Chapter 27: The Beginning 1

　On the third day of the Xiaman Sect's grand ceremony, at the hour of Mao.

　　On the official road from Liangzhou to Yongzhou, a group of horse-drawn carriages were about fifteen miles away from Luoshui City when several official horses came towards them.

　　All the officials on horseback wore brocade tiger-beast robes, wore conical hats on their heads, and had ring-handled swords on their waists, looking very majestic.

　　"Oh…"

　　After seeing the people, the horseman in the carriage stopped his horse and called out, "Are you the officials from the Tiger House?"

　　Upon hearing this, the leading official immediately clasped his fists and said, "That's right."

　　The royal horseman frowned slightly at the scene, but still smiled and said, "Please come and meet us, sirs."

　　"You're welcome." The leading official responded, then dismounted and walked to the carriage: "It's my duty. From now on, I will be the one transporting you."

　　The horse driver had a strange idea. As a retainer of the King of Chu, he was transporting the remains from the forbidden area of ​​Shahai from Liangzhou. According to the King of Chu's regulations, he had to travel all the way to Luoshui to hand over the remains to the Hufang.

　　But why did Hufang come out of the city to welcome him in advance, and... ?

　　Just as he was thinking about it, the imperial groom glanced at the ring-handled sword on the official's body. The quality of the sword did not look like the real thing.

　　"Sir, no one has ever dared to disobey the King of Chu's edict. Who are you?" The groom immediately dropped the reins and placed his hand on the long sword at his waist. His Qi surged and his spirit appeared.

　　"Well, so it's better not to be too smart."

　　"How dare you!"

　　Sau——

　　There were flashes of swords and people were giving their advice.

　　Not long after, the royal groom was dumped in the mountains, covered in blood. He was buried with a blank tombstone and no one knew who took away his remains and the carriage.

　　———————————

　　Miyun charity.

　　People always say that there are unpredictable changes in the weather, but the best planners can always turn all unstable factors such as luck of heaven, geographical location, etc. into their own advantage.

　　In Liangzhou city.

　　An old man carrying a basket full of swords was asking people for buyers. In two rooms connected by a formation in the competition venue, a green plum lantern was extinguished.

　　Huang Feng left the room, collected the intelligence handed over by the servant, and looked out of the venue, at the tallest building in Liangzhou, with a look of fear in his eyes:

　　"Qiong Yaoxuan? I never thought that a small shop in Jianghu would have such a unique power. I was wrong that day. Haha, interesting. Xia Chao seems to be getting more and more interesting."

　　After saying a few words, he walked out of the venue and headed towards an inconspicuous temple in the southern part of Liangzhou.

　　Step to the door.

　　The little barbarian Buddha guarding the temple gate was stunned when he saw Huang Feng: "Who is the donor?"

　　Huang Feng, who was carrying a heavy sword and using the illusion technique to change his shape, smiled.

　　Then the spiritual energy covering his body began to float and melt away, revealing his ugly appearance with protruding cheekbones and thick lips. He said, "Xiao Zhengshan, I haven't seen you for more than a month, and you don't recognize me, brother?"

　　Seeing the face, the little Buddha named Zhengshan reacted and ran down the temple steps and rushed to Huang Feng: "Brother Xingming, you are here!"

　　"Yeah." Huang Feng responded, his hand resting on the little Buddha's head that was not much taller than himself, his deep eyes showing a rare kindness: "Have Wu Yuwenguang and that person arrived?"

　　Little Buddha Zhengshan nodded and said with a smile, "Just as I arrived, my senior brother came right after me."

　　"Okay! Let's go in."

　　As they spoke, the two of them closed the temple door tightly and refused to accept pilgrims.

　　This temple is not big, with only two entrances: the main hall and the main room, and the second entrance is for living quarters.

　　After entering the temple, the little Buddha Zhengshan put his hands together and bowed to the golden statue of Dorje Shugden in the temple. Huang Feng, on the other hand, remained unmoved. He stared at Dorje Shugden with angry eyes and snorted softly:

　　"As for the gods and Buddhas in heaven, I don't know if they really live in the heaven beyond heaven. Xiao Zhengshan, you light incense and recite scriptures, and I will go in."

　　"Yes, Brother Xingming."

　　Turning into the second house, the roof of the pavilion was covered, and the incense coils hanging on the floor were winding around and around. The strong fragrance wafted from a distance, choking Huang Feng.

　　Inside the house, the nunnery was dim, with only a table and two cushions placed on it.

　　Two people were sitting opposite each other on the rush platform. The old bald slave on the left was wearing a tattered red and gold cassock, with broad ears, long white eyebrows, and was playing with a yinqin in his hand.

　　On the right sat a man covered in black cloth with his face hidden. Judging from his figure, he was a man. Looking at the color of his hands exposed from his sleeves, one could guess that he was a man from the Xia tribe.

　　Hearing Huang Feng's footsteps and coughing as he entered the nunnery, they both turned to look.

　　Huang Feng walked in, fanning his cigarette and saying, "Damn it, there are so many incense sticks burning, and you two are still sitting here, what are you doing?"

　　Listening to Huang Feng's curse, the old bald slave's wrinkled face was neither dark nor angry, and he stood up at the same time as the man in black:

　　"Your Highness!" "Greetings to His Highness the Little Barbarian King."

　　Huang Feng waved his hand and sat down in front of the two people: "Alright, alright, let's skip these formalities if possible, sit down."

　　After receiving the order of grace, the two men sat down. Huang Feng snatched the yinqin from the old bald slave and started playing with it himself: "Any news?"

　　As he said this, Huang Feng raised his eyes and glanced at the man in black.

　　The man in black was covered by a veil, so his face could not be seen. After hearing Huang Feng's words, he turned his head and said, "In reply to His Royal Highness Xiaoman King, the defeat of Palace Master Ye has caused a lot of criticism in the court."

　　Huang Feng was silent for a moment, his eyes glanced at the old bald slave.

　　The old bald slave immediately said: "Just criticism?"

　　The man in black smiled, guessed what they were thinking, and explained:

　　"The Saint did not issue an order to mobilize the Yulin Army. Now the criticism from the court and the public has changed after the dispatch of my subordinates. Not to mention that the Saint is far away in Liangzhou, even if Poxu returns to the capital to attend the court, in order to suppress the officials' complaints, let alone let them issue an edict of repentance, they must find someone to take the blame."

　　Huang Feng heard this, his eyes showed curiosity, and asked: "Take the blame?"

　　"Yes." The man in black took the conversation and calmly took out a token from the sleeve of his robe and placed it on the table:

　　"Although the King of Chu did not usurp the throne, he has been in the cabinet for many years. When he learned about Ye Guhan's military report, he immediately sent a message to me. He asked me to borrow the city's teleportation array to return to the capital overnight. Guess what the King of Chu asked me to do?"

　　Huang Feng lost interest and kept silent with an ugly face. He didn't like the feeling of being caught and led around by others, except for women.

　　Seeing that they ignored him, the man in black just smiled:

　　"The King of Chu said. If we want to punish the humiliation of the defeated army, it cannot be solved by arresting a few Wei Yin Shangshu. We must give an explanation to all the officials in Kyoto and even the court officials in the world. Therefore, the King of Chu ordered me to return to the capital to impeach Zhao Wanwu and support Zhang Baigui as prime minister."

　　"It's easier said than done, surely it will be so smooth?" Huang Feng said sarcastically.

　　The man in black smiled calmly and said, "Well, since we are in a cooperative relationship, can't the Little Barbarian King give me a little trust?"

　　Huang Feng said nothing.

　　Trust is something that only little kids who play house believe in. In this corrupt world where profit comes first, the word "trust" will never occur in his heart.

　　Of course, acting.

　　It's not like he doesn't know how to do it.

　　"That being the case, I'll trouble you, but..." Huang Feng said this, and after a brief pause, he continued, "It seems that removing the Empress's control over the court will not bring much benefit to me, don't you think, Master Dianshu?"

　　"Hehe." Hearing Huang Feng directly calling out the official name, the man in black stood up with a smile:

　　"Don't worry, Little Barbarian King. Dragons walk in the wild. The dragon energy of the Xia Dynasty is given by the people, but it is not given by the people. If the dragon throne is unstable, the saint will lose the blessing of the dragon energy of humanity..."

　　"...by then, the empress will be nothing more than a mere Xuan Xiu Dong Xu, and will soon go from being a high and mighty mature and beautiful empress to being a slut under the crotch of the little barbarian king."

　　"Okay, that's all. I can't stay here for long, I have to go back to the capital first." The man in black turned to Huang Feng and saluted: "I am here, Ying Gao congratulates King Xiaoman on the success of his plan, his military success, and his unification of the world."

　　After saying this, the man in black walked out of the nunnery.

　　Huang Feng and the old bald slave from Huanxi Temple were left sitting in the room.

　　After that, the old bald slave said, "Your Highness, do you really believe what this man said?"

　　Huang Feng's eyes were blazing, and he smiled grimly: "Believe it, of course I should. Now, I am trapped. If I want to completely control that fickle woman, I must use some surprise forces. If he wants to be the Tai Sui of the land, then let him do it, but..."

　　As he spoke, Huang Feng lifted up his sleeves, lowered his head and stared at the mark carved by the empress on his arm, and continued:

　　"Some people always think that I am an ambitious hero, but who has ever thought that I have never had such an idea. What's so good about sitting on the throne? Isn't it better than sleeping with a woman in your arms?"

　　Afterwards, he rolled up his sleeves and said to the old bald slave, "The Honesty Gu has been solved, but I still feel that it has not been completely freed from control. Also, how is the matter of the Immortal Monument? If we are a step slower and let the Empress know the real news, it will not be as simple as losing everything."

　　The old bald slave nodded in response to the gaze: "The Immortal Monument in Liangzhou has already been set up. As for the secret march through Chencang, I have already arranged it well."

　　"That's good." Huang Feng stood up and smoothed out the creases on his clothes. "I'll tell you one last thing. During this competition, I saw the woman who was locked in the dungeon. She tricked us all. I never thought that there was such a beauty under that creepy face..."

　　"... But back to the point, Wu Yuwenguang, don't tell me that I haven't noticed it before?"

　　The old bald slave was shocked by Huang Feng and smiled awkwardly: "I didn't expect that the Miao people actually have such a method."

　　"Humph." Huang Feng turned around angrily and said, "I have something else to do later. Time is very tight. Come with me to see Will first."

　　"Yes, Your Highness."

　　———————————

　　At the same time.

　　In the courtyard of the city lord's mansion, the leaves of the golden well's sycamore trees turn yellow in autumn.

　　Dongfang Jiuyuan held a lantern and walked towards the courtyard of King Chu. She passed under the bracket-arched gate and danced with her steps swaying like lotus flowers.

　　Seeing Princess Jiuyuan coming here, the gatekeepers all folded their hands and bowed: "Greetings, Princess."

　　Jiu Yuan then handed over the palace lantern and asked softly, "Is sister-in-law here?"

　　"The princess is in the room."

　　"Okay." Jiu Yuan lifted up the hem of her official yellow palace gauze skirt and walked into the wing room in the courtyard with soft steps.

　　As night fell, several candles and crystal lamps were hung in the room of the King of Chu. Through the reflection of the window paper, the delicate figure of Princess Wei Suyi came into view, giving off a sense of 'frosty and bleak'.

　　When I pushed the door, the bolt made a wooden sound.

　　The fragrance from the flower buds wafts into my nose. A graceful girl is sitting at the table in front of the hall. She is wearing a soft skirt that reaches her chest. When the door opens, the wind blows it up, and she still has a sad and beautiful look on her face.

　　At this time, on Wei Suyi's desk, there were a few photo-taking stones, not shining, as if they were tired of looking at the images, so they rolled up their sleeves and propped up their heads to sleep, and their tender skin was pressed by themselves, leaving patches of dizziness.

　　And just as Jiu Yuan pushed the door open, within a moment.

　　The cold wind from Liangzhou at night blew into her dress. Wei Suyi frowned slightly, then slowly opened her eyes, and saw Princess Jiuyuan standing in front of the desk, fiddling with the photo stone.

　　"Ah." A soft moan of surprise.

　　Wei Suyi quickly put away a few image stones and looked at Dongfang Jiuyuan: "Why are you here? Why didn't Yueji inform you?"

　　Seeing this, Jiu Yuan blinked her playful eyes and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you looking at?"

　　"No, nothing, just watching the famous scholar Yi Shao practice writing."

　　As she spoke, Wei Suyi put the photo stone into the belt around her waist. Gui Lingling picked up the stone pen placed beside the table, dipped the ink and spread the paper, and changed the subject to prevent Jiu Yuan from asking more questions. She couldn't hide her thoughts and told everyone about the weird photos of her mother and the barbarian.

　　"Is that so?" Jiu Yuan stared at Wang Sao suspiciously for a long time, until Su Yi's face flushed with shame. She smiled and sat aside:

　　"It turns out that my sister-in-law also practices calligraphy by watching famous scholars. Yuan'er feels that there are few people in the world whose handwriting can be better than my sister-in-law's."

　　Wei Suyi's face was red as blood, she lowered her head and dared not look at Jiu Yuan, saying:

　　"The world has limited talents. There is no first in literature and no second in martial arts. Su Yi Mo dares not say that he is far better than all the great men in the literary world. If you come to make fun of me, my sister-in-law will be angry."

　　Jiu Yuan smiled and didn't ask any more questions. She took out a bamboo scroll from her sleeve and said, "She Xu sent me a military report. I copied it and came to find you."

　　Back to the point, Wei Suyi tilted his head and asked, "Military report, who is mobilizing the troops now?"

　　You should know that the tiger talismans of Liang, You and Chu are all in the hands of King Wei, Su Jin and Shao Lang.

　　Xia and Man have formed an alliance, and there is no other righteous flag in Xia territory. There has been no sound of war drums since the beginning of the year. Where did the war come from?

　　In fact, Princess Jiuyuan had also thought about these things before reading the military report carefully.

　　Afterwards, Jiu Yuan responded to her sister-in-law and said, "It's the Yongzhou Yulin Army. Three days ago, Ye Guhan, the head of the Night Palace, obtained the tiger talisman from my mother and led 100,000 soldiers to Liangzhou."

　　When Wei Suyi heard this, she looked even more confused.

　　"Why would the Queen Mother mobilize troops, and mobilize them? General Xiao and Sister Zhen'er are both in Liangzhou right now. If you want to mobilize troops, why don't you issue an order to mobilize the Tiger Guards?"

　　The answer may lie in the scroll of military reports in Princess Jiuyuan's hand.

　　Thinking about it, Wei Suyi glanced at the scroll: "Did the military report reveal the inside story?"

　　"I'll read it to my sister-in-law." Jiu Yuan coughed twice and replied, then walked around the room with the scroll in hand:

　　"Report, the Yulin Army has 100,000 soldiers, led by General Ye Guhan and Senior Commander Liehou Cui Geng. They were ambushed and defeated at Yinlin Grassland, with countless casualties. 30,000 of them fled to Guyuan to defend. Currently, the barbarian cavalry did not plunder the city and retreated to Pinghu City..."

　　"…Commander Ye Guhan's whereabouts are unknown. Lie Hou was shot with seven arrows in the back and his right shoulder bone was trampled by a beast. He is still alive, so he has ordered Yingfang to personally send him to the Immortal Palace for treatment."

　　After the conversation ended, Wei Suyi listened to Jiu Yuan's words, wrote the word "和" on the paper, and sighed, "Since the battle of Liangyou, our dynasty hasn't suffered such a large-scale defeat, right?"

　　"Yes." Jiu Yuantong sighed: "Xia Man Alliance, mother is really wrong."

　　Listening to this, Wei Suyi drew a slanting stroke on the word "和" and said, "The fate of a country, its survival or destruction, depends on its generals. This is not the fault of the queen mother."

　　Jiu Yuan asked hurriedly, "When the world is in chaos, benevolence and saints flourish. Saints are a great treasure in the world. I always feel that my mother is playing a risky chess game. I don't understand it. What do you think, sister-in-law?"

　　Without looking up, Su Yi stared at the words on the paper and thought: "We are blessed by the dragon energy of humanity. We do not fight for the day or the night. We only want to defend the land for the people. But the barbarians are looking around. Even if we are good at strategy, we can't come up with a plan to satisfy both sides..."

　　"...and now the Imperial Master and the Queen Mother both support the policy of harmony and look down upon the weak. This is similar to the situation seven years ago. The era of great strife has already arrived. I am afraid..."

　　Princess Jiuyuan frowned slightly as she listened, and keenly caught the implication of Su Yi's words: "What do you mean, sister-in-law?"

　　Wei Suyi took out a new piece of paper, picked up the pen and wrote slowly, and continued: "The way to govern a country is to make the people prosperous and safe, and to make the people poor and difficult to govern. But now... Daxia has been at war for many years, the people are tired and the army is weak. The national strength seems to be prosperous, but in fact it is difficult to recover."

　　Dongfang Jiuyuan's eyes lit up, thinking that if his sister-in-law could find the disease, she could give him medicine, so he asked, "Does sister-in-law have a cure?"

　　Wei Suyi laughed at himself, stopped writing and said, "Man proposes, but Suyi is far from being capable of that. Or rather, the person who can change the current situation has not really appeared before our eyes yet."

　　"Why?"

　　Wei Suyi explained, "The royal family, the noble families, the immortal sect, and the people. These four are the pillars of the heaven, and none of them can be missing. After the reign of Emperor Hongqing Yingzong, the noble families were all gone, leaving only the Dongfang and Wei families in the palace... and the immortal sect was disbanded after Su Jianzun passed away. If it weren't for the Queen Mother's ambition to occupy a high position in the temple, the current situation would have long been..."

　　It will be worse!

　　Back then, Shao Lang was still young, and none of the princes and descendants could take on the responsibility.

　　In other words, if the empress did not seize the throne, the world today would not be ruled by Ji Shaolang's lineage, and there would be other talented people who would rise up. But with this consequence, would those talented people be able to control the immortal sects and aristocratic families like the empress did and maintain the dignity of the Xia Dynasty royal family?

　　Su Yi didn't dare to think about it, nor did she continue talking about this topic.

　　So Wei Suyi stopped writing, stood up, wrote the three words "戈", "含", and "心" on the paper, walked out of the room and said:

　　"Those who were good at fighting in ancient times were not able to fight against the sky or the earth. Their success and failure were all due to the power of the gods."

　　"If Su Xianzun had not died, it would have been better for the saint to control the world. However, there is still one person who can take on this important task."

　　Jiu Yuan quickly asked: "Who?"

　　"He is a man who has seized the wealth of heaven and earth, has the aspirations of the people to live in peace, and can gather the immortal sects, the royal family, and the aristocratic families as his arms." Wei Suyi turned around, took a deep breath, and said to Dongfang Jiuyuan:

　　"This man is the current Young Master of Jian Pavilion, the Young Master of the Su Family's main branch, and your fiancé, Su Yun."

　　Jiu Yuan: (⊙o⊙)!

　　Dongfang Jiuyuan looked surprised, while Wei Suyi, who was standing at the door, was full of worries.

　　It's just because he hasn't finished speaking or he's not sure yet.

　　She had met someone a few days ago and felt that person was very similar to herself. She couldn't see the truth, but no matter how she thought about it, she felt it was impossible.

　　And in that person's body, there were two auras that were exactly the same as her own. Kuang Suyi could also feel the sword spirit of Gangyi beside him at that time.

　　That person was the contestant of the competition, Liu Guzhou.

　　I heard from my husband that this person is a disciple of the national teacher.

　　However, there has never been any news about the Imperial Master accepting disciples. Besides, Liu Guzhou has a knife on his waist but a sword in his body, and Mingzhu is covered with straw. Is he trying to hide his incompetence or is he ashamed to show it to others?

　　In Su Yi's heart, Liu Guzhou's origins are not as simple as they seem.

　　Over there, Jiu Yuan put away her surprised expression, pursed her lips, and said softly: "Su Yun? If this person doesn't come out, how can he take on such a big responsibility?"

　　Wei Suyi nodded and said, "Yes, we don't know what kind of person he is."

　　After saying this, Su Yi changed the subject: "However, let's not talk about this person's character first. What the royal family wants is not his ability, but his innate status."

　　Jiu Yuan straightened her body. In the eyes of many ministers outside, she was a willful little princess. In fact, she was more clever than both Shao Lang and the empress.

　　Princess Jiuyuan asked, "Since Miss Wei has seen it, why don't you tell me?"

　　During the conversation, Jiu Yuan put aside the opinion about her relationship with her sister-in-law and herself, and said that Wei Suyi's father was Guan Qing, and called herself "this palace", which was already a correct answer.

　　Wei Suyi frowned, then put his hands on a tablet and bowed to Jiu Yuan: "I wonder what your Highness thinks about the demise of the former Yu?"

　　Princess Jiu Yuan pondered for a moment and then answered:

　　"Emperor Yu Yan's reforms swept the country, and at one point he pushed the barbarians to the far north. However, his laws were heavy on the military and heavy on punishment, and lacked morality and justice. After his death, there was no sage ruler to control the country, and it fell into chaos. The rebellion of the previous Yu was still blamed on the eunuchs, and in the last years of the reign, the ruler relied heavily on relatives and eunuchs, and did not have the imperial examinations, but instead implemented the selection of officials through the imperial examination system. In times of chaos and difficulty, even if the ruler still cared about the world, there was no one he could use."

　　But as Jiu Yuan spoke, her brows furrowed further and further, as if she understood why her sister-in-law asked her that.

　　Speaking of the previous dynasty, it refers directly to the current dynasty.

　　Princess Jiuyuan's eyes turned beautiful, and she said: "The previous dynasty was in chaos, and the current dynasty is exhausted."

　　Immediately, she looked silent, raised her eyes and met Su Yi's eyes. The two women, one noble and famous, the other gentle and soft, were a beautiful sight.

　　After a while, Princess Jiu Yuan asked in a clear voice: "My dear lady, do you have anything to teach me?"

　　When Wei Suyi heard this, Wanrong paused for a moment without thinking. Her eyes were as white as autumn water under her slender eyebrows. She said:

　　"The fall of the former Yu was caused by internal troubles and external invasions, which eventually led to the destruction of the country. In ancient Yu, there was a scholar who met the emperor after public inspection. He once pointed out the chaos. He first advised against the use of relatives in power, secondly, he complained about the disunity between the upper and lower classes, and thirdly, he scolded the Emperor of Yu for emphasizing military power over culture, interfering with foreign affairs and being soft on the inside. As time passed, the country was no longer safe. Your Highness, you can imagine what happened to the scholar?"

　　"What will happen?"

　　Wei Suyi said: "When he stepped out of the palace, he was pierced by thousands of arrows from the eunuchs and died. He did not have a good end."

　　In this question-and-answer session, Wei Suyi never dared to speak directly. She only talked about the previous dynasty, but in fact she was still talking about the present dynasty. Now she talked about the classics of scholars, which made Jiu Yuan feel differently.

　　Jiu Yuan was smart and naturally understood what her sister-in-law meant.

　　Although Dongfang Jiuyuan was the emperor's daughter, she never interfered in politics. As for Wei Suyi, even though she had read all the classics and was good at military strategies and tactics, women in the Xia Dynasty were not allowed to enter officialdom.

　　No matter what they said, it was not a good idea to discuss this matter in private.

　　However, Jiu Yuan still wanted to know what her sister-in-law was worried about. After all, they grew up together.

　　The princess was smart and knew that Su Yi's mother was very wise. She knew better than Shao Lang that her sister-in-law was a very good person.

　　But the emperor brother didn't seem to like this, so the sister-in-law also restrained her edge in front of the emperor brother.

　　As she thought of this, Jiu Yuan smiled sweetly, her breasts trembling under her delicate collarbone, and said, "Since my sister-in-law has spoken to me, I can say whatever I want."

　　Facing Jiu Yuan's gaze, Wei Suyi looked at the clothes rising and falling beneath her body, her eyes flashed with autumn colors, and she lowered her head with some resentment to examine her own soft jade, snorting:

　　"Back to Su Yun, Su Yi let this man show off in front of the princess for three main reasons: First, if we want to talk about in-laws, we need to talk about aristocratic families. Now that the saint is from the East, the Dongfang family has controlled the court since the first year of Zhao'an, and no one can make them bow their heads..."

　　"...Su Yun is from the Yongquan Su family, which is also a noble family. Although the Su family has lost power, Su Jin is the crown prince, and Old Master Su has retired and is still powerful. Who among the Xia army would not bow to thank the old master and call him old general when they see him? The saint wants the princess to marry Su Yun, probably because he wants the Su family to return to the royal family."

　　At this point, Jiu Yuan nodded. Although she was half annoyed that her mother had chosen a husband for her and that the two of them had become a loveless couple, she still guessed what her mother was thinking to some extent.

　　However, neither Jiu Yuan nor Su Yi knew.

　　This marriage was not originally the idea of ​​the stupid empress, but was first proposed by Master Liu.

　　However, why National Master Liu Zhouyue had this idea, I guess only she herself knew.

　　Perhaps he had a plan for Su Yun and chose a good job for him.

　　Returning to the question, Wei Suyi half-turned her waist, her skirt fluttering.

　　There were still some points that she missed in her words. Why did the royal family want the Su family to return to the court?

　　It is probably because after the empress and the Dongfang family became increasingly distant seven years ago, she began to plan to disperse the power in the hands of the Dongfang family, and letting the Su family return was also to balance the power.

　　This is not difficult to guess. Now there are no people from the Eastern clan in the Liangbei Tiger Guard Army, although General Xiao Yi is from the side branch of the Chu Huai Xiao family.

　　However, he is still a member of the Xiao family. It can be said that the Xiao family has been favored by the empress.

　　As for the people who control the Youzhou Shenwei Army now, they are not from the Dongfang family, but from her Wei family. In the future, the Chuzhou Xuanjia Army will also be controlled by Lang Lang alone.

　　Although the Dongfang family won the throne because the empress had made great contributions, the only troops they could control were the Yongzhou Yulin Army.

　　But unfortunately, half a year ago, the yin and yang tiger talismans of the Yulin Army were made into a pair. The yang talisman was taken back by the empress, and the yin talisman was given to General Cui Lang.

　　The Dongfang family had long lost its power and became abandoned by the court.

　　So, even if the empress is good at cultivating the Tao and is not good at governing the country, don't think that a person who has reached the pinnacle of the cultivation world has no tricks at all.

　　Scholars of all generations have always liked to discuss classics and scriptures, so the empress's accession to the throne was met with many suspicions. Su Yi also privately reviewed the empress's actions countless times to become the emperor.

　　After she ascended the throne, she established her authority and all officials submitted to her. Later, when the Miao people rebelled and the immortals left the path of Taoism, the empress was able to handle and suppress them with a strong attitude.

　　Not to mention that seven years ago, the Yi people brought hundreds of ships across the sea to cross the Tianhe River and attacked Yongzhou to the north, but were also pacified by the empress. Shang also signed the "Jin Gu Agreement" with the Khan of the Yi people for a hundred years of non-aggression.

　　In other words, after the death of Emperor Hong Qing, Great Xia was on the verge of collapse. At that moment, the situation was not something that an ordinary monarch could handle. Only when the empress used her mysterious power to control the monarch could the Xia Dynasty have a chance to breathe.

　　But there is little time left to catch our breath.

　　After thinking about turning back, Wei Suyi raised her lips and continued, "If the Su family is under the royal family again, if we can use the marriage to win the hearts of the noble families, it will be a safe plan. The second and third points can be summed up in two words, which is internal and external chaos."

　　Princess Jiu Yuan listened to her sister-in-law's words, and had some guesses in her mind. After a moment, she said, "The Immortal Sect and the external enemies."

　　Wei Suyi's youthful face showed a smile. Sister Yuan was indeed smart and said, "During the Hongqing period, Su Jianzun once united the Immortal Sects and wanted to establish the Immortal Alliance. At that time, the Immortal Sects were more powerful than the royal family."

　　Princess Jiuyuan frowned: "Father would never allow the Immortal Alliance to be in such a state, so he died?"

　　Speaking of which, Wei Suyi narrowed her pupils slightly. It was a secret of the immortal sect that Su Jianzun was killed by Xu You of the Tianji Sect in Julong Mountain, but this was only a secret for ordinary cultivators.

　　The royal family members, the immortal sect's leaders, and the elders all knew him well.

　　However, to this day, why Xu You killed Su Jianzun remains a mystery.

　　After the empress ascended the throne, she issued an imperial decree prohibiting all immortal sects from discussing the matter privately. Later, she went to the Tianji Sect in person to destroy its inheritance, but in the end she thought that it was not easy to inherit the Daoxuan Sect, and finally did not destroy the sect.

　　This matter seemed to be handled in an attempt to completely distance the royal family from Su Jianzun's death.

　　But is it really so?

　　There is a secret that only the royal family and the four great families know. Xu You, Hong Qing and Su Qingshan are old friends.

　　Since Xu You took office as the leader of the Tianji Sect, he has been in seclusion for ten years. Although he refused to be disturbed by the outside world, he had written exchanges with Emperor Hong Qing through the pigeon house, and some of the written communications had been leaked.

　　Through this investigation, we learned that Xu You was not only a Confucian practitioner, he was also a hermit serving Emperor Hong Qing!

　　If we think about this further, after the defeat of Rimu City, the Su and Xiao families decisively resigned from their court positions, and the relationship between Hong Qing and the Immortal Sect and Su Jianzun gradually deteriorated.

　　During the eight years of Hongqing's wasteland policy, Su Jianzun's momentum became increasingly strong.

　　The emperor is jealous, and Xu You, who stifled Su Qingshan's momentum, as an aide to Emperor Hong Qing, did not have any trace of the Xia Dynasty royal family in his actions?

　　If not, why did Patriarch Shangguan, who once had a good relationship with the empress, never meet the emperor after she succeeded to the throne?

　　Among these, there are things that their descendants cannot know.

　　However, such associations were somewhat absurd. Wei Suyi shook her head secretly, glanced at Princess Jiuyuan who was deep in thought, and said:

　　"Logically speaking, it is a blessing for the Immortal Sect to work together with the royal family to wipe out the barbarians in order to maintain domestic stability and resist foreign aggression..."

　　"...In fact, if Su Jianzun had not died, and Emperor Hong Qing had burned his soul and cultivated Xuan, and worked with Xu You and the Immortal Sect, the barbarians would be nothing more than birds of a feather, and they could be easily destroyed. I think the former emperor was so wise that he would never do such a clumsy thing."

　　Having said this, Dongfang Jiuyuan concealed the sadness on her face. What her sister-in-law said made sense.

　　My father would not do this. If he were my mother, he would not let me marry Su Yun.

　　After all, if Su Yun knew in the future that his concubine, the emperor's father, had murdered his father, how embarrassing would that be?

　　Little did Jiu Yuan know that this thought had already put her in the position of Su Yun's wife. How could she refuse the marriage?

　　Wei Suyi saw Jiu Yuan's mood had calmed down, and turned around with a smile. She rolled up her sleeves with her slender hands without makeup and said:

　　"Let's cut to the chase. The situation under the alliance between the Xia Dynasty and the Barbarian Court is similar to the chaos of the past. Let's talk about Su Yun again. If he marries you, I'm sure that the Shangguan Sect Master will think of the kinship and may reunite with Your Majesty. By then, the Immortal Sect will be close to you and domestic stability will be achieved. Even though the Great Xia has been established for three hundred years and has accumulated many problems, it will not be afraid of foreign aggression..."

　　Suddenly, when Wei Suyi was about to finish speaking.

　　There were startled footsteps outside the wing room, and a deep voice suddenly said: "How dare you discuss state affairs?"

　　Tap tap tap——

　　The man came in, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and a crown with pearls on his head, and his eyes were bright and sharp under his brows.

　　Jiu Yuan and Su Yi turned their heads to look. One of them stood up, and the other nervously looked around three or four times, and hurriedly put her hands on her waist and saluted: "Royal brother." "Your Highness."

　　Then, Ji Shaolang walked in and sat on the stool on the other side of Jiu Yuan: "You said everything, but you don't know that the walls have ears and the Holy Heaven can hear it."

　　As he said this, Ji Shaolang looked depressed. It was unclear whether it was because of Su Yi and Jiu Yuan's questions or because of his mother's matter.

　　Then he took a deep breath and looked up at the sky outside the door.

　　—————————

　　Above the blue sky, a beautiful white shadow flashed by without anyone noticing.

　　In the obscuring clouds, Liu Zhouyue, wearing a green Taoist robe and a red silk hair tie, was lying on the soft clouds with a pot of wine in her hand. The whisk sandwiched between her milky white breasts was rising and falling with the waves, radiating a brilliant light.

　　Just when she was about to wake up or get drunk, a beautiful white shadow suddenly jumped out like a streak of light.

　　The person who came was not wearing any shoes. Her lotus feet were slender and white, and there was a string of exquisite bells hanging on her ankles. Then she looked up.

　　She was wearing a long skirt with flowing clouds and snow, decorated with the Bagua pattern, a cloud-like belt tied around her waist and a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, with her arms folded, which perfectly outlined her gourd-like figure.

　　When Su Qingli appeared, he raised his left hand and made a Taoist seal, then bowed slightly:

　　"Master Liu, how are you?"

　　Hearing this, Liu Zhouyue brushed his heavy eyelids, glanced at Su Qingli, and felt that he was not very interested, so he picked up the wine jug and took two sips.

　　Seeing that Liu Zhouyue didn't respond, Su Qingli frowned slightly, with a hint of sadness in her eyes, and spontaneously sat cross-legged beside him.

　　But after Su Qingli sat down, Liu Zhouyue showed some impatience again, put down the wine jug and opened his eyes.

　　The beautiful scenery in the distant sky was dyed red by the sunset glow, and he said casually: "What do you want to see me for?"

　　At this moment, Liu Zhouyue no longer had that saintly aura, but instead seemed particularly free and lazy.

　　He and Su Qingli lived together in the clouds, as if one was a lover who had lost himself in the mortal world, and the other was a banished immortal who had left the human world.

　　But it remains unknown who is forgetting the world and who is yearning for the human world.

　　After hearing Liu Zhouyue's words, Su Qingli did not say anything. She placed her slender and soft hand on Liu Zhouyue's wrist that was resting on his head. She closed her eyes and examined him for a long time before retracting her statement:

　　"You only have the Qi of the void, but not the reality of the void. You have fallen."

　　"You came here just to check my pulse?" Liu Zhouyue rolled her eyes at Su Qingli, feeling that this pure and innocent fairy looked particularly ugly today, and said, "Go back, I don't have any spirit stones to buy your spiritual medicine."

　　"..." Su Qingli sighed after hearing what Liu Zhouyue said, "I really have something to ask you this time, not to ask about your illness."

　　"Don't beat around the bush, just say what you want to say."

　　Su Qingli straightened up and said, "How about we discuss the Dao?"

　　A gentle breeze and the aroma of wine lingered in the air. Liu Zhouyue closed her eyes and said, "No matter what, I have no idea."

　　Su Qingli looked at Liu Zhouyue: "Since there is no Tao, why are you still lying here, watching the unfinished business of the world?"

　　"Because I woke up and picked raindrops to make wine, and when I was tired I slept with the clouds, and I happened to come here." Liu Zhouyue rested his head on the lotus arm and said lightly:

　　"How can I observe the world? What do worldly affairs have to do with me?"

　　Su Qingli smiled and said, "It's true that I'm soundly asleep, and it's also true that I occasionally open my eyes to look at Liangzhou."

　　Hearing this, Liu Zhouyue was annoyed. He threw the wine pot in his hand aside, sat up and looked directly at Su Qingli: "Are you annoying? Go away! You are disturbing my sweet dreams!"

　　"Haha." Su Qingli glared at Liu Zhouyue, smiled, and then shook her head: "You dare to look at the thousands of people in Liangzhou, and dare to look at the thousands of things in the world, but why have you never looked at that young man?"

　　Sau——

　　Before he finished speaking, Liu Zhouyue suddenly stretched out his hand like a claw and attacked Su Qingli's face.

　　However, the sudden attack was abruptly blocked by the invisible energy. Liu Zhouyue angrily withdrew his trembling hand and muttered: "Little girl, how many levels of Dongxu are you at?"

　　Su Qingli sucked up the wine pot that had fallen and rolled beside him, took out two cups, and the wine fell into the cups from the mouth of the pot, turning into spring clear tea: "The Seven Realms of Dongxu are not worth mentioning."

　　Liu Zhouyue picked up the tea and turned it into wine again, wanting to drink it and saying, "I..."

　　Su Qingli raised her glass in a toast: "Zhou Yue, we only live once, if you miss it, you miss it."

　　"It's easy for you to say that, but have you ever loved?" Even though Liu Zhouyue's cup of wine stopped at his lips, he did not dare to drink it anymore, as he did not want to feel the burning pain of the wine entering his throat again.

　　"What is love?" Su Qingli sipped her tea and continued, "I don't know, but I know that there are some things that you know you can't do, but you just can't let go, right?"

　　The most difficult things in the world to appreciate are nothing more than twos and threes, and the most unforgettable feeling is love.

　　While sipping tea and talking, Su Qingli's clear eyes were crystal clear, while Liu Zhouyue's almond-shaped eyes, as she looked down at the glass of wine, were warm and tearful.

　　Then, Liu Zhouyue asked in a trembling voice: "I can't let go. Have I done something wrong again?"

　　Su Qingli shook her head and said after a long while, "A girl in distress felt grateful to her big brother, and then fell in love with him. But Zhou Yue, did my brother ever like you?"

　　"No, I know I don't." Liu Zhouyue looked away and looked down at the clouds, choking with sobs: "But even without love, can't I do these things? Answer me, can't I?"

　　Su Qingli raised her head and glared at the rising crescent moon, and responded: "It's just a love that was given to you in vain. Even if we are married, it's still hard to let it go. You still think it would have been great if you were in Julong Mountain at that time, right? Even if my brother didn't love you, you could still die with him..."

　　"…So you hate, you really hate Yuhe in Julong Mountain, you hate the Empress and me, you hate us for doing nothing. But if it weren't for your connivance, there wouldn't be the current situation. Why don't you dare to admit that you were wrong?"

　　Liu Zhouyue asked again: "Tell me, am I stupid?"

　　"No!"

　　Su Qingli looked back and shook her head: "Of the eighty thousand words in the world, only love is in my heart, and I cannot allow it to be moved even a little bit."

　　"Is that so? Hehehe."

　　Liu Zhouyue held a whisk in her hand and smiled, but her smile was awkward.

　　Su Qingli looked at the old friend in front of her: "It's been a long time since we last met. You have really changed a lot."

　　"Is there?" Liu Zhouyue said in a daze, "Please ask Palace Master Su, when have I ever looked like myself?"

　　In response, Su Qingli stared silently at Liu Zhouyue's holy face.

　　After a long moment, she sighed softly, "You stole the shrine and did that thing after all. You can't forget it."

　　Liu Zhouyue suddenly raised her head, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up, and she smiled a little creepy: "Do it! I did it."

　　"But what is the price! Liu Zhouyue, please turn back from your wrong path." Su Qingli suddenly spoke in a loud voice, and her immortal voice went straight into Liu Zhouyue's heart:

　　"You have been to Jiange before. Since then, my sister-in-law has warned you and told you that dwelling on the past will not help your path. My brother is dead, and if he can be resurrected, it is not your turn to take action..."

　　"...There are countless people who want my brother to return to this world, but there are also countless obstacles. This is not something we can do, even if..."

　　Liu Zhouyue's face darkened, and he threatened, "So you also know that Su Qingli should stop pretending to be kind and righteous. Isn't it interesting to be self-righteous? Aren't you the same, being pressed on the bed by a barbarian slave, gasping for breath? You and I are the same."

　　As he was speaking, Liu Zhouyue reached out his hand angrily and pulled up his sleeves, revealing a red mark on his white wrist: "See here? There used to be a sword mark that belonged to him here. But from that day on, after the sacrificial ceremony, it's gone, everything is gone!"

　　Su Qingli didn't say anything.

　　She knew that what Liu Zhouyue, the imperial master of Great Xia, had been doing all his life was not to serve the empress in the court, nor to show his holy heart for the people of the world.

　　From then on, she lived only for one person.

　　Then, Su Qingli pursed her lips slightly and said seriously: "Your fall in realm is not entirely due to the sacrificial ritual, you are possessed by a demon, Liu Zhouyue."

　　Liu Zhouyue nodded subconsciously, lowered her head and stroked the dust, shaking her head gently: "No, I am not possessed by the devil, it is this world that is possessed by the devil. I am not wrong, the one who is trying to stop me is wrong."

　　"people?"

　　Su Qingli snorted, looked outside Liangzhou City, and said, "Forget it, it seems there is nothing more to tell you."

　　After a while, she stood up, took out a clean bottle, cut a section of running water from the cloud belt, and poured the water into the bottle.

　　Then he continued to persuade Liu Zhouyue who had lost his mind, "When my heart was lost a few days ago, I went back to the Fairy Palace. Later, I went to a strange place, where I learned a lot. The running water in this bottle records what I saw and heard, I hope it will be helpful to you."

　　But Liu Zhouyue didn't raise his head and didn't even look at Jingping.

　　Seeing this, Su Qingli did not stop and began to move out, with the bell ringing crisply.

　　But after she walked out, she stopped again and said, "I have to thank you on behalf of Yun'er. Without you, he wouldn't have gotten out of the haze so quickly. Without you, he wouldn't have the strength he has now."

　　Hearing this, Liu Zhouyue remained unmoved.

　　Su Qingli sighed: "You have done much better than me in this regard. The world is about to change. I hope that when we meet again, you will not be standing on the opposite side of me."

　　Finally, Su Qingli stepped on the cloud and landed. Suddenly, she heard Liu Zhouyue ask from afar: "Qingli, which side will you stand on?"

　　Su Qingli stepped on the soft clouds with her lotus feet, and said without turning around:

　　"I don't know, but I believe in Qingshan and the choice of the Sword Pavilion's Sword of Love. Zhouyue, Yun'er is already the Sword of Love master of this generation, and after I repaired my Dao heart, I have decided to be his protector."

　　The fairy music faded away, and only a lost person with a red ribbon tied in his hair remained on the clouds.

　　The water flowing from the pure bottle spreads Su Yun's past and a huge dead tree.

　　When the two people were talking in the cloud.

　　The view fell directly to the outside of Liangzhou City, when Su Yun took Meng Nan out of the city and prepared to see his mother.

　　Suddenly, a group of disciples from a sect blocked their way to collect a debt. While they were still discussing, a powerful spiritual energy turned into a snake and pounced on Su Yun and Meng Nan.

　　In desperation, Su Yun had to use the underground escape method to avoid it.

　　Unexpectedly, the attacker looked like a barbarian, his realm was at the level of Huayun, and he was also a formation master. After he easily moved all the disciples out of a radius of three miles, he cast a barrier covering the sky and the earth and fought with Su Yun.

　　The current area is not far from Liangzhou City. The Yi tribe sending assassins to kill the contestants of the competition should naturally alert the bigwigs in the city.

　　But more than a quarter had passed since the incident and there was no movement. Even Meng Nan's attempts to use the Tiandun card and the sound transmission note to call out were in vain.

　　This attack was a well-planned plot!

　　Over there, Meng Nan looked at Su Yun and the Yi assassin, who were almost exhausted from fighting, and quickly called out, "Brother Guzhou, we can't fight too hard for too long."

　　Su Yun immediately put away his sword in mid-air, pinched a seal with his hand to change the situation, returned to Meng Nan, wiped the blood foam from his mouth and said, "Meng Nan, this person is at least at the seventh level of transformation, and he is not easy to deal with."

　　"It's not easy to deal with. The surrounding world is protected by barriers, and we can't get out." Meng Nan said as he threw Su Yun a few high-level Qi-gathering and healing pills from the Immortal Palace.

　　At this moment, Meng Nan no longer had any intention of jumping around and playing, and his expression was serious. If he didn't take action, both Su Yun and he might die here.

　　Seeing that the Yi tribe's energy was about to break through Su Yun's escape trap, Meng Nan did not hesitate any longer, with a slight smile on his face:

　　"By the way, does everyone think that the Immortal Palace can only make pills and seek the truth? Brother, I will show you my skills today!"

　　Su Yun swallowed the pill and glanced at Meng Nan beside him.

　　Brother Meng Nan is at the same level as me, but how strong is he?

　　I really can't figure it out.

　　Just as the words fell, Meng Nan began to slowly bend forward, holding his collar with his right hand, and transmitted a message to Su Yun:

　　"Brother, let me tell you a secret. My attack is very powerful, but the duration is very short. I can only buy you a brief opportunity. But you have to seize this opportunity. Our life or death depends on this attack!"

　　Boom boom boom.

　　Three loud bangs were heard in an instant, and the earth walls that Su Yun had set up to block the road were smashed one after another. The Yi tribe's Huayun master rushed forward like lightning, almost killing him in front of him.

　　Meng Nan followed suit, unzipping his collar with his right hand, and half of his shirt fell off. His beautiful face and rugged muscle lines appeared on the same person at the same time, which was extremely strange.

　　"Magic, giant spirit possession..." Meng Nan shouted.

　　There was a loud bang following.

　　Before he could finish shouting, he saw the Yi assassin being knocked against the earth wall beside him by an invisible force and buried alive.

　　Su Yun opened his mouth and exclaimed!

　　Do you need to continue fighting?

　　This person's aura is gone, Fellow Daoist Meng Nan is so terrifying!

　　On the other side, Meng Nan also blinked: (?_?).

　　"Meng Nan, you..."

　　"Uh, haha!"

　　Su Yun and Meng Nan started to speak incoherently, not knowing what to say.

　　The sky barrier suddenly disappeared, the smoke around was still there, and the clear sound of bells gradually came into the ears.

　　Then, Su Yun's eyes were obviously stunned.

　　In the distance, a white dress slowly fell, the clouds and the moon were dim, and there was wind in the forest.

　　The person in front of me has eyebrows as beautiful as paintings and eyes as clear as water. No matter how magnificent the mountains and rivers are, and how complicated and changeable the world is, she still looks the same.