Daqian Night Emperor

Chapter 304: Is Zhao Qi'an really so amazing?
"If my guess is correct, something happened in the Western Desert."

Hearing Wu Yong's whisper, Lin Wenxu was stunned: "Why did the teacher say that?"

Wu Yong shook his head and said, "These things are just speculations. However, with the battle for the crown prince imminent, has Ximo sent any elite troops to help the Third Prince? Even the one who escorted the birthday plan to the birthday banquet was only Zhou Xuanyi's small army general. None of the truly powerful people have entered the capital. Zhou Tiansheng is sick, so is the entire Ximo camp sick?"

Lin Wenxu couldn't help but show joy on his face: "So, doesn't that mean that the Third Prince has a broken arm? If so, it is truly God's help. It seems that it is God's will that the Second Prince can inherit the throne!"

Wu Yong shook his head and said, "It's just my random guess. Don't be careless. A journey of a hundred steps begins with a single step. Even if the Third Prince loses the support of the Zhou family, he still has a foundation in the court, so we should keep a closer eye on the First Prince. If the First Prince continues to side with him, I'm afraid something unexpected will happen... cough cough."

As he was speaking, his face suddenly turned pale and he started coughing.

Lin Wenxu immediately stepped forward to support him and said worriedly, "Teacher, please ask me to call a doctor."

"It's okay. Maybe I'm a little tired today."

Wu Yong took a long while to calm his breath, then leaned over to open the secret compartment under the table and took out a pill box. After opening it, there were several thumb-sized red pills inside.

He took out one of them and put it in his mouth.

After a moment, his originally gloomy and embarrassed face turned visibly rosy, and his whole spirit seemed to have returned to its peak.

He looked at Lin Wenxu and said with a smile: "Fortunately, you found this longevity elixir for me, which helped me live a few more years. I really owe you a huge favor."

Seeing that his complexion had improved, Lin Wenxu breathed a sigh of relief, and then bowed with fear and trepidation: "I am very afraid. The teacher has been very kind to me. He is my father's second mother. How dare I take credit for it? I only hope that my teacher will live a long and happy life."

Wu Yong smiled and patted his shoulder: "That's thoughtful."

The more he looked at Lin Wenxu, the more satisfied he was. This boy was extremely intelligent and courteous. The most important thing was that he presented him with the elixir of longevity.

If it weren't for this pill, how could he, a mortal with no knowledge of martial arts, still be so energetic and spirited at his age?

Even the gray hair on his temples had turned black again, and his physical strength was not much inferior to when he was young.

Just for the merit of offering the elixir, Lin Wenxu is worthy of his favor.

If it weren't for the unscrupulous and shrewish Princess De Ling who forcibly abducted Lin Wenxu to be a royal consort, Wu Yong would really like to promise one of the women in his family to his disciple.

However...if Princess De Ling had not kidnapped him to be her consort, Lin Wenxu would not have become his disciple.

With Lin Wenxu's intelligence and the honor of being the runner-up in the imperial examination, he might have been another Qin Desheng.

A blessing in disguise, this is the best thing that can happen.

Lin Wenxu asked: "What do you plan to do with the eldest prince?"

Wu Yong pondered for a moment and said, "We should continue to win him over. Even if we cannot convince the First Prince to stand on our side, we must not let him stand on the Third Prince's side."

“Students should do their best.”

At this point, he remembered something: "Oh, there is one more thing that I should report to you, teacher."

"What's the matter?"

"I spent a lot of money and got some information from the eldest prince's personal guards. It seems that the eldest prince came to the capital this time to look for someone. He even sent soldiers brought into the capital to search everywhere."

"Oh?"

Wu Yong was surprised when he heard this: "Who is the eldest prince looking for?"

Lin Wenxu's expression became a little strange: "It seems to be a foreign woman, but I don't know who she is. I only know that she is related to the foreign woman that the eldest prince brought with him."

A foreign woman?

Wu Yong was suddenly confused.

The foreign women in Kyoto were either brought here by foreign merchants for sale, or simply prisoners of war captured by the expeditionary forces. They returned to the capital as trophies, and after showing off their wealth in the streets, they were sold to pawnshops.

If the eldest prince was just greedy for beauty, he would have led troops abroad all year round, fighting against foreign countries. What kind of foreign women could he not find?

It seems that the foreign woman he is looking for must have some special characteristics.

Wu Yong advised Lin Wenxu, "Please do more research to find out the identity of the foreign woman that the eldest prince is looking for. If you can find her in advance, it may be helpful in winning over the eldest prince. Put in more effort."

He didn't think that helping to find a foreign woman would make the eldest prince so grateful that he would directly win him over.

But no matter what, it would always be a good thing if I could help the eldest prince.

Lin Wenxu did not dare to despise it, and bowed his head and said, "Yes, I will remember it."

"It's late at night. Yunwen will stay at the Xiangguo Mansion tonight. Are you hungry? Ask your wife to cook some noodles for you."

"Ah? I dare not disturb the Master's wife."

"Haha, it's okay, you're not hungry, but I am hungry."

No one saw this scene in the Prime Minister's Mansion, but it was quite warm and harmonious.

……

The next day, on the top floor of the Astronomical Observatory’s headquarters.

The national teacher Shui Yuexian was guarding a large bronze tripod. The lid of the tripod was not closed. Countless white smoke swirled inside the tripod but did not dissipate outside, as if it was locked inside the tripod by an invisible force.

And in the constantly rolling white smoke, there was a dazzling golden round bead that was constantly floating up and down, with wisps of golden light emanating from it.

This golden bead is exactly the "Dragon Bead" presented by the Third Prince Ji Yunrui at the birthday banquet!
"I never thought there were real dragons in this world. I thought it was just a rumor spread by people."

Next to Shuiyuexian, a deep voice sounded, with some emotion in the tone.

Shui Yuexian said calmly: "Since the dragon ball is here, the real dragon must have fallen."

"That's a shame."

Behind her, there was a person standing.

This person is not someone else, but the eldest prince Ji Wuchang!
These days, both the Third Prince's side and Prime Minister Wu's side wanted to win over the First Prince, but they couldn't even find anyone.

I didn't expect that he actually came to visit the national teacher.

Shui Yuexian asked, "You are a disciple of the prince, and now you have made great contributions. Even if you are half foreign, you have the support of me and the prince. Why don't you fight for the throne?"

Ji Wuchang smiled bitterly and said, "I dare not hide it from the Imperial Master. If it were before, I might have really thought about it. But after I went to Mount Xumi and learned everything, I no longer have any interest in the throne."

Shui Yuexian nodded and said calmly, "You have your own choice. But now that you are about to be crowned king, the Ministry of Rites is selecting a fiefdom for you. If you don't go to the Ministry of Rites to keep an eye on it, how can you have time to visit me?"

"I don't want to be a vassal."

Ji Wuchang lifted up his skirt and knelt down beside Shui Yuexian, lowering his head and saying, "I am petitioning to be crowned king, which will only help my father to establish a crown prince. However, I do not want to be a vassal, so please ask the Imperial Master to say a few good words for me in front of my father."

"You are unwilling to return the expeditionary force?"

"No." Ji Wuchang shook his head, took a deep breath and said, "I want to... return to Mount Xumi!"

Shui Yuexian was slightly startled and turned sideways to face him.

Ji Wuchang still lowered his head and said in a deep voice: "After the army conquers the Southern Buddhist Kingdom, and my Great Qian is no longer troubled by the White Lotus Buddhist Kingdom, I will resign, hand over the tiger talisman, and return the military power."

“Now that the Xiao brothers have no hope of becoming a first-rank official, it would be better to release them and let the two brothers lead the expeditionary army to continue sweeping the foreign countries outside of Jiuzhou that have been infected by Lingyuan!”

"And I will replace the Xiao brothers, lead the Demon Suppression Army, and guard the Two Worlds Well for my father!"

It was obvious that his words were not a spur-of-the-moment statement, but were the result of careful consideration.

Shui Yuexian seemed to sigh softly: "Why do you have to do this? His Majesty has given you the princess of the Anuyi tribe. With her golden bloodline, you also have the opportunity to become a first-class Taoist. Why do you have to take this risk?"

"At this critical moment, if I were to be crowned a vassal and stay in Daqian, this would be a cowardly act that would bring disaster to my father's reputation and tarnish my teacher's character. This is not what I want!"

The corners of his mouth moved slightly, but he smiled.

Free and easy, yet proud.

"Besides, since I, Ji Wuchang, want to reach the pinnacle of martial arts, why should I rely on external forces!"

Shui Yuexian was silent for a long time before she slowly spoke: "But what if I say... Your Majesty has the intention to abdicate?"

Ji Wuchang was stunned for a moment, but after thinking about it carefully, it made sense.

The situation on Mount Xumi is probably not optimistic. It can be seen from the increasingly frequent "retreats" of my father in recent years. I am afraid that my father will rarely leave Mount Xumi in the future.

That is why it is time to establish a new ruler.
He even said: "Father should have abdicated long ago."

Shui Yuexian paused for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty has his concerns."

Ji Wuchang glanced at the Imperial Master casually, knowing in his heart that the Imperial Master must have been hiding something.

My father should have appointed a crown prince and delegated power to him long ago. There is no reason to hand over the government to Wu Yong, a minister of another surname, to maintain it?

But my father cannot be the kind of person who is greedy for imperial power. He is so reluctant that he must be hiding some secrets.

The Imperial Master must know something, but she is hiding it from herself...

"Mount Xumi is important, but the Great Qian Nine Provinces are also important. Now that His Majesty has the intention to abdicate, the selection of the crown prince has been determined, and I am afraid that he will ascend the throne and become emperor soon."

"With the new king in power, Wu Yong is here, and An Shoudao also wants to return to his career, so there is nothing to worry about. But... we need you to help the country."

Shuiyuexian's words interrupted Ji Wuchang's thoughts.

She continued, “With the new king on the throne, even though the danger to the Buddhist sect in the southern border has been resolved, the Wujiang tribe has no intention of submitting. Once the Buddhist sect in the south is destroyed, this tribe will become a hidden danger.

"Now that the Zhou family in the Western Desert has been alarmed by you, I'm afraid they may have rebellious intentions, and the northwest will be in chaos."

"Although the Jibei Weiwu Marquis and the Donghai Zhao family have no intention of rebelling, they are becoming increasingly powerful and need someone to check and suppress them."

"And the Salvation Cult is wreaking havoc across the nine states. Even if Jingzhou is pacified, the centipede is still alive and well. If we are not careful, it will revive."

Although Shuiyuexian has not interfered in state affairs since becoming the imperial teacher, she has often accompanied Emperor Tianwu in practicing in Mount Xumi.

But this does not mean that she knows nothing about the situation in Daqian. After all, she is the national teacher and is in charge of the astronomical observatories in various parts of Jiuzhou. She knows more about many news than the officials in the court.

"Whether it's Wu Yong or An Shoudao, they need to sit in the court and coordinate the central government. But to quell the war in Kyushu... someone else is needed to do it."

Shui Yuexian turned to Ji Wuchang and said, "You are the candidate that His Majesty likes."

Ji Wuchang pondered for a moment and said, "After the southern border is pacified, Marshal Lin can withdraw and lead the army to attack the Western Desert directly to resolve the threat from the Western Desert. One of the Xiao brothers can go to northern Ji to replace Marquis Weiwu and summon Marquis Weiwu to Mount Xumi to be the deputy commander of the Demon Suppression Army. The other one can stay in the southern border to prevent the Wujiang tribe from integrating the southern border countries."

"The Zhao family of Donghai, Zhao Qi'an will enter Mount Xumi. You can summon the Duke of Donghai to the capital to serve as an official. Both Zhao's father and son have left Donghai, so Donghai is nothing to worry about."

"If there is any more trouble, there are many other famous generals in the Daqian court who can be assigned. It doesn't have to be me, Ji Wuchang!"

He stood up and saluted Shui Yuexian: "Wuchang is a crude man. He will charge into battle and kill the enemy even if he dies, but he is definitely not a good choice to assist in governing the country. I hope that the national teacher will grant me your favor."

He was determined to return to Mount Xumi!
Shui Yuexian saw his determination and finally relaxed: "I understand. I will try to persuade His Majesty to let you return to Mount Xumi, but whether it will succeed depends entirely on His Majesty's wishes. I cannot guarantee it." "I am satisfied that the national teacher has given me advice."

Ji Wuchang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

He knew the importance of the Imperial Master in his father's heart. With her approval, it was almost certain that his father would agree to his return to Mount Xumi.

Shui Yuexian saw that Ji Wuchang was still standing there after she agreed, so she asked, "Is there anything else?"

"There is another private matter that I would like to ask the Imperial Master for help."

Ji Wuchang bowed his hands a little embarrassedly and said, "A few years ago, I was ordered to bring the Anuyi people into Mount Xumi, but I missed one person. I accidentally treated him as an ordinary foreign captive and sold him to a slave trader. I wanted to find him back, but I was shocked to find that the buyer had erased a lot of information and there was no way to find him."

"The Anuyi tribe has golden blood, and their members look very different from ordinary people. How could they have missed something?" Shuiyuexian was a little confused when she heard this.

Ji Wuchang also couldn't figure this out, and said uncertainly: "Perhaps this person's blood is thin, and the physical signs are not obvious."

"If that's the case, why bother looking for it?"

"Master, just treat it as my personal matter."

Ji Wuchang spoke vaguely and evasively.

Fortunately, Shui Yuexian is not the kind of person who would ask questions about other people's private affairs. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll help you tell your fortune."

Ji Wuchang was overjoyed.

Shuiyuexian stood up, stretched out her hand, and a "round shuttle" slowly condensed in the palm of her hand.

She asked, "What is this person's name?"

Ji Wuchang quickly replied, "Holo Jiao."

"Is there anything related to her?"

"Have."

Ji Wuchang took out a pendant from his arms. It was a fang as long as a finger, made into a pendant.

He offered it respectfully with both hands.

Shui Yuexian took the fang pendant from him and was a little surprised: "Holy bones?"

Ji Wuchang nodded and said, "The Imperial Master is indeed very discerning. This is the fang of Dagon, the god of the Anuyi tribe."

Shuiyuexiandian nodded, and then pointed towards the "Huantianyi".

A blue light suddenly shot out from the tip of the armillary sphere and fell in front of the two of them, like a curtain of water.

The "water curtain" gradually began to fluctuate, and then a picture emerged.

It was a small courtyard. A young man in fancy clothes was sitting on a chair, looking at something in his hand.

Behind him stood a "giant" who was over 18 feet tall. The muscles on the giant's body bulged like rocks, and his face was covered with flesh, which was truly terrifying.

But this tall giant was doing something inconsistent with her appearance at the moment. Her face, which was enough to stop a crying child, was full of attentiveness. She was bending over and carefully pinching the shoulder of the young man in gorgeous clothes, whispering something.

Ji Wuchang squinted his eyes and took a closer look at the young man who appeared in the water curtain. He felt that he looked very familiar. After thinking about it carefully, a name suddenly emerged in his mind, and he was immediately stunned:
"That's... Zhao Qi'an?!"

Shui Yuexian said calmly, "It's not surprising. Zhao Qi'an is a 'hidden dragon'. Most of the people around him have extraordinary destinies. It seems that the person you are looking for is taken in by Zhao Qi'an."

Just as the two were talking, Zhao Qi'an in the "water curtain" seemed to sense something and looked over.

This scene... seemed to have penetrated the water curtain and looked at Shui Yuexian and the others.

Ji Wuchang's hair stood on end: "Could it be that he found out?"

Shui Yuexian shook her head: "I don't know."

“Don’t know?!”

Ji Wuchang was extremely shocked. The Imperial Master actually said that she didn't know?
Shui Yuexian waved her hand, and the water curtain in front of her disappeared without a trace.

The "Armillary Sphere" in her palm gradually turned into a shadow.

Shui Yuexian put her hands behind her back and said, "Zhao Qi'an has a lot of secrets. The only thing I can be sure of is that he is a reincarnated person, but I don't know his past life. I can't see through it."

There are people in this world that the Imperial Master cannot see through? !

No wonder his father and the imperial teacher took the initiative to accept him into Mount Xumi.

"Even the Imperial Master said so. Is Zhao Qi'an really that amazing?"

Ji Wuchang couldn't help but have some thoughts in his mind, and smiled slightly, as if he had an idea.

……

"Master, the weather is great, how about... we go out for an outing?"

Inside the princess's residence, the ugly slave was massaging Zhao Qian'an's shoulders and legs with a very attentive look on his face.

Zhao Qi'an couldn't help but laugh.

This ugly slave was full of confidence a few days ago and was ready to devote himself to cultivation.

It's only been a few days and I can't stand it anymore. I want to start being lazy.

However, Zhao Qian could understand this. After all, the Anuyi tribe's method of cultivation was indeed extremely painful in the eyes of outsiders.

But understanding does not mean agreement.

The Chou Nu is now practicing, and the energy he is fed back to him is really too much. Although the improvement in strength in just a few days is not much for Zhao Qi'an, for him, even a little progress is already invaluable.

It is impossible to let her be lazy. The treasures she needs for cultivation are more expensive than each other. She has already bought them all. Are they going to be stored in the warehouse and gather dust?

This is impossible!

Zhao Qi'an never does business that would make him lose money!

He looked at Chou Nu and asked, "Want to rest?"

The ugly slave nodded vigorously.

Zhao Qi'an nodded and said, "That's fine..."

The ugly slave was about to show joy, but he stopped smiling when he heard the second half of the sentence.

"...When you can pass my test, I will allow you to take a day off."

Hearing the second half of Zhao Qian'an's words, Chou Nu immediately frowned.

The so-called "small test" was a test set for her by Zhao Qi'an.

It's very simple. Fight with Zhao Qi'an three times. If you can make him move a little bit, you will pass the test.

At the beginning, the ugly slave was quite complacent and thought this was a piece of cake.

Compared with the warriors in the Central Plains, the warriors of her clan do not have those mysterious magical powers. If they only compare strength, three or five warriors of the same level tied together cannot be compared with the Golden Blood clan.

The master doesn't even use his spiritual power, he only competes with others in blood and strength, who is he looking down on?
But the result that time was that she was bedridden for three days after being slapped by Zhao Qian'an.

The gap is despairing!
When Chou Nu heard the word "small test", he felt itchy all over and his bones ached.

She couldn't help but complain, "Master, what is your current level of cultivation? Old man Nie is so powerful, I can resist not only three palm strikes, but even ten palm strikes. Are you more powerful than him?"

Zhao Qi'an smiled slightly and was about to speak.

But suddenly, his expression froze and he looked up at the sky.

When Chou Nu saw that he suddenly stopped talking, he looked up in the direction of his gaze out of curiosity.

But apart from the clear blue sky, there was nothing to see, not even a cloud.

"Sir, what are you looking at?"

Zhao Qi'an then retracted his gaze and shook his head, "Nothing."

Just now, he felt a pair of prying eyes.

Although it was fleeting, Zhao Qi'an knew that he was not wrong.

Now that I think about it, it should be the result of the national teacher using the armillary sphere.

But the problem is...what does it mean that the National Master opened the armillary sphere to look at him for no reason?
……

In the afternoon, Zhao Qian'an drove the ugly slave back to the courtyard to practice, and went to the front yard and asked someone to call Luan Nu.

"Send someone to guard the gate of my courtyard, don't let the ugly slave sneak out."

Hearing this request, Luan Nu couldn't help but chuckled: "Yes, Master. Has Sister Achou made you unhappy again?"

Zhao Qi'an sighed, "You are too lazy. If you were my adopted son, and you were so lazy in your practice, I would also know a little about whip techniques."

He shook his head, not thinking about Chou Nu, and looked at Luan Nu and asked, "Is there any news from the eldest prince?"

Now that the battle for the crown prince is imminent, the eldest prince Ji Wuchang is the focus of attention of the entire Kyoto city, and even Zhao Qi'an is no exception.

Although he had no intention of contacting the eldest prince, he still sent people to keep an eye on Ji Wuchang's whereabouts.

Luan Nu said: "The eldest prince has visited many families recently..."

As she spoke, she took out a booklet from her bosom and respectfully handed it to Zhao Qian'an with both hands.

Zhao Qi'an took the booklet and glanced at the names on it, and couldn't help but frowned slightly.

These days, the eldest prince has been visiting some people in the capital.

However, the identities of these people are very complicated. There are officials from the Wu party, officials from the third prince's line, and even in addition to court officials, many businessmen are on the list.

Zhao Qi'an was a little confused about what the eldest prince was doing. If he was making friends with cliques... it didn't seem like that.

He handed the booklet back to Luan Nu and told her, "Keep asking people to keep an eye on it. I'm going to go out and take a look at Baiyun Mountain."

"Yes, master."

Luan Nu took the book back and followed Zhao Qian'an until she sent him to the gate of the mansion and watched the carriage leave.

(End of this chapter)