The Jian'an Emperor's Arrangements

Zhao Hongming called out toward the door, "What time is it now?"

A Little Eunuch crouching outside hurriedly replied, "In reply to Your Highness, it is Hai Hour now, almost Zi Hour."

It was already late.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been resting by now.

Zhao Hongming pondered for a moment, then instructed, "Attend This Prince to bed."

"Yes."

Having only just broken through, he was still brimming with energy, without the slightest hint of drowsiness.

But cultivation was a grand undertaking, not something that could be completed overnight.

In Zhao Hongming's view, planning and rhythm were crucial to such an undertaking. The heart of it lay in perseverance, not acting on a whim every day.

Thus, he decided to maintain roughly the same routine as before and make no drastic changes.

There was another important reason why Zhao Hongming did this.

Within the palace, he was a prince without power or influence, lacking sufficient connections and forces of his own.

He could not promptly learn of every change within the palace.

If recent changes in his daily routine drew the attention of someone with ulterior motives, they might well bring him fresh trouble.

There had once been a palace maid who bore a prince.

From a young age, that prince had displayed intelligence far beyond ordinary people.

Yet when he was five, he fell into the water by accident, caught a chill, and died.

Anyone with eyes could see the secrets hidden within.

And that was only what was known.

As for the filth and ugliness within the palace that had never seen the light of day, it was likely as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

Therefore, Zhao Hongming had no choice but to think more deeply, constantly reminding himself to tread as if on thin ice and remain cautious.

Still, such days would not last much longer.

According to Great Wei's regulations, a prince could Leave the Palace and be granted a title and fief upon reaching fifteen.

He was thirteen now. Only two years remained.

Given his current cultivation progress, not to mention becoming an Innate Martial Artist, reaching the Aperture Opening Realm within those two years would certainly not be a problem. He might even do so sooner.

At that time, he would have his own fief and be able to build his own foundation. Then he would no longer need to worry about such sordid matters.

Zhao Hongming cleared every stray thought from his mind and swiftly drifted into deep sleep.

The next day was as usual.

Eunuch Wang Bao came to the door and loudly called for Zhao Hongming to rise.

Already at First Rank Meridian Opening, Zhao Hongming rose almost the instant he heard him.

After getting up, he felt refreshed and clear-headed. The muddled feeling that had once accompanied early mornings had vanished, and he felt better than ever before.

He remembered something.

Zhao Hongming rummaged out a stack of Blue Books from beside his bed.

These were the classics the Crown Prince had sent Zhou Zhan Shi to deliver yesterday.

He picked up one of them and began reading aloud.

"Heaven sees as my people see; Heaven hears as my people hear..."

Wang Bao, standing outside, paused slightly and did not urge him again.

Only after a quarter of an hour did the sound of reading abruptly stop. "Wang Bao, attend This Prince's washing and grooming."

"Yes."

Eunuch Wang Bao did not delay. He gently pushed open the door, entered, and led several Little Eunuchs in getting busy.

Attended by his personal eunuch, Zhao Hongming resumed the daily life of a prince.

Imperial Garden, Fish Viewing Pond.

After handling state affairs, Jian'an Emperor Zhao Yongxu took Seal-holding Eunuch Feng Dabao for a stroll through the Imperial Garden.

They stopped beside the Fish Viewing Pond.

Zhao Yongxu held out his hand, and an alert eunuch promptly presented fish food.

He grabbed a handful and casually scattered it into the pond, drawing countless green and red carp into a frantic scramble, splashing up spray after spray.

"How has Daoist Bi of the Zhengyi Sect been lately?"

Feng Dabao bowed humbly at his side. "In reply to Your Majesty, I have heard that Daoist Bi has already reached Martial Courage Ninth Grade and is preparing to assault the Creation Realm. The spiritual pills and precious medicines Your Majesty requested were all delivered some time ago."

After hearing this, Zhao Yongxu lowered his head in thought. He scattered another handful of fish food and said, "I recall that among the Zhengyi Sect's elders, Elder Lan's son, Lan Liangchen, seems to have reached marriageable age."

"Among my daughters, Wu Yin Princess is of a similar age. The two are quite well matched. I intend to arrange a marriage with Elder Lan."

"Eunuch Feng, make a trip to the Zhengyi Sect tomorrow. You must see this matter through. Also, send an Imperial Edict to Consort Xiang."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Feng Dabao replied.

Zhao Yongxu threw all the remaining fish food in his hand into the pond. Watching the water churn with splashes, he muttered to himself, "What a pity Daoist Bi has never had any intention of finding a cultivation partner. Otherwise, if an outstanding member of the Zhao Clan married into the Zhengyi Sect, the Great Wei Zhao Clan would stand even firmer."

Feng Dabao, standing beside him, said nothing more.

As the largest sect in Great Wei, the Zhengyi Sect possessed an exceedingly profound foundation and had rendered many outstanding contributions when Wei Country was founded.

It had always been treated as an honored guest by Wei Country.

There were tens of thousands of martial artists under its banner. Looking across the whole world, it was a force not to be underestimated.

Yet after several centuries, the relationship between the Zhengyi Sect and Great Wei's Zhao Clan had gradually grown distant. It was no longer as close as it had been at the beginning.

This was hardly good news for Great Wei.

If the Zhengyi Sect developed other intentions and secretly colluded with the other Five Nations, the Great Wei Zhao Clan's position would become extremely passive.

For this very reason, Zhao Yongxu had no choice but to use marriage alliances to maintain their relationship.

"Watching fish fight over food is meaningless. Let's go." Zhao Yongxu clasped his hands behind his back and left the Fish Viewing Pond.

As he walked, he asked, "Has anything happened among the princes recently?"

Feng Dabao followed behind Zhao Yongxu and said, "Yesterday in the Imperial Study, the princes were studying the Way of Confucius and Mencius. Scholar Sun explained the Canon of Yao—'Make illustrious the noble virtue, and bring harmony to the nine clans.'"

"The Fourth Prince immediately put what he learned into practice and gifted the Fifth Prince a Marrow Cleansing Pill. The Hanlin Academy now speaks highly of the Fourth Prince."

"The fourth is somewhat like me. He misses no opportunity to display himself, and he handles matters properly." Zhao Yongxu smiled with considerable satisfaction. "When the Fourth Prince acted thus, did the Crown Prince and Seventh Prince make no moves?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince later sent Zhou Zhan Shi to the Fifth Prince with several classics by great scholars, advising the Fifth Prince not to neglect his studies. As for the Seventh Prince, he has remained buried in diligent study."

"It seems the Crown Prince still seeks stability and does not wish to give others an opening for attack." Zhao Yongxu frowned. "The Seventh Prince is a little too young, and lacks sufficient guile. What of the Fifth Prince?"

"Yesterday, Chen Family's Eldest Daughter visited him. The two spoke very pleasantly, and Miss Chen did not leave until You Hour. Before departing, she even gifted the Fifth Prince a Treasure Bow."

Zhao Yongxu nodded. "Minister Chen is signaling to me that he has no intention of taking sides. After tomorrow's morning court, have Minister Chen remain behind alone."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Feng Dabao seemed to recall something and hesitated to speak.

"Do you have something to say?"

Feng Dabao said, "Speaking of which, early this morning, the Fifth Prince also recited the classics gifted by the Crown Prince. He was quite diligent and does not seem to have neglected learning because of martial arts."

Zhao Yongxu said casually, "The Fifth Prince is usually quiet and reserved. It is indeed not easy. Starting next month, add fifty taels to his monthly stipend. Also, have the Chen Clan's eldest daughter enter the palace once each month to exchange martial arts insights with the Fifth Prince. Let the Fifth Prince understand the gap between himself and a genius, so that he may retreat in the face of difficulty as early as possible."

"Yes."

"How could it be so easy for the Imperial Family to practice martial arts?" Memories from his youth surfaced in Zhao Yongxu's mind, and he fell into a brief daze.

Two days later.

Zhao Hongming sat cross-legged on his bed, his chest rising and falling continuously—sometimes fast, sometimes slow—in a unique rhythm.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through their depths.

He stared at a spot in the void, and wild delight appeared on his face once more.

Within Zhao Hongming's sight, Heaven's Reward's Attribute Panel had changed again.

Name: Zhao Hongming

Cultivation Technique: Eight Desolations Eternal Youth Technique—Second Rank Meridian Opening (6/300)

Breakthrough-available Cultivation Technique: None

Today's Cultivation Time: 3 hours

Physique: Good

Talent Enhancement: 1.2

After three days of arduous cultivation, Zhao Hongming's martial arts cultivation had finally broken through to Second Rank Meridian Opening.

The speed was nothing short of monstrous.

At this moment, Eternal Youth True Qi surged like a river through two meridians, leaping and churning without end.

And with every circulation, Zhao Hongming felt subtle transformations taking place within his body, constantly bursting forth with vigorous vitality.

Grrr...

Waves of hunger rose from his stomach.

Martial artists consumed a great deal.

Zhao Hongming knew that the nourishment of fleshly essence provided by his previous three meals a day was somewhat insufficient.

He either needed to find ways to add more meat to his meals or purchase some Qi and Blood supplements outside.

At this thought, Zhao Hongming felt somewhat troubled.

Most of his monthly stipend consisted of silk, satin, food supplies, and wine. The actual silver or gold and silverware he received was not much.

There was very little room to make arrangements regarding his three daily meals.

Moreover, royal dining came with etiquette requirements. He could not gorge himself.

The best method was still to purchase Qi and Blood supplements outside the palace.

But Zhao Hongming had never left the palace and did not know how much those Qi and Blood supplements cost outside.

His purse was hardly full now.

"Your Highness, the Internal Affairs Department just sent someone to inform you that Your Highness is to collect your stipend tomorrow. May I ask when Your Highness will be free to go?"

Outside the door, his personal eunuch Wang Bao arrived and called out loudly.