You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

I thought that tyrannical emperor had long forgotten me, but I never expected...

Zhu Yuyan clenched her fists, filled with extreme shame and anger, and secretly vowed, "You tyrant, I will skin you alive sooner or later!"

She quickly calmed down and said towards the door, "Okay, I'm coming right now."

……

The main hall of the Confucius Mansion.

As Lu Zuo sipped his tea, he pondered to himself, "Kong Fan holds a high position. Too much contact with him will inevitably arouse Shi Wenqing's suspicion."

"Those two bastards are keeping a close watch on me, they're extremely vigilant."

"Last time I came, it was because of Zhang Lihua that I didn't attract Shi Wenqing's attention."

"This time, I'll have to act a bit outrageous..."

After pondering for a moment, Lu Zuo remembered something else and asked, "Minister Kong, has anything unusual happened in the court recently?"

He had asked Kong Fan once before when Kong Fan invited him.

But his answer was that everything was as usual.

And this time...

Upon hearing the emperor's question, Kong Fan's expression changed slightly, and then he waved his hand to dismiss those around him.

"His Majesty……"

He leaned closer to Lu Zuo and whispered, "The Shen family of Wuxing has recently summoned many martial arts masters to the capital."

"And Lord Shi Wenqing is very close to the Lu family of Wujun, the Xie family of Kuaiji, the Yu family of Donghai, the Su family of Qiantang, and the Gu family of Jurong."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zuo raised an eyebrow. "It's finally starting!"

He had long suspected that Shi Wenqing intended to target the Shen family of Wuxing to further weaken the imperial power, and then completely control the court and usurp the throne.

To deal with the Shen family of Wuxing, military power alone is not enough; support from other powerful families is also needed.

With every step he and Li Chengan took, he became more dangerous!

We need to act quickly...

The biggest problem currently troubling Lu Zuo is the world's most potent poison, "Yan Wang Calls You to Die at Midnight."

He couldn't fight those two bastards until he was rid of the deadly poison.

and so……

To the princes and ministers of Southern Chen, I can only apologize.

As she pondered, she heard light footsteps beside her, followed by an extremely pleasant female voice: "This humble woman, Zhu Yuyan, requests an audience by order."

Kong Fan's expression changed, and he said with a slightly bitter tone, "Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now."

Lu Zuo waved his hand and hummed in agreement.

……

A short while later.

Zhu Yuyan walked slowly over and knelt before Lu Zuo: "This commoner greets Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Miss, please don't stand on ceremony, have a seat."

Every minute and every second was extremely important to Lu Zuo. After Zhu Yuyan took her seat, he went straight to the point: "Miss Zhu, I heard from Lihua that you are well-versed in the various schools of thought?"

Zhu Yuyan was taken aback. Could this tyrant have come to exchange knowledge with me?

impossible……

He is licentious, immoral, lustful, and greedy; how could he possibly have such ambition?

After thinking for a moment, she nodded gently: "To be honest, Your Majesty, I was once guided by a master and embarked on the path of martial arts."

"And all martial arts in the world, when traced back to their origins, are invariably in accordance with the profound principles of the philosophers."

"The Taoist concept of emptiness and stillness, the Confucian concept of righteousness, the Legalist concept of power and tactics, and even the Yin-Yang concept of change can all be incorporated into martial arts."

"If a cultivator does not understand the mysteries of the workings of heaven and earth, does not perceive the subtle changes of all things, and does not comprehend the principles of the continuation of the world... it will be difficult for him to grasp the path of superior martial arts."

"Therefore, I have indeed studied a great deal of classical texts, but I have only scratched the surface and cannot be considered an expert."

Lu Zuo nodded and asked, "Miss Zhu, what does it mean to say: 'The Great Dao is profound and subtle, the celestial phenomena are manifest'?"

Zhu Yuyan thought for a moment and said, "The Tao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. This is the natural law of the Tao."

"The Great Dao transforms into all things. Though scattered, it is orderly; though chaotic, it is spiritual. Just as the stars in the heavens each follow their own orbit, it is the concrete manifestation of 'from the limitless comes the ultimate, and from the ultimate moves, yang is generated'."

The Records of the Grand Historian, Treatise on Celestial Offices states: "The Dipper is the Emperor's chariot, moving in the center and overseeing the four directions."

"This is precisely because of its ability to harmonize yin and yang and balance the four seasons..."

Then, she launched into a long explanation, citing numerous classical texts, to interpret the third important meaning of the Thousand Blade Flow Slash Technique for Lu Zuo.

Even the explanation of the second level is clearer and more detailed than Zhang Lihua's.

For example, Zhang Lihua never mentioned things like: a single breath, a single thought, or a single movement, which are microscopic aspects of Yin and Yang...

As they were talking, Zhu Yuyan suddenly frowned, let out a muffled groan, and showed a look of pain on her face.

"What's wrong, Miss Zhu?"

She shook her head and said shyly, "Your Majesty, I am fine, it's just that I have menstruation..."

Ok?

All the women who have entered the Innate Realm have already slain the Crimson Dragon.

Zhu Yuyan said that on purpose to prevent me from being overcome by lust and taking her into my harem.

Lu Zuo chuckled inwardly, "Since Miss Zhu is not feeling well today, she should go back and rest."

"I will come to bother you again tomorrow when you are feeling better."

call……

Zhu Yuyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and bowed in gratitude: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."

……

And it wasn't just Zhu Yuyan who breathed a sigh of relief.

Recently, the story of the emperor's desecration of his ministers' wives and daughters has been widely circulated in the capital, and everyone knows about it on the streets and alleys.

So much so that some people were tempted to curry favor with His Majesty by showing filial piety to their wives.

Some were filled with anxiety, fearing that their wives would be favored by the emperor and cuckold them.

Kong Fan was the one who was uneasy!

Today, Lu Zuo's sudden visit has made him more worried than Zhu Yuyan!

He followed Lu Zuo to the door, thinking to himself, "Thank goodness, His Majesty only discussed classics and historical texts with Miss Zhu."

"otherwise……"

Just then, a petite figure suddenly darted out from the bushes.

Clang clang!

The black-clad guards immediately drew their long swords, their auras radiating outwards, their killing intent chilling, and they protected Lu Zuo within them.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be just a small dog, pure white with fluffy fur, delicate hooves, and a body about two feet long.

Perhaps driven by the murderous aura, it let out a whimper and immediately lay down on the ground, trembling and motionless.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please forgive me!"

Immediately afterwards, a woman rushed over from a distance and knelt before Lu Zuo: "This beast was raised by my wife."

"It has acted rashly; please forgive it, Your Majesty."

Lu Zuo looked down and saw that although the woman was kneeling on the ground and looked frightened, she could not hide her charming and graceful demeanor.

Her clothes clung to her body, outlining her smooth and graceful curves.

Her shoulders were sculpted, her waist was slender, and her hips were plump and round like a ripe peach—any more would be too plump, any less would be too slender—it was the most alluring look.

Lu Zuo's gaze moved upwards, sweeping over her slightly heaving, full chest before settling on her pretty face.

Her features were exquisite; her eyebrows were naturally dark without makeup, and her lips were naturally red without lipstick. Her almond-shaped eyes held a hint of flustered allure.

She possesses a mature beauty accumulated over the years, an almost alluring charm, and an irresistible allure.

What a charming and alluring woman!

"Minister Kong, who is this...?"

Kong Fan's heart skipped a beat, but he forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, this is my wife, Gu Yanran."