Evil Master and Disciple

After the Emperor finished his big talk and gradually regained some of his sanity, he sat back on the throne.

He asked, "How did you find Yun Yaju, the base of the Goddess Palace this time?"

Qiu Changlin stepped forward and said, "It was discovered by Gu Tianshi, the editor of the Hanlin Academy."

"Gu Tianshi? Well, I remember there was such a person. He was good at compiling history and writing policy essays. He was also the third place in the imperial examination that I personally selected. It seems that this person is quite capable and a talent.

"I hereby declare that Gu Tianshi, for his meritorious service in investigating the demonic cult, shall be promoted two ranks, and shall be given the title of Fifth Rank Scholar, in charge of imperial edicts, historical records, and literary works, and shall serve as advisor to the Crown Prince."

Qiu Changlin bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift."

The current Emperor is the King of Men. Although he is not a wise ruler, he is neither mediocre nor foolish.

It is rare that during thousands of years of peace and prosperity, the emperor was able to employ people in moderation, clearly distinguish between rewards and punishments, and avoid extravagance and debauchery, or pampering eunuchs.

Last night, Gu Tianshi was looking for Wu Hou to capture the girl from Yun Yaju. Although almost all the Wu Hou who were patrolling the streets were killed by the people from the Goddess Palace last night, it had nothing to do with Gu Tianshi.

Since he has made contributions, he should naturally be rewarded.

This time the reward is quite big.

From a sixth-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy with no real power, he directly became a fifth-rank bachelor.

This is the highest rank that the editors in the Hanlin Academy can achieve.

It’s difficult to see further up.

His Majesty the Emperor was also very generous and directly let him be in charge of drafting imperial edicts and serving as the Crown Prince's advisor.

These two official positions are very powerful.

It is equivalent to adding the word "standing committee member" in front of the official title.

Not only does he have real power, but he also has connections with the crown prince. It is possible for him to be promoted to the crown prince's tutor or junior teacher in the future.

This guy took Ye Feng to visit a prostitute and didn't even pay for it, but he was promoted two levels. He achieved the equivalent of more than ten years of hard work in just one night. Who can he complain to?

After His Majesty rewarded Gu Tianshi, Yunxuzi said, "Your Majesty, the capital is not peaceful right now. I have received accurate information that young masters such as the Demon Cult's Poison Master, Ghost Master, and Feather Master have recently appeared in the capital.

Plus the Holy Lady of Spiritual Sound who appeared last night...

I believe they must be here for the crown needle.

Each of these demonic cult members was extremely formidable, and they must have spies in the palace. They were probably aware that the crown needle was hidden in the Jiaotai Hall.

I beg Your Majesty to move the crown needle to a safe place as soon as possible to prevent it from being obtained by the evil cult.

Once they possess both the sundial and the crown needle, it will be a great threat to the imperial court, justice, and all people in the world."

The Emperor glanced at Qiu Changlin and said, "What the Imperial Master said makes sense. Dean Qiu, what do you think about this?"

They had argued about this matter in the imperial study a few days ago.

The Imperial Master Yunxuzi advocated that the crown needle be moved from Jiaotai Hall immediately, but Qiu Changlin strongly opposed it.

These two are people whom His Majesty the Emperor relies on.

However, His Majesty the Emperor secretly favors the Imperial Preceptor Yunxuzi.

Because the influence of Confucianism was too strong, it posed a great threat to imperial power.

Although Si Tianjian has won over a group of cultivators, their number is not large, and the number of masters is even smaller.

In the capital, it was said that the Si Tian Jian and the Confucianists were competing against each other, but in fact, the Confucianists were completely overwhelming the Si Tian Jian.

How many officials in the world are not from Confucianism?

This alone is enough to make the emperor wary.

If we want to consolidate the imperial power, we cannot allow Confucianism to dominate alone, we must achieve a balance.

His Majesty the Emperor knew that the reason Yunxuzi strongly advocated taking the crown needle out of Jiaotai Hall was not because he really wanted to prevent it from being obtained by the evil cult.

The Jade Sundial and the Jade Crown Needle are both extremely rare magical weapons with star attributes.

The Si Tian Jian has the function of observing the stars, and Yun Xuzi really needs the Jade Crown Needle to strengthen the Si Tian Jian's strength.

In fact, this is also what His Majesty the Emperor would like to see.

Qiu Changlin was not stupid. He could tell that His Majesty was on Yun Xuzi's side in this matter.

But he couldn't give in.

He said slowly, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely forbidden. There is no evidence yet to show that the Demon Cult monks are coming for the Jade Crown Needle, and we cannot be sure whether the Demon Cult monks already know that the Jade Crown Needle is hidden under the Jiaotai Hall.

If you take it out rashly, it might expose the matter.

Even if the demon monks came for the Jade Crown Needle, they knew that the Jade Crown Needle was hidden in the Jiaotai Hall.

However, the Jiaotai Palace is located deep within the inner courtyard of the imperial palace, so it wouldn't be easy for them to sneak in and steal. Our Confucian cultivators might not be as powerful as those cultivators elsewhere, but in the capital, even a Heaven's End Realm expert might come in person, and they might not be able to escape unscathed.

I have the confidence to protect the Jade Crown Needle from being obtained by the demonic monks.

Besides, there are no saints in the world today. If the Jiaotai Palace's formation is damaged during the extraction process, we will be unable to repair it."

His Majesty the Emperor sighed slightly in his heart.

If Qiu Changlin had been more relaxed about this matter today, he might have been able to directly give the order to remove the Jade Crown Needle from Jiaotai Hall.

However, Qiu Changlin was firm in his attitude and refused to give in on the matter, which made the Emperor afraid to put too much pressure on him.

He could only nod slowly and said, "Master Qiu's words make sense, Imperial Master, let's put this matter aside for now."

Yunxuzi frowned slightly, but since the Emperor had spoken, he couldn't insist any longer.

You can only look for other opportunities to get the Jade Crown Needle.

In fact, both the emperor and Qiu Changlin guessed wrong.

Yunxuzi wanted to obtain the Jade Crown Needle not to strengthen the power of the Sitian Mirror.

But the mysterious master behind him wants to get it.

No, it’s not about wanting to, it’s about having to get it.

In a quiet inn room, two ordinary-looking women were talking.

One is wearing white and the other is wearing green.

The woman in white was making tea. Although she was in an inn, she still seemed very particular.

The woman in green sat opposite her and said, "You should go out and take a look. The capital is very lively today. The Holy Lady Lingyin showed up in the capital last night, and now people in the streets and alleys of the capital are talking about it.

It has only been a few days, and first there was a night attack on the Observatory, and now this has happened. Si Tianjian and Confucianism are no pushovers. They should have guessed that Lingyin and others appeared in the capital for the Jade Crown Needle.

If we alert the enemy now, I'm afraid it will be even harder to get the Jade Crown Needle next time."

The woman in white was concentrating on brewing tea, saying, "It doesn't matter. This time, the Jade Crown Needle will definitely flow out of the palace and fall into my hands."

The woman in green said, "I just don't understand why you're so interested in the Jade Sundial and the Jade Crown Needle. Is it just because of the unknown secret they contain?"

The woman in white smiled calmly and said, "Is that secret worth my interest? The tea is ready. This is all tribute tea. Let's taste it and see how it tastes."