Chapter 273: Lan Defei, Third Prince Wei Cheng

As for the young prince currently being raised in the inner court, Emperor Jingwu had the Daoists of the Qintian Terrace investigate, and he was confident it would not be the "Reverse Dragon."

Emperor Jingwu furrowed his brow; with Mu Bu not by his side attending him, he always felt overwhelmed.

Various thoughts flashed through Emperor Jingwu's mind, and he quickly steadied himself; regarding King Han and King Zheng, he had his own arrangements.

If all else fails……

Emperor Jingwu slowly rose to his feet.

At that moment, footsteps sounded from within the Jingtai Hall, and two young eunuchs entered carrying two jade trays.

Shortly afterward, however, they were stopped by an elderly attendant eunuch who personally served inside the hall; after a special inspection, he then personally carried the jade tray forward to report.

"Your Majesty, these are two plates of small pastries sent by the Empress; she said Your Majesty has been eating little and resting little these past few days, so she specially ordered the imperial kitchen to make two kinds of pastries and send them over!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingwu was slightly startled, then a hint of a smile appeared on his face.

"Well then, I shall have to try them!"

His gaze fell upon the jade tray; the two butterfly-shaped pastries looked simple, yet extraordinarily exquisite—one could tell at a glance that much thought had gone into them!

One plate held osmanthus cake, snow-white as jade, with some finely cut fruits scattered on top, emitting an alluring hue; just one glance made the mouth water.

The other small plate held steamed cheese curds, equally enticing in color, with a hint of sweetness.

Emperor Jingwu greatly enjoyed such sweet pastries; after each memorial review, he habitually ate a little to stave off hunger, whereas for regular meals, he was not particularly fond.

Few knew of this habit, for the Jingtai Hall was a forbidden zone for the consorts.

The prohibition against consorts interfering in politics is an iron law of the Great Qian inner court.

Only the Empress knows!

Emperor Jingwu took a tiny bite of the osmanthus cake—just one mouthful—and instantly a glimmer of brightness appeared in his eyes.

He could not help but say to the young eunuch beside him.

"The culinary skill in the Empress's palace is truly the best among all palaces; my favorite is this little piece of osmanthus cake!"

A smile appeared on Emperor Jingwu's stern face, as if all the gloom had dissipated at this moment.

Of course, what relieved him most was that the Empress's attitude toward him had finally begun to change.

The matter of the Great Qian imperial dragon vein and dragon energy leaking, implicating the Qi clan, ultimately reached the ears of Qi Yuzhu; regarding this affair, Empress Qi was greatly displeased.

During this period, the emperor and empress had become quite estranged over this matter.

Emperor Jingwu also knew this was an underhanded act by the Great Qian imperial household, but as the Son of Heaven, the supreme emperor, it was impossible for him to apologize to a palace woman.

Now that the Empress has come to understand, that is best.

"Issue the edict: proceed to the Harmony Palace!"

The Harmony Palace is the Empress's sleeping quarters.

Upon hearing the order, several inner attendants hurriedly went to relay the edict.

……

Qi Yuzhu wore a large-sleeved robe woven of dark red and crimson, a crimson gauze skirt; she sat quietly before the dressing mirror, gazing at the lovely face in the mirror, her spirited eyes at this moment flashing with complex emotion.

Her eyes also held a steadiness never before seen.

"Your Ladyship!"

Behind her, a female official wore an expression of worry; she was personally selected by Qi Yuzhu to attend her.

As a female official of the Harmony Palace, not only her, but also the fates of many palace maids are tightly bound to Qi Yuzhu before them—shared honor, shared disgrace.

During the recent period, this Empress's condition had truly worried her, fearing to provoke the Son of Heaven and be cast aside.

Fortunately, this Empress has finally come to her senses in time.

"Let us go out for a walk!"

At this moment, Qi Yuzhu spoke softly, stepping forward from the main hall; outside, early spring had just arrived, and the world still lay under a chill.

Seeing her state, the female official immediately stepped forward to drape a fur-lined greatcoat over Qi Yuzhu; at this moment, Qi Yuzhu stepped into the small courtyard.

Within the small courtyard at this moment lay another tiny flower garden; here, it seemed, spring-like conditions persisted year-round, with many flowers blooming out of season.

This was specially prepared for her by Emperor Jingwu.

Especially after learning that the Phoenix Yang Qi clan possessed such a flower garden, he had skilled artisans construct an exact replica.

When the weather turns bitterly cold and frozen, only here can the flowers and grasses defy the chill's intrusion.

Indeed, no sorcery was applied below.

Sorcery cannot function within the imperial palace; instead, earth-dragon heating was used to cause this place to enjoy eternal spring.

Gazing upon this flower garden, Qi Yuzhu's mood improved considerably, making her feel as if she had returned to the Qi household, back to the carefree childhood of the three sisters.

At this moment, however, the sound of an inner attendant loudly proclaiming an edict came from outside.

"His Majesty approaches!"

"Your Ladyship, His Majesty has come!"

At this moment, the female official beside her stirred, then filled with delight.

Seeing this, Qi's lovely jade countenance also showed a hint of a rosy smile, though deep in her heart there was not much turbulence, for she had long anticipated Emperor Jingwu's return.

She made slight adjustments to her attire, then dressed splendidly and stepped out of the palace gates to perform the great salute.

"Your servant, Qi, pays homage to Your Majesty!"

Emperor Jingwu's black-and-yellow dragon robe was broad and thick; at this moment, his eyes held a touch of pity as he gazed upon Qi Yuzhu, and he quickly helped her rise, glanced at her, furrowed his brow, and said.

"Empress, you have grown thin!"

Qi pressed her lips slightly; her jade countenance bore a hint of greenness, but Emperor Jingwu, watching this scene, only grew more delighted.

Emperor Jingwu then remained in the Harmony Palace for the night.

Emperor Jingwu's this move naturally disappointed many consorts in the inner court who had been watching and waiting.

East Study Room

Zhang Jian entered during the dim morning light; since taking office as Minister of Agriculture, his time spent in the Eastern Study reviewing documents had shortened considerably.

The Minister of Agriculture is often called the "Walking Minister," and this is no exaggeration—it is truly deserved.

At this moment, he was flipping through the *Wu Xiang Jing* before him, and his entire body seemed to flow with a layer of dense, illusory mask; within this illusory, hazy mask, the appearances of all beings emerged.

In his sea of consciousness, a grand Dao truth gradually merged and became harmonious, which he then integrated into the foundation of the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram.

In the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, four Dao truths have now been perfected.

They are: State, Stars, Yin-Yang, and the Five Elements; and now, the Illusory-Real Truth is the fifth artistic conception.

Two years ago, he comprehended the *Wu Xiang Jing* and from it created a method called *Dream Journey to the Grand Void*; practicing this method allows one to spiritually wander the void and give birth to a dream, from which all kinds of worldly scenes evolve—true and false, without end.

This wonderful method can be said to be specially derived as a subsidiary method for the evolution of the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram.

For this, Zhang Jian has been refining it back and forth for two years.

This time is longer than the time he spent mastering the Golden Crow Fission Great Law and the Five Dragons True Scripture combined.

But the effort spent has brought real benefits.

Once the *Dream Journey to the Grand Void* practice is accomplished, and after the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram is integrated, a single thought can evoke all kinds of worldly changes—true and false, indistinguishable.

Although Zhang Jian currently only comprehends the Illusory-Real Truth through this, he has decided that once he ascends to the Nascent Soul realm, he will thoroughly study this technique; if he can perfect it, it will surely be of great use.

At this moment, having integrated the Illusory-Real Truth, Zhang Jian felt that the power of the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram had clearly and significantly increased.

Zhang Jian had heard the Transmission Elder of the Tongshan Dao Lineage speak about the concept of combined techniques.

For example, some powerful cultivators, by fortunate coincidence, can release combined techniques—unleashing a set of techniques at once, or forming a matrix-like release in a specific way.

His Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, to some extent, resembles such a technique.

But it is even more exquisite.

However, after the fifth Dao truth was integrated, Zhang Jian felt a slight hesitation.

The Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, having fused five Dao truths, is already powerful enough; but the greater its power, the more terrifying the heavenly tribulation will be when he attempts to ascend to Nascent Soul.

Zhang Jian also worries that at that time, if he pushes too far, he might bury himself in the process.

"Perhaps one should know when to stop!"

This thought flashed through Zhang Jian's mind.

The Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, having fused five kinds of Dao truths, is already powerful enough; using it to prove the Nascent Soul of the State and Rivers Sovereign, it will surely possess an unparalleled, magnificent foundation.

After all, the current state of the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram has already far surpassed many ordinary Yin God-level techniques.

But in reality, Zhang Jian feels that this has not yet reached the limit of substantial Yang God.

Although continuing to cultivate the sixth Dao truth might make the ascent to Nascent Soul full of danger, Zhang Jian still decided to give it a try.

After all, it concerns the strength or weakness after proving the Nascent Soul.

The Slaughter Demon True Lord once mentioned to him that proving the Nascent Soul, obtaining an immortal body, perhaps seems unattainable in the eyes of ordinary cultivators.

But in reality, proving the Nascent Soul, within the vast heavens and earth, is merely an entry ticket to enter the extramural void.

……

In the Eastern Study, as Zhang Jian focused his mind, the flowing Tai Xu spiritual light on his body's surface retracted.

This layer of light enveloped the Eastern Study, with no unusual phenomena.

"Next comes the Qiankun True Intent!"

Zhang Jian's gaze swept over the other bookshelves in the Eastern Study.

After succeeding in the cultivation of the Illusory-Real Truth, his next goal is the Qiankun True Intent.

In Zhang Jian's view, this is the most important kind of True Intent.

The Mountains and Rivers State Diagram essentially retains the characteristics of the Void Dharma Realm; the Qiankun True Intent concerns whether one can possess absolute control and absolute suppression.

Just like that Void True Person two years ago, who displayed a wondrous method, instantly dragging several Left Path Nascent Souls into a special void coordinate to suppress them.

Once the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram integrates the Qiankun True Intent, at that time it will truly possess the ability of absolute control; once an opponent is suppressed within the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram, no matter what they do, he can anticipate it in advance.

As for how to comprehend the Qiankun True Intent, Zhang Jian currently has no specific direction.

At this moment, Zhang Jian slowly refined his own mana; his Yang God mana, after cultivating the *Dream Journey to the Grand Void*, has gradually reached a bottleneck stage.

"Perhaps after comprehending the Qiankun True Intent, I should truly know when to stop and attempt to breakthrough the Fourth Calamity of Yin God!"

Zhang Jian's gaze fluctuated.

Just then, Zhang Jian's expression stirred, and from outside the Eastern Study came a clamor of voices, footsteps, and among them, a voice belonging to a young boy, tender and childlike.

"Your Ladyship, the Noble Consort De!"

In the distance, Zhang Jian heard the voices of several palace ladies inside the Eastern Study.

"Lan De Consort!"

Hearing the sound, Zhang Jian turned his eyes, and at that moment also rose and left this elegant pavilion.

From afar, he saw a lady with a countenance like the autumn moon, dignified in bearing, wearing purple palace attire, stepping gracefully into the Eastern Study; beside her followed a boy of eleven or twelve years.

He wore a brocade robe, obviously a prince!

Upon seeing Zhang Jian in his vermilion robe, the lady in palace attire stirred, her lovely eyes turned toward him, and she smiled, saying.

"Mr. Zhang is also here?"

Zhang Jian slightly bowed and said: "Your servant, Zhang Daosheng, pays respects to Noble Consort De, pays respects to the Third Prince, Your Highness!"

The lady's beautiful face showed a hint of a smile, then she turned to the boy beside her, who looked curious, and said.

"Cheng'er, this is the Grand Scholar of the Literary Arts Institute, the foremost scholar in the world, and the advocate of 'Zhang Xue'; you should step forward and pay your respects!"

Upon hearing this, the young prince immediately straightened his expression, clasped his hands, and said.

"Wei Cheng pays respects to Mr. Zhang! Mr. Zhang's learning has been mentioned by several old teachers, all of whom admire him greatly; Wei Cheng also feels admiration, and today, being able to see Mr. Zhang, I am delighted in my heart—may I ask the Grand Scholar to impart a lesson or two?"

Seeing this Third Prince, a thought flashed through Zhang Jian's mind; he knew that the appearance of Noble Consort Lan and the Third Prince here today was no mere coincidence, but likely they had come seeking him.