Chapter 1202: As if Ascending to Heaven

The Underworld knew neither day nor night, leaving the passage of time impossible to gauge.

After Zhao Wuji left, Chen Changsheng rarely visited Meng Po. As for how her Meng Po Soup was brewed, he never asked again.

Perhaps he felt he was better off not knowing. If he did, he might have a moment of weakness and take a sip himself.

Days in the Underworld were incredibly dull.

Chen Changsheng simply found a secluded spot and began to study Divine Abilities and Arts and Techniques.

Demonic energy differed from worldly qi, yet the two represented different tunes played with equal skill. Divine Abilities were formed from spiritual jade qi; when infused with comprehension, they manifested perfectly naturally.

The demonic path possessed miraculous effects, capable of advancing a person's Cultivation Base by leaps and bounds. However, others cultivated the demonic path without making any progress at all, because the demonic energy of this world only ever favored the obsessive.

What was obsession?

It was found in those who completely immersed themselves in their own ego, or who abandoned their previous path, or who went to other extremes. The more a person acted this way, the more clearly they understood what they wanted. This was actually no different from achieving clarity of thought in Cultivation; it was much like possessing a clear dao heart.

Only here, it was called a resolute demonic heart.

During this process, demonic energy would spontaneously breed and affect a person's mind. Just as the Dao charm of the Heavenly Dao stabilized a cultivator's dao heart during Qi Refining, demonic energy made a demonic heart increasingly resolute. This, in turn, drove those who entered the demonic path to become ever more obsessive and extreme.

Once the urge to kill arose, there was no stopping it.

While studying these demonic path Divine Abilities, Chen Changsheng also had to prevent his mind from being influenced by the demonic energy. Fortunately, his divine sense was exceptionally powerful, leaving the demonic energy with no opening to exploit.

Things went much more smoothly than he had imagined.

It was likely because of this physical body. Strictly speaking, since this body walked the Corpse Dao—an immortal and imperishable existence—it naturally attracted yin and demonic energy.

This also allowed Chen Changsheng to quickly grasp the laws governing the flow of demonic energy, yielding twice the result with half the effort on this path.

But regardless.

The days ahead were long. Everything still had to be taken step by step.

...

Winter, the fifteenth year of Shunzhi.

The imperial inspectors who had traveled south to investigate the salt and iron trade returned to the Capital.

On this trip, Xie Huan and Tong Nianyi did not gain much. The evidence they found could all be explained away; one could even say they came back entirely empty-handed.

The two entered the palace to seek an audience with the Emperor. When Yan Nantian heard their report, he was not the least bit surprised.

The salt and iron trade had been a tough bone to chew since ancient times.

"You two still need tempering. Let this trip serve as a lesson," Yan Nantian told them.

Xie Huan and Tong Nianyi both lowered their heads. They had to admit that His Majesty was right; this was indeed a lesson.

Up until now, the two of them had always operated within the rules. But during this trip south to investigate, the people they faced hadn't cared about the rules at all.

They were utterly rampant!

"Go back and reflect."

Yan Nantian laid no blame, simply dismissing them with that single sentence.

Xie Huan let out a sigh of relief. He had been terrified that His Majesty would punish them for this.

He needed to prove his worth to protect the Xie Clan.

"We got lucky this time," Xie Huan said.

Tong Nianyi replied, "His Majesty likely considered this long ago. Perhaps sending us south was merely to test the waters and gauge their attitudes."

"That bunch..."

Xie Huan's expression shifted slightly. "They're nothing but a pack of bandits."

Tong Nianyi nodded. That wasn't an exaggeration; in fact, it was saving them face.

After leaving the palace, the two found a place to drink tea.

Xie Huan suddenly spoke up, "I heard that a palace selection maiden from the Southern Parts was thrown into the Cold Palace the moment she entered the palace."

"The Cold Palace?"

Tong Nianyi asked, "Whose daughter is she?"

Xie Huan replied, "As far as I know, she has neither father nor mother. She's completely alone."

Tong Nianyi paused in surprise and asked, "Then how did she become a palace selection maiden?"

Xie Huan shook his head. "I don't understand either. Logically, she should have been sent to the Office of Prudent Punishment, but His Majesty only banished her to the Cold Palace. Who knows why."

"Why bring this up all of a sudden?"

"I spent the entire journey back pondering what you told me earlier..."

"Pondering what?"

Tong Nianyi raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding.

Xie Huan said, "If the outer court won't work, why not start with the Imperial Harem?"

Tong Nianyi shook her head. "Leaving aside the fact that the Imperial Harem is forbidden from interfering in politics, with His Majesty's temperament, he would never listen to pillow talk."

Xie Huan paused before saying, "I heard that before the fall of Xiang, the Empress Dowager and the Prime Minister joined forces to control the government. The Empress Dowager ruled from behind the curtain, with the Prime Minister assisting her. Even though the Emperor sat on the throne, every court matter, big or small, was decided by those two."

Hearing this, Tong Nianyi hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth. She glanced around before whispering, "Are you crazy?!"

Xie Huan pulled her hand away. "I think it's a viable method."

Tong Nianyi shook her head. "How is this method any different from treason? It won't work, Lord Xie. This simply isn't something people like us can control. If we are exposed, the punishment will be the execution of the nine clans."

Xie Huan opened his mouth, then said, "Given the things my family has done in the past, if His Majesty ever brings them up, the Xie Clan will cease to exist. Once I lose power, the Xie Clan will inevitably be wiped out. I'm not like you; I have no choice but to gamble."

"If we succeed, not only do we solve the problem at its root, but we instantly achieve what we both hope for. It kills two birds with one stone!"

Tong Nianyi pursed her lips, finding Xie Huan's idea entirely too absurd.

She let out a breath and said, "You really are crazy..."

Tong Nianyi stood up. "I will pretend I never heard this today. I am returning to my estate. Think it over carefully. In my eyes, this is no different from courting death."

Seeing her get up to leave, Xie Huan didn't stop her.

He took a sip of tea, lowering his head to calculate their chances of success.

He had always been someone willing to risk it all.

In truth, this idea had been swirling in his mind for a long time; he simply hadn't brought it up until now.

But the failure of this trip south had shown him the looming crisis.

He had to ensure he didn't lose His Majesty's favor in order to protect the entire Xie Clan.

This was just one failure, but what about the future? What if there were two more...?

Xie Huan didn't dare think about the consequences.

Tong Nianyi returned to the Tang Manor.

She didn't want to get involved in Xie Huan's affairs. As far as she was concerned, her path lay in the outer court, not in crooked schemes tantamount to treason.

She would rather believe she could make a name for herself in the outer court than trust that Xie Huan's method would succeed.

Letting a woman govern the country might be feasible, but if everyone in the world spat just once, it would be enough to drown the woman in power.

Xie Huan's idea was as if ascending to heaven!