This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

Wang Yangming and the emperor turned their heads at the same time to look at Li Daoxuan.

A fleeting look of astonishment crossed his eyes.

Neither the emperor nor Wang Yangming had ever entertained this idea.

It wasn't that they couldn't think of it, but rather that they were limited by the times and their perspective.

In this world where monarchical power reigns supreme, even someone like Wang Yangming, who had received education in Li Daoxuan's new ideas, would find it difficult to think that if an emperor is no longer suitable, then a different one should be chosen.

As for the emperor himself, it was even less likely that he would have such a thought.

After Wang Yangming realized what was happening, his eyes lit up.

He thought to himself: That's right, let's find another one, until we find a ruler who can at least work for the people...

The emperor was filled with grief and indignation.

When did the emperor's position become so easily usurped?

If this is the case, where is the emperor's prestige? Where is the imperial power?

Li Daoxuan waved to Wang Yangming.

Wang Yangming immediately walked to his side, looked up at him.

Li Daoxuan smiled and said:

"Let's put that aside for now. Judging from your demeanor, your marriage palace has already activated. What's this? You've been in the capital for three years, and you've already found yourself a wife?"

Wang Yangming's cheeks flushed slightly, and he stammered:

"This matter... I will discuss it with you in detail later, sir."

Speaking of this, Wang Yangming immediately thought of Jiang Ping'an.

Turning to the emperor, he asked:

"Where did Ping An go?"

The emperor remained silent, slumped on the ground, his face blank.

Wang Yangming immediately walked out of the main hall, grabbed the crown prince, and questioned him:

"I'm asking you, where is Ping An?"

The crown prince swallowed hard, glanced at Li Daoxuan not far away, and said tremblingly:

"When we escorted you back to the palace... Ping An had already departed with the marriage procession..."

Wang Yangming was shocked and threw down the crown prince, looking at Li Daoxuan.

Li Daoxuan understood immediately and nodded.

In the void, a divine dragon appeared out of thin air.

Li Daoxuan raised his hand and, with Wang Yangming in tow, landed atop the dragon's head and flew towards the North Gate.

A sentence was left in the void.

"The Emperor of Great Zhao summons all officials to await his arrival here..."

Because of this one sentence, even after Li Daoxuan left, no one present could relax.

Instead, they felt even more anxious, each of them lost in their own thoughts, wondering what would happen next.

Especially what Li Daoxuan just said: "If you can't do it, then find someone else to do it. If that person still can't do it, then keep finding someone else..."

This inevitably led everyone to start having all sorts of wild thoughts.

This is both a crisis and an opportunity.

If one could establish a connection with this true immortal at this time, one's own life and even one's family would likely have a glorious future.

Meanwhile, on the main road leading north from Kyoto, a marriage procession stretching for several miles was moving forward listlessly.

At the center of the procession was a royal carriage adorned with red ribbons and flowers.

Jiang Ping'an was dressed in a wedding gown, but her eyes were already filled with a deathly pallor.

She knew the emperor's temperament too well; it was almost impossible for her to say that she would let Wang Yangming go after she went to marry him.

However, even though he knew it was impossible, Jiang Ping'an still agreed to the marriage alliance.

Even if there's only the slightest hope, she'll give it a try.

Jiang Ping'an can only pin his hopes on the Prince of Jin now.

The King of Jin was also the only one who could possibly save the king and make a name for himself.

The procession for the marriage alliance showed no sign of joy, but moved forward at a rapid pace.

After walking for less than an hour, we were already far from the capital and could no longer see the majestic city.

Just as the group passed through a mountain pass, the carriage carrying Jiang Ping'an suddenly jolted. Before the driver could react, a figure swiftly slipped into the carriage.

Upon seeing who it was, Jiang Ping'an's heart skipped a beat. He didn't say anything, but just stared intently at the other person.

The newcomer was none other than Qiu Wanli, the strongest Grandmaster-level bodyguard by Prince Jin's side.

Qiu Wanli nodded slightly in greeting, then his lips moved slightly, focusing his voice into a line, which rang in Jiang Ping'an's ear.

"Princess, His Highness Prince Jin has sent me to deliver a message to you."

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"I'm sorry, His Highness has been ordered by the Emperor to remain in the Prince's residence, and the Ghost-Faced Black Riders have been dispatched to seal off the Prince's residence. He... was unable to go to the palace to plead for the Prince."

Jiang Ping'an's expression changed slightly, and the light in his eyes visibly dimmed.

She didn't say anything, she just nodded slightly.

"Understood, please thank Second Brother for me... If possible, please help Wang Lang... collect his body..."

Qiu Wanli sighed softly, nodded silently, and then vanished in a flash.

After Qiu Wanli left, Jiang Ping'an also climbed out of the carriage and said to the guard leading the procession in front of the carriage:

"Stop..."

The guard glanced back and replied coldly:

"Princess, it's not time to rest yet."

Jiang Ping'an stared at him indifferently, her tone icy:

"I said...stop..."

The guard paused, looking somewhat troubled. After a moment of hesitation, he summoned the messenger and said:

"Pass down the order: rest on the spot."

Soon, the entire group stopped.

Jiang Ping'an jumped off the carriage and walked step by step toward the hilltop to the side.

He was accompanied by palace maids and nannies, but Qing'er had already disappeared.

Upon reaching the low peak, Jiang Ping'an looked back towards Kyoto and slowly knelt down.

He prostrated himself on the ground, tears already silently streaming down his face.

"My beloved, may you live a peaceful life, for in life you are mine... and in death I will be yours..."

"My lord, please go now, I will follow you shortly..."

When she got up, the tears in her eyes had disappeared.

Jiang Ping'an silently returned to the carriage, without letting anyone notice anything amiss.

The guards leading the group breathed a sigh of relief and ordered them to continue.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Jiang Ping'an sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, recalling the many past experiences he had shared with Wang Yangming.

The first night raid, a night stroll along the Chunhua River, and at every banquet hosted by the Prince of Jin, Jiang Ping'an would pester Wang Yangming to tell him novel stories he had never heard before.

There are legends like Pangu creating the world, Nuwa creating humans, Chang'e flying to the moon, and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai turning into butterflies...

In fact, at the beginning, Jiang Ping'an was only on the orders of the Prince of Jin to deliberately approach Wang Yangming.

But later, Jiang Ping'an realized that he had already fallen for this talented scholar.

He is all I see and think about.

That feeling, which started as exploitation, eventually transformed into an unwavering commitment until death.

But... everything is gone.

Jiang Ping'an felt utterly hopeless, silently circulating his internal energy cultivation technique.

The body's Qi and blood begin to flow from the limbs and bones into the Dantian.

This was originally a method used by martial arts practitioners to condense their true qi.

But at this moment, it became the poison that led Jiang Ping'an to end his own life.

Even when condensing true qi, no one would ever gather all the qi and blood in their body so completely without reservation. Once the internal organs lose the supply of qi and blood, they will quickly deteriorate and then quietly pass away.

Jiang Ping'an's face visibly paled, his breath rapidly weakened, and his head, unable to support itself any longer, slumped down...