The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Chapter 1032 Going to Coal Hill to Undergo Tribulation

"Perfect?" Pan Yun asked. "Is it your former master's cultivation technique?"

[Not bad, his ascension technique!]

Pan Yun stared at that world and asked, "When can I go in?"

Pan Xiaohei: [That's where souls find peace; you wouldn't want to go in.]

Pan Yun: [Can you only get in if you're dead?]

Pan Xiaohei: [Don't you feel pain from talking so much nonsense to me?]

[It hurts! I'm dying from the pain!]

But if she didn't ask more questions now, she was afraid that it would keep silent again if she asked later.

Pan Yun exhaled and tried to regulate her breathing and circulate her internal energy to alleviate the pain of her body being filled with Yuan energy.

She couldn't undergo her tribulation in the palace, so she had to find another place. It was too late to rush back to Sanqing Mountain, so she had to find a place outside.

She hadn't expected to break through to the second level of Marquis so quickly. She hadn't been in the capital much in the past two years, so she hadn't looked for a suitable place to break through in the vicinity.

As she was weighing the surrounding mountains and the open space, a powerful aura suddenly appeared from the sky.

Pan Yun stared intently outwards.

Zhang Zijin suddenly appeared at the Imperial Observatory. The officials of the Imperial Observatory were surrounding Pan Yun's courtyard and dared not approach, but only watched from a distance.

When Zhang Zijin arrived, everyone stood up straight, lowered their heads, and dared not look at him for long.

Zhang Zijin frowned and asked, "You want to undergo tribulation in the palace?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it could be clearly heard even through a door.

Pan Yun's voice rang out: "I'm not stupid, and the Ming Dynasty isn't just burning money. If a bolt of lightning strikes, this whole palace complex will be gone."

Zhang Zijin's expression softened. He looked up at the sky and said, "I'll give you half an hour."

The next moment, the door burst open, and Pan Yun stepped out, smiling as she asked, "Senior, if I were to unwittingly undergo tribulation in the palace, what would you do?"

I'll throw you out.

Pan Yun: "Where do you want to throw it?"

Zhang Zijin raised an eyebrow: "Is this a place you weren't prepared to undergo tribulation in?"

Pan Yun smiled but remained silent.

Zhang Zijin looked at her face and said after a moment, "Although you are blessed with merit, your forehead is dark. You are too close and may affect the palace. You should stay away."

Pan Yun lowered his eyes in thought, and after a moment nodded and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to return for a while. I would appreciate it if you could take care of my three nephews."

Zhang Zijin: "I am a person outside the world, and I do not concern myself with worldly affairs."

Pan Yun: "I promised Senior Brother Zhang that if he dies in the future, I will keep his chosen successor by my side for ten years."

Zhang Zijin pursed his lips and remained silent.

The Zhang family is indeed a bargaining chip that can influence him.

Zhang Zijin did not refuse again.

He looked outside the palace walls and said calmly, "They're almost here."

It was Miaozhen and the other two.

When the heavens showed signs of change, Miaozhen was in the Ministry of Works, and Miaohe and Tao Yanbai were in the Imperial Hospital. All three were studying or working diligently when suddenly they felt a premonition and went outside to look up at the sky.

To the average person, the sky at this time is no different from usual, except that the white clouds seem to have a few more colors under the sunlight.

It was indistinct and unclear.

But in the eyes of Miaohe and the other cultivators, it was a dazzling golden light of merit, like a golden ribbon surging from all directions and pouring down toward the Imperial Observatory.

This is nothing unusual; Junior Uncle has accumulated a lot of merit during this period.

Because of the development of telegraph machines and the newspaper industry, the news of the pilot program to improve the treatment of artisans spread throughout the Ming Dynasty in less than a month, and people from all walks of life worshipped their junior master as if he were their ancestor.

This benefited the artisans, and since they were sincerely worshipping, they naturally received much merit. But soon, they sensed a different atmosphere in the air, as well as a subtle sense of oppression.

This situation seems familiar.

The three of them felt a sudden jolt, and simultaneously thought of the scene when their junior uncle broke through to the first Marquis level.

Without a second thought, the three of them took off running towards the Imperial Observatory.

On that day, the people of the imperial city and palace saw that the three grand-nephews of the Grand Preceptor dared to run around in the palace.

This is outrageous! This violates the rules of the palace.

The three of them didn't care about anything else and used their lightness skills to run wildly through the palace. When they got back to the Imperial Observatory, they almost lost their breath.

Upon entering, seeing Pan Yun standing safely, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief and leaned against the door frame to catch their breath.

Pan Yun looked at the three of them and said, "Running around in the palace, you will be punished with a month of confinement."

Miaozhen said, "Junior Martial Uncle, shall we protect you?"

Pan Yun said, "You all stay in the Imperial Observatory and don't distract me."

Miaozhen: "If we always hide away, losing our spirit and vigor, will we still have the courage to pursue immortality?"

Pan Yun was stunned.

Zhang Zijin said with a smile, "Her skill level is not as good as yours, but her state of mind is better."

Pan Yun laughed and nodded, saying, "I was being too cautious."

"Alright, you can decide for yourselves, but you must not come when I undergo my tribulation. This tribulation is far more severe than the last one. Your cultivation is insufficient, and you will only be turned to ashes if you come."

As they were talking, Xue Shao came running up, panting, carrying his robe.

He braced himself against the doorframe and pointed to the north of the palace, saying, "Coal Hill, let's go to Coal Hill to undergo our tribulation!"

"Absolutely not!" Zhang Zijin objected first, his anger barely concealed. "Coal Hill is extremely close to the palace. Aren't you afraid of implicating the palace?"

Xue Shao stared intently at Pan Jun and said, "The palace is protected by a formation and the dragon's aura. You are undergoing your tribulation on the north side, so it will not affect the palace. I am willing to guarantee it with my official hat."

Zhang Zijin sneered: "You, a mere fourth-rank censor, can guarantee the safety of the palace?"

He glanced at Pan Yun and said, "Pan Yun, my duty is to protect the palace and the emperor under the new laws. Don't force me to throw you out of the capital."

Despite the excruciating pain within her body, Pan Yun smiled and said, "I know, I will stay far away from the capital and undergo my tribulation outside the city."

Xue Shao blocked her way and said in a deep voice, "Pan Yun, you all say that I am naturally suited for cultivation and have a natural Dao body. Then you should believe me. Your tribulation at Coal Hill will not only benefit yourself but also the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Zijin frowned, looking at Xue Shao with surprise and uncertainty.

Xue Shao said, “Coal Hill, also known as Zhenshan, means ‘to suppress the previous dynasty and awe the four directions.’ There is no greater power in the world than thunder and lightning. As long as you undergo tribulation on Coal Hill and use the power of thunder and lightning to cleanse evil spirits, you can ensure a hundred years of peace and prosperity for our Great Ming. Even if not for yourself, what about for the Great Ming?”

Just as Zhang Zijin was about to object, a surprised voice rang out: "Imperial Preceptor, is what Minister Xue said true?"

The emperor dismounted from his imperial carriage, and the minister who had jogged alongside him, panting heavily and leaning on his knees, looked at the three people standing in the courtyard with equally surprised and suspicious expressions.

Yu Qian and the others quickly shifted their gaze from Pan Yun and Xue Shao to Zhang Zijin.

His eyes held an undisguised curiosity.

An ancestor of the Zhang family, who had been in the palace since the time of Emperor Taizu Gao, was stationed there, yet few people had ever seen him.

They had always assumed the other person was an elderly man with white hair, but to their surprise, he turned out to be a handsome middle-aged man with refined manners.

They look even younger than them.

The ministers all looked at Zhang Zijin and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Xue is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He should consult with someone in the sect about matters of cultivation. Since Mr. Zhang is here, why not ask him if the Imperial Preceptor's tribulation at Coal Hill is truly beneficial to the Ming Dynasty?"

Xue Shao immediately looked intently at Zhang Zijin and said, "Our Great Ming Dynasty is ill-fated. The further back in history it goes, the worse the times will become. The Zhang family and Lord Kuai participated in the construction of the Forbidden City back then. We know very well how the Coal Hill directly north of the palace came about."

The so-called Coal Hill is actually a mountain to suppress evil spirits; it was intentionally built up by Kuai Xiang and the Zhang family.

　My cold is really bad, so I've only had one chapter these past two days. I'll try my best to get better tomorrow.

　　(End of this chapter)