My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

In the past few days, the Lingxi Jade Slip has been urgently sent to various parts of Kyushu.

Once the governors of various states mastered how to use it, it was as if they had received a novel toy, and they wrote on it incessantly, with different characters constantly appearing on the jade slips.

These governors were already powerful regional officials, ruling over their respective territories. They rarely returned to the capital to report on their duties, and even less often had the opportunity to meet. Now that they suddenly had a channel for communication, they were overjoyed.

After the initial chaos, they finally confirmed the jade slip's ability to transmit messages and the identities of the other people.

{This thing is truly amazing.}

{Interesting. Since this jade slip comes from the new Imperial Preceptor, she really shouldn't be underestimated.}

{Is the Governor of Ji Province present? There are recent rumors circulating that the Rong army has been completely annihilated and has voluntarily sued for peace. Is this true?}

The text on the jade slip stopped changing, and after a while, new text appeared.

{The governor of Ji Province replied that the matter was indeed true.}

Upon seeing this, Chu Lengyu's expression became slightly subtle.

She gave the emperor only nine jade slips, one for each of the nine provinces.

The capital city was located in Ji Province, and the jade slips of Ji Province were naturally in the hands of the emperor, not the governor of Ji Province.

So, is the emperor currently faking his identity?

She didn't intend to expose the emperor, but rather to take this opportunity to clarify the matter of the Nine Tripods with them.

She gathered spiritual energy at her fingertips, wrote words on the jade slip, and revealed her identity.

{Chu Lengyu: The Rong tribe has been destroyed by me; there is no need to worry anymore.}

{Regarding the Nine Tripods, I need to emphasize the details to the governors.}

{Firstly, as supreme treasures, the Nine Cauldrons must be connected to the earth's veins across the Nine Provinces. Therefore, they do not require gold, silver, or jade; only representative items from each of the Nine Provinces—local specialties, natural resources, and various essences—are needed.}

{Secondly, the Nine Cauldrons need to be connected to the fortune of the human race and receive incense offerings. The Nine Provinces need to widely publicize this and select representatives from each province to be sent to the capital to participate in the Shangsi Festival and pray for blessings.}

{Thirdly, each prefecture must select one to three craftsmen to come to the capital to carve the bronze vessel's blank. They must be thoroughly familiar with the terrain and landscape of their prefecture.}

These contents were actually written in the emperor's edict, but Chu Lengyu's re-emphasis made these governors pay even more attention.

More than one person wondered, "Are these nine tripods really that important and mysterious?"

……

Various regions of Kyushu began to respond to the imperial court's call, collecting materials in preparation for casting the Nine Tripods.

People were talking about it, their hearts filled with curiosity and doubt.

The Lin family of Jiangnan, as a prominent local family, was the first to stand up and express their support.

With him taking the lead and with the strong support of the governor of Qingzhou, many local gentry followed suit, expressing their willingness to contribute their modest efforts.

At the same time, Lin Li did have another list, which contained some strange and unusual materials.

He deliberately leaked this list to confuse the public.

The leak of this list immediately caused a huge uproar. Everyone believed that it was the key to casting the Nine Tripods and speculated about its hidden meaning. Some unscrupulous people even began to plot against it.

He secretly laid a trap, using deception to lure the enemy deep into his territory.

Those with ulterior motives thought they had succeeded, but little did they know they had fallen into a trap meticulously designed by Lin Li.

Before long, all the scoundrels were caught and became the laughing stock of the world.

The people were initially worried that the court would increase taxes, adding an extra burden to their lives.

On the streets and alleys, voices of discussion rose and fell, and a sense of worry hung over everyone's heart like a dark cloud.

However, as the materials collected by the imperial court gradually became clearer, people discovered that most of what the court collected were natural materials such as stones from the mountains, timber from the forests, and sand and stones from the rivers, rather than gold and silver treasures.

The very few special items are also unrelated to them.

The people felt relieved, and their initial worries and dissatisfaction were gradually replaced by curiosity and anticipation.

They began to imagine how these ordinary natural objects could be cast into the Nine Tripods.

The imperial decree also included a special arrangement: to select some local gentry and scholars to travel to the capital to observe the ceremony and participate in the Shangsi Festival the following year.

This decree caused a sensation across the country, with students eagerly anticipating this rare opportunity.

It's not just because the capital city is so prosperous and desirable, but also because during the first month of the lunar calendar, there is a grand scene of various countries coming to pay tribute!

In addition, Kyushu also began selecting artisans.

Among craftsmen, there has never been a shortage of exceptionally talented individuals. Some are skilled at forging swords, whose blades gleam like dragons and cut through iron like mud; others are masters of carving, whose stone statues are so lifelike that they seem to speak.

However, these highly skilled individuals are often unable to receive the respect and treatment they deserve due to their social status.

Their works might be treasured by wealthy families or even presented to the palace, while they themselves could only remain behind the scenes, unknown and unsung.

Deep in the alley, craftsman Zhang is coloring a wooden carving in his hands, his rough hands are very skillful.

He had to support his wife, children, and elderly parents, but his meager salary made life difficult for them and filled them with deep anxiety about the future.

The artisan profession is passed down through generations, and the status is low. If nothing unexpected happens, his son will also have to take over his craft when he grows up and make a living from it.

After his wife put the child to sleep, she whispered to him about the selection of the governor.

Old Zhang knew his abilities were limited and didn't want to get involved. First, he didn't want to leave his hometown and go to the capital city, hundreds of miles away. Second, he was afraid of powerful people and worried that he might anger them and lose his life for no reason.

But the governor's offer was incredibly tempting, even promising to free them from their artisan status, which swayed the couple.

_______________________

A brief digression about reflection:

As I wrote this chapter, I suddenly realized that I had gone off-topic.

There's no need to consider ordinary people like that.

The layout is small.

But since it's already this long, the earlier parts can't be changed. Starting from this chapter, most of the middle plot will be deleted to speed things up and focus the plot more on the female lead.

The deleted plot points include: the further reactions of the governors of various states, the alliance between the governor of Qingzhou and the Lin family, their discussions and on-site collection of materials, and the elimination of a troublemaker who refused to cooperate.

There are also descriptions of the low social status of artisans and their impoverished lives due to the artisan registration system. (This references the Ming Dynasty's "artisan household system.")

And the people of Wushan secretly sought out Fu Wenshen to inquire about the Nine Cauldrons, as well as the discussions and attention paid to the Ten Directions Forest.

To be honest, these are all optional.

The point is that a lot actually happened in the Great Xia during this period.

……

Essentially, I set the wrong outline and direction before I even started writing the book, and my thinking was flawed!

When serializing, it's like being in a fog; you can only focus on one direction and keep moving forward, not daring to look around and get distracted.

Realizing he had gone down the wrong path, he spent the night revising the outline.

Writing long novels really does make you improve.

……

A friend of mine knows I'm writing novels and she wants to write one too, so she asked me: "I've never written a novel before, can I write one well?"

All I could tell her was: Every novelist starts by taking the first step after never having written a novel before.

My writing isn't very good, but I dare to write. I have countless characters and countless fantasies in my mind, and I want to describe them one by one.

If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach a thousand miles.

Come on!