"Compared to you, Your Excellency is the renowned Grand Preceptor of the Great Jin Dynasty, the Compassionate One Who Saves All Beings. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Amitabha Buddha, Master Lu has solved three haunted cases in the capital, restoring peace to the city. On behalf of the people of the capital, I thank you."
"There's no such thing as substitution. Grand Preceptor, the people of the capital are the people, and the Grand Preceptor is the Grand Preceptor. If there were to be substitution, only the Emperor could say so. Because all land under Heaven belongs to the Emperor, and all people within the realm are his subjects. The people of the world are His Majesty's subjects, not yours, Grand Preceptor."
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I'm experiencing writer's block; no updates tonight.
As the title says, I'm very sorry, there will be no update tonight.
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Chapter 377 Doubt
Although he didn't intend to start a war right now, Lu Xuan still subconsciously taunted the Imperial Advisor a few times when he saw him.
A clear look of embarrassment and anger flashed in the giant centipede's eyes. Despite cultivating for a thousand years, his composure wasn't as high as one might imagine. A demon is a demon; before dispelling its demonic aura, it is fundamentally different from a human. Especially a powerful demon like a centipede spirit, who has killed countless people.
However, Lu Xuan did not provoke it excessively, but instead bypassed it and entered the emperor's bedroom.
The current emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty was an elderly man over fifty. He had the standard imperial face seen in television dramas, a blend of handsomeness and majesty. Given that this dynasty had lasted for over two hundred years, his appearance was to be expected. How could any member of such an ancient royal family be ugly?
However, the emperor was clearly in a weakened state, his spirits and energy exhausted. The successive shocks and blows had left him with neurasthenia, and he looked haggard.
"You are the retainer recommended by the Six Doors. Why do you not kneel before me, the Emperor?"
"Your Majesty, those who cultivate themselves only kneel before Heaven and Earth."
"Kneel only to Heaven and Earth... Hahahaha, what a fine 'kneel only to Heaven and Earth'! I'll remember this debt. Show me what you've got. If you catch the ghost hiding in the palace, I will not only forgive your rudeness, but also reward you handsomely. If you fail to catch it, then you will be punished for both crimes."
"Your Majesty, capturing that ghost hiding in the palace is both simple and incredibly difficult."
"You practitioners of cultivation love this kind of witty banter. Just tell me directly, how do you want me to cooperate with you? I was already prepared that this matter is not so simple to understand. Just tell me what you need."
"Then I will speak frankly. According to my calculations, the danger within this palace originates from His Majesty's harem, therefore..."
The emperor immediately understood that the imperial harem was not a place anyone could enter casually. Only the emperor and his underage princes were permitted to enter the harem.
The emperor stared at Lu Xuan, seemingly trying to discern something from his face. However, Lu Xuan had reigned longer than him, and his imposing manner was not taken seriously by Lu Xuan.
"The inner palace..." The emperor had his own concerns. After all, both incidents had occurred in the inner palace, so he was somewhat prepared. However, letting a strange man into the inner palace was never a comfortable idea.
Lu Xuan knew, of course, that this matter wasn't so simple. Emperors were arguably among the most possessive humans in the world. This possessiveness was inevitable, whether for power or women. Therefore, Lu Xuan put a little pressure on him.
Just as the emperor was deep in thought, a eunuch rushed in in a panic. At the same time, the sound of guards running outside could be heard.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened. Consort Mei has been in trouble."
"..." Unexpectedly, the emperor did not fly into a rage; he merely trembled slightly. Then he took out a gold medal and tossed it to Lu Xuan.
"Seeing this gold medal is like seeing me. Go now." With that, he turned and went back into the inner room.
Lu Xuan received the gold medal and waved it lightly a few times at the Imperial Advisor. Then, led by a eunuch, he went directly to the inner palace.
.............
Meanwhile, Li Donglai and Zuo Qianhu, among others, found Fu Tianchou's cell in the Ministry of Justice prison.
Fu Tianchou was immediately excited when he saw the group.
"Brother Li, could it be that you have succeeded and the Emperor is about to release me?"
"Heh, you wish. We've only regained control of the Ministry of Justice. But the situation is critical right now, and we need Lord Fu's connections."
"You..." Fu Tianchou was a seasoned veteran of the officialdom. Several high-ranking officials had used this method to get him out, claiming they wanted to leverage his connections. Their intentions were obvious. Fu Tianchou had previously been the Minister of War. He had more than one student serving in the military. These connections were generally only used for one purpose.
After being released from prison, Fu Tianchou couldn't wait to ask.
"What exactly happened? How did it get to this point?"
"This is the final step. These past few days, we've examined all the princes. Do you know the result? There's only one prince left who hasn't been replaced by the monster. The bloodline of the Great Jin royal family is about to be extinguished. If we don't act now, we'll have no chance left."
Lu Xuan never intended to save the emperor. For thirty years, the Imperial Preceptor had been brainwashing him with Buddhism. And Lu Xuan detested emperors who believed in Buddhism. Therefore, the emperor had to die, but the dynasty's fortune couldn't be broken. Because if it were, he'd have to confront the Imperial Preceptor head-on. This wasn't a wise choice, at least not at this point; Lu Xuan didn't intend to fight this thousand-year-old centipede to the death.
Lu Xuan finally entered the emperor's harem. Amidst the beautiful women, countless curious eyes darted about. Of course, many were also cold, even murderous. Lu Xuan paid no attention to these things. He simply strolled around the harem courtyard as if it were a formality, then returned to report.
The claim of three thousand beauties in the imperial harem is an exaggeration, Lu Xuan counted. The entire harem contained approximately one hundred and twenty concubines and beauties of various kinds. In the history of feudal emperors, this wasn't the largest number. Including eunuchs and palace maids, the total number was nearly a thousand.
Of the 120 concubines, 12 were replaced. Of the nearly 1,000 palace maids and eunuchs, more than 40 were replaced. The actual number was far less than imagined.
What puzzled Lu Xuan most was where the Imperial Preceptor had found so many demons disguised as human skins. Or perhaps it was some kind of special supernatural power, something attainable through cultivation. Furthermore, although the number wasn't as large as he'd imagined, over fifty demons lurking in the palace, able to refrain from eating people or absorbing their life essence, single-mindedly playing their roles—this required immense control.
It's important to understand that these demons aren't like the ancient, thousand-year-old demons of the Imperial Advisor. Although their supernatural powers are strange and unpredictable, their demonic aura is actually quite ordinary. These minor demons, whose cultivation hasn't reached a significant level, simply couldn't resist the temptation to absorb vital energy or eat people.
Lu Xuan didn't reject the demon race, but he was also aware of the situation. Those demons like the little fox, the green snake, and Xin Shisi Niang, who had special opportunities and could restrain themselves from harming others, were ultimately a minority. The relationship between humans and demons was one of absolute racial antagonism.
However, the vast demon organization controlled by the Imperial Advisor was as tightly organized as a machine. Lu Xuan had secretly clashed with the Imperial Advisor several times. Although this fellow possessed high cultivation, his strategy and political skills were actually quite ordinary. How exactly did he manage to control such a massive demon organization?
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Chapter 378 Bloodline
Xin Shisi Niang's family hadn't been in the capital for long. The reason they came here was because her father believed that the capital, as the imperial capital, was safer. He thought that as long as they were careful and discreet, they wouldn't be targeted by other powerful demons or Taoist priests for no apparent reason.