Ascension

Second Uncle Xu and Xu Lingyue noticed her unusual behavior and turned to look outside the hall.

In the darkness of night, Xu Qi'an, dressed in a sky-blue brocade robe and carrying a jar of wine, walked into the glow of the lanterns under the eaves.

With another step, he crossed the threshold and entered the inner hall.

"Ningyan!"

A look of joy spread across Second Uncle Xu's face. He abruptly stood up and went to greet his nephew.

Aunt and Lingyue also smiled, but the former immediately snorted and adopted a cold attitude, while the latter was as happy as a little girl, getting up with her father to greet her eldest brother.

"Second Uncle, I'm back."

Xu Qi'an smiled.

When a traveler returns home, a simple "I'm back" is enough.

"It's good to be back." Second Uncle Xu patted his nephew on the shoulder, took the wine from his hand, and turned to his aunt's personal maid Lü'e, saying:

Prepare bowls and chopsticks for Dalang.

Xu Lingyue seized the opportunity and softly called out:

"Big brother~"

Her tone was quite lighthearted, revealing the girl's current joyful mood.

Xu Qi'an looked at his younger sister with a gentle smile:

"You've grown even more beautiful since I last saw you."

She perfectly inherited her aunt's beauty, and is outstanding in appearance, with a refined and elegant look and delicate features.

Xu Lingyue's smile grew even sweeter as she softly complained:

"Brother, you're returning home today without even sending someone to let me know beforehand. I could have prepared some of your favorite snacks to go with your drinks."

The three of them immediately sat down at the table. After Lü'e brought out bowls and chopsticks, Xu Qi'an and his second uncle drank and chatted, talking about their Erlang was far away in Yongzhou.

"Ningyan, now that you've returned to the capital, you must know about the fall of Qingzhou."

Second Uncle Xu took a sip of his wine and said:

"Then you must have gone to Yongzhou to see Erlang, right? Your aunt has been worried about Erlang. I told her that even if something really happened to Erlang, you would have come back and informed us long ago."

Xu Qi'an's expression froze for a moment:

"Qingzhou has fallen for some time now. Has Second Uncle not written to inquire about Erlang's condition?"

Second Uncle Xu's expression also stiffened for a moment.

The uncle and nephew stared at each other in silence, speechless.

Although it was somewhat inappropriate, what was with this familiar feeling? It seemed like something similar had happened before. Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment and said:

"It's alright. The three great scholars from the Cloud Deer Academy are all in Yongzhou. They will take good care of Erlang."

Second Uncle Xu could only console himself with this thought:

"That's right."

At this moment, Xu Lingyue found an opportunity to interject and said:

"Brother, why do you smell of perfume?"

Upon hearing this, Second Uncle Xu immediately gave his nephew a look that said, "A young man with no experience is unreliable."

"Huh, is it that heavy?" Xu Qi'an sniffed it in surprise, then calmly said:

"I was drinking with some colleagues from the Nightwatchers's office just now. There were girls with us, but all I wanted to do was come back to see my second uncle and aunt, and you, my dear sister. I'll be back after just a short while."

Xu Lingyue said "Oh," smiled, and was very satisfied with the answer.

The main problem was that there were no green oranges available late at night, and Lingyin wasn't home, so he couldn't bear to watch her munching on a green orange with a contorted expression. Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

Xu Lingyue's interruption made the family forget about Erlang's matter again.

Xu Pingzhi pondered for a moment, then said:

"I've heard that Princess Chang is about to ascend the throne."

Xu Qi'an then explained the general situation, including his reasons for insisting on abolishing Yongxing.

"The situation is turbulent and uncertain."

Second Uncle Xu sighed:

"What are your plans after the eldest princess ascends the throne?"

Xu Qi'an thought for a moment and said carefully:

"I will first go to Qingzhou to meet Xu Pingfeng, formally establish our alliance, and have a life-or-death struggle with him."

This will be his official challenge to Yunzhou and Xu Pingfeng as a chess player, representing Great Feng and himself.

Xu Pingzhi's expression was complex, a mixture of sadness, helplessness, regret, and pain. He murmured:

"Family members turning against each other, fathers and sons killing each other, how could it come to this?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head:

"Second Uncle, he is not my father, you are my father."

"Between him and me, it must be a fight to the death. He won't let me go, and I won't let him go. I will hunt him down to the ends of the earth, until he is dead."

He poured wine for Xu Pingzhi and said:

"Xu Pingfeng has no way out. He knows I won't let him go, and of course, neither will I."

My aunt said:

"I'll have the clan remove his name and expel him from the Xu family."

The aunt would definitely support her nephew without hesitation, even though he was annoying and couldn't speak properly, he was still the boy she raised.

Xu Pingfeng is her husband's older brother, but not her older brother.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Xu Qi'an rarely spoke like a human being, and then he continued:

"Second Uncle, I have a younger brother and a younger sister in Yunzhou. They came to the capital with the Yunzhou delegation this time purely to annoy me."

"He's currently imprisoned in the Bureau of Astronomy."

He then told his second uncle about the Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai sisters, including their interactions in Yongzhou.

"He doesn't sound like a bad person; after all, he's a descendant of the Xu Household," Second Uncle Xu said earnestly.

"Bring them back to visit when you have time, and don't mistreat them."

Xu Lingyue suddenly said:

"Father, how could my elder brother mistreat them? Even if they are hostile to my elder brother, follow the rebels in Yunzhou to try to kill him, and oppose him at every turn, my elder brother would never harm them out of consideration for his own flesh and blood, no matter how much he suffers injustice."

Xu Pingzhi was about to nod when he was startled by his aunt's angry slamming of the table.

"Pah, they're just two bad seeds, what's the point of bringing them back?"

The aunt angrily said, "You are not allowed to bring him back to the mansion."

"Why are you getting so angry for no reason?" Second Uncle Xu tried to reason with his wife.

Xu Qi'an glanced at his younger sister and quickly said:

"Alright, alright, there's no need to argue because of them, Second Uncle, let's have a drink."

Xu Lingyue smiled and said:

"Brother, have a drink."

She obediently poured him a drink.

Look at that girl from Yunzhou, she only thinks about harming you, unlike me, I only care about my older brother.

At dawn, around 5:00 AM.

The palace resounded with drums and music, creating a magnificent symphony.

The enthronement ceremony was extremely complicated. First, the Ministry of Rites led the officials in offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth on behalf of the new emperor.

Afterwards, the new emperor, dressed in mourning clothes, offered sacrifices to the ancestors at the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Only after these two steps are completed can the coronation ceremony truly begin.

The Ministry of Rites led officials from the Ministry of Rites of Rites to the Temple of Heaven, the Temple of Agriculture, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple to inform the gods and the spirits of past emperors that a new emperor was about to ascend the throne.

Upon their return, grand music and magnificent bell tolled outside the Golden Palace.

The Eastern Palace.

With the help of the palace maids, Huaiqing put on a large fur coat and crown.

This uniform was extremely complex, consisting of a crown, inner robe, outer fur coat, black robe, and outer skirt. The crown was adorned with gold ornaments and had twelve tassels adorned with pearls.

The upper garment is decorated with six symbols: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, and pheasant. The lower garment is embroidered with six more symbols: algae, fire, rice grains, sacrificial vessels, axe, and embroidered axe, for a total of twelve symbols, hence it is also called the Twelve Symbols Garment.

After he was dressed, two palace maids brought a bronze mirror as tall as a person and placed it in front of Huaiqing.

In the bronze mirror, the eldest princess is lightly made up, her long eyebrows heavily drawn, highlighting her heroic and sharp spirit.

She was originally a cool and aloof woman, but now, dressed in a twelve-chapter robe and wearing a twelve-tassel crown, she exuded an aura of nobility and majesty.

Even the usually cheerful and talkative palace maids dared not breathe loudly at this moment, their heads bowed and their eyes lowered, as docile as quails.

Such a domineering woman is rare in this world.

An official from the Ministry of Rites stepped through the gate of the East Palace and, through the curtain, respectfully said:

"Your Highness, the time has come."

Huaiqing grunted in agreement and, surrounded by palace maids and eunuchs, left the East Palace, heading towards the Golden Palace amidst the magnificent sounds of bells and drums.

After crossing the Golden Water Bridge and passing through the square, Huaiqing walked on the steps and looked towards the Golden Palace in front of him. He could vaguely see the magnificent palace and the high throne inside.

The images that flashed through her mind were: Yuan Jing, who was inherently suspicious and could not tolerate his talented offspring taking power; Wei Yuan, a Great Feng master with graying temples; Jian Zheng, the guardian deity of the Great Feng Dynasty, who was infallible in his calculations; and Yong Xing, who was weak, incompetent, and lacked courage.

With a flick of her sleeve, she sat gracefully on her throne, oblivious to everyone else.

All gone!

The future belongs to her, no, it belongs to her and Xu Qi'an.

She and he are the two people standing at the pinnacle of power in the current Great Feng.

Led by officials from the Ministry of Rites, civil and military officials entered through the Meridian Gate, crossed the Golden Water Bridge, and stood in orderly rows on both sides of the Imperial Road according to their official rank.

Then, Qian Qingshu, the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and the Chief Ministry of Rites Secretary, presented the edict of accession to the throne, which was then handed to the Minister of Ministry of Rites to carry to the foot of the steps. The Minister of Rites then placed the edict on a cloud tray and delivered it to the eunuch in charge of ceremonies.

The Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, dressed in a red python robe, bowed and received the cloud tray, then read the imperial edict to the officials:

"The edict said

"In the past, Emperor Gaozu, with his dragon soaring over the Ji River, swept across the land, reaching the Jing Mountains in the east and the Buddhist School in the west. His benevolent influence and righteous reputation shook the world, sweeping away the stubborn ills of the Great Zhou and restoring peace and prosperity to the four seas. For six hundred years, the four seas were at peace, and his glorious achievements were restored to the throne of the human emperor."

"My elder brother Yongxing, born out of wedlock, inherited the great enterprise, but he was unfilial, muddle-headed and weak, disrespectful to his ancestors and unloving to the people, flattering and betraying his own faction, which aroused the wrath of both gods and men."

"I am a woman, blessed by Heaven and the spirits of my ancestors, and thus I received my mandate in times of crisis, and have wise and virtuous men by my side. Now, the civil and military officials, the various departments, and the common people have jointly urged me to ascend the throne as Emperor, to rule over the people."

"Following the requests of the people, I ascended the throne on the seventeenth day of the first month, establishing the reign title 'Huaiqing.' With the grand ceremony completed, all matters of state should now be carried out concurrently."

That's all!

On both sides of the imperial road, civil and military officials knelt down and shouted:

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

The shouts were like a tsunami, deafening.

On his throne, Huaiqing looked down upon his officials, reigning supreme over the world.

Star-Gazing Tower, Eight Trigrams Platform.

Wearing a gorgeous lotus-colored long dress, Mu Nanzhi stood at the edge of the Eight Trigrams Platform and gently removed the bracelet from her right wrist.

The wind lifted her skirt and her black hair, making her appear as graceful as a fairy from a celestial palace, her beauty surpassing all others in the world.

She raised her right arm, and the sleeve slid down, revealing her fair wrist, which looked as white as snow.

With her slender, jade-like fingers forming a flower-plucking gesture, Mu Nanzhi closed her eyes and softly recited:

"I wish that flowers would bloom in the capital, filling the world with their fragrance!"

In the void invisible to the naked eye, the seeds of life overflowed from her body and drifted on the wind.

Drifting past the riverbank, the willows along the river are sprouting new buds.

Drifting through the courtyard, the courtyard is a riot of colors; drifting through the streets and alleys, the grass and trees grow wildly, and flowers bloom in an instant.

From above, one can see vibrant colors spreading throughout the capital, with the fragrance of flowers filling the air and bringing a sense of tranquility.

Later historical records state:

On the seventeenth day of the first month of the first year of Huaiqing, the Empress ascended the throne. Flowers bloomed in the capital in an instant, their fragrance spreading for miles. Auspicious omens descended from the heavens, and the people of the capital were overjoyed. They went out of their homes and knelt in the streets to worship her, shouting "Long live the Empress!"

What history books don't record is that on the day the city was in full bloom, Xu Yinluo spent the whole day arranging flowers at the Bureau of Astronomy Star-Gazing Tower.

Mu Nanzhi's vision went black, and she collapsed limply to the ground.

She didn't fall to the ground, but instead fell into Xu Qi'an's arms.

"Take a break!"

Xu Qi'an put his arm around the old lady's waist, feeling that this was the best thing in the world, and it could only be this.

Mu Nanzhi lay limp in his arms, dizzy, and murmured:

"It's all your fault, you gave me such a terrible headache."

Her half-coquettish, half-angry demeanor could melt a man's heart.

Xu Qi'an raised his hand and gently massaged her brow, sighing:

"Of all the beauties in the world, only the Goddess of Flowers is indispensable, and there cannot be two of her."

Mu Nanzhi frowned:

"Stop with your sweet talk. Even if you wear your lips out, I won't cultivate with you anymore. After I help you advance to the second rank, we'll be even. If you keep pressuring me, I'll become a monk."

Xu Qi'an couldn't tell whether she was being arrogant or if her first time was unforgettable, causing her psychological trauma.

"Okay, okay!"

He picked up the beautiful 40-year-old woman and carried her down the stairs from the Eight Trigrams Platform.

Mu Nanzhi is not seriously ill, but she is severely depleted and somewhat weak, which is why she feels unwell all over.

The immortal tree's spiritual essence is still awakening, and the power she can use is limited. The "Blooming Flowers in the City" technique is somewhat beyond Mu Nanzhi's current capabilities.

Are you still feeling unwell?

Xu Qi'an poured her a glass of warm water and infused her with some of his vital energy.

Mu Nanzhi felt dizzy and let out a soft moan:

I want to rest.

"Let's practice dual cultivation. Dual cultivation can quickly restore our energy and spirit," Xu Qi'an suggested, seizing the opportunity.

He wasn't exaggerating; when one is weak and exhausted, dual cultivation can provide a rapid recovery, far faster than natural recovery.

"No, you, if you touch me, I'll become a nun." Mu Nanzhi quickly shook her head and spat:

"Shameless!"

She lay limply on her side on the bed, her feet kicking weakly a few times, as if trying to kick off her embroidered shoes, but without success.

Xu Qi'an grabbed her feet and helped her remove her shoes and stockings.

"Let me massage it for you, it'll make you feel much better."

"You're only allowed to massage my feet, don't even think about doing anything else."

Am I that kind of person?

"Mmm, mmm, be gentle."

Cloud Deer Academy.

Zhao Shou fasted for two days, bathed today, changed into a brand new robe, combed his hair meticulously, and put on a Confucian hat.

His gray beard was also carefully trimmed with a razor.

Instantly, he was completely transformed, a far cry from his previous carefree and unrestrained scholarly image.

Zhao Shou took out a bamboo book box from a long-sealed cabinet, carefully wiped the dust off the box with a handkerchief, carried it on his back, and left Cloud Deer Academy.

Just like back then, carrying it on my back as I traveled thousands of miles to study at the Cloud Deer Academy in the capital.

Having weathered countless storms, he seemed to have returned to his youth.

Along the official road leading to the capital, the sound of students reciting their lessons could be heard:

"Young people must study diligently, for literature can establish one's position; the court is full of high-ranking officials, all of whom are scholars. Do not say that the scholar's cap is a mistake, for reading will never let you down."

When Mu Nanzhi woke up, it was already dark. The room was pitch black because there were no candles lit.

Is it dark? Have I been sleeping for so long? Her mind was still hazy. She struggled to sit up, rubbing her forehead with her hand. After a dozen seconds, her drowsy thoughts gradually cleared, and she remembered the spell she had cast during the day.

Unexpectedly, she recovered so quickly. Apart from feeling dizzy, Mu Nanzhi felt extremely well, with a warm feeling in her Dantian abdomen, as if she were holding a furnace.

Just as she was about to throw off the covers and get up, she suddenly realized something was wrong. Her back felt cold, and she discovered that she was completely naked, her clothes had been stripped off.

Then, she remembered what happened after she and Xu Qi'an returned to their room.

While I was pinching his toes, I ended up pinching his legs, and then... inexplicably, we ended up practicing dual cultivation together.

"Shameless!" Mu Nanzhi pulled out the pillow she had placed behind her lower back and angrily threw it to the ground.

"Can I even sleep on this pillow?!"

She threw off the covers and got out of bed, groping around in the dark on the floor beside the bed for a while before finally finding her skirt. She quickly put it on, only then realizing that her inner thighs were wet.

The Flower Goddess was a clean person and a lazy woman. The thought of having to fetch water to bathe herself made her anger level rise rapidly.

After putting on the dress, she groped her way to the table, lit a candle, and dispelled the darkness.

The room was quiet. Bai Ji was not there, nor was the broken sword, nor the pagoda. This made Mu Nanzhi guess that the scoundrel might still be at the Bureau of Astronomy.

She lit the candles in the room one by one, went around to the screen, and looked in the bright candlelight. The bathtub was full of clean, clear water, definitely not the water they had dirtied last time.

Mu Nanzhi's lips curled slightly, then she quickly straightened her face and snorted:

"That scoundrel, he still has a conscience after all."

The Bureau of Astronomy is located underground.

Xu Qi'an sat cross-legged in front of Zhong Li and asked suspiciously:

"Are you sure that if I knock enough times, I can get the chief inspector's trump card?"

Zhong Li sat like a duck in front of him, making sure she was a little taller than Xu Qi'an, and said weakly:

"The Chaotic Fate Hammer is related to one's destiny and fate. My teacher's weapon-forging notes also mention that those blessed with good fortune can have their potential Aperture Opening by striking it. So it's definitely for you."

"But apart from being a prostitute, Dalang, and a scholar for a time, nothing has changed for me," Xu Qi'an said, frowning.

Zhong Li said softly:

"That's not the point. The point is the teacher's purpose. What was his purpose in leaving behind the Chaotic Fate Hammer? To Aperture Opening you? But you're only at the second rank; you don't need Aperture Opening at all."

After saying that, she tilted her head, looking like she was testing you.

*Smack! Xu Qi'an flicked her forehead with his finger, laughing and scolding:

Are you testing my reasoning?

He immediately suppressed his smile, considered for a moment, and analyzed:

"Although the supervisor has suffered a setback, with his wisdom, he must have some trump cards up his sleeve just in case. Ordinary people know to plan ahead, let alone him."

"So, if the Great Feng were to lose him, its most fatal weakness would be the lack of top-tier extraordinary combat power. Following this line of thought, it is not difficult to conclude that the Supervisor must have a way to make up for the disparity in combat power between the two sides."

"The Fate-Disrupting Hammer, related to destiny and fate, Aperture Opening."

As his thoughts became clearer, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Xu Qi'an, like a thunderbolt striking his brain.

His eyes burned as he stared intently at the small wooden hammer in Zhong Li's hand, his body trembling with excitement.

He now knew the true purpose of the Chaotic Fate Hammer.

P. S.: Prince Yan is the fourth prince, not the sixth prince. I made a mistake in the previous chapters, so I corrected it. That's why you've noticed that he's sometimes called the sixth prince and sometimes the fourth prince.