Jing Wen was finally able to circulate Qi after a month under the pressure of that mysterious woman and consort Li. Of course, it was not enough for him to regain the entirety of his former ability, or even to be placed once more on the Xinqingnian. Still, it was still a very joyous matter, worthy of celebration.
If he could circulate Qi once more, that meant he could supplement the bones and skin within his body. If he could supplement his body, that meant he could purify his heart and make himself immune to common disease and ailment. If he could reach heart purification, that meant he could project Qi outside his body and reach the state he had before he lost his cultivation and eyesight. Once he recovered his former cultivation, he could continue towards fusing man (人) and mountain (山), becoming ‘xian’ (仙). From there, he could eventually reach the state of ‘shen’ (神), associating himself with the nature of heaven and earth, becoming a creature with longevity equal to the heavens and earth itself.
Although Jing Wen had always viewed cultivation as a tool to serve a greater purpose; so that he may see what seldom few saw, enjoy what seldom few enjoyed and return some unspeakable debts, he would naturally have a desire for eternal life and power untouchable even by someone like the Emperor.
Fortunately, most of the steps he had to take was simply treading his old footsteps. If he was an ordinary person that had just completed circulating Qi, and, yet had already begun thinking about the ‘shen’ state that is only spoken of in legends, who knows how many people would laugh at him? Still, even he knew that reaching ‘shen’ was something inconceivable, something that even the sect masters of the Zijin sect and Ximo sect had failed to achieve after over eight years. When he had been younger, he had once loudly proclaimed his intentions of reaching ‘shen’, only to be lectured by his father.
Nowadays, after a month of tempering, Jing Wen had completely lost the rashness of youth and became far quieter compared to his days as the son of the Prime Minister. Moreover, he understood clearly that the label of genius had left him the day he had lost his eyesight.
Indeed, even if he achieved the mysterious ‘shen’ state, he would still be a blind man.
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When Jing Wen left the pavilion, it was already the second day. However, Jing Wen lacked any tiredness in his actions, walking with the same expression as always; it was as though the events of Yesterday had not happened at all.
Jing manor was far busier today than it had been for a long time. There was a large number of servants entering the estate, each wearing a set of new clothing and a haggard expression on their face. It was clear that these men and women were the old servants coming from Hongtian Palace and the secret chamber beneath it. Since the servants have been found, this naturally meant that the Emperor had already discovered Mo Xi’s secret chamber.
What could be said? The Emperor was indeed the Emperor. Each of his actions was like an executioner’s knife, swift and decisive, not leaving any path out. Facing the might of the Emperor, Mo Xi could only resign to his fate and hope that the Emperor would act leniently in consideration of his unique identity.
In the end, after a heated court discussion, the census was to revoke Mo Xi’s right to select his own servants and replace them with those named by the Imperial Court. Those selected were all prominent figures with significant experience with backing from the Imperial Court itself, meaning they were unable to be easily oppressed by Mo Xi.
Activities such as an entire household changing servants were very prominent matters, and Mo Xi was a widely known individual. Naturally, such meaningful punishments were unable to escape the ears of the people of Lin’an, quickly becoming a topic of gossip among the taverns. Scholars and artisans alike promptly gathered and began joyfully praising the wisdom of the Emperor for finally humbling the tyrannical Mo Xi.
Since such news was unable to escape the ears of the commoners of Lin’an, it naturally meant it entered the ears of Jing manor even earlier. Since word of Mo Xi’s punishment brought such satisfaction among the commoners, it naturally meant the joy experienced by those now in Jing manor was even greater.
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In Jing manor, the snow-filled path was already beginning to be cleared. The snow parted to reveal the aged stones beneath. Its dark surface seemed to welcome the world, greedily sucking in the sunlight; this caused it to slowly radiate a faint warmth that seemed to thaw Jing estate.
The servants, who were the ones truly removing the snow that covered Jing manor, worked with such enthusiasm that it makes one wonder if these were the same people that had been constantly stricken with fear under Mo Xi.
The gossipers in the taverns may speak with enthusiasm, but they would likely never dare to take another other action. This was since they were never directly influenced by the actions of Mo Xi; they lived completely separate lives, and would not be foolish enough to directly seek trouble with a seemingly unmovable force as Mo Xi. These servants, however, were constantly abused by him, and would naturally react in a very different manner.
Since Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin had saved them from Mo Xi, they would be far more devoted towards them then most servants would be towards their master. Aside from their positive image towards Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin, it was also out of a more selfish desire; Jing manor had no servants aside from Mingzhu and Yang’er, and Yang’er could not be even considered a servant of Jing family. As such, the positions for servants were all vacant. From the prestigious position of household manager to the lowest place of ‘slave’, the role that these servants would play in the future would be determined by their current attitude.
Only a few in the world did not desire power, and these servants were undoubtedly in the majority, despite their repressed nature. They were all hoping to show off their abilities and be promoted into more comfortable and secure roles after so long toiling under Mo Xi. For this, they spared no effort against the snow and dust that had accumulated over the past month, as if taking out their pent up frustration towards Mo Xi against the accumulation of filth.
However, the owner and guest of this estate were unable to exert equal enthusiasm. With a sober expression, Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin read through the reports sent over from the Imperial Court. While the results were satisfactory for many, neither Jing Wen nor Zhou Aimin had achieved what they truly wished.
In the end, the two quietly looked at each other, sharing their thoughts.
“I worked so hard, yet why did it end up like this?” Zhou Aimin said helplessly, “I even took the risk of burning down the Imperial Kitchen and attacking Mo Xi with Gao Shu, yet all Mo Xi got was a slap on this wrist.”
“His Majesty is, in the end, getting old. All he wants is to ensure that his reign is stable, and the succession is without bloodshed.” Jing Wen pressed his lips together and said, “I am just disappointed that His Majesty still does not fully trust me and did not touch the base of Mo Xi’s influence.”
Jing Wen then furrowed his brows. Thinking about the approaching arrival of Hua Quanfu, he said, “Hopefully it would at least remind the Mo couple of their son’s predicament so that when the elixir of immortality appears, they would not act rashly and rebel.”
Zhou Aimin slanted a glance at him. Realising that Jing Wen appears now completely sincere about preventing the destabilising effect caused by the elixir of immortality, he felt his mood becoming much better. He said, “From what Minister Xin had said, there should still have a month before Hua Quanfu arrives at the capital. During that time, we should take care of the succession issue.”
Jing Wen sighed internally. Although he was wholly dedicated to preventing chaos in the Empire as Zhou Aimin had hoped for, he was a realist and well aware it would be impossible to end the dispute between dynastic succession without the entire Empire taking action. The matter was something that could not even be decided by a figure as powerful as Consort Li; how could they resolve it?
Zhou Aimin seemed to be able to read the thought in Jing Wen’s mind. With nonchalance, he answered, “Naturally, we just need to kill one of them.”
Coughing sharply, Jing Wen quickly admonished Zhou Aimin, “Even with our unique identities, killing a member of the royal family is a crime of high treason. No matter what, matters such as this should not be spoken of so easily.”
Zhou Aimin shook his head. “The Emperor could always have more children. Fellow Jing, if you are worried for the Crown Prince, we can simply kill the Seventh Prince and the Eleventh Prince instead.”
“Even if we don’t consider the consequence, it is still impossible.” Jing Wen had already realised Zhou Aimin was a person that did not care for walking the unconventional path, and could not be reasoned with morals. He could only argue with logic. “While the Seventh Prince does not have an expert like Xiang Ji as the Crown Prince has, he is still guarded by several experts that have reached Qi projection. I’m afraid even if the sect leaders of the Zijin sect or Ximo sect would find it difficult to assassinate him.”
Zhou Aimin smiled. Fanning himself with the report, he replied, “Of course. However, the two sect leaders are only capable of wielding swords. Fellow Jing, by the phenomenon last night, it should be that you have already recovered a part of your cultivation. If that is the case, you should be able to assassinate the Seventh Prince and Thirteenth Prince without much issue then.”
After a brief pause, Zhou Aimin then added, “Additionally, few people know that you can once more manipulate Qi. Even if you assassinate the Seventh Prince, few should be aware that you have done it.”
“Even so.” The lines on Jing Wen’s forehead deepened, “Killing the Seventh Prince and Eleventh Prince is not guaranteed to bring us the desired result. Perhaps when the elixir of immortality arrives, the three princes will not take actions at all.”
Zhou Aimin chuckled. It was clear that Jing Wen could no longer counter his logic. How could the princes not take action? Even if they did not want immortality, they can give it to the Emperor and immediately become the favoured prince in the eyes of His Majesty. The Emperor has already been showing disinterest in court after Jing Ping’s death. Perhaps the prince that had obtained the elixir of immortality would become the de facto emperor even sooner than waiting for the Emperor to die of natural causes once the Emperor became uninterested in mortal matters.
Zhou Aimin gently patted the table. “We have some time to sort this matter out. If fellow Jing is uncomfortable with assassinating the prince, we can first try out other methods.”
Jing Wen sighed. Unable to refuse, he could only remain silent.