Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

At the beginning of the night, Xi Heng first sat on the bed and circulated his internal energy, trying to open up the acupoints and meridians to condense his hidden strength.

Before I could even get into the zone, I suddenly heard several footsteps outside the door, followed by a light knock.

Xi Heng clicked his tongue, relaxed his cross-legged posture, and looked towards the door, asking, "Who goes there?"

"Your Majesty." It was the familiar voice of the palace maid from before: "It is Princess Chuxiao requesting an audience."

"Chu Xiao?" It took Xi Heng a few seconds to remember who Chu Xiao was.

"What brings her here in the middle of the night?"

"This servant was unaware that Princess Chuxiao is already waiting outside the palace gates. May Your Majesty grant her permission to enter the palace for an audience?"

"Let her in."

The crystal chandelier was relit by the palace maid. After the other party left, Xi Heng rolled off the bed covered with brocade bedding and returned to his desk to sit down, waiting for Chu Xiao, who had come for some unknown reason, to enter the palace.

Just a few minutes after the palace maid left, Princess Chuxiao knocked on the door and entered.

She was dressed in a pale yellow gown with embroidered cloud patterns on the sleeves, draped in a white veil, with a purple-gold hairpin in her hair, and a necklace of tiger's eye and rose crystal adorning her fair neck. Her delicate hands rested steadily on her waist, and her every movement exuded an air of extravagant royal nobility.

Seeing Xi Heng sitting at the front, she politely greeted him and addressed him as "Your Majesty."

"What is it?" Xi Heng was no longer interested in politics, and he showed little interest in the princess coming to talk.

The other party has come specifically to meet me, so they probably only have some trivial, serious matters to discuss.

Chu Xiao didn't speak directly. Upon entering and looking at Xi Heng's appearance, she first sighed softly:

"When we first met a few months ago, Your Majesty's face seemed familiar, and hearing the name Xi Heng made that feeling even stronger..."

"I never imagined that you would be my elder sister who disappeared when I was young, and that you would be able to stir everything up to such an extent." She sighed softly.

“I could tell from the start that you were a princess of the Great Zhao,” Xi Heng replied. “You’ve come here for more than just these mundane matters, haven’t you?”

"No, I came to find my elder sister to help her resolve her inner turmoil."

"Oh?" Xi Heng didn't believe it at all, but tried asking, "You also know about the Blood Sea Technique?"

"What Blood Sea Technique?" Princess Chuxiao looked puzzled. Seeing that Xi Heng had some misunderstanding, she shook her head and said:

"I heard that Your Majesty wants to execute the mastermind behind yesterday's assassination attempt, and I happen to know some information about it, so I have come here to discuss it with Your Majesty."

"I see..." Upon hearing this topic again, Xi Heng immediately lost interest.

"Your Majesty seems rather uninterested in this matter?"

"Probably. It doesn't matter who the mastermind is. I can't just grab a sword and storm into their house."

"But they still plan to send assassins to kill the Empress Dowager. Doesn't that matter?"

"At worst, I'll just die." Xi Heng had already taken it all in stride.

Chu Xiao was stunned for a few seconds.

Looking at Xi Heng's expression, she could vaguely sense that he was not joking, as if he had truly disregarded life and death.

After a long silence, she finally managed to say, "Your Majesty's composure in such a situation is truly admirable."

A moment later, Chu Xiao said again:

"But if possible, Your Majesty would also like to get rid of this trouble, wouldn't you? I can bring the criminal who tried to murder Your Majesty to the court and let Your Majesty deal with him as you see fit."

"Your abilities are truly remarkable..." Xi Heng clearly realized that there was a significant gap between herself, the legitimate daughter who had been parachuted in, and the original imperial princess.

“However,” Chu Xiao stated her condition, “I hope that after Your Majesty puts this matter aside, you will pass the throne to me.”

Xi Heng found it amusing: "You're making way too much by exchanging the head of a treacherous official for the entire Great Zhao."

"Please forgive my impertinence, younger sister," Princess Chaoxi Heng said earnestly, bowing respectfully.

"My elder sister has already offended the civil service group. Even as the emperor, she can no longer preside over the government. And now the Great Zhao is in turmoil, and the people are suffering from all kinds of disasters. The situation is extremely tense. If the government in the palace cannot be stable, the Great Zhao will have no chance to turn the tide."

“I know.” Xi Heng glanced at it. “But it’s not as bad as you say. After I killed those three treacherous officials, I didn’t vacate their positions. The promoted officials are also leading a group of people to do their jobs seriously.”

Chu Xiao did not refute, and said, "But even so, the functions of the court are not perfect. An unstable court cannot save the Great Zhao. The most direct solution is to change the person sitting on the dragon throne."

"Do you think you can save the Great Zhao Dynasty by sitting on the throne?" Xi Heng's voice grew deeper.

In her view, the Zhao state, now beset by enemies on all sides and rife with corruption within, has almost fallen into an abyss and cannot be pulled back by ordinary means.

If we want to save the country, we must clean up the entire court, which is full of treacherous officials and corrupt bureaucrats, and these parasites.

Either establish a new dynasty to change the world and thoroughly reform the Zhao dynasty from beginning to end.

Either sweep them away with overwhelming force and cut off the heads of the corrupt and lawless one by one.

Those who disobey will be killed; those who prey on the people will be killed; those who distort the law will be killed; those who bully the good and oppress the kind will be killed; those who are rich but unkind will be killed; those who harm the country and oppress the people will be killed—only in this way can we have a chance to save the already devastated Zhao state.

Princess Chuxiao, who grew up in the deep palace, clearly lacked this kind of courage.

...............

Chapter 45, Rumors of the Martial World

"Do you think that by sitting on the throne, you can save the Great Zhao?"

Xi Heng believed that to save the Great Zhao, many people would need to be killed.

In her eyes, this pampered Princess Chuxiao might not even have ever killed anyone.

While she possesses enough courage, she currently lacks the power to realize her ideas and can only hope to do so in future lives.

"I am willing to do my best." Chu Xiao only said: "After I sit on the throne, I will be close to the virtuous and keep away from the wicked, be diligent in government affairs, strive to govern well, work together with the people to achieve virtue and morality, adjust the cabinet, reform the imperial examination and finance, use severe punishments to govern the people and increase the three taxes, develop firearms, and fight against the enemy from all sides. I will not be like my father, who was extravagant and indulged in debauchery."

"Many start well, but few finish well." Xi Heng said, "Even if you do everything you say, it will be difficult to save Zhao. Now Zhao is beset by internal and external troubles and is on the verge of collapse. This is a chaotic world. The ruler needed in a chaotic world is not only a wise ruler, but also a ruthless hero."

"A powerful and ruthless figure?" Chu Xiao frowned slightly upon hearing this, pondering the word "ruthless and ruthless" while stroking her chin, before asking:

"According to my elder sister, how can anyone be a hero?"

“A person with great talent and strategy, and a strong ambition.” Xi Heng explained: “Most importantly, they must be powerful enough.”

Princess Chuxiao followed up, saying, "In that case, given the resources that Your Majesty currently possesses, it is unlikely that you will become a powerful figure. Why not pass the throne to me and let me give it a try?"

"You really want the throne that badly?" Xi Heng tilted his head.

"I have been preparing for this for a long time, but I never expected that my elder sister, who had been missing for more than ten years, would suddenly come and say that Father had become an immortal. Then she actually sat on the throne before I could react." Chu Xiao looked quite helpless.

"Sorry then," Xi Heng said casually, yawning.

"There is no need to apologize. After my elder sister ascended the throne, she killed those three treacherous ministers, which cleared many obstacles for me."

"I haven't agreed yet." Xi Heng chuckled lightly. "The emperor's position is so supreme and high above all others, why would I give it to you for nothing?"

Chu Xiao narrowed her eyes and said, "For the sake of Great Zhao, and for the sake of the common people and the people of Great Zhao."

“But I don’t believe that giving you the throne will improve the plight of the people of Great Zhao,” Xi Heng replied.

“A person as ambitious and eager to accomplish great things as you, if made a king, is more likely to waste resources and manpower in his many efforts and attempts, leading to tragedy and hastening the demise of the Great Zhao. A muddle-headed and incompetent fellow like me might be able to prolong the dynasty’s life for a little longer.”

"Your Majesty, please don't lie and fabricate stories." Chu Xiao took a deep breath: "As the emperor, Your Majesty, killing those three treacherous ministers is enough to fulfill your mission. In the future, you will be known as a chivalrous king and your name will be recorded in history. But if you abandon the future of Great Zhao because you covet the throne, you will only be called a foolish and incompetent ruler."

"If I were to pass the throne to you, could I truly retire peacefully and live in seclusion? I doubt it."

"I will do my utmost to protect my elder sister's safety."

"I don't believe it. I want to live a little longer." Xi Heng waved his hand: "So I won't give it to you."

At the very least, she needs to memorize these martial arts manuals on the level of internal energy, and then read through the various cultivation classics, Taoist scriptures, and legends of immortals and gods that Zhao Qianyuan has collected several times, so that she can find some clues for future use in her search for immortals.

After that, there were also martial arts manuals, alchemical texts, divination methods, and so on, which Xi Heng wanted to find and read through.

Now that she is the emperor, she has access to countless rare books that money can't buy in the common people. It will be much more difficult to acquire this knowledge after she has finished her previous life.

"..." Chu Xiao opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something more.

After a long silence, she simply stepped back and said, "Since Your Majesty is so determined, then I will not disturb you any longer."

After being rejected, her tone became noticeably more distant.

"Goodbye." Xi Heng waved to the royal princess who bore a resemblance to himself, watching her figure disappear from sight.

She exhaled, got up, and slowly walked back to her bed, where she continued to focus on cultivating her internal energy and overall strength.

He patted his cheeks to clear his mind, then sat cross-legged on the bed and stopped thinking about anything else.

Xi Heng focused on the flow of Qi and blood within his body, slowly guiding it towards the belt meridian in his waist, attempting to unblock it.

It's hard to know the time when you're cultivating; in the blink of an eye, it's gone from early night to midnight.

There are six acupoints on both sides of the belt meridian. Xi Heng has been condensing his qi and blood for several hours and has already broken through two of them. It is only a matter of time before he can fully open them.

"Tonight's cultivation has had some noticeable effects; the flow of qi and blood is much smoother."

Xi Heng casually sensed the changes in his body, ended his cultivation, lay down on the bed, covered himself with the blankets, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

……

The following days, Xi Heng repeated himself every day.

Every morning he would rise early to attend court, and after the court session he would process memorials. Afterwards, he would return to his study to memorize martial arts manuals and read various legends of immortals and gods and Taoist classics. At night, he would cultivate his internal energy and blood.

Whenever he had free time, he would stroll around the lush bamboo groves, beautiful flowers and rocks, clear water and elegant pavilions in the spacious backyard of Fuqing Hall, or casually practice his swordsmanship. Every day was quite fulfilling.

During this period, it is unclear whether the imperial guards around Fuqing Palace were on high alert, or whether the civil officials who were her enemies suddenly changed their minds and abandoned the assassination attempt.

In short, Xi Heng did not encounter any more assassins, and her daily meals were not poisoned, which made her more and more relaxed, as if everything had become quite stable.

Until seven days later.

While Xi Heng was attending court and observing the standoff between the northern border army and the Yanmeng Kingdom along the river, he heard a loud voice coming from the palace gate.

"Report—" A guard rushed forward and knelt down in the middle of the court, panting heavily, his face showing anxiety and unease.

"What is it?" Xi Heng asked casually.

"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! This morning, Commander Ma Yi of the Imperial Guards suddenly collapsed and convulsed while drinking. He is currently on his bed, still covered in cold sweat, and there is a small amount of black blood in his mouth!"

Listening to this description, Xi Heng thought it sounded exactly like the state of mind when the Imperial Preceptor was poisoned. This commander of the Imperial Guards, who had mastered the internal energy, had obviously also been poisoned.

"Tsk, why are they using the same poison again?" Xi Heng muttered, then immediately ordered, "Quickly send the imperial physician over! Commander Ma must be cured!"

"The imperial physician was drinking with Commander Ma at the time. When he saw the commander faint, he claimed he was just drunk. Then, when the poison took effect, he said he couldn't cure him." The imperial guard who came to deliver the message continued, "The deputy commander therefore believed that the imperial physician had poisoned him. Enraged, he knocked the imperial physician unconscious..."

Xi Heng sighed, "What kind of people are these... Quickly, summon the imperial physician again!"

"Yes!"

The imperial guard who delivered the message hurriedly ran away, leaving the court in silence.

"Let's continue the court session. After the capital troops were dispatched, have those major bandit groups in the capital region been cleared out?" Xi Heng asked.

"Your Majesty, although the capital troops have left the city, they have not yet attacked the bandits. They are still training in mountain warfare tactics at the training grounds outside the city!"

"What a waste, doesn't he ever practice?"

"Before the Beijing army mobilized, their daily salaries and rations were meager..."

After talking with the court officials below for a long time, Xi Heng ordered the imperial guards to prepare a carriage to visit the poisoned commander of the imperial guards at the Imperial Guards' residence after the court session ended.

More than half an hour has passed, and it is unknown whether Commander Ma is dead or alive.

That evening, Heng arrived at the Imperial Guard's bedroom amidst a large group of guards kneeling and paying their respects. The scene inside was in complete chaos.

A burly man in a single layer of clothing grabbed the collar of a doctor beside him and yanked the thin old doctor up.

"My elder brother is a master of internal energy cultivation! How could he be killed by such a small poison! If you spout any more nonsense, don't blame me for taking your head!"

"My lord, my lord, spare my life, spare my life!" the old doctor pleaded repeatedly, while still hurriedly explaining, "This is a deadly poison that invades the blood. Now the poison has entered the bone marrow. Even the most skilled doctors cannot separate the poison from the blood and bone marrow."

"Nonsense! I think you're one of those traitors' henchmen too!" The burly man angrily threw the man aside, then leaned against the bed and tightly grasped the rough left hand of the Imperial Guard commander on the bed.

"Big brother, please wake up!"

As soon as Xi Heng entered, he saw two imperial physicians dressed in blue brocade robes lying on the ground. Looking up, he saw the commander of the Imperial Guards lying on the bed, his body trembling.

The other person was covered in cold sweat, his lips were white, and his face was pale; he looked to be in grave danger.

Xi Heng watched from the side, remaining calm and silent.

When he first ascended the throne, two of the three people who conspired with him to kill the treacherous officials had already been poisoned.

Only the old eunuch is still relatively unharmed, but perhaps he too won't live much longer.

Having lost these powers, it is clear that it will be difficult for them to remain so for long.

After Xi Heng entered, the Imperial Guard adjutant kept his eyes fixed on the commander on the bed, looking anxious, as if he hadn't noticed her arrival.