Chapter 504

The spatial gate leading to Jade Prefecture slowly opened.

Dozens of flying shuttle fleets of Peaceful Sun City's defense forces lined up in a row, blocking the spatial gate.

Nine Four Spirit warships lined up in a row and slowly flew out of the spatial gate. Behind the nine Four Spirit warships, squadrons of standard warships spat out faint light, surging from the huge light curtain.

Pei Feng stood on the prow of a Four Spirit warship, holding aloft the imperial edict issued by Sima Xian.

"Marquis of Ling Mountain, concurrently commander of the Black Phoenix Army, Pei Feng, by His Majesty's edict, is incorporated into the East Garden Forbidden Army." Pei Feng looked at the defense warships ahead and shouted loudly, "Clear the way."

On dozens of the defense warships, a few officers muttered quietly, waved their hands, and ordered their own ships to split left and right, clearing a passage. Several officers had complex expressions… East Garden Forbidden Army!

For many years, the East Garden Forbidden Army had become a joke.

But seeing the nine massive Four Spirit warships, and then looking at the full two thousand warships behind them, with the high-spirited Black Phoenix Army soldiers, and the five-element spirits whose physiques differed from humans yet exuded tyrannical aura, these officers knew the East Garden Forbidden Army was likely to be reborn from fire.

Eh, many years ago, the Capital's Military Command ran rampant in Peaceful Sun City, and the Ministry of War was like two hungry dogs, tearing at each other until bloodied—was that scene about to reappear?

The mighty fleet surged out of the spatial gate, forming neat battle formations, and swiftly flew toward the East Garden.

Pei Feng had just suppressed the turmoil in Jade Prefecture when she received Wu Tie's urgent transmission. She immediately led the entire Black Phoenix Army, plus a unit of five-element spirit warriors, rushing at full speed to Peaceful Sun City.

Wu Tie provoked Princess Jingcheng—who knows what shameless deeds that madwoman will pull?

Wu Tie needed a visible military force to intimidate certain people, much like a child walking down the street—many ill‑intentioned folks would eye him hungrily. But if that child held a pig‑killing knife, few would dare to mess with his head.

The East Garden Forbidden Army is the pig‑killing knife now in Wu Tie's hand.

Wu Tie, accompanied by hundreds of five-element spirit masters, left Peaceful Sun City at a leisurely pace, heading straight for the East Garden eight hundred li to the east.

Half an hour before Wu Tie departed from the Nine‑Winding Creek Hall, a carriage entered the city from the south.

The small lacquered carriage set out from the southern Moon‑Lodge; it was driven by a strong maidservant, and aboard were the Moon‑Lodge's famed embroidery maiden, Silver Fish, and her lifelong personal maid, Water Fish.

Seated in the carriage, Silver Fish widened her eyes, curiously gazing at the bustling market of Peaceful Sun City.

The street teemed with people and carriages, bustling with prosperity; this vibrant, fire‑kissed liveliness would never be found in that dense peach‑grove nor in the exquisite pavilions by its little lake.

That exquisite complex of pavilions was like a meticulously crafted birdcage—beautiful, costly, refined, and coldly silent.

Only a great noble like Linghu Qingqing would occasionally enter the birdcage, admire a few finely trained gorgeous birds, enjoy their beautiful songs, admire their splendid feathers—and that was all.

Silver Fish originally thought she would never be able to leave the Moon‑Lodge in her lifetime.

But a few months ago, the Moon‑Lodge's apparent master, the fierce‑looking 'Madame Gui,' underwent a complete reversal in her attitude toward Silver Fish—she inquired after her warmth and cold, showered her with care, and practically treated her as her own daughter……

No, Silver Fish even felt that Madame Gui waited on her as if she were a living ancestor.

Even today, when Silver Fish sat idly in the little tower feeling a bit vexed, Madame Gui proactively suggested that the Moon‑Lodge's top cultivator, 'Auntie Golden Cassia,' drive the carriage and escort her to Peaceful Sun City for some diversion.

Madame Gui even stuffed a large box of exquisitely made gold ingots into Silver Fish's hands; that box, weighing thirty or forty catties, now sits in a hidden compartment beside her. Madame Gui told Silver Fish to buy herself whatever she liked—new‑style rouge and powder, brightly colored silk threads, or delicate, novel hair ornaments.

Silver Fish, being young, was bewildered by Madame Gui's sudden change in attitude.

She didn't know why… perhaps it had to do with that white‑haired old man who had been quietly admiring her embroidery these past few months?

Linghu Qingqing's face flashed before her eyes, and Silver Fish hastily shook her head, scattering the image like smoke.

Hey, hey, which maiden doesn't harbor a spring of love?

Silver Fish's ideal husband in her heart must be youthful and handsome, graceful as a jade tree in the wind, suave and talented, with outstanding literary talent. He might come from a poor background, but he would surely strive upward, relying on his own abilities to win great fame in the vast capital of the Great Jin.

A white‑haired old fogey… impossible.

Silver Fish gave a sniggering laugh, delightedly watching the crowds flow along the street, gazing at the lofty pavilions, and at the splendid carriages escorted by throngs of guards, parading ostentatiously.

Occasionally she would furtively glance at those youths in flowing robes, poised and refined, bearing an air of literary elegance—whether they were entering or leaving a teahouse, or standing by the roadside engaged in refined conversation.

Goodness, so many handsome, outstanding young men… it's just like picking apples at a fruit stall—each one big, round, rosy‑cheeked, bright and shiny, truly dazzling to the eyes.

Silver Fish and Water Fish both laughed heartily.

The people they saw today were ten, a hundred, a thousand times more than all those they had ever seen before……

Auntie Golden Cassia drove the carriage, bringing Silver Fish and Water Fish to shop after shop.

Silks and satins, rouge and powder, pearls and gems, candied fruits—everything a girl Silver Fish's age liked—soon piled up half the carriage.

Auntie Golden Cassia didn't know why her own Madame Gui had suddenly begun to favor Silver Fish so greatly.

The maidens of the Moon‑Lodge were famed for their musical skill, but Silver Fish's music was abysmal; only her embroidery was exquisite.

Yet embroidery was not the Moon‑Lodge's traditional forte.

Madame Gui values Silver Fish so highly… could it be that this little vixen has gotten lucky and caught the eye of some great noble?

Such things, Auntie Golden Cassia, who has reached the Life‑Pool realm, has seen plenty of over the past few centuries.

One by one, the orphan girls painstakingly trained at the Moon‑Lodge became graceful, accomplished ladies with lovely voices and instrumental skill; thereafter they were taken up by the court's grandees, each riding in gold‑ and jade‑inlaid carriages like phoenixes flying to a branch, departing the Moon‑Lodge with heads held high.

Some died, dying for no apparent reason.

Some prospered, replacing a noble's principal wife and becoming true‑to‑life noblewomen.

Some fell… when nobles toppled at court, there were confiscations and exterminations, exiles to the frontiers, and even worse—being sent to that most dreadful place in the world, a realm of utter darkness and filth……

Hearing the merry laughter of Silver Fish and Water Fish from within the carriage, Auntie Golden Cassia couldn't help but curl her lips and let out a soft hum.

Over the years, few of the girls who left the Moon‑Lodge have truly been able to replace the principal wife; most died mysteriously, dying in horrific fashion.

Goodness, these two little vixens still don't know what fate awaits them.

Do you really think those great nobles are so easy to cling to?

The wives, concubines, bondservants of great nobles, and the sons—both legitimate and illegitimate—born to those wives, concubines, and bondservants… goodness, in those nobles' mansions, which one isn't filled with countless wronged souls?

Heh, climbing into a great noble's bed is tantamount to mounting the execution ground.

Look at you all, laughing happily now—there will come a time when you'll have to weep.

Auntie Golden Cassia harbored a bellyful of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Since Madame Gui has been extraordinarily kind to Silver Fish this time, Auntie Golden Cassia knows that some formidable noble must have taken a liking to her.

Ah, Auntie Golden Cassia is merely a servant; she doesn't even know who those great nobles are, what their names are, or what standing they hold at court.

In short, the fact that Madame Gui can let Silver Fish and Water Fish roam freely in Peaceful Sun City proves that the noble behind her is surely the hidden boss of the Moon‑Lodge, someone even the Director of the Great Jin's Imperial Music Office dares not provoke.

Auntie Golden Cassia narrowed her eyes, and her very spirit seemed to drift up to the heavens.

On the Great Jin court there are many, many figures senior to the Music Bureau Supervisor; not to mention him, even the director of the Hall of Rites, his two deputy directors, and over ten hall supervisors all outrank the Music Bureau Supervisor.

Besides that, there are the Punishment Hall, Works Hall, Household Hall, Agriculture Hall, Medicine Hall… and then the massive Ministry of War… not to mention the numerous princes of the Sima clan, plus all those dukes, marquises, and earls… tsk tsk!

I don't know which old bastard opened his bloody maw wide, wanting to gulp down these two dainty little maidens in one bite.

Men, oh the men of this world!

Thinking of what upset her, Jin Gui Aunt instinctively flicked her horsewhip.

The horse pulling the carriage was suddenly startled, letting out a hiss, then lunged forward, jerking the carriage ahead seven or eight zhang in a bound.

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal; Jin Gui Aunt herself is a cultivator at the Meridian Pool realm, and she is the enforcer chief of Solitary Moon Lodge, specially leading a pack of fierce women to discipline those maidens who refuse orders and dare to act shamelessly.

But Jin Gui Aunt practices body cultivation, so an ordinary horse that dares to act up can be dealt with by a single slap.

But Jin Gui Aunt was lost in thought, so her reaction was a bit slow.

Thus the carriage slammed into an extraordinarily splendid phoenix palanquin; before Jin Gui Aunt could react, a pack of fierce guards rushed forward—several of them also body cultivators, but with cultivation at the peak of the Fetal Storage realm—already seized her by the neck and hauled her down from the carriage like a chick.

The gap between the Fetal Storage and Meridian Pool realms, the difference between the royal secret technique practiced by the imperial guards and Jin Gui Aunt's lowly commoner cultivation method, directly caused the strength gap between these guards and her to be as vast as heaven and earth.

Pressed down by several guards and unable to move, Jin Gui Aunt could only stammer out the title of her master.

Unfortunately, the title of Music Bureau Supervisor of the Hall of Rites obviously could not make the lady before her, dressed in a grand red gown and breathtakingly beautiful, feel the slightest fear.

"Music Bureau Supervisor, what a big official! I, this palace, am truly scared to death." Princess Jingheng glanced scornfully at Jin Gui Aunt, then she saw the frightened Yin Yu'er and Shui Yu'er curled up into a trembling ball.

Princess Jingheng's mood was terrible, utterly awful.

She really wanted to destroy something to vent her anger.

Normally she would rush back to her mansion, smash some of the nearby pots, pans, bowls and such, then order the breaking of the legs of several unlucky servants and maids, and that would barely vent her anger.

Then she would summon Ma Xiangru and a few other suave and debonair admirers, drink wine, admire the moon, compose poetry and respond, and earn some extra income from places outside Yuzhou, and that anger would dissipate completely.

But now, on the street, her anger flared—her own phoenix palanquin had been hit!

Princess Jingheng stared grimly at Yin Yu'er and Shui Yu'er.

The two maidens' pure, tender aura made her uncomfortable; it seemed she once had such a pure, tender youth, but those years had long passed—now Princess Jingheng's every cell radiated golden light, reeking of vulgar wealth.

She disliked these two maidens.

She especially disliked the way Yin Yu'er's eyes seemed to speak.

So she waved her hand nonchalantly and issued that bloody, crazy order.

These guards—Princess Jingheng's private guards, who were usually fed with her gold, silver, jewels and cultivation resources, relying on imperial prestige to act with impunity, ruthless and cruel—moved in.

On the street, before countless passersby, they seized Yin Yu'er.

A shrill wail echoed up and down the whole street.

On the street, countless people fell silent like cicadas in winter, not a soul daring to speak.

Princess Jingheng burst into a hearty laugh, heheing as she led the guards away.

Jin Gui Aunt had her limbs broken and was thrown to the ground; the blood‑smeared Yin Yu'er had already fainted, while Shui Yu'er lay atop her, only knowing to weep, so frightened she could not even cry out.

After a quarter hour, Yin Yu'er was taken to an inconspicuous manor at the southwest corner of Anyang City.

Linghu Qingqing stood with a grim face, hands behind her back, beside the couch, gazing at the unconscious Yin Yu'er.

"A Yi, handle a few things for me."

First, tell Gongyang Sanlü that the favor of the Heavenly Decree should be repaid a little to this old man; the Hall of Rites Music Bureau Supervisor is of low character, incapable and worthless, unfit for important posts, moreover corrupt to the core—remove him from office, confiscate his property, exile his whole clan to the Great Marsh Prefecture, and place them at the army's disposal.

Second, that peach‑blossom grove south of the city, a sink of filth and vice, truly corrupts the morals—whether Solitary Moon Lodge, Plucking Stars Pavilion, or Hall of Gold and Jade, order the magistrate of Anyang to raid them; seize everyone inside and exile them to the frontier of the Great Marsh Prefecture, placing them at the army's disposal.

Third, tell Linghu Song: Zhao Xiu is currently fighting alongside the vanguard corps, isn't he? Let him die in battle.

Besides, Zhao Xiu's son is also dead—send him to keep his son company; let father and son walk the road together, so they won't be lonely.

Princess Jingheng, since you've already lost your son, let your husband die as well… hehe, only then can you let loose, play, romp, cause trouble… and then… go die.

Linghu Qingqing issued her orders one after another, each chilling to the bone.

Linghu A Yi answered each request with a blank expression, not daring to look at Yin Yu'er lying on the couch; he only knew that his master, whom he had served all his life, had truly, genuinely, completely flown into a mad rage.

"A woman who thinks herself high and mighty."

First she loses her son, then her husband, then those admirers… after that she will gradually lose her wealth, her power, her looks… finally, even the royal identity she prides herself on will be gone… hehe!

"And finally she becomes a slut ridden by thousands and crossed by ten thousands—only then would she be worthy of Yin Yu'er's eyes." Linghu Qingqing let out a soft sigh, reached out, and gently caressed Yin Yu'er's cheek.

"What is the name of the current head of the Linghu family? Get him ready—this old man intends to take Yin Yu'er as his wife in a proper wedding and bring her back to the Linghu household."