Karmic Fortune Dragon Lair
When a rift develops between a couple, any factor can become the trigger for conflict.
The rift between the new emperor and empress developed at some point, but neither of them repaired it, or perhaps their upbringing simply didn't instill the concept of mending a relationship.
Zhang Xuezhou had previously believed that his outrageous remarks had caused the Empress to develop a 'feminist' consciousness, but when the Empress mentioned Wei Zifu, Zhang Xuezhou instantly realized that his remonstrance was merely a trigger.
Even without Zhang Xuezhou's "monogamy" system, the Empress would have found another reason sooner or later.
"How can starlight rival the brilliance of the moon? Even the most beautiful starlight is only fleeting; only the moon can truly shine in harmony with the sun!"
Zhang Xuezhou quickly abandoned his long explanation and immediately began flattering the Empress.
"Dongfang Shuo, what do you mean by starlight and the bright moon?" the Empress asked, slightly puzzled.
"There are countless singers in the world, as numerous as the stars in the sky," Zhang Xuezhou explained, flatteringly. "But Your Majesty is like the flawless moon in the sky. Whenever your light shines, the stars will pale in comparison, and no one can rival you. Why bother arguing with those insignificant stars!"
"You speak so sweetly, using such imagery of stars and the moon," the Empress said happily, understanding the meaning. "If Your Majesty could utter even half a sentence like that, I would be overjoyed!"
"Several years have passed since the late emperor's death, and Your Majesty's heart is filled with bitterness. It is extremely difficult to get Your Majesty to say these words," Zhang Xuezhou said. "But the bitterness will fade with time, and Your Majesty will often hear these words from His Majesty in the future!"
"I think you're right. His Majesty used to call me 'Jiaojiao,' but these past few years since our marriage, he's either called me Empress, or Chen Ajiao, or just Chen Jiao. He must be feeling bitter inside, which is why he's been speaking so harshly," the Empress said.
That should be it!
Zhang Xuezhou went along with the Empress's words, and he also tried his best to mediate the conflict between the young couple.
As an official serving the Great Han Dynasty and seeking fortuitous opportunity through fortune-telling, Zhang Xuezhou clearly hoped for the prosperity of the Great Han Dynasty, rather than being bogged down in trivial matters that caused chaos and even forced the new emperor to leave the palace.
He calmed the Empress down, thinking that if the new Emperor had just exchanged a few polite words, the two would have gotten along well.
"How could someone so easy to coax not be coaxed?"
Zhang Xuezhou and the Empress got along extremely well.
By noon, he had even spent lunch with the Empress, enjoying pastries in the Jiaofang Palace.
"It's a pity that men and women can't be together, otherwise I would really like to have this Dongfang Shuo come to Jiaofang Palace every day!"
As she was leaving the palace, the Empress felt a little reluctant, but she was also very mindful of her boundaries.
She sighed softly as she watched Zhang Xuezhou take his leave and walk away.
Zhang Xuezhou, who was carrying out the emperor's decree, could come to the Jiaofang Palace alone. With the authority of a "Governor-General," Zhang Xuezhou could also come to the Jiaofang Palace to see the new emperor, but she could not meet him alone with him.
The cheers in the palace eventually faded away.
"Witch Chu, I've recently spent another five million coins, why am I still not pregnant with His Majesty's child?"
In the distance, Zhang Xuezhou could still hear the Empress's voice inquiring about Chu clothing.
"Having babies is really a big business!"
Hearing the Empress's question, Zhang Xuezhou felt a pang of sorrow, realizing that some were drowning in floods while others were suffering from drought.
He didn't care about five hundred and a half taels of silver, but adding a "ten thousand" after five hundred made all the difference.
These half-ounce coins could be converted into five thousand taels of gold, a sum Zhang Xuezhou could never earn in his entire life, and this was only the money the Empress had recently spent.
Zhang Xuezhou initially felt some sympathy for the discord between the Empress and the new Emperor, but after hearing the truth, he felt he should sympathize with himself even more.
With the new emperor absent from the palace, the empress preoccupied with her marital issues, the Empress Dowager deceased, and Princess Dou needing to guard the palace, and the morning court session already past, Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the Changxin Palace where the Empress Dowager resided.
Apart from the Empress Dowager's area, where there was some risk, the risk in the Imperial Palace had been reduced to the lowest possible level.
"Should we rest and recuperate a bit more?"
Thinking about his own reshaped body and Han Yan's terrible misfortune of having his luck drained, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the requirements for body reshaping were extremely high.
He surveyed the palace from all sides, feeling that he could find a dragon's lair with auspicious energy.
Normal fortune does not spread out in large areas like the Imperial Mausoleum in Dongshan; even if the fortune is abundant, it still has a core center.
The dragon's lair is this kind of core center.
Once one steps into the central position, and possesses the ability to mobilize the Qi (energy), one can normally borrow the Qi of the Great Han.
The location of a dragon's lair is not fixed in one place, but follows specific patterns based on imperial sacrifices and daily time changes.
Zhang Xuezhou's investigation of the four directions was aimed at finding traces and patterns.
From the Jiaofang Palace to the Weiyang Palace area, Zhang Xuezhou wandered around with the "Governor-General" order, searching for the location of the auspicious dragon vein.
His method of seeking was simple: lacking a new emperor who was blessed with good fortune, and without someone like Han Yan who could steal fortune and display it, Zhang Xuezhou could only manifest his fortune-making abilities by stepping into the dragon's lair where fortune was being mobilized.
This also became his simple way of finding auspicious dragon veins.
"Tianlu Qilin Pavilion!"
From the front hall to the rear hall of the Weiyang Palace, Zhang Xuezhou wandered around for nearly a quarter of an hour. When he entered and exited a rear hall area, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Looking up, Zhang Xuezhou recognized the name of the main hall.
What is this place for?
He had a plan in mind, but he didn't hesitate to act.
For him, who had been trying to manifest his magical state, this moment was like a thirsty person approaching a water source, and he could clearly sense that the location of the palace's auspicious dragon vein was right here.
Sunlight shone on a corner of Tianlu Qilin Pavilion, which allowed Zhang Xuezhou to find his spot.
He stepped onto the ground, feeling his magical state instantly activated, and the scene that had appeared before him reappeared before his eyes.
But compared to when the initial battle ended, he was now surrounded by a golden ribbon.
This is the fortune that originates from Han Yan, and also from the fortune of the new emperor himself.
Zhang Xuezhou kept saying he wanted to rely on the new emperor to cultivate his cultivation techniques, but his skill level actually had little to do with the new emperor.
Zhang Xuezhou's physical constitution evolved from the conflict between Emperor Jing and the Prince of Liang, as well as from Emperor Jing's gifts, and then from the auspicious influence of the imperial mausoleum in Dongshan, which gave him a good physical constitution.
He appeared to be forced to hide and be in a sorry state during the battle, but that depends on who he was fighting against.
If we don't compare him to old monsters like Huang Daoxian, or to those who have cultivated their techniques for a long time like the King of Huainan, Zhang Xuezhou's skill level is actually quite good.
"The golden aura of fortune between the Great Han Dynasty and the Luofu Dynasty is actually different!"
As Zhang Xuezhou stepped into the Dragon's Lair, he felt as if his body was receiving a gushing stream of energy, and wisps of golden light of fortune appeared around him.
This allowed him to clearly distinguish the differences in the remaining fortune of the Great Han Dynasty, Han Yan, Huang Daoxian, and Luo Zhong.
Leaving aside Huang Daoxian's purple aura, the fortunes of the Great Han and Luofu, both belonging to the same dynasty, differed.
Zhang Xuezhou felt that the color of Luofu's fortune was deeper and more aged, while the golden light of the Great Han Dynasty's fortune was lighter and more recent.
The difference between these two golden hues is usually difficult to notice, and can only be accurately distinguished in such a contrasting moment.
Han Yan's fortune is related to the derived fortune, resulting in a scene of gold mixed with white.
Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but marvel. He pondered his black and white fish-dragon body and suddenly felt that he might have discovered the mystery of the body's composition.
This does not seem to stem from his favor in the waters, but may be due to Emperor Jing's impending death at the end of his life. It is also mixed with Emperor Jing's stripping of the Liang King's Qi Bailong power as the victor in the war, thus forming the black of Emperor Jing's impending death, and also the white of the Liang King.
So, does that mean my body's color will change after the reshaping of my physique?
Zhang Xuezhou is delighted with his victory and also looks forward to his future success.
But as soon as he saw the purple and gold aura surrounding him, he was startled, realizing that his camouflage in the darkness might be changing.
This could very well eliminate his current strategic advantages.