Daoist Jinlian's embarrassment

Yang Gong and Li Mubai exchanged a glance, and the latter said:

"To be honest, this matter has been troubling me for a long time. I always felt that the level of the Yunzhou rebels should not be so low. But given the current situation, it is absolutely impossible to take Qingzhou within a month unless Wei Yuan is alive."

What are your thoughts?

The battlefield is like a chessboard, even more unpredictable than chess. Li Mubai and Yang Gong, as great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy, are no ordinary people. In such important matters, they do not mind "seeking trouble for themselves".

Upon hearing this, the advisors began to speculate:

"Given the current situation, it will be extremely difficult for the Yunzhou rebels to capture Qingzhou. Could it be that they actually have another main force, which has been diverted to other areas to seize territory? And Qingzhou, in fact, is negotiating with us to tie down the main force of the imperial court?"

"But what's the point of attacking other regions separately? Then we'll be isolated and helpless, facing a desperate situation, only to be divided and devoured by our Great Feng? As Xu Yinluo's military treatise says, 'Use the orthodox to engage, and the unorthodox to win.'"

"This was merely a surprise tactic, and it was only surprise in name."

"Master Yang, I don't think it's surprising. Non-Self overestimated the Yunzhou rebels, nor that the Yunzhou rebels were incompetent. It's just the will of Heaven. You might think about it: if Xu Yinluo hadn't brought in the Gu Clan's elite troops, relieving the pressure on Qingzhou and allowing us to catch our breath, thus enabling us to mobilize our troops and revitalize the entire situation, this second line of defense would probably have completely collapsed."

"If it weren't for Xu Yinluo's alliance with the Southern Demons, which tied down the allied forces of the Western Regions and the Buddhist School monks, the current situation would be that the imperial court is fighting on two fronts and is unable to reinforce Qingzhou. The battle line would probably have been pushed into the heart of the Central Plains."

"Therefore, it wasn't that the Yunzhou rebels were incompetent; rather, every possible path and every scheme was neutralized and restrained by Xu Yinluo's outside maneuvering."

After a thorough analysis, even Yang Gong and Li Mubai admitted that this statement made the most sense.

Because even the two great Confucian scholars could not conceive of any other possibilities.

After the meeting, Li Mubai finished his tea, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to the advisor who had previously suggested "cannibalism" to solve the flying beast army's food supply problem, and said:

"Brother Lingzhan, may I speak to you in private?"

The goatee-wearing advisor stood up and walked outside with Li Mubai.

The two left the main hall and walked through the Provincial Administration Commissioner's office when Li Mubai suddenly said:

"There's something I'd like to trouble you with, Brother Lingzhan."

The advisor cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Brother Chunjing, please speak frankly."

Li Mubai nodded and said:

"I hope Brother Lingzhan can write a letter to Songshan County, telling Xu Cijiu that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. But please do not do it in the name of Lord Yang."

The aide suddenly realized, and said in a deep voice:

"Lingzhan understands."

The capital city, the Hall of Nourishing the Gods.

On a quiet afternoon, Emperor Yongxing awoke on his dragon bed, feeling refreshed and clear-headed, as he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

The first thing he did upon waking was to summon the chief eunuch, Zhao Xuanzhen, and give him instructions:

"I remember that the spring sacrifice is in another month."

"Inform the Court of Judicial Review to make the ceremony grand; I wish to properly offer sacrifices to my ancestors and Heaven and Earth."

After the spring festival, the earth returns to spring.

This cold disaster, which nearly brought down the Great Feng, has finally reached its limit.

When the season of rejuvenation arrives, firstly, the cold can no longer threaten the people; secondly, even if there is still a food shortage, there is food everywhere, and if you wander around the mountains and dig in the fields, you can always find something to eat.

A few days ago, during a meeting in the Imperial Study, the officials analyzed the situation in Qingzhou in depth and unanimously agreed that the rebels in Yunzhou would not be able to capture Qingzhou before the Spring Festival.

Given the disparity in strength between the two sides, the Yunzhou rebels, though initially determined, would eventually weaken and exhaust themselves. Their initial fervor would gradually wane until it was extinguished.

In recent days, the somber atmosphere in Beijing has melted away like a glacier, bringing a sense of ease and relief.

The cabinet issued three proclamations in succession to boost public morale.

Just as Zhao Xuanzhen was about to leave to relay the message, Emperor Yongxing waved his hand and said:

"Fine, let's summon all the gentlemen to the Imperial Study for a meeting."

He smiled slightly, "Let's continue discussing the situation in Qingzhou."

Phoenix Perch Palace. Huaiqing, accompanied by two personal maids, stepped into this quiet and secluded palace, a place that countless women in the harem dreamed of.

A roaring charcoal fire, curtains drawn, and the stunningly beautiful Empress Dowager sat behind her desk, enjoying pastries she had made herself and reading a book with serene grace.

"Mother!"

Huaiqing bowed, his expression cool and aloof.

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, her enthusiasm not much greater than her daughter's, and said:

"A few days ago, His Majesty bestowed a marriage upon Lin'an and Xu Yinluo."

"It suddenly occurred to me that I had neglected your marriages in the past. When the late Emperor was still alive, it was acceptable for you daughters to remain unmarried."

"Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, your seniority has been elevated. It is inappropriate for you to remain unmarried."

"The reason I called you here today is to ask if Huaiqing has someone he likes?"

Huaiqing smiled, the tone unreadable between mockery and disdain, and said calmly:

"Mother need not worry about her child's marriage. If she meets a good man, she will naturally marry him."

The Empress Dowager did not insist and nodded.

"Step down."

Huaiqing bowed and left Fengqi Palace with her maids.

Palace walls, high and low, lock away one's peaceful dreams.

Huaiqing suddenly stopped along the way and looked up at the azure sky.

She murmured these four words to the person she admired.

Upon returning to Dexin Garden, Huaiqing suddenly lost her interest in reading. She had intended to take a short rest, but then felt a sudden pang of anxiety. Without making a sound, she dismissed the palace maids and took out a fragment of the Earth Book.

[Second: I saw a notice in the city saying that the situation in Qingzhou was very good and the rebels were on their last legs, which made me very angry. These corrupt officials who hold their positions without doing their jobs are deceiving the people.]

Huaiqing, who was in a bad mood, almost burst out laughing.

The holy sons and daughters of the Heavenly Sect should be judged by their talent in cultivation; if judged by their wisdom, they are merely passable.

[Four: It cannot be said that the people were deceived. Since ancient times, the imperial court has always praised the good and never criticized the bad. In another month, it will be the spring sacrifice, the earth will return to spring, and the cold disaster will be over. The imperial court has survived the most difficult time.]

[Meanwhile, the rebels in Yunzhou were bogged down in Qingzhou, and the longer the stalemate lasted, the less power they had to reverse the situation. Despite internal and external troubles, the imperial court's resources were still stronger than those of Yunzhou.]

[Seven: Then wouldn't we have trained for nothing?]

As expected, Huaiqing, a fellow disciple, watched quietly without participating in the conversation.

[Four: Brother Li, what do you mean by that? The rebels in Yunzhou have been building up their strength for twenty years. They are not so easy to deal with. I said that after the Spring Festival, they would be powerless to turn the tide, but I did not mean that the rebels in Yunzhou would be defeated after the Spring Festival.]

[If we quickly prepare our troops and arrive in Qingzhou before the Spring Festival, we might be the final straw that breaks the back of the Yunzhou rebels. Speaking of which, if it weren't for Xu Ningyan's skillful maneuvering and successive elimination of the Gu Clan and the Western Regions—two major threats— Qingzhou would probably have fallen long ago.]

Ah, Brother Yang mustn't see this! Li Lingsu sent a message:

[My junior sister Caiwei from the Bureau of Astronomy and my senior brother Yang are in my village. Senior brother Yang also plans to gather refugees, contend for the Central Plains, and become a figure who will be remembered in history.]

[Second: It's probably to suppress Xu Qi'an.]

[Four: It's probably to compete with Ningyan.]

[Six: Is this aimed at Lord Xu?]

Li Miaozhen, Chu Yuanzhen, and Master Hengyuan sent letters one after another.

Li Lingsu almost covered her face. She had wanted to complain about Yang Qianhuan, but then she changed her mind and said:

[Senior Brother Yang is truly a pure and kind person. However, he and Caiwei Sister Caiwei were exiled by the Supervisor.]

After explaining the reasons for Yang Qianhuan and Chu Caiwei's exile, the Holy Son concluded:

[This pair of senior and junior students is truly heartbreaking and speechless.]

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society, who were initially quite moved, silently complained upon seeing this sentence:

Your Heavenly Sect's senior and junior siblings aren't much better.

[Secondly: Not a single one of the supervising disciples is normal.]

Upon seeing these words, the members of the Heaven and Earth Society were filled with emotion once again.

At this moment, Master Jinlian appeared and gave a sermon:

[Gentlemen, I have returned from my seclusion.]

The Heaven and Earth Society was silent for a few seconds, then erupted into chaos.

[Two: Ah, Master Jinlian, you've finally emerged from seclusion! You don't know, do you? Everything has changed outside; so much has happened.]

Yes, there are so many things to do that this humble Daoist feels like I've been in seclusion for ten or twenty years. Master Jinlian, with a sigh, sends this letter:

[I've already heard from the disciples that time passes silently in the mountains, yet a thousand years have passed in the world.]

[Four: Daoist Master, what you know are only things that have already spread throughout the world. There are some secrets within the Heaven and Earth Society that you are unaware of.]

Chu Yuanzhen sent a letter.

Master Jinlian's heart stirred. He knew that Xu Qi'an had stepped into the Transcendent Realm and participated in many important events, which meant he must have come into contact with a great deal of high-level secret information.

Given Xu Ningyan's personality, he would most likely show off his abilities in front of others within the Heaven and Earth Society, or rather, share information.

Master Jinlian immediately sent a letter inquiring:

[9: What inside information is available?]

Chu Yuanzhen sent a letter saying: [Four: I'll tell you some things I can say, but as for the secrets Xu Ningyan revealed, we'll tell you after he agrees.]

After Chu Zhuangyuan secluded Jinlian, Wei Yuan died in battle, and the group joined forces to kill Yuan Jing. They then traveled the martial world and killed the Buddhist School Vajra in Jianzhou. This is a detailed account of the series of events.

However, the relationship between Xu Qi'an and Xu Pingfeng was omitted, and the Buddha's secrets were not mentioned.

[Nine: Wei Yuan sacrificed himself for righteousness. As for the matter of Joan of Arc, I am truly sorry, it was not my wish. It is all Black Lotus's fault. Everyone must help me eliminate this vile one.]

Despite her complicated feelings, Master Jinlian didn't forget to shift the blame.

Great Feng Jinlian bears half the blame for Da Feng's current predicament, while Xu Pingfeng bears the other half.

If it weren't for Master Jinlian's evil intentions that corrupted Joan of Arc back then, none of the subsequent messy events would have occurred.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society tacitly refrained from going into details, as this matter was not honorable and carried a heavy karmic burden, a scar that was difficult for Master Jinlian to erase from his heart.

Jinlian breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the members of the Heaven and Earth Society were not pressing the matter.

At this moment, Lina delivered a letter:

[5: Master Jinlian, where did you go wrong?]

Master Jinlian: "."

"Master Jinlian, why did you recruit Lina into the Heaven and Earth Society in the first place?" The members of the Heaven and Earth Society thought to themselves.

[Nine: This is a long story; I'll tell you the details when we meet.]

This was the only way that Master Jinlian could refuse.

[Nine: There is something I believe you should be wary of regarding the war in Qingzhou.]