Chapter 56

“Cultivator.”

Zhou Yi’s gaze fell low as he stared at Yuan Shun for a long while.

Yuan Shun only felt an immense pressure descending upon him; his Inner Strength, honed over a hundred years, was considered top-notch in Jiangnan, yet he didn’t even dare to entertain the thought of resistance at this moment.

An extraordinary, peerless freak!

When the new emperor ascended the throne, Yuan Shun had also seen those several court experts, not one of them compared to the King of Samsara.

Zhou Yi had diligently cultivated the Soul Nurturing Art for nearly thirty years, his spirit vigorous at the start, but now sensing the existence of his soul, his progress had surpassed that of the Guiyuan Technique by quite a bit.

Now, as he tried to oppress Yuan Shun’s soul, the results were quite satisfying.

“Little Yuan, if I hadn’t made a move, would you have intended to keep this matter hidden?”

Yuan Shun replied in extreme fear, “I wouldn’t dare!”

“I don’t care whether you dare or not. If the news is true, then let bygones be bygones. But if it’s false…”

Zhou Yi didn’t continue speaking. A pawn, no matter how well it performs, is still just a pawn. If crushed by hand, it could be fostered again in ten years, so there was nothing to be reluctant about.

“I understand, I have been covertly investigating this matter for a long while, and there is an eighty to ninety percent chance that it is true!”

Yuan Shun breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. As expected, he had bet correctly. The King of Samsara, obsessed with the path of immortality, would suppress his tremendous anger upon hearing this news.

Having learned of this message last year, Yuan Shun had been hiding it in his heart, considering it either a lifeline or a stepping stone for promotion.

“The Chen family, I don’t know much about them.”

Zhou Yi reminisced, “I remember that Marquis Chen had a granddaughter named Chen Qing, famous in the capital for her stunning beauty, with a character both arrogant and overbearing. Once, out of jealousy over Censor Cui’s daughter’s looks, she even slashed her face with a blade, and thus was guilty and imprisoned.”

This incident caused quite a stir in Divine Capital. The Imperial Censor might not have been of high rank, but he was not someone just anyone could provoke.

Not to mention Marquis Chen personally going to apologize, he also had the Empress Dowager plead on his behalf to Emperor Jinglong, finally obtaining Censor Cui’s forgiveness and release from the Heavenly Prison.

Yuan Shun nodded, “I have some impression of that.”

“That Censor Cui is from the Cui family in Jiangnan, far from an ordinary Imperial Censor, even cabinet ministers hold him in certain esteem.”

Zhou Yi said, “So, that Chen Qing is not only jealous and overbearing, but also brainless.”

Yuan Shun nodded, “Does your majesty mean to let Chen Qing cause trouble again, to implicate Chen Yang?”

“Ordinary affairs won’t implicate him.”

Zhou Yi said, “According to the ancestral system of Fengyang Country, when a new emperor ascends the throne and establishes a new reign, a selection of consorts will necessarily occur. You will use Feng Zhong’s connections to choose Chen Qing to enter the palace, bypassing the female historians and giving her a consort’s position.”

Feng Zhong, serving as the commander of Jinyiwei, and chiefly as the palace eunuch bearing the imperial seal, could easily arrange for Chen Qing to enter the palace as a consort.

At the same time, the Orthodox Emperor, seeking to win over the nobility, was also willing to facilitate this matter.

Yuan Shun expressed confusion, “Wouldn’t Chen Yang become even more proud and complacent in Jinyiwei as a royal in-law?”

“The imperial palace is just a place where one cannot be seen. The Inner Palace, however, is a ruthless and bloody battlefield. With Chen Qing’s overbearing and foolish nature, she won’t last long before she commits a capital offense.”

Zhou Yi spoke slowly, “Not to mention Chen Yang losing his position, Marquis Chen will have his rank reduced once more!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for the guidance!”

Yuan Shun pondered carefully. The plan seemed quite feasible. With godfather Feng Zhong’s authority in the palace, it would be difficult for Chen Qing not to commit a heinous crime.

Zhou Yi snorted coldly, “Speak, what news have you learned?”

“My lord, according to Feng Zhong, the imperial prison does not only have cells on the surface but also has a layer underground, built during Emperor Chongming’s reign,” Yuan Shun reported.

Yuan Shun continued, “At first, I thought it was just a special cell to confine some unspeakable criminals. However, according to Feng Zhong, that underground cell holds only one person.”

Zhou Yi’s mind stirred with a vague speculation.

“It’s said that person is an immortal being who was captured by Emperor Chongming’s scheme while visiting the mortal realm to see family,” Yuan Shun went on.

Yuan Shun added, “Initially, I didn’t believe it since Emperor Chongming was obsessed with the path to immortality, almost to the point of madness. But after reviewing the Jinyiwei archives, it was unusual to find that the underground prison started construction the very year that person was imprisoned.”

“Is that person still alive?”

Zhou Yi, having lived from Emperor Chongming’s era until now, knew the Dog Emperor hadn’t always been obsessed with the path of immortality. Initially ruling for ten years, he had been diligent, though not a sagacious and sage ruler.

The tenth year suddenly stopped attending court, and he handed all matters over to the Grand Secretary, only responsible for marking memorials with circles or crosses.

The Dog Emperor hid in Shangyang Palace to practice Daoist cultivation, ordering the Jinyiwei to conduct a thorough search under the pretext of collecting birthday tribute. Any renowned and peculiar treasures had to be contributed to the palace.

“He should be alive.”

Yuan Shun said, “Your humble servant has ordered people to pay attention and investigate. There are about a dozen old guards in the Jinyiwei who would specifically prepare meals and deliver them to the underground prison.”

“Hmm, you will be credited for this matter.”

When Zhou Yi spoke, his figure had already disappeared from the carriage, but his voice was still echoing, “If you dare to conceal anything in the future, the punishment I’m proficient in will be a hundred times more severe than the Jinyiwei’s!”

“Your humble servant understands.”

Yuan Shun knelt for a long time before he dared to raise his head.

“Luckily, I’m not a traitor. Otherwise, with this old freak’s cunning, even the emperor wouldn’t be able to protect me!”

Yuan Shun breathed a sigh of relief and after composing himself, he wrote a letter, ordering his subordinates to deliver it to his godfather Feng Zhong’s residence.

…

The Heavenly Prison.

Dim yet not cold and bleak.

Every ten days or half a month, Zhou Yi would cast the Peaceful Home Talisman to cleanse the resentful spirits of the wrongly dead or miserably dead prisoners.

As a result, the guards and prisoners in the jail lived longer.

Zhou Yi continued delivering meals unhurriedly, and although he was aware of the presence of cultivators in the imperial prison, he did not rush to investigate.

The Martial Arts Grandmaster had few equals in the mundane world, and there were few dangerous places in Fengyang Country, but the imperial prison was one of them. Aside from various mechanisms and traps, the cells holding cultivators were underground, and blocking the entrance made escape difficult.

Furthermore, the fact that cultivators could not escape was enough to prove its peril!

“The news about the cultivator isn’t important. What is important is that the Dog Emperor can find immortals, which means that eating away at the Jinyiwei’s monitoring of the world is the right approach!”

“Immortals originate from the mundane. Whether it is visiting relatives or returning to their roots, there is never just one.”

“Wait a bit longer, once the Jinyiwei is completely under control, we will definitely be able to trace the whereabouts of those seeking immortality.”

Zhou Yi, having experienced many dynasties and watched changes in the political arena, had long since tempered his will as tough as iron and stone.

Let alone a mere cultivator, even if an Immortal Artifact fell from the sky, Zhou Yi’s first thought would be to flee Fengyang Country, lest the battle between mighty powers destroys a thousand miles.

There was nearly no change in the Heavenly Prison, except that Yu Su had resumed physical training.

Zhou Yi greatly admired Yu Su, firstly for his integrity.

It is said that the Jinyiwei tried to frame Yu Su, but upon seeing the simplicity of the dwelling of the first-grade official, and that there was only a deaf and mute old servant at home, even the Commander Feng Zhong shook his head, whether in admiration or helplessness, and to this day, a definite conviction has not been made.

Secondly, Yu Su’s tenacity and unyielding spirit, despite being imprisoned twice and demoted twice, he still held hope for future reforms in the administration.

By observing others, one can learn what to embrace and what to avoid.

That day.

Zhou Yi brought wine, meat, and meals, casually discussing matters of the Divine Capital.

Upon hearing this, Yu Su exclaimed in surprise and delight, “Younger brother Li, are you saying that after the death of the Duke of Cheng, the emperor posthumously honored him as the Qi City King, with the title ‘Martially Resolute’, and enshrined him in the Grand Ancestral Temple?”

Ever since the Duke of Cheng was posthumously titled ‘Martially Loyal,’ and Chancellor Zhang ‘Culturally Loyal,’ the conferral of posthumous titles in Fengyang Country suddenly lost their value. Regardless of whether one had achieved anything in life, as long as they had good relations with the emperor and the officials before death, they could always mix in a high-grade posthumous title.

After all, even Chancellor Zhang received ‘Culturally Loyal.’ Anyone who did not rebel or commit regicide was considered a great loyalist!

Zhou Yi congratulated with a smile, “Old Yu, you’ve got another chance!”

“Right!”

Yu Su waved his fist, “This time, I must succeed!”

Zhou Yi looked at Yu Su brimming with high aspirations and suddenly lost the mood for joking.

Thinking of reforms in this world is like trying to right the heavens, doomed to fail!