King Liang said, "Does Your Majesty not find it strange that His Majesty holds Xu Xian in such high regard? Not only did His Majesty not care about his rebuke in the palace hall, he even appointed him the third flower rank and bestowed the title of Immortal Poet upon him.
Afterwards, Xu Xian broke the rules of etiquette and promoted a brothel woman to a wife of equal status. Moreover, this brothel woman was a criminal, and all the officials in the court accused her of this, but His Majesty did not punish her. "
"This is indeed strange."
The empress was well aware of Emperor Jiayu's character. He would never indulge someone so much out of love for talent.
"This old subject has sent people to investigate, and some news finally arrived a few days ago. That evil daoist visited Qiantang County when Xu Xian was still a child, and recognized Xu Xian ever since."
"Are you saying?" The empress was surprised.
King Liang said, "This old subject believes that their relationship is that of master and disciple, which is why His Majesty favors them so much. Sending him to guard the pills is likely the evil daoist's idea as well."
"Even if that is the case, Xu Xian is but a mere Hanlin. How much of a storm can he possibly stir up?"
"Xu Xian's official rank is not high, but Your Majesty, don't forget that Xu Xian has a close relationship with King Pan's faction. He even stays in King Pan's manor when he comes to the capital.
If he serves as a link between the two, he can overturn the entire world. Your Majesty, you must be careful!
King Pan has been acting strangely recently, gathering his military power and accumulating money. He seems to be planning to rebel. "
King Liang made use of the empress' hatred for the Enlightened Master of the Great Yin to win his favor. In the end, he even linked Xu Xian to the evil daoist.
Even though these words were meant to frame the empress, they also managed to get a rough idea of what was going on.
He even used King Pan's recent preparations as the best evidence.
Even though King Pan might not be plotting a rebellion, his preparations for chaos were clearly not just about protecting the emperor.
The empress had no choice but to believe him. She frowned and said, "What do you want me to do?"
"This old subject is only speaking of my speculations to Your Ladyship. As for what Your Ladyship intends to do, this old subject does not dare to speak out of turn."
King Liang said cleverly. He believed that this would be enough to motivate the empress to deal with Xu Xian and the Pan clan.
The Empress might seem powerless against the Emperor and the Yao Taoists, but if anyone thought that she was truly powerless, then that was a big mistake.
With the power of his relatives, he could deal with any of the courtiers with a flip of his hand.
The Empress said, "You may leave."
"This old official will take his leave."
The Empress held her forehead and massaged the acupoints on both sides.
Someone walked out from behind the screen as soon as King Liang left. "Big sis, I don't think there's any need for you to be so worried. If His Majesty loves to cultivate, then just let him. There's no need for you to anger him.
We just need to be on guard against King Liang and King Pan. Speaking of which, I didn't expect King Pan to be so scheming. If that's the case, then Rou Jia's engagement … "
This person held a folding fan in his hand and was dressed in a brocade robe. His face was fair and beardless, and his face was somewhat similar to that of the Empress.
This was the owner of Hibiscus Garden, the current imperial uncle.
The Empress interrupted him. "There's no need for you to get involved in this matter. How are things going with the third prince?"
The imperial uncle smiled. "That little bastard is infatuated with Chang Xi and can't help himself. He wants to redeem her freedom, so much so that he can't even be bothered with proper matters.
If the time is right, it wouldn't be a bad idea to let the crown prince ascend the throne ahead of time. "
The main goal of these relatives was naturally to help the crown prince ascend the throne so that their family's power could continue. Only then would his position as the imperial uncle be as stable as Mount Tai.
The Empress shouted sternly, "Don't speak nonsense!"
"I was just speaking casually. Big sis, there's no need for you to get angry." The imperial uncle was also quite afraid of this big sis.
The Empress said, "Go back and tell the third prince that as long as he marries Chang Xi properly and makes her his wife, he will redeem her freedom.
Do you think he'll agree? "
The imperial uncle was stunned. "This?" He only wanted to use Chang Xi to control the third prince, so he would never allow the third prince to redeem Chang Xi.
However, if the Empress really did as she said and the third prince risked universal condemnation by marrying a brothel girl as his wife, his future and reputation would be ruined. Even the little power he had would fall apart, and he would no longer be a threat to the crown prince.
He clapped his hands and laughed. "He will definitely agree. Big sis is truly wise. I'll go and handle this matter right now."
The Empress said, "And tell him that the date must be nine days later."
The imperial uncle was shocked. "Isn't that His Majesty's birthday? Big sis, there's no need to go that far. If we really anger the emperor, we'll only invite trouble for ourselves."
"Go. I'm here. What are you afraid of?"
When the Imperial Uncle heard this, he didn't say anything else and immediately left.
He left the Empress alone to ponder. King Pan was hindered by King Liang, so he wouldn't be able to do much. As long as the threat of the third prince was completely eliminated, there was nothing to be afraid of, no matter what happened.
However, what she pursued was not just power and position.
"Zhou Bingcheng, your son is going to marry a brothel girl as his wife on your birthday. Will you be able to meditate in seclusion in peace?"
…
The news of the third prince divorcing his wife quickly spread throughout the capital.
No matter who heard it, they couldn't help but click their tongues in wonder.
Some people said that the third prince was really affectionate.
Some people retorted that if he was really affectionate, why would he divorce his wife?
However, it was far more explosive than the gossip about Xu Xian. Although Xu Xian was quite famous, he was still just a Hanlin Academy. Coupled with his reputation as a romantic scholar, even if he did something out of line, it would still be acceptable.
However, the third prince was a member of the royal family. His words and actions had their own rules. How could people not be dumbfounded when he actually did such a thing?
In the Baiyun Temple, Hu Xinyue said casually, "I'm going to get married. Congratulate me."
Xu Xian shook his head. "I'll mourn for that person."
Both of them had their own thoughts.
The third prince's residence was in a mess. Cries and shouts came one after another. Those who didn't know would think that someone had died. However, they were all people who came to persuade the third prince to take back his order.
However, the third prince turned a deaf ear to them. No matter how much they cried, threw a tantrum, or even threatened to hang themselves, he refused to relent.
When he officially announced the date of the wedding, there was a moment of silence in the hall. Everyone thought that he was crazy to do such a thing on His Majesty's birthday.
Some people immediately stopped trying to persuade him and left.
In the blink of an eye, nine days passed. The palace was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the third prince's residence was the same.
These days, everyone was waiting for Emperor Jiayu's decree. However, Emperor Jiayu stopped the morning court session and hid in the depths of the palace. There was no response at all.
No matter how many officials asked to see him, he just ignored them.
Eight sedan chairs were carried to the bottom of the Purple Cloud Tower. Firecrackers were set off. Gongs and drums shook the sky.
When Chang Xi walked down the stairs, wearing a phoenix coronet and a red cape, exclamations came one after another. It was like a landslide or tsunami.
The time to witness a miracle had arrived. Everyone was waiting with bated breath, waiting to see how this show would end.
In the palace, the birthday banquet for the officials had just begun. The officials all had different expressions. Their mood was no different from that of the common people outside the imperial city. It was just that it involved more changes in power.
It was almost noon. The banquet was about to begin, but Emperor Jiayu still hadn't arrived.
On the other side, eight sedan chairs had been carried to the door of the third prince's residence. The curtain was lifted. Hu Xinyue, who was disguised as Chang Xi, walked out. She slightly tilted her head and looked to the west. Then, surrounded by people, she entered the residence.
"That guy should stay there to guard the pills."
In the Baiyun Temple, Xu Xian sat beside the cauldron. He looked at Hu Xinyue, who was sitting with her eyes closed. Her primordial spirit was out of her body.
Then, he smiled faintly and took out something from the jade token. It was the body of Ao Hao, the Golden Dragon Kang.
He put his hand on Ao Hao's face, but when he took his hand away, he had already changed his face. With his power, he could easily do that.
However, the true dragon power released from Ao Hao's body was still a bit eye-catching. If someone found out who he really was, it would be a big trouble.
Xu Xian thought for a while, then bit his finger and pointed at the spot between the dragon's eyebrows. His blood gradually seeped into the dragon's body.
He had been cultivating the dragon-kind's secret magic for a long time, and his body was even stronger than ordinary dragons. Therefore, he could suppress Ao Hao's power with his own power.
Even Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, wouldn't be able to recognize Ao Hao if he saw him.
Xu Xian chuckled. 'This is good enough.'
During the banquet in the royal palace, when the group of ministers grew impatient, Emperor Jiayu finally showed up. The group of ministers burst into an uproar immediately. Emperor Jiayu was wearing a Daoist robe, standing together with the Taiyin Priest, as if they were brothers.
Before, those ministers were still thinking about the third prince, but at this moment, they were all disrupted by this scene. An elderly minister stepped up with tears in his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, you can't do this, Your Majesty."
The Empress popped out her eyes, looking at Emperor Jiayu as if she didn't know him. Apparently, his determination was far beyond her expectation.
With this kind of attitude, it was obvious that he would not be angered by one of his many sons.
"Greetings, Your Majesty." The Taiyin Priest bowed and saluted.
The Empress stared at him and squeezed a sentence out of her teeth. "Evil Taoist!"
The Taiyin Priest smiled. The other ministers took their seats.
"Today, so many wise men are here. I am so happy …" Emperor Jiayu opened his mouth and prepared to say something as usual.
The Empress interrupted, "Your Majesty, today, not many wise men are here. His Highness the third prince is not here."
As soon as she said this, the ministers thought, "He's here." Their gazes all focused on Emperor Jiayu. They wanted to see how Emperor Jiayu would deal with this matter.
"Oh, why is that?" Emperor Jiayu asked despite knowing the answer.
The Empress said, "His Highness the third prince is currently holding a banquet in his residence. He is going to marry a brothel girl as his wife. The wife you appointed has already been divorced."
The Taiyin Priest smiled and said, "Your Highness does not need to worry. This kind of thing that goes against humanity will definitely not happen."
Emperor Jiayu nodded and said, "You are right." He actually brushed this matter aside.
The Empress was furious, but there was nothing she could do.
But at this moment, a loud and clear voice suddenly sounded. "Since the Taiyin Priest knows that things that go against humanity will not happen, why are you still so stubborn?" The voice shook the entire hall.
Fahai wore the Five Buddha Dharma Crown on his head and an embroidered kasaya on his body. He held a monk staff and a golden alms bowl in his hand and walked into the hall with a majestic gait. None of the Jin Wu Guards guarding the hall dared to stop him.