An auspicious omen (thanks to "Cross-dressing makes me stronger" for the Silver Alliance sponsorship)

The underground of the Star-Gazing Tower.

Zhong Li, who was sitting cross-legged in the room, meditating quietly, suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps.

Just then, a quickened footstep approached her door and called out:

"Senior Sister Zhong, the Nightwatchers, under orders from Xu Yinluo, has escorted a group of prisoners to this place for imprisonment."

Zhong Li got up and opened the door, only to see a white-robed Warlock standing outside.

She nodded first, then looked toward the entrance of the dark corridor and saw a middle-aged man with a gold gong embroidered on his head, leading a group of prisoners with silver and bronze gongs.

Zhong Li went up to her and asked softly:

"What happened?"

The white-robed Warlock said "Oh," and explained calmly:

"Xu Yinluo and the Eldest Princess rebelled, intending to imprison several princes, including Emperor Yongxing, in the Bureau of Astronomy."

As Warlock in the Bureau of Astronomy, looking down on imperial power was standard practice.

Zhong Li greeted the golden gong that escorted the prince, who bowed and said:

"I, Zhao Jin, am here to escort the prisoner. Please make the arrangements, Miss Zhong."

Zhong Li said:

"There are twenty rooms on this floor. Just pick one."

Upon hearing this, Song Tingfeng casually opened an iron gate beside him and shoved Xu Yuanhuai:

"Go in!"

Xu Yuanhuai slipped and fell hard to the ground, his head hitting the iron gate, letting out a muffled groan of pain.

Song Tingfeng sneered, "Useless."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly slipped, fell straight backward, and hit his head on the wall.

As a master of the Spirit Refining Realm, he was not injured, but he scratched his head, looking bewildered.

Zhao Jin frowned, looked at Song Tingfeng, and rebuked him:

"Rash and sloppy."

Then he tripped and fell.

"???" Zhao Jinluo looked bewildered.

He couldn't understand why he, a fourth-rank martial artist and a master of internal energy, would suddenly trip and fall when there were no obstacles or walking involved.

Zhao Jinluo immediately understood, looked at Zhong Li, and guessed:

"Is this a formation used to trap criminals?"

The white-robed Warlock leading the group leaned against the wall and nodded.

"Just accept that as true."

Then, the silver and bronze gong players pushed the cursing prince and Emperor Yongxing into the room. During the process, people from both sides fell down for no apparent reason, either hitting their heads on the wall or their faces on the ground.

Zhong Li was responsible for closing each iron door, placing her palm on the door to activate the formation.

Having finished their task, the night Nightwatchers, including Zhao Jinluo, carefully moved away from underground, their backs pressed against the wall.

The white-robed Warlock leaning against the wall sighed:

"Yesterday he was an emperor, today he's a prisoner. Hehe, it's not bad to let these princes who live in luxury taste what it's like to be a prisoner. Otherwise, how would they know the hardships of life? Right, Senior Sister Zhong?"

Zhong Li was stunned.

She stood there blankly for a long time, her eyes growing brighter and brighter, and she said urgently:

Go find Xu Yinluo and tell him to come to me.

The white-robed Warlock didn't ask why, he just nodded.

"Okay, but Senior Sister Zhong, could you please go back to your room first?"

He pointed to the open iron gate.

The iron gate could lock away Senior Sister Zhong's misfortune, but he didn't want to stumble every three steps. Warlock's body was very precious and couldn't withstand any abuse.

"Oh!"

Zhong Li turned and went into the room. The moment the iron door closed, the white-robed Warlock heard a muffled "thud," and he guessed that Senior Sister Zhong had fallen.

The white-robed Warlock emerged from underground, climbed the steps, and arrived at Xu Qi'an's temporary bedroom.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, a sudden inspiration struck him, and he thought:

"No, the three Principle for avoiding misfortune are: don't listen to Senior Sister Zhong; don't stay near Senior Sister Zhong; and don't touch Senior Sister Zhong's things."

"I was careless; I almost forgot these three Principle."

With this thought in mind, the white-robed Warlock turned and left.

Let's relay Senior Sister Zhong's words to Senior Brother Song and let him be the cannon fodder.

The Bureau of Astronomy, inside the Pagoda.

Bai Ji curled up on the futon, her voice soft and sweet as she said:

"Why hasn't Auntie arrived yet? Master, please let me out. I'm so bored."

The old monk Taling opened his eyes and slowly said:

"If you find it boring, young benefactor, why not join this humble monk in studying Buddhist teachings?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Ji immediately perked up and exclaimed:

"I am Demon Race, I was born to fight against Buddhist School, how could I learn Buddhist teachings from you?"

The old monk Taling gave his reasons:

"Only by understanding the enemy can we defeat them. Young benefactor, if you learn Buddhism from me, you will be able to find the weaknesses of Buddhist School when you grow up."

Bai Ji was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then thought it made a lot of sense, and her little brain couldn't think of any rebuttal.

As they were talking, the old monk Taling's ears twitched, and then he laughed:

Your master has returned.

He flicked his finger, and a golden light shot out, blooming in the room, and then Mu Nanzhi appeared.

She wore a lotus-colored long dress, her face was haggard, and her eyes were full of fatigue.

When Xu Qi'an left, he did not take the Floating Pagoda with him, but left it on the table along with the Taiping Blade, giving the Flower Goddess triple protection.

After Mu Nanzhi awoke, she communicated with the tower spirit and was teleported inside.

"Aunt!"

Bai Ji cheered and transformed into a white shadow, flying into Mu Nanzhi's arms.

Mu Nanzhi caught Bai Ji, then sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, clasped her hands together, and said devoutly:

"Master, I understand."

The old monk Taling countered with a question:

What did you realize?

Mu Nanzhi was extremely devout and attained profound enlightenment:

"Form is emptiness!"

The old monk Taling said with satisfaction:

"Good!"

At the same time, he muttered to himself: This sounds so familiar.

Bai Ji sniffed her pink nose and said blankly:

"Auntie, you have a strange smell, it's not your smell."

You're smelling it wrong.

"No, no, I have a very sensitive nose."

"Shut up, you brat, stop asking questions."

As the old monk Taling listened to their argument, he extended his finger and gently touched Mu Nanzhi's brow.

The Flower Goddess's eyes instantly went vacant, losing their luster; her body slumped, and she fainted.

This unexpected turn of events startled Bai Ji.

"I was helping her regulate her Qi; if it gets stuck in her Dantian, it will only harm her health," the old monk Taling explained.

Overnight, she felt an overwhelming surge of energy within her that she couldn't digest, which was why she felt so exhausted.

Prince's Mansion.

Wang Zhenwen woke up at dawn, ate lunch, took his medicine, and then kept his eyes open, refusing to sleep, as if waiting for something.

As dawn broke, he heard the faint sound of artillery fire.

Things quickly calmed down again.

I waited and waited, and finally lunch arrived.

Wang Zhenwen hadn't eaten a single grain of rice when the steward finally came to report that Chief Minister Qian and several other officials had come to visit.

At this point, Chief Minister Wang breathed a sigh of relief and instructed his steward to invite the servants in.

A short while later, Qian Qingshu, Minister Sun, and several other key members of Wang's faction pushed open the door and entered, taking their seats at the round table.

Qian Qingshu moved the round stool to the bedside and sat down closest to it.

Wang Zhenwen looked at their expressions, pondered for a long time, and said:

"It looks like things have gone well, but why do you all have such expressions?"

The old friends were rather silent, but not in a solemn way; rather, it was a complex feeling that they didn't know where to begin.

Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice and several others exchanged glances before all turning their gazes toward Qian Qingshu.

Qian Qingshu knew he couldn't avoid it, and sighed softly:

"It's done, but the result is somewhat off."

"A deviation?" Seeing his hesitation, Wang Zhenwen's heart sank. A possibility occurred to him, and he asked urgently:

"Xu Qi'an has usurped the throne?!"

"How foolish! The fate of the Great Feng Dynasty has not yet run out. From the common people to the nobles, everyone still recognizes the royal family. Even the rebels in Yunzhou are trying every means to promote themselves as the legitimate dynasty and are willing to pay any price to get Yongxing's recognition. This is the reason."

"He has worked hard to build up a considerable reputation; how can he ruin his future?"

Overcome with anger and frustration, he began to cough violently.

"Calm down, calm down," Qian Qingshu helped him sit up, patted his back gently, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Xu Qi'an did not usurp the throne. With his personality, he wouldn't even sit on the dragon throne if given one."

Do you think he's someone who's willing to bury himself in paperwork and handle government affairs?

Wang Zhenwen thought about it and felt it made sense. His mindset calmed down considerably, and he asked:

Whom does he intend to appoint?

Qian Qingshu said quietly:

"Princess Huaiqing!"

"Cough cough cough," Wang Zhenwen coughed violently again, his face turning bright red.

Minister Sun hurriedly poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over:

"Have a sip of tea to calm down."

Wang Zhenwen reluctantly took a sip, suppressing a cough, and then asked impatiently:

"You've agreed?"

Qian Qingshu said helplessly:

"We originally thought that Prince Yan would be appointed, but we later found out that the kid had just made a feint and fooled us all."

"The arrow was already on the bowstring, the ship was already boarded—could there be any turning back?"

When they shouted "Your Majesty, please abdicate," there was no turning back.

Moreover, Yongxing and his brothers were firmly controlled by the eldest princess, so even if the royal party wanted to back out, there was no suitable person to put forward.

The late emperor's brothers and some princes were less qualified.

Besides, judging from the behavior of the princes and dukes at the time, they clearly accepted Huaiqing reluctantly, and were not necessarily willing to take the risk.

Wang Zhenwen was furious:

"A woman becoming empress? That's utter nonsense, utter nonsense!"

Minister Sun suddenly said:

"It's not that it's unacceptable; there are precedents of women becoming empresses in China."

"Furthermore, in terms of talent, courage, and ability, the eldest princess is outstanding. She is far more capable of being emperor than Yongxing and the other princes."

Wang Zhenwen said incredulously:

"What benefits did she give you?"

Minister Sun looked at Qian Qingshu and said in a low voice:

"There's no benefit to it; it's just that Yongxing promised us something, but has been delaying fulfilling it for so long, citing the need to maintain stability in the court."

"Furthermore, the court was reshuffled, and the vacant positions were divided between the Wei faction and us, thus ending the situation of factional strife."

Wang Zhenwen fell silent.

He knew his objections were futile; Huaiqing had offered far too much, so much that the Wang faction could not refuse.

Even though everyone knows that she will definitely support other factions in the future and will not allow the Wei and Wang factions to grow stronger, no one will refuse the readily available benefits because of future events.

This has nothing to do with intelligence; it has to do with human nature.

"A clever scheme. Compared to Emperor Yongxing, she's more like Yuan Jing."

Wang Zhenwen scoffed, "Things have come to this point; I can only go with the flow."

What can a bedridden man do?

"However, I have a piece of advice for you."

Wang Zhenwen scanned the room and said in a deep voice:

"Even if there is historical evidence of a woman becoming empress, it is not the mainstream and has limited persuasiveness. It won't be easy for her to secure her position on the throne."

Qian Qingshu stood up, cupped his hands, and said:

"Please speak, Brother Wang."

Xu Qi'an returned to the Bureau of Astronomy and arrived at his bedroom door, where he saw Song Qing lying outside.

"Sure enough, someone came looking for me. Luckily, I had several backup plans."

He muttered to himself, picked up Song Qing, and slapped him a few times to forcibly wake him up.

Song Qing woke up groggily and said blankly:

"Young Master Xu, you're back! Ouch, my face hurts!"

"It's not that exaggerated. I just gave you two light slaps. Oh, and I'm already a second-rank martial artist." Xu Qi'an changed the subject.

What brings you here?

Song Qing rubbed her swollen face and said, her speech not quite clear:

"Junior Sister Zhong asked someone to pass on a message, saying she needs to speak with you."

"Poor Zhong Li is looking for me." Xu Qi'an nodded.

"If it's not urgent, I'll make time to go over there."

"By the way, has Senior Brother Song been staying up late doing Alchemy experiments lately? Has he not slept for a long time?"

Song Qing was taken aback:

How did you know?

If you were quick-witted, you wouldn't have accepted Zhong Li's task. It's a very simple deduction. Xu Qi'an didn't explain, and respectfully saw off Song Qing mind wasn't very sharp.

Watching his retreating figure, Xu Qi'an wiped off the strong anesthetic from the door and pushed it open to enter.

The room was empty, the bed was messy, and the sheets were completely dry since the most beautiful woman in Great Feng was gone.

Xu Qi'an's gaze naturally fell on the Taiping Knife on the table.

The Taiping sword was raised to its tip, pointing at the pagoda to the side.

Xu Qi'an nodded, and his figure immediately transformed into golden light, disappearing into the pagoda.

On the spacious third floor, the old monk Taling sat cross-legged on a futon, while Mu Nanzhi lay slumped on another futon, fast asleep.

Bai Ji moved closer to her, twitching her pink nose and sniffing.

"You little fox, what are you doing!" Xu Qi'an thought to himself, "Are you molesting my wife?"

Bai Ji was happy to see him come in, then said, puzzled:

"My aunt has a strange smell... hmm, it feels so familiar."

Xu Qi'an was taken aback, thinking to himself, "How could you possibly be familiar with this? You're still a child."

Bai Ji stared at him for a moment, then suddenly realized:

"I remember now, Sister Ye Ji always had this scent after mating with you."

It raised its paw and slammed it against the cushion, angrily saying:

"Did you sleep with my aunt? She's mine, and you're not allowed to take her away."

"Don't worry, she'll still hold you, eat with you, and sleep with you," Xu Qi'an comforted you.

"I'll give you a comfortable pillow," he added in his mind.

Bai Ji was pleased to hear this and raised her fluffy fox tail.

At this moment, the old monk Taling found an opportunity and said:

"I regulated her energy flow; others might not be able to cultivate such a powerful energy flow even after ten years."

These are all the vital energy that Xu Qi'an has infused into her body.

After a pause, the old monk said:

"There seems to be a power awakening within her, a very mysterious power, which must be the spiritual essence of the Immortal Tree."

The tower spirit was also present when the conversation with the Netherworld Silkworm took place that day.

Xu Qi'an nodded, picked up Mu Nanzhi, left the pagoda, and returned to the bedroom.

He returned early to help her regulate her Qi. Since the Flower Goddess is not skilled in cultivation and cannot circulate her Qi on her own, the Qi that Xu Qi'an transferred into her body will condense in her Dantian.

Over time, it can actually be harmful to your health.

Now that the tower spirit is offering to help, he's saved himself a lot of effort.

Xu Qi'an placed the Flower Goddess on the bed, took off her embroidered shoes, and stared at her fair and delicate little feet for a few moments.

"We mustn't trouble the beauty."

I quietly covered her with the blanket.

Just then, he felt a blow to the back of his head, so he instinctively pulled out the fragment of the Earth Book to check the situation.

Fishpond No. 1 sent me a private message.

[Three: Your Highness?]

[One: I sent someone to comfort Lin'an and found that although she was still in low spirits, she was fine.]

[Three: Oh? Is that so? I had no idea.]

Huaiqing, in the Imperial Study, looked at the fragments of the Earth Book and chuckled.

[One: Just now, Chief Minister Qian came to see me and offered several suggestions.]

Xu Qi'an remained silent, waiting patiently. Before long, Huaiqing's lengthy discourse arrived.

[One: It is extremely difficult for a woman to become empress. Although I can suppress the officials in the court and the army, I may not be able to suppress the opinions of the officials, garrisons and common people in various states.]

Therefore, before ascending the throne, the first priority was to control and guide public opinion, and to have the major restaurants and teahouses in the capital talk about the deeds of the Empress Dayang, so that more people would know about this.

[Then the Yunzhou delegation was paraded through the streets to win over the people.]

Finally, Chief Minister Qian proposed that if auspicious omens appeared on the day of the Emperor's ascension to the throne, the people's hearts would be at peace.

By highlighting the achievements of Empress Dayang beforehand, the people will have a general idea and their resistance will be minimized. Parading the Yunzhou delegation through the streets is a way to win over the people. Hmm, this was a common and very effective tactic in a nationwide talent show in a certain "free country" in my previous life.

Auspicious omens, to put it bluntly, are the same as Liu Bang's uprising after slaying the white snake, giving himself a legitimate reason for rebellion. And this is precisely the most important point; the phrase "the will of the people" should never be underestimated.

Xu Qi'an analyzed the situation in his mind and then sent a message:

[Chief Minister Qian possesses the talent to govern the country.]

[One: This is the intention of former Grand Secretary Wang Zhenwen.]

[Three: What does Your Highness mean by this?]

[One: An auspicious omen. I've thought long and hard, but I can't come up with a suitable idea.]

You can't ask me that. I'm just a crude martial artist Xu Qi'an thought to himself, and then made a suggestion:

[Shall we have the spirit dragon carry His Highness and fly a circle over the capital?]

[Part 1: The people of the capital, unaware of the dragon's true nature, were casting seductive glances at a blind man.]

[Three: I am skilled in beast taming techniques, capable of attracting hundreds of birds to pay homage to the phoenix.]

He immediately contradicted himself after he finished speaking.

Beijing is not in the south, and there are almost no birds in winter. This winter is particularly cold, and many birds with high cold resistance have frozen to death.

Even if he worked himself to the bone, the number of birds he could summon would be limited; such a small-scale operation would be meaningless and fail to highlight the ceremony of the Empress's ascension to the throne.

[Part Three: You wield the national treasure sword and ride a spirit dragon in a circle?]

[One: Anyone of royal blood can wield the sword that protects the nation. Moreover, the common people have limited eyesight; if it flies too high, they won't see it; if it flies too low, circling the capital, it will only make me appear like I'm trying to attract attention.]

Huaiqing thought about that scene and felt it was too embarrassing.

"Then go find Warlock or Confucian School. They're all flashy and fancy. I'm just a crude martial artist. "Xu Qi'an frowned.

I'm sorry, I can't help it.

[One: That's enough!]

In the imperial study, Huaiqing put down the fragments of the Earth Book and sighed softly.

Qian Qingshu, who was below the hall, immediately said:

"Your Highness, does Xu Yinluo have any ideas?"

He didn't recognize the fragments of the Earth Book, assuming they were magical Law Artifact used for communication within the Bureau of Astronomy.

Huaiqing shook his head slightly.

Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong said:

"If all else fails, we can have Zhao Shou manifest the auspicious phenomenon of a dragon and phoenix singing in harmony when His Highness ascends the throne."

Such auspicious omens were beyond the capabilities of the civil officials; they could only seek help from extraordinary experts. Xu Qi'an was helpless, he had no choice but to turn to Zhao Shou.

Qian Qingshu pondered for a moment and said:

"This method is acceptable, but it lacks a certain grand scale and doesn't resonate with the public enough."

Zhang Xingying rarely echoed the words of the Wang faction leader:

"Your Highness's ascension to the throne is an unprecedented feat in our dynasty, truly extraordinary. This auspicious omen should be celebrated with the greatest possible grandeur."

What they wanted was the kind of auspicious omen that would shock the capital.

The civil officials searched through historical records and studied the practices of their predecessors, finding three methods in total. The harmonious union of dragon and phoenix was considered the best, but Huaiqing was still not entirely satisfied.

Of course, if it's a natural phenomenon, there are many ways to diagnose it, but a strange phenomenon doesn't necessarily mean it's auspicious.

In fact, most large-scale natural phenomena symbolize disaster.

For example, earthquakes, lightning and thunder, or blood shooting into the sky.

"Isn't the best auspicious omen if I carry you around the capital? I am the most famous auspicious beast of the Great Feng!" Xu Qi'an complained as he put down the fragment of the Earth Book.

Suddenly, he smelled the fragrance of flowers and the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Looking around in astonishment, the room had been completely transformed. Mu Nanzhi was lying in a flowerbed, with colorful flowers and lush green grass growing out of the bed and the quilt.

It grew out of the bathtub, from the coffee table, from the pillars, from all the wooden furniture.

For a moment, Xu Qi'an wondered if he was sitting in a greenhouse, not in a bedroom.

This is simply outrageous! Xu Qi'an was dumbfounded.

To be honest, this kind of ability is extremely rare even in the extraordinary realm; the Flower Goddess's spiritual essence is terrifyingly powerful.

He was struggling with how to clean up the plants all over the house when suddenly an idea struck him. He took out the fragment of the Earth Book again and initiated a private chat with Huaiqing:

[Your Highness, I have an idea that could bring auspicious omens upon your ascension to the throne, the kind that would be recorded in history.]

P. S.: This chapter is 6,000 words, so it's not considered an extra chapter. I'll correct any typos tonight.