From Princess in the Cold Palace to Empress in Heaven

She stood on the deck, looking at the distant scenery, her gaze was distant and deep, as if she could see through the layers of clouds and reach the familiar homeland.

"Southern Territory, Daxia, I'm finally back..."

However, just as her gaze penetrated the distant void and looked towards Daxia, she saw clusters of black clouds and smoke filling the sky, as if something ominous was spreading across this land.

"It seems that this return home is destined not to be peaceful..."

...

Southern border, Daxia, Xindu.

In the central square of the palace, there stands a statue of a woman.

The statue has graceful lines and looks lifelike. It is the statue of Princess Ziwei, Xiao Minghuang, who once quelled the rebellion of the True Demon and saved the entire southern border.

In the eyes of the statue, there are two gems as big as buckets. They sparkle brightly under the sunlight, as if they are watching this country, unchanging for thousands of years.

At this moment, the court was noisy, just like a vegetable market.

"How can we, the great Great Xia, have a statue of a woman standing in the imperial city?"

"That's right! If anyone is going to erect a statue, it should be His Majesty or the Imperial Master. How can a mere princess be qualified?!"

"I second the motion. In addition to destroying the statue, revoking the title, the princess's mansion, and reducing the number of attendants and guards, the ancestral temple built by the people for the Ninth Princess should also be demolished. Otherwise, there will be no peace in the country and the world!"

"I second the motion. In addition to the above suggestions from my colleagues, I would also like to add that the large number of palaces in the imperial palace occupied by the Ninth Princess should also be returned to the royal family, and the proceeds from the corruption should be added to the national treasury!"

"Seconded!"

"Seconded..."

The ministers were outraged and expressed their opinions.

Only a few people remained silent.

At this moment, a minister dressed in a dragon robe stood up from the front of the group of ministers and shouted indignantly.

"Since the demonic rebellion, only one in ten people in the entire southern border has survived. Thirty-five of the thirty-six kingdoms have been destroyed, leaving only Daxia. Do you know who is responsible for this?"

"Now, for your own selfish interests, you have been making wild claims and misleading your superiors, even going so far as to start a war and cause Daxia's officers and soldiers to die on the battlefield. What are you up to?!"

All the ministers discussed the matter, but no one dared to say a word to refute him.

And every word he said was true.

After all, the person speaking at this moment was King Wu'an of Daxia, the person with the highest status besides the emperor.

He was not old, and could even be considered young and middle-aged, but his hair was already gray and his brows were filled with fatigue.

On the ninth step, the emperor looked majestic as he glanced at the ministers kneeling below. A hint of red light flashed in his pupils, but he did not speak.

Next to the emperor stood an old man holding a whisk. His hair and beard were all white, and he looked like an immortal, with a bit of the air of a hermit.

"National Master, what do you think?"

King Wu'an asked the question in a stern voice. Although he was old and weak, he was like an old lion, emitting a terrifying aura from his whole body. The whole court was plunged into a heavy atmosphere.

"I think what King Wu'an said is absolutely right."

The Imperial Preceptor stroked his beard, smiled and nodded, then looked at the Emperor: "In order to seek peace for the common people, I suggest that Your Majesty raise an army to pacify Qinzhou, Huazhou, Qizhou and other places. This is a war to end all wars."

"In order to pray for your majesty's great fortune, the old Taoist suggested that your majesty perform a great ritual to calm the chaos and bring peace, gather the wishes of Daxia's life, and pray for your majesty's longevity."

"Since King Wu'an thinks these are unacceptable, then I will not force him and will continue to travel around the world."

406. The conquest of the three states is just around the corner!

After saying this, the Imperial Master turned around and left, leaving King Wu'an with a dashing back view.

"Wait a minute."

The emperor, who had not spoken a word, suddenly stopped talking and said slowly, "Master, please stay. I have made up my mind about this matter and will not let your efforts go to waste."

The emperor stood up and spoke majestically, "From now on, the Ninth Princess Xiao Minghuang's title of Ziwei Princess will be stripped, and all the ancestral temples, shrines, and statues of the Ninth Princess Xiao Minghuang in Daxia will be destroyed. Her guards and servants in the palace will be expelled, and the rooms they occupy will be given to the imperial master to perform rituals!"

"Prince Wu'an does not need to worry about the wars in Qinzhou, Huazhou, Qizhou and other places. I will personally lead the troops and work with you...May the world be at peace!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

"I will obey your orders!"

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials bowed their heads and shouted "Long live the emperor".

Prince Wu'an opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but when he saw all the officials in the court kneeling on the ground, he finally closed his mouth, his face full of despair.

"Your Majesty, I am old and weak, and I am afraid I can no longer serve the court. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home!"

King Wu'an fell to his knees, filled with sorrow.

"allow!"

The emperor's calm and majestic voice sounded, declaring the future of King Wu'an.

"Thank you Lord for your grace!"

King Wu'an trembled, kowtowed, and slowly retreated. He was no longer as heroic and vigorous as before.

"If you have something to report, please report it. If not, please leave the court."

Then the emperor stood up, left the throne and returned to the imperial study.

Behind him, the national teacher followed. He waved his whisk lightly, and a breeze blew, instantly closing the doors and windows. An invisible formation condensed, isolating the entire room.

The emperor sat down on the throne with a sad look on his face.

After Xiao Minghuang left, four of his nine sons died. The fifth and sixth princes also left for far away places and they had no contact anymore. The remaining two sons were just mediocre people. Even if he provided a lot of resources, they could not even reach the Divine Sea Realm.

He was proud of his status and thought that as Xiao Minghuang's father, he could not ask his daughter for help, so he did not contact Xiao Minghuang.

Moreover, after the True Demon Rebellion, he seemed to have some hidden injuries, which prevented his cultivation from making any progress and even caused him to regress. But even so, his strength was already enough to lead Da Xia.

What made him most angry was that the Medicine King was extremely flattering to Lin Zhengquan, responding to every request and even helping him to advance to the Spiritual Transformation Realm, but he kept making excuses for him and refused to lend him a helping hand.

At this time, a mysterious man suddenly came to him and said he could help him improve his cultivation.

At first, he didn't believe it, but after the mysterious man showed his skills, he finally believed it.

Because the person in front of him is a real powerful person in the holy realm!

He is a strong man that he can only look up to in his life.

Such a big shot would never bother to lie to him.

But helping him improve his cultivation is not without cost.

This powerful man, who calls himself Sima Ming Taoist, practices a way of faith and incense, which requires him to absorb the faith of countless ordinary people. The more incense he receives, the stronger he will be.

Originally, he had raised many questions, such as why he was chosen and why the holy realm only required the faith of ordinary people.

In response to this, Taoist Siming answered them one by one and made him very convinced.

Therefore, he appointed Siming Taoist as the state teacher, and followed his advice to launch a large-scale attack on neighboring states and conquer more people.

In just a few years, most of Qinzhou, Huazhou, and a small half of Qizhou were conquered by the Xia Kingdom. The population of the country almost tripled, and the territory expanded by more than half!

Every time they conquered a place, the soldiers of the Xia Kingdom would cooperate with the disciples of the Imperial Master to build a temple in the local area to worship the Taoist Siming and the tablet of the emperor.

The large amount of incense and sacrifices did indeed help him improve his cultivation.

Every time he conquered a city, his strength increased significantly. Now he has reached the fifth level of Yuantai Realm. If it were in the past, he would not have dared to hope for such progress in his lifetime.

But now it has been realized with the help of Taoist Siming.

"National Master, Qinzhou and Huazhou are both large states with powerful people in the God Transformation Realm. Xia State is confident of defeating any of them alone, but this may not be a long-term solution. Can you ask the National Master to take action and suppress the rogues?"

Emperor Xia said this worriedly, his tone full of worry.

"No." Taoist Siming stroked his beard and said calmly, "I am a person who is not related to the world. I cannot be involved in worldly affairs. If I teach you the way of incense and fire, I will be involved in karma. You need to solve the matter of conquest by yourself."

Hearing this, Emperor Xia became even more anxious and asked hurriedly, "Can the Imperial Master grant me magical powers and weapons to defeat the enemy?"

"It's not impossible..."

Hearing this, Emperor Xia was immediately delighted, and hurriedly stepped out, walked to the front of Taoist Siming, bowed deeply, and said respectfully: "Please, Imperial Master, grant me magical powers and magic weapons!"

"Um..."

Taoist Siming nodded, his eyes swept across Emperor Xia, finally landing on his forehead. He raised his right hand and lightly pressed it on Emperor Xia's forehead.

In an instant, a vast stream of information rushed into Emperor Xia's head, like an epiphany, which shocked him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw a small seal emitting a magical golden light floating in front of him.

"I made this seal casually. I just play with it for fun. It should be enough for you to deal with most enemies below the Saint Realm."

Taoist Siming said calmly: "What I just taught you is the magical power used in conjunction with this seal, called "The Secret of Rebirth and Receiving Destiny". You need to comprehend it carefully before you can bring out the maximum power of this seal."

Emperor Xia respectfully took the seal and asked, "Excuse me, Imperial Master, what is the name of this treasure? What power does it have?"

"I was just picked up casually, so why give me a name?" Taoist Siming shook his head slightly.

"As for its power, just go to the battlefield and use it."

"Thank you, Imperial Master!"

Emperor Xia bowed again and thanked him.

Taoist Siming chuckled, flicked his whisk, and disappeared on the spot.

After the Taoist Siming left, Emperor Xia held the small golden seal, his pupils filled with crazy joy.

Although he didn't know the power of this small seal, how could he miss a treasure bestowed by a powerful saint?

Besides, the National Master also said that it is enough to deal with most enemies below the Saint Realm. The three states are only in the Divine Transformation Realm, so there is no need to worry at all!

"With this treasure, conquering the three states is just around the corner!"

Then, he called the chief eunuch Wang Jin and said, "I have issued an order to lead the army in person. The situation on the front line is urgent now, so I will go first. All affairs in the capital will be handed over to the disciples of the imperial teacher to handle!"

He knew that the National Master was an outsider and would not care about the affairs of the Xia Kingdom, so he said that he would leave it to the National Master's disciples to handle.

In response, Wang Jin replied respectfully: "I obey your command!"

Then, Emperor Xia flashed and turned into a rainbow and flew into the sky.

407. I think the princess can understand my difficulties

Looking at Emperor Xia's receding back, a look of uncertainty emerged on Wang Jin's face.

"I wonder if the Ninth Princess will ever come back?"

Ever since the Imperial Master came to Xia Kingdom, Emperor Xia gradually neglected Xiao Minghuang's old friends. For example, the Medicine King was forced to leave Xia Kingdom because of Emperor Xia's repeated coercion.

In addition, all the others who had been on good terms with the Ninth Princess were abandoned by Emperor Xia, even the ancestor was no exception.

Fortunately, he has always been good at changing his attitude according to the situation. He sold out his ancestor at the critical moment and won the trust of Emperor Xia. Otherwise, he would have been hard to escape.

The court was unpredictable, and as a mere eunuch, he had no choice but to protect himself.

As for our ancestor, he has devoted his entire life to Da Xia. If he could sacrifice his life for the prosperity of Da Xia, then death is enough for him!

Besides, this was a struggle within the royal family. What could it have to do with a slave like him?

"I think the Ninth Princess will understand my situation and won't make things difficult for me..."

Wang Jin comforted himself in this way.

...

In the front-line camp where Daxia was fighting against the coalition forces of the three states.

Inside the central army tent, a middle-aged man in armor sat on it, with other generals and royal servants standing on both sides.

"General, we are short of spiritual stones and elixirs, and our magic weapons are badly worn out. Moreover, we have traveled a long way and are deep in enemy territory. Our soldiers are too weak to fight any more. If we mistakenly enter the enemy's formation again, I'm afraid we will be wiped out!"

A general said with a bow.

"Marshal, let's withdraw our troops!"

"Yes, Marshal, we should report to His Majesty and request to return to the court!"

"For now, negotiate peace and recuperate. When the military preparations are ready, we can attack again!"

All the generals and ministers made suggestions.

"Everyone, please be patient!"