May All Your Wishes Come True

Rong Tianding and Zhang Xuezhou share the same fate; if Zhang Xuezhou is not doing well, Rong Tianding will inevitably be unable to support him alone.

He would never speak ill of Zhang Xuezhou.

However, Rong Tianding couldn't praise Zhang Xuezhou to the point of exhaustion, which would have led to a significant gap between the new emperor's expectations and reality.

"I've tested you once, and the answer is written here. Open it and look at it when the truth comes out, and you'll know for sure!"

Rong Tianding, unusually, took a piece of silk cloth and then wrote several characters with a brush.

"Do not open it beforehand," Rong Tianding instructed after folding the silk cloth and handing it over.

"Why can't it be demolished earlier?" the new emperor asked in a low voice.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed," Rong Tianding pondered for a moment and then said, "Since you dissected it beforehand and your mind has changed, the annotation will no longer be effective!"

"Oh?"

Rong Tianding's tricks of manipulating people's minds are not surprising. Zhang Xuezhou had previously used this method to predict whether Lady Wei would give birth to a boy or a girl.

"I am here every day to tell fortunes, and I will never leave. If I am wrong, you can come back to me for a refund," Rong Tianding said.

"Then I'll really see if you're accurate!"

The new emperor nodded.

As for the Qi and Blood Fortune Pill, which he desperately wanted to obtain, the new emperor did not need to travel to Shanglin Garden again to find out the result; Wei Qing would bring him back a real answer.

How much Wei Qing can extract determines how much Zhang Xuezhou has successfully refined.

Having spent more than ten years together, the new emperor had a high degree of trust in Wei Qing, and did not believe that Wei Qing would engage in any acts of concealment or other misconduct, and that he would certainly be able to handle any tasks entrusted to him.

He put away the silk cloth, snorted at Rong Tianding, and then stood up.

"You stay here and watch him; you come back with me!"

The new emperor pointed to the Imperial Guards who were following him, leaving one behind and taking the other back to the Marquis of Pingyang.

He didn't even glance at the hundred-odd taels of gold on the table before striding downstairs.

"Come on, call out the prettiest girl for Grandpa Ding!"

Rong Tianding on the high platform, had the air of a nouveau riche, treating the money on the table as if it were already his, and the new emperor ignored Rong Tianding's clamor.

He tightened the reins and then spurred his horse toward the Marquis of Pingyang.

"It really works!"

Although it is unknown what Rong Tianding wrote on the silk, the new emperor's attention was undoubtedly diverted, and he was no longer fixated on the gains and losses of the many major medicines.

He felt more relaxed, thinking that the hundred-odd taels of gold had been well spent.

As long as the horoscope for Rong Tianding wasn't too outrageous, he would let the other party pass.

"Um?"

The journey on horseback was smooth, and upon entering the Marquis of Pingyang, the new emperor noticed two rows of red lanterns hanging beside the mansion.

Having spent years using his status Marquis of Pingyang to travel around aimlessly, the new emperor never expected that the true master had returned home.

His face lit up with joy. He stopped the Imperial Guards following him and entered the Marquis's residence through a side gate.

"Sister!"

Before he had gone more than a hundred paces, the new emperor spotted a woman in wide robes and long sleeves standing against the wind in the main hall area of Marquis of Pingyang's residence, as if waiting for him to arrive.

The new emperor shouted, and the woman leaped up and landed softly, replying that it was indeed Princess Pingyang, whom he knew well.

Why is Your Majesty dressed like this?

Compared to her extravagance in Yangping County, Princess Pingyang was much more low-key upon entering Chang'an City, with only ten maids accompanying her.

"It's easier to leave the city," the new emperor casually replied, then asked with delight, "Why did you return to Chang'an City, sister?"

"My mother summoned me to Chang'an City, saying that I should stabilize the area around the Marquis of Pingyang," Princess Pingyang said in a low voice.

"Surrounding area?"

The new emperor was slightly taken aback, but then he understood.

The Empress Dowager was much slower to act than he was. Even when the controversy occurred at Palace of Peace and Happiness, the new emperor had already arranged for Zhang Xuezhou to spy on Grand Princess Dou.

However, the new emperor had to admit that Zhang Xuezhou was overwhelmed with other matters, including the Shanglin Garden, and had even had to decline a visit to Grand Princess Dou.

Now that Princess Pingyang has been brought in to control Grand Princess Dou, things will obviously be much simpler.

He nodded repeatedly, indicating that the matter was feasible.

"I heard that Lady Wei has given birth to a daughter," Princess Pingyang asked after welcoming the new emperor into the palace.

"He has a nose and eyes, and he looks like a well-behaved child," the new emperor nodded.

"How can you speak of your daughter like that?" Princess Pingyang laughed. "It just so happens that I gave birth to a child in the past few years. Could we arrange a marriage between her and His Majesty's eldest princess?"

"Sister, when did you have a child? Marquis of Pingyang... I remember he didn't like having children," the new emperor asked curiously.

"When he was cultivating the art of longevity, he didn't want children, saying that having children would hinder his longevity. But he developed illnesses from taking the medicine, so he decided to have a child to avoid being disgraced by having no heir," Princess Pingyang shook her head and said, "If you ask me, his method of achieving longevity is unreliable. He would be better off taking a few youth-preserving pills to slow down his aging!"

"Even the pills from the Marquis of Pingyang won't work?"

The new emperor felt a sudden jolt in his heart.

Princess Pingyang was able to forge a fake Red Empyrean Sword for him, which clearly indicates that the Marquis of Pingyang controlled not only iron smelting and forging techniques, but also elixirs and other related matters.

The Marquis of Marquis of Pingyang was meticulous in their alchemy, and in previous years they had often presented the finest elixirs to Chang'an City.

However, the new emperor did not expect that the many elixirs presented by the Marquis of Pingyang would cause him to develop health problems.

Judging from Princess Pingyang's tone, it seems that this illness is terminal and he will not live much longer.

The Marquis of Pingyang's failure to refine elixirs and take medicine caused the new emperor to feel inexplicably anxious.

"Your Majesty need not worry," said Marquis of Pingyang. "The Princess Pingyang said that everyone will inevitably encounter tribulations in their life. This is his tribulation, and life and death will be normal in the future."

"He seems to have taken it all in stride!"

The new emperor uttered a complaint.

The Marquis of Pingyang took it all in stride, but the new emperor did not.

He spoke with a beaming smile to Princess Pingyang Princess Pingyang, who repeatedly mentioned a marriage alliance, expressing her desire to marry his daughter, whom she had barely seen recently.

The two talked for a while, and the new emperor tried to refuse from both sides but couldn't, so he had to agree to the matter.

"Then it's settled!" Princess Pingyang exclaimed happily, "My sister is now bound to you for life!"

Only when Princess Pingyang beamed with joy did the new emperor belatedly realize what had happened.

Princess Pingyang was clearly aware of the division of power in the court and did not favor her mother, who currently held power, but rather leaned more towards the new emperor.

This made the new emperor breathe a sigh of relief, and he suddenly felt more respected and valued.

He felt much more at ease and began to tell Princess Pingyang about some of the events in Chang'an City, so that Princess Pingyang wouldn't make a mistake due to a lack of knowledge.

"Liu An is renowned throughout the land for his benevolence and righteousness, and is also known for his filial piety. He has always been responsive to the court's requests. If he has not directly rebelled, Your Majesty should not act rashly, lest you incite rebellious thoughts among the other vassal kings!"

Princess Pingyang spoke to the new emperor in a low voice. When the new emperor mentioned the 'tofu' that the King of Huainan had presented as tribute, Princess Pingyang's expression changed slightly.

Previously, the Marquis of Pingyang had suffered health problems from consuming such alchemical products, and Princess Pingyang was extremely wary of them, preferring to kill the innocent rather than risk her life to verify their efficacy.

"Tofu is actually very good; I've had Dongfang Shuo's stuffed tofu..."

"What?! Where did this madman Dongfang Shuo come from? How dare he take advantage of you? Drag him out and chop him up..."

"He's a very kind person; he even refined pills for me while he was ill..."

"What? He got sick from eating it himself?"

The conversation with Princess Pingyang went smoothly. Apart from discussing tofu, Zhang Xuezhou, who made stuffed tofu, was also severely criticized.

If it weren't for the new emperor's guarantee, he believed Princess Pingyang would have mobilized the Marquis's manpower to arrest Zhang Xuezhou directly.

He didn't dare mention Zhang Xuezhou again for a while, nor did he mention that Zhang Xuezhou's residence was behind the Marquis of Pingyang.

This was destined to be a private yet somewhat controversial exchange between siblings, until the news of Wei Qing's request for an audience came from outside the palace, at which point the new emperor's mind suddenly changed.

He tugged at the silk cloth in his sleeve, then announced the arrival of the people.

Upon seeing Wei Qing's beaming face, the new emperor felt a sense of relief wash over him.

He unfolded the silk cloth, and the five characters "Where there's a will, there's a way" came into view.