Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 71. The Empress (6.5K words - Long chapter, please subscribe)
It was chaotic outside Jingyang Palace, but the new owner's courtyard was very safe.

While here, Song Chen actually slept in the same hall as Consort Gong, but the two were separated by a screen. Consort Gong lay on her bed, while he closed his eyes and regulated his breathing to recuperate.

Today, he was sitting cross-legged behind the door when he suddenly opened his eyes and looked out the window.

The sky was a hazy gray, and it was getting light.

Song Chen immediately stood up.

He went into the courtyard.

He cleaned up the wood shavings left over from Consort Gong's wooden puppet making last night, then piled them along with firewood onto the small stove, and placed a kettle filled with water on top.

The ground of the Cold Palace was covered with weeds. Although it was winter and only bare grass roots remained, they were still like sparse hairs, scattered here and there, and not very attractive. He bent down and cleared away the weeds.

He did not use any supernatural powers; he was simply clearing weeds with the body of an ordinary person.

Before he had gone halfway through, the kettle started hissing, and a large plume of hot white steam rose up. He hurriedly went to get more water and set it aside.
As if time had been precisely calculated, the sound of Consort Gong getting up came from behind the bedroom.

After she was banished to the Cold Palace, she didn't even have any eunuchs to serve her. She had to do things like boiling water herself. Today, when she opened the door, she saw that Song Chen had already arranged everything for her. She didn't resist or say anything. She went forward, took the hot water, and started washing up.

After she finished washing up, she found a cup of hot tea on the table where she usually carved wooden puppets.

The sunlight, tempered by the chill of early spring, fell from the sky, and the boy went off to clear the weeds again.

For several days.

The weeds in the courtyard of Jingyang Palace have all been cleared away, and the miscellaneous branches have also been pruned.

Although the Cold Palace is still remote, it has lost some of its original gloom.

Song Chen took the spirit stone to cultivate.

Consort Gong was still carving the wooden puppet with a clanging sound.

Suddenly, she put down her carving tools and called out, "Xiao Song."

Song Chen opened his eyes, stood up, and said, "Mother, what is it?"

Consort Gong beckoned to him and said, "Come here."

Song Chen hurried over.

Consort Gong asked, "Do you know how to make puppets?"

Song Chen said, "I haven't learned it."

Consort Gong said, "Go and fetch a chair, let's sit together."

Consort Gong gestured to the person opposite her.

Song Chen's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly grabbed a chair and ran over.

In his earliest days of cultivation, he was particularly fond of the Soul Searching Technique and the Puppet Technique.

Afterwards, his Soul Searching Technique was replaced by the superior supernatural power Karma Mirror, but his Puppet Technique remained undeveloped. Now that Consort Gong was willing to teach him, he was happy to oblige.

It's important to understand that many methods of supernatural powers allow you to "know what it is, but not why it is so." In other words, as long as you have spiritual energy, you can use supernatural powers, but you won't know exactly how.

If you want to know, you really need to "go to the next level".

Having someone to guide you is definitely much better than working in isolation.

Song Chen recalled the only skill he had mastered, the [Grass Puppet Technique]. Initially, he used wood spirit energy to control two grass puppets. Later, he tried it a little, but the result was that "the burden would be much greater with each additional grass puppet he controlled." In addition, the grass puppets were not very useful, so he abandoned the technique.

Now that he saw that Consort Gong, such a great expert, was still studying [Puppetry], he knew that it must be something extraordinary.

He sat down next to Consort Gong, intending to take a piece of wood to follow the sculpture, but Consort Gong slapped him away.

"Go get some firewood to practice with, don't waste good stuff."

"kindness."

Song Chen took the firewood and then began to carve in the style of Consort Gong.

Consort Gong carved very slowly.

With permission, Song Chen also began to observe closely.

He needs to figure out why Consort Gong is carving so slowly.

He vaguely sensed the flow of spiritual energy at the tip of Consort Gong's carving knife.

Nothing else.

After Consort Gong finished carving a small figure, he also finished carving one.

Consort Gong placed the two figurines together and stopped asking Song Chen questions like "What are the differences?" Instead, she began to explain directly.

"I focused my intent on the carving knife, and mobilized the karma of the earth soul and human soul among the three souls to pour into it. This puppet is equivalent to my divided soul, and it is connected with my mind. What it sees can enter my eyes, and what it hears can enter my ears."

Although my wood isn't exceptionally precious, it's not common either. It grows in the land of the Northern Witches and is called Bloodwood. It's a strange type of wood with blood-like veins growing in its grain, making it excellent for making puppets.

However, these bloodwood puppets are far inferior in combat; their greatest function is...to take someone's place in death.

After speaking, Consort Gong tossed out a white jade slip from her bosom and said, "I promised to help you overcome the three tribulations of Foundation Establishment, but how can one overcome tribulation by relying on the power of others? This [Substitute Puppet] may seem simple, but it contains the true introductory path to [Puppet Technique]. Study it carefully, and you will surely reap the rewards."

Song Chen took the white jade slip and gripped it tightly.

A series of messages were transmitted from it.

[Scapegoat Puppet]

Basic wood requirement: Bloodwood

Production method: Concentrate intent, irrigation
Function 1: Perceptual Sharing

Function 2: Learning

Function 3: When encountering a soul attack, it can take the hit in place of its master.
Immediately following was the meticulous operation performed by the person on the tortoise platform. This operation demonstrated how to concentrate one's mind, how to perceive one's own soul, and how to extract a small section of karma and infuse it into the bloodwood.

After a moment's thought, Song Chen understood.

This [Substitute Puppet] is quite useful in the realm of illusion and reality. After all, the True Tribulation and the Illusion Tribulation are both "soul attacks". If he can't take it, he can throw out a substitute puppet to help him withstand that fierce attack.

If used correctly, this secret technique can increase the success rate of transcending tribulation by at least 10%.

He looked at "Learning" and "Perception Sharing" again, and suddenly remembered that the wooden puppet that night, dressed in Consort Gong's clothes, was able to perform illusions. He suddenly realized, "Mother, this is actually a clone, isn't it?"

Consort Gong said, "If puppetry doesn't have the effect of creating clones, it can only use some stored spiritual energy to drive talismans and use spiritual weapons. This rotten wood with no magic or supernatural power is completely useless."

Song Chen said, "Then the only option is to use bloodwood to make this substitute puppet?"

Consort Gong didn't speak; she just smiled.

Not speaking means assuming the other person will understand.

If you still don't understand, and you keep asking, then you'll just annoy people.

Song Chen didn't press for more details. After thinking about it, he understood.

The [Substitute Puppet] technique, which involves intention and karma, is most likely a small segment extracted from a certain "wonderful method" by the people of Kameshita. It is the kind of technique that can give the little guys a feeling of "receiving a great blessing", but it is of no use to the people of Kameshita themselves.

Speaking of which, he also has his own wonderful methods, complete and wonderful methods.

That is the Five Meanings Pagoda.

However, the Five Intentions Pagoda is extremely obscure. On the surface, it is said that "ten threads of intention make one line of intention, and a hundred threads of intention make one wonderful method. Take twenty threads from each line and cast them into five layers of the pagoda. When they are combined into a pagoda, it is called the Five Intentions Pagoda. Within it, the soul can reside and all kinds of illusions and evil thoughts can be banished."

He had read it hastily before, but now that he had obtained a small, fragmented section on the [Substitute Puppet] technique, coupled with the knowledge imparted by the people on the Turtle Platform, he immediately understood the function of the [Five Intentions Pagoda].

The [Substitute Puppet] is made by infusing a little of one's own "intention" to withstand a fatal attack. This results in a loss for oneself, and it is impossible to make many.

The Five Intentions Pagoda can utilize various external "intentions" to resist all attacks.

The former is just an extremely convenient minor technique.
The latter is the most comprehensive and wonderful method.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and Song Chen's eyes regained their luster. He said, "Thank you, Mother."

Consort Gong said, "Don't disappoint me."

As the two were talking, suddenly hurried footsteps came from outside Jingyang Palace. A eunuch ran into the palace, but in his eyes, there was no Song Chen in the courtyard at all.

The eunuch wept and presented a set of mourning clothes with both hands, saying, "Your Majesty, His Majesty was assassinated and passed away at Jintao Mountain. The funeral is today. Please wear this as well."

Consort Gong nodded and accepted the mourning clothes.

She killed the emperor with her own hands, yet she felt no emotional turmoil whatsoever.

Although Song Chen knew the emperor was dead, he couldn't help but tremble when he heard the eunuch's mournful cries, as if he were truly heartbroken.

He immediately realized what was happening.

This is because the dragon's aura has not yet dissipated, so when the emperor dies, he will feel a profound sorrow.

This is actually a manifestation of his inability to truly control his will. If he had constructed the Five Will Tower, then this grief could have been kept out and would no longer invade.

A moment later, the eunuch left.

Consort Gong carefully put on her mourning clothes and said, "The funeral is finally here. It seems that Jiu Lingzi has already prepared his clothes. It's time to go."

Song Chen asked, "Then who will he choose?"

Consort Gong said, "Nanxiao Prince is the most incompetent among the Emperor's brothers. Before going to Jintao Mountain, the Emperor took him with him and kept Yan Prince and Chu Prince firmly at the border. Jiulingzi has no one else to choose from. He cannot touch the next generation. His only choice is Nanxiao Prince."

After saying that, she smiled faintly and said, "The Emperor is a smart man. It seems that he has noticed something. He is close to the Prince of Nanxiao and distant from the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Chu. If there is any merit, he will never forget to give some to the Prince of Nanxiao. In fact, if the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Chu make contributions, the Emperor will deliberately give the credit to the Prince of Nanxiao."

Outsiders were unaware of these matters, so the King of Nanxiao enjoyed the reputation of a 'wise king' and accumulated a great deal of dragon energy, which earned him the respect of people when he wrote history books.

In reality, the emperor hid the most capable person in the Li family outside, and took his closest but least capable brother with him to their deaths.

The royal family's participation in the sacrifice was originally proposed by Jiu Lingzi to the Emperor, intended to produce inferior garments—the bodies of sages—for his trusted confidants. The making of dragon-energy garments always resulted in some scraps, and the bodies of sages were made from these scraps. These garments were, of course, far inferior to dragon-energy garments, but they could still increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment and Tribulation Transcending by about ten percent.

But now, even Jiulingzi himself doesn't have enough, so naturally he can't share the Sage's Body with those below him.

Song Chen said, "He also promised to give me one."

Consort Gong said, "He must have promised many people."

Song Chen said, "Mother is the best. I haven't even made any contributions yet, and she's already given me the secret technique of the [Substitute Puppet]."

Consort Gong said, "Now that the Emperor has been laid to rest, I have something to do in a few days, just in case. I have to take action myself. You will stay in Jingyang Palace, just like that night."

Song Chen didn't ask any further questions and respectfully replied, "Yes."

He knew that, according to the original plan, Jiu Lingzi would wear the Emperor's robes, return safely from Golden Peach Mountain, and then find an opportunity to pass the throne to the Crown Prince.

He has not yet been told how the script will be written.
But now, this original script needs to be rewritten, because the emperor is dead.

Several days later.
Consort Gong went out once at midnight and returned at 1-3 am.

Before dawn, Song Chen sensed a commotion throughout the palace. He extended his senses and heard footsteps echoing throughout the palace, with eunuchs urgently calling out, "Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician!"
The palace maids wept and wailed as if the sky had fallen.

Immediately afterward, the footsteps of the palace's armed guards and talisman-wielding guards could be heard. The clanging of their scale armor plates revealed a murderous intent. They then stopped in a certain area, clearly sealing it off to prevent any further accidents should chaos erupt in the palace.
Consort Gong lay calmly on the couch, sleeping soundly.

Song Chen didn't ask her, because he soon found out what had happened.

Screams of agony came from the direction of the Eastern Palace and Xianqing Hall.

Xianqing Hall was the palace of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince will be enthroned in the next two days, and tonight is probably not his last night in Xianqing Palace. He will have to move tomorrow.

But now, screams are coming from there.

Then, Song Chen heard a boy's shrill and furious roar: "What are you yelling for?! What are you panicking for?! I'm fine, I'm fine!! You all deserve to die! You really deserve to die!"

The boy was the crown prince.

The Crown Prince probably killed those imperial physicians and the eunuchs and palace maids who ran away crying.

He then heard the palace doors being pushed open hastily, and the Crown Prince shouting, "What are you all doing here? Get out! I didn't..."

Bang!
He heard another heavy thud.

The prince fell down.

He heard light footsteps approaching the Crown Prince; it was a palace maid.

But the palace maid let out a scream and then died.

The crown prince killed the palace maid.

Not long after, the sound of "The Empress has arrived" came from afar.

Song Chen listened for a while longer, and he roughly understood.

Not long after the emperor's funeral, the crown prince, who was about to ascend the throne, accidentally broke his leg in his own palace due to a moment of distraction.

How can a cripple with a broken leg be fit to be a ruler? And how can he be worthy of the title "Imperial Face"?
The crown prince's ascension to the throne has failed.

As for the Crown Prince's volatile temper and indiscriminate killing, it also led Song Chen to deduce the previous "script that originally belonged to Jiu Lingzi".

With Jiu Lingzi having taken away the dragon energy, the Great Yong Dynasty will inevitably descend into chaos once more. The Crown Prince's ascension to the throne, his absurd and tyrannical behavior, perfectly aligns with the inevitable chaos that will ensue. Once the chaos has disintegrated, once enough blood has been shed, and once the hearts of the people are utterly broken, the destined Empress will emerge. With the support of her husband, she will replace the Crown Prince, ascend the throne, and restore order to the land. At that time, the dragon energy will begin to rise again, soaring to new heights.

Why is the crown prince so irritable?
Perhaps it was his nature; perhaps he was deliberately cultivated to be this way; perhaps he was secretly controlled by some cultivator using some kind of mind-affecting poison; or perhaps he was directly manipulated.
This is not important.

Anyway, his fate is set this way. If things go wrong, someone will naturally adjust it.

Unfortunately, Jiu Lingzi's script did not come to fruition.

Because the emperor's dragon aura has not been lost.

Therefore, the crown prince became worthless.

The worthless prince had his leg broken, and that's what the people on the Turtle Platform did.

Song Chen was certain that the eldest princess, who had been imprisoned in Ningxin Pavilion, would soon emerge and ascend the throne.

He had met the eldest princess.

That princess is no ordinary person, and the "Iron-Headed Man" incident further demonstrates her meticulousness, boldness, and the considerable number of supporters she must have.

If it were before, when destiny favored the Crown Prince and he was required to "be born in response to the times" and bear the burden of the dragon's decline and debauchery, then perhaps the Crown Prince could still fight against the Eldest Princess.

Now, destiny has no longer been in his hands.

Song Chen slowly shook his head.

Although he had no affection for the late emperor, the late emperor had at least given him an imperial edict. That edict may well have contained the late emperor's concern for the crown prince and his pleas to him.

But he hasn't even seen the Crown Prince yet, and the Crown Prince is doomed.

For the next month, the capital was in utter chaos.

Many powerful and wealthy families kept their doors closed, while occasional battles and fights could still be heard among cultivators in the skies above the capital.
Clearly, the struggle for the throne has begun.

Consort Gong's expression grew increasingly calm.

One late night, she went out again, and when she returned, she said directly to Song Chen, "Jiulingzi has left. From now on, I will be the true abbot of Huangcheng Temple. All Qi Gathering Realm Five Elements Sect disciples in the Dayong area will soon receive the news."

Song Chen had some vague guesses in his mind, but in front of Consort Gong, he still asked, "Mother, why are the cultivators of the Imperial City Temple involved in the struggle for the throne?"

Consort Gong said, "Since I am the true abbot, there is naturally a nominal abbot as well. In fact, apart from a very few people, no one knows that there is another abbot of the Imperial City Temple."

Even those who knew, this was all they saw.

The moment the word "like this" was uttered, Consort Gong before Song Chen's eyes had already changed.

It was a human-shaped silhouette obscured by a thick fog barrier, making it difficult to discern whether it was male or female, old or young.

And then the mysterious figure made a sound.

Her voice was like burning fire, turbulent water, crumbling earth, blossoming trees, and striking metal against stone, all blended together to inspire awe and fear.

"So you are the first person to see my true face."

Song Chen was stunned for a moment, then he recalled that when he met Jiu Lingzi before, Tian Kuizi said in a flattering tone, "Being able to see Master's appearance, we are truly family from now on."

This shows that even after decades, not many people know the truth that "the Grand Scholar is Jiu Lingzi".

Those top nobles of the Great Yong Dynasty and the core disciples of the Imperial City Temple only knew that the true master of the Imperial City Temple was someone else, and that this person was their master. The master was all-powerful and could decide life and death with a single word. But very few people knew who the master really was.

Even after this, only a very few people knew that the situation had changed and that their master had been replaced.
Consort Gong, her imposing demeanor fading, said, "Of course the Crown Prince is unwilling to lose the throne, so he will definitely fight for it. There must be many cultivators in the Imperial City Temple who are on good terms with the Crown Prince. Since they haven't received orders from above, they naturally feel that the higher-ups are letting it go unchecked."

So those cultivators wanted to take a gamble. Some gambled on the Crown Prince, and others gambled on my daughter. Naturally, they started fighting each other. Only the core disciples knew to hide at home, or even completely conceal themselves, not seeing anyone.

These people must fight for it; otherwise, they will suspect that everything is being manipulated.

"My child understands."

Song Chen nodded.

It wasn't much different from what he guessed.

He not only guessed this, but he also guessed the manner and reason for his marriage to Empress Fengqing.

First, he secretly protected Consort Gong, keeping her safe from danger amidst the turmoil in the palace. After all, some fools had indeed started running towards the palace in recent days, but they were all easily dealt with.

Second, the Imperial City Temple is of paramount importance to the emperor, especially since there are remnants of the crown prince among its inhabitants. Therefore, the emperor must arrange a marriage alliance with the Imperial City Temple as soon as possible to strengthen the connection, and he will become the link in this connection.

Both logically and emotionally, Empress Fengqing would agree to marry him.

Of course, he will also gain a significant boost in status as a result, and it will be much easier for him to cultivate and find resources.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it "soared into the sky".

However, standing so high means that if you fall, there will be no chance of recovery, and you will be smashed to pieces.

Spring April.

This is already the third month that Song Chen has been hiding in Jingyang Palace.

On this day, he and Consort Gong were both ready, for the outcome of the battle outside the palace had already been decided.

The area outside Jingyang Palace, which had been sparsely populated for a long time, suddenly became incredibly lively. A grand procession arrived from afar, accompanied by hurried, ingratiating footsteps leading the way.

Early in the morning, eunuchs led a large group of palace maids to help Consort Gong, who was dressed in old clothes, bathe and change into luxurious robes.

Therefore, Song Chen stood beside Consort Gong in front of the Cold Palace.

He saw the "white woman" again.

However, the "white woman" has now become a "golden-red empress".

The traditional bright yellow dragon robe has been changed into a blood-gold dragon robe with "red as the main color and gold thread as the accent".

The five-toed dragon claws on the dragon robe have transformed into phoenix claws.
Feng Qing'er's body was enveloped in the wide silhouette of the blood-gold dragon robe, which cinched at the waist, giving it a touch of feminine beauty.

Originally, her temperament was as aloof as an iceberg and as wild as a snow leopard, making men dare not defile her or even think that she was a woman. But now, under that blood-gold dragon robe, anyone would be unable to help but lower their head.

Because the blood on that blood-gold dragon robe is not just a color.

In recent days, Feng Qing'er has been ruthless and decisive in dealing with the Crown Prince, and has killed countless opponents.

At this moment, Eunuch Xiong squinted his old eyes and accompanied her. When he saw Consort Gong not far away, and Song Chen beside her, he quietly stepped aside.

He had known for a long time that Consort Gong was protected by skilled guards. After all, the Crown Prince had been sending many skilled guards to Jingyang Palace these days, trying to use some despicable means, but those guards had all disappeared without a trace.

But when he saw Song Chen, he understood.

Empress Fengqing didn't seem too surprised by Song Chen's appearance here.

She threw herself into Consort Gong's arms, took a deep breath, and said, "Mother, I've come to take you away."

Then, she looked at Song Chen and smiled gently, "It's nice to meet Mr. Song again."

Song Chen bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Empress Fengqing said, "The late emperor's edict has already been issued, and the Wenqu Hall is waiting for you to teach."

Song Chen turned his head to look at Consort Gong, the person on the Turtle Platform, who was now the mastermind behind the cannibalistic Imperial City Temple in the capital of the Great Yong Dynasty, and said, "Your Majesty, I have not failed in my mission. I have finally waited for His Majesty to arrive. Now, I should be leaving."

At the He residence, the two Pei family women finally felt relieved.

When they saw that Song Chen was still alive, they all cried and laughed at the same time.

Lady Qianxue held his hand and said, "My lord, as long as you are safe, that's enough. Everything else is more than enough."

Qingyue, the young lady, also called out "Husband, husband" passionately, and then said, "Even if General Que doesn't see us, it has nothing to do with us, husband, please don't take it to heart anymore. Why don't you take us sisters away from the capital, and we can find a place outside where we don't have to see these powerful people?"

Clearly, the He family has been subjected to a lot of disdain from outsiders these days, since the "timeline" here is still stuck in the place where "Second Master is not doing well, and even General Que will not see him".

If it weren't for the two women, Song Chen would have completely forgotten about it.

He didn't know how to explain it.

Shortly after, a palace attendant hurried in from outside the door.

The eunuch spotted Song Chen at a glance and said with a smile, "Scholar Song, please receive the imperial decree."

The two women from the Pei family immediately knelt down, but Song Chen, who was about to kneel, was held back by the eunuch.

The eunuch took out the imperial edict and read it aloud.

The two Pei women in front of them were listening in a daze, hearing nothing more than things like "the late emperor has not yet passed away," but when they heard the last few words, they raised their heads as if their hair had been blown off.

"Song Chen, the Grand Academician of the Wenqu Hall, possesses profound knowledge and vision, is virtuous and talented, and is renowned for his loyalty and diligence. His demeanor is refined and elegant, and his character is lofty and noble. He is truly a perfect match for me and the hope of the people."

(End of this chapter)