I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

"We will see each other again soon."

The red spider lily remained silent, cradling Ya's remains in her arms, gradually drifting into a daze, lost in thought.

Please vote for me, sob sob sob

Volume 1: Chapter 164 The Princess Delivers Herself

Xu Yuanqing has come again.

Despite his busy schedule, he came not to complain, but to discuss some matters with Bai Qingyu.

Bai Qingyu had only been back in Shangchuan Prefecture for three days when she saw Xu Yuanqing arrive with a huge entourage, sending gifts and making announcements. The entire Tongzhou was preparing a grand ceremony to welcome Grand Preceptor Xu.

If Xu Yuanqing visited in his personal capacity the first two times, this time he came officially as a national advisor.

The Imperial Advisor holds a very high position, second only to the Emperor. Xu Yuanqing's actions in the capital over the past two years have allowed him to firmly establish himself in this position, making it no longer just a nominal post.

Keep in mind that Xu Yuanqing is not even thirty years old yet.

Bai Qingyu was annoyed. She didn't want to see Xu Yuanqing at all, even though it was such a grand ceremony. She hated all these tedious procedures.

If the maid who came to inform her hadn't repeatedly assured her that she wouldn't need to do anything, she wouldn't have wanted to play this childish game with Xu Yuanqing.

The next day, there was a great commotion outside, with gongs and drums beating loudly. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought the emperor himself had arrived.

With a procession leading the way and the streets adorned with red ribbons and colorful decorations, the prince personally came out to welcome Xu Yuanqing.

Things are different now; the prince always had a smile on his face.

It wasn't a forced smile; he was genuinely happy. Xu Yuanqing's visit to Tongzhou wasn't just to see Bai Qingyu, but also to represent the imperial court in allocating funds for Tongzhou's development, citing the massive losses caused by the recent attack on Tongzhou by the Demon-Subduing Sect.

After exchanging pleasantries with the prince, Xu Yuanqing, escorted by the others, headed to Bai Qingyu's courtyard.

This is what they call the Divine Phoenix Abode.

Upon reaching the entrance, Xu Yuanqing turned around and bowed to the officials, saying, "I have come here on important business to visit the Divine Phoenix Lady. You may all wait at the Prince's residence for a while. With so many of us, it would be better to avoid disturbing the Lady's tranquility."

As soon as he uttered those words, the surrounding officials all agreed.

They had no desire to go to the Divine Phoenix Abode. They were curious, but they valued their lives even more.

If they anger that person, their lives might not be safe.

He dispersed the crowd, leaving only two children with gifts by his side.

Xu Yuanqing was dressed in clean and neat white clothes, and his gentle and refined temperament made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

With his signature smile on his face, Xu Yuanqing adjusted his official hat and straightened his white robe. He took a deep breath and was about to knock on the door when he heard a creak as the red lacquered mahogany lion-head door in front of him was opened from behind.

Bai Qingyu's somewhat impatient face came into Xu Yuanqing's view.

She roughly knew why Xu Yuanqing had come, but she was annoyed that Xu Yuanqing had made things so complicated.

"My lady..."

"Alright, enough talk, come in."

Bai Qingyu opened the door and stepped aside to let Xu Yuanqing in.

"I apologize for disturbing you." Xu Yuanqing cupped his hands and stepped into the courtyard.

He visited Bai Qingyu three times, and this was the first time he had entered the courtyard.

The courtyard is actually quite large, and the environment is quite nice. Passing through the corridor, there is a stream and rockery, koi and lotus flowers on one side. Looking up, there is a row of vigorous and emerald green bamboo, a thick and tall cherry blossom tree, and bluestone floor underfoot. The corridor is winding and the eaves are high.

All the elements combined do not create a sense of chaos; on the contrary, the layout of the courtyard, every flower and tree, is so charming.

Even Xu Yuanqing couldn't help but secretly give a thumbs up, sincerely exclaiming, "Your Majesty's courtyard is truly wonderful."

In the courtyard, Xu Yuanqing saw two adorable little girls, perhaps not even ten years old, running away laughing and playing. They held a dragonfly they had just caught in their little hands, and didn't forget to run over and hold up the little red creature in front of Bai Qingyu.

"Mommy, look! A dragonfly! Hey, who is this person?"

Xiao Yao blinked her big eyes and tilted her head slightly; she was incredibly cute, like a porcelain doll.

"You're a guest, please go over there and have some fun."

Bai Qingyu patted the little one's head, and Xiao Yao skipped away with a smile, her little bells jingling incessantly.

Yu Zhuan Jin also tilted her head to look at Xu Yuanqing, as if she were looking at some rare animal. It wasn't until Xiao Yao pulled her back that she came to her senses and quickly ran away with Xiao Yao. In her opinion, Xu Yuanqing really "cherished" someone; he was the first stranger who could enter her home.

After the two little ones ran off, Bai Qingyu said helplessly, "They are my daughters, and they are rather mischievous."

Knowing that Xu Yuanqing was coming, she had already told them to stay in the house and play today, and to come out when she called them.

As a result, those two naughty kids didn't listen again.

"As expected of the Divine Phoenix Lady's child, so clever and quick-witted. By the way, I prepared a gift before I came down, and now it seems that it can be given to the two children as a gift."

“Autumn wind, autumn rain.” Xu Yuanqing turned around, and two boys behind him immediately stepped forward with gifts.

"Yes, Master, please accept this from the Divine Phoenix Lady."

The two children picked up the red wooden box containing the gift, and opened it to find exquisitely carved jade pendants inside. The two pendants appeared to be able to be put together as one piece.

Xu Yuanqing didn't know how many children Bai Qingyu had, but he knew that Zhen Tian and Bai Qingyu had a close relationship.

The two jade pendants were actually prepared for Zhen Tian and Bai Qingyu, so it's just right to give them to the two children now.

The remaining gifts were treasures such as gold, silver, jewels, and luminous pearls.

Bai Qingyu hadn't intended to accept them, but he really liked the exquisite phoenix carvings on the two jade pendants. He coughed to cover his embarrassment and then accepted the gifts.

"Thank you, then I'll accept this gift."

"It's nothing, just a small token of my appreciation, considering how much Your Majesty has helped me."

After some polite exchanges, at Xu Yuanqing's suggestion, they simply sat down in the small pavilion.

Two children stood behind Xu Yuanqing with their heads down, acting as background figures. They were Xu Yuanqing's apprentices, and Xu Yuanqing had deliberately brought them along to make his presence known to Bai Qingyu.

Zhen Tian brought over some fine tea, poured it into the cups in front of Xu Yuanqing and Bai Qingyu, and left the pavilion without saying a word.

Normally, those who do this kind of work are either servants or the master's wife, and Zhen Tian is certainly not a servant, so there is only the latter possibility, Xu Yuanqing thought.

"You've come to see me about the matter of the Chosen One in the capital, haven't you?" Bai Qingyu got straight to the point.

"As expected, Your Majesty cannot be fooled. To be honest, it is true."

"Is there anything you want to ask?"

Xu Yuanqing pondered for a moment, “Now the capital is in chaos, some parasites are making their last desperate struggle, and the appearance of the Chosen One has caused all the major sects to send disciples to show up. The powerful figures have not shown up, but they are all secretly waiting for an opportunity to make their move. The capital was already a mess, and now the situation is out of control.”

"We are but mortals, how can we possibly contend with those terrestrial immortals and gods?"

At this point, Xu Yuanqing also felt somewhat helpless.

He had worked so hard to get to this point, and was about to get rid of the last batch of people. He was also gradually becoming more and more adept at handling all sorts of messy things, but then this situation happened.

With the arrival of cultivators from various sects, the capital city was visibly thrown into chaos, and the fire had even spread to the interior of the imperial palace.

To be precise, the fire originally started in the palace, but it hadn't reached the emperor's side until now. Now it's spreading to everyone around him, from the princes and princesses to the concubines in the harem.

Who is the Mandate of Heaven? No one knows.

What appears in the sky may not necessarily be a newborn.

Luck is a force that can appear in anyone, but the most likely candidates are those princes and princesses.

When princes and princesses are involved, things get complicated.

The emperor may not look very old, but he is actually over fifty. He ascended the throne at the age of sixteen, and his eldest son was born when he was eighteen.

In other words, the princes and princesses are all over thirty years old and have their own power behind them. Even if they don't, their mothers always have power behind them, since all the princes and princesses are not born of the same mother.

Xu Yuanqing's purge was not aimed at all the forces in the capital. If he dared to do so, not to mention the forces joining forces, even the Emperor himself would have to cut off his head.

You're trying to reshuffle all the power structures, kid? Are you planning to usurp the throne?

This has led to the current awkward situation. It's one thing for the forces that have been purged to be so, but those that haven't been eliminated have all stepped down, claiming that their families are the chosen ones. And almost every family has a sect behind them, especially the princes and princesses and the princes' mansions.

After briefly explaining the situation, Xu Yuanqing hesitated before asking, "Does Your Majesty know whether the Mandate of Heaven has been bestowed upon the He family?"

"The secret cannot be leaked."

This was the only answer Bai Qingyu could give.

She certainly knew who the chosen one was, but she couldn't tell Xu Yuanqing.

"Well, alright, I won't make things difficult for Your Highness."

Bai Qingyu placed one hand on the table, her fingers tapping rhythmically. Her eyes narrowed, and when she saw that Xu Yuanqing had stopped asking questions, she suddenly realized something.

"You summoned me here for more than just this matter, right? Do you want me to help you disguise yourself, or to help you deal with those people in the capital? If it's the latter, forget it. The capital is in such a mess, even the Tianyang Palace and the Heavenly Cult have gotten involved, believe it or not. Coming to me won't do you any good."

Xu Yuanqing had just picked up his teacup when he heard Bai Qingyu's words and awkwardly put it down again.

"As expected, Your Majesty cannot be fooled. To be honest, I did come for the former."

He said that as a polite formality before, but this time he means it sincerely.

He didn't need Bai Qingyu's help at all. He just needed to enter the Divine Phoenix Residence in front of the whole world, and then return in a hurry as if he already knew who the chosen one was.

The group of people outside would naturally assume that he had received information from the Divine Phoenix Lady, leaving them no choice but to suspect him.

The opportunity is right here, believe it or not.

What if, right?

An awkward silence fell over the room, and Xu Yuanqing quickly spoke up, "I truly didn't mean to take advantage of Your Highness, it's just..."

"I understand, you just want to use this opportunity to maintain your dominance in the capital, right?"

Now all the sects in the world know that she can control fortune and karma. Xu Yuanqing will inevitably be suspected after he goes out. It can be said that as long as Xu Yuanqing can successfully return to the capital, his goal will have been achieved. He only needs to spread the word that the chosen one is in which family.

Even if he uses some underhanded tactics to let the Demonic Sect get there first, he can eliminate a major enemy without even lifting a finger.

Even if it's not that simple, at least we've regained some of the initiative, which makes things much simpler.

The only problem is that...

Will Xu Yuanqing be able to return safely?

"You're really brave, aren't you afraid of death?"

Bai Qingyu rested one hand on her cheek, exuding a languid air.