People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 520, Gai Nie: I feel mocked.

"The astrology is about to begin. Please wait a moment, Your Majesty, while I make the final preparations."

Feiyan turned around and bowed slightly to Ying Zheng, speaking in a somewhat cold voice.

Ying Zheng glanced at Xu Qing, his eyes filled with a hint of amusement and amusement. His master's speed was truly impressive; it had only been less than a month.

Since gaining control of the Black Ice Platform, Zhangtai Palace has been under his control, and he has even placed people in Xianyang Palace. His control over the palace has skyrocketed.

Therefore, Ying Zheng was naturally fully aware of the matter between Xu Qing and Fei Yan.

Despite being stared at like that by Ying Zheng, the thick-skinned Xu Qing showed no embarrassment whatsoever, calmly looking back at Ying Zheng.

"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Dongjun."

Ying Zheng withdrew his gaze and nodded.

Fei Yan gave a slight bow, glanced at Xu Qing out of the corner of her eye, then clasped her hands in front of her lower abdomen and walked towards the center of the hall, her long skirt trailing behind her.

"I remember that you cultivate the Way of Yin and Yang, so it's no wonder you have such a strong interest in Yin and Yang arts," Ying Zheng joked.

"Why does Your Majesty tease me?"

Xu Qing chuckled softly and frankly admitted to his relationship with Fei Yan.

The two of them are now in tacit understanding, only lacking a formal confession. A confession is never the beginning of a relationship, but rather the final clarion call to march towards ultimate victory.

Ying Zheng chuckled and pulled Xu Qing to sit on the couch for a chat, while Gai Nie and Li Si stood below, glancing around from time to time.

There are certain arrangements needed when performing astrology.

It requires specific environmental and time conditions; it cannot be calculated by simply using a few strokes of the finger like a fortune teller.

"Why does Your Majesty suddenly want to do astrology? Is it because you're still worried about things over there?" Xu Qing asked casually, looking at Fei Yan who was busy in the center of the hall.

Feiyan was sitting cross-legged on the astrological table, busy with the final preparations for the astrological reading.

The astrological altar was arranged according to the Taoist principles of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang. It was surrounded by a pool of water, enclosed by wood. In the center of the pool was a wooden platform with a metal candlestick on it, upon which were displayed many oil lamps, but none of them were lit.

These oil lamps are arranged according to the Four Symbols and the Eight Trigrams.

"I am somewhat worried, but it is mostly my grandmother's idea. She thinks the Yin-Yang School is a good help, so she hopes that I can give the Yin-Yang School a chance."

Ying Zheng lowered his head slightly and said in a somewhat somber tone.

Grandmother? Empress Dowager Huayang?
A name popped into Xu Qing's mind. Ying Zheng had many grandmothers, but only Empress Dowager Huayang, his principal grandmother, was still alive.

In order to allow Ying Yiren to return to Xianyang, Lü Buwei spent a lot of money to bribe Empress Dowager Huayang, who was then the wife of Lord Anguo, and had Yiren change his name to Ying Zichu, in order to express his closeness to Empress Dowager Huayang and the Chu state's foreign relatives.

With this pledge of loyalty, and given that Empress Dowager Huayang had no heir, she accepted Ying Zichu as her successor and helped him secure the position of Crown Prince.

After Ying Zichu died, Lü Buwei and Zhao Ji became regents and treated Ying Zheng as a puppet. On the contrary, it was Empress Dowager Huayang, his grandmother, who always helped Ying Zheng and helped him marry Xiong Qi's sister, the current queen, Fusu's birth mother, Mi Shu.

“My grandmother had dealings with the Yin-Yang School when she was young, and my grandfather also had some contact with people from the Yin-Yang School when he was still the Lord of Anguo. My grandmother had a very good impression of them,” Ying Zheng explained.

"I see. Since it was recommended by Empress Dowager Huayang, Your Majesty can certainly test them before deciding whether to give the Yin-Yang School an important position."

Xu Qing looked at Fei Yan, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes. Then, as if he had made up his mind, a touch of tenderness and helplessness flashed in his eyes, and he nodded and said.

Empress Dowager Huayang was a member of the royal family of the Chu state, and the Yin-Yang School was based in the Chu state. It was reasonable for them to be able to establish a relationship with Empress Dowager Huayang.

In the martial arts world, Xu Qing might still be somewhat wary of the Yin-Yang School, but in the Qin Kingdom, he wasn't afraid of any trouble they might cause. At worst, he could just have Lao Deng visit Jiugong Shendu Mountain again.

Empress Dowager Huayang had to be given face; to Ying Zheng, she was more than a mother.

"If the Yin-Yang School has real skills, I wouldn't mind giving them a chance."

When Ying Zheng saw that Xu Qing did not object, his expression calmed down.

He couldn't ignore his grandmother's recommendation, after all, a large part of his survival to this day was thanks to his grandmother's protection.

However, the Yin-Yang School and the Heavenly Sect had significant conflicts, and he worried that using the Yin-Yang School's methods would displease Xu Qing. The previous incident involving the Gongshu family and Qin Mo had already made him deeply aware of how irreconcilable the struggle for lineage among the Hundred Schools of Thought truly was.

Now that Xu Qing has agreed, he is naturally happy. Moreover, the relationship between Xu Qing and Fei Yan allows him to use the Yin Yang School with peace of mind, without worrying that the Yin Yang School might have ulterior motives for entering Qin.

Fei Yan could naturally hear Xu Qing and Ying Zheng's casual conversation, and she also sensed the complex look in Xu Qing's eyes and the tender helplessness at the end.

"Is it because of me that you agreed to let the Yin-Yang School bypass the cooperation and meet the King directly through Empress Dowager Huayang?"

Fei Yan's gaze was somewhat vacant. The Yin Yang School and Xu Qing were cooperating, but due to the lack of progress, Donghuang Taiyi used Empress Dowager Huayang's channels to expedite their entry into Qin, while also intending to give Xu Qing a warning. Fei Yan had prepared for Xu Qing to express his dissatisfaction or even opposition after learning the truth, but she hadn't expected Xu Qing to be willing to abandon the interests and discontent of the Daoist Heavenly Sect for her sake, thus allowing the Yin Yang School's overstepping actions.

Fei Yan's heart fluttered. Ignoring the sect rules and falling in love with someone from the enemy sect, this unwavering devotion made Fei Yan feel sweet inside, as if she were exceptionally valued by Xu Qing.

Once the heart is stirred, it's hard to calm down.

Although tempted, Fei Yan quickly composed herself and addressed Ying Zheng on the stage.

"Your Majesty is ready; we may begin the astrological reading."

"Okay, let's get started."

Ying Zheng nodded, his expression regaining its former majesty, and looked at Fei Yan, speaking indifferently.

No emperor would be uninterested in astrology, a practice that can predict the future.

This is also why Ying Zheng is sitting here today.

Feiyan put on the golden mask, her eyes sharpened, and her entire demeanor changed abruptly.

"Brush~"

As the curtains were drawn, the entire hall became dim, but the servants around had already lit oil lamps and placed them beside Ying Zheng and Xu Qing.

At the same time, the crimson smoke on the wooden platform also began.

Like a thousand-armed Guanyin, countless illusory hands appeared around her, forming hand seals. At the same time, the oil lamp behind her lit up out of thin air without anyone lighting it, and then went out out of thin air, creating a very impressive scene.

Ying Zheng, Gai Nie, and Li Si were all quite engrossed in watching. Such mysterious matters always attract attention and draw people in.

"I wonder what it will look like when the Moon Goddess uses her powers? Senior sister wears a mask, junior sister wears an eye veil, the Yin Yang School has quite a style."

Xu Qing's gaze was indifferent. He was naturally not surprised by astrology, after all, the old man He Guanzi's Qi observation technique was more amazing. He just watched the dancing crimson smoke with appreciation, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Compared to the Moon Goddess's astrology in the original work, Fei Yan's astrology is more dignified and composed. Her graceful figure sways, and the dance she performs has a unique beauty, mysterious yet with a touch of wildness, giving people a primal feeling.

"No, when the Moon Goddess returns, we have to make her dance too. She said she would tell my fortune in Nanyang, but after she returned, we never heard from her again."

"Is she angry with me and refuses to see me?"

As Xu Qing admired Fei Yan's astrological skills, he thought of the Moon Goddess, who was as aloof as a fairy in the moon palace.

He hadn't even had a chance to tear open the moon goddess's veil yet, how could he possibly let this little girl go?
"The Yin-Yang School originated from Taoism, and its techniques are indeed unique."

Standing beside Ying Zheng, Gai Nie watched intently as Fei Yan performed astrology. Her hand seals drew upon the power of heaven and earth, making her movements extremely subtle and profound, completely unlike any other martial arts technique. It seemed as if the world itself was actively responding to Fei Yan.

It is similar to, yet different from, the Daoist principle of following nature.

As he spoke, Gai Nie glanced at Xu Qing with an unusually calm expression, as if to say that he had no other intentions and was just expressing his feelings.

“The Yin-Yang School broke away from Taoism due to differences in their philosophies. Even though they have forged their own path over the years, their roots are still imprinted within the Yin-Yang School. Therefore, in terms of techniques and philosophies, they ultimately cannot escape the influence of Taoism,” Xu Qing agreed.

Wife aside, as the future leader of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, I must firmly uphold my principles.

“My teacher once said that the Yin-Yang School and the Taoism School have different paths but the same origin. The Yin-Yang School has just taken a different path, but the Taoism is still reflected in its techniques.”

Li Si, who knew nothing about martial arts, also chimed in.

He indeed did not understand martial arts, but he had a teacher who claimed to be a Confucian scholar who did not understand martial arts but once single-handedly suppressed the Mohist school's Mo Bian school to the point of being unable to raise his head.

Seeing that Gai Nie was determined to continue discussing martial arts, Xu Qing decided to teach him a lesson. He said that while the current generation of Guigu masters had focused on swordsmanship and forgotten the essence of Guigu, he, the future leader of Tianzong, had not forgotten the original purpose of Taoism.

“Our Heavenly Sect’s classic texts say: Refine essence into qi, refine qi into spirit, refine spirit into emptiness, refine emptiness into the Dao. Medical practitioners also highly agree with this, believing that the kidneys store the essence of the five internal organs. Therefore, cultivation should be based on refining essence. If the foundation is not stable, even if one refines spirit into emptiness, one will never be able to refine emptiness into the Dao in one’s lifetime.”

"The foundation is like the cornerstone of a building; without it, the building will collapse. This applies to self-cultivation as well as to governing a country."

"For a country to achieve long-term stability and security, it must first stabilize its foundation, and the foundation of a country lies in its people, in its citizens."

"Qi is the vital energy that flows smoothly through the meridians to circulate essence and spirit, while the vital energy for governing a country is the will of the people."

"Only by ensuring the free flow of public opinion and the openness of advice, allowing the ruler to know the needs of the people, address their urgent concerns, and fulfill their desires, can one solidify one's essence and attain enlightenment."

"Those who know where the roof leaks are those under the eaves; those who know where the government fails are those in the fields."

"If Your Majesty has the opportunity in the future, you should see the real Qin State and its people. They are far more than what can be described in the texts in the memorials."

(End of this chapter)