Spiritual energy flowed into his body, and he felt a sense of perfection. As the spiritual energy continued to flow into his body, the feeling grew stronger and stronger. Rays of light started to seep out from his body, and even started to solidify.
"Ai!" Pei Zi Yun was shocked. He noticed that his entire body was enveloped by a halo of light. The halo wasn't very clear, and seemed to exist at the same time.
"We've reached Chang Ping Crossing. We're only twenty miles away from the capital city." Someone shouted out. Pei Zi Yun was shocked as he opened his eyes and stood up, "It's done."
"Indeed, I've reached the ninth level of Yin Master. My Yin Master is nearing completion. I can feel that many of my Dao Arts have been strengthened."
"Yin Master: Level 9 (2.1%)"
"Sword Techniques: Master (37.3%)"
"Dao Arts Principles: Advanced (67.8%)"
"Dao Arts: 79 Varieties, Advanced (43.3%)"
"Stars Transposition: Level 3 (55.2%)"
"Cloud Wind Form: Level 3 (1.2%)"
Pei Zi Yun looked at it carefully, and noticed that there were improvements. However, the improvements were slow. He sighed, "Only the Dao Arts Principles and Dao Arts have improved significantly."
"Especially the Dao Arts. I've increased from 43 to 79 varieties."
"This is the result of obtaining the memories of the Demon Clan."
"Demon Clan? Why haven't I heard of them in my previous life?" Pei Zi Yun thought to himself, as a shadow started to form in his heart. At this point, the boat shook as it reached the shore.
At this point, a eunuch stepped forward. He was around fifty years old, and had a stern expression. When he saw the Imperial Envoy, Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun, Count Zhong Qin and Pei Zi Yun disembarked from the boat, he welcomed them, "Your Highness, Count, Dao Master, Generals, the Emperor has summoned all of you. Hurry up and prepare to meet him."
The eunuch's forehead was filled with perspiration, and his face was slightly red. It was obvious that he had been waiting for a long time.
Count Zhong Qin revealed a smile. Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun then spoke to the eunuch, "Lead the way."
"The horse carriages have been prepared, your Highness, please." The eunuch spoke as he led the way. Not far away, several horse carriages were already prepared. Pei Zi Yun followed behind, thinking to himself, "So fast?"
Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun was in one carriage, Pei Zi Yun and Count Zhong Qin were in another, and the three generals were in another carriage. Pei Zi Yun climbed onto the carriage and opened the curtains.
From afar, Ren Wei was standing by the side of the road. He gestured to Pei Zi Yun, indicating that everything had gone smoothly. Seeing that everything had been arranged, Pei Zi Yun couldn't help but smile. At this point, Count Zhong Qin asked, "What are you smiling about, Dao Master?"
Pei Zi Yun closed the curtains and replied, "I saw the citizens of the city lining the streets to welcome us. They are living a peaceful life, and that's why I'm smiling."
Pei Zi Yun spoke casually. When Count Zhong Qin heard this, he nodded his head, "Dao Master, you are indeed compassionate."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was silence. Both of them did not speak for a long time, as they arrived at the Imperial City.
The eunuch led them into the Imperial City. Along the way, there were many halls and corridors. Every five steps, there would be an Imperial Guard with a blade in his hand.
As soon as Pei Zi Yun entered, his heart skipped a beat, "Free Cloud Sect's Paradise is completely isolated, but the Immortal Dao Dragon Veins' spiritual energy is still present."
When they entered the Inner Palace, they could not even sense the Immortal Dao Dragon Veins' spiritual energy. This place was extremely tight.
Actually, when they reached the Inner Palace, there were much fewer Imperial Guards. The eunuchs escorted them along the way. Flowers and trees covered the sky, and it was extremely quiet. When they arrived at a corner, they saw a palace.
In the west wing, smoke rose up from the decoction, and a strong medicinal aroma filled the air. Pei Zi Yun could not help but frown. He then saw a few doctors discussing in hushed tones as they wrote down a prescription.
Along the corridor, there were several eunuchs standing around. They did not speak to each other. As soon as they entered, they saw that there was a small chair and a tea table in front of the screen. The Crown Prince was outside dealing with official matters.
The both of them looked at each other, but did not speak. The entire hall was filled with the sound of footsteps, as well as the rustling of clothes. Not a single sound could be heard.
Pei Zi Yun sighed, "Even an Emperor would have such a day."
As soon as he thought of this, he led them further in. Someone in front of the screen whispered, "Do not make any noise."
As soon as they entered, they saw several people bowing to them. The Emperor then spoke, "Everyone, please rise."
Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun was at the front. When he heard that his father was excused from the formalities, he stepped forward to report to the Emperor. The Emperor leaned against the bed and saw that Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun was about to speak. He waved his hands, causing Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun to stop in his tracks.
"Cough cough" The Emperor coughed once more, knowing that his energy was limited. He then looked at Pei Zi Yun, "Minister Pei, when the Crown Prince recommended you, I had my suspicions. Indeed, you did not disappoint me. You have done me a great favor, which is very gratifying."
When Pei Zi Yun heard the Emperor's compliments, he bowed, "Ji Bei Hou did not recognize the might of the heavens, and did not know the will of the heavens. He was defeated and died. This is the Emperor's blessing. This humble subject merely borrowed the might of the heavens."
When the Crown Prince heard these words, he relaxed a little and thought to himself, 'These words are true. Father can only listen to these words now.'
The Emperor smiled and asked, "Minister Pei, King Lu has started a rebellion against the Emperor. What do you think of this?"
Hearing these words, Pei Zi Yun's heart sank. The Emperor was so direct and straightforward, it seemed like he had no more energy left. Pei Zi Yun paused for sometime before speaking, "Your Majesty, King Lu was bewitched by someone. This person was from Dark Altar Sect. Dark Altar Sect is extremely ambitious, and has planted spies all over the continents. This humble subject has been persecuted by them many times. They are the biggest cancer on the Daoist Sect and the Imperial Court."
"Your Majesty, before I came, I've written a report on the spies that Dark Altar Sect has planted throughout the continents." As he spoke, he handed the report over to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince then took it and handed it over, "The Imperial Court's encirclement was not successful. In truth, these people were the ones who were secretly helping the Imperial Court. This subject is willing to help the Imperial Court get rid of them."
The Emperor received the report and scanned through it. Pei Zi Yun stood there with his hands by his side. This was a combination of information from his previous life and some fabricated information. However, even the Emperor wouldn't be able to tell.
Count Zhong Qin was startled as he clenched his fists tightly. If Pei Zi Yun didn't do anything, then it meant that he had a grudge against the Imperial Court and was willing to help the Imperial Court get rid of the spies. That would be the right attitude. Damn it, why can't I find any loopholes in this?
Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun stole a glance and saw that the Emperor's face was extremely gloomy. He then placed the report aside and said, "I understand."
The Emperor waved his hands, "I'm tired today. We shall discuss this another day. All of you may leave."
"Long live your Majesty!" Everyone knelt down before the eunuch led them out of the palace.
"Ai, it's raining?" Once they were out of the Imperial Palace, Pei Zi Yun felt his entire body relax. He politely declined Prefecture Prince Cheng Shun's offer to send him off. Ren Wei, who was standing guard outside the Imperial Palace, drove an ox-cart forward.
The coachman shouted as the carriage started moving. Pedestrians could be seen dodging the rain as the hooves of the oxen clattered against the ground. The sound of raindrops hitting the tarpaulin could be heard. After half a street, Ren Wei asked, "Young Master, how is it?"
Seeing that there was no one else on the road, Pei Zi Yun laughed, "It's about sixty to seventy percent done."
'Actually, even if I'm willing, the Emperor might not be willing to let me lead the troops. Quelling the rebellion in Ying Prefecture only required a few tens of thousands of men. Quelling King Lu wasn't a matter of tens of thousands, but hundreds of thousands. I can't be the Commander in Chief. '
'It's most likely to be the Deputy General. '
'But why should I be the Deputy General? ' Pei Zi Yun looked at the raindrops falling from the sky, his expression was calm, 'Once I'm under Count Zhong Qin's control, he would have an excuse to kill me.'
'Now, it's almost certain that Count Zhong Qin will be the Commander in Chief. '
Pei Zi Yun thought to himself as a cold smile appeared on his face.
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