Ziyue's method is simple and straightforward.
Chen Qing and Shen Qi both thought the same thing. It was obvious how the other party had done it. The Thousand-Faced Fox couldn't bewitch the emperor, but the Transcendent A Li could alter other people's memories. As long as they could persuade the emperor, the rest would be much easier to solve.
Although the emperor was young, he could not resolve the issue by summoning his ministers for discussion. Sending them one by one was tantamount to letting A Li manipulate them one by one. It must be said that Ziyue was very good at utilizing A Li's talent.
However, there are two problems. One is the issue of energy consumption. A Li's control over memories is limited. The stronger the person, the harder it is to control and the more energy it consumes. The aristocratic families of the Northern Yan Kingdom are not as powerful as those in the Central Plains, but things are different after the missionaries enter. It is not impossible for Transcendent members to emerge. To be honest, it is not so easy for A Li to control such people.
Second, how did you persuade the emperor?
Although the emperor is young, controlling him will not be easy. How can this young monarch be persuaded to submit to Jiangnan? What exactly did Ziyue promise? And how did she get him to reject other religious sects?
What methods were used?
These things are still unknown, but the result is that Ziyue, through the emperor's summons and A Li's talent, changed the memories of most of the important officials, and then, without any warning, submitted to Jiangnan.
The emperor is the master of a nation's destiny. Once his decision is passed, it becomes legitimate in the setting of the Divine Path Style. Chen Qing can then directly become the master of the Divine Path here. It must be said that Ziyue's move of cutting off the source of the problem, though simple and brutal, is indeed effective.
But the question is, what exactly happened next?
The Northern Wolf Kingdom has become part of Jiangnan; how could those guild players possibly accept that?
How do those patriarchs whose memories have been altered face the guilds and sects they once allied with?
What followed the counterattack?
How did that monster appear?
"Whether it's His Majesty or the heads of those aristocratic families, they're all staying indoors?" Shen Qi looked at the other person. "Is the Dowager Consort sure?"
"There shouldn't be any mistake." The Empress Dowager wasn't angry at the questioning. Her status wasn't high, and it was already difficult for her to get accurate information. It was normal for the other party to have doubts. Moreover, she was also very self-aware. If they were to talk about cooperation now, she would be climbing the social ladder.
"It's not hard to find out news from the palace. His Majesty is young, and although there is an Empress in the harem, she is still young and doesn't have a firm grip on the palace. It's not difficult to find out if there are a few trusted palace maids. Since the Emperor announced his allegiance to Jiangnan, he has indeed not appeared. It is said that the Empress went to see the Imperial Capital was stopped by the eunuchs in the Imperial Study. To this day, we still don't know why His Majesty has been staying at home all this time."
"And what about outside?" Chen Qing asked curiously, "How did Her Highness the Imperial Concubine Dao Palace?"
"It was my mother who told me," the Dowager Consort said in a low voice. "I returned to the Beiyu Family yesterday. My mother hadn't seen me for a long time, and we talked until late at night. She also mentioned this matter, saying that after my father returned from the palace that time, he somehow also began to go into seclusion, saying that he had encountered a bottleneck in some kind of cultivation technique."
"Well, this isn't unusual. The major families, especially high priests like my father, don't usually participate much in court affairs. They focus on their own cultivation, often going into seclusion for six months or even a year or two. My mother is used to it. But what's strange is that these past few days, when my mother visited other families and chatted with the noble ladies, she noticed that it seems the major families have all tacitly agreed to go into seclusion after the court meeting where they decided to align themselves with Jiangnan. It's quite odd."
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said, "I've heard that the powerful families of the Northern Wasteland have very complex power dynamics. How come the women also interact frequently?"
"This is something you wouldn't know, sir," the other person chuckled. "Our Northern Yan once occupied Youyun for many years, and many of our customs have become more Central Plains- oriented. Even after returning to the Northern Wasteland, we haven't changed most of the habits we learned in the Central Plains. Even if there are political disputes, the women in each household still need to interact, and various gatherings never cease. After all, inter-family marriages are a major event. If we don't interact, how would we know what kind of children each family has?"
"I see." Chen Qing asked curiously, "In that case, does the Dowager Consort know anything else?"
"What we know is very limited." The Empress Dowager shook her head. "When the Nether Moon Sect was rampant, every household hung up Black Lantern. That thing was too evil, which caused gatherings of female relatives between families to stop for a while. Everyone was quite cautious, so what they knew was limited."
"Did the Nether Moon Sect disappear without a trace after that?" Chen Qing asked, puzzled.
According to his understanding, the Nether Moon Sect was most closely related to the Yin-Yang Road. This force had very different characteristics. It was relatively easy to be ostracized in the mortal world, but once it laid the groundwork, it was very difficult to eliminate. The fact that it was wiped out so cleanly this time made him feel that something was not right.
"That thing..." The Empress Dowager clearly disliked discussing it, but still said, "It should have disappeared long ago. Back then, Empress Dowager Qi was somehow bewitched and actually started accepting that thing on behalf of the royal family. The palace's backyard was filled with those Black Lantern; I didn't dare to go out on ordinary days. It was so eerie."
She doesn't want to recall it now. The Northern Wasteland cold and desolate. She grew up here and had experienced wind and snow, but the chill brought by the Black Lantern penetrated to her bones. No matter how much charcoal was added to the palace, it didn't feel warm. During that time, she didn't get a good night's sleep for a single day. She always felt like something was watching her at any moment.
"Empress Dowager Qi, huh?" Chen Qing stroked his chin. The eldest daughter of the Qi Family, the empress of the previous emperor, and the current empress's biological mother. Logically speaking, she should be one of the emperor's closest people, but she has sided with the Nether Moon Sect of the Divine Martial Guild.
"And then? The Nether Moon Sect suddenly disappeared, didn't Empress Dowager Qi object to anything?" Shen Qi was somewhat curious. Once you joined a sect like that, it shouldn't be so easy to leave, right?
" Empress Dowager Qi, huh?" The expression on the Dowager Consort Beiyu's face turned strange.
"What's wrong?" Chen Qing's eyes lit up, feeling that she had found a breakthrough.
"It's nothing. It's just a bit strange." The Dowager Consort thought for a moment and said, " Qi Yun isn't much older than us, but she married early and has many confidants in the palace. None of us Noble Consorts had children when we entered the palace, so we didn't have the face to compete for the power to manage the harem. So basically, the harem is her domain. When she hung the Black Lantern, she didn't even consult us. She was extremely domineering. Imperial Capital gave her some leeway."
Chen Qing nodded. That was normal. It was common for the empress dowager to be domineering when the emperor was young.
"But this time, the emperor himself suggested removing the Black Lantern in the palace, yet the woman in the harem remained completely silent this time."
Chen Qing frowned. Could it be that the Empress Dowager had also been controlled by A Li?
wrong!
The more influential the dynasty's fortune is, the harder it is for A Li to control. At this time, Empress Dowager Qi's status is probably no less than the emperor's, so it's unlikely that A Li can control her.
Was Empress Dowager Qi a cultivator or a mortal?
"None of the children in our family who have the aptitude for cultivation will marry into the royal family." The Dowager Consort shook her head.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing immediately understood. That made sense. Once a woman marries, she belongs to another family. Sorcerer families are extremely cautious about their daughters who possess magical abilities marrying out. They generally require the other party to exchange magical abilities as a dowry. They usually don't marry outside the family. The priest families here should be the same.
With a family tradition in place, and to prevent it from being exposed, she naturally couldn't marry, let alone marry into the royal family.
That's strange.
As far as Chen Qing knew, the Nether Moon Sect was the most suitable to win over such a person!
Without any cultivation, a secret technique of the Nether Moon Sect can allow a person to ascend to the heavens in one step, becoming a cultivator, or even a top one.
Empress Dowager Qi, whose daughter lacked recognition in cultivation, would certainly not let such an opportunity slip by if it suddenly presented itself. How could she possibly allow the Nether Moon Sect to disappear so easily?
Shouldn't we at least put up some resistance?
"Has Her Highness the Imperial Concubine seen the Empress Dowager in the past ten days or so?" Chen Qing asked.
"No." The other person shook their head. "Usually, Qi Yun is quite arrogant, and she would hold a small gathering every three days without fail, making sure we paid our respects. But this time, she hasn't held one for more than ten days."
"Is that so?" Chen Qing looked at the other person. "Then, is Empress Dowager Qi still alive?"
"Why would you ask that, senior?" The other person was taken aback, then chuckled, "If the Empress Dowager were dead, how could it be concealed? There are plenty of experts in the palace. Not to mention, the eunuch Eunuch Hong who serves the Empress Dowager is a master of the Above First Rank, not to mention the great sorcerer from the Qi Family who is stationed in the palace. If something were to happen to the Empress Dowager, wouldn't it have caused an uproar long ago?"
"Really?" Chen Qing stroked his chin.
He didn't think so; a possibility surfaced in his mind.