Chapter 299: A Reunion After a Long Separation Stirs the Heart

Yu Sihai felt his breathing quicken. He cried out in his heart, ‘Does the immortal want to promote me?’ If it were anyone else, even that arrogant Seventh Highness, they wouldn’t have the power. But just because a prince didn’t, it didn’t mean an immortal didn’t! This immortal was the senior brother of the Imperial Preceptor, and the Imperial Preceptor’s power was even greater than His Majesty the Emperor’s. With a single word from her, he could ascend to the position of Chief Steward of the Grand Interior, and not even the emperor would dare to object.

He couldn’t help but think of how he had entered the palace as a child, endured endless bullying and suffering, had bad luck his entire life, and never managed to secure even a minor official post. Now, in his old age, his body was riddled with ailments, and the palace nobles, finding him a nuisance, had exiled him to the Dashifang at Xuanwu Gate to be a mere messenger eunuch.

The Chief Steward of the Grand Interior was in charge of all the eunuchs and palace maids in the entire palace, managing all internal affairs. From great matters like which concubine the emperor would favor for the night, the birth of a prince, and the life and death of palace staff, to small matters like firewood, rice, oil, and salt, the Chief Steward had a say. In the inner palace, his authority was second only to the empress, the crown prince, and other nobles.

In the imperial court, the prime minister was second to one and above ten thousand. In the inner palace, the same was true for the Chief Steward of the Grand Interior.

Yu Sihai’s heart pounded, his blood raced, and his face flushed red. In a voice trembling with excitement, he said, “This old slave will absolutely… absolutely not be that kind of… wicked person who oppresses the innocent. I will certainly live with a clear conscience and handle affairs according to the laws of the nation and the rules of the palace.”

Qin Haoxuan looked at the old eunuch’s excited state and smiled slightly, finding it somewhat interesting.

Before he started cultivating, to a common boy from the mountains like him, the county magistrate was as great as the heavens. He wouldn’t have even dared to offend one of the magistrate’s runners. But after cultivating, although his strength was low, he could come to the imperial city where the emperor lived and casually give pointers to an old eunuch he had taken a liking to. In an instant, he could make that eunuch soar from the very bottom to the very top. This feeling of commanding the world was truly wonderful.

‘Immortal and mortal, immortal and mortal, this is what it means!’

Something a mortal might strive for their entire life and never achieve, an immortal could decide with a single word on a whim.

“Let’s go. Accompany me to see that junior sister of mine who is the Imperial Preceptor,” Qin Haoxuan said to the old eunuch with a slight smile, taking the lead to walk into Qinghua Hall.

Xing trotted after him, a fawning smile on his face. “So being an emperor in the mortal world is this good. A single word can decide a person’s life or death, their glory or ruin! How about we make a deal? In the future, when you succeed in your cultivation, you can also set me up as an emperor in the mortal world. How about it?”

Qin Haoxuan laughed. “That won’t do!”

“Don’t worry, I won’t eat people!” Xing pounded his chest, vowing with a sincere expression. “And a kind-hearted demon like me will surely treat the common people well, not bully others with my power, and govern the country to be prosperous and peaceful.”

Qin Haoxuan gave Xing a surprised look, wondering where this fellow had learned such official jargon. He put on a thoughtful expression and then said, “To be an emperor in the mortal world, one must be learned. Let me test you. Do you know why men who enter the palace to serve the emperor must be castrated into eunuchs?”

“Yes, why is that?” the genius demon from the Netherworld revealed a confused expression. After all, there were no eunuchs in the Netherworld.

Qinghua Hall, according to the ancestral rules of the Soaring Dragon Nation, had always been the bedchamber of the abdicated emperor. Not even the current emperor was qualified to reside there. Yet now, it had become the residence of the Imperial Preceptor, Xu Yu.

Although there was some criticism in the court and among the public, no one dared to openly question it. Xu Yu might only be a young girl, but she was an immortal whom even an immortal sect like the Taichu Sect held in high regard.

Immortals were great powers who could fly through the heavens, burrow into the earth, move mountains, and fill seas. Let alone residing in the bedchamber of an abdicated emperor, even if she were to replace the emperor himself, no one would dare to utter a word.

Qinghua Hall was divided into a front hall, Fuliao Pavilion, and a rear hall, Yangxin Pavilion. Fuliao Pavilion was where the abdicated but still concerned-with-state-affairs emperor would summon his ministers for audiences and handle political matters. Although it was not the Emperor’s Hall where all officials gathered for court, its layout and decor had a unique flavor.

At this moment, Xu Yu was sitting upright in Fuliao Pavilion, her expression solemn, a vermilion brush in her hand. Before her was a large pile of memorials with yellow seals and white paper covered in black characters.

As Qin Haoxuan walked into Fuliao Pavilion, he saw from a distance Xu Yu sitting on the former emperor’s throne.

He hadn’t seen her in several months, and she had become even more beautiful.

She had coiled her long, black hair into a bun, secured with an exquisite talismanic hairpin. She wore a simple, well-fitting dress, her brows were slightly furrowed, and a hint of worry showed in her expression.

Beside her stood a young man in a light purple robe embroidered with a few ancient patterns. He had a gentle smile on his face, a handsome and elegant demeanor, and a refined temperament that naturally made one feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

At this moment, he was frequently leaning in slightly, whispering in the ear of Xu Yu, who was seated on the dragon throne.

Below Xu Yu’s throne, several palace maids were in attendance, and there were also eunuchs waiting at any moment for her to finish approving the memorials, so they could deliver them to the Three Departments and Six Ministries for implementation.

The entire Fuliao Pavilion was a hive of activity. Although Xu Yu had the power of an emperor, she did not indulge in the empty pageantry. As long as one passed the inspection of the Imperial Guard, one could enter and exit Fuliao Pavilion without being announced.

The eunuchs and palace maids moved about as quietly as possible, on tiptoe. Although Qin Haoxuan’s group of three attracted their attention when they entered, no one made a sound, for fear of disturbing the Imperial Preceptor Xu Yu, who was currently worrying over the common people of the world.

“Senior Brother Bai Zhanyue, there is a great drought in the Jiangbei province, yet the Hexi province is suffering from floods. Many people are starving to death every day, but the court’s current grain reserves are simply not enough. What do you think should be done?” Xu Yu’s hand, which held the vermilion brush, was a little pale. The memorials on her desk were all requests concerning the drought and floods.

Xu Yu felt that she was not holding a vermilion brush, but the lives of tens of thousands of disaster victims. A single, light stroke of her approval could let many people live or die. To her, this was not an honor, but a heavy responsibility.

Faced with such a heavy responsibility, and holding the lives of tens of thousands of common people in her hands, Xu Yu naturally would not act willfully. Although in her eyes mortals were just ants, this kind-hearted girl could not yet bring herself to watch them die. Her heart was much softer than that of the nobles and ministers who were also mortals.

Since she was undecided, she sought the advice of Senior Brother Bai Zhanyue beside her.

A year ago, Bai Zhanyue had broken through to the Fortieth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm and had received special permission from the Sect Master to leave the mountain for training, to comprehend the mortal heart and break through new shackles.

As it happened, the location he chose for his training was also in the Zixiao Imperial City, which coincided with Xu Yu’s team for entering the mortal world. The sect elder responsible for leading Xu Yu’s team was the junior sister of the Hundred Flowers Hall Master Su Baihua, Deputy Hall Master Ling Wanxing.

Ling Wanxing had a very good impression of Bai Zhanyue. Moreover, whether in terms of knowledge, scholarship, or strength and realm, Bai Zhanyue was far superior to Xu Yu’s Guiding Senior Sister, Luo Jinhua, in every aspect. Furthermore, his character was widely acknowledged as good, so Ling Wanxing felt at ease entrusting Xu Yu to him. Therefore, she had requested that Bai Zhanyue help Xu Yu complete her mortal world trial.

It was an already accepted fact, even by the Sect Master, that Xu Yu would join the Hundred Flowers Hall in the future. Even if the other Hall Masters were to intervene, they couldn’t take her. So, whether she was led by a disciple of the Hundred Flowers Hall or not was no longer important. What was most important now was how to make Xu Yu stronger!

With the support of Deputy Hall Master Ling Wanxing and the arrangements of Bai Zhanyue, the emperor appointed Xu Yu as the Imperial Preceptor, granting her authority even greater than his own to handle state affairs.

Bai Zhanyue believed that truly understanding the suffering of the common people and the myriad phenomena of the secular world was of great help to one’s Dao Heart.

Qin Haoxuan had also heard of the name Bai Zhanyue. He was a disciple of the Jade Bamboo Hall, at the Fortieth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm. However, Qin Haoxuan had never met him, because with his status and strength as a weak seed, he was not qualified to. Moreover, it was said that when he had broken through to the fortieth leaf a year ago, he had already left for training. He didn’t know how he had ended up with Xu Yu.

A year ago, Qin Haoxuan, who had just joined the Taichu Sect and had not yet entered the Aqueous Manor to complete the Trial of the Immortal Path, was just an insignificant figure. How could he have had the chance to meet Bai Zhanyue, who was at the Fortieth-Leaf Spirit Sprout Realm and, before the three Purple Seed disciples had appeared, even had a chance to compete for the throne of the Supreme Sect Master?

Faced with the question Xu Yu had raised, Bai Zhanyue frowned slightly. Like her, he wore a look of concern for the nation and its people. He whispered in her ear again, “I think we can purchase grain from the common people and levy grain and funds from the wealthy households in the Jiangnan granary region to solve this urgent crisis first.”

Xu Yu sighed softly. “But doing so will surely cause turmoil in Jiangnan. That is the nation’s granary. If there is any unrest, it will be detrimental to the country.”

“There are priorities in matters. Human lives are at stake. We should save the disaster victims first and make other plans later,” Bai Zhanyue said with a slight smile, a look of benevolence in his eyes. “As for the wealthy households in Jiangnan, as long as we give them some policy benefits, they will be all smiles.”

Xu Yu felt that made sense, and then her vermilion brush moved quickly across the memorial.

After she had finished, Qin Haoxuan gently knocked on the door of the main hall, creating a rhythmic, dull sound.

The eunuchs and palace maids, who had been treading carefully on tiptoe, trying not to make a sound, were terrified. They all looked at Qin Haoxuan’s group as if they were monsters. ‘Don’t they know that the one sitting up there reviewing memorials is the Imperial Preceptor, whose power is even greater than His Majesty the Emperor’s? Don’t they know that the Imperial Preceptor is an immortal?’

When the Imperial Preceptor was reviewing memorials, she disliked being disturbed by noise, as it affected her decisions.

Although this Imperial Preceptor was very kind and had never lost her temper, and was very amiable to them, she was, after all, an immortal. Who would dare to be so bold as to provoke an immortal’s bottom line? Especially an immortal as kind and respectable as her.

It could be said that although the palace maids and eunuchs who served Xu Yu feared her, they respected her even more—a respect that came from the depths of their hearts, because Xu Yu also respected them.

But these three people in front of them had actually knocked on the door, making noise and disturbing the Imperial Preceptor who was worrying over the livelihood of the common people. It was simply too detestable, so detestable that even the palace maids, who were as weak as chickens, wanted to beat him to death.

The sound of knocking rang out. Xu Yu, who had been worrying over the suffering of the people, finally noticed that there were a few more people in the hall.

While Xu Yu was reviewing the memorials, Qin Haoxuan had suppressed his excitement and remained silent. When he saw Bai Zhanyue lean close to her ear and whisper, a sour feeling rose in his heart. Although Bai Zhanyue was just being close to her and had made no intimate or inappropriate gestures, this was probably what jealousy felt like.

Qin Haoxuan did not speak, so Xing naturally remained silent, and the old eunuch, Yu Sihai, didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly.

It was only when his Junior Sister Xu Yu had finished with the memorial and showed a tired expression that Qin Haoxuan, who had endured his longing for several months, finally knocked.

Finally, after Xu Yu finished with this memorial, she looked up. The moment her gaze met Qin Haoxuan’s, she froze as if she had been struck by lightning, not moving an inch. At the same time, she remembered the reply Qin Haoxuan had sent her a month ago—that love letter—and her face instantly flushed red.

She was, after all, a young girl. Although Qin Haoxuan already had a shadow in her heart, for him to write such a mushy love letter was still very much out of her expectation. Being very thin-skinned, she didn’t know how to face him, so she just froze on the spot.

(End of Chapter)