I am a fairy in Journey to the West

On this day, Ping Shui Zhen Wang and Huo Fu Sheng Dao Jun arrived at Nan Yue and first paid their respects to the Great Emperor of Nan Yue.

When the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain heard that these two were actually Great Enlightened Golden Immortals who had descended from the Five Elements, he immediately held a celestial banquet in his palace to entertain them.

During the banquet, the True King of Pingshui asked the Great Emperor of Nanyue for advice on governing the world and educating all living beings. The Great Emperor of Nanyue, who had just drunk several cups of immortal wine, immediately became interested.

He recounted his glorious history to Ping Shui Zhen Wang and Huo Fu Sheng, starting from assisting the Jade Emperor in ancient times and continuing all the way to the "Five Emperors ruling separately".

"And then what happened?" King Pingshui listened intently, his admiration for the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain growing even stronger. "You said the division of the country into five kingdoms happened nearly a thousand years ago, but what about the past thousand years?"

Upon hearing this, the old face of the Great Emperor of Nanyue immediately fell. He had been boasting to True King Pingshui and Daoist Lord Huofusheng for half an hour, during which he had inevitably drunk a lot of wine.

Now that the alcohol was taking effect, the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain was starting to lose control of his tongue. "Later? Later, the Heavenly Court established the Jade Palace of the Mortal Realm and took away all our power."

"Ah? The Jade Palace of the Mortal Realm, isn't that the Jade Palace under the jurisdiction of the Divine Firmament Emperor?" asked True King Ping Shui.

The Great Emperor of the Southern Peak put down his wine cup, wiped the wine from his mouth, and said with a face full of resentment, "That's right, it's the Great Emperor of the Divine Firmament. He's a heartless man! You don't know, he's tyrannical and often oppresses us. The Five Peaks Imperial Palace is already filled with resentment."

When the Great Emperor of Mount Heng was halfway through his speech, Ye Meicang, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and Ling Feiling, the Grand Commandant, were already terrified.

The two quickly got up and went forward. Ye Meicang quickly pulled the Emperor of Nanyue and said, "Your Majesty, it is getting late. It is time to return to the palace to rest."

"What? Back to the palace?" The Great Emperor of Nanyue shoved Ye Meicang aside and said, "We have distinguished guests here today. I should drink with these two distinguished guests until we are drunk. Why go back to the palace?"

Then, the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain said, "Where was I? Oh, that guy surnamed Zhuang?"

Ling Feiling quickly picked up a cup of wine and offered it to Your Majesty, saying, "Your Majesty, I offer you a cup of wine."

The Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain glanced at Ling Feiling with displeasure, but did not refuse. Instead, he picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Taking advantage of this moment, Ye Meicang quickly stepped down and said to Ping Shui Zhen Wang and Huo Fu Sheng Dao Jun, "Please forgive His Majesty, Your Excellencies. He is drunk. You two have come a long way and have had a long journey. My Nan Yue Imperial Palace has arranged the Yun Fang Jing She for you to rest."

Ping Shui Zhen Wang and Huo Fu Sheng Dao Jun dared not listen any longer. The Divine Firmament Emperor was a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how dare the Southern Mountain Emperor slander a Great Luo?
So as soon as Ye Meicang said this, the two immediately stood up and said, "We are indeed a little tired."

With that, the two stepped forward and bowed to the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain, saying, "Your Majesty, we are both unable to hold our liquor, so please take your leave."

Before the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain could reply, Ye Meicang quickly summoned a divine general and asked him to lead the two to the hermitage to rest.

Only then did the Great Emperor of Nanyue say, "Where are you going? Don't go yet, I haven't finished speaking."

"Your Majesty, let's stop here for now and talk about it tomorrow." Ling Feiling stepped forward to support the Great Emperor of Nanyue and said, "Your Majesty should go back and rest first."

The Great Emperor of Nanyue shoved Ling Feiling away, "I'm not going back, I want to drink more."

Seeing this, Ye Meicang also stepped forward and gave Ling Feiling a wink. The two of them immediately helped the Great Emperor of Nanyue to the harem, one on each side.

The female immortals had already reported everything that had just happened to Empress Jingming.

So when the two arrived outside the palace, Empress Jingming was already there with a group of female immortals waiting for them.

The Great Emperor of Nanyue, who was still making a ruckus, immediately smiled and said when he saw Empress Jingming, "Empress? What are you doing here waiting for me?"

Empress Jingming frowned upon smelling the strong smell of alcohol on the Great Emperor of Nanyue. She first had the female immortals help him up, and then said to Ye Meicang and Ling Feiling, "My two beloved ministers have worked hard. Please go back and rest."

Ye Meicang and Ling Feiling bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty." Then the two took their leave.

Supported by the fairies, the Great Emperor of Mount Heng continued to complain, "Where did I say something wrong? And they won't let me say it. That man surnamed Zhuang is always so domineering."

Upon hearing this, Empress Jingming turned to look at Emperor Nanyue and said, "Do you really want to die?"

The Great Emperor of the Southern Peak glared, "What are you saying? I am the Heavenly Emperor, who dares to kill me?!"

Empress Jingming said, "You've only been out of bed for a few days? Are you itching for a fight again?"

"You shrew!" the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain roared, "How dare you speak to me like that? Go and bring me some hangover soup!"

Empress Jingming angrily said, "You call me a shrew? Fine, fine, if you want some hangover soup, go get it yourself. This shrew doesn't serve anyone."

"You!! How dare you be so rude!" The Great Emperor of Nanyue flung aside the fairy beside him, stepped forward, and grabbed Empress Jingming's arm.

Empress Jingming immediately broke free, but Emperor Nanyue pushed her against the palace wall, then pressed her down and roared, "If you don't serve me, plenty of others will! I'll take a concubine tomorrow!"

Empress Jingming was already in pain from being pushed against the wall by the Emperor of Nanyue, and now the Emperor of Nanyue was yelling at her to take a concubine. She was stunned and stood there for a moment.

Seeing that Empress Jingming remained silent, Emperor Nanyue snorted coldly and, fueled by alcohol, stumbled into the palace.

The female immortals who had been left behind got up from the ground, only to see that the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain had left and Empress Jingming was standing there weeping. So they quickly came up to comfort Empress Jingming.

Empress Jingming's mood had just improved somewhat after being comforted by these close fairy maids when a female official ran out carrying an imperial edict.

The female official bumped into Empress Jingming and immediately bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Empress Jingming naturally recognized the female official as the secretary of the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain, so she asked, "Where are you going to deliver the imperial decree?"

The female official's face turned pale, and she quickly bowed to Empress Jingming, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. His Majesty, for some reason, suddenly issued an edict to take a concubine."

Upon hearing this, Empress Jingming's face contorted with rage. Ignoring the female official, she stormed into the inner palace and headed straight for the Hall of Imperial Writings of the Southern Mountain Emperor.

When the female official saw the Empress storming into the inner palace, she dared not delay and hurriedly took the imperial edict to the Minister's residence.

Just as Minister Ye Meicang returned to his residence and was about to rest in the backyard, someone came to report that the Secretary of the Imperial Secretariat had come to deliver an imperial edict.

Ye Meicang was full of doubt, wondering what decree the Great Emperor of Nanyue was issuing at this time, but she still came to the front hall of the Ministry of Personnel as soon as possible.

When the secretary handed the imperial edict to Ye Meicang, Ye Meicang was stunned after reading it. "His Majesty wants to take a concubine? Tomorrow?"

The secretary looked grave and said, "It seems His Majesty had a falling out with the Empress. When I came out to deliver the decree, there were still tear stains on the Empress's face. Moreover, after learning the contents of the decree, the Empress stormed into the inner palace."

Ye Meicang stared in disbelief, and after a long while, she finally said, "What...what should we do?"

The secretary also asked, "Does the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat have a solution?"

"His Majesty and the Empress are at odds. What can I, a mere subject, do?" Ye Meicang looked at the decree in his hand regarding the consort's appointment and felt it was burning hot.

This decree was written in the hand of the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain and was also stamped with the Great Emperor's seal. Moreover, as a ruler of a region, it is perfectly normal for him to take concubines, and it is permitted by the Heavenly Laws.

The problem is that the empress might object, and if the emperor acts according to the decree, he will inevitably offend the empress, which will further deepen the conflict between the emperor and the empress.

However, if one does not act in accordance with the decree, that is to disobey the decree, and if one disobeys the decree, then one has indeed violated the heavenly law.

"What should I do?" Ye Meicang was in a real bind. He was caught in the middle, and it wasn't right for him to stand on either side.

Secretary Lang also frowned. She looked at Ye Meicang pacing back and forth and said slowly, "His Majesty seems to have drunk a lot of wine." Upon hearing this, Ye Meicang immediately came to his senses, "Yes, he drank. His Majesty must be drunk."

Ye Meicang immediately came up with a solution: "Suppress the decree for now, and His Majesty will surely rescind it after he sobers up tomorrow."

At this point, Ye Meicang turned to his secretary and said, "Go back to the inner palace immediately and prepare plenty of hangover soup. Make sure His Majesty drinks as much hangover soup as possible!"

Upon hearing this, the secretary quickly cupped his hands and smiled, "Your Excellency has a way. I'll head back now."

After saying this, the secretary immediately took his leave of Ye Meicang and turned to leave. After the secretary left, Ye Meicang called over a general and said, "Quickly go and invite Grand Commandant Ling over. Tell him I have important matters to discuss with him."

Ye Meicang and Ling Feiling didn't go home all night; they stayed at the Minister's residence.

It wasn't until dawn the next day that the two received a message from the secretary in the inner palace: the Great Emperor of Nanyue and Empress Jingming had been arguing all night without stopping.

Moreover, after a night of arguing, the Emperor of Nanyue was completely determined to take a concubine, and he would not change his mind even after waking up.

Ye Meicang and Ling Feiling stared at each other, completely at a loss for what to do.

Just then, the secretary arrived at the Minister's residence again. Ye Meicang and Ling Feiling immediately stood up and asked, "How is it?"

The secretary sighed and said, "Minister, His Majesty has instructed me to convey another imperial edict, saying that he will see the new concubine tonight."

Upon hearing this, Ye Meicang was immediately helpless and could only say to Ling Feiling, "It seems that we have no choice but to obey the decree."

Ling Feiling was also helpless, but since the Great Emperor of Nanyue had made up his mind, they naturally had to obey. "Whose daughter is she?"

The selection of concubines was definitely not done by randomly grabbing someone from the street and sending them into the harem. Rather, it was based on fate, or the "Book of the Matchmaker".

Ye Meicang immediately flipped through the Book of Matchmakers and finally designated a person, saying, "This woman is destined to be with His Majesty."

Ling Feiling stepped forward and saw that the words 'Jia Yuanchun' were written on it.

"His Majesty will meet the new concubine tonight, and there's no time for formalities. I'll have someone prepare the betrothal gifts now. You can take the gifts and go to her door to fetch her first. The subsequent ceremonies can be completed later," Ye Meicang said.

Ling Feiling cupped her hands in a respectful bow and said, "Yes."

"Wait a minute." Ye Meicang called out to Ling Feiling and gave him a few more names. "Although these women have little connection with His Majesty, they are at least destined to be together. If Jia Yuanchun does not agree to this marriage, you should go and find these women until they agree. You cannot force them."

Ling Feiling cupped her hands and smiled, "No need for the Minister's instructions, Feiling knows what to do."

Ye Meicang nodded. He was relieved about this. Ling Feiling was even more upright than him, so she would never do anything like snatching someone away.

Ye Meicang immediately sent someone to retrieve the betrothal gifts from the treasury, and Ling Feiling also led her people to the treasury to wait. The betrothal gifts were then immediately sent out.

After Ling Feiling left, Ping Shui Zhenwang and Huo Fusheng Daojun arrived at the Minister's Mansion together.

Ye Meicang was in a state of utter distress at the moment, so when he saw the two of them arrive, he had no choice but to invite them to sit down and then serve them tea.

But King Ping Shui said, "Minister Ye, we have come to say goodbye."

"Saying goodbye?" Ye Meicang looked surprised, but was secretly overjoyed. Saying goodbye is good! Now that you're gone, I don't have to entertain you anymore. Right now, I have a lot of troubles to deal with.

“Yes,” said Huo Fusheng Daojun. “We have long heard of the wonderful teachings of Buddhism, and the two of us are preparing to visit the Buddhas at Wuliangbao Temple.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Meicang immediately smiled and said, "I see. Then I won't keep you two any longer."

As he spoke, Ye Meicang had two more celestial jade ruyi scepters brought out and presented them to True King Pingshui and Daoist Lord Huofusheng respectively. "These are just small gifts, please accept them, my esteemed lords."

Ping Shui Zhen Wang and Huo Fu Sheng Dao Jun were not surprised, after all, they had already felt how 'polite' the people who had appeared in the world were when they were in the Zhongyue Imperial Palace.

The two accepted the celestial jade ruyi, bowed in gratitude, and then Ping Shui Zhen Wang asked, "But what about the Great Emperor of Nanyue?"

"Oh, I will report to His Majesty. You two may proceed on your own," Ye Meicang quickly replied.

The two didn't take it to heart, bid farewell again, and left the Nanyue Imperial Palace.

Less than half an hour after True King Ping Shui and Daoist Huo Fusheng left, a fairy maiden from the harem arrived at the Minister's residence, anxiously saying to Ye Meicang, "Minister, something terrible has happened! The Empress...she..."

Ye Meicang suddenly stood up and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with the Empress?"

The empress of the Five Sacred Mountains Emperor was appointed by the Jade Emperor, and even the Five Sacred Mountains Emperor himself did not have the power to strip her of her position.

Therefore, the Empress of the Five Sacred Mountains holds the same rank as the Emperor of the Five Sacred Mountains. As long as the Emperor of the Five Sacred Mountains retains his imperial position, the Empress of the Five Sacred Mountains will not be stripped of her rank unless she violates the Heavenly Laws.

That's why Ye Meicang was so nervous. If anything happened to Empress Jingming, the Heavenly Court would definitely investigate.

The female immortal calmed her breathing and then said, "The Empress just left Hengshan alone, saying that she was going to the Jade Palace in the Mortal Realm to file a complaint against His Majesty before the Great Emperor of Shenxiao."

"Ah?!" Upon hearing this, not only did the celestial officials in the hall exclaim in surprise, but even the secretary's expression changed.

Ye Meicang collapsed weakly into the sandalwood chair. At this moment, a celestial official asked, "Is it still possible to bring the Empress back?"

"No," Ye Meicang said, leaning back in his sandalwood chair. "If you send people to chase after her, and she doesn't return, can you really bring her back by kidnapping?"

The celestial official fell silent. Ye Meicang felt utterly exhausted; what was all this going on day after day?

But there was no way around it; as the Minister of the Southern Mountain, he had to face these matters. He sat up and asked the female immortal, "Does Your Majesty know that the Empress has gone to Buzhou Mountain?"

The female immortal shook her head and said, "I don't know yet. We chased the Empress out of the palace, and then the Empress used her magic to leave us behind. I came back to report to the Minister first, and the rest of us continued to chase after the Empress."

Ye Meicang said, "Go and summon those female immortals back immediately, and tell them to stop chasing us."

Upon hearing this, the female immortal immediately obeyed and left. Then Ye Meicang said to the secretary, "Go back immediately and report this matter to His Majesty."

The secretary acknowledged the order and quickly left. After arranging things on both sides, Ye Meicang leaned back in his sandalwood chair, tilted his head back, and stared at the beams of the main hall, seemingly lost in thought.

The celestial officials below were also at a loss, and one of them took the initiative to ask, "Minister, what... what should we do?"

Ye Meicang immediately sat up straight and said, "Do as you say!"

The Great Emperor of Mount Heng wanted to take a concubine, so he complied.

If the Grand Secretary of the Five Sacred Mountains Imperial Palace encounters a matter he cannot resolve, he may, under special circumstances, report to the Jade Palace of the Mortal Realm, bypassing the proper channels. This rule shall also be followed!
So while Ye Meicang was presiding over the selection of concubines for the Great Emperor of Nanyue, he also wrote a report, compiling the events of the past two days into a memorial, and submitted it all to the Chenhuan Jade Palace.

Of course, since he was writing a memorial to the throne, he also had to truthfully report the things that the Great Emperor of the Southern Mountain complained about after drinking.

Fire Spirit True Immortal has gone to the Five Elements Manifestation Realm, and Zhuang Yan is now personally managing the affairs of the Mortal Realm Jade Palace. What can be hidden from him? Reporting the truth is the best option. (End of Chapter)