You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 182 The Emperor Wants to Reduce the Power of the Feudal Lords?
Xie Wan'er said ingratiatingly, "Neither of us wants to marry, and neither of us wants to be married. We hit it off immediately and both of us have the same idea. However, it's more difficult for me to pretend, and it has ruined my reputation. The price I paid was quite high. My cousin also promised me many good things."

"That's utter nonsense! If you keep acting like this, what decent family will want to marry you in the future?"

"I have absolutely no desire to get married! I'd rather everyone avoid me like the plague."

Consort Xie shook her head helplessly yet indulgently: "Now that the Emperor has arranged a marriage for your cousin, this girl Shuyan seems quite good to me. You shouldn't interfere. Do you want to watch your cousin remain a bachelor for the rest of his life?"

Xie Wan'er was very unconvinced: "If it were a good one, I would naturally not object. But I look down on Jian Shuyan from the bottom of my heart."

"I've already let go of Fu Bai, but you're still not letting it go."

“It’s not just because of that,” Xie Wan’er said seriously, “This Jian Shuyan is really not as simple as she seems; she’s incredibly hypocritical.”

"Alright, that's enough." Consort Xie said displeasedly, "If you cause any more trouble, I can tell your father the truth and have him hurry up and find you a good family to marry into."

Xie Wan'er immediately shrank back and dared not speak again.

Cousin, good luck to you.

royal palace.

The emperor and Gu Xizhi sat facing each other, each holding a piece of chess, black and white pieces locked in a fierce battle.

"Is there any progress in the case of the assassination of Consort Xie?" the Emperor inquired.

Gu Xizhi shook his head: "My mother has lived in Weixi for the past few years and has no grudges against anyone in the capital, so I really can't understand what these assassins' purpose is or what their background is."

"Those good-for-nothing magistrates of the Capital Prefecture are only good at catching petty thieves; they're probably not up to the task of handling cases like this."

Sometimes I think, if you, my third brother, were willing to stay in the capital and properly manage these arrogant fools, I wouldn't have to worry about them day and night.

Gu Xizhi's hand holding the chess piece loosened, and her lowered eyes flickered slightly.

When the emperor ascended the throne, he immediately followed the late emperor's will and sent himself away from the capital to his fiefdom in Weixi, without being summoned back to the capital.

Was his remark today a genuine expression of his desire for me to return to the capital? Or was it an attempt to weaken the power of the feudal lords and reclaim the Weixi fiefdom? Or was it a test to see if I was being properly informed?

Gu Xizhi casually placed a piece: "Doesn't Your Majesty know me? I'm good at fighting and killing, but if you let me govern this important capital region, I'm afraid that after a series of sweeping reforms, few officials will be able to survive under my rule."

“Your Majesty is too hesitant and lacks the decisiveness you have. Look at all these years, you have transformed the barren and desolate Weixi into a prosperous and peaceful place where the people live in peace and prosperity, and everyone praises you.”

"Managing a household is easy, but governing a country is difficult. How can they be compared? Besides, I am already overwhelmed with my own family affairs. I have come to the palace to seek peace and quiet, and I am causing you, my brother, to have to worry about me."

The Emperor didn't even look up: "The imperial physicians have already reported Xie Wan'er's outburst at the Jian family's house to me upon her return. That girl is indeed unruly and a real headache. Now, is your concern about the supposed incompatibility between you and Miss Jian according to the Five Elements theory?"

"Exactly."

The emperor casually stroked the chess piece in his hand: "Minister Jian has already submitted a memorial to apologize for this matter. He said that he named Jian Shuyan this way because she lacked the element of fire in her five elements, so this was to make up for it. Therefore, there is no question of her being incompatible with you."

On the contrary, you belong to the Wood element, and your birth chart favors Fire. Wood generates Fire, which perfectly complements Jian Shuyan's elements, making you a match made in heaven.

Gu Xizhi said calmly, "I don't understand the theory of the Five Elements either, and I didn't believe it before. I only heard a wise man give this comment, saying that my zodiac sign and the Five Elements are incompatible with fire, otherwise I will have a short life. That's why I emphasized this matter during the selection of candidates that day."

The emperor slammed down a chess piece: "It concerns your fate, Third Brother. There's a saying that it's better to believe it exists than not. Since you've said this, I must be cautious."

However, in this world, there are many swindlers who pretend to be experts and deceive others. Some of them just talk nonsense and make things up out of nothing.

I received a letter yesterday informing me that Master Li will be returning to the capital in the next few days. He is the foremost expert in divination and astrology in Chang'an, and the master of the Five Elements and astrology. When the time comes, please have him perform a divination for my third brother and Miss Jian, and we will know the truth of the matter. Master Li has a good personal relationship with the Minister of Rites; whether the relationship succeeds or fails is entirely up to him.

However, Gu Xizhi could not refute it.

"That's fine too."

He lowered his eyes, concentrating on the game of chess. He hesitated before placing a piece, then casually asked, "Master Li, you've been traveling for quite some time this time. Have you gained any spiritual insights?"

The emperor shook his head: "The travels are just a pretext. Do you know what I sent him to do after leaving the capital?"

Gu Xizhi shook her head.

The emperor slowly opened his lips: "Several months ago, the Phoenix Star reappeared."

"Phoenix Star?" Gu Xizhi looked up in surprise: "Is this the Phoenix Star that the legend says 'whoever obtains the Phoenix Star obtains the world' refers to?"

The Emperor nodded: "Indeed. Master Li said that the last time he saw the Phoenix Star was more than twenty years ago. This time, it appeared again in the southwestern sky."

Gu Xizhi was startled; the southwest was precisely where she was located in Weixi.

"Legend has it that the mission of Phoenix Maiden Star is to protect the dragon vein. Does the reappearance of Phoenix Maiden Star mean that the spiritual energy of the dragon vein will also manifest?"

"Master Li also believed this was a rare opportunity. After reporting to me, he immediately set off to the southwest to search for the dragon vein. Unfortunately, after traveling for several months, he still found nothing and returned empty-handed."

"Perhaps this is just a baseless folk tale."

"When my father was alive, he was obsessed with this matter and spent a lot of manpower and resources searching for this unique place where spiritual energy gathers. I also think it is absurd."

But now that Phoenix Star has reappeared twice, it proves that the rumors are not unfounded. It's just that the dragon vein is protected by the Phoenix Clan; how could it be so easy to find?

"If even Master Li can't find the dragon vein, it's even more difficult for ordinary people to discern it."

The emperor sighed with worry: "But there is more than one Taoist priest Li in the world. What if that wolfish man discovers the location of the dragon vein and cuts off the fortune of Chang'an? Wouldn't I become a king who has lost his country and a sinner for all time? Every time I think about it, I can't eat or sleep in peace."

He pushed the chessboard aside and stood up: "When Father was alive, he once said that starting a business is easy, but maintaining it is difficult. I absolutely cannot allow the fate of Chang'an to be ruined in my hands. Therefore, I must find this dragon vein. Third brother, we brothers have a long way to go."

Gu Xizhi had already roughly discerned the emperor's implied meaning.

Master Li's unreserved disclosure of the confidential matter of leaving the capital to search for the dragon vein shows a lack of trust.
It was a test!

If I'm not mistaken, Master Li must have been in Weixi during this time, searching for the dragon vein.

If I insist on returning to Weixi, the emperor will definitely become suspicious, worried that I have ambitions and intend to seize the dragon vein and take over his country.

Therefore, for the time being, regardless of whether it is true or false, and regardless of whether Weixi is the location of the dragon vein, I am afraid that I will not be able to go back.

This move is truly ruthless, even more so than the "Decree of Grace." It forces him to avoid suspicion and voluntarily relinquish the favor.

Should I just give up on the paradise I've painstakingly created over the years?

Faced with the emperor's probing, Gu Xizhi could only reply solemnly, "If Your Majesty needs my assistance, I will certainly do my duty without hesitation."

The emperor patted his shoulder earnestly: "With your words, I am relieved. When brothers are of one mind, their strength can break metal; Chang'an will surely be secure for a thousand years. As for your marriage to Miss Jian, I will respect your choice."

(End of this chapter)