Emperor Yan was old, but not a fool. The amounts of silver on that list were neatly written; the ones who donated the least were those of Prince Jin’s faction. The most laughable was Xiao Da, who gave only 500, and Prince Jin was even more absurd, a real miser!
Emperor Yan waved his sleeve, causing all the documents on the imperial desk to scatter, his chest heaving with uncontrollable anger. He pointed at the courtiers and said, “Do you think I don’t know what you are up to? You are scheming in your hearts day and night, with hidden intentions and internal disputes. Who of you thinks for the sake of the Great Yan?”
The courtiers quickly knelt and begged for forgiveness, not daring to raise their heads, “Your Majesty, please calm down…”
Prince Jin had never suffered such a setback at Court. Half of his emotions were of shame and the other half of regret. He wanted to make amends and immediately knelt, “Father, every mistake is your son’s fault. Please don’t let anger harm your health. It is all my fault. The fundraising took longer than expected, and I couldn’t deliver it on time, causing this misunderstanding.”
Emperor Yan used to think Prince Jin was respectful and polite, but now he saw that his thinking was not only narrow but downright mean. His disappointment was evident in his tone, “Are you deliberately avoiding the handover of your money, or has the gathering been delayed so long that you are unaware of it, and there is no need for eloquent excuses to me?”
Hearing this, Prince Jin felt as if struck by lightning and turned pale, “Your son is guilty. I will immediately make up for the lack of silver after the morning Court. Please calm down, Father.”
Emperor Yan closed his eyes and looked away, showing no further interest, “You have handled this task well, Crown Prince. I used to think you were troublesome and reckless, but upon closer scrutiny, you have proven to be prudent and considerate. Do not disappoint me.”
The Crown Prince bowed, his voice devoid of emotion, “I thank Your Majesty for your praise.”
Emperor Yan was tired. The morning Court had drained the little energy he had left. When the courtiers had finished reporting, he rose and left. As he stood up, he staggered slightly, but was supported by an old eunuch nearby, “Your Majesty, please be careful!”
“I am fine.”
Emperor Yan staggered back to his chambers, guided by palace maids. He collapsed on his bed, sighing deeply and feeling a splitting headache, “None of my children are easy to manage…”
An imperial physician wanted to approach him, but Emperor Yan grabbed him by the wrist, with a look full of suspicion and anger, “You keep poking me day after day, and yet my condition does not improve. Is this your plan to harm me?”
The imperial physician could not bear this accusation. Kneeling hurriedly, he apologized repeatedly, even knocking over his medicine box in the process, “I dare not! Your Majesty, it is the evil influence on your body. Ordinary medicines cannot help.”
When one could not cure an illness, an evil force was often blamed, and Taoist priests and monks were called in. In short, a happy death was not as good as a miserable life. Emperor Yan suddenly fell into a severe illness, combined with nightmares that robbed him of sleep and left him in a state of physical and mental exhaustion. It was useless to try any treatment.
Emperor Yan was startled by these words. Unconsciously, he let go of the doctor’s wrist and muttered to himself, “Evil influence?”
He hesitated for a moment before realizing, “Yes… lately, in fact…. I have been dreaming of many old acquaintances…”
Seeing Emperor Yan lost in thought, half-maddened, the old eunuch approached cautiously and called out, “Your Majesty?”
Emperor Yan snapped back to himself, his red eyes fixed on the eunuch. And he roared, “Go find capable people and purge the evil influence out of the Palace completely! Do you hear me?!”
Knowing the Emperor’s cold and murderous temperament, the old eunuch hurried to carry out the order, with frantic steps. He wiped the sweat from his brow, thinking; serving the Emperor was like taming a tiger.
When the news reached the General’s Mansion, Chu Xinian was studying the pile of yellow papers in his hand, unsure how to take them to the Palace. Hearing the news, his eyes lit up and he suddenly had an idea.
He glanced into the inner room and saw Xie Jingyuan lazily lying on the bed, doing who knows what. He walked over and sat down next to him, saying, “General, how about joining me for a walk?”
Hearing his footsteps, Xie Jingyuan quickly hid the portrait he had been looking at for a while and tucked it back under the pillow. He put on an innocent expression and asked, “Out? Where to?”
Chu Xinian didn’t notice his slight movement and smiled, “Naturally, to the outskirts of the city, to meet that nuisance from last time.”
Nuisance?
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xie Jingyuan thought for a while when he heard this, and only then did he realize who he was referring to: it was that wandering Taoist, Xuan Yeping, from last time. So you want this General to pretend to be a wandering swordsman with you? No, I won’t go!
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Xie Jingyuan shivered all over his body from the kiss, and his breathing became erratic. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Change me? How do you plan to change me?”
Chu Xinian didn’t speak, his slender fingers deftly unbuckled Xie Jingyuan’s belt and removed his clothes. Somehow, after undressing Xie Jingyuan, they lost track of time and ended up kissing passionately, collapsing on the bed.
Xie Jingyuan was unusually enthusiastic, entwining tightly with Chu Xinian, nibbling and kissing his lips. Their ragged breaths filled the air, “Chu Xinian… Chu Xinian…”
Chu Xinian kissed the scars on Xie Jingyuan’s face, playing with his lips and tongue, creating a seductive symphony of sounds. He reached out and pulled a small box of ointment from the bedside table. As his fingers fumbled, he suddenly let out a soft chuckle that made his chest heave, “I forgot, we’ve used it all up…”
Xie Jingyuan’s narrow eyes were filled with a murky desire. He cast a light, fleeting glance at Chu Xinian before slowly reaching for his hand. He brought it to his lips, using his crimson tongue to tease and suck on Chu Xinian’s fingers, savoring them thoroughly.
Chu Xinian’s breath hitched at the sight, his gaze darkening. He allowed Xie Jingyuan’s actions for a while before hoarsely uttering, “Enough…”
Xie Jingyuan released his fingers, a smirk on his lips. He pulled Chu Xinian closer by the neck and kissed him passionately. His right cheek sensually brushed Chu Xinian’s face, his voice husky and lazy, “Chu Xinian…”
Anyone capable of resisting wasn’t a man.
Naturally, Chu Xinian could not resist either. He lifted the sheet, covering their intertwined bodies, and the intimate encounter began.
Xie Jingyuan frowned his expression a mixture of pain and pleasure. Only after a while did he relax. Smiling with satisfaction, he asked Chu Xinian, “Weren’t you supposed to go looking for that nuisance, why haven’t you left?”
Chu Xinian kissed his lips and replied, “There’s no hurry, we can go at sunset.”
With the moon hidden and the winds aloft, it was the right time to do business.
Although Xuan Yeping was a wandering Taoist, like ordinary people, he had spent years meditating and cultivating, seeking to understand the ways of the immortals and attain longevity. Unfortunately, despite years of effort, he had not yet found the path to his goal.
He sat outside the courtyard Prince Jin had assigned him, practicing meditation. He could not help but sigh. He should have clung to that immortal when he found him last time. Now, he had become an idle person in Prince Jin’s Mansion, which was uninteresting.
However, it was uncertain whether or not the heavens had heard his lament, for suddenly a rustling sound was heard outside the courtyard walls. Without thinking, Xuan Yeping looked over and saw a black-clad figure wearing a bamboo hat standing silently atop the wall. Startled, he stood up, “You…”
You are…
Xuan Yeping remembered, wasn’t this the disciple who followed the immortal? Overwhelmed with emotion, he stammered without finding the words.
The figure in black ignored him, tossing a brocade bag at his feet before turning and leaping from the wall. It disappeared into the night, leaving no trace.
Xuan Yeping picked up the bag and opened it, finding a piece of paper inside: ‘When the time comes to transform into a dragon, meet at the Zhuque Street crossroads.’
Originally, Chu Xinian had planned to meet in the outskirts, but unfortunately, due to some delay, the city gates had already been closed. They could leave, but he was worried that Xuan Yeping would not be able to do so.
Zhuque Street had a teahouse, and after closing hours, it was quiet and desolate. A white-bearded Taoist sat quietly under the awning, his robe billowing, exuding an air of indifference.
After returning from Prince Jin’s Residence, Xie Jingyuan saw Chu Xinian sitting nonchalantly, so he sat down opposite him. But for some reason, he adjusted his posture with a slight frown and a strange smile, “Have you become addicted to pretending to be an old Taoist? Staying up all night, meeting a beauty in the night, and yet the person you see is an old man.”
Chu Xinian calmly shifted his staff to the other side and looked at Xie Jingyuan with an enigmatic smile, “If I were going to meet a beauty at night, why would I take the General with me?”
Xie Jingyuan could easily run them both through with his sword.
Xie Jingyuan snorted, “As long as you know.”
He hadn’t even sat down for a second when he saw a figure rushing towards them from across the street. With a slight upward jerk of his chin, he signaled to Chu Xinian, “The nuisance you were looking for is here.”
Xuan Yeping rushed out of Prince Jin’s Residence when he saw the Taoist looking for him, almost out of breath. Xie Jingyuan, fearing that someone might be following him, immediately jumped onto the rooftop, positioning himself at the top and keeping watch.
“Inmortal! Inmortal!”
Seeing Chu Xinian, Xuan Yeping was surprised and respectful as he approached and bowed, “Xuan Yeping pays respect to Immortal. I wonder what important matter has prompted Inmortal to summon me so late.”
Chu Xinian motioned him to rise and said pretentiously, “Taoist Xuan need not be too formal. I have sought you out today to inform you of something.”
Seeing Chu Xinian’s solemn expression, Xuan Yeping’s heart skipped a beat, “Please, Inmortal, tell me.”
Chu Xinian pretended to calculate with his fingers, then looked at Xuan Yeping, with an enigmatic smile, “Through my observations of the celestial patterns tonight, I have discovered that the Ziwei Star has faded recently, and the dragon aura within the Imperial Palace has decreased significantly. There seem to be signs of a change in the ruling dynasty.”
A change in the ruling dynasty? Did that mean Emperor Yan might pass away?!
Xuan Yeping’s face paled at this revelation and he was momentarily speechless. Before he could ask anything, Chu Xinian said, “However, after careful consideration, I have discovered that this may be an opportunity for you to advance. I fear you may miss it, so I have come to inform you.”
Hearing the words ‘advance’, Xuan Yeping immediately pushed Emperor Yan to the back of his mind and knelt before Chu Xinian in excitement, fervently pleading, “Please, Immortal, grant me your guidance. Honestly, on the day this disciple received your guidance and went to Tianfeng Mountain to wait for a benefactor, I mistakenly entered Prince Jin’s service. Unfortunately, despite possessing talents, there is no place to display them, and my ambitions remain unfulfilled!”
“In the past, your ambitions could not be fulfilled because the time was not right. Now, the time has come, and the path is right in front of you.”
Chu Xinian held his hand to help him up, pointing towards the Palace, “Lately, the Imperial Palace has been shrouded by evil energy, plagued by evil spirits. His Majesty’s lingering illness has been difficult to cure for a long time because of this. I do not wish to involve myself in worldly affairs, so I thought to ask you to enter the Palace and eradicate evil spirits, preventing chaos from taking over the realm.”
Xuan Yeping was surprised, “Eradicate demons? This… Your disciple is lacking in brilliance and doesn’t know how to do it!”
Chu Xinian gestured for him not to worry, took out a bunch of yellow papers from his sleeve, and handed them to Xuan Yeping. He also untied a gourd from his waist, saying, “This yellow talisman is extraordinary. Place it in the Emperor’s bedroom, recite the scriptures a few times, and then sprinkle the water from this gourd on the paper. The evil spirits will appear.”
Xuan Yeping’s eyes widened involuntarily, and he nervously accepted the talisman and the gourd, “This… Thank you, Immortal, for granting me this treasure. But how should your disciple enter the Imperial Palace?”
Chu Xinian thought that they would naturally use Prince Jin’s name. He playfully pointed towards the moon on the horizon, “The person who can lead you to the Palace is as far as the heavens yet as close as before your eyes.”
“As far as the heavens, yet as close as before my eyes…?” Xuan Yeping muttered, self-absorbed, as he looked down.
Seeing his reaction, Chu Xinian gave a subtle signal to Xie Jingyuan through his eyes, indicating that it was time to leave. Together, they turned and walked away. Their figures disappeared around the corner of the street, leaving behind a radiant glow.
Xuan Yeping, true to Chu Xinian’s expectations, finally understood his intention. Clutching the yellow talisman and the gourd-shaped treasure to his chest, he discreetly looked around, confirming that no one was watching him. He immediately ran back to Prince Jin’s Residence.
Early the next morning, the guards posted an imperial notice outside the Palace gate, announcing that there were evil spirits inside the Palace and that skilled people were seeking to arrive and dispel the evil. If they succeeded, they would receive a reward of ten thousand taels of silver and an official post of seventh rank at the Bureau of Astrology.
As soon as the imperial announcement was published, it caused a great stir, but no one dared to take up the challenge. Even fools knew that if they lacked real ability, their heads would be the price. While people were discussing this, an old Taoist man pushed his way through the crowd, tore off the advertisement, tucked it up his sleeve, and left.
The onlookers were astonished and pointed to his figure, “Hey, someone dares to tear off the imperial notice.”
The guards posted there realized something was wrong and approached, only to find the notice board empty. Frowning, one of the guards asked, “Where is the imperial notice? Who tore it down?”
Someone pointed in the direction of Prince Jin’s Residence, “An old Taoist just ripped it off, and went that way.”
The guard’s expression changed, and he quickly led a group of soldiers in pursuit.
The one who had torn off the imperial notice was Xuan Yeping. Taking notice, he went straight to his study to request an audience with Prince Jin. He explained his intentions there, claiming that he could capture the evil spirits in the Palace of Emperor Yan, requesting his permission.
“What, you want to enter the Palace?!”
Startled, Prince Jin stood abruptly from his chair, his expression somewhere between surprise and suspicion, and his brows furrowed, “You know this is no small matter? A slight mistake could be a capital offense.”
Xuan Yeping’s eloquence was as graceful as a lotus, bolstered by the treasures bestowed upon him by Chu Xinian. He spoke with confidence, “This humble Taoist has long sensed the intense evil energy in the Palace. If it is not suppressed, it can harm the Emperor’s dragon energy. Removing the imperial notice has two objectives: first, to alleviate His Majesty’s troubles, and second, to repay the kindness shown by Your Highness, Prince Jin.”
From another perspective, if Xuan Yeping succeeded in curing Emperor Yan’s illness, Prince Jin, as the one who recommended it, would naturally share the credit. It seemed like a win-win situation, whichever way you looked at it.
Still hesitating, Prince Jin asked, “Are you confident?”
Xuan Yeping closed his eyes momentarily and stroked his beard, “This lowly Taoist will not gamble his own life. Your Highness, please allow me to enter the Palace. The longer you delay, the more likely the evil presence will become uncontrollable.”
After pondering, Prince Jin said, “Wait a moment, Taoist. Let me discuss this with Jiaoping and find a foolproof plan.”
Hearing Chu Jiaoping’s name, Xuan Yeping thought of the last time he had referred to him as a swindler. Inwardly he scoffed, but outwardly he looked troubled as he addressed Prince Jin, “Your Highness, your future is limitless. However, you must not be led by the nose. If everything requires approval, who is the master and who is the servant in the end?”
Prince Jin’s figure paused at these words, his countenance wavering. Standing motionless, his expression changed, as if he was deep in thought.
Xuan Yeping deliberately sighed, “Well, if Your Highness insists, please proceed. I will wait here for the good news.”
Since he had already torn off the imperial notice, even if Prince Jin did not take him to the Palace, it was likely that the guards would escort him shortly.
Prince Jin frowned, “No need, forget it. Since Taoist is so confident, I’ll take the risk and take you to the Palace to take a look. If you possess great powers that can cure Father, I’ll ensure you achieve fame in the future!”
Hearing this, Xuan Yeping’s heart was filled with joy, but he kept calm. He closed his eyes and recited a prayer, “This humble Taoist seeks neither gold nor silver, neither power nor authority. I am only here to repay Your Highness’ kindness.”
And so, Xuan Yeping was taken to the Palace by Prince Jin.
At that time, Emperor Yan was bedridden and unable to rise from his bed. The room was filled with a strong medicinal scent. Buddhist monks were chanting sutras, burning incense, and sticking talismans. The fragrance of incense permeated the air, creating an eerie atmosphere from afar.
Emperor Yan had not slept for several days and, combined with the thick smoke, his mind was in a daze. He saw things he did not wish to see. An old eunuch approached quietly and whispered in his ear, “Your Majesty, Prince Jin has brought a Taoist who claims to be able to cast out evil spirits. They are waiting outside. Shall I bring them in?”
Emperor Yan slowly opened his eyes, gathering his energy, his voice hoarse, “Since Prince Jin has brought him, let them come in…”
💖✨💖✨
Hoho, were going to be watching a show!
Thanks for the chapters!!! I’ll be sure to have my popcorn ready for the next one. 😊
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Hoping for an update this left me on pins and needles. I hope the taoist does a horrible job and also I don’t… ughhhhhhh