If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1003 The Torn Court

Xiao Yu recalled for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, I am the head of the Imperial Palace. As far as I know, the three departments and nine offices of the Imperial Observatory have not yet encountered any intractable problems."

At this point, we do not need to publicly recruit a Celestial Master.

It is even more inappropriate to recruit celestial masters by posting notices and announcing them to the world.

Before the New Year, the gods of the Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains, taking advantage of Meng Zhenjun's departure, held a joint divine sacrifice in an attempt to forcibly summon the True Form Diagram.

I am not very capable, but I managed to persuade them to leave, which can be considered as making a name for myself in the Divine Continent and the Immortal Realm.

Let outsiders know that the Imperial Astronomical Bureau of the Qin Dynasty is still a force to be reckoned with.

There is absolutely no need for the imperial court to display its weakness to the world at this critical moment.

The Empress Dowager stared into her eyes and said quietly, "But Meng Zhenjun did indeed resign his post and leave, and now the position of 'Grand Tutor' is vacant."

All the ministers watched her expression intently.

Xiao Yu sighed, "Lord Meng trusts me and recommended me to succeed the Grand Tutor."

If the Empress Dowager and the ministers trust me, I am willing to accept this heavy responsibility.

—Since you want to be Grand Tutor, why haven't you come to Lin Guang Palace to see me in the past half month?
If you don't pledge your loyalty to me, how can I use you?

Empress Dowager Zhao harbored much resentment.

She was able to secure her position as "Regent Empress Dowager" solely through the efforts of Meng Qi in the early stages.

Of course, the key is that Meng Qi has a group of Golden Immortals and Mystic Immortals standing behind him.

At that time, Empress Dowager Zhao walked with a limp.

Until Lao Ai gradually rose to power.

She did indeed cherish Lao Ai's large basket, but Lao Ai's significance to her was far more than just a large basket.

Lao Ai became another leg that allowed her to secure her throne and rule the country as regent.

Walking on two legs is the safest way!

Now that Meng Qi has run away and is crippled, she is filled with hatred and curses him a hundred thousand times in private, calling him a heartless and ungrateful old dog.

If Yu Fengxian could replace Meng Qi and become her right-hand woman, she would feel a little resentful (because Meng Qi has a better background and can get support from many powerful immortals), but she would still grit her teeth and accept it.

After all, she has no other choice now.

To become someone she can rely on, one must at least guarantee loyalty.

Yu Fengxian had to swear an oath in front of her and make a guarantee—to always support her as regent empress dowager and not to do anything about returning power to the princes.

For a "political being," power is life, and power is above life.

Preserving one's life is an instinct for all living things.

Empress Dowager Zhao was no exception.

From her personal perspective, her request was perfectly reasonable.

She waited for half a month, growing increasingly anxious and impatient, and didn't even enjoy the New Year properly.

She still didn't get to see Yu Fengxian come to pledge her loyalty.

Empress Dowager Zhao herself was willing to wait.

They were also willing to pretend that they still had the full support of the Imperial Observatory and were still walking on two legs.

The situation in the Central Plains shattered her illusions.

Some ministers had been waiting for Meng Qi to leave.

Despite being the Empress Dowager, her situation was actually ten times worse than that of the Celestial Master Yu!
Master Yu is indeed highly capable; even without Meng Qi, he can still hold his position as "Chief of the Heavenly Emperor's Palace."

Not to mention that she also has people like Wei Liaozi in the imperial court supporting her to go further.

They hadn't spoken up before because they were waiting for her to give her opinion.

After all, if they were willing to support her becoming Grand Tutor, she herself had to be willing too.

Just as Master Yu made his statement, while the Empress Dowager was still sulking, Wei Liaozi, who had been silent until now, immediately stepped forward and said, "Congratulations! Heaven blesses Great Qin! With Grand Master Yu assisting Your Majesty, Great Qin is safe!"

The Empress Dowager looked at Li Si.

Li Si said in a deep voice, "Master Yu is exceptionally talented, and I greatly admire him."

However, the Qin Dynasty deserves the best.

If Master Yu is truly the best Celestial Master, he wouldn't be afraid to compete with his fellow practitioners.

Zongzheng Ying Ziying said, "Prime Minister Li, it is indeed inappropriate to openly recruit a Celestial Master."

Only small, foreign countries have ever faced major crises and lacked capable people.

Left with no other choice, they shamelessly posted notices to recruit talented individuals from the general public.

Our great China, the Celestial Empire, is not lacking in capable people; why should we lower ourselves to such a lowly position?

Li Si said, "Your Excellency is mistaken! You all understand the current situation of our Great Qin."

Ten years ago, the Imperial Observatory had nearly a thousand celestial masters, more than 30% of whom were true immortals.

The resident Celestial Masters of the Imperial Observatory are now just over fifty, and only three True Immortals remain. What good is that?

Ying Ziying said, "The reason there were so many Celestial Masters before was because the late emperor had great ambitions and wanted to conquer the world. The three continents outside of Nanzhanbuzhou all needed a large number of Celestial Masters."

Now that the Celestial Master is only fifty years old, he is more than capable of managing the affairs of the land.

At least, as the person in charge of the Emperor's Palace, Master Yu did not feel that there was a shortage of manpower.

Even if we really want to recruit a Celestial Master, we can look for the Daoist palaces in the Thirty-Six Heavenly Caves.

There's no need to publicly announce the invitations extended to those who were once on good terms with the Qin Dynasty.

Li Si shook his head and said, "If the Dao Palace Masters are willing to come, they will not leave."

Don't say that there are enough Celestial Masters now.

As far as I know, recently some divine beasts and celestial birds have escaped from the 'Celestial Beast Division' of the Human Emperor's Palace, and the Celestial Masters are simply unable to manage them.

The Empress Dowager looked at Xiaoyu and asked, "Master Yu, have any divine beasts escaped from the Celestial Beast Bureau?"

Xiao Yu said, "Let's just run away. How many cattle and sheep do we need to raise a dragon? How many spirit fruits do we need to raise a blue phoenix?"
The Qin Dynasty couldn't afford to support so many divine beasts. They were hungry and starving; if they didn't run away, would they starve to death?

Li Si said, "The Shimen clan, which controls dragons, does not need to feed the dragon herds of cattle and sheep every day."

Rivers, lakes, and seas can all become their hunting grounds.

As long as there are enough Taoist masters to manage them and prevent them from running around.

If the Bureau of Celestial Beasts is in such a state, other government offices are probably also short-staffed.

Xiao Yu glanced at him and said, "If Prime Minister Li has someone in mind, just call them over so I can take a look."

If they qualify, let them join the Imperial Observatory; let's not make things so complicated.

Li Si said in a deep voice, "I am only proposing an open selection, and I have no intention of recommending anyone."

The main purpose of posting the notice to the world was to find a successor for Meng Zhenjun.

Although Master Yu was also a candidate, he didn't have the authority to directly reject or select anyone.

Wei Liaozi shouted angrily, "Li Si, don't forget your identity and your duty!"

Master Yu is already a Grand Tutor, a position equivalent to the Three Dukes, and is of equal status to you and me.

You have neither the right nor the ability to meddle in the affairs of the Imperial Observatory!

Li Si said, "At least for now, Master Yu is not yet the Grand Tutor."

While the Grand Commandant may support Master Yu, why can't I express my own opinion?
Not only can we offer advice, but all civil and military officials in the imperial court can also offer suggestions that are beneficial to the court.

Wei Liaozi coldly replied, "If advice is given out of justice, it is good regardless of whether it is right or wrong."

"If private matters are sacrificed for public duty, no matter how eloquently one speaks, it's useless." Li Si said, "Grand Commandant, this is Zhangtai Palace, and a court assembly is currently in session. We all have matters to discuss."

Li Si and Wei Liaozi got into a public argument, and neither of them was fighting alone.

Many civil and military officials joined the cause.

There were more than a dozen ministers who supported Li Si.

There were actually eight or nine people supporting Wei Liaozi.

They're not evenly matched, but at least their momentum is evenly matched.

Xiao Yu was completely numb.

She never imagined that her daily practice at the Imperial Observatory would lead to the cultivation of so many "followers".

Before she could even speak, a group of ministers had already started arguing on her behalf.

Right Chancellor Feng Quji looked conflicted, glancing at the strangely expressiond Master Yu and then at the stern-faced Chancellor Li, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

A small portion of the court officials remained, not participating, but simply observing from the sidelines.

Like Feng Quji, they not only observed the two big shots arguing, but also watched Yu Tianshi's reaction.

Finally, Zhao Gao, who was standing by the wall, gave a soft shout and called out, "My lords, the Empress Dowager is here. Do not behave improperly in front of the palace!"

At this point, he was essentially a protocol officer.

He was not among the civil or military officials, but merely led a group of eunuchs to maintain order in the court and provide basic services.

For example, in the cave now, several braziers are lit inside the Zhangtai Palace.

A young eunuch was adding charcoal.

The ministers stopped arguing and looked at Empress Dowager Zhao.

The Empress Dowager's face showed obvious distress.

Lao Ai suddenly spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, I agree with Master Yu's statement that publicly recruiting a Celestial Master is suspected of showing weakness to those with ulterior motives."

However, the ministers openly discussed the matter in court, and even argued about it. Alas, the matter could no longer be kept secret.

Therefore, it doesn't matter whether the recruitment is public or not.

Then he looked at Xiaoyu with a strange expression and asked, "Master Yu, what do you think?"

Xiao Yu said, "If this matter has nothing to do with me, out of my responsibility and knowledge as the Celestial Master of the Great Qin, I will reject any suggestion to publicly recruit Celestial Masters."

This matter is closely related to me.

Since things have come to this, I can only ask that you ministers bring your chosen 'Celestial Master' to the Imperial Observatory to see me.

Let me test them one by one.

Don't say it's none of your business.

If you want to get involved in this, don't think you can avoid suspicion; you can't avoid it.

What is the position of Celestial Master?
Without an introducer or guarantor, allowing him access to the Dragon Qi of Qin and the core secrets of Qin is childish.

If I do anything that would disgrace the Celestial Master's status, not only will Meng Zhenjun be implicated, but he will also return to Xianyang and strike me with a sword.

If any Celestial Master within the Imperial Observatory were to secretly betray the Great Qin, their Celestial Master sect would be vilified and condemned for countless millennia to come.

Feng Quji nodded repeatedly and said, "Master Yu is right. If one is a disciple of the Dao Palace, or a virtuous immortal like Fairy Yu who has a clean reputation and is famous throughout the land, then there is naturally nothing to worry about."

It can be publicly posted, and those who come are all unorthodox and unconventional people.

No one even knows him or has ever heard of him. Even if he swears an oath, who can believe him?

Empress Dowager Zhao looked at Lao Ai with a suspicious gaze.

Lao Ai gave her a look: We'll talk about it later.

"In that case, you should spread the word in private that Qi cultivators who are willing to serve the Great Qin should come to Xianyang first."

"After confirming their identities and backgrounds, the celestial masters of the Imperial Observatory discussed and decided on how to select them," the Empress Dowager said.

After she finished speaking, she rose from the dragon throne and said wearily, "Today's court assembly is now adjourned."

Before they even left Xianyang Palace and had just gotten into their palanquin, Empress Dowager Zhao grabbed Lao Ai and asked suspiciously, "What are you doing? Li Si clearly doesn't get along with Yu Fengxian and doesn't want her to have a good time."

But the Grand Tutor he recommended only listens to him; how can he be employed?

Even if he swears allegiance to me, can I believe him?

Lao Ai asked, "Do you still prefer Yu Fengxian?"

The Empress Dowager said helplessly, "Besides her, who else can I rely on? When that old dog Meng Qi left, he also left a letter instructing me to help Yu Fengxian become the 'Ancient Grand Tutor' who surpasses the Three Dukes."

Now, instead of talking about the 'Ancient Grand Tutor,' you're even supporting Li Si, suggesting some kind of selection process.

Even if Yu Fengxian is clueless and not loyal enough, she's still more trustworthy than the chosen stranger.

Lao Ai said quietly, "Li Si probably didn't intend to interfere with the Imperial Observatory."

He simply wanted to make Yu Fengxian unhappy.

But why don't we go with the flow, promote our own people to the position of Grand Tutor, and then take control of the Imperial Observatory?

The Empress Dowager asked in confusion, "Isn't Yu Fengxian one of my people?"

"You still don't understand? She will be loyal to the Qin Dynasty, but she doesn't want to be your dog," Lao Ai said coldly.

The Empress Dowager's expression changed several times, and she asked in a hoarse voice, "Are the people you found trustworthy? Are they capable?"

Lao Ai said, "I can't find a single person who is clean-cut, renowned throughout China, and exceptionally capable, and who is willing to come to Xianyang."

I can only find unorthodox immortals who are capable enough but have an awkward status.

To the immortals of the Taiyi Xuanmen sect, the Great Qin Dynasty is now like a cesspool, something to be avoided at all costs, for fear of falling into it.

However, for those who follow unorthodox paths, the 'Grand Tutor of Qin' remains unattainable and beyond reach.

As soon as I release the news, countless unorthodox practitioners will flock to it.

Among them were many whose supernatural powers far surpassed those of Yu Fengxian.

The Empress Dowager frowned and said, "They flock to it, but I don't even look at it!"
Even if Yu Fengxian is ungrateful, I still believe in her abilities and that her heart is righteous.

It wasn't just because of Meng Qi's recommendation and guarantee.

When she was a child, she generously donated the position of City God, which was recognized by the Jade Emperor.

She already held a noble title in the Qin Dynasty.

She served as prime minister in Western Shu and did a great job, proving her ability and integrity.

She helped the Great Wall army fight against the Hu people, and the officials in the court and the common people did not reject her at all. Her deeds were clear, and everyone understood what kind of person she was.

If you randomly find someone with unorthodox skills, even if their supernatural powers are comparable to those of a Great Immortal or far more powerful than Yu Fengxian, who would dare to trust them? Would you?
Even if you dare, would the court officials and members of the Ying clan do the same?
Don't think of the "Celestial Master" as too simple; it's not that anyone with supernatural powers can become one.

Even without Meng Qi helping Yu Fengxian pull strings, her previous reputation and fame would still be recognized by the people and officials of the Qin Dynasty.

If you choose a heretical path, not only will the officials in the court not deign to associate with you, but even the Taoist masters in the Imperial Observatory will not deign to associate with you.

The Celestial Master needs to invoke the blessings of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity; this single hurdle alone is too much for those using unorthodox methods to overcome.

Although the Empress Dowager was frivolous and unwise, she was not brain-dead.

She has lived for hundreds of years and witnessed her son's rule firsthand, so she is not lacking in basic knowledge.

Lao Ai sighed, "You're right. I know that if Yu Fengxian truly submits to us after Meng Laogou leaves, that would be the best outcome."

If I had planned to find another Grand Tutor from the very beginning, I would have discussed it with you before the court assembly.

Seeing Yu Fengxian's reaction in court, I suddenly understood her intentions and knew she wouldn't side with us. Left with no other choice, I made this impromptu decision.

(End of this chapter)