Madam, please listen to my explanation.

Chapter 99 Sir, it's so hot

Above the dungeon was a dark, secret passage.

At this moment, there was no one on either side.

But not far from the ground, the wave formed by no less than ten thousand people, when probed by the two people's divine senses, was like a fire in the middle of the night, which no one could ignore.

The secret passage was very low, barely taller than a person, and surrounded by rough soil on all sides, completely opaque.

Upon entering, a faint, fishy stench filled the air.

Xu Jinhuan and his companion had to stoop down to barely stand in the secret passage.

"What do you think?"

Zhuang Yuning covered her mouth and nose with one hand, her brows furrowed tightly.

The smell here is awful.

Just like when I was a child, every time I passed by the West City Market, there was a section dedicated to slaughtering livestock—disgusting and stinking.

Suppressing her discomfort, Zhuang Yuning looked at the man beside her.

Although their complexions were also not good, they had clearly already discovered this place.
Indeed, compared to him, I am still too inexperienced!
In this state, you cannot become Mr. Yu Ning's right-hand woman!

Xu Jinhuan: "Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly getting all worked up?"

What happened to this woman?

In this dark and harsh environment, one's heart rate and pulse suddenly become active. Even having lived two lives, I have never seen such a peculiar fetish!
"Ahem, excuse me, sir, I was just thinking about something else."
Regarding this passageway, after the gentleman's reminder, Yu Ning thought about it carefully and felt there were at least two unusual aspects.

"tell me the story."

Xu Jinhuan already had a judgment in mind, but he still intended to listen to the opinions of the people around him.

After all, after several encounters, the other party was at least highly regarded for their intelligence.

The air in the secret passage was slightly humid and stuffy, and it hadn't been circulating for a long time, causing a fine layer of sweat to appear on Zhuang Yuning's body.

The two stood side by side, both bending over.

In this posture, even without paying special attention, it's hard to ignore the enormous burden on the other person's chest.

Perhaps it was too hot and stuffy, Zhuang Yuning gently fanned her clothes, but even doing so did not make her feel any cooler.

"First, if His Majesty had built this passage, then the craftsmen involved should probably all be taken to the Meridian Gate and beheaded as a warning to others."

Xu Jinhuan nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Woman, please stop slapping me.

It would be impolite to slap him again.

"What about the second one?"

Zhuang Yuning took in the other person's expression, a sly glint in her eyes, but finally stopped flapping her clothes.

Xu Jinhuan's breathing slowed down slightly.

Unexpectedly, the other person put their hands on their shoulders and took off their outer garment!
"Sir, it's so hot."

"???"

"Oh, right, secondly, words are not enough, sir, why don't you feel it?"

As he spoke, he actually grabbed his own hand and pressed it against a certain spot.

Xu Jinhuan's face turned dark.

Haven't you heard the story of the one hand of the God of Qingluan Mountain?

But isn't that a bad idea?
Just a wall away, there are at least ten thousand people gathered here.
What if we accidentally cause too much of a commotion?
"How is it, sir? How does it feel?"

Zhuang Yuning looked on with anticipation.

"Mmm, it's very soft."

Xu Jinhuan's hand was pressed against the cave wall by the other party, and the expression on his face was as if he had swallowed a fly.

Zhuang Yuning smiled and said, "Indeed, this road may seem rough and narrow, but upon closer inspection, it reveals a whole new world."

The edges of the cave walls are roughly circular, with some slight protrusions, but the overall surface is soft and moist.

Yu Ning couldn't fathom what kind of tools could have dug such a secret passage. "Sir, what's wrong?"

Xu Jinhuan nodded. "That's right. Rather than human intervention, it's more like the work of some kind of monster skilled in digging. In that case, the strange, fishy smell can be explained."

You're absolutely right. This secret passage might not have been intended for humans at all.

This place is built right next to the outer wall of the palace; it's just unknown where this secret passage leads within the palace walls.

Xu Jinhuan withdrew his hand and let out a long breath.

That was close! I was careless and this woman tricked me into sticking my lips out.
"Let's go. There's no point in thinking about it anymore. We'll find out once we go and investigate."

"Yes, sir."

Zhuang Yuning bowed slightly.

This time, he didn't yell at me with a fierce expression, "Get out of my way!"
She could sense that, after spending a few days together in the dungeon, her husband didn't dislike her as much anymore.
Keep up the good work, Yu Ning!

When it comes to beauty, you won't lose to that girl Yun Ci!
As far as the eye could see, it was pitch black.

Zhuang Yuning stumbled and fell repeatedly.

Left with no other option, Xu Jinhuan had to take the other person's hand and lead them forward.

The road ahead was long and deep, seemingly endless.

Just as the two men had judged, if it were a passageway, there would be a lampstand every few steps.

Not to mention the height; even a pancake vendor with a beautiful wife at home would find it hard not to bump his head while standing inside.

Xu Jinhuan tried releasing his divine sense, condensing it into a beam, and exploring forward.

All that could be seen was darkness.

The two continued walking without stopping, and not a single footstep was heard in the empty tunnel from beginning to end.

Suddenly, a cold wind swept by.

The two were overjoyed, thinking they were finally close to the exit.

Unexpectedly, the gust of cold wind carried a strange, fishy stench, causing the two of them to cover their mouths and noses.

A moment later, the cold wind returned.

Upon closer inspection, it even carries a hint of warmth.

Zhuang Yuning felt a sense of strangeness.

This was all because, according to her divine sense, the road ahead was already a dead end.

It's as if the tunnel stopped here, with no exit at all.

So where did these gusts of cold wind come from?

As he was pondering this, the person suddenly stopped and stood in front of him.

"Back off."

Before she could react, she could vaguely see a pair of huge eyes that were flashing with a ghostly green light as she looked past the man's back!
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
-
Yuan Hongling kept her head down, blending into the crowd unnoticed.

In front of her, in three magnificent golden carriages, sat the current emperor, the first imperial concubine of the Xiangfu era, and the empress dowager.

She couldn't help but smile.

Who would have thought that she, the mere wife of the Qingzhou Hehuan Sect Master, would suddenly have two enormous enemies overnight?

If it weren't for that precious apprentice...
How can we talk about revenge?

I'm afraid that Ake and I will be decapitated before we even realize what's happening.

"Aya, don't look around."

Zhao Ruoxi suddenly spoke.

"The dragon carriage and the phoenix carriage are both magical artifacts. If they sense a malicious gaze that has been fixed on them for a long time, they will issue a warning."

Yuan Hongling did as she was told, shifting her gaze and saying softly:
"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness."

Now that we're here, no matter how anxious we are, we must be patient.
Now, she's firmly tied to Zhao Ruoxi's ship. There's no turning back.

After walking for a short while, the group saw the tall pagoda.

And standing before the pagoda, that astonishing statue.

Although covered by thick cloth, it still couldn't conceal the golden brilliance beneath.

Zhao Ruoxi gave a cold laugh.

Judging from its height, it seems to be just a notch above the Tian Shu Pavilion.

At this moment, most people are indifferent to these things.

Everyone, including Zhao Jingqian, was utterly stunned by what they saw.

Outside the Qiyun Altar, the crowd was so dense that it seemed to stretch to the horizon.

They cleared most of the road to allow the emperor's entourage to pass.

Yet, with so many people gathered together, the silence was almost eerily quiet.

They craned their necks, gazing intently at the phoenix carriage.

People were crammed together, with almost no gaps, yet not a single person uttered a word.

Zhao Jingqian looked at the imperial carriage not far away and whispered:
"Yao'er, why are there so many people?"

"Your Majesty, I do not know. Perhaps you learned of Your Majesty's joyous occasion and came to offer your congratulations on your own initiative."

As they talked, they arrived at the door.

Two Imperial Guards opened the heavy door.

The seven-zhang-tall golden statue finally appeared in its entirety before everyone's eyes.

Although its true form has not yet been revealed, everyone in the capital knows that this is the image of the compassionate and virtuous Heavenly Master of the Qiyun Sect, Empress Wu Yao!
Looking at his masterpiece, Zhao Jingqian couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

Once the red cloth is unveiled, Yao'er will personally pray for this golden statue, which is made from the finest gold in the world, ensuring that the Great Yan will enjoy favorable weather and abundant harvests for decades to come!

From afar, everyone could see that the Qiyun Altar covered a vast area.

Upon entering, one cannot help but be awestruck by the extravagance of the place.

The jade-paved ground was silent when stepped on.

In the center stands a massive stone platform carved with dragons and phoenixes, with a lifelike jade unicorn standing at each of the four corners, its feet treading on auspicious clouds and its head raised towards the sky.

All the officials and envoys entered the courtyard, and far from feeling crowded, they found it quite spacious.

As the imperial carriage disappeared behind the gate, the crowd seemed to lose control instantly; the shouts of tens of thousands of people sounded as if they wanted to rip the sky off their heads.
"Ah! Master Celestial!!!"

"The Celestial Master just looked at me in the Phoenix Carriage! She looked at me!"

"Please, Heavenly Master, bestow blessings!!!"

People shouted like madmen and began to break through the blockade of the Imperial Guards, surging forward, and the scene instantly spiraled out of control!

At the crucial moment, Wu Yao's voice came through the phoenix carriage:

"Do not make noise."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

In an instant, the crowd quieted down again and began to retreat in an orderly manner.

Everyone looked at each other.

They are among the wealthiest and most influential people in Kyoto.

Most of them had only heard a little about the Qiyun Sect, which had suddenly swept through the entire city.

Today, for the first time, I truly felt the terrifying influence of this Empress of Great Yan!

"Your Majesty, may I be so bold as to leave the door open so that the followers may witness my ritual?"

'Snap. Snap.'

Before Zhao Jingqian, who was also somewhat startled, could answer, a series of crisp clapping sounds rang out.

"Sister-in-law, you really have a good way with things."

"Judging by this force, I reckon if you gave the order, they would all rush forward right now and tear my brother apart with their own hands, and they would do it without hesitation, wouldn't they?"

"How dare you, Ruoxi! How can you be so rude? Apologize to the Empress at once!"

Zhao Jingqian, who had just stepped down from the imperial carriage, flew into a rage!
He deliberately shouted loudly so that the countless people gathered outside the courtyard could hear him.

Indeed, even he felt a chill run down his spine just now.

Despite hearing such disrespectful words from the other party, he still stood up immediately!

It wasn't entirely out of consideration for his wife.
However, he had already laid a backup plan for this place.

Hundreds of Blood-Clad Guards and imperial guards hid among the crowd and the pagoda behind them.

There are no fewer than a dozen at the peak of the sixth rank!
He had made plans early on: if that scoundrel returned, he would kill him on the spot!

If she doesn't come, then so be it.
Now that she's here, whether she lives or dies is no longer up to her!
Originally, the other party had made a great contribution by pacifying the Qi state, yet he was still worried about how to convict him.

But what if he were accidentally killed by a crazed mob because of his rude remarks?
No wonder he, as the older brother, was so heartless.

At worst, we can just give her a decent posthumous title afterward.

This opportunity also serves as a warning to the ignorant masses of the Qiyun Sect, lest they actually cause any trouble.

That's killing two birds with one stone!
"Your Majesty, this is wrong."

To everyone's surprise, Xu Xinnian suddenly spoke up.

"I believe that although Her Highness Ruoxi's words are somewhat disrespectful, they are not alarmist. On the contrary, they are words from the bottom of her heart!"
The late emperor once said that an emperor must humbly accept honest advice, even if it is unpleasant to hear, in order to awaken himself to his own faults! Your Majesty, have you forgotten all of this?
"Not to mention Your Highness, even I, an old man, have noticed that these Qiyun Cult members are coming on strong and aggressive, practically like madmen!"

Everyone stared blankly at the gray-haired old man.

I vaguely remember that the other party had not shown such sharpness as today for a long time.

So much so that they almost forgot that this was a ruthless figure who single-handedly controlled the government for more than twenty years, and who even the late emperor had to treat with respect in private!

Zhao Jingqian narrowed his eyes.

Happy New Year!
It's you again, you old codger.

Do you really think that Xu Jinhuan's repeated visits to you can escape my notice?

well.

Today, I might as well go all the way and get rid of you two menaces!
Wu Yao, who was at the center of this debate, was slowly walking out of the phoenix carriage.

She ignored the crowd's argument, remained silent, and went straight to the golden statue.

Now that things have come to this, only the final step remains.

She was too tired to bother with these people anymore.

Let the blood of those ten thousand scoundrels outside the palace be used to slightly wash away the filth of this Central Plains.
"Your Majesty, please do your part and unveil the golden statue."

“Strange omens appeared in the sky, and disasters struck again. Every moment, people died tragically.”

"I can't wait any longer."

She was hunched over, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were crying.

Zhao Jingqian thought his lover had been wronged, so he quickly offered words of comfort:

"Excellent! Such a kind-hearted woman who cares so much for the people deserves to be my concubine!"

Only she is worthy of the title of Empress of Yan!

He spoke eloquently, his face glowing with pride.

They didn't even notice that the other person's eyes had quietly turned scarlet.

Wu Yao's breathing gradually became heavy, and a strong soreness came from her lower back.

'Husband, please hurry!'
It's so uncomfortable. Its tail is almost growing out!

(End of this chapter)