The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 308 - 144: Feng Wu’s Dowry - The Secret of the Xuantian Treasure Vault_2

Chapter 308: Chapter 144: Feng Wu’s Dowry - The Secret of the Xuantian Treasure Vault_2

"Prince Yu?"

Feng Wu nodded, "Husband, be careful of this prince. He is the de facto Crown Prince, and contrary to the common belief of being weak and timorous, in reality, the Minister of Revenue Wang Gong is his man. He has considerable influence over the Ministry of Revenue. Additionally, he controls key aspects of the maritime trade business. All this was uncovered by my master before he passed away."

Xu Qing: "He is also doing this to protect himself and to ensure a smooth accession to the throne, which is not surprising."

Xu Qing himself was such a person and could understand very well.

However, it may not be a good thing to engage in such activities after becoming Emperor.

To govern a state.

He personally believed that scheming and cunning might be beneficial for consolidating power but did no good for the world.

For instance, among the Emperors following the three dynasties, why is Emperor Wen of Han hailed as a sage?

Xu Qing considered Emperor Wen of Han truly a top-notch master of power and strategy among emperors, but his rule did not rely on such strategies but commanded respect through just and unassuming ways.

"I have heard that in covering the world, all things that sprout must die. Death is the natural law of heaven and earth, the natural state of beings, so why grieve too much..."

To be able to say such words in his testament, to practice simple burial after death, showed the cultivation and demeanor of this Emperor.

By contrast, Emperor Renzong of the previous dynasty, although highly regarded among scholars, captured only the form and not the essence of Emperor Wen.

Emperor Wen was cultured, not benevolent.

No one considered it a blemish when he dealt with the great minister Zhou Bo, driving his own uncle to death.

Such skillful means are far more clever than anything Xu Qing is doing now.

Privately, Xu Qing also had his thoughts and learned from Emperor Wen of Han.

He was adept at using the situation to his advantage, grasping the essence of problems, influenced in no small part by Emperor Wen.

Of course, he studied many teachers and his learning was diverse. If it weren’t for the bronze mirror’s assistance, Xu Qing wouldn’t have survived until now.

Even then, luck played a big part in it.

Setting up the Recovery Society did not avoid internal strife, and it was still infiltrated by aristocratic families.

But Xu Qing could not fundamentally solve this problem, because it was unrealistic.

Where there are people, there is a worldly society; people are the worldly society.

He needed to use people, to develop power. Internal strife and infiltration by aristocratic families were inevitable, and it was also possible for others to reap the benefits later.

Since ancient times, aristocratic families have been very familiar with all this.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

If you can’t compete with the founders, then it’s their children and grandchildren you’re up against.

The Grand Ancestor of this dynasty was such a fierce person, viewing himself as the landlord, and all the gentry and nobles as long-term tenants and laborers. His ruling methods were inevitably ruthless.

And the result?...

The Prime Minister was abolished, and it didn’t take many years for the Cabinet to emerge.

Even in the later years of the Great Yu Emperor, the Imperial Power had already been challenged and impacted, and raising the butcher’s knife, still, did not solve the fundamental problem.

One must make choices in life between heaven and earth.

One can only eat as much as one’s appetite allows.

As long as Xu Qing does not seek everlasting power, his foundation is now more stable and vibrant than any contemporaneous force of the same level.

Being sufficient in the present is enough.

One generation does the work of one generation.

Unless he alone can achieve everlasting glory, then more considerations can be made.

While pondering, Xu Qing listened to his wife talking about the secrets of the Xuantian Treasure Vault.

Overseas, Liubo Mountain, these are keys to the Xuantian Treasure Vault.

Feng Wu said, "Liubo Mountain is not a fixed landform but constantly changes positions with ocean currents. The entrance to the treasure vault is sealed with a Heartless Lock. We need to wait for my Divine Soul to manifest and detect it, using Emotion Silk as the key to unlock it. However..."

"What’s the problem?"

Feng Wu paused, "The Heartless Lock can only open the outer vault. Although there are many treasures and weapons in the outer vault, the most important secret treasures and Magic Artifacts, including a Human Origin Great Pill left by the Xuantian Taoist, are all in the inner vault, and my master did not know how to open the inner vault."

"The Heartless Lock, that’s something from your Annihilation Dao, right? Why would it appear in the Xuantian Treasure Vault?"

Feng Wu sighed, "Because among those who created this treasure vault was the Xuantian Taoist’s partner, who was also the Saintess of the Annihilation Dao."

Xu Qing thought to himself, "This is quite coincidental."

He is a successor of the Xuantian Taoist, and Awu is a successor of the Annihilation Dao.

Is there really a fearsome hand of destiny at play?

Xu Qing also thought of the Five Great Demon Gods Visualization Method; their emergence had reasons, but there also seemed to be a taste of fate.

Actually, Xu Qing’s involvement with the Lotus Sect had something to do with Feng Wu.

Because initially, it was Feng Wu whom the Lotus Sect contacted.

Xu Qing: "How can we find the location of Liubo Mountain?"

Feng Wu: "I have a secret technique left by my master, which can locate the approximate area, but the exact location requires someone with extremely rich maritime experience to determine. Originally, I planned to use the influence of my husband and father to find such a talent within the Court, but now it seems there’s a better option."

"Gao Gongyuan?"

Feng Wu nodded.

Xu Qing: "Indeed, this man, by virtue of his own expertise in maritime affairs, has risen to the position of Deputy Gang Leader of the Giant Whale Gang, so his relevant abilities speak for themselves."

Feng Wu said, "When do you plan to rescue him? As far as I remember, the verdict in Yingtian Prefecture was death by beheading, with his family exiled to Lingnan. However, the matter with his family should be your doing, right?"

Although the person was to be delivered to King Lin, the exile of Gao Gongyuan’s family to Lingnan placed the hostages in the territory of Academician Zhou and the Red Flower Society, effectively keeping them in Xu Qing’s control.

So, it was akin to Xu Qing lending Gao Gongyuan to King Lin.

Xu Qing trusted his friends, but it was also necessary to guard against their betrayal.

One should never test human nature, for it cannot withstand scrutiny.

Human hearts are fickle.

Even if someone would go through fire and water for you one moment, they could change in the next.

Combining interests along with increasing the cost of betrayal is the way for a power to stay stable and strong.

Xu Qing said, "I’ve already notified my uncle."

Feng Wu knew it couldn’t be that simple. However, she heard that some members of the Recovery Society had gone to Lingnan, perhaps her husband intended to use this to control the matters in Lingnan.

Lingnan was a key place; where the Emperor’s reach was distant, with a complex composition and near the sea.

Those who had attempted reforms had never met with good ends.

Lingnan was more suitable as a fallback than South Zhili.

Feng Wu asked, "When does my husband plan to go to the Xuantian Treasure Vault with me?"

Xu Qing: "After the spring starts. For the time being, let’s first try dual cultivation in spirit."

Feng Wu blushed, "You have to wait a few days, my spiritual and physical state isn’t stable enough yet."

Xu Qing smiled slightly, "I’m not in a rush."

...

...

On the other hand, at the Golden Ray Monastery.

Fayue has been feeling restless recently.

Because Yan Kong has been seeking him out frequently these days, entrusting him with many matters, and extraordinarily imparting many high-level cultivation secrets.

Actually, this was somewhat like hastening the growth with excessive zeal.

Since the cultivation at Golden Ray Monastery values gradual progress, understanding the profound mysteries of cultivation too early may not be beneficial and could even lead to obstructions of insight.

Fayue didn’t know why his master was doing this.

"Could it be he’s making arrangements for after his death?"

Surely not.

Fayue also harbored another worry, starting from yesterday, Yan Kong forbade anyone from approaching his meditation room.

Fayue had stealthily approached it once and heard strange roars.

It didn’t sound like thunder, nor like a dragon’s roar, and it had an eerie feeling to it.

It made one think of extremely terrifying things.

Even the aura of the meditation room gave a chill of the legendary Jiu You, as perceived by his Divine Soul.

"If anything unforeseen happens to me one day, remember to seek Xu Jieyuan," Fayue recalled what Yan Kong had casually mentioned not long ago.

At that time, he thought that was a given.

Could this be the right moment?

After mulling over it several times, Fayue didn’t care that Xu Qing was newly married and decided to go down the mountain to find him.

After all, if something really happened to his master, only Xu Qing could help in Jiangning Prefecture.

Although Fayue aspired to be the decision-maker of Golden Ray Monastery, he didn’t wish for extremely dreadful accidents to happen.

With this thought, he quickly rushed down the mountain.

Just when Fayue went down the mountain, a crimson glow emerged in Yan Kong’s meditation room. Before long, the doors of the meditation room shattered, and a young, attractive yet sinister-looking red-haired man stepped out.

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