In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 507 The Great Sui Dynasty's First Talented Woman
Only after Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue disappeared from sight did Wanwan's heart, which had been pounding, finally settle down again.

Those eyes, which always shone with cunning, allure, and wit, were now veiled in a gray haze, clearly revealing the lingering fear of surviving a catastrophe and the deep-seated terror within them!
She had never experienced such pure, despairing oppression.

"Just what level has his strength reached?"

Even when facing her master, Zhu Yuyan, the Yin Empress who had reached the level of Condensing Yuan and Gang in her internal energy cultivation and whose "Heavenly Demon Great Art" had reached the seventeenth level and condensed divine flowers, Wanwan had never felt as powerless as she had just been.

It was a feeling that life and death were entirely in the hands of others.

So powerful that she couldn't even muster the will to resist.

"Holy Maiden, are you alright?"

Just as Wanwan was still recovering from the fear of stepping into the gates of hell, the Yin Gui Sect elder who had returned to the innate realm looked at Wanwan, who was crying like rain and had a look of terror on her face, and couldn't help but speak in a low voice.

Faced with the question, Wanwan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Judging from the attitude of those two towards Shi Feixuan and the others yesterday, they probably don't have much goodwill towards Cihang Jingzhai. Originally, I wanted to use this to reach a cooperation agreement with him, but I didn't expect that he wouldn't even give me a chance to talk."

The Yin Gui Sect members standing nearby exclaimed in astonishment, "This person is so young. Even if he is quite strong, he is at most at the same level as the Holy Maiden in terms of internal energy cultivation, at the Qi Condensation stage. Is he really worth the Holy Maiden's high regard?"

Hearing this, Wanwan sneered inwardly and glanced at the latter sideways: "Whether it's worth it or not, I will naturally weigh it in my heart."

After saying that, Wanwan didn't waste any more words and continued, "I'll leave the rest of the affairs at the post station to you. I'm going back to the Yin Gui Sect now."

Long before the establishment of the Great Sui Dynasty, the Demonic Sect and Cihang Jingzhai had been rivals for hundreds of years, with their strengths being roughly equal.

However, after the sudden disappearance of Shi Zhixuan, the new evil emperor of the Demonic Sect, in the early years, the Demonic Sect fell apart and fought its own battles.

If it weren't for the fact that the head of the Cihang Jingzhai sect in the Great Sui Dynasty, Fan Qinghui, and the previous head who had already entered the Celestial Realm, had been in seclusion for many years, both the Yin Kui sect and the Hua Jian sect would probably have been wiped out by Cihang Jingzhai long ago.

Even so, after years of infighting among the various branches of the Demonic Sect, its power is no longer what it once was.

A few years ago, the people of Cihang Jingzhai still had to deal with other demonic forces.

But in recent years, the people of the Demonic Sect have been disappointing.

The six sects of the Demonic Path, including the Flower Sect, the Evil Extreme Sect, the Extinction of Emotions Sect, the Heaven-Mending Pavilion, the Heavenly Lotus Sect, the Demonic Appearance Sect, and the True Transmission Sect, are constantly embroiled in internal strife, causing their overall strength to plummet and bringing them to the brink of annihilation.

With the decline of other demonic sects, Cihang Jingzhai and other righteous forces within the Great Sui Dynasty focused almost entirely on their Yin Gui Sect.

As a result, many of the Yin Gui Sect's outposts were cleared out by Cihang Jingzhai, putting them under increasing pressure.

Therefore, after recognizing Gu Shaoan through the Heaven Sword yesterday, and considering Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue's attitudes toward Cihang Jingzhai, Wanwan's first thought was to win over Gu Shaoan.

After all, with such a master of Qi Condensation, along with Zhu Yuyan and other disciples, if the plan is well-designed, it will surely severely damage the Cihang Jingzhai people and give the Yin Gui Sect a chance to breathe.

With Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue's lightness skills, even without traveling at full speed, they entered Tongyang Prefecture, thirty miles away, in half an hour.

It was only early morning at this time.

The wide main street in the north of the city is paved with bluestone slabs. The breakfast stalls on the street are steaming hot, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares, along with the wheels of carriages rolling on the ground and the hooves of horses, echo through the street, making people feel the prosperity of the city as soon as they enter it.

Wearing a bamboo hat to conceal her face, Mei Jiangxue walked side by side with Gu Shaoan, her gaze sweeping over the surrounding streets.

The architectural style of the Sui Dynasty was quite different from that of the Wei Dynasty. It lacked the heaviness and squareness of the Wei Dynasty, but had more of the dynamism of upturned eaves and the intricacy of painted and carved beams. Even the layout of the streets and the signs of the shops had a different charm.

Looking at the orderly scene, even more bustling than some prefectures in the Great Wei, Mei Jiangxue asked with slight doubt, "Senior Brother said before that Yang Guang is dead, and now the four major clans in the Great Sui are dividing the country and governing themselves. Jiangxue originally thought that under such circumstances, the Great Sui should be engulfed in war and chaos. But along the way, whether in Nan'an Prefecture or Tongyang Prefecture, all I've seen is prosperous markets and good public order. The lives of ordinary people don't seem to have been greatly affected."

Gu Shaoan walked with ease, his gaze calmly sweeping over the steaming food stalls and hurried passersby on the street, while he said in a soft voice, "The Great Sui Kingdom is different from the Great Wei Kingdom."

"At the beginning of the Sui Dynasty, its foundation was closely related to the four major clans: the Yuwen, Dugu, Li, and Song clans."

"These four powerful clans are not merely officials of the imperial court, but behemoths that wield heavy military power and dominate their respective territories. The military and political power in their territories are controlled by their respective clan cores, making them veritable states within a state."

"Rather than saying that the Sui Dynasty was a centralized and unified empire, it would be more accurate to say that it was an alliance jointly governed by the central government and the four major clans. The effectiveness of the government's decrees within the sphere of influence of the four major clans depended entirely on the mood of the clan leaders."

Mei Jiangxue was taken aback and said, "How can you allow others to sleep soundly on your own bed? Doesn't the court worry that the four powerful clans will become too powerful?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shaoan said softly, "How could I not worry? While allying with the four major clans certainly reduced many troubles for Yang Jian when he established the Sui Dynasty, since the establishment of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian has been thinking about how to take back military power. However, he has been afraid of the four major clans and has not been able to do so. He placed these hopes on Yang Guang to accomplish this, but unfortunately..."

At this point, Gu Shaoan paused, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes: "In his later years, Emperor Yang Guang indulged in extravagance and greed, and his continuous wars had exhausted the country's strength and the people's resources, and he had squandered the prestige and power of the court."

"In this process, the Yuwen clan, relying on its deep-rooted foundation and intricate connections within the court, had already secretly eroded and controlled most of the powerful departments of the court. From the appointment and removal of officials in the Six Ministries to the deployment of the Imperial Guards, and even the lifeline of the Grand Canal and taxation, everything gradually fell into the control of the Yuwen clan."

"Yang Guang's sudden death, seemingly the beginning of chaos, was in fact just the last straw that broke the camel's back."

"With Yang Guang dead, the so-called court power around him, which had long been sidelined and had no real influence, was like a tree without a master, and was naturally taken over by the Yuwen clan, who had been eyeing him covetously."

"The Yuwen clan has now temporarily stabilized the situation in the central government by holding the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords."

"As for the other three major clans, the Dugu clan has a deep foundation and intricate ties with the royal family, but its leader, Dugu Feng, is always cautious and will not easily express his opinion before the situation becomes clear."

"The Li clan is based in Taiyuan, with a strong army and powerful troops. The clan leader, Li Yuan, is also shrewd and calculating. At this time, he is busy consolidating his own power base and digesting the Hedong region, and has no time to look after anything else."

"The Song clan is far away in Lingnan, far from the emperor. Song Que is a man of great talent and vision. At this moment, he is probably concerned with the stability of Lingnan and the future trend, rather than the change of the 'court' in Chang'an."

"Therefore, the current Sui Dynasty is merely a temporary operation of the central government and a superficial order by the Yuwen clan under the name of the 'court.' The other three major clans have not yet openly broken ties or started a rebellion, either due to distance, lack of preparation, or observation."

"This apparent prosperity and order is merely a tacit and brief period of calm before the storm, just like the pedestrians on the street who only think that the weather is fine and business is booming, but they don't know that dark clouds are quietly gathering overhead."

After listening, a hint of understanding flashed in Mei Jiangxue's clear, cold eyes.

After understanding the situation in the Sui Dynasty, when she looked at the ordinary people on the street hawking their wares and struggling to make a living, a complex and indescribable feeling arose in her heart.

“From now on, the people of the Great Sui Kingdom will probably not be able to live such a comfortable life.”

Gu Shaoan did not respond to this.

This has always been the case: when war breaks out, the people suffer when the country prospers, and the people suffer when it falls.

When faced with a struggle for power, the most innocent are the common people.

This is why, after killing Zhu Houzhao at Yixiantian, Gu Shaoan had the idea to have Shangguan Jin Hong impersonate Zhu Houzhao and take over the court.

In order to ensure a smooth change of royal power in the Great Wei Kingdom and to prevent innocent civilians from being implicated.

However, the situation in the Sui Dynasty was different from that in the Wei Dynasty.

Moreover, Gu Shaoan is not from the Sui Dynasty, so it would take much more thought and effort to get started on the same matter.

Gu Shaoan currently lacks the energy and time to deal with matters concerning the Sui Dynasty.

After a stick of incense had burned, the two of them drove all the way to the east of the city, and finally stopped in front of a restaurant on the street in the east of the city.

Mei Jiangxue looked up and saw a gilded plaque hanging high above the entrance of the restaurant, with the three large characters "Zui Xian Lou" written in vigorous strokes.

The three-story building, with its upturned eaves, vermilion lacquered railings, and painted doors and windows, looked quite impressive in the morning light.

The waiter at the door, with sharp eyes, saw the two stop and immediately greeted them with a big smile.

"Esteemed guests, please come in. Would you like breakfast or a cup of tea and a short rest? We have private rooms upstairs, quiet and elegant!"

Gu Shaoan nodded slightly, his voice calm: "Find a quiet and elegant room, prepare some of your signature dishes and a pot of tea."

"Alright! The 'Listening to the Rain Pavilion' on the third floor is currently empty. It offers a beautiful view of the street and is extremely tranquil. Please follow me!"

The waiter led the two through the somewhat noisy dining area on the first floor and up the wooden stairs to the third floor.

The "Listening to the Rain Pavilion" private room truly lived up to its name. Pushing open the carved wooden door, one was greeted by an elegant interior. Facing the street was a row of carved wooden windows, and once opened, the bustling street scene of Tongyang Prefecture's north city unfolded before one's eyes like a scroll painting.

The room was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood, and several pots of lush orchids sat in the corner. A few landscape paintings with a profound artistic conception hung on the wall. A round mahogany table and a few armchairs were arranged simply yet stylishly.

The two sat down, removed their straw hats and placed them aside. Mei Jiangxue's cool gaze swept over the private room, and she nodded slightly, clearly satisfied with the environment.

Gu Shaoan casually ordered a few local specialties and a pot of fine Longjing tea. The waiter noted them down, bowed, and left.

A short while later, there was a gentle knock on the door of the private room.

The waiter who had led the way earlier came in carrying a tray and quickly placed several delicate dishes and a pot of steaming tea on the table.

The dishes were a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, steaming hot, with the refreshing aroma of tea making them incredibly tempting.

However, right after the waiter put down the last dish, he took out a bamboo tube about the size of a thumb from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

Mei Jiangxue glanced at the bamboo tube once and then looked away.

Along the way, whenever Gu Shaoan and Mei Jiangxue stayed at inns or dined, someone would sometimes leave a bamboo tube for Gu Shaoan to pass on messages.

By now, Mei Jiangxue had long since gotten used to it.

What puzzled Mei Jiangxue was that Gu Shaoan had been in the Great Wei Kingdom, so why were there people in the Great Sui Kingdom who could keep sending messages?
Moreover, each time it was in a different place, as if the messengers delivering messages to Gu Shaoan were spread throughout the Sui Dynasty, omnipresent.

Although she was curious, Mei Jiangxue wouldn't ask about these things unless Gu Shaoan brought it up.

After the waiter left the bamboo tube on the table, he didn't say much. He bowed to Gu Shaoan and said with a smile, "Please enjoy your meal, gentlemen. If you need anything, please let me know."

After saying that, he quietly slipped out and carefully closed the door of the private room.

The private room instantly fell silent, with only the faint sounds of the bustling city outside the window and the aroma of the dishes on the table remaining.

Gu Shaoan crushed the bamboo tube and unfolded the rolled-up strip of paper inside.

"On the seventh day of the seventh month, we left Jiangling Prefecture and traveled along the river. On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, we arrived in Chang'an Prefecture to attend the banquet hosted by Li Shimin. We were expected to arrive in Tongzhou Prefecture on the first day of the eighth month."

As dozens of tiny characters came into view, Gu Shaoan chuckled softly.

"This news has come at just the right time."

Therefore, when you're out in the world, having intelligence supplies and not having intelligence supplies are two completely different experiences.

Without the Sun family's intelligence network, Gu Shaoan would have had to spend much more time gathering information in this unfamiliar place, the Great Sui Kingdom.

With Sun Baifa's help, Gu Shaoan only needed to state his requirements beforehand, and then people from the Sun family's intelligence network would bring up the information along the way. Gu Shaoan only needed to adjust his plans and itinerary based on this information.

After chuckling, Gu Shaoan handed the note to Mei Jiangxue and said, "We'll stay at Tongyang Mansion for a few days from now on."

Mei Jiangxue glanced at the contents of the note and asked, "Senior brother, who is the person mentioned in this message?"

Gu Shaoan slowly said, "Xiufang Pavilion, Shang Xiufang."

"Shang Xiufang? The most talented woman in the Great Sui Dynasty?"

Gu Shaoan nodded slightly and said, "Not bad!"

Mei Jiangxue looked at Gu Shaoan with suspicion and asked, "Does Senior Brother know this Shang Xiufang?"

Gu Shaoan shook his head and said, "We are complete strangers, but this Miss Shang has something I need."

　That's only one update today! I'm currently 20 centimeters behind, but I'll start accumulating credit in a few days when things get better! Also, I'd like to recommend a friend's new book; you might want to check it out if you're interested.

(End of this chapter)