Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain

The Empress Dowager's mourning period lasted only fifteen days.

Once he could get through those fifteen days, Zhuang Qingdi decided to find an excuse—an unbearable stomachache—to urinate, and then proceed with the impeachment process as before.

By voluntarily resigning from his position as Imperial Censor to avoid being implicated in power struggles, and then entering the Eunuch's Office, Zhuang Qingdi was extremely well-prepared for everything.

Those fifteen days were incredibly difficult.

Less than two days after the news of the Empress Dowager's death spread, the Nine Spirits Primal Sage suddenly attacked and stormed Anle Palace. Zhuang Qingdi and Xu Chang had almost raised the armed forces of Anle Palace to the highest level.

Not only were skilled warriors from both the Southern and Northern armies mobilized here, but also five hundred sharpshooters were deployed. The heavily armored formations were activated, and some of the crossbow bolts were even coated with deadly poison.

These defensive measures, while not necessarily fatal to attackers, render those who become poisoned powerless to control their own lives.

The activation of the armored formation provides extremely strong defense, not only giving officials a safe place to cast spells, but also protecting them from Technique Method and external attacks.

Formations and poisons are not things you can just make at will. Activating the armor formation requires spirit jade, and the more potent the poison, the rarer it is. Top-grade poisons are even more precious than elixirs.

In order to invite Li Shaojun to take charge of Anle Palace, Zhuang Qingdi even emptied the Zhuang family's coffers.

"A battle between water monsters in the Jing and Wei rivers has caused the flooding of Chang'an City?"

Upon receiving the report from the meteorologists at Anle Palace, Zhuang Qingdi's face twisted slightly.

He had endured nearly ten days of hardship, never expecting that trouble would arise from within his own walls.

The flood and disaster should not have been reported by the imperial historians. Clearly, there had been serious dereliction of duty by the officials under his command. What's more troublesome is that the flood needs to be stopped to prevent further complications.

"Is this a ploy to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"

Zhuang Qingdi looked unwell, and Xu Chang's tired old face was also clouded with worry.

Who will slay the water demon?

Zhuang Qingdi asked a question, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

Who guards Anle Palace?

The current court has not yet completed its rotation, so the tasks still need to be led by Xu Chang and Zhuang Qingdi, and the responsibility for power and potential consequences rests with everyone.

With only five or six days left until the handover, Zhuang Qingdi never expected it to be so difficult.

"Could we ask Master Li for help?"

After a long pause, Qu Nihou Chen Hecai finally made his suggestion.

Marquis Qu Ni, Chen He, possesses the cultivation of the Divine Ability Realm. In the eyes of ordinary people, he is high and mighty, but in high-level disputes, he is undoubtedly out of the picture.

Even when surrounded by heavily armored formations, he could still unleash his treasures to kill enemies, but when surrounded by raging rivers and pouring rain, he might not even be able to stand firm.

"If Anle Palace is swept away again by that Nine Spirits Primal Sage, will Lord Chen be willing to sacrifice himself to fight the enemy?" Zhuang Qingdi asked, his face ashen.

"This..."

Marquis Qu Ni, Chen He, opened his mouth, but could only bury his head.

"The only solution now is to ask General Li Guang, the commander of the Weiyang Palace guards," Xu Chang said in a deep voice. "He is skilled in archery, and his shots have a long range. He will be least affected by the flood and should be able to deal with the water monster!"

"General Li's duty is to protect His Majesty, and we can't spare him," Zhuang Qingdi shook his head and said, "He's been in low spirits these past few days, so it's hard to say how much strength he can muster!"

"I'll personally go and invite them. If there's any need for cooperation, I'll personally accompany General Li on the trip. I'll leave this to you!"

Xu Chang sighed.

He glanced at the crowd, and none of them dared to look up at him.

It is certainly good to be in a high position, but most people's high-ranking positions are forcibly promoted by virtue of their ancestors' glory.

Everyone took their positions and enjoyed the benefits that came with them.

This involves not only salaries, but also the places officials can enter and exit, and the great medicines, elixirs, Law Treasure, and inheritances they can obtain.

They enjoy the resources, but their mediocre talents make it difficult for them to advance even with abundant resources.

Within their Aristocratic Clan circle, they were already considered the most outstanding individuals, and no one would willingly hand over their gains to others.

The years that many people held power were also the years that prevented others from climbing to higher positions.

Many people sensed the impending trouble, but no one could solve the problem; they could only drift along amidst the turmoil in the court.

Xu Chang touched the Tongtian on his head, then the gold-stringed rope around his waist, and walked out of the main hall of Anle Palace with the dragon-headed cane in his hand.

"I'll go to the back hall to find Master Li!"

Zhuang Qingdi paced back and forth several times with the "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" painting in his hand, feeling somewhat uneasy. He only felt at ease after inviting Li Shaojun into the main hall to take charge.

He gestured to the crowd, then strode out of the main hall.

The rain was light and not heavy, but it had been falling for a whole day and night.

Zhuang Qingdi reached out and caught some rainwater falling from the eaves, then sniffed it and licked it.

The odor in the rainwater was very faint, so faint that it was hard to tell it was water carried up by the Jing and Wei rivers without taking a sip.

If he hadn't been reminded, Zhuang Qingdi wouldn't have noticed this.

This made him somewhat preoccupied, feeling that the dragon demon's evil deeds were more like a coordinated effort to lure the tiger away from the mountain.

They are currently in a defensive posture. If they were to withdraw even a few key experts, their otherwise well-prepared defenses would be compromised, making it difficult to cover all aspects of the situation.

He quickened his pace, walked along the eaves of the main hall of Anle Palace several times, and then entered the rear hall.

The rear hall was mostly destroyed by the Nine Spirits Primal Sage, but it was repaired very quickly. At present, only the color matching of the beams and doors and windows remains to be determined.

If Li Shaojun hadn't stopped the craftsmen from painting, the restoration of the rear hall area would have been completed long ago.

"Oh no, oh no, it exploded again!"

"This is a 'Explosive Explosion Pill,' so it's normal for it to explode, right?"

I don't want it to explode!

Li Shaojun's frantic yet weak voice came through the phone, and Zhuang Qingdi could tell that the other party was in a very bad state.

"You've produced a few finished pieces, which isn't bad!"

"Who could possibly eat that pile of fused stuff that Nine Spirits Primal Sage vomited up?!"

"Is this pill for human consumption?"

"How can you kill someone if you don't eat it!"

Zhuang Qingdi knocked on the back hall door, then pushed it open and stepped inside. He saw Li Shaojun lying on his side next to the Nine Dragon Cauldron, with a eunuch whose face was half covered behind him, trying to persuade him.

The main hall still smelled of tea and cosmetics, indicating that a woman had just left.

The only women who could enter this place were either the Empress Dowager or Princess Dou.

Zhuang Qingdi didn't take it to heart. He bowed to Li Shaojun very politely before recounting his troubles.

"A battle between water spirits?"

Li Shaojun asked in doubt.

Having narrowly escaped the jaws of the Nine Spirits Primal Sage Lion, Li Shaojun had no desire to get involved in the fighting, nor did he have the ability to do such a thing.

Don't say Li Shaojun lacks ability; Divine Lord Zhenyuan is currently paralyzed with one hand, limiting his strength.

Despite seemingly being defeated by Nine Spirits Primal Sage in no time, Divine Lord Zhenyuan's right hand had already been bitten dozens of times, and his Heaven and Earth Great Sleeve was almost torn apart.

If it weren't for the involvement of other people and the absence of any high-level experts, the two of them would have already been planning to flee.

"Luring the tiger away from the mountain?"

Divine Lord Zhenyuan also expressed his surprise.

He felt that the funeral rites of the Great Han Dynasty were too troublesome. If they could simply bury the dead under the Longevity Fruit Tree like in the Kunlun Sacred Land, it would be much simpler. Why would they need to guard the place for more than ten days and constantly face enemy attacks?

"Fighting on home soil is the most effective way to weaken the enemy, but our generation is too incompetent. If the late emperor were still alive, things would be different!"

Zhuang Qingdi explained the reason with a bitter expression.

If Emperor Jing were still alive, this would be a golden opportunity to reap the rewards. The Nine Spirits Primal Sage would most likely perish within the territory of the Great Han, allowing for the greatest gains at the lowest cost.

The effect may not be obvious after one or two attempts, but after three to five attempts, the opponent will be gradually eroded.

Many major schools of thought collapsed at the hands of the imperial court. Although the Great Han Dynasty seemed to be in dire straits, many of its rivals had either disappeared or had become ineffective.

If it weren't for the fact that this group of people was so weak, Zhuang Qingdi felt that arranging a three-month mourning period for the Empress Dowager wouldn't have been a problem.

"You mean the enemy will most likely take advantage of the court's relocation to come again?"

Li Shaojun glanced at the Nine Dragon Cauldron, then at the few dull-colored pills in his pocket, and for a moment he felt a strong urge to return to the North.

"If someone attacks Prime Minister Xu, forcing us to send reinforcements to deal with the flooding, then the affairs of Anle Palace will depend on your help!"

Zhuang Qingdi nodded solemnly.

Li Shaojun's gaze began to wander, and he glanced at Divine Lord Zhenyuan behind him again.

Looking at Divine Lord Zhenyuan, who was standing with his arms crossed and looking up at the sky, Li Shaojun felt a deep sense of heartache, realizing that he could no longer rely on Divine Lord Zhenyuan.