The Flower God's Spiritual Essence (6,600 words)

"You scoundrel!" I, Subordinate Third Rank the Court of State Ceremonial, cursed inwardly. Taking a deep breath, I shouted:

"I, Liu Da, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, have come to welcome the delegation from Yunzhou."

They called out several times, but there was no response from the Wind-Riding Boat.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies waited in the cold wind for another quarter of an hour before reluctantly leaving amidst the curious stares of the people passing by on the official road.

The people on the boat are the masters; they can afford to wait, but he cannot. It is his dereliction of duty that he could not welcome the Yunzhou delegation into the capital, and all the officials and His Majesty should blame him.

"Sir, please get in the car."

His subordinates lifted the curtain of the carriage for him.

"What carriage? Prepare a horse for me!"

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies cursed angrily, "From the capital to the inner city, and then to the imperial city, how long would it take to arrive by carriage?"

Clatter, clatter, as the horse galloped forward, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies rushed to the Ministry of Rites.

The Court of State Ceremonial was under the Ministry of Rites of the Ministry of Rites. Since the young man from Yunzhou thought his official rank was insufficient, he could only look for someone with a higher rank.

Ministry of Rites, inside the hall.

The Ministry of Rites frowned deeply:

"You brat!"

"This is meant to give the imperial court a warning."

Despite the insults, the Ministry of Rites said in a deep voice:

"Fine, I'll go with you."

He originally wanted the Vice Minister of Ministry of Rites to come forward, but considering that in terms of official rank, the Vice Minister was only half a rank higher than Liu Da, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, he decided to come forward himself.

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies breathed a sigh of relief and, as he walked out with the Ministry of Rites, said:

"Thank you for your trouble, Your Excellency."

The Ministry of Rites was too old to ride a horse, so the two switched to a carriage and sped towards the city gate.

Half an hour later, the carriage passed through the city gate. The Ministry of Rites lifted the curtain and saw the huge wooden boat by the roadside.

The carriage stopped beside the wooden boat, Ministry of Rites announced loudly:

"I, the Ministry of Rites, have come to welcome the delegation from Yunzhou."

A moment later, a guard peeked out from the side of the ship, his expression arrogant:

"My young master said that your status is insufficient."

The Ministry of Rites' face darkened, suppressing his anger, and he said calmly:

"Go back and ask your young master what he'll do before he agrees to come to the capital."

The guard didn't move, chuckled, and raised his chin:

"The Ninth Prince said he wants a prince to welcome him, the Grand Secretary to accompany him, and all proper etiquette and music to be provided. If that's not possible, he should let him know as soon as possible so he can return home and tell the 150,000 soldiers of Yunzhou that the Great Feng is unwilling to negotiate."

"This is against etiquette. Let your Ninth Prince come out and speak," the Ministry of Rites said loudly.

The guard ignored him and withdrew his head.

The Ministry of Rites' forehead vein throbbed slightly; he took a deep breath and regained his composure.

He then looked at the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial beside him and said:

"Send someone to consult His Majesty."

On the wind-riding boat, in a simple room, Ji Yuan sat at the table, peeling oranges with his long, slender, fair hands, a small silver-ribbed fan beside him.

"Is Ninth Brother trying to intimidate the Great Feng court?"

Xu Yuanhuai stood by the window and heard the entire conversation.

"Smart!" Ji Yuan praised, then shook his head.

"But not smart enough."

Xu Yuanhuai frowned.

Ji Yuan turned his head, looked at Xu Yuanshuang who was sitting quietly reading in a chair, and smiled:

"Yuan Shuang, what are your thoughts?"

Xu Yuanshuang didn't even look up, and said calmly:

"It's nothing more than testing the limits."

"Look, look," Ji Yuan said with a smile.

"Yuan Shuang is so clever. Yuan Huai, the negotiations started the moment we landed outside the capital. We don't necessarily have to sit at the negotiating table, understand?"

Seeing that Xu Yuanhuai seemed Qi Ingestion, Ji Yuan said while eating an orange:

"You need to know where the young emperor's bottom line is so you can get your hands on him once you're in the imperial palace tomorrow."

Xu Yuanshuang frowned and said:

Emperor Yongxing might not fall for your tricks.

Ji Yuan picked up the silver-ribbed fan, unfolded it with a "snap," held it flat against his chest, and laughed:

"This is also a test, to see how good the young emperor is."

He was not even as old as Emperor Yongxing, yet he spoke with a condescending tone.

After waiting for nearly half an hour, suddenly someone outside shouted:

Prince Yan and Chief Minister Qian have come to welcome the Yunzhou delegation.

With a "whoosh," Ji Yuan unfolded his small silver-ribbed fan, held it flat against his chest, and shook his head with a laugh.

"With such an emperor, how could the Great Feng Dynasty not be destroyed?"

The lavish "welcoming procession" entered the city, drawing pointing and whispering from the surrounding residents along the way.

"This is the flag of Yunzhou. So Qingzhou has really fallen? Is what they said a few days ago about the court wanting to negotiate peace true?"

Those among the common people who could read recognized the Yunzhou flag of the mission: it had a yellow background, embroidered with white clouds, and a large "Yun" character made of red thread.

Rumors in the capital were best controlled. People only dared to talk about it in private and dared not discuss the fall of Qingzhou, the death of the supervisor, and the court's decision to negotiate peace in public places such as teahouses and brothels.

Upon seeing the Yunzhou delegation enter the capital, the emotions that had been suppressed within them immediately resurfaced, and they stood on the street discussing it loudly.

"A mere rebel from Yunzhou dares to come to the capital and flaunt his power."

"Even Xu Yinluo couldn't defend Qingzhou?"

Inside the carriage, Ji Yuan heard these words and lifted the curtain.

"Folk tales abound of Xu Qi'an single-handedly holding off 8,000 rebel troops in Yunzhou, and single-handedly routing the 200,000-strong army of the Witch God Cult at Yuyang Pass. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment."

Ji Yuan clicked his tongue repeatedly. "Back then, when my brothers and sisters heard about Xu Qi'an's deeds in the Central Plains one after another, we were indignant, thinking that he had just usurped the fortune that originally belonged to our lineage."

"Now the tables have turned! Tell me, what will the people say about the court and their beloved Xu Yinluo after the news of the peace talks spreads?"

Xu Yuanshuang was silent for a moment, then stared at him:

No wonder you made such a big fuss.

Ji Yuan snapped open his folding fan, fanned himself slightly, and smiled without saying a word.

The Imperial Palace.

In the Imperial Study, Emperor Yongxing listened to the eunuch's report and learned that the Yunzhou delegation had already settled in at the post station, which relieved him greatly.

He stopped wandering around and sat back down in the gilded chair.

Not long after, Zhao Xuanzhen rushed in from outside and shouted:

"Your Majesty, Xu Yinluo and Prince Lin'an request an audience."

What is he doing here? Emperor Yongxing frowned and said:

"Please let him in."

Zhao Xuanzhen withdrew, and a few minutes later, he led Xu Qi'an, dressed in a blue robe, and Lin'an, dressed in a red dress, across the threshold and into the imperial study.

A perfect couple.

Emperor Yongxing felt a slight relief upon seeing the faint smile on Lin'an's face.

He then looked at Xu Qi'an and smiled:

"Xu Yinluo has finally returned to the capital. Someone, bring him a seat and some tea."

Xu Qi'an waved his hand:

No need.

"Your Majesty, do you truly wish to negotiate peace? The rebels in Yunzhou are riding high; why choose this time to negotiate?"

"They simply want to take this opportunity to squeeze the court dry, exhausting its last breath. If we negotiate peace, there's truly no chance of victory."

The smile on Emperor Yongxing's face slowly faded, and he said calmly:

"What does Xu Yinluo think we should do? Appoint you as the General of Yongzhou and send you to fight the rebels in Yunzhou to the death?"

"Does Xu Yinluo have the confidence to win? I know Xu Yinluo's cultivation is exceptional, he's a third-rank martial artist. But even the Supervisor died at their hands, what can you do!"

Xu Qi'an said:

"If Your Majesty trusts me, I will personally go to the battlefield and perish with the Yunzhou army."

"But I refuse!" Emperor Yongxing seemed to be losing patience, his tone suddenly becoming more forceful as he raised his voice:

"Peace negotiations are our only hope. As long as we can weather the harsh winter and wait for the spring sacrifice, the Great Feng will naturally improve. Why must we perish together with the rebels of Yunzhou at this time?"

Xu Qi'an didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

Emperor Yongxing is now solely focused on peace and ending the fighting; persuasion is futile, so there's no need to try.

"Dog lackey"

Lin'an chased after him for a few steps, then stopped, strode back to Emperor Yongxing, and shouted:

"Brother Emperor, why can't you try to trust him?"

Emperor Yongxing shook his head and sneered:

"Believe him? Believe in Xu Qi'an, and the Great Feng will be saved?"

"An enemy that even the Imperial Censor couldn't handle, how could Xu Qi'an possibly turn the tide?"

Lin'an Qi Channel:

"You're just a coward who's afraid of dying."

Emperor Yongxing was furious and raised his hand to strike.

Lin'an glared at him, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Get out! Get out of my sight!"

Emperor Yongxing pointed to the door and roared.

[Part 1: The Yunzhou delegation has arrived in the capital with great fanfare.]

In the Earth Book chat group, Huaiqing recounted in detail the events of the day when the Yunzhou delegation entered the capital.

[Four: He was testing Emperor Yongxing's bottom line. Alas, before they even met, his bottom line had already been figured out. This hasty invitation to the emperor to enter the city—isn't this a blatant display of his desire for peace talks?]

Chu Yuanzhen was astute and guessed the Yunzhou delegation's motives with great accuracy.

[Part Two: Emperor Yongxing, that dog of an emperor, is even worse than Emperor Yuanjing. Who was leading the army?]

True Qi she wanted to grind her teeth.

He was angry at both the Yunzhou delegation and Emperor Yongxing's cowardice and fear of trouble.

[One: Ji Yuan, the ninth son of the Lord of Qianlong City, currently resides at the inner city post station, heavily guarded by both internal and external troops, and also has two Golden Gongs.]

[Second: Is this because they're afraid Xu Qi'an will go and kill someone? Shouldn't he be back in the capital?]

[One: He's with me.]

Li Miaozhen gritted her teeth and cursed, "Go to hell!"

The Imperial City, Huaiqing Prefecture.

In the spacious and elegant inner hall, the eldest princess, dressed in a plum-colored palace dress, put down the fragments of the Earth Book in her hand and curled the corners of her lips.

She looked at the man opposite her and said softly:

"The current situation is different from when we were calling for donations. Even if you put a knife to Yongxing's neck, he most likely wouldn't give in."

"Gentlemen, you all feel the same way. Currently, over 70% of the officials in the capital agree to negotiate peace; this is the prevailing trend."

Xu Qi'an, who had just come out of the palace, nodded slowly:

"Zhao Shou said that in order to turn the current deadlock around, the problem of money and food in Great Feng must be solved."

What he really meant was that if he wanted to fight Xu Pingfeng and the rebels in Yunzhou to the death, the imperial court had to provide unconditional support and not hold him back.

Now, Yongxing is holding him back.

Huaiqing remained silent for a long time before saying:

"He was indeed a bit weak."

Xu Qi'an waved his hand:

"Let's not talk about him anymore. What brings you here?"

He had barely left the palace when he was summoned by Huaiqing's chief guard, who was waiting outside the palace gates.

Huaiqing pondered for a moment and said:

"Some time ago, you said that there were only three ways to reverse the current decline of the Great Feng Dynasty: first, the number of extraordinary experts must be equalized; second, the problem of money and food must be solved; and third, the Duke Wei must be resurrected."

Xu Qi'an listened quietly and nodded.

Huaiqing took a deep breath:

"You are already working on reviving Duke Wei; the outcome will be clear during the spring sacrifice."

"The problem of money and provisions is difficult to solve, but as you just said, what you need even more is a monarch who is willing to fight to the death with you, a court that is willing to stake the fate of the nation."

Xu Qi'an said slowly:

"So?"

Huaiqing gazed at him with eyes as clear as autumn water, and said, word by word:

"Force Yongxing to abdicate!"

Xu Qi'an had already anticipated this, so he wasn't surprised and shook his head.

"This will only hasten the demise of the court. I know you want to support Prince Yan to ascend the throne, but he lacks the qualifications, the status, and the power."

"In times of peace and prosperity, it might be acceptable, but now the people are filled with anxiety. If I were to act like a tyrant again, I would be pushing people towards Yunzhou, forcing them to defect."

If he were to try to subdue everything by force at this critical juncture, he might succeed, but people would simply turn around and seek refuge with Yunzhou.

Never forget that the Yunzhou branch is also part of the Great Feng royal family.

Huaiqing said quietly:

"My fourth brother has neither experience nor power, but I do."

Xu Qi'an was taken aback.

He carefully and repeatedly examined the beautiful woman before him.

Huai Qing stood firm and met his gaze without flinching.

"The entire former Wei faction is my people, and I have also won over many officials in the court. If we were to combine them, they would be the largest faction in the court."

"As for the royal faction, I need Xu Yinluo's help."

Xu Qi'an gazed at her for a long time, then sighed:

"Your Highness, I had long suspected that you were not a woman, but I still did not expect that you had unknowingly cultivated such a large-scale power."

Is there anything else?

Now that things were out in the open, Huaiqing didn't hide anything:

"I have men in all five battalions of the Imperial Guards and in all twelve guards of the capital."

No wonder she could send out experts and gather refugees; her power is far more terrifying than I imagined. Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said:

What other cards do you have up your sleeve?

Huaiqing picked up his teacup and took a sip:

"Lord Xu has collected five crucial dragon energies. The rebels of Yunzhou also possess one. The remaining three dragon energies are with me."

"Huh?" Xu Qi'an picked at his ear, wondering if he had misheard.

How did you do that?

Huaiqing said frankly:

"Duke Wei's spies are all in my hands. He personally handed over the Nightwatchers spy organization to me before he went to war."

No wonder, no wonder the Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong said he didn't know about the secret agent left by Duke Wei. Information about the secret agent had long since disappeared from the archives of the Nightwatchers watchman's office. It turned out Duke Wei had entrusted it to Huaiqing. Having solved a long-standing case, Xu Qi'an closed his eyes and sighed inwardly:

He's definitely not my biological son.

No, as expected, an adopted son can't compare to the daughter of one's first love.

Huaiqing, unaware of the many thoughts swirling in his mind, continued:

"By embracing the dragon's energy, one will naturally enjoy abundant blessings."

"With the dragon's aura within me, I can win over court officials and military experts with twice the results with half the effort."

Xu Qi'an revealed a complicated smile:

"Your Highness, you've been planning all this for a long time. After Yuanjing's death, you saw hope and secretly made arrangements, step by step, waiting for the opportunity to force Yongxing off the throne."

Huaiqing nodded slightly:

"From your explanation of your background within the Heaven and Earth Society, pointing out the existence of the rebels in Yunzhou; from the fall of the late emperor and the dissipation of the dragon's aura; I knew that Yongxing's throne would not last long."

"Such a huge mess, beset by internal and external troubles, requires great courage to secure the throne and implement reforms."

"But Yongxing is too mediocre. In times of peace and prosperity, he might be a good ruler, but in times of chaos, he would bring disaster to the country and its people."

"You're the real 'stealth and cunning' one. Compared to you, I'm practically reckless," Xu Qi'an muttered to himself. He couldn't help but agree with Huai Qing's words.

"Then how can you guarantee that Prince Yan will do a better job than Yongxing?"

"I will handle this naturally."

"Please tell me your detailed plan."

Xu Qi'an did not leave Huaiqing Prefecture until dusk.

Back at the Bureau of Astronomy, after visiting Sun Xuanji who was recuperating from his injuries, Xu Qi'an went to the guest room on the fourth floor. Pushing open the door, he found Mu Nanzhi dressing in front of the mirror in the warm, spring-like room.

Bai Ji was curled up in bed, fast asleep.

She looked like she had just taken a bath; her hair was still damp, and she had a faint fragrance.

I bought you some peach blossom pastries; I remember you like them.

Xu Qi'an placed a bag of pastries wrapped in ghee paper next to the dressing table.

Mu Nanzhi didn't care and asked with a smirk:

"Where did you go?"

She took a quick sniff and caught a faint, subtle fragrance of a woman on him.

Did you think a bag of pastries would be enough to appease her?

Xu Qi'an sat on the edge of the bed, taking off his boots as he spoke:

"Today, the peace delegation from Yunzhou arrived in the capital. I went to the palace to see Emperor Yongxing, but he wouldn't listen to my advice. Then I went to Huaiqing Prefecture to discuss matters with the Princess."

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed:

"Once the peace agreement is reached, the Great Feng may truly be powerless to reverse the situation."

"But you, whose fate rests on the shoulders of the nation, are doomed." Mu Nanzhi looked at the bag of pastries once more.

She bit her lip.

When a man is overwhelmed with worries, he still remembers to bring you a bag of your favorite desserts. This thoughtful gesture, worth only a few coins, is far more meaningful than sweet words, vows of eternal love, or extravagant spending to win a smile.

Xu Qi'an took off his boots, lay down on the bed, and rested his arms behind his head.

If the plan goes smoothly, two of the four key points proposed by Zhao Shou will be met: reviving Wei Yuan and stabilizing the rear.

Becoming a chess player is just a suggestion; it doesn't inherently have a completion date.

"As long as the Fourth Prince ascends the throne and guarantees his support in fighting Yunzhou to the death, then although the issue of money and provisions will still not be resolved, we can still barely sustain the Great Feng by squeezing out its national strength."

"The only problem now is that my cultivation is too weak. Although I can contend with second-rank cultivators, I would surely die against a first-rank cultivator. And what stands in my way is the Demon-Sealing Nail."

The Demon-Sealing Nail cannot be broken by brute force unless one knows the Mnemonic and Secret Method to unseal it, like Asura.

Even if only one nail is in the hole, it can still remove itself.

Xu Pingfeng, you've really got all the scheming in the world. Just as his thoughts were turning, he suddenly smelled a faint fragrance approaching, opened his eyes, and turned his head to look.

Mu Nanzhi sat on the edge of the bed, giving him an infinitely beautiful view of her back and half of her round buttocks that stretched her silk trousers.

She had taken off her clothes at some point, and was only wearing a white undergarment.

That's why they say a young girl's waist is better than a young woman's, and a young woman's hips are better than an older woman's.

"I was sent here by my parents when I was thirteen, in exchange for immense wealth and status. I thought I would spend my life in the palace, but then Yuan Jing gave me to the Prince of Huai. I feel sorry for myself, thinking that I am just a commodity, being sold and resold."

Mu Nanzhi, with her back to him, said softly:

"Later, I met that stinky woman Luo Yuheng. She told me that I was the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess, possessing spiritual essence, and was the furnace for the Prince of Huai, waiting for him to come and take away my spiritual essence one day."

"I asked her, terrified, what would happen if my spiritual essence was taken away? She told me, of course, I would die."

"Then I felt that I was not even as valuable as cargo, but a piece of livestock kept in the Prince of Huai's mansion, waiting for the day to be taken out and slaughtered."

So that's why she was so afraid of her identity being exposed, afraid that I would find out she was the reincarnation of the Flower Goddess—it was all because she was threatened by the Imperial Advisor. Xu Qi'an suddenly realized.

"That's why I've always been afraid of my identity being exposed, and I'm wary of everyone, including you."

Mu Nanzhi didn't turn around, but Xu Qi'an could sense that she smiled slightly.

"But these past few days, I've repeatedly asked myself, if that Xu guy wanted to take my spiritual essence, would I agree? Would I be willing to die for you? Until you came into the room, I still didn't have the answer."

She paused, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the package of pastries on the table:

"But just now, I suddenly knew the answer: I'm willing."

After saying that, Mu Nanzhi tensed up and sat stiffly, as if there was some terrifying monster behind her that might pounce on her at any moment.

She waited for a long time, but Xu Qi'an didn't pounce on her like a hungry tiger. She couldn't help but turn around and take a look.

Xu Qi'an turned to the side, propped his head up with his hand, and looked at her with a smile.

Bai Ji imitated Xu Qi'an's posture, turning to the side, propping her head up with one paw, and silently watching her.

Mu Nanzhi's face flushed red, and it seemed as if illusory black smoke was rising from the top of her head.

"You."

Enraged, she grabbed Bai Ji and slammed her face against Xu Qi'an's. Xu Qi'an was unharmed, but Bai Ji squeaked in pain.

"Just kidding, don't be angry."

Xu Qi'an pushed Bai Ji aside and dragged her onto the bed before Mu Nanzhi could "slip away".

This woman is so proud and arrogant it's outrageous. She finally mustered up the courage to confess her feelings and offer to help him advance to the second rank. If she misses this opportunity, who knows when she'll get another chance?

"You are an immortal tree, I can't take away your spiritual essence, at most I can absorb some, I won't die. Besides, I have the Demon-Sealing Nail in my body, even if I sleep with you, I won't be able to advance to the second rank."

"I'll be your devoted follower for now; we can talk about absorbing spiritual energy later."

Xu Qi'an buried his head in the soft bosom, ready to "slurp" it up, when suddenly he felt as if someone had hit him on the head with a stick.

This is not a normal message; it's a request for a private chat.

Normally, Xu Qi'an would have discarded the fragments of the Earth Book and indulged in being a devoted admirer.

But these are critical times; the fact that members of the Heaven and Earth Society are messaging him privately means something is definitely up.

Reluctantly, he lifted his head from Mu Nanzhi's chest to glance at her flushed face.

"I was careless. I should have taken off the bracelet first. Otherwise, looking at her face, I might easily enter a state of 'post-coital bliss' prematurely." He mentally grumbled, then casually pulled out the fragment of the Earth Book and accepted the other party's private message.

[8: I am fifteen li outside the west gate of the capital. May I come out to meet you?]

Number 8?

Xu Qi'an frowned. A few days ago, Daoist Jinlian said that the 8th had emerged from seclusion and might come to the capital soon.

What did he want to talk to me about in private?

Among the members of the Heaven and Earth Society, Number Eight is someone who is always offline and has no interaction with him or the other members.

Let's ask Master Jinlian first and see if this Number Eight is reliable. Xu Qi'an didn't reply, ended the private chat, and instead sent a private chat invitation to Master Jinlian.

[Nine: What is it?]

The Daoist priest quickly responded with a letter.

[Three: He came to Beijing on the 8th and asked to meet me.]

Xu Qi'an went straight to the point and told Master Jinlian the situation.

[Nine: My suggestion is that you might as well go and meet him.]

Xu Qi'an knew the rules of the Heaven and Earth Society: without the person's permission, Daoist Jinlian would not reveal the identity of the fragment holder.

After finishing the message transmission, he immediately contacted Number Eight and replied:

[Good!]

Reluctantly, he got up, gazing longingly at Mu Nanzhi's still well-maintained chest as she lay flat, and said:

"I'm going out for a bit. Don't wait for me, go to sleep."

After saying that, he disappeared into the shadows and vanished from the room.

Mu Nanzhi let out a long breath, unable to tell whether it was disappointment or relief.

"Auntie, I want to be your lapdog too."

Bai Ji lunged at Mu Nanzhi's chest, but was slapped away by the Flower Goddess. She frowned and said:

"Have you been spending too much time with him? Are you starting to act like a lecher?"

As she spoke, she picked up one of Bai Ji's hind legs, glanced at it, and spat:

"You bitch."

Xu Qi'an leaped continuously in the shadows, and arrived at the West Gate a few minutes later.

At this moment, the night was deep and the surroundings were extremely quiet, with the faint light of the torches on the city wall like fireflies.

After leaving the city gate, he was like a black fish, diving into the pitch-black night, as if swimming in the ocean, and heading straight ahead along the official road.

The agreed-upon location was fifteen li outside the west gate of the city. Without further description, it was assumed to be on the official road.

He soon arrived at his destination after a short distance of fifteen li and saw a tall figure standing proudly in the darkness.

He wore a red and yellow robe and was nearly nine feet tall, making him look like a giant compared to ordinary people.

He was ugly, with slightly protruding brow bones and no eyebrows. His eyes below the brow bones were sharp as knives, giving him an overall impression of extraordinary heroism.

Ugly-handsome.

He was fiddling with a small jade mirror in his hand.

P. S.: There was a typo; I'll fix it tonight.