The Spirit World

Chapter 566 Five major events many years ago

【Huadu】

The palace is surrounded by a honeycomb and guarded by the eighteen imperial guards.

【Small street】

As the largest empire in the spirit world, its streets are decorated in a magnificent manner, which is incomparable. However, this golden street is not allowed to pass through the common people. Only those who are allowed to enter can enter. This is the [Royal Way]. Behind a whole street of white walls and black tiles is the place where ordinary people in Huadu conduct transactions. The difference is like the clothes of people walking on the street. There is a fundamental difference, which is the [People's Way].

The permanent residents of Huadu are all royal families, but their numbers are very small. Most of them are merchants, practitioners, hunters, farmers and other people who have arrived in Huadu from afar.

The separated streets can be regarded as the link between the two worlds. On the dirty and messy ordinary streets, patrols of the Justice Department are marching. Among the mixed crowd, the most obvious difference between princes and nobles and the common people is their clothing.

Gold, silver, jade and other things are the difference between wealth and poverty.

People who practice Taoism and cultivation do not care about money, but they are dazzled by the wealth of things. Seeing others eat delicacies from land and sea and smelling the intoxicating fragrance, those who lack self-control will fall.

Almost all the young men and young ladies in Huadu know each other. There is no one among them who does not practice cultivation. Although they stay indoors all day long, they will get together during festivals. Today is the birthday party of the sixth young master in your family, and tomorrow the seventh young lady of another family will get married. These are days that they must attend.

Therefore, when the princes and nobles were tired, they sent their sons out to gain experience. Unfortunately, today was not an ordinary day. In the royal road, there was a man with elegant demeanor and graceful manners, wearing a crown and gorgeous clothes, waving a feather fan, with a heavy face.

This person's name is Xiao Qingshan, which means he walks in the green mountains forever.

Xiao Qingshan's face was heavy, and of course it made sense. Summoning a small judicial officer of the Justice Department on this ordinary day at an ordinary time meant a lot.

It’s just that there have been a lot of major events recently, and he doesn’t know how to guess what the emperor means.

The first major event was that a wealthy Xu family emerged in Longzhong City and gave profits to the local caravans, gaining great fame and status. This event was ranked first in importance because it was equivalent to monopolizing the private relations of the central trade route of the entire empire, which had a great impact on the overall jurisdiction and taxation of the trade route. The Wang family, one of the five major families, took charge of the trade route, and had a major conflict with it. In addition to fighting, they used all means to further ruin the reputation of the empire's caravans.

We should not be afraid of distant troubles, but we should be afraid of nearby worries. A thousand-mile dam can be breached by an ant hole. Internal conflicts are always the biggest. The five major families prosper together and suffer together. The reason why this matter is the most important is that the most important thing for the safety of the country is the supply of materials and food. A small problem with the caravan means that big problems will occur in other places, and there is no room for carelessness.

There are almost no people who don't need supplies. Even those who practice immortal cultivation are more fierce in their fight for rare treasures and the food supplements created by heaven and earth. Not to mention ordinary people, if they run out of food, they will die.

The second major event was that the Bai family in the south detected a huge noise under the ground of the Elf Kingdom. This was definitely not an ordinary earthquake, which meant that something big must be happening in the Elf Kingdom. From a strategic point of view and in terms of importance, the border defense in the south is almost the top priority.

The Empire took a fighting stance in the Battle of Tamokar, known as the Anthem of Tamokar, because the new peace treaty of Tamokar was still honest, so the army deployment, personnel losses, compensation and cession of territory were all seriously damaged. There was no ability to redeploy the army all at once. If the Elf Kingdom, which suffered the least losses and the greatest profits in the Battle of Tamokar, made any move, the actions here would become more critical. If the response was not timely, the entire empire would be seriously damaged at best, and at worst, the foundation would be shaken and the country would be unstable.

The third major event was that Ning Qing, the former young master of Bailing Mountain, violated a taboo by openly announcing the change of the organization of Wutong Division and commanding Wutong Division with the name of the Principality Army, intending to launch a local military coup. He had already been suppressed. As the only remaining elder of the Ning family, and a very powerful young talent, his treatment must be cautious. The current laws and regulations cannot be handled thoroughly and fairly, so if this is the case, letting him come here must make him the offender. He will have some reputation.

This is also very important, but only to myself. As a minister, I still have the awareness of being a chess piece. Therefore, it is only the third major event.

Then there was the fourth major event, which was immediately after the third event. First, Ning Ji, the head of the Ning family, disobeyed the imperial order and was banished to the far north. Then, Ning Qing, the successor of the Ning family, attempted to rebel and was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison to await punishment. Both the Ning family and the Wutong Division were leaderless. So choosing a successor was a difficult problem.

But the most important thing about this matter is that His Majesty must have his own ideas in mind, and I just need to follow his advice. It is not a big deal at all. It is impossible for me to recommend the talented people who are in charge of Bailing Mountain and Wutong Division.

The most important thing is that the emperor thinks that the person is capable, and it is easy for him to just go through the motions and recommend a few talented young people.

The reason why this "small matter" became a big deal was because I was a judicial officer in the Justice Department. What was my job? I was in charge of the law, not personnel. The younger people I met were all in charge of the law like me. I didn't really know many of them, I just heard about them.

Hearing about a person is the most unreliable thing. Even seeing a person with your own eyes can still be inaccurate. So it is almost impossible for the person you recommend to be in the emperor's favor. No matter how you recommend someone, you will suffer a loss. You are not afraid of incompetent juniors, but you are afraid of juniors with deep scheming. If something goes wrong, they will settle accounts with you, the recommender, later...

Actually, there is one more thing, I don’t know if it can be considered a big deal…

That is, on the eve of this ordinary day... a flying star flew to the heavily guarded imperial palace in the eyes of all the princes and nobles... This was originally a big deal, but that night, a lucky star fell from the sky, and the sky was full of stars. Purple stars surrounded the entire sky of the palace, and it was not until the sun came out this morning and blocked their brilliance that it ended...

If you want to talk about big things, then it's fine. If you want to talk about small things, then it's fine. Because His Majesty can't ask me to come because of a good omen. If he asks me to come, why? To drink? Just to ask me to drink...

What do you mean?
However, just when he was trying to figure it out and wanted to count with his fingers, he was blocked by someone.

When I looked closely, I saw a familiar face.

"Qingshan, long time no see, I hope you are well..."

"Mingqiu... why are you here... did His Majesty also call you?"

When Tan Mingqiu and Xiao Qingshan met, their faces lit up with excitement. When good friends met, they touched arms and hugged each other.

One was well-dressed, the other was a little domineering. Both were middle-aged, but both looked heroic.

"Not only you, but also me and Yaqi."

"Brother Yulin, Sister Yaqi..."

Two immortal-looking people were waiting nearby. Looking at the two men hugging, they couldn't help but laugh: "You two are still as close as ever. Decades have passed in a flash."

Senior Brother Yulin was dressed in white, with slightly frosted hair. When he stroked his hair with his right hand, an immortal aura flowed down from him. He looked fragile, but in fact, no one dared to get close to him for fear of being contaminated by the world.

Senior sister Yaqi has white hair and a youthful face, with a whisk hanging on the wall, she looks so otherworldly.

"Thirty-six years." Senior Sister Yaqi nodded, then looked at their fellow apprentices, squinting her eyes and smiling even more happily: "Qingshan, have you ever married since you entered the secular world? I heard that among the disciples who entered the secular world that year, you are the only one who is still single."

"Senior Sister Yaqi, you are joking. I was born alone and don't need to worry about others." "Where is Mingqiu?"

"Mingqiu has gone to Bailing Mountain to practice."

Xiao Qingshan glanced at Tan Mingqiu, and Tan Mingqiu looked at him in confusion.

Senior Brother Yulin sighed and said, "The reason why His Majesty came to Bailing Mountain is clear. But your coming here has nothing to do with Bailing Mountain. Is there something serious happening in the empire?"

"If we really want to say it, the empire is in a dilemma right now." Mingqiu answered Senior Brother Yulin. Senior Brother Yulin and Senior Sister Yaqi were a little suspicious: "How can you say that? The two of us have been too far away from the secular world. We were surprised and suspicious when we heard the secret decree."

"I know that something needs the presence of the [Guardian]. It must be a big matter. Your brother and I would like to hear the details so that we can meet His Majesty and come up with a plan." Senior Sister Yaqi frowned and waved her whisk. A small barrier surrounded the four of them.

This barrier can block the sound from inside. Even if thousands of masters in Huadu want to listen, they cannot.

It was like some kind of guardian's habit; once something important was mentioned, there was almost no possibility of anyone else hearing it.

It can be said that this kind of silent barrier is released at the slightest disagreement.

Tan Mingqiu signaled to Xiao Qingshan, who was smart, and Xiao Qingshan's face fell from the joy of the reunion. He looked at the Jingyan barrier and said in front of his senior brothers and sisters, almost earnestly: "At first, when the emperor came to me, I also calculated the reasons for several things, but when I saw you, I felt that I had figured it out."

He couldn't wave the feather fan in front of his senior, so he turned his hand and held it behind his back, took a deep breath and said: "The cause of the matter may have to start from the last time the emperor invited me to discuss the Tamoka issue."

"Oh? Tamaka?" Tan Mingqiu seemed shocked as well, not knowing what this matter was related to or where it started.

"Yes, that day His Majesty was wondering whether to hand over the military power of the attack on Tamoka to General Li. After all, General Li has been on the border for many years and is a veteran in battle. Tamoka is strategically located and is a military stronghold. Gaining or losing it is an important watershed."

"I heard something about the New Testament." Senior Brother Yulin and Senior Sister Yaqi looked at each other.

"Your Majesty is not a hesitant person, so there is no need to ask me." Xiao Qingshan seemed to blame himself and was reluctant to continue.

"But he still asked for my opinion. After drinking in the small building that day, I thought about a very important thing, that is, although General Li could win, it is easy to attack a city but difficult to defend it. Tamoka is a place that must be fought for by military strategists. Whoever is there must be a guilty person. After all, there was a lesson learned last time. So I proposed the idea of ​​fighting for strategy instead of territory, and let General Li keep his troops stationed to guard the southeast border to prevent surprise attacks from the Principality and the Elf Kingdom."

"What does this have to do with our gathering today?" Senior Sister Yaqi seemed to know, but still wanted to hear what Qingshan had to say: "Junior Brother Qingshan's strategy is first-rate in the empire. He can observe the stars and predict fate. We only fight for strategy, not territory. What's wrong with that?"

"Although I said so, there was a problem with the person sent by Your Majesty." Qingshan was deep, which was also the norm today.

"Lord Bai Ling? Ning Ji? How could he concentrate on leading the troops when his wife is pregnant for ten months?" Tan Mingqiu was also full of doubts.

"No, the problem is not him. He did a good job. The signing of the new treaty is also his contribution, which is indelible. The problem is that among the people gathered in Tamoka, a shadow hunter appeared and disrupted the situation. The results of the new treaty were almost destroyed. Soon they had another round of fighting."

"What do you mean?"

"After the battle, Ning Ji discovered that General Li had already set out on a surprise attack on the border of the Principality in accordance with the Emperor's order... He wanted to truly achieve peace, so he was caught in the middle and was in a dilemma. Therefore, he used the highest power of the Wutong Division to intercept General Li's team halfway, and an unprecedented internal military struggle took place."

"After all that talk, the new treaty was still signed. If it were me, I would definitely agree with General Li's deployment. It would be best for us not to sign the new treaty. If the surprise attack succeeds, today will definitely not be the same as before." Tan Mingqiu touched his chin.

"The empire has been badly wounded." Senior Brother Yulin nodded: "We don't get involved in the secular world, but now I understand why His Majesty wants us to come."

"Yes." Xiao Qingshan nodded: "What His Majesty is most afraid of right now should be that you will encounter problems. If the guardian is in trouble, it means that the location of the Demon Sealing Well has been detected by the enemy. When the empire is recuperating, such a thing must not be allowed to happen. The arrival of Senior Brother and Senior Sister should be to let you move the Demon Sealing Well for a short period of time until His Majesty thinks everything is fine."

"Qingshan, your opinion is great. I think the same as you." Senior Sister Yaqi swept the whisk and threw it over her shoulder. The barrier disappeared instantly. "You and Mingqiu are secular people. You must be careful when speaking. I am not worried about Qingshan, but I am afraid of Mingqiu."

"Don't worry, senior sister." Tan Mingqiu nodded and bowed.

"Let's go together to see the emperor." Senior Brother Yulin raised one hand and motioned for the three to go first. The three nodded and walked slowly.

"The two young masters are indeed lacking in temper. Even in the secular world, they should not act on impulse." Xiao Qingshan was a little worried: "Now that Bai Lingshan is in this state, he must be worried."

"They are both still little kids. They don't know much. We still have to plead for them. Let them get rid of their suffering as soon as possible." Tan Mingqiu also sighed.

"It's hard for Yinglan and her son."

"yes……"

"Yinglan gave birth to a child?"

All the seniors were shocked.

"Yes. The boy is named Yufeng."

"That Yu? That Feng?"

"Bird Feathers"

"Yumaki Maple."

(End of this chapter)