They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 68 Golden Cicada
As evening fell, the vermilion gates of Yin Kaishan's mansion were tightly shut, with only two lanterns swaying in the air.

Standing at the entrance of the Yin residence, Chen Guangrui calmed himself slightly and asked in a very low voice to the seemingly empty air beside him, "Is everything ready?"

"Don't...don't worry." A voice, clearly stuttering yet strangely clever, entered Chen Guangrui's ears.

It is precisely the formless Black Impermanence that makes things invisible.
"It's just...looking at a mortal soul. Your...sir and Judge Cui have a very close relationship...like...like something. It's...a very small matter."

Chen Guangrui frowned slightly, his tone carrying an undeniable weight.
"Remember this. Look carefully and thoroughly. The friendship between Lord Wei and Judge Cui is meant to be used here, so don't try to fool them."

"I...I understand." Black Impermanence's voice was still stammering, but with a hint of seriousness after being enlightened. "I...I understand. I guarantee...I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

Chen Guangrui stopped talking, straightened his clothes, and quickly regained his composure, even displaying the humility expected of a newly appointed top scholar. He then raised his hand and knocked on the gate of the Prime Minister's residence.

……

The study was brightly lit by candlelight. Yin Kaishan was indeed receiving guests, and sitting opposite him was Fang Xuanling, one of the core ministers of the Prince of Qin's mansion.

When Chen Guangrui was led in, Fang Xuanling had just put down his teacup. When he saw it was him, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but then he showed his usual calm smile: "Oh? It's Scholar Chen? What a coincidence."

Yin Kaishan smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and stood up warmly to greet him: "Oh my, my dear nephew, you've arrived? Please come in, please come in. What a coincidence tonight, Master Fang is here too."

Every wrinkle on his face was perfectly smoothed out.

"I happen to have some ideas that I would like to discuss with you, young and talented man, Master Fang."

Chen Guangrui bowed calmly, his gaze sweeping evenly across the two faces. He knew in his heart that these two had met, most likely because, as Wei Zheng had said, they were exchanging some kind of benefit related to his marriage with Yin Wenjiao. Nevertheless, he remained composed and bowed with ease.

"This student has met with Lord Fang and Prime Minister Yin. I apologize for interrupting your conversation."

Fang Xuanling nodded slightly, speaking to Chen Guangrui with an encouraging yet seemingly meaningful tone.

"Guangrui, your performance this time was outstanding and you have won His Highness's appreciation. Now, with Prime Minister Yin's appreciation and support, your future is truly limitless. In the future, you should continue to share the country's burdens and do your work diligently."

"You flatter me, Master Fang. I will certainly remember your teachings and dare not slacken my efforts."

Chen Guangrui responded appropriately, but his eyes were secretly watching Yin Kaishan's reaction.

Yin Kaishan's smile grew even more amiable.

“My dear nephew, you are too modest. I have seen your abilities and cherish them greatly. It is truly a privilege to have Master Fang here to witness this today.”

He abruptly changed the subject, his tone laced with a tactful yet probing manner.

"Speaking of which, although His Highness has graciously set the wedding date for my daughter in three months, I have thought about it and I think there are some details of the ceremony that we might... well, let's discuss them again? It would be better to get it settled sooner rather than later and put one's mind at ease."

As he spoke, he had already instructed a servant to call for the young lady.

Chen Guangrui gave a simple reply, but inwardly he was observing the two of them.

Fang Xuanling was shrewd and capable, and his words were always tinged with gains and losses. Yin Kaishan, on the other hand, wore a smile, but his words were always related to interests.

A short while later, a clear and gentle female voice came from the study doorway.

"Father, we have distinguished guests here, why did you call your daughter out?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a beautiful young woman standing at the door, none other than Yin Wenjiao.

Behind her, two maids carried a guqin (a seven-stringed zither). She did not enter the study directly, but stood at the doorway and slightly curtsied in a greeting towards Fang Xuanling and Chen Guangrui.

Yin Kaishan explained with a smile,

"Hehe, please don't be offended, Master Fang and my nephew. My daughter was practicing her zither skills when she heard that you had come. She wondered if she should come out to pay her respects. Since you are here today, Master Fang, why don't you allow me to play a little?"

His words were tactful, both elevating Fang Xuanling's status and providing a reasonable excuse for his daughter to play the zither.

Fang Xuanling smiled and nodded:
"I have long heard that the Prime Minister's daughter is exceptionally talented, and today Guangrui and I are truly fortunate to be among those who hear her."

"In that case, I'll make a fool of myself."

Yin Wen responded softly. Two maids immediately set up a zither table in the corner of the outer hall of the study, and she gracefully moved over and sat down.

A sheer screen, barely visible, sits perfectly between the zither table and the inner hall, neither obstructing the sound from reaching the study nor hindering the view, leaving only a graceful figure visible. Behind the screen, the zither strings vibrate, and clear, melodious music flows out, like a mountain stream, quite beautiful to hear.

Chen Guangrui's gaze fell on the hazy figure through the screen. He gently picked up his teacup and asked in a barely perceptible voice, "Did you see it clearly?"

His heart was in his throat.

Behind the screen, Yin Wenjiao's delicate hands caressed the zither, her posture elegant and her fingering fluid.

Sudden.

"Ouch. Mom... Mom!"

Black Impermanence's stuttering yet penetrating voice suddenly pierced Chen Guangrui's ears, carrying a shock akin to seeing a ghost in broad daylight: "Strange. Truly strange."

Chen Guangrui's fingers, which were holding the teacup, suddenly tightened.

"I saw it clearly." For some reason, Black Impermanence's voice, due to nervousness, didn't stutter. "In that young lady's soul..."

"how?"

"There's this thing lying there, golden, and huge. Hmm, it's a big, golden cicada, only with a soul, no spirit. It's almost squeezing that young lady's soul out. It's about to break through its shell and crawl out."

Black Impermanence's voice trembled as he tried to suppress it, "This young lady is just a shell of a cicada now. She doesn't even have her own soul anymore."

The cicada. Possessing the soul. About to hatch. The comment "Solemn and dignified, expounding Buddhist principles" flashed through Chen Guangrui's mind in an instant.

A chill ran down my spine and straight to the top of my head. All the clues connected, forming a terrifying picture. How could Buddhism have laid out such a scheme, turning living people into mere vessels?

Although it is clear that Yin Wenjiao is still alive in the original storyline, it is unknown what kind of impact this "golden cicada breaking out of its shell" will have on her.

He suppressed his turbulent emotions and remained outwardly calm, as if he were attentively listening to the music.

Just then, the voice of Black Impermanence, still shaken, reached his ears again, filled with utter confusion: "Strange, oh my god. How come you also have... on you?"

Chen Guangrui's heart skipped a beat. "Me? What do I have?"

"It also has the scent of a cicada."

The Black Impermanence's voice was filled with disbelief, "It shares the same origin as the giant golden cicada inside. However..."

He paused, as if to confirm.

"Its soul is located on your soul, it's so tiny, so small."

boom.

It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in Chen Guangrui's mind. All the fog of confusion suddenly cleared.

The cicada's soul resides in Yin Wenjiao's body, while its spirit resides within itself. They must unite as one.

That's why Buddhism goes to great lengths to facilitate this marriage. Only in this way can the cicada, about to hatch and take over everything, be considered complete.

They were not the real Chen Guangrui and Yin Wenjiao at all. They were the vessels for the reincarnation of Jin Chanzi.

No wonder the Buddhist sect went so far as to send a blue lion spirit to infiltrate the palace and tamper with the records. No wonder Yin Kaishan was willing to sacrifice his position as prime minister to hasten his marriage. Everything, everything, was for this very moment.

A strong sense of crisis prompted Chen Guangrui to make a swift decision. He slightly moved his lips and whispered to Hei Wuchang in a voice only he could hear.
"Find a way. Get me a drop of blood that carries the essence of the Golden Cicada's soul within her. It must be her blood, imbued with the power of the Golden Cicada's soul."

Black Impermanence's voice was bitter, and he stuttered again, "Oh...oh dear. Lord Chen...Lord Chen. Although I am a messenger of the underworld, I...but when it comes to collecting the essence and blood of the living, I really can't just...take it...take it out of thin air. She's not bleeding...I...I can't even touch her."

Behind the screen, the music gradually came to an end, with the last note falling.

Chen Guangrui watched as Yin Wenjiao, supported by her maid, gracefully rose to her feet, preparing to take her leave.

"No bleeding?" Chen Guangrui's eyes suddenly darkened; he knew this was his only chance.

"Easy to handle."

(End of this chapter)