Inside Yangxin Hall, Xiao Mo let out a deep breath and slowly opened his eyes.
Xiao Mo had memorized the entire Grass Character Sword Art.
During this time, besides experiencing lives in the Book of a Hundred Lives, Xiao Mo had often emerged from it to recite the sword art.
Although the wisp of Grass Character Sword Intent within Xiao Mo contained the sword art, and he could read it at any time with a mere thought,
he could only cultivate the Grass Character Sword Art after memorizing it completely and imprinting every word in his soul.
"Your Majesty."
Wei Xun's voice came from outside the door.
"Come in," Xiao Mo said.
Wei Xun entered the bedchamber and bowed to Xiao Mo. "Your Majesty, this old servant has finished the task you entrusted to him. There is a secluded plot of land north of Xianxin Palace, surrounded by walls on all four sides, with a single gate for entry. Almost nobody passes through, so it's very quiet.
"This old servant has had an altar set up there. Everything a Daoist might need—talisman paper, cinnabar, a bagua diagram, a yin-yang diagram, a Peach wood sword, and so on—is ready. Would Your Majesty like to go take a look?"
"Let's go," Xiao Mo said, nodding.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun hurried off to prepare the imperial carriage.
A little over half an hour later, Xiao Mo arrived at a plaza north of Xianxin Palace.
Just as Wei Xun had said,
the plaza was surrounded by walls on all four sides, and one had to open a gate to enter.
It was roughly the size of a football field.
The place was indeed suitable, tucked away in a corner of the Imperial Capital.
Xianxin Palace stood right beside it.
Xianxin Palace was, in truth, the Cold Palace.
After the Late Emperor passed away, all the consorts in Xianxin Palace had been sent to accompany him in the imperial tomb. Xiao Mo had yet to take any consorts, so there weren't even any consorts banished to the Cold Palace.
As a result, Xianxin Palace was now completely deserted.
On top of that, Xianxin Palace had always been a place where consorts were prone to hang themselves, and all sorts of terrifying rumors surrounded it. The eunuchs and palace maids kept their distance.
The empty land around Xianxin Palace had likewise become a place nobody passed through.
"Is Your Majesty satisfied with this place?" Wei Xun asked obsequiously from the side.
"Mm." Xiao Mo nodded. "I'm very satisfied."
"Starting today, I'll cultivate the Dao here. No one is to enter without my permission. Understood?" Xiao Mo said coldly.
This old servant understands.
Xiao Mo waved a hand. "Go wait outside the gate."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun bowed, left the plaza, and ordered the gate shut.
Clang.
The gate closed fast.
Xiao Mo picked up a Peach wood sword from the rack and began practicing the first move of the Grass Character Sword Art.
For cultivators just starting out, the most important thing was to draw Spiritual Energy into the body, open their Spiritual Meridian, and reach Qi Refining Layer One.
Gifted cultivators could reach Qi Refining Layer One in an hour.
Those of ordinary aptitude took between one and three days to draw in qi.
Even cultivators with poorer aptitude generally needed only a month.
The reason Jiang Qingyi had taken several months to reach Qi Refining Layer One was that she lacked a Sword Bone.
Born without a bone, she had been constitutionally deficient and unable to absorb Spiritual Energy into her body normally.
But after Xiao Mo had fashioned a false bone for her,
even though it wasn't a Sword Bone, it had made up for her congenital deficiency.
After that, she had cultivated at astonishing speed, advancing a thousand miles a day.
Xiao Mo felt that while his Root Bone wasn't exceptional, it was at least average.
"I'll do my best to begin cultivating within two days."
At the same time, at the Minister of Rites' residence,
Huang Shangyi, the elderly palace woman from the imperial palace, opened her mouth and called to the woman before her, "Walk."
The woman stepped forward, her steps light and steady, her stride short and unhurried. As the saying went, she moved with the delicate tread of a lotus. She held herself straight as she walked, eyes fixed ahead.
"Stand."
At Huang Shangyi's next command, the woman stopped, standing tall with her chin slightly lowered. Her hands were folded before her, right hand above left. She looked composed and graceful, like an exquisite statue, perfectly still.
"Sit," Huang Shangyi called again.
The woman sat in the chair beside her, settling only on its front half. She kept her back straight, legs together and angled to one side, feet together or tucked slightly beneath her skirt, and hands resting naturally, one over the other, on her lap.
Looking at the woman before her, Huang Shangyi nodded, thoroughly satisfied.
The Empress Dowager had instructed Huang Shangyi to come and train the Zhou Kingdom's most talented woman in court etiquette.
At first, Huang Shangyi had been a little worried.
The talented woman would be entering the palace in just a few days, and the time she had to learn the etiquette really wasn't long.
But Huang Shangyi soon realized her concerns were unnecessary.
The Yan Clan truly lived up to its reputation as a great clan. They had taught their women court etiquette in preparation for entering the palace for generations.
Now all Huang Shangyi had to do was make a few corrections.
Most importantly, a certain authority seemed to radiate from Yan Ruxue's every movement.
She had heard that someone at court had submitted a petition arguing that Yan Ruxue of the Yan Clan couldn't serve as Empress of Great Zhou.
But if a woman like this couldn't be Empress, who could?
"What are the rules for one's expression in the palace?" Huang Shangyi asked.
"One must remain gentle and composed, never showing joy or anger. One must always be dignified and reserved, never laughing loudly, making a scene, crying or losing composure, or showing anger," Yan Ruxue answered.
"And one's gaze?"
"One must keep one's gaze lowered or look straight ahead. One mustn't look around, glance sideways, or look directly at the Emperor or Empress Dowager. When speaking to them, one must keep one's eyes respectfully lowered," Yan Ruxue answered.
"Mm." Huang Shangyi nodded. "Young Lady, you have no major problems with court etiquette. But you must keep practicing until it becomes second nature in your everyday life."
"Thank you for your hard work, Huang Shangyi. Please have some tea before you leave." Yan Ruxue inclined her head, then instructed the maid beside her, "Bring Huang Shangyi some tea."
"Thank you, Young Lady." Huang Shangyi was indeed a little thirsty.
The elderly palace woman sat on a stone stool and drank some cold tea. When she looked up, she saw the talented young lady of the Yan Clan sitting nearby, gently polishing a golden ring with a piece of silk.
Ever since arriving at the Yan residence, Huang Shangyi had seen the woman take out that golden ring and polish it every day.
The brocade box that held the ring had grown somewhat rotten with age.
After finishing her tea, Huang Shangyi left the Yan residence, escorted by Yan Ruxue's personal maid.
"Xiao Chun, is there anything special about your young lady's ring?" Huang Shangyi asked curiously.
"I don't know." Xiao Chun shook her head. "Young Lady gently polishes that ring every day, and she hasn't replaced that brocade box in all these years. I once asked her what was special about the ring, too."
"What did she say?"
"Miss said she was waiting for someone to put it on her."
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