Before five in the morning, Emperor Yongxing woke and dressed with the help of his eunuchs. At this time, the sky was completely dark, but the sleepign quarters were brightly lit with candles.
Since his time in the Eastern Palace, the eunuch Zhao Xuanzhen had served behind Emperor Yongxing. Now that his master had risen, he too had risen to the position of Chief Eunuch.
“Did Lin’an not return to the palace last night?”
Emperor Yongxing spread his arms, turning himself into a coat rack to make it easier for the eunuchs to help him put on his imperial robe.
“Your servant had people keeping watch at the palace gates. As soon as Her Highness Lin’an returned, I was to be informed immediately. There’s been no report, so she should still be at the Sitianjian.”
After speaking, Zhao Xuanzhen saw Emperor Yongxing’s brow wrinkle slightly and immediately added:
“Her Highness Huaiqing hasn’t returned either.”
Emperor Yongxing’s brow instantly eased, and he nodded slowly:
“It seems they stayed at the Sitianjian. Mm, the cold wind was bitter last night, and the two princesses are delicate, so it wouldn’t do for them to travel back and forth, it would be easy to catch a chill.”
Having spent over a decade together, Zhao Xuanzhen had instantly read His Majesty’s concern, which was why he had added that “Her Highness Huaiqing hasn’t returned either” to put the Emperor at ease.
Sure enough, as soon as he heard Huaiqing had not returned, His Majesty was at ease, no longer worried that Her Highness Lin’an had been “bullied”.
Zhao Xuanzhen, who was about the same age as Emperor Yongxing, hesitated for a moment and said:
“Your servant knows His Majesty pities the people, who have no charcoal for the winter, but I also wish Your Majesty wouldn’t forget to warm the hearts of the consorts.”
Emperor Yongxing shot a sideways glance at his Chief Eunuch and sneered:
“Dog, how much silver have you taken from the consorts?”
Zhao Xuanzhen answered truthfully:
“Five hundred taels, all deposited into the inner treasury…”
Actually, it wasn’t that Emperor Yongxing had done nothing. He was well aware that the treasury was empty and that silver was needed for disaster relief, so privately, he had drawn up many plans to raise funds.
One such plan was to use the palace eunuchs to solicit bribes from the officials.
Unfortunately, after all, he was only an emperor-in-training who had barely practised for a month. Compared to the previous emperor, who had been on the throne for forty years, his means of raising money were truly naive.
Emperor Yongxing nodded with satisfaction and finally responded to Zhao Xuanzhen’s earlier words:
“Since our enthronement, we have often worked late into the night, sleeping over our desk, we are most fatigued.”
Zhao Xuanzhen understood immediately, His Majesty, not only now but for quite some time to come, would not be visiting the consorts of the harem.
Emperor Yongxing suddenly sighed:
“If this matter fails, then the Prime Minister and his son-in-law will have to bear the blame.”
He was preparing to propose a donation at today’s morning court. Of course, such a thing would not be led by the Emperor or Prime Minister Wang, but by Xu Xinnian of the Hanlin Academy.
As a reward, he had promised Prime Minister Wang that Xu Xinnian would be promoted.
…
At five, with the sound of drums, the civil and military officials filed orderly through the Meridian Gate, crossed Jinshui Bridge, and joined morning court.
In the month since the new sovereign’s accession, the most direct feeling among the capital officials was:
When will these morning courts ever end?
Morning court was held at the hour Mao (5 am). For those living within the imperial city, they only needed to leave their residence an hour earlier.
But for the officials living in the inner city, far from the palace, they had to get up at the hour of Yin (3 am). In this biting cold winter wind, it was truly a torment.
The frequency of morning court meetings mainly depended on the Emperor. The former Emperor Yuanjing, a cultivator through and through, might not hold court even once in ten or fifteen days.
At that time, self-proclaimed patriots among the officials would privately curse Emperor Yuanjing for neglecting state affairs and clamour for the return of regular court meetings.
Now the new sovereign was on the throne, and for a whole month, there had been morning court every single day.
Each time the capital officials painfully crawled from their beds and left for court, braving the cold wind, they couldn’t help but miss the late Emperor.
…
Xu Qi’an’s biological clock also woke him at five. As soon as he opened his eyes, he closed them again, sensing the changes in the qi within his dantian.
The boost in qi from dual cultivation is gradually weakening, settling at a fairly steady level.
Well, that makes sense. If the effect was always this exaggerated, after two years of dual cultivation with the National Teacher, I’d ascend on the spot…
After just five days of dual cultivation with Luo Yuheng, he had advanced from early third rank to mid third rank.
This was a path that would take an ordinary third-rank martial artist years or even more than a decade to walk.
It was clear, then, how important the quality of one’s dual cultivation partner was. Luo Yuheng was not a Daoist, but was also at second rank Transcending Tribulation.
There was probably no other woman in the world who could help Xu Qi’an make such rapid progress while also bringing him such joy, except, of course, that P2W player, the reincarnated Flower Goddess.
Xu Qi’an yawned, sat up on the collapsed little couch, and looked around. The meditation room’s furnishings were simple; in Luo Yuheng’s normal life, “sleeping” was a foreign concept.
So the two of them had used her usual meditation couch for their bed.
It had perished in battle.
Luo Yuheng was curled up asleep, wrapped in a wide robe, her flawless body sprawled beautifully.
After each dual cultivation, she slept deeply to calm her karmic fire and switch personalities.
The robe was Xu Qi’an’s. Last night, unwilling to soil her own Daoist robes, she had used his as a quilt.
It didn’t cover very well, the hem only reached her upper thighs, leaving a pair of pale, lovely long legs exposed.
Luo Yuheng had a pair of endlessly tantalising legs; as a connoisseur of the Great Feng’s beauties, Xu Qi’an was the one most able to appreciate their allure.
The National Teacher’s legs could never be compared to the skinny twigs of those common girls outside. They were as slender as a young maiden’s, yet as soft and shapely as only a mature woman’s could be, with a firm, elastic beauty as well.
One could never tire of them, even in ten years!
Xu Qi’an held Luo Yuheng in his arms, silently counting the time. At some moment, her long lashes quivered and she opened her eyes.
The two met each other’s gaze, and she gave a charming smile.
Phew, so it’s the “Joy” personality… Xu Qi’an let out a breath of relief.
If it had been the “malice” personality awakening, he would have braced himself for twenty-four hours of not being able to get out of bed.
Only that way could he prevent the National Teacher from doing anything utterly outrageous, like eating up all the beloved little fish in his pond.
Luo Yuheng lay flat, stretching out her arms and arching her back.
As her white body stretched from the robe, Xu Qi’an glanced down to see half a firm, round hip.
“It has been many years since I’ve felt so relaxed.”
Luo Yuheng sighed in contentment, her smile sweet as honey. “Xu Lang, it’s so good to have you.”
It is so good, isn’t it? Now your social death is even worse. Just wonderful… On the surface Xu Qi’an’s expression was blank, but inside he was crying and cursing wildly.
They both dressed casually, putting on the scattered clothes from the floor, and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. They didn’t converse much, but the atmosphere was harmonious, and their gestures and actions were as in tune as a couple who had spent many years together.
After breakfast, Xu Qi’an noticed Luo Yuheng brought up nothing about last night, as if she’d forgotten all about it, which made him feel at ease.
Just as he was about to return home, he suddenly felt pain and swelling at the back of his neck.
The Sevenfold Gu is about to evolve… He felt a surge of delight.
“National Teacher, I need a quiet room where I won’t be disturbed.”
Luo Yuheng nodded and smiled softly. “Return to our room. No one will bother you.”
She meant the meditation room where they dual cultivated.
This secluded little courtyard rarely had any visitors. Even the disciples of the temple wouldn’t come unless something urgent arose.
When Emperor Yuanjing was alive, it was already quiet here. After his death, it became even more peaceful.
Once Xu Qi’an had gone into the room, Luo Yuheng thoughtfully raised her palm and laid down a barrier.
…
Xu Qi’an sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion and closed his eyes, adjusting his body to its optimal state in preparation for the transformation of the Sevenfold Gu.
Ever since it had been refined, the Sevenfold Gu had remained dormant, staying in its larval stage.
For more than a month, it had been hosted within him, merging with him, nourished by his vital energy and blood. At last, after making up his sex deficiency, it had finally grown.
The next stage of the Sevenfold Gu should grant me abilities that are no weaker than those of the fourth rank, Xu Qi’an thought with some anticipation.
Even in its larval stage, the Sevenfold Gu had allowed him to remain undefeated before fourth rank opponents. Though he could not win, he was more than capable of protecting himself.
Now that it was reaching initial maturity, it should be able to raise its overall combat strength to the fourth rank.
In that case, it could perfectly complement his martial system.
I wonder if the abilities of the seven Gu insects will gain any new changes…
As he looked forward to it, he felt the changes at the back of his neck.
Time passed swiftly. After a quarter of an hour, he felt the flesh and blood at the back of his neck bulge up, forming a swollen lump of flesh.
Beneath the flesh, out of sight, the Sevenfold Gu began to grow, its form becoming longer and its segments stouter, penetrating deeper into Xu Qi’an’s flesh and spine.
This relationship, like that between a host and its parasite, formed a shared life between man and Gu.
Xu Qi’an’s powerful spirit “witnessed” the scene.
It’s alright, it doesn’t hurt too much, far less painful than when it first parasitised me. I haven’t yet received the feedback from the evolution…
The next second after this thought surfaced, Xu Qi’an’s spirit was pierced by a sudden, forceful energy.
This energy came from the Sevenfold Gu.
In a flash, he had the illusion that his spirit was torn into countless fragments.
His consciousness floated in a boundless void, unable to find a foothold, unable to return to reality, and unable to sense the existence of his body.
He had no idea how long this process lasted, until at last he came into contact with some broken fragments of memory.
Memories that did not belong to him.
…
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