A Mistaken Guess

"Prime Minister Xu!"

"Imperial Censor Zhuang, you almost ruined everything today!"

Everyone had their own small group. The new emperor went to Changxin Palace, while Zhang Xuezhou and others went to the Eunuch's Office.

After the temporary court meeting, Xu Chang and Zhuang Qingdi met again.

Zhuang Qingdi remained polite, while Xu Chang seemed somewhat somber and unsettled.

Xu Chang felt that Zhang Xuezhou's punishment was too lenient, and that it would be too difficult to emulate in the future.

"I hope the Prime Minister will speak frankly!"

Zhuang Qingdi's heart skipped a beat, feeling that the possibility of his guess about Anle Palace was constantly increasing.

"The officials in this court are constantly changing; without the old ones crying, how can the new ones laugh?" Xu Chang said, "We both need to find a way out!"

"Is this escape route related to Dongfang Shuo?" Zhuang Qingdi asked.

"Dongfang Shuo is His Majesty's man. How he stepped down is a good example for us to follow when His Majesty targets us in the future," Xu Chang said in a deep voice. "But Dongfang Shuo's punishment was too lenient. Whether we can use this method to step down in the future is another matter!"

"But we can't castrate him!"

Zhuang Qingdi Qingzhai glanced at Xu Chang, whose hair was white, and then looked at himself.

Even if he knew the whole truth, and things happened all over again, Zhuang Qingdi felt that he could not possibly cooperate with Xu Chang.

Xu Chang was old and didn't care, hoping to escape unscathed by the grim fate of castration. But Zhuang Qingdi wasn't old enough to be that kind of person; he couldn't take such things lightly.

Rather than be castrated, he would rather hand over the wealth and resources he had acquired. As long as he was still alive, he could start over, even if he was not valued in the court in the future.

"This castration punishment seems severe, but the actual cost is very small and it doesn't affect your health at all," Xu Chang sighed.

"Dongfang Shuo doesn't have any descendants yet, we can't do that," Zhuang Qingdi said. "If you prevent him from having descendants, what will you do if you're not allowed to have any descendants when you face retribution in the future?"

"That's true!"

Reminded by Zhuang Qingdi, Xu Chang, who always listened to advice, immediately came to his senses, and couldn't help but feel a little scared.

"You should always leave yourself an out," Zhuang Qingdi said.

"It's difficult to advance, and it's difficult to retreat!"

Xu Chang gave a vague reply.

With their high-ranking official positions and advanced age, how could Xu Chang and the others not understand?

During Emperor Jing's reign, Chancellor Wei Wan and Imperial Censor Zhi Buyi were Zhi Buyi in the Yangling Incident, shining brightly until their last breath. Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu was dealt with ruthlessly by Emperor Jing long before.

The successor, Zhao Wan, died in prison due to power struggles within the court.

Then we arrived at Xu Chang and Zhuang Qingdi.

The two were chosen by Anle Palace; Xu Chang was a senior and prestigious official, while Zhuang Qingdi was talented, but neither was irreplaceable.

Being replaceable carries high risks; if one avoids external risks, one will inevitably be tainted by internal strife.

"The Empress Dowager is not the late Emperor. Her opponents are either old or dead, so there aren't that many entanglements," Zhuang Qingdi said. "Since I took office, I've only purged a group of Confucian School; the implications aren't that great!"

"You think it's insignificant just because it's not big? Zhao Wan and Wang Zang were people His Majesty valued highly back then. Do you think they'd have an easy time after dying at your hands?"

Xu Chang muttered something, then walked towards his carriage.

Zhuang Qingdi watched Xu Chang's retreating figure, letting out a cold snort while also feeling somewhat apprehensive.

Cultivators at the Divine Ability Realm and the Sole Self Realm are rare, but not uncommon in the imperial court. Only cultivators at the True Self Realm possess the unique qualifications to stand out and withstand all kinds of trials and tribulations.

For cultivators at the True Self Realm, this hurdle is not difficult to overcome, but the difficulty lies in the fact that Zhuang Qingdi is not a cultivator at the True Self Realm.

Without sufficient value, it will be very difficult to survive.

Xu Chang used Zhang Xuezhou's resignation as an excuse to try and emulate the new emperor by resigning as prime minister, which made Zhuang Qingdi constantly calculate the success rate.

"As long as Your Majesty isn't as ruthless as the late Emperor, I can be lenient with Zhao Wan and the others by appealing to Anle Palace, thus securing my life. The real problem right now is the Empress Dowager's burial!"

Zhuang Qingdi's face was gloomy as he pondered every possible risk he might encounter.

Xu Chang's successful path of resigning from his official post in the imperial court gave them the opportunity to emulate Zhang Xuezhou's disregard for etiquette and law. If they were the first to try to imitate him, they would likely succeed.

He possessed considerable strength and was not afraid of Confucian School retaliation.

These things might have a higher success rate or be able to be roughly determined, but for Zhuang Qingdi and others, the risks of the Empress Dowager's funeral became more prominent.

Just like when Emperor Jing was buried, the Empress Dowager might also be subject to investigation. As top officials of the court, they would inevitably have to assume the responsibility of protecting her before they could go through the normal procedures of resignation.

"The Hundred Schools of Thought have produced almost no decent individuals. These people are not a concern and would hardly be able to organize another attack on the palace. The real difficulty lies in determining the whereabouts of that old monster, Zhu Jiuyin. We don't even know if he might cause trouble!"

Zhuang Qingdi pondered for a long time without finding a solution. The plan involved the use of formations, mechanisms, and treasures, but there was little guarantee of success in carrying it out, and there was a risk of encountering danger and even losing one's life.

When night fell and purple qi rose into the sky above Anle Palace, his heart skipped a beat.

"Master Li Shaojun is a successor of Daoist School. His cultivation has been fully restored. While his True Self Realm strength may not be comparable to Zhu Jiuyin, protecting the reputation of the funeral procession should not be a problem. If he is willing to cooperate with us for a few days, we will surely overcome this difficulty!"

If the cultivators demonstrating at Anle Palace were not the Empress Dowager, then the rest would be easy to guess. Zhuang Qingdi didn't need to think to be certain that the senior cultivator at Anle Palace was Li Shaojun.

The Great Han Dynasty was not without other True Self Realm cultivators. For example, Li Guang was a True Self Realm cultivator, Cheng Bushi was only a hair's breadth away from the True Self Realm. However, these were not people that Zhuang Qingdi could mobilize, and these people would not follow his arrangements.

When top masters clash, only cultivators of equal standing can play against each other, and only when they have secured their opponent's position can others provide assistance.

Zhuang Qingdi did not seek an opponent who could defeat Zhu Jiuyin; he only sought to hold out for a period of time so that they could rely on their numerical advantage to repel the enemy.

There were few people in the court who could cooperate with him, but there were indeed people outside the court who could help him.

Even if Li Shaojun were in Anle Palace at this moment, the other party would still be someone outside the imperial court.

"It's just that this Daoist Master Li Shaojun is too difficult to invite. We didn't even establish a rapport at the last banquet; he didn't even look at me properly in the back!"

Zhuang Qingdi pondered the subsequent events, constantly considering the relevant matters that needed attention, and continuously resolving the related issues.

The goal has been set; all that remains is communication, cooperation, and the costs to be paid.

But as Zhuang Qingdi recalled everything, he realized that Li Shaojun had been in Chang'an City for several months, and there were really not many people he could connect with.

One was the Empress Dowager of Anle Palace, who had a very pleasant conversation with Li Shaojun; the other was Zhang Xuezhou, who had recruited Li Shaojun.

Since Xu Chang was able to make the judgment, it was clear that the Empress Dowager was unlikely to stand up and make further arrangements, leaving only one truly connected person.

"Thank goodness the road wasn't completely blocked!"

Zhuang Qingdi muttered to himself, feeling fortunate that he had left a way out when impeaching Zhang Xuezhou; otherwise, it would have been much more difficult to ask for his help.