66: The Secret of Concubine Cui

Chapter 66: Consort Cui's Secret

Zheng Yuantao declared himself the Prince of Yan. Not only was this matter being fiercely debated in the court, but countless people among the common folk were also passionately discussing it.

There were those who cursed him bitterly, those filled with righteous indignation, and those who felt admiration. There was also a tiny minority who, for reasons unknown, actually went to pledge their allegiance, all to gamble for a future!

Places like taverns, teahouses, and brothels were all filled with people discussing this matter.

"The Prince of Yan declaring himself independent—this is something that has happened for the first time in the Great Yu Dynasty's three hundred-plus years of nation-founding!"

"What methods could those lords in the imperial court possibly have?"

"What else could they do? It's nothing more than issuing an imperial edict of reprimand. Could the imperial court really dare to go to war with the Pseudo-Yan?"

"Hmph... Relying on those lords in the Imperial Guards?"

"The Imperial Guards are practically ruined! Two years ago, when Yang Reverse rebelled and clashed with the Imperial Guards, the ones who died were all the elite of the Imperial Guards."

"Tsk tsk tsk, the Imperial Guards of today would be extremely lucky to even have two or three thousand capable fighters left~"

"Shh... The lords have finished the morning court session!"

"There is new news! The court advocates for war, and they are actually going to summon troops from the four prefectures around the capital to form new Imperial Guards!"

"Forming Imperial Guards? I wonder if I can go and join?"

"I've heard that Tian Yiguang, who placed fourth in the martial examination, is now a captain of the Imperial Guards and is currently recruiting soldiers!"

"An Imperial Guards captain? That truly is stepping into the heavens in a single bound!"

"The top scorer of the martial examination is now a guerrilla general of the Bin Province border army, with several thousand men under his command!"

"The runner-up and third place of the martial examination are reportedly now commanders of the Shenji Camp, and they are also recruiting! I heard the conditions are very harsh, only wanting those with great strength and exceptional archery skills."

"Shenji Camp? What is that for?"

"I don't know, but I heard it's a personal army directly under Your Majesty!"

"Recruiting soldiers, why are they still recruiting? Does the imperial court have this much money?"

"Shh... Have you forgotten? His Majesty confiscated Yang Reverse's estate, and I heard they confiscated several hundred million taels of silver!"

"How come I heard they confiscated more than a billion?"

"Your perspective is too narrow! My neighbor's aunt's brother's concubine's second uncle's son is a eunuch in the palace, and he heard they confiscated ten billion!"

"Whoa~!"

All kinds of news flew around among the common folk with numerous rumors, changing version almost every single day.

Among them, some were genuine intelligence, while others were decoys released by people with ulterior motives.

Emperor Zhengyong, spies of the Pseudo-Yan, and people from other factions almost all gathered in the capital, making it extremely lively.

"The Pseudo-Yan is engaging in rebellion. We of the Great Yu should naturally mobilize a large army and annihilate them with thunderous force!"

Inside the Hanlin Academy, the newly appointed Hanlin compiler Wang Anshi stood up excitedly, shaking his hands as if venting his anger.

Beside him were the newly appointed Hanlin corrector and top scorer of the literary examination, Cui Xiawu, along with the runner-up Li Ziyang.

The three of them passed in the same top tier of the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy as officials at the same time. Sharing the bond of former classmates, they often gathered together to discuss major affairs of the state.

Today, news of the Pseudo-Yan declaring independence had long since sparked heated discussions among countless colleagues, and the three of them were no exception.

A large number of Hanlin Academy officials and academicians gathered to discuss the matter, and after the meeting dispersed, the three of them gathered once more.

Among the three, although Wang Anshi came from a humble background, he had long known the hardships of the common people. Therefore, he detested the Pseudo-Yan's declaration of independence to the core and strongly advocated for their subjugation.

As for the other two, they held different views.

"With what will we suppress them?" Cui Xia Zhao shook his head and said, "Right now, there are popular rebellions in the six northern provinces, and the court hasn't completely suppressed them even after two years. Now that the Pseudo-Yan has declared independence, causing the north to become even more chaotic, what does the court have to suppress them?"

"Because of Yang Reverse's rebellion, the Imperial Guards still haven't recovered to this day. Will we rely on the Yun Prefecture troops? Or troops from other prefectures?"

"In my view, rather than that, the court might as well acknowledge the position of the Prince of Yan, use the hands of the Prince of Yan to eliminate the rebel mobs, and then head to the Canglong River together with General Xu to resist Wu Country. This is the superior strategy!"

"Acknowledge the Pseudo-Yan as a king?" Wang Anshi frowned and said, "If so, where is the legal authority of the imperial court?"

"If the Prince of Yan is acknowledged, what about the other princes?"

"Prince Ning and Prince Qing have both reached adulthood and gone to their fiefs, not to mention His Majesty's paternal uncles such as Prince Jin, Prince Chen, Prince Shu, Prince Jiang, and so on. If they all want to declare independence, how should the court handle it?"

Wang Anshi gritted his teeth and said, "Have you all forgotten the Rebellion of the Princes during the early days of our Great Yu's founding?"

More than three hundred years ago, when the Great Yu was newly founded, the founding emperor Zheng Mingsen enfeoffed various princes to guard the capital.

Who would have thought that after his demise, the princes would actually launch a rebellion to vie for power and profit, besieging the capital.

Fortunately, the Martial King emerged at that time, annihilating the princes, driving out the foreign tribes, and stabilizing the entire Great Yu.

Ever since then, Martial King Zheng established a royal decree that no one not surnamed Zheng could become a prince. Furthermore, the enfeoffed princes possessed neither military power nor political power, having only the right to be sustained by their local fiefs.

And now, the pseudo-king Zheng Yuantao actually wants to use this to blackmail the imperial court into establishing him as a feudal lord.

If there is such a precedent, the realm will surely fall into great chaos!

"This is a temporary expedient." Cui Xia Zhao let out a long sigh and said, "Only after relying on the Prince of Yan to pacify the popular rebellions can his royal title be revoked. In this way..."

"If so, the realm will definitely fall into great chaos!" Wang Anshi sneered and said, "How could one ever have the nerve to take back a royal title that has already been enfeoffed? Brother Cui, you are truly too naive!"

Cui Xia Zhao hardened his scalp and said, "Brother Wang, the Prince of Yan is after all His Majesty's kinsman, we only need to..."

"Heh..." Wang Anshi let out a cold laugh and shook his head, saying, "To compromise like this, where does it place the face of the Great Yu Dynasty?"

"In the imperial court today, I heard that Brother Cui's grandfather actually advocated for peace as well. Does he not know that once this matter is implemented, it will be a national disaster for our Great Yu!"

"The Great Yu has reached such a difficult and distressing plight, yet you people are still thinking about factional strife!"

"Brother Wang!" Cui Xia Zhao cried out in anger, but was held back by Li Ziyang on the side: "Both elder brothers, don't be anxious. We are merely discussing this matter, why elevate it to the level of factional strife?"

"The lords of the court are all the backbone ministers of the court. The aspects we can see, how could they possibly fail to see?"

"The likes of us are currently only minor officials of the sixth or seventh rank. If one day someone among us can become a grand official of the first or second rank, or even enter the Cabinet to deliberate affairs, when a matter like this arises again, won't it be up to you gentlemen to decide?"

Among the three, Li Ziyang was the youngest and had been known as a child prodigy since he was young.

He hailed from a prominent clan in Jiangnan, possessed abundant family wealth, and also had quite a bit of influence in the court.

He chuckled and continued, "Right, the court is preparing to let the three of us go to Chang'an Commandery to observe governance. Have the two elder brothers thought about where you want to go?"

"Sigh..." Cui Xia Zhao shook his head and said, "Chang'an Commandery has suffered a severe drought for three years, and I hear the situation there is extremely miserable. My father said that the three of us going to Chang'an Commandery to observe governance is personally designated by His Majesty, and we cannot refuse."

"If I go, I will definitely choose the Chang'an Commandery Yamen, using what I have learned to assist Chang'an Commandery in disaster relief and save the tens of thousands of people from dire straits!"

"The Chang'an Commandery Yamen?" Wang Anshi's gaze became even more disdainful. "Brother Cui going there, could it be because you see the Chang'an Commandery Yamen as the safest place?"

"You...!"

"Brother Wang!" Li Ziyang quickly pulled Wang Anshi back and said, "This younger brother is prepared to head to Weinan County. I heard that there is a phenomenon of a red dragon turning over and the haunting of supernatural beings there, so this younger brother intends to go and investigate."

After thinking for a moment, Wang Anshi said, "I am going to Extended Commandery!"

"Extended Commandery!"

The two were shocked and looked over at Wang Anshi one after another.

Extended Commandery, that was the place in Yong Province where the drought situation was the most severe!

Rumor had it that there were millions of disaster victims there, rivers had dried up, and common people were trading children to eat, making it utterly tragic.

Vaguely, signs of a popular uprising had already appeared.

Wang Anshi stood up, his eyes shining brightly as he said, "This is my grand aspiration, and I shall pursue it to the death!"

The two looked at him with solemn respect and said, "Brother Wang is truly righteous!"

Wang Anshi returned the bow and said, "Fortunately, His Majesty is deeply righteous and has already rejected the Pseudo-Yan's request for independence. This is truly the fortune of our Great Yu."

"The revitalization of the Great Yu relies entirely upon His Majesty alone!"

"If I have the opportunity, I will surely exert all my strength to repay my Emperor!"

The two stood up one after another and said, "We are the same!"

...

Late at night, the Cui Family estate.

Cui Jinghao summoned his trusted steward and said in a deep voice, "Return everything sent from Yan City. Remember, do not keep a single thing!"

The steward immediately said, "Yes, Master. But those items..."

"Hmm? Does my word no longer carry any weight?"

"It's not that, Master. Among those items are ten thousand-year purple ginseng roots, which are tonic items of Saint Grade. Your physical constitution, Master..."

Cui Jinghao hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Thousand-year purple ginseng..."

"Forget it, leave the thousand-year purple ginseng behind, and send all the other items away!"

"This old man has already spoken good words for them in the court, and these ten roots of thousand-year purple ginseng are the reward."

"His Majesty has already made up his mind to fight, and as a grand secretary of the Cabinet, this old man naturally ought to stand with His Majesty."

"Yes, Master."

The steward left. Cui Jinghao also shook his head and returned to the main hall.

Inside the main hall, seven or eight officials had also been waiting for a long time; they were all third-rank officials in the court who closely followed the Cui Family.

Cui Jinghao waved his hand, signaling everyone to sit down.

The maid served tea, and someone immediately asked impatiently, "Elder Cui, Your Majesty advocates for war now, what should the rest of us do?"

Cui Jinghao closed his eyes and pondered, "His Majesty has already rejected Pseudo-Yan. What you all need to do now is go back and properly prepare for the upcoming great battle!"

"Sigh, we are going to war again."

"What on earth is going through the mind of Zheng Yuantao, the third son of the Prince of Yan, that he would actually declare himself the Prince of Yan?"

"I am even starting to doubt whether the Prince of Yan was assassinated by him!"

"Shh... Keep your voices down, this matter cannot be discussed."

The people below were whispering among themselves, while Cui Jinghao said indifferently, "Everyone, this old man knows that Pseudo-Yan has long since sent a large amount of wealth to your estates. Take this old man's advice and return it early."

As soon as his voice fell, the crowd fell silent for a few minutes, and finally, someone spoke, "Granduncle, the main branch of our Cui Family and a large portion of our property are extremely close to Yan, and many Disciples in our family also have trade dealings with Yan."

"If we return it rashly, the losses will be immense. How about..."

This person was a member of the Cui Family, holding a third-rank official post in the Salt Transport Commission. Although his power was not large, it was a lucrative post!

"How about what?"

"The longer this war is fought, the better it is for our business. Whether it is Pseudo-Yan or the imperial court, as long as it can be dragged out..."

Cui Jinghao closed his eyes in contemplation, and the others did not dare to disturb him. After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he finally opened both eyes and said, "His Majesty is sharpening his weapons and horses, and Pseudo-Yan is determined to win. There will definitely be a great battle after spring begins."

"Three months... This old man can hold out for three months at most. Have your subordinates quickly finish up the business on hand."

"By then, whether His Majesty wins a great victory or Pseudo-Yan establishes itself, our Cui Family will have benefits to reap. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Granduncle is still the thoughtful one!"

Cui Jinghao shook his head again and said, "His Majesty is so militaristic and bellicose that great chaos under heaven is about to arrive."

"For some unknown reason, despite Bing'er being a Consort, she has yet to bear a single son or daughter in her womb up to now."

"If Bing'er could give birth to an imperial prince for His Majesty..."

Inside the grand hall, the crowd discussed animatedly, while outside the hall, in a pitch-black corner, an ordinary youth dressed as a servant clung close to the paper window to listen carefully.

After the various officials left, he carefully memorized the appearances of several officials, and then secretly returned to his quarters.

Pulling out specially made paper and ink from under the heated brick bed, the servant quickly wrote on it: "On the sixth day of the second month in the fifth year of zhengyong, Cui Guangting of the Salt Transport Commission, Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices Yu, and others conspired in the mansion of Lord Cui Jinghao..."

After finishing writing, he hid it inside his collar.

The next day, he asked for leave to go out and placed the written secret letter on the back of the Earth God statue inside the City God Temple.

Before long, a begging beggar came to this place, took away this secret letter when people were not paying attention, and sent it to a certain secret location.

This secret letter went round and round, and finally flowed into an institution in the southern part of the city right next to the imperial palace.

Jinyi Guard!

Having been established for two years, the Jinyi Guard had long since kept the residences of many high-ranking officials above the sixth rank in the city under surveillance.

Especially for officials above the second rank, there were at least three or four Jinyi Guard spies in every estate.

Which concubine's room these officials slept in at night, what food they ate, and even what undergarments they wore were all crystal clear to the Jinyi Guard.

The reason they had not yet moved against them was entirely because the time had not yet come.

Tonight, inside Qiankun Hall, Zheng Yi was reviewing the booklet in his hands.

This was the intelligence gathered by two Shadow Guards monitoring every move of Consort Cui after he left the capital to go to Golden Emperor Peak.

Zheng Yi flipped it open to inspect it, his gaze gradually shifting from calm to strange, from strange to guesswork, and finally turning into puzzlement.

"The twenty-first day of the eleventh month in the fourth year of zhengyong. Consort Cui washed up at the Yin hour, went outside Jiao Fang Palace to sit quietly, had a meal at the Wu hour, and went to bed at the Xu hour."

"The twenty-second day of the eleventh month in the fourth year of zhengyong. Consort Cui washed up at the Yin hour, went outside Jiao Fang Palace to sit quietly, read books and practiced calligraphy at the Chen hour, and went to bed at the Xu hour."

"..."

"The twenty-eighth day of the eleventh month in the fourth year of zhengyong. Consort Cui washed up at the Yin hour, went outside Jiao Fang Palace to sit quietly, read books and practiced calligraphy at the Chen hour, had a meal at the Wu hour, and went to bed at the Xu hour"

"..."

Looking at these records, Zheng Yi furrowed his brow into a 'Chuan' shape.

This bookkeeping-like content... was Consort Cui's day?

It was simply too regular!

Waking up and washing up at the Yin hour, then sitting quietly outside Jiao Fang Palace, followed by reading books and practicing calligraphy at the Chen hour—truly worthy of a scholarly family.

Hmm?

That's not right!

Zheng Yi's eyes suddenly flickered as he carefully examined the records.

"Basically waking up to sit quietly at four or five in the morning, but... what about eating?"

"She only eats one meal a day?"

"And what's more, she only eats once every four or five days? What is going on?"

In the contents of these records, Consort Cui spent most of her time sitting quietly, reading, practicing calligraphy, and occasionally taking walks to places like the Imperial Garden.

However, the most essential matter of eating was extremely rare in frequency.

Basically, she only ate once every four or five days, and what she ate was very simple.

Zheng Yi knew that whether it was a low-rank Martial Artist or a high-rank Martial Artist, they all had to rely on food to ensure vigorous energy and a full supply of qi and blood.

Some Martial Artists could even eat twenty catties of beef in a single meal!

Only by eating well could the essence in the food be transformed into one's own qi and blood and energy.

Yet this Consort Cui was not a Martial Artist; indeed, she did not need to eat too many things.

But she couldn't eat this little either!

Eating this little... a person would have starved to death long ago!

"Unless..."

"Bigu!"

Zheng Yi thought of something. Only legendary immortal Cultivators did not need to regularly consume mortal food, needing only to absorb and exhale Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Just like the Old Celestial Master Zhao Xi Zheng, who could go into seclusion for several years without even needing a single bite of food.

When he broke out of seclusion to eat, it was merely to satisfy his own culinary desires.

Furthermore, he also had Bigu pills; swallowing a single one guaranteed seven days without hunger.

"Could it be... that Consort Cui is also a Cultivator, and by utilizing Bigu pills or other methods, she manages to eat only once every four or five days?"

"And that night when I inexplicably fell asleep, was that also her doing?"

"Using cultivation items to make me fall unconscious?"

Up to this point, Zheng Yi could only speculate thus.

"Fortunately, she harbors no malicious intent toward me, otherwise something would have happened to me that night."

Consort Cui is a Cultivator!

For Zheng Yi, this matter was undoubtedly earth-shattering news.

As for whether it was good news or bad news, it depended on Consort Cui's purpose.

But for now, it could not be considered bad news.

"Consort Cui... She is a Cultivator hiding in the palace; what secret does she have?"

"A great hermit lives in the marketplace?"

"That's not right!"

Zheng Yi frowned and said, "According to Old Man Zhao Xi Zheng, the inner palace is located in the mortal realm where Spiritual Qi is scarce, making it completely impossible to supply a Cultivator with what they need to Cultivate..."

"Hmm? That's not right!"

"My Pure Yin Qi!"

"Chen Liancang and Prince Xian were both able to rely on Pure Yin Qi to Breakthrough to the Innate Realm. As a Cultivator, how could she not perceive it?"

"Unless..."

Zheng Yi muttered, "Consort Cui's identity as a Cultivator... is she a novice? Meaning she's a rookie?"

"Did she also accidentally obtain a cultivation Legacy? And because of her status as a Consort, she has no choice but to stay in the inner palace?"

"Furthermore, she has already entered the palace for four years, and everything she displays is completely normal, without a single trace of a Cultivator's demeanor, living in seclusion..."

"If that is the case, then everything makes sense."

Zheng Yi let out a long breath of relief. He had sought immortals for two years and gained nothing.

He never expected that right by his side, a Cultivator was actually hidden!

Consort Cui!

"To begin with, it's certain that she does not intend to murder me. Does she want to coexist peacefully with me?"

"Or is it that she can't bear to part with the glory and wealth of the mortal world?"

In his heart, Zheng Yi gradually formed a way to handle Consort Cui.

She was merely a rookie Cultivator whose strength was at most on par with people like Chen Liancang, and she bore no malice toward him.

For such a person, they could completely be approached gradually.

Her identity, after all, was that of a Consort!

An imperial concubine of the Emperor!

"No, there is still a possibility of trouble; I must first enhance my own strength!"

Zheng Yi immediately said, "If I advance to an Innate Realm expert, with Chen Liancang at my side and ten Blood Moon Gu, I won't need to fear Consort Cui either."

"Imperial selection...!"

"Utilize the palace maidens from the imperial selection to enhance my own strength!"

Zheng Yi's eyes brightened as he said, "It seems I must urge the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Why is holding an imperial selection so slow?"

"After the new year, I shall widely enfeoff the inner palace and let the selected maidens enter the palace!"

"I wonder if there are any women among this batch of imperial maidens who satisfy Us."

"Zhu Wanwan of the Baihua Sect?"

"Qin Qingxuan of Cihang Nunnery?"

"Yuechan of South Yue?"

"And that female Daoist priestess originating from the Taiyi Sect?"