Chapter 29: Offending None of Them

……

Because the Emperor's hundredth birthday is imminent, Jingshi is extremely busy and bustling.

Yet beneath the surface, undercurrents are surging, and struggles are ceaseless.

After all, to mortals, the Emperor is the supreme ruler of the world; there is no status more noble than this.

Within the Imperial Palace, the Emperor Zhao Rui received a secret report, learning that the Princess of Xiyun had indeed returned to Jingshi and was secretly visiting several close friends of the former Marquis of Xilu, currently staying at the residence of one of them, the Earl of Chengyang.

"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Xilu rebelled against the state, and the Princess of Xiyun escaped for three years. Now that she has sneaked back into Jingshi, I believe she should be arrested, imprisoned, and executed in autumn along with her family."

An elderly eunuch attendant whispered a reminder.

Zhao Rui cast a cold glance at the eunuch, whose face immediately turned pale as cold sweat rolled down. He flopped onto the ground, kowtowing like a pestle, and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me; this old servant should not have spoken out of turn."

Zhao Rui remained silent for a long time before waving his hand and saying, "Get up. This matter is not as simple as you think. Quickly take men to secretly bring the Princess of Xiyun into the palace; I have things to ask her."

"Yes, this old servant will go and do it at once!"

The old eunuch kowtowed, rose, and exited the palace. Half an hour later, the Princess of Xiyun was secretly brought into the Imperial Palace by a group of Imperial Guards in a carriage. Only after she entered the palace did she see clearly the person before her: it was the Great Song Emperor she had been thinking of day and night.

"Zhao Qian, daughter of the condemned official, pays respects to Your Majesty!" Zhao Qian was both shocked and delighted, and she hurriedly prostrated herself to kowtow.

Zhao Rui sat upright on the large chair, looking at this young woman with a haggard and terrified face, and asked with a majestic voice, "You are the daughter of Zhao Chengyi?"

The Princess of Xiyun lowered her head and replied, "Yes, my father is indeed Zhao Chengyi."

Zhao Rui said coldly, "Zhao Chengyi colluded with the Ming Kingdom and attempted to rebel; your entire family is to be executed. You actually dared to come to Jingshi—do you think I am unaware?"

The Princess of Xiyun's tears immediately fell like rain, and she sobbed while prostrate, "Your Majesty, my father did not rebel; he was framed by the Pingxi King. This humble woman risked her life to come to Jingshi precisely to see Your Majesty and clear my father's name."

Zhao Rui was furious and struck the armrest of the large chair, saying, "Presumptuous! Your father colluded with Zhu Youhong, the Marquis of Zhendong of the Ming Kingdom, and attempted to attack the Pingxi King. The evidence is conclusive; how dare you still quibble?"

"Your Majesty, this humble woman dares not quibble. There is an inside story to this: the Pingxi King colluded with the Ziyang Sect, an Immortal Sect of the Ming Kingdom, to plot a rebellion. After my father discovered this and wanted to report it to the imperial court, the Pingxi King killed him. After I escaped, I could only hide and dare not return to the capital. This time, for Your Majesty's hundredth birthday, I was escorted by Immortal Masters from the Taiyuan Sect and was able to reach Jingshi safely. On the way, I was even hunted by the Pingxi King and cultivators from the Ziyang Sect. If not for the intervention of the Taiyuan Sect Immortal Masters, I would have already perished."

Seeming to know that this was her only chance to overturn the case, the Princess of Xiyun's courage grew significantly. She straightened her body and shouted loudly while facing Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui's expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly, saying, "You say the Pingxi King colluded with the Ziyang Sect, an Immortal Sect of the Ming Kingdom—do you have evidence?"

The Princess of Xiyun said, "I do. However, because I was worried that the evidence would be seized by the Pingxi King and the Ziyang Sect, I handed it over to three Immortal Masters from the Taiyuan Sect. If Your Majesty summons the three Immortal Masters, you will know upon asking."

"Presumptuous! Do you want to use the Taiyuan Sect to pressure me?" Zhao Rui was furious.

The Princess of Xiyun also threw caution to the wind, raised her head, and looked at Zhao Rui without fear, saying, "This piece of evidence is of great importance. The Pingxi King colluded with the Ziyang Sect to hunt me down and seize it. As a weak woman alone, how could I protect it? If not for the three Immortal Masters of the Taiyuan Sect protecting me along the way, I would not have been able to reach Jingshi to see Your Majesty. My father guarded the Xilu for decades with loyalty and devotion. I am not afraid of death; I just do not want my father to carry the charge of rebellion after his death, nor do I want my family to suffer innocently. Since I am fortunate enough to see Your Majesty today, I beg Your Majesty to make the decision for me, and for my father and family."

"You want me to make the decision for you and rehabilitate Zhao Chengyi?" Zhao Rui looked at the Princess of Xiyun with a majestic expression.

"Yes, my father died unjustly. Please, Your Majesty, make the decision for me!" The Princess of Xiyun sobbed and prostrated.

"Then tell me the details of the matter. Since you dared to enter the capital alone, you must have evidence to overturn the case." Zhao Rui's face, full of seriousness and anger, instantly faded. He waved his hand and sat back down.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The Princess of Xiyun felt a sense of relief inside, and then she poured out the whole story from beginning to end. Of course, she did not say exactly what the Spirit Medicine was, as it involved two major Immortal Sects; saying it out loud would only bring more trouble.

After listening, Zhao Rui's expression was uncertain, and his heart was churning like a violent storm; his whole body was trembling slightly.

Although he knew that the Marquis of Xilu, Zhao Chengyi, was likely killed by the Pingxi King, who then fabricated the charge of colluding with the Ming Kingdom to rebel, he did not know the inside story was so terrifying.

Zhao Chengyi, a mere mortal border-guarding Marquis at the Kaiyuan Realm, actually dared to excavate an Immortal Tomb.

What he could not have imagined was that the Pingxi King, in order to obtain the Emperor's throne, would not hesitate to borrow the power of an Immortal Sect from the Ming Kingdom.

The Pingxi King must have already handed over many of the Immortal Treasures from that tomb to the Ziyang Sect.

As for what the evidence in the hands of the Taiyuan Sect actually was, he did not want to know, or even if he did, he would be powerless to act, because those things were not something he, an Emperor of the mortal world, could touch.

Even if it did not fall into the hands of the Taiyuan Sect, it would eventually fall into the hands of the Ziyang Sect or the Yuqing Hall.

And he did not have many years left to live; his only wish was for the Crown Prince to inherit the throne smoothly.

But the Eighth Prince, Zhao Wuji, was the greatest threat to the Crown Prince's succession.

Not only did he hold hundreds of thousands of troops guarding the western frontier, but he also colluded with the Ziyang Sect, the third-ranked large Immortal Sect of the Ming Kingdom. One misstep, and the Great Song would be doomed forever.

Although the Yuqing Hall, the largest Immortal Sect of the Song Kingdom, stood behind him, the Yuqing Hall would not necessarily stand up for him. After all, the opponent was a large Immortal Sect. Matters of the Immortal World were completely different from the mortal world, especially for cultivators at the Danyuan Realm and Spirit Transformation Realm who were single-mindedly pursuing the Dao and longevity. They would not care much about who lived or died in the mortal world, and whoever was the Emperor would not affect their subservience.

Unless this piece of evidence could make the Elder Council of the Yuqing Hall particularly tempted.

But how could a treasure of that level have remained in the hands of the Princess of Xiyun for three years?

Furthermore, this piece of evidence had now fallen into the hands of the Taiyuan Sect.

He was a former outer disciple of the Yuqing Hall, so he was naturally clear about the affairs of the Immortal World. Although cultivators were indifferent and did not pursue fame and wealth, if it were a true Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure, they would be even more brutal in seizing it. Moreover, there was no reason for them to spit out something they had already obtained.

Therefore, if he wanted the Yuqing Hall to take action against the Ziyang Sect, he would have to hand over the evidence, but he would definitely offend the Taiyuan Sect as a result.

Although the strength of the Taiyuan Sect was far inferior to the Yuqing Hall, it was still a formal Immortal Sect with more than ten Immortals. Even the lowest-ranked disciples had higher cultivation than him, not to mention the existence of experts at the Danyuan Realm.

He could not afford to offend the Yuqing Hall in the slightest, and he could not afford to offend the Taiyuan Sect either.

After thinking it over, Zhao Rui's mind was in a mess. He waved his hand to have the Princess of Xiyun taken away and kept under close guard. After pondering for a long time, he instructed the attendant: "Go to the Treasure Pavilion and invite Deacon Tong to the palace."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" An attendant responded and left.

Half an hour later, the fifty-year-old man at the late Kaiyuan Realm who had received Xu Chen and the others at the Treasure Pavilion followed the attendant into the hall.

Zhao Rui had been waiting at the hall entrance for a long time. Seeing him, he hurriedly bowed and said, "Zhao Rui greets Deacon Tong."

The old man nodded slightly and returned the greeting, saying, "Junior Brother, there is no need for such formalities. Why did you call me into the palace in such a hurry?"

Zhao Rui led the old man into the hall, had tea served, and then dismissed the eunuchs, attendants, and palace maids before carefully recounting what the Princess of Xiyun had said.

After listening, the old man was very angry and glared, saying, "How are you acting as an Emperor? How could you drag such a big matter until now to speak of it?"

Zhao Rui said with a bitter face, "Senior Brother's reprimand is correct. However, I only just learned of this matter. The Eighth Prince is so daring that not only did he privately excavate an Immortal Tomb, but he also colluded with the Ziyang Sect to attempt a rebellion. I originally wanted to pass the throne to the Crown Prince during this hundredth birthday, but now I am afraid there will be some trouble."

The old man's anger subsided slightly. He stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, saying, "You know the rules of the Immortal World; the succession of the throne is a matter for your own royal family, and the Yuqing Hall will not interfere. But the Eighth Prince's collusion with an Immortal Sect of the Ming Kingdom is certainly an unforgivable crime. However, those Immortal Treasures have now fallen into the hands of the Ziyang Sect. Without sufficient benefits, I am afraid the Elders of the Yuqing Hall will not agree to take action, because once they do, it will be a struggle between the Immortal Sects of two countries, and the consequences will be very unpredictable. I can pass this on to the sect Elders, but do not hold too much hope."

Zhao Rui said, "Then, should we just let the Spirit Medicine in the hands of the Taiyuan Sect go?"

The old man shook his head seriously and said, "If I had known about this half a month ago, perhaps the Elder Council would have been tempted, but now it is absolutely impossible to tear our faces with the Taiyuan Sect for a Spirit Medicine of unknown value."

"Why?" Zhao Rui asked urgently.

The old man tapped his finger lightly on the tea table and said, "Because Danchenzi of the Taiyuan Sect will soon become a great cultivator at the Spirit Transformation Realm. Therefore, even if it were a Third-Tier or even Fourth-Rank supreme treasure, the Yuqing Hall would not come forward, let alone take action."

Zhao Rui's expression changed drastically. He stood up and exclaimed, "Danchenzi is actually about to break through? How does Senior Brother know?"

The old man did not hide it either; he recounted the previous visit of Danchenzi to the Yuqing Hall to pay respects to Baiyun Zhenjun, and finally said:

"Danchenzi becoming a Great Cultivator is a matter of the utmost importance for our Great Song Immortal World, and it cannot tolerate even the slightest disturbance. Even if the Yuqing Hall needs to set things right because Zhao Wuji colluded with the Ziyang Sect to rebel, they will at least need to wait until after this matter is concluded before taking action. The Ziyang Sect dared to take our Great Song Immortal Treasure and secretly fund the rebellion; we will certainly settle accounts with them in the future, but it is absolutely not now. Do you understand?"

Zhao Rui's face instantly turned pale and bloodless, and he slumped back against the chair, staring blankly in dejection.