The three elders walked to the corner of the hall and sat down cross-legged on the futons.
Li Mu followed the Empress into the hall.
This hall was bigger than Li Mu had imagined.
After walking in, the first thing that caught his eye was a high platform in the innermost part of the hall.
On the high platform, there were many memorial tablets. Li Mu glanced at them and saw that the names of the past emperors of the Great Zhou were written on the tablets.
The one at the top was the founder of the Great Zhou, the founding emperor of the Great Zhou.
The one at the bottom was the former emperor. The former crown prince had his power taken away by the Zhou family before he had officially inherited the throne, so he was not qualified to be listed.
Below the high platform were two rows of small cauldrons.
Li Mu counted. There were 36 cauldrons in total, the same number as the counties of the Great Zhou.
Traces of golden light were drawn out of the small cauldrons and gathered in a large cauldron in the center of the hall.
The golden dragon was swimming in the cauldron. Although it looked at the Empress with fear in its golden eyes, when it looked at Li Mu, its eyes were full of greed.
Li Mu looked at the golden dragon, and some other thoughts arose in his mind.
After reaching the fifth level, his cultivation had become very slow, so slow that he could barely feel any progress.
If he could swallow this golden dragon, he could immediately reach the sixth level, which was worth at least 20 years of cultivation.
Feeling Li Mu's gaze, the greed in the golden dragon's eyes immediately disappeared without a trace. With a whoosh, it dived into the cauldron and did not show its head again.
Li Mu looked at the small cauldrons and asked the Empress, "Your Majesty, these cauldrons should correspond to the national temples of the 36 counties, right?"
Zhou Yi nodded slightly.
Li Mu looked at the small cauldrons and found that the golden light on them varied in intensity, brightness, and darkness.
The strongest one was so dazzling that he could not look directly at it.
The weakest one was only a thin ray, so dim that it seemed to be about to go out.
The small cauldron that shone the brightest was connected to Zhong County where Luoyang was located. In the past year, many changes had happened in Luoyang. The people of Zhong County were united like never before.
The further the counties were from the Fairy's Capital, the dimmer the light from the small cauldron connected to them. Only a few counties were slightly brighter.
This meant that there was still a long way to go before he could fully condense the Emperor Qi.
The golden dragon quickly flew out of the cauldron and circled around the Empress's head a few times before flying back into the cauldron.
Li Mu noticed that all the psychokinesis on the Empress's body had been sucked away by it.
As a king who was deeply loved by the people, the Empress's psychic power was no less than Li Mu's.
Li Mu was a little angry when he saw this. The psychokinesis on the Empress was something that both Li Mu and her had worked hard for for a long time. It was not easy for them to condense it, but it was all for someone else …
He felt injustice for the Empress.
After visiting the Ancestral Temple, Li Mu didn't stay here for long and walked out with the Empress.
Not long after the two walked out, in the corner of the Ancestral Temple, three elders who were sitting cross-legged on prayer mats with their eyes closed slowly opened their eyes.
One of the elders snorted. "Is this still the Crown Princess? She has changed. She wouldn't be so disrespectful to us in the past."
Another elder said, "She was set up by the Zhou Family to inherit the Emperor Qi and almost died. Sitting in this position, she was already full of resentment. How can her personality not change?"
The last elder said slowly, "That's not important. In the past six months, the speed of condensing the Emperor Qi has obviously increased. I'm afraid it will mature again in 20 years. We need to urge them to work hard and cultivate. If they can enter the Sixth Realm, then they will have full confidence to refine the Emperor Qi …"
…
Changle Palace.
Li Mu, Wanwan, Xiao Bai, and the Empress were eating hotpot together.
After walking around the Ancestral Temple with the Empress, Li Mu gained a lot of knowledge.
So this was how the Emperor Qi that was related to the inheritance of the Great Zhou came about.
It was no wonder that when the people of the 36 counties sent the people's blood letter, both the old and new parties chose to give in.
If the imperial court completely lost the people's hearts, the State Temples in the various counties would not be able to absorb psychokinesis. Naturally, there would be no way to send it to the Ancestral Temple, which would delay the condensation of the Emperor Qi.
The three elders in the Ancestral Temple were members of the Xiao Royal Family. Their status was extremely high, and their seniority was even higher than that of the previous Emperor.
The three of them were all at the peak of the Sixth Realm.
It seemed that the old party's strength was still far stronger than the new party's.
What the Zhou Family relied on was their blood relationship with the Empress.
Li Mu thought of a question and asked, "Your Majesty, why don't you absorb the Emperor Qi yourself? Will it allow you to enter the Eighth Realm?"
Zhou Yi blew on the tofu and said, "No."
Li Mu thought and said, "But Your Majesty is so young. You can be the Emperor for another 100 years. There's no need to pass the throne …"
Zhou Yi said indifferently, "Because I don't like it."
Li Mu sighed. He only felt that it was unfair for her. She did not want to be the Emperor, but she took on the responsibility of being the Emperor.
From the beginning to the end, when the Zhou Family was planning, they never asked if what they gave was what she wanted.
At this moment, Zhou Yi looked at him again and said, "Unless you're willing to approve the memorial for 100 years …"
Li Mu picked up a piece of tofu and put it into his mouth. He did not care that it was hot and said decisively, "Since Your Majesty doesn't like it, it's fine if you don't want to be the Emperor. When the time comes, you can pass the throne to whoever you want. If Your Majesty is willing, you can be my neighbor. We can open up two plots of land in front of the courtyard.
Xiao Bai nodded and said, "Okay, okay. I also want to be Big Sister Zhou's neighbor …"
Zhou Yi patted her head and said, "Why don't you two not go back tonight? There are many empty rooms in Changle Palace. You can sleep here."
Xiao Bai looked at Li Mu. She had to ask for Li Mu's opinion no matter what.
After seeing the scene in the ancestral shrine, Li Mu felt even more sorry for the Empress. He nodded and said, "Then you can sleep here."
The Empress looked at Li Mu and said, "You don't have to go back either."
Li Mu was stunned and asked, "Your Majesty, this, this is not very good, right?"
Zhou Yi said, "In any case, you have to enter the palace tomorrow morning. Just stay here. It's not the first time …"
What she said was somewhat reasonable. Changle Palace was only a hundred steps away from the Secretariat. It was much closer than home, so he could sleep for a while longer.
But since ancient times, who would allow an official to sleep in the palace?
The Empress didn't seem to think this was a big deal. She looked at Wanwan and said, "And this little girl, she can also stay in the palace."
Wanwan looked hesitant and said, "But, but Miss said that Young Master has to go home every night. He can't stay out all night …"
Xiao Bai said, "But we're also with Benefactor. We're staying at Big Sister Zhou's house. We're not some vixen …"
Wanwan was still hesitant. The Empress continued, "For breakfast tomorrow morning, you can also eat in the palace. There are dozens of pastries in the imperial kitchen. You can try them all …"
Wanwan grabbed Xiao Bai's hand and said, "I think you're right. Even if Miss knows, she won't blame us …"
Xiao Bai and Wanwan both agreed. Li Mu's opinion was not important.
It wasn't two to one, but three to one.
In any case, Liu Hanyan and Li Qing weren't here. Xiao Bai and Wanwan were with him. There was no one waiting for him at home. It didn't make any difference whether he went back or not.
Tonight, Li Mu still slept in the back hall. When he closed his eyes and cultivated in his room, he could hear a girl's giggles coming from the front hall.
Li Mu had spent more time in Changle Palace than he had at home, so he knew very well that this palace was cold and lonely most of the time.
Even when he was here, he and the Empress were both busy with their own things.
Li Mu was reviewing memorials. The Empress was either reading or relaxing. The palace was as quiet as ever. After Wanwan and Xiao Bai arrived, it was no longer as lively as before.
Li Mu didn't cultivate until very late. He prepared to rest.
Not long ago, he had drawn a Saint-level Fu-lu. His exhausted state of mind had not completely recovered. He still needed a period of quiet rest.
Not long after Li Mu lay down, he seemed to sense something and sat up from the bed.
He got off the bed and walked to the door. When he opened the door, he saw Wanwan and Xiao Bai, wrapped in blankets, standing on either side of the door.
Li Mu asked in confusion, "What are you two standing here for?"
Wanwan wrapped the blanket tightly around her and whispered, "We can't sleep."
Xiao Bai continued, "Can we sleep with our benefactor?"
One of them had a pitiful expression on her face, while the other looked at Li Mu with her big watery eyes. Li Mu opened the door and said helplessly, "Come in."
The two figures immediately ran into Li Mu's room. They placed their blankets on the chair and crawled into Li Mu's bed.
Fortunately, the bed in Changle Palace was very big. Even if three people slept on it, it wouldn't seem crowded.
Li Mu had reason to suspect that this bed was originally built by the previous emperor for the convenience of sleeping with his concubines.
This might also be the reason why Wanwan and Xiao Bai couldn't sleep.
In fact, when people slept, they only needed a small quiet room and a small bed.
An overly spacious bedroom with an overly big bed wouldn't be able to sleep well.
Perhaps this was the reason why the Empress didn't sleep in the middle of the night and always met Li Mu in his dreams.
How lonely would it be if he was the only one sleeping in such a big Changle Palace? Li Mu couldn't bear it just thinking about it. The Empress had already been like this for four years.
Looking at Wanwan and Xiao Bai lying on the bed with only their heads sticking out, Li Mu suddenly didn't know how to sleep.
If he slept next to Wanwan, Xiao Bai would definitely be disappointed. If he slept next to Xiao Bai, the one who would be disappointed would be Wanwan. Sleeping between the two of them, surrounded by the soft bodies of young girls, he had never experienced such a situation. Even if he forced himself to sleep, he wouldn't be able to sleep …
Li Mu covered them with the blankets and said, "You two sleep first. I'll go out for a while."
He put on his clothes and prepared to go out to the courtyard to get some fresh air. When he walked out, he saw a figure sitting on the roof of the front hall.
From Li Mu's angle, a full moon rose behind her. She sat there quietly like a fairy in the moon. She was beautiful, but also seemed especially lonely.
The night was long. He wasn't the only one who didn't have the heart to sleep.
Li Mu thought for a moment and flew up.
Standing on the roof of Changle Palace, Li Mu realized that Changle Palace seemed to be at the highest point of the imperial palace. Standing here and looking down, he could see the entire imperial palace.
He walked to the Empress's side and said softly, "Your Majesty, are you still not sleeping?"
Zhou Yi looked ahead and said indifferently, "You're not sleeping either, are you?"
Li Mu said, "I'll go to sleep now …"
"Sit down."
Zhou Yi spoke again in a tone that brooked no refusal, "Talk with me for a while …"
Li Mu sat down beside him and asked, "Is there something on your mind, Your Majesty?"
If she wasn't sleeping in the middle of the night, there must be something on her mind. The more meticulous a person was, the easier it was for them to be troubled.
Zhou Yi looked at the moon in the sky and asked, "Who do you think I should pass the throne to? The Xiao Clan or the Zhou Clan?"
Li Mu shook his head and said, "I don't dare to speak rashly."
Zhou Yi said, "Say it, there's no one here."
As a subject, he shouldn't answer this question. However, after she said that, there was no ruler and subject on the roof of Changle Palace. There was only Zhou Yi and Li Mu.
There was something that Li Mu had been holding in his heart for a long time.
As a friend, he had the need to tell her what was on his mind.
"Then I'll say it …"
"Say it."
Li Mu turned to look at the Empress and asked very confusedly, "To the Xiao Clan, Your Majesty is an outsider. To the Zhou Clan, Your Majesty is also an outsider. Instead of passing the throne to an outsider, why don't we have one ourselves?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the Empress's stunned expression. Only then did Li Mu realize that there was a loophole in his words. When he said "we", it meant that they were on the same side, not that he and the Empress had a child.
To prevent the Empress from misunderstanding, Li Mu quickly explained, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. What I mean is, I'll give birth to mine, you give birth to yours …"
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