Huangxiu

Chapter 23: Different Patterns
Then the three of them talked about the border issues of Great Mongolia, and whether a war really broke out.

The three of them hated Dameng to the core.

He is extremely cunning, insidious and difficult to deal with. He will take advantage of any opportunity he sees and retreat when there is no opportunity. He never suffers any loss.

Then they talked about the great generals in the North and who could give the Mongols a good beating, but it turned out that there were really no powerful generals.

The current Zhenyuan General Li Haoyuan has always been mature and prudent and has made many achievements, but like a turtle, he can only defend himself when facing the provocation of the Mongols.

The four of them talked about military affairs on paper again, saying that the new emperor of the Great Mongolian Empire had gradually secured his throne recently, and that he should work hard to govern the country and start using military force to establish his prestige.

Maybe it was just a small-scale provocation on the border and there wouldn't be a major war.

Chu Zhiyuan had a lively conversation with the three of them, and was actually sorting out the books in Tongtian Pavilion in his mind.

The collection of books in Tsutenkaku is vast and needs to be read selectively. Even if time permits to read slowly, the order in which you read will determine the benefit to your cultivation.

……

After drinking and the banquet, the group was still in high spirits after leaving the Eighteenth Prince's Mansion, so they went to tour Yujing City together.

Chu Mingxuan led them to a bookstore, reopened the table, and continued drinking, accompanied by the beauties from the bookstore.

Chu Zhiyuan was hugging a beauty but he was not in the mood.

The beauty in this library is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and is sensible, graceful and elegant. However, compared with his four personal maids, she is too worldly and a little pretentious.

In his eyes, even if these women were beautiful, they were just vulgar.

After the four of them drank this round of wine, they completely ended the evening's party and dispersed back to their respective homes.

On the way back to the palace, he saw Huang Shirong in the crowd.

The moonlight was like water, and under the soft light of the lanterns, Huang Shirong, who was walking towards her on the other side of the crowd, was wearing an apricot-yellow silk shirt, her figure as graceful as a willow branch.

She has a calm expression and a cool temperament.

Guarded by two girls in snow-white clothes, they moved nimbly and lightly among the bustling crowd.

She suddenly seemed to realize something, turned her head, met Chu Zhiyuan's gaze, and was stunned.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and nodded, but he did not stop and passed her.

"Prince." Huang Shirong called out hurriedly, twisted her waist, and quickly accelerated to come closer.

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand.

Guo Chi took a step back, and the four innate masters also dispersed, allowing Huang Shirong to enter the circle.

Chu Zhiyuan stopped, clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Master Huang, how are you these days?"

Huang Shirong's beautiful face became even more charming under the light, and she radiated light with a slight smile: "As always, congratulations to the prince for achieving innateness and entering the Ministry of Rites."

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand: "Just being lazy and avoiding idleness."

Huang Shirong smiled and said nothing flattering. His choice was indeed to be lazy and idle. With his amazing talent and extraordinary perception, he could make the most achievements and benefit from cultivation by joining the army. Going to the Ministry of Rites would be a waste of talent.

Is this fourth prince a person without desires or requests?

Or was it because he had been a prince for too long, causing him to become cautious and timid?

But seeing that he decisively took action against the Yuding Sect, he didn't seem to be afraid of trouble.

I guess he had other intentions in joining the Ministry of Rites.

The two stood in the middle of the crowd, and the guards kept the crowd outside, creating a quiet place.

Chu Zhiyuan asked, "Master Huang, how is Master Jiang doing recently?"

Huang Shirong nodded gently: "Master Si is still the same."

"That's good news," Chu Zhiyuan said with a smile, "A busy day passed by unnoticed, and now we are safe and happy, that's the best."

Huang Shirong pursed her lips and chuckled: "Your Highness, what you said is similar to what my master said."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head and laughed. He was laughing at himself for being old-fashioned, but it was also his most profound experience.

I used to think that every day should not be wasted, but should be exciting and wonderful. However, in this world, it is best to live an ordinary day. Don't have any surprises, or you will often die.

The two chatted for a while, and before they parted, Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "The city has been very lively recently."

Yujing City was bustling with people, but he knew the residents along the road from Prince Qing's Mansion to the Ministry of Rites very well.

As the head of Zhenwu Division, Huang Shirong is in charge of an area similar to the local police in his previous life, so this is how it should be.

The reason why they weren't discovered was that these innate masters who sneaked in all knew how to conceal their aura, and only twenty of them were able to hide it from the Zhenwu Division.

Huang Shirong was stunned.

Chu Zhiyuan clasped his fists and said with a smile: "It's getting late, Master Huang, we'll meet again later."

He said and quickened his pace.

Huang Shirong stayed where she was, with her fists clasped, watching him disappear into the bustling crowd with her eyes full of love. The smile on her face faded, and she turned around and continued walking forward.

A girl in white clothes beside Huang Shirong asked, "Master, is there anything wrong with the prince of the Qing Palace?"

"...Let's go." Huang Shirong looked at her in surprise.

Another girl in white clothes asked, "Hall Master, is there something wrong with what the Fourth Prince said?" They were all smart people and noticed the change in Huang Shirong's mood. After Chu Zhiyuan left, she became visibly depressed and tense.

"...Nothing." Huang Shirong shook her head gently, frowned slightly and looked at the girl in white who had spoken earlier: "Miaoyue, the Fourth Prince is a royal noble, you must not be arrogant."

"Yes, Hall Master." The girl in white lowered her eyebrows and eyes.

Huang Shirong shook her head secretly.

The new generation of disciples from the four major sects are becoming more and more arrogant and overbearing, even looking down on people from the royal family.

Of course, this is also related to the Fourth Prince's background. The Prince Qing's Mansion has indeed declined, and a phoenix without feathers is no better than a chicken.

If it was the Prince of England, how would they dare to be negligent?

But they don't understand one thing: no matter how declining the Prince Qing's Mansion is, he is still a prince and his father is the emperor. How can he be underestimated?
She immediately put all this aside and thought to herself: These young people have to suffer before they can understand these truths. They are all arrogant and won't listen to my advice. It's better for them to shut up. The key is the Fourth Prince's last sentence.

Although simple, it contains great news.

The city has been bustling recently? Why didn't I notice it?
……

Chu Zhiyuan returned to Tingtao Courtyard. After Mo Yi and the others helped him wash up, he sat on the couch in a loose robe and opened the ebony box.

He pieced a pile of broken jade together again in the blink of an eye, turning it into a complete jade pendant, a palm-sized jasper pendant.

He placed his hand on the jade pendant, feeling the subtle details inside, and faintly saw a strange pattern.

He imprinted this strange pattern deeply in his mind, then sat down at the desk. When he picked up the pen to draw it, he found his mind was blank.

An invisible force erased the memory of this pattern.

He held the jade pendant again in disbelief, then imprinted the pattern into his mind. He then looked at it carefully and saw it clearly.

But when I want to remember it, I just can't.

He frowned and began to recall the two patterns on the Qingying Sword, but found that he could not remember them.

I hadn't noticed this before.

He struggled for a long time but still couldn't remember the three patterns. He could only see them but couldn't draw them on paper or remember them.

So he just let it go and planned to go to Tongtian Tower to check it out. The two words "Qing Ying" were the best clue.

His progress in cultivation was rapid, and he had successfully passed the Jade Lock and Golden Gate Technique. He had already broken through the second level and was now trying to reach the third level.

Every time he broke through a level, his true Qi became more powerful and purer, and the pressure on his meridians also became greater. After he broke through the second level, he felt a faint pressure on his meridians.

When practicing the Dragon Transformation Technique with true Qi, I found that the first level of meridian refining that had been completed was not complete again, and I could continue to make progress.

So he stopped to practice the Dragon Transformation Art, and after completing the first level of the Dragon Transformation Art, he continued to break through the remaining ten levels.

But the progress of the Dragon Transformation Technique is not that fast, as refining the meridians takes time and cannot be achieved overnight.

……

In the following two days, he reported to the Ministry of Rites and then went to Tongtian Pavilion, wishing he could stay in Tongtian Pavilion all day long.

With the extraordinary skills he has now mastered, there is no need for him to take risks outside to gain meritorious service. As long as he keeps up with the books and his understanding of martial arts, he will be able to achieve innate perfection naturally, find the door to the master level, and break through to the master level.

Once you become a master and have the ability to protect yourself, you can go out and hone your skills to become a grand master.

The master has achieved the unity of man and nature, and the grand master has achieved enlightenment. But it is not that simple. There are countless subtle mysteries that need to be understood again and again.

This is the path he set for himself.

That morning, just after he finished his check-in, he was about to go to Tongtian Tower, but was stopped by a young man, who turned out to be Gao Lingfeng, one of his subordinates.

Gao Lingfeng has an imposing bearing and a clear gaze. He was the top scholar four years ago and had just transferred from the Hanlin Academy a year ago.

He was promoted to the sixth-rank official in just four years, which was extremely fast.

This is the special advantage of the top scholar, who has a brighter future than the prince Chu Zhiyuan.

After all, no matter how powerful the prince is or how great his achievements are, it is impossible for him to enter the cabinet and become a prime minister like the top scholar.

"Lord Chu, please stay." Gao Lingfeng clasped his fists.

Chu Zhiyuan stopped and looked at him in confusion, clasping his fists and said, "Master Gao is...?"

Gao Lingfeng said in a deep voice: "The Feihua Sword Sect's branch courtyard has already been sited and will soon be built. The doctor wants the deputy minister to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony."

"Groundbreaking Ceremony? When?"

"It's scheduled for tomorrow."

"Okay, come and greet me tomorrow." Chu Zhiyuan nodded.

"Yes!" Gao Lingfeng clasped his fists solemnly.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and left the yamen.

This was a little thought on the part of the emperor. He did not want to send an official of a higher rank to avoid appearing too flattering, but at the same time he wanted to express the court's respect for the Grand Master. Using his own status as the crown prince was just right.

In fact, all this empty talk is really unnecessary. It is just to show the character of the civil servants.

(End of this chapter)