The Long Journey to Immortality

Despite Wen Erya's repeated questioning, she refused to divulge a single word, only instructing Wen Erya to seek out the sect leader and obtain his permission before revealing everything.

Upon hearing this, Wen Erya was slightly disappointed, but she did not blame Han Lu.

After all, since the sect leader was mentioned, the secrets Han Lu knew must be very important, so it's understandable that she insisted on keeping them from someone who was not involved.

After offering two more token conjectures and observing Han Lu's expression without gaining any further insight, Wen Erya completely gave up on the idea of ​​getting information from Han Lu.

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't," Wen Erya straightened her sleeves and said, "Then, junior sister, would you like to know about Wen Qing's situation as an official outside the capital?"

"Did you hear something interesting during your undercover investigation, Senior Sister?" Han Lu was also curious about the performance of the future empress she had chosen.

Wen Erya chuckled and said, "It is indeed quite interesting."

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" Han Lu pressed.

Wen Erya replied, "Both."

“Tell me about it,” Han Lu guessed. “It’s her first time serving as an official in another region. Knowing that she will most likely become the empress of the Southern Dynasty in ten years, Wen Qing’s trip here must have been anything but ordinary.”

“That’s right,” Wen Erya recalled the afternoon she met Wen Qing, “If all she’s thinking about is becoming emperor and implementing so many reforms, even if she were to go to a local area, Wen Qing certainly wouldn’t be sitting peacefully in the government office.”

Then, Wen Erya began to recount the interesting anecdotes that happened to Wen Qing during the past five years when she served as a local official in a small town.

"Just as we thought, although Wen Qing looks mature and ambitious, he ultimately lacks practical experience. As a local official, he has caused quite a few things that have aroused resentment."

“The local area suffers from severe flooding, and two statues of the river god have been enshrined on both banks of the river to pray for favorable weather and clear waters.”

"As soon as Wenqing arrived, he said he wanted to break the superstition and personally took action to dismantle the two statues."

Although Wen Qing's talent for cultivation was average, she was born into royalty and began cultivating early. By the age of twenty, she had already reached the third level of Qi Refining, making it easy for her to dismantle two stone statues.

Upon hearing this, Han Lu commented, "That's not bad. Cultivators all know that there are no gods in the world. Even if there were, they wouldn't live in our mortal realm."

"Offering sacrifices to deities, apart from seeking psychological comfort, does not serve much purpose."

Wen Erya nodded, "That's true, but unfortunately, Wen Qing had just dismantled the statue when the river overflowed and caused a flood the following month."

"Luckily, Wenqing is a princess, and she has several subordinates with cultivation. They temporarily organized the local strong men to build a few simple earthen dams, which saved the small town from being completely flooded."

Han Lu laughed and said, "The locals must have cursed Wen Qing behind her back back then."

“Hmm,” Wen Erya said, “They even composed a folk song to say that Wen Qing was wrong, but that was five years ago. I haven’t found out how the song was sung.”

Wen Erya still remembered the time when Han Lu went out to secretly investigate the promotion of "Common Sense" and brought back a ballad praising her, the thirteenth princess.

"So what's next? I imagine Wen Qing must have used many methods to control the floods and ultimately achieved a good outcome," Han Lu guessed.

“Of course, Wen Qing had already planned what to do when she was dismantling the statues, but she was unlucky and happened to encounter a flood,” Wen Erya nodded. “You know, Wen Qing is a reader that we both value highly.”

“The book ‘Common Sense’ teaches hydrological knowledge, and Wen Qing used the knowledge in it to work with monks and craftsmen to spend half a year building water conservancy projects in the area.”

"In the years that followed, there were no more floods."

"The town's arable land has doubled in the past five years due to improved hydrological conditions, and many farmers at the bottom of society now own a piece of land that they can cultivate and cultivate to be self-sufficient."

Han Lu commented, "Aside from the approach being a bit extreme and crude, the warmth it conveyed was indeed quite good."

Wen Erya's evaluation was also quite high, but she also noticed some potential problems.

"It's fortunate that it's just a small town. If certain established rules were broken so directly in the halls of power, who knows how much commotion it would cause."

Han Lu comforted her, "It's alright. I think Wen Qing should have learned the importance of taking things one step at a time through this incident."

"Besides, if we make a big mess in the future, you'll still be there for us."

In Han Lu's view, the greatest reliance for the Wen family of the Southern Dynasty to continue their rule must be on Wen Erya, the Golden Core cultivator.

Chapter 908 Skillfully Turning Crisis into Opportunity

Besides this story, Wen Erya also told Han Lu many other things she had learned through her own investigations about Wen Qing's deeds in the local area.

"Take the lead in reclaiming wasteland."

"Solving difficult cases with skill".

"Set up workshops to improve agricultural tools."

"Establish free schools and promote free education on a large scale."

……

Han Lu was very willing to listen to Wen Erya's achievements and to act as her advisor, helping her analyze whether these reports were useful and what deeper meanings they contained.

To be honest, Han Lu and Wen Erya's choice of Wen Qing as the next empress was somewhat wishful thinking.

It carries a certain degree of idealism.

If another member of the Wen family were to choose the next emperor, there's a 99% chance that the position wouldn't go to Wen Qing.

After all, while Wen Qing displayed some qualities of an excellent ruler in front of Han Lu and Wen Er Ya, she also exposed many shortcomings.

Others might exclude Wenqing from the shortlist simply because of one of her shortcomings.

Wen Erya and Han Lu, however, focused on Wen Qing's outstanding qualities and gave her a chance.

However, it was precisely because Wen Erya realized this before making the decision that she agreed to Han Lu's "indirect strategy" without hesitation.

Wen Er Ya hopes that Wen Qing can improve herself through these ten years of experience abroad, and expects her youngest sister to live up to her father's last wish.

It is hoped that warmth and compassion will enable the people of the Southern Dynasty to live in peace, prosperity, and well-being, rather than simply drifting along and complacent with the status quo.

It can be said that the two Golden Core cultivators' humanistic concern for ordinary people was the biggest factor that led to this bold decision.

They said a lot and analyzed a lot, and the conclusions they reached were quite good.

Han Lu didn't dare to make any guarantees at this time, but she felt that she could make a rough judgment based on Wen Qing's "achievements" over the past five years.

"Perhaps, when she becomes empress in the future, Wenqing will not be able to realize all the great ideas she told us about on that day, nor will she be able to perfectly replicate that magnificent blueprint on the land of the Southern Dynasty."

"But I believe that she will definitely be able to become a qualified empress and bring some positive changes to the Southern Dynasty."

The blueprint for this heartwarming vision is too grand and magnificent; Han Lu doesn't believe it can be fully realized in just a century.

Wen Erya nodded slightly and said, "However, I still look forward to witnessing that day with my senior sister."

"By the way," Han Lu remembered a crucial part of their plan, "is there any problem with the First Prince, the current Emperor?"

When the matter was brought up, Wen Erya's face showed some worry. "I had thought about this issue before."

"After all, people change, and the temptation of the throne is indeed great."

"I was worried that things might change, so I made a special trip to the capital during those few days to talk to my elder brother again."

Han Lu quickly asked, "What was the result?"

Wen Erya recalled, her gaze drifting slightly into the distance, and replied, "My elder brother solemnly declared that he had no intention of letting anyone else inherit the throne, and that everything would be arranged according to our wishes."

"But I've also heard that my older brother has secretly made things difficult for Wen Qing in her local work, probably to prevent her from achieving anything and to make us change our minds."

"This could also be some fake news, something completely unfounded."

"But Wenqing's work abroad is going very well right now. If you really have this idea, I'm afraid..."

Han Lu laughed and said, "What's there to be afraid of? With you here, even if he's temporarily bewitched and makes others decide his fate before he dies."

"When you come with me to someone's house, won't it still be you and me who settle the score in the end?"

Han Lu was only worried that the eldest prince, because of his "discontent," would cause trouble for Wen Qing and dig traps while he was in power, but she was not worried about the succession to the throne.

Wenerya, being born into royalty, thinks more deeply about things.

She remarked, "It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark."

"You mean assassination? That makes sense. If Wen Qing dies, as long as neither you nor I can find out that it was your elder brother who did it, then the throne could really fall into the hands of his son in the end."

In the list that Han Lu and Wen Erya had initially chosen, the second in line was the eldest prince's youngest son.

Wen Erya nodded, "So I made another trip later and secretly sent Wen Qing a lot of talismans so that she could wear them to avoid being assassinated."

“This is too passive,” Han Lu commented. “What if it’s poison? Talismans can’t protect against deadly poison that’s been swallowed.”

Although Wen Qing is a cultivator, she only has the cultivation level of Qi Refining, and many common poisons can kill her.

"Then, junior sister, what do you think we should do?" Wen Erya could tell that Han Lu already had an idea.

Han Lu laughed and said, "Let's try to find a solution from the root. If you don't mind, I'll go find your older brother and cast an illusion spell on him to find out his true feelings, and that will solve the problem."

Han Lu planned, "If this matter is just a baseless rumor, then let it be."

"If it is true, and your elder brother is about to resort to underhanded tricks, then I will use illusion magic to change his perception and erase such a dangerous thought."

“If we handle it this way, the crisis can be resolved. Your elder brother will not be in danger, and Wenqing can continue to gain experience and improve herself in peace.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Erya clapped her hands and cheered.

She still values ​​blood ties and family, and is unwilling to engage in fratricide. Han Lu's decision is exactly what she expects from the outcome of this matter.

Han Lu possesses the bloodline of the Illusionary Phoenix, and Wen Erya believes that her junior sister Han Lu's illusionary skills are certainly enough to achieve the perfect effect she described.

After discussing it for a few more minutes, the two decided that there was no better time than today, and they would set off immediately.

It was still early when they arrived at the capital of the Southern Dynasty from Zhengyi Gate. The two strolled around the capital until nightfall before quietly sneaking into the palace to carry out their mission.

With their profound cultivation, the two encountered no obstacles whatsoever during their infiltration.

The current emperor of the Southern Dynasty, Wen Erya's elder brother, had just fallen asleep when he unknowingly fell under the illusionary magic cast by Han Lu and became a puppet under her control.

Acting in such a manner, one can naturally know whatever one desires.

Han Lu cast a spell while Wen Erya questioned her. The two worked together, and within a hundred breaths, they learned that the rumors were indeed true.

While it's not quite as extreme as assassination, it's not far off.

Wen Erya felt somewhat helpless about this and could only sigh, "This is the power of authority."

Now that it has been proven that this is true, Han Lu simply asked Wen Erya for her opinion and then, according to the plan she had set up long ago, altered Wen Erya's common sense and memories.

In just a moment, an emperor who had tried to kill Wen Qing so that his own son could succeed him vanished.

An emperor who followed the wishes of Wen Erya and Han Lu and tried his best to live out the last few years of his life sat on the throne.

After completing all this, Han Lu and Wen Erya quietly left.

Apart from the two of them, no one knew what had just happened, and no one knew that a crisis that could have affected the future succession to the Southern Dynasty throne had been so easily resolved.