My Lady Always Lacks Ambition-Chapter 1031 - 1004: The State Preceptor Changed His Skin

Chapter 1031: Chapter 1004: The State Preceptor Changed His Skin

Putting aside the matter of Little Ginseng, Feng Xiu brought up the ’Fake National Master’ in the palace.

"Now that Wushang is gone, what should be done with the Puppet National Master in the palace?"

Qin Liuxi said, "That is the State Preceptor."

Feng Xiu furrowed his brow and immediately understood her meaning, saying, "You want him to replace Wushang?"

"Why not?"

"No, right now there’s much resentment towards the State Preceptor among the people, and if the puppet replaces him, this piled-up infamy will backfire on you." Feng Xiu disagreed, saying, "Moreover, with the State Preceptor around, he needs to be manipulated to act, and he directly colludes with the Saint. Does this count as replacing Wushang, a person of Enlightenment, interfering in mortal affairs? If that triggers another backlash..."

Qin Liuxi shook her head, "Then don’t take infamy, take good name. Before exposing Wushang, I got him to halt the construction of the Heavenly Immortal Palace and urged the Saint to focus on disaster relief. That’s a good deed, right?"

Feng Xiu remained silent.

"Now the Saint is obsessed with the alchemical practice of immortality. If the State Preceptor disappears now, he’ll just find another." Qin Liuxi said coolly, "At least Wushang came from Heavenly Master Zhang and made true elixir, which won’t grant immortality but at least won’t kill those who consume it. If it’s replaced with another State Preceptor, who knows what he’ll produce? A truly evil Alchemist, in the pursuit of creating elixirs, would stop at nothing. Even Wushang once took the Heart Blood of newborn infants."

Everyone’s complexion slightly changed upon hearing this.

Little Ginseng said, "Newborn babies, using Heart Blood for alchemy? That’s too vicious!"

"Through the use of blood in medicine, one can make any elixir; from the blood of a newborn, virgin’s blood, youth elixir, some even use the blood of beautiful virgins, and even corpse oil in elixirs..."

Little Ginseng and Teng Zhao turned pale, their stomachs churning, corpse oil in elixirs, how can they swallow that?

"Corpse oil, dare anyone consume it?" Little Ginseng asked, face white with disgust.

Qin Liuxi grinned, "Without telling you, who knows what ingredients are inside? You’d consume it without knowledge."

Don’t smile like that; that smile is akin to a devil’s grin, horrifying.

Urk.

Little Ginseng made a retching gesture.

Teng Zhao pinched his tiger’s mouth, saying, "Do such elixirs truly have any effect?"

"It depends on the combination, but even if effective, the backlash is severe." Qin Liuxi’s gaze was cold, "Using such ingredients to practice alchemy and medicine certainly requires a life in exchange. Whose resentment wouldn’t be aroused? Such resentful energy accompanies the elixir."

The saying "Injustice leads to self-destruction" is not uttered without basis.

"Alright, alright, why scare them? You’re going off-topic!" Feng Xiu ended the discussion.

Qin Liuxi coughed lightly, saying, "So rather than letting the Saint seek another unknown State Preceptor to act recklessly outside, it’s better to keep the puppet there. At least he’ll ask for elixirs beneficial to life, and our puppet won’t demand the construction of any Longevity Palace to harm the people, will he?"

"Allow me to remind you, that Longevity Palace is the Saint’s construction for his own cultivation in an Immortal Palace." Feng Xiu looked at her and said, "It’s not that the State Preceptor says it won’t be built; it absolutely won’t. He wants immortality, so of course, he needs to construct the Heavenly Immortal Palace, so that his kind of immortal can cultivate inside, isn’t it?"

Qin Liuxi: "Then give him some subterfuge, and let a mishap occur during construction and see if he dares."

"If that’s the case, it pivots to harming him, inviting a lightning strike, and it’s the Human Emperor after all, that lightning ought to be arm-thick!" Feng Xiu gloated.

Qin Liuxi was furious, "It dares! Why hasn’t it struck Si Luo dead first? Si Luo crawled back from the Nine Netherworld, plays as he pleases, and it blinds itself to all of it. Is Si Luo its pup? If laying down a slight trap just leads to a strike against me, then no one should play!" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The Heavenly Dao: No matter the change, this explosive temper remains unchanged!

Seeing Feng Xiu about to blabber on, Qin Liuxi commanded, "Shut your mouth! The puppet stays in the palace first, or else the State Preceptor disappears, the Saint surely will be furious. With the snow disaster unresolved, sparking chaos would be our fault."

After all, the matter of the genuine State Preceptor’s complete disappearance, that was their doing!

Seeing her decision made, Feng Xiu shrugged his hands, accepting her stance.

...

Previously, Qin Liuxi instructing the puppet to tell the Saint to pause palace construction and focus on disaster relief was indeed timely.

Emperor Kangwu was very trusting of his State Preceptor, and upon hearing that the Saint consulted the Divine Queen, he learned that continuous snow causing disaster was due to the improper timing of palace construction, inciting Heavenly Punishment. It must be halted and disaster relief provided, or greater calamities could ensue.

Emperor Kangwu single-mindedly desired immortality but did not wish for infamy; should the calamities persist, forcing him to draft a self-condemning document, would he not feel disgraced?

Since it was the State Preceptor’s word, he immediately summoned key courtiers for a minor assembly to pause palace construction and provide disaster relief.

As it turned out, once this directive was issued, the snow that had lasted for more than half a month ceased abruptly.

The State Preceptor then feigned gratitude and depth, coming to praise, endlessly lauding the Saint’s love for his people reaching the heavens, touching the skies, causing the snow to stop. He praised Emperor Kangwu, who reacted with great delight, and reminded the Ministry of Revenue to swiftly convene a disaster relief plan.

Leaving the palace, upon hearing the Saint’s laughter, several key ministers exchanged glances with expressions unknown.

"It’s said that the God Stick’s eloquence can turn praise into art; indeed true. Look at how he’s pacified the Saint, making anything attainable."

"Regardless, at least he has done a proper deed this time."

Elder Yu glanced at the person, folding his hands under the sleeves, walking alongside Lin Xiang outside the palace, saying, "Prime Minister, do you find this State Preceptor somewhat peculiar?"

Previously, watching the State Preceptor, the person was the same, but what he did and said felt as if he had changed skins, no longer inciting the urge to tear him apart at first glance, it’s truly strange!

The snow falling for half a month had continuous reports of disasters, houses collapsing, causing injuries and fatalities, eliciting a call within the court for dispatched personnel for relief efforts. Yet, others claimed the Ministry’s coffers lacked funds, the Immortal Palace unfinished, and year-end necessitating extensive usage of Silver, among other disputes, while the Saint hadn’t decreed relief.

In his mind, nothing was as significant as the Longevity Palace!

As the snow kept falling, the number of refugees inundating the capital grew, along with more bad news, preparing to bring full force disaster relief to the great assembly. Should the Saint deny it, someone would have to resort to a blood plea.

Before they could even speak, due to one sentence from the State Preceptor, the Saint had already decreed dispatch of the imperial envoy for disaster relief.

Even if they spoke until they lost their voices, it wouldn’t hold against one Daoist’s effective word; causing much frustration and indignation, yet relief was paramount as the New Year approached, they couldn’t let the refugees starve.

Most mystical was the order, soon after the snow ceased.

Was it truly Heavenly Punishment?

"Whether peculiar or not, it matters not, as long as the work benefits the people," Lin Xiang’s hands clasped within sleeves, sighing, "Disaster relief won’t be easy, quicken your pace, else we’ll soon ground to a halt."

Before Elder Yu could speak, Minister of Revenue Mr. Qian approached alongside his newly appointed Vice Minister Cui Shixue, already lamenting poverty, "Prime Minister, Mr. Yu, how should disaster relief proceed? Our Ministry’s coffers are empty; you can’t ignore this!"

Elder Yu: "..."

My old legs are just not nimble, hearing that Little Taoist has returned, perhaps it’s time to find some ointment to help walk swiftly when needed!