Xiao Mo's consciousness emerged from the Book of a Hundred Lives at six in the morning the next day.
He had spent nearly two months inside the Book of a Hundred Lives.
Although time in the book flowed a hundred times faster than in reality, its protective mechanisms had helped Xiao Mo quickly adjust to the pace of the real world.
And while experiencing a life inside the book, Xiao Mo's physical energy had recovered as well.
What made him frown, though, was that he had clearly been a Nascent Soul Realm Sword Cultivator in the book, and had clearly known the Grass Character Sword Art.
But after waking up, he had forgotten all of it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember.
Xiao Mo had hoped to practice the Grass Character Sword Art in the real world.
But it seemed that wasn't possible now.
He could only wait and see what these rewards were all about.
After breakfast, Xiao Mo lay back down to rest.
Since he hadn't yet recovered from his illness, he didn't have to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager, nor attend court.
As far as Xiao Mo was concerned, there was little point in attending court anyway. Most of the officials there were Yan Shan'ao's men.
He was already eighteen, yet the Empress Dowager still ruled from behind the curtain. She had no shame at all.
After Wang Can was demoted and sent away from the capital, no one dared risk provoking Yan Shan'ao.
"Wei Xun," Xiao Mo called out.
"Your Majesty." Eunuch Wei hurried to his side.
"Have some Daoist classics brought over. Then tell the Prime Minister and the Empress Dowager that while I'm away, they'll need to take extra care of Zhou Kingdom's affairs."
"Your Majesty, you're..."
Xiao Mo rose to his feet and paced through his bedchamber with his hands behind his back.
"Train the body till it takes the shape of a crane; beneath a thousand pines, two volumes of scripture. I came to ask the Way, but there was nothing more to say: the clouds were in the blue sky, the water in its bottle."
Xiao Mo stopped and looked at Wei Xun. "From today onward, I shall cultivate immortality!"
"Train the body till it takes the shape of a crane; beneath a thousand pines, two volumes of scripture. I came to ask the Way, but there was nothing more to say: the clouds were in the blue sky, the water in its bottle."
Yan Shan'ao recited the poem Xiao Mo had composed and nodded. "His Majesty truly has a gift for poetry."
Wei Xun kept his head lowered and didn't dare speak.
Just moments ago, Wei Xun had arrived at Lingxin Palace and conveyed His Majesty's wishes.
Empress Dowager Yan sat on the high seat, calmly sipping her tea as though none of it had anything to do with her.
Though Empress Dowager Yan was already in her forties, her beauty had not faded in the slightest. If anything, she possessed a mature charm. Her every gesture carried not only the majesty of an Empress Dowager, but also a natural allure.
Yan Shan'ao turned to Wei Xun. "Did His Majesty really say that?"
"To the Prime Minister: yes. His Majesty said he wished to cultivate immortality, and asked you and the Empress Dowager to take extra care of state affairs."
"Since ancient times, emperors have been bound by the fate of their lands and people. How could they possibly cultivate? Emperors who devote themselves to seeking immortality never meet a good end."
Yan Shan'ao sighed.
"I'll go and persuade His Majesty to pay more attention to state affairs."
Listening to Yan Shan'ao, Wei Xun's brow twitched. He wondered how this man could be even more shameless than a eunuch like himself.
Did he really want His Majesty to pay attention to state affairs?
Wasn't he hoping His Majesty would spend all day cultivating and ignore the court?
"But this poem is quite good. Wei Xun, pass it around so the court officials can appreciate His Majesty's literary talent."
"Yes, Prime Minister."
Yan Shan'ao rose and walked over to Wei Xun, patting him on the shoulder. "If anything happens with His Majesty, tell me at once. You'll be well rewarded. But if you have other ideas, you know what will happen."
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister!" Wei Xun hurriedly dropped to his knees. "This old servant is utterly loyal to you and the Empress Dowager!"
Yan Shan'ao waved a hand. "Go. A few palace maids will be sent to the palace shortly. Take them to His Majesty."
"Yes, Prime Minister."
Wei Xun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and trembled out of Lingxin Palace.
Once Wei Xun had left, Yan Shan'ao turned around and looked at his elder sister with delight. "Sister, His Majesty is now devoted to seeking immortality. What do you think?"
"Train the body till it takes the shape of a crane; beneath a thousand pines, two volumes of scripture. I came to ask the Way, but there was nothing more to say: the clouds were in the blue sky, the water in its bottle. Heh, heh, heh..."
Empress Dowager Yan laughed coldly.
"Our His Majesty has never had any ambition, and he's always been timid. Otherwise, we wouldn't have chosen him to inherit the throne.
"Last time, Wang Can went to see him, and you demoted Wang Can. His Majesty must have been scared witless; otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen ill from fright.
"Now it seems he's given up completely."
Empress Dowager Yan lifted her eyes and looked at her younger brother. "You did well to have Wei Xun spread that poem. These days, how many people at court still support the Xiao family imperial house? Now that His Majesty is devoted to cultivating immortality, what reason do they have to keep standing by it?"
"But Xiao Mo can count himself lucky to have escaped with his life."
A flash of murderous intent gleamed in Yan Shan'ao's eyes.
"He only reached his position today because of us, yet he still met with Wang Can! If he doesn't learn to behave and know his place, heh... we can choose another emperor!"
Empress Dowager Yan glanced at Wei Xun. "Better to avoid trouble when you can. Find a way to deal with Wang Can, but make sure it's clean. Leave no evidence behind. Understand? The censorial officials are like dogs; they're always eager to bite."
"I understand, Sister." Yan Shan'ao nodded, returned to his seat, and took a sip of wine. "In a godforsaken backwater like Lingnan, it's all too easy for someone to 'die of illness.'"
Empress Dowager Yan reclined on the soft couch. Seeing this, her maid hurried over to massage her legs and knead her shoulders. "By the way, how are things with the Myriad Sword Sect?"
"Elder Huang of the Myriad Sword Sect will come to our Imperial Capital in three months. I've already figured out what he likes, and I've exchanged letters with him before. As long as nothing goes wrong, we'll be able to secure the Myriad Sword Sect as our backer."
Empress Dowager Yan nodded. She trusted her younger brother to handle things.
"If we can board the Myriad Sword Sect's ship and make them our backer, everything will be much easier. Whatever the sect asks for, give it to them.
"Also, take Elder Huang to visit the Yan Family more often. I know the Myriad Sword Sect is strict when choosing disciples.
"But if even one of our younger relatives happens to catch Elder Huang's eye, it'll be a tremendous boon to the Yan Family."
"Hahaha! If one of the Yan Family's younger generation could become Jiang Qingyi's disciple, then we really would have all of Zhou Kingdom under our thumb. Those old fogeys wouldn't even dare curse us behind our backs. Perhaps you could become Zhou Kingdom's first Empress!"
Empress Dowager Yan gave her younger brother a cool glance. "Sword Immortal Jiang has never taken a disciple since making her name. Don't waste your thoughts on that. Just take care of your own affairs. Also, it's about time we chose a few Yan Family women to enter the palace. The future Crown Prince must be one of ours."
Yan Shan'ao bowed. "Yes, Sister."
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