49: Duoduo explains poetry! Dadongshan radiation absorption plan!

Chapter 49: Duoduo Interprets Poetry! Da Dong Mountain Radiation Absorption Plan!

Zhan Doudou wasn't surprised by Zhan Pianpian's reaction at all. She felt the same way when she saw these poems.

The content of the poems was bold and explicit. She knew it was scandalous, yet she couldn't help but read them.

She did know that these poems were written by Prince Yong of Southern Qing for Si Lili.

"Here, read them quickly, or else Little Martial Aunt will come, and she'll definitely tell Mother Empress!"

Zhan Pianpian took the poems, sat down in the pavilion, and began to read them with a nervous yet serious expression.

Just then, a clear, crisp female voice floated down from the top of the pavilion.

"The magazine His Majesty asked me to get from the Empress Dowager's study, so it had a hidden meaning after all!"

"Today's good stuff, if you don't let this Saintess take a look, don't even think about secretly putting this book back!"

Li Chang'an's dream of the red chamber stopped updating completely after eighty chapters.

Zhan Doudou thought the Empress Dowager had the latest serialization, so she had Haitang Duoduo secretly take it out.

Haitang Duoduo, at fourteen, already possessed a ninth-grade Cultivation, revered as a Saintess in Northern Qi. She came and went silently, so how could Zhan Doudou have discovered her?

The Holy Maiden of Northern Qi, clad in white, descended from the rooftop, two axes strapped to her back.

From the moment Zhan Pianpian heard the voice, she hid the poems behind her back, as nervous as a cat that had stolen a fish.

Zhan Doudou shook her head helplessly, "Sister, can we stop the Saintess? Just let Little Martial Aunt see them, she won't understand anyway."

Zhan Pianpian nervously handed the dozen pages of intimate poems to Haitang Duoduo, who flipped through a few pages and showed an impatient expression.

She was devoted to martial arts and couldn't even get into dream of the red chamber, so her poetic skill was mediocre, and she indeed had no patience for these.

"It's just Li Chang'an's old clichés about women again, flowers, needles, grass, how boring!"

"Meaningless moaning, sentimentalizing spring and autumn!"

Haitang Duoduo frowned, shook her head after reading two pages, and her expression was full of disdain.

"Tch~ This Prince Yong of Southern Qing is utterly boring, trying to be profound!"

"Wouldn't it be better for a grown man to learn some martial arts instead of writing these useless things!"

"Quickly give me the book, I'll return it to the Empress Dowager right away!"

After Haitang left, Zhan Pianpian and Zhan Doudou exchanged glances, the Saintess truly was pure!

...In the year Li Chang'an left the capital to travel the world, the Qing Kingdom changed its reign title to Qingli.

Emperor Qing euphemistically called it changing the reign title to implement new policies, but most of the new policies were merely about rectifying officialdom and adjusting government agencies.

There was a saying in the Qing Kingdom's official circles: one palace, two provinces, three councils, three courts, Six Ministries, seven roads.

The one palace referred to the Imperial Palace, the two provinces were the Menxia Province and Zhongshu Province, which were combined to handle government affairs, and the three councils were the Supervisory Council, the Privy Council, and the Education Council.

The three courts were the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Court of State Ceremonial, and the Court of Judicial Review; the Six Ministries were Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works; the Seven Roads were the administrative divisions of Southern Qing, and the governors of the Seven Roads were the most powerful local officials in Southern Qing.

The major events of the first few years of Qingli included some minor institutional changes, the Inner Court beginning to publish newspapers, and Prince Yong's travels across the world.

Although Li Chang'an's entourage was not ostentatious, it still consisted of over a hundred people, and while they didn't openly display the Prince Yong banner, it was clear they were from a prominent family.

Over a month later, at an inn on Dongshan Road.

At this time, Li Chang'an had already Broken through to the eighth-grade upper Realm, and his Bei Ming True Energy was on the verge of Major Achievement.

Li Chang'an had left Wang Qinian in the capital because the capital's Net needed a sharp person to keep an eye on things.

Currently, the overall head of the Net was Zhao Gao. With him accompanying Li Chang'an, Wang Qinian was the only one in the capital capable of this task.

"Lao Zhao, can you truly not Break through to the Great Grandmaster Realm?"

Zhao Gao replied, "This old servant's Cultivation has been stagnant for several years; my body's control and application of True Qi have consistently failed to advance to the next level."

The Great Grandmaster in this world was like a nuclear deterrent weapon in ancient times.

The reason the world was in a three-way standoff between Southern Qing, Northern Qi, and Eastern Yi City was primarily because each country had a Great Grandmaster, which was also the reason Emperor Qing stopped his northern expedition.

Therefore, Breaking through to the Great Grandmaster Realm in this world was inherently very difficult.

Li Chang'an, Cultivating the Cultivation Technique provided by the System, might be able to Break through to the Great Grandmaster Realm step by step.

Zhao Gao continued, "Your Highness's Bei Ming True Energy is growing stronger and stronger. Once the True Qi reaches Major Achievement, you will be able to Break through to the ninth-grade."

Li Chang'an's Cultivation was not concealed from Zhao Gao; after all, having a more highly Cultivated person to discuss with was a good thing.

When Lao Zhao was summoned, his martial arts Cultivation automatically aligned with the Qing Yu Nian World, so he provided Li Chang'an with significant guidance and assistance.

Li Chang'an nodded and said, "Once I Break through to the ninth-grade and my Bei Ming True Energy reaches Major Achievement, I will be able to absorb others' True Qi for my own use."

Li Chang'an had a bold idea: instead of absorbing other people's True Qi, why not go directly to Da Dong Mountain and absorb nuclear radiation?

According to the Cultivation principle of Bei Ming True Energy, this was entirely possible.

Two issues needed to be considered: whether he could successfully refine it after absorption, and whether his current body could withstand it.

At his current Cultivation speed, Li Chang'an would be able to Break through to the ninth-grade in at most two years.

By then, he would definitely have to make a trip to Da Dong Mountain, northeast of Danzhou.

"Lao Zhao, go call the Four Sword Slaves and Lao Xing in!"

Li Chang'an had left Xiren and Qingwen with Liu Shuyan, bringing the other Four Sword Slaves with him.

Xing Yusen was the deputy commander of the Shadow Guard, and the eighty Shadow Guards accompanying Li Chang'an on this trip were all under his command.

After the four entered, Li Chang'an tossed a bundle to Duan Shui.

"From today onwards, you will continue to impersonate this Prince. I have already written down all the poems you are to compose and where you are to compose them."

"Speak less, maintain your dignity, and decline all invitations from officials and merchants."

"This Prince will keep close tabs on your news, and if any matters require my personal attention, I will reveal myself."

Duan Shui was Li Chang'an's personal body double, and after disguising himself, his imitation was remarkably lifelike.

"As you command, Your Highness!"

Li Chang'an then asked, "Lao Xing, do we have any tails behind us?"

Xing Yusen was an old constable, with an eighth-grade investigation ability, "Reporting to Your Highness, there are at least three groups: one from the Supervisory Council's Fourth Bureau, one likely from the Inner Court."

"The last group is from a large Jianghu escort agency; I don't know who hired them."

Li Chang'an scoffed; this group of people should have been sent by his "good elder sister" Li Yunrui to follow him.

"Good, let them follow if they wish; it will also help me cover my tracks."

Thus, Prince Yong's journey, which involved feigning one thing while doing another, finally began... Two years later, in the Imperial Study.

A small-scale imperial meeting had just concluded, and more than a dozen important ministers had not yet left when Emperor Qing brought out a new issue of the newspaper.

He had Eunuch Hou bring the newspaper out from behind the gauze curtain, "Lai Mingcheng, your eloquence is the best. Read the front page of the newspaper, and read it loudly!"

Lai Mingcheng was a bit bewildered; there was no matter under the Censorate's primary responsibility today, nor had he impeached anyone.

After he took the newspaper and looked at it, he finally understood Emperor Qing's purpose and could only read it seriously with a sigh of helplessness.

"His Highness Prince Yong has traveled the world and has so far left behind ten famous poems. Last month, upon arriving in Suzhou, his poetic inspiration surged, and he composed three poems in a row!"

"A winding stone path leads through emerald waters, willow shadows deeply lock several layers of mountains..."

"The distant bell from Hanshan Temple, the soft Wu dialect enters dreams..."

"The moon sets, crows cry, frost fills the sky; river maples and fishing fires against sorrowful sleep..."

After reading, Lai Mingcheng couldn't help but exclaim, "What good poems! Truly good poems!"

"Sweeping away the decadent tunes of the past two years, His Highness Prince Yong has grown up, his horizons have broadened, and the Concept of his poetry is more profound!"

Emperor Qing snorted coldly, "Two years ago, when I permitted Prince Yong to travel the world, you almost impeached me again!"

"You said I was overly doting on Prince Yong, letting him travel and play. Now what? Has Prince Yong degenerated because of his travels!"

Lai Mingcheng respectfully said, "His Highness Prince Yong has made great progress; it is His Majesty's good fortune, and the good fortune of Great Qing!"

Emperor Qing glared at Lai Mingcheng through the curtain, "Besides that, do you have nothing else to say?"