30: Emperor Zhengyong is looking for immortals (please collect and read)

Chapter 30 Emperor Zhengyong Wants to Seek Immortality (Seeking Collection, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Liu Chengen said excitedly: "Your Majesty, it is almost assembled. They are all veterans in the palace, and they are steady and quick-witted."

"Most importantly, they are all extremely loyal to Your Majesty!"

"Good... From now on, the memorials submitted by the Cabinet shall be reviewed and categorized by all of you, and the important ones shall be selected and reported to Us."

"Understood!"

Liu Chengen said respectfully: "this servant will surely follow all the ministers and learn with sincerity..."

This move by Zheng Yi completely replicated the cabinet system of the Ming Dynasty from his past life.

State affairs were entirely handed over to several ministers and eunuchs to complete.

He himself could completely act as a hands-off boss.

Much like Jiajing and Wanli.

Not holding court for decades, the entire Ming Dynasty still remained as stable as Mount Tai.

As for how the imperial court would fare afterwards, what did it matter to him?

Having resolved the court's affairs, he regarded the entire court as his own resource and backing.

And he himself could entirely rely on the power of the imperial court to help him... seek immortality!

Of course, he also had Shen Xing and Lu Lian organize the Jinyi Guard.

The former Royal City Division commander Ma Jinwu and the entire Royal City Division were all placed under the command of the Jinyi Guard.

Spying on intelligence and supervising all officials, its authority was even greater than before!

After finishing these, Zheng Yi finally had time to deal with the matter he had always wanted to know.

"Chengen."

"this servant is here."

"Go and bring the entire family of Eastern Cloud Wind from the underground palace."

"Understood!"

Heavenly Prison.

This was a heavily guarded area of the capital, and all those imprisoned were imperial criminals.

Ordinary prisoners were simply not qualified to be locked up here.

Two months ago, Prime Minister Yang rebelled, implicating a wide range of people.

Just officials of the second rank and above alone, seven or eight of them were locked up, not to mention other officials of slightly lower ranks.

At least a hundred people were imprisoned here, making the entire Heavenly Prison as lively as a vegetable market.

At the entrance of the Heavenly Prison, Yang Huan was dressed in a black robe, shrouding her entire body.

The newly appointed Jinyi Guard Commander Assistant Shen Xing respectfully handed back the token and said: "Your Ladyship, the Heavenly Prison is a heavily guarded area. Later, I hope Your Ladyship will closely follow behind this humble official."

"Troubling this lord."

Although Yang Huan's voice was somewhat saddened, it remained soft and beautiful.

Shen Xing's heart trembled, and he quickly reacted, lowering his head even deeper.

As expected of the Emperor's woman... she truly was a stunner!

This kind of woman, only Your Majesty was qualified to enjoy.

Following behind Shen Xing, Yang Huan walked into the Heavenly Prison.

"Wronged! We are wronged!"

"I have an important matter to report to Your Majesty! Quickly go and pass on the message!"

"This old man is the Minister of Revenue, yet you dare to feed this old man such pig slop. Watch out or this old man will chop off your heads!"

"What are you shouting for! What second-rank official, what Minister or Vice Minister, you are all just prisoners now..."

As they penetrated deeper into the Heavenly Prison, noises, curses, and angry shouts continuously came from all around.

In the air, a stench of urine and blood permeated.

Because there were too many people imprisoned, cells that originally could only hold one or two people were now holding more than a dozen, making them extremely crowded.

Many people even had faces full of despair, muttering something in their mouths.

Shen Xing lowered his voice and said: "Your Ladyship, be careful and do not pay attention to these people."

"Mhm..."

Soon, Shen Xing brought Yang Huan to the depths of the Heavenly Prison.

There were several quiet rooms here, all of which were cells holding serious criminals.

In one of them, an elderly man around sixty years old, with graying hair and beard and an ash-colored complexion, was being held.

It was precisely Yang Xuansu!

Opening the cell door, Yang Xuansu subconsciously looked over.

"You are..."

"Your Ladyship, be careful. By Your Majesty's command, you may stay here for one hour."

"This palace knows."

"This humble official will guard outside the door. If Your Ladyship has any matters, you can summon this humble official at any time."

"Mhm."

"This humble official takes leave."

"You are... Zheng Yuhuan?"

Yang Huan took off her hat, and Yang Xuansu finally recognized the person before him.

It was precisely Yang Huan, in whom he had placed high hopes and who was pregnant!

"Zheng Yuhuan!"

"It is Zheng Yuhuan!"

"Zheng Yuhuan, come over quickly, let mother take a good look..."

Yang Huan's appearance instantly caused a sensation in the surrounding cells.

A beautiful woman clung to the door of the cell on the left, crying heartbreakingly and frantically waving towards Yang Huan.

On the other side, Yang Xuansu's two sons were imprisoned.

The eldest son, Yang Guang, had his Meridians completely severed and had become a cripple.

The second son, Yang Kang, had fallen gravely ill out of fright and was currently in a daze as well.

Besides them, there were also several other young children ranging from seven or eight years old down to one or two years old, and some only a few months old.

These were all Yang Xuansu's grandchildren.

"Father, Mother!"

With a cry, Yang Huan instinctively rushed to her mother's side, weeping bitterly.

For a time, the weeping inside the entire cell shook the heavens, appearing extremely miserable.

After a long while, Yang Xuansu finally spoke: "Alright, it is not easy for Zheng Yuhuan to come and see us, what kind of decorum is it to be crying and howling?"

"Father..."

Looking at her father, who had visibly aged by twenty or thirty years, Yang Huan said with a heart full of grief: "Why, why has it come to this? You were already the Prime Minister, and your daughter even carries a dragon seed in her womb..."

Yang Xuansu shook his head and said: "It is merely the victory of kings and defeat of bandits, what is the use of saying these words now?"

"Besides, do you really think this old man rebelled of his own free will?"

"Since ancient times, imperial power and ministerial power have always been as incompatible as fire and water."

"To have reached this state today, this old man was forced to some extent by that Emperor Zhengyong!"

"Father..."

"Alright."

Yang Xuansu waved his hand and said: "Emperor Zhengyong made an exception to let you come see this old man. It seems it is still thanks to the merit of the child in your womb."

"This old man and his family apparently face certain death."

"This old man... really wants to see what the future grandson will look like!"

Speaking of this, Yang Xuansu's eye sockets also turned somewhat red.

"Father..."

Yang Huan suddenly seemed to remember something, and hurriedly said: "That's right, Father! I begged Your Majesty, and Your Majesty said that as long as Father is willing to confess some matters, he can make an exception to let me take away two children."

"Take away two children!"

Yang Xuansu's eyes suddenly lit up and he said: "What matter?"

"Don't say it yet... Let this old man think!"

"This old man has accumulated a heaven-sized fortune in this lifetime, but no matter how large the fortune is, it cannot escape the plundering of the Royal City Division and Xu Mujun."

"Those farmland, mineral properties, and shops in the localities could not escape the encroachment of the local aristocratic clans."

"Could what Emperor Zhengyong wants be the evidence of this prime minister colluding with other countries? No, no... It is..."

"Fire Spirit Master... seeking immortality!"

"Emperor Zhengyong wants the secrets of cultivating immortality?"

Yang Huan said in shock: "F-Father is truly... divine in calculation."

"Your Majesty sent Zheng Yuhuan to ask about the origins of that Fire Spirit Master, and matters concerning how to cultivate immortality..."

"Hahaha, hahahaha..."

Yang Xuansu suddenly burst into laughter: "Emperor Zhengyong was able to force this prime minister to such a state, and I originally thought he was what kind of figure, but I didn't expect he too could not escape the temptation of cultivating immortality!"

"This prime minister did not lose to Emperor Zhengyong, but lost to Xu Mujun!"

"If it weren't for Xu Mujun..."

"Father..."

Yang Xuansu said with a maniacal tone: "Emperor Zhengyong wants to cultivate immortality? Then this prime minister will lend him a helping hand!"

"Since ancient times, how many Mortals can resist the temptation of cultivating immortality?"

"Peddlers and pawnbrokers, princes, nobles, and ministers. Even if he is the Emperor, it is the same!"

"Those who destroyed their nations because of cultivating immortality are countless."

"This old man wants to see if Emperor Zhengyong seeking immortality will cultivate the Great Yu Dynasty out of existence."

"Will Xu Mujun be so angry as to beat Emperor Zhengyong to death, hahaha..."

"Zheng Yuhuan, come closer and lend me your ear!"

Yang Xuansu said in a low voice, and Yang Huan was also clever, writing down everything he said word for word.

An hour later, Yang Xuansu suddenly said: "This old man has basically said everything he knows completely, but there are a few words that Zheng Yuhuan must listen to."

"Father, please speak."

"Since ancient times, the imperial family is merciless, and our Emperor Zhengyong is even more so!"

Yang Xuansu suddenly said: "Father's rebellion will inevitably implicate you and the child in your womb. If it is a dragon seed, it will surely be resented by others and will not live to adulthood."

"If it is a girl, perhaps she might still survive."

"Even you will be cast into the cold palace, never able to leave the palace for the rest of your life."

"To protect the lives of you and the child in your womb, this old man wants to leave a strategy for you."

"Or rather, a strategy to make Emperor Zhengyong value you again."

"At the very least, it can allow you to preserve your life within the deep palace!"

Yang Huan said with a solemn expression: "Father, please speak."

"For the sake of seeking immortality, Emperor Zhengyong will inevitably mobilize the entire strength of the country to search. You must tell him seven or even nine tenths of these cultivation secrets that this old man has told you."

"But the remaining one to three tenths should be told when Emperor Zhengyong fails to find immortality and hesitates!"

"Twice, you only have two chances!"

Yang Xuansu said calmly: "These cultivation secrets can ensure your safety for a lifetime."

"As for regaining Emperor Zhengyong's favor, there is no chance..."

Yang Huan's eye sockets were red, and she said in a trembling voice: "F-Father, this child knows."

"Alright, you may go." Yang Xuansu waved his hand and said: "Also Zheng Yuhuan, since Emperor Zhengyong is letting you take away two children, you should take Zhao'er and Ling'er."

Yang Zhao, Yang Guang's eldest son, nine years old.

Yang Ling, Yang Kang's eldest son, seven years old.

The two sons had been carefully nurtured by Yang Xuansu since childhood, and right now in the neighboring cell, they were eagerly looking at Yang Huan.

Not only them, but Yang Xuansu's concubines, upon hearing Yang Xuansu's arrangement, had faces full of despair.

Yang Huan hesitated for a moment and said: "Father, I'm sorry, daughter lied to you."

"Your Majesty's meaning is that daughter can take away two people, but can only take away girls, and they must be under three years old."

"What?!"

Yang Xuansu suddenly raised his head and said through gritted teeth: "Your Majesty... what a ruthless heart!"

"This is cutting off this old man's lineage!"

"Zheng Yuhuan... This old man has wronged you. Had it not been for being implicated by this old man, you might have even been able to sit upon the empress throne!"

"Now... you can barely preserve your life!"