The fake prince was exposed at the beginning, and I took office as emperor on the spot

Chapter 243 Imperial Advisor, You Have Me in Your Heart (Part 2)

Generally speaking, heroes and devils in the world tend to appear in clusters at a suitable time, and are then pushed onto the stage of destiny by the tides of the times, each displaying their unique abilities.

Thirteen hundred years ago, the Qingman pushed their battle lines to Jiangnan, nearly destroying the Central Plains dynasty. After that, many powerful cultivators who are well-known to later generations emerged.

Going against the tide, they established a completely new order, which continues to this day.

Five hundred years ago, Prajna Lotus Moon personally buried Garuda. Around the same time, a little Taoist nun, who was still unknown, walked out of the mountains and forests, curiously looking at the bustling human world below with her clear and cold eyes.

However, she soon witnessed the true nature of this world.

Cultivators fight each other, mortals struggle to survive, ambition and desire—beneath the lofty immortal gates, corpses litter the ground, all merely insignificant footnotes to a prosperous age.

This "peaceful and prosperous age" that everyone sings praises of seems to have never been "peaceful" at all.

Xu Fu began to ponder where the destiny he was seeking lay.

The disciples of the Heavenly Mandate Path are most skilled in the art of cause and effect, but their own destiny is not so easy to calculate.

Some people have a very specific destiny; all they need to do is follow it.

For some, destiny is abstract, a vague and hazy concept. How to pursue it and how to achieve it ultimately depends on individual understanding.

Xu Fu's destiny belongs to the latter.

At first, she thought that "peace" was in the hands of the immortal sects. She believed that mortals in this world were weak and suffering, but cultivators could move mountains and fill seas, and were capable of anything. She thought that as long as cultivators were willing to use their abilities to benefit the people and everyone did good, there would naturally be no more suffering in the world.

But clearly, she wasn't the only one who thought this way.

Thirteen hundred years ago, someone held such an ideal, set out with a grand ambition to "control half of the country", pushed back the Qingman army for 100,000 miles, and established Yaoshan Academy.

This person's name is Xie Qian.

Xie Qian, who emerged suddenly at the end of a chaotic era, truly deserves the title of "Confucian Sage".

However, thirteen hundred years later, the world has not changed. Instead, Yaoshan Academy has become just one of many immortal sects.

In fact, it seems now that Xie Qian and Yaoshan Academy are even more inhuman than ordinary immortal sects.

Xu Fu then realized that "peace" was not found in the immortal sect.

Then she speculated that "Taiping" might be in the hands of the imperial court.

The Great Wei Dynasty, in general, represents the interests of mortals. If it weren't for the checks and balances between the court and the immortal sects, the world would be even more terrifying now.

Xu Fu served as the Grand Preceptor for five hundred years, right in the very center of the Great Wei court.

Using the two characters "Canliao" given to her by her master, she erected that towering pagoda to assist the Great Wei in ruling the world.

But she also saw that the strength and prosperity of the Great Wei Dynasty seemed to have nothing to do with the common people below.

The imperial court does protect the people, but that doesn't mean they love them like their own children. It's simply because they need the food, clothing, shelter, and transportation provided by mortals, and use this as leverage in their tug-of-war with the immortal sects.

Xu Fu then realized that "peace" was not in the imperial court either.

If one day the Immortal Sect disappears, the Imperial Court will become another Immortal Sect.

And it will only get worse.

For a long time, Xu Fu couldn't find the answer to her destiny. The divination results in the Starry Sky Mirror always fell on the Great Wei, so she could only wait.

Waiting for fate to turn.

In the 170th year of the Yong'an reign of the Great Wei Dynasty, she discovered a petty thief who had stolen the fate of the nation.

As the ripples of the water mirror, which predicted the fate of the nation, moved the trajectory of the stars, the "peaceful" destiny, which had been dormant for five hundred years like rust, also fell upon that little thief.

Before the little thief of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion was suddenly "possessed," the destiny that Xu Fu sensed had always been vague and unclear.

But it became increasingly clear from the moment he began to steal the nation's destiny.

This is one of the reasons why Gu Fangchen's threats have been so effective.

If the direction of destiny were even slightly unclear, Xu Fu would not have retreated again and again, allowing this little thief to bully him so badly.

From the moment Gu Fangchen uttered the words corresponding to the nine preachers, the destiny of "peace" was firmly attached to him, and no matter how Xu Fu calculated it, it did not waver in the slightest.

Therefore, Xu Fu realized that the answer he had pondered for five hundred years was neither in the immortal sects nor in the imperial court.

It all depends on this little thief in front of us.

The answer was absurd, but Xu Fu knew perfectly well that there was no possibility that he had made a mistake.

And those nine words are the most crucial of all.

Only by severing the cause and effect can one truly reach her destiny.

And Xu Fu himself is also within these causes and effects—

"Canliao" means lofty, vast, and utterly alone.

This is Xu Fu's destiny book.

To completely sever the ties of cause and effect, she must go against the will of her own destiny... This is the destiny she seeks.

It is an inevitable path, and we must take it.

"Of course I know that the name 'Canliao' refers to the Grand Preceptor, but if the Grand Preceptor has severed karmic ties, why is he coming to find me?"

Gu Fangchen looked at Xu Fu, who was sitting seriously next to her, with a half-smile, and asked a question she already knew the answer to.

At this moment, the Grand Preceptor still maintained a distance of one foot from him, being very polite. However, for the Grand Preceptor, who always kept a distance of hundreds of feet from others, this distance was already quite intimate.

The unique, cool fragrance emanating from the female Taoist priest had unknowingly filled the surroundings.

Gu Fangchen recalled the faint, alluring fragrance that Xu Fu possessed when he was in the body of Xuexiang. Only when he was aroused and his sweat had enhanced the fragrance to such an extent that it made people even more eager to be with him.

He roughly guessed why Xu Fu had suddenly come, but he was also a little surprised, after all, the Grand Preceptor had always been a bit arrogant.

When he possessed Xuexiang, he repeatedly thought that Gu Fangchen was unaware of the situation, but when they tried to contact each other again, he turned his back on her.

Clearly, the Grand Preceptor has a very thin skin.

Looking at the Grand Preceptor sitting solemnly in a row, Gu Fangchen couldn't help but want to tease her.

Xu Fu sat upright, his face serious, and explained:
"The two characters '参寥' mean lofty and distant, or in other words, detached from worldly affairs... Therefore, to completely break this book of destiny, I must step into the mortal world and experience the seven emotions and six desires."

The Imperial Advisor spoke in a very serious tone, but that wasn't the answer Gu Fangchen wanted.

He raised an eyebrow, looked at Xu Fu, and said, word by word:
"Your Excellency, do you think I wouldn't know these things?"

You know that, why are you asking?

Xu Fu was a little annoyed, feeling that Gu Fangchen was playing tricks on him again. He turned around and met Gu Fangchen's fixed gaze, and was immediately stunned.

His gaze was extremely serious, completely unlike his usual playful and joking manner.

Her hands, which had been gripping the edge of the bed tightly, loosened unconsciously.

Gu Fangchen looked at the female Taoist priest who was momentarily stunned, smiled, blinked, leaned closer, and said softly:

"Xu Fu".

Xu Fu's heart skipped a beat, and he was somewhat at a loss... This seemed to be the first time he had ever called him by his name directly.

In the past, this little thief would laugh and call her "Grand Preceptor," but he showed no respect for her at all; instead, he was very intimate with her.

This time, calling her name felt like a gesture of great reverence.

Gu Fangchen reached out and gently covered Xu Fu's slightly cold, delicate hand, then naturally slipped her hand between her fingers and held it.

Xu Fu pursed her lips, remembering why she was there today, and didn't try to avoid it. "Experiencing the seven emotions and six desires, is there a specific target for that?"

He smiled and said:
"Or perhaps, is my name, Gu Fangchen, written in your water mirror?"

Xu Fu was taken aback, then shook his head:

"Of course not..."

The "Peaceful" destiny is indeed on Gu Fangchen, but there is no specific way to break her own "Canliao" destiny book.

All you need to do is break it...

Seeing that she looked confused, Gu Fangchen continued to guide her gently:
"So that means there wasn't a specific person in mind, but you subconsciously came to me, right?"

Xu Fu opened his mouth, only to find that it was indeed true.

Theoretically, her destiny book has nothing to do with Gu Fangchen.

But she barely thought about it before deciding that she needed to use Gu Fangchen to achieve her goal of leaving the world behind.

This cannot be explained by the experience he had when he possessed Xuexiang, because she had told him that it was nothing more than the cause and effect of the physical body and had nothing to do with him.

After the possession was broken, she remained the Grand Preceptor of the Great Wei Kingdom, and was appointed by the Holy Master Xu Fu.

How could she possibly succumb to despair because of an accident in the desert? She could easily separate the two things.

So why is she looking for Gu Fangchen now?

Gu Fangchen said softly:

"Of the seven emotions and six desires, the seven emotions come first, followed by the six desires."

"We both know that having desires but no feelings doesn't necessarily mean breaking a person's destiny."

Those words of wisdom are a summary of a person's life.

Only a heartless person like Xu Fu could obtain the term "Canliao".

To break free from this word and sever this causal link, one must naturally transform from being heartless to being compassionate.

The Grand Preceptor adopted a serious, businesslike attitude, rambling on and on with explanations, but frankly, he was just trying to cover up a fact.

Gu Fangchen curled her lips into a smug smile.

"Grand Preceptor, it seems you have feelings for me."

Xu Fu stood frozen in place, feeling as if she had been struck by lightning. These words were like a bolt from the blue, splitting her apart and exposing everything she had hidden.

The self-deceiving words she spoke to Gu Fangchen seemed like clear and unambiguous charges, a judgment against her.

Gu Fangchen raised an eyebrow and saw that the usually aloof and ethereal Imperial Preceptor was turning red from the roots of his ears.

Xu Fu was not actually that slow-witted.

However, she was repeatedly humiliated by Gu Fangchen, so she was even more unwilling to admit it in front of him. Otherwise, she would inevitably lose face, allowing Gu Fangchen to become arrogant and show off in front of her, and she would be manipulated by this little thief.

She had hesitated once before, when Gu Fangchen murdered the emperor and fled, whether or not to take direct action...

At that time, the connection between the "peaceful" destiny and Gu Fangchen was not yet so clear, but she subconsciously protected the latter between the Great Wei and Gu Fangchen.

From that moment on, she couldn't even convince herself anymore.

However, she could still use the excuse of pursuing a "peaceful" destiny.

However, this time, she subconsciously tried to use the same trick again, thinking that fate could still be used as an excuse to come to find Gu Fangchen, but in the end, the latter caught her by the tail.

Xu Fu pursed his lips, his face stiff, feeling both angry and ashamed, yet he remained speechless.

She couldn't possibly pretend that she didn't have a specific candidate in order to hide her feelings for Gu Fangchen, and then run away, could she?

To sever her karmic ties, there is indeed no specific person to choose from in terms of karmic connections.

But the person she had in her heart was only one person from beginning to end.

It's this smug little thief right in front of me!
Xu Fu remained silent, his face cold and angry. Gu Fangchen, however, did not press the matter further. He took the Grand Preceptor's hand, turned his body around, blinked, and said magnanimously:

"Okay, it's fine if you don't have it."

"Can we just pretend I guessed wrong?"

Xu Fu then raised his head, looked at him, and after a long while, let out a cold snort:
"You guessed wrong."

Gu Fangchen naturally went along with the coaxing:
"Okay, okay, I guessed wrong."

"So, Grand Preceptor, where were we?"

"To enter the mortal world and experience the seven emotions and six desires."

"Hmm... then how does one enter the Dharma? There are quite a few kinds of seven emotions and six desires... please enlighten me, Grand Preceptor."

Gu Fangchen looked at the Imperial Preceptor with a serious expression, looking exactly like a seeker of knowledge eager for enlightenment.

Xu Fu watched him feign concern, hummed in agreement, glanced at their clasped hands, and said in a haughty tone:
"Since you want me to teach you, then you naturally have to listen to me."

Gu Fangchen was taken aback, then subconsciously glanced at Xu Fu's expression, and carefully said:
"Of course I'll listen, but the Grand Preceptor needs to clarify what constitutes 'listening'..."

You can't possibly give detailed instructions down to the point where the machine gun moves a few centimeters to the left, can you?

That kind of thing can't be manipulated to that extent.

Even practitioners cannot do it!

They're not saints; they can't perfectly control themselves when emotions run deep.

He was really afraid that if the Grand Preceptor got angry, he would give him a challenge to stop in one inch... wouldn't that cripple him?

Gu Fangchen thought about it and realized that she might not be able to control the Imperial Preceptor right now.

Although Xu Fu is a second-grade divine cultivator, after reaching the Snow Point Realm, his physical strength will also rise to the fourth-grade level.

Moreover, as the Imperial Preceptor, she has no shortage of elixirs and her physical strength should be at least at the third rank.

But we can't actually fight... so it's actually quite difficult.

Xu Fu raised his eyes and said coldly:

"You have another objection?"

Fearing that the Imperial Preceptor might be so ashamed that he would change his mind, Gu Fangchen quickly shook her head:
"No no."

"...In that case, it's getting late. Let's hurry up for the sake of our great cause."

With a serious expression, he raised his hand and turned the extremely stiff Imperial Advisor around.

Xu Fu pretended to be calm, but when Gu Fangchen kissed him, he couldn't help but tremble, and then melted into a puddle of water.

"Well……"

……

at dusk.

The Prajna Lotus Moon concealed its presence and landed in the courtyard of Gu Fangchen's mansion.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: I'll revise this later. Please refresh if there are any errors or omissions!
Regarding the Imperial Advisor... her character is actually a cold exterior masking a passionate heart. From the very beginning, when Gu Fangchen manipulated her with accusations of "lust," she naturally considered offering him some "sweetness." And later, with their frequent intimate contact, she certainly wouldn't admit it, but she was actually quite looking forward to it.
Please vote for my adorable, slightly arrogant but self-soothing national teacher!

(End of this chapter)