Chapter 651: Chapter 635: Getting It Without Any Effort

The sky was fully bright, and Tang Wanzhuang went to court.

These past couple of days were indeed filled with many matters, leaving no one free to play. Just speaking of that faker now under arrest, how she would be dealt with had not yet been decided; whether Tang Wanzhuang’s own subordinate, Qin Dingjiang, who had raised a hand against her, should be punished wasn’t something she had time to consider. With the new dynasty just established, and under such extraordinary circumstances, far more important issues awaited discussion in the court. These matters were not yet on the agenda.

If it weren’t for Wanzhuang’s treatment being urgent, actually, it wasn’t supposed to be idle talk beyond the window curtains yesterday; discussing state affairs with the monarch for an entire day was the right course of action.

Zhao Changhe found it difficult to imagine what emotions would be exchanged between the monarch and ministers who had been passing cups back and forth throughout the night when they met in court. He always felt that everyone’s relationship had slid towards a ridiculously absurd state.

The absurd premise was that Wanzhuang was now truly serving the monarch wholeheartedly, placing his, Zhao Changhe’s, interests first. Thus, in Wanzhuang’s eyes, it was a good thing that you could make the new Emperor serve you, and even those women from the Four Symbols Sect should be subdued.

Zhao Changhe shook his head; right now everyone was busy, and ironically, he himself had become the most idle. Put nicely, he was in charge of standing watch, but indelicately, he was just an idler; there was nothing urgent needing his attention anymore. It seemed that what truly needed doing was subduing the Four Symbols Sect.

This moment also belonged to an extremely important juncture in the reform of the Four Symbols Sect, as Tang Wanzhuang had said. Actually, everyone’s goals were not the same, and while the new dynasty was just established, everyone needed to work together against external issues, preventing any friction from erupting. But once the situation stabilized, differences, and even seeds of conflict, could slowly emerge.

For Wanzhuang, it was the same; I cooperate because they are your people. What if it were the other way around, and you were one of their people? Then the entire mindset would be different.

The Four Symbols Sect was the Demon Sect, and their doctrine was to herald Emperor Ye in unifying the epoch, be it heaven or the human world—all belonged to Emperor Ye. The Sect Hierarch was but a spokesperson; even if Chichi ascended the throne, she would only be “managing the human realm” on behalf, just like the ancient Azure Dragon, dubbed the Human Emperor, was still a subordinate to Emperor Ye, the Heavenly Emperor.

In some sense, the way Vermilion Bird and Xuanwu saw the people of the world was not fundamentally different from Xia Longyuan… Xia Longyuan viewed people as NPCs, while they, apart from their own followers, considered everyone else untrustworthy heretics. One must either convert or die, which is why they had become the Demon Sect. This stigma was not attached by Xia Longyuan but was determined by their doctrines, as the longstanding public opinion had dictated it; the eyes of all under heaven were sharply observant.

In the past they didn’t seem sufficiently demonic because they were weak, because the true number one overpowered them, because the Demon Suppression Department constrained them. What would happen now that there was no one to suppress them?

Yesterday during the ceremony, Xia Chichi announced the Four Symbols Sect as the National Religion. Clearly, they were members of the Four Symbols Sect, and the announcement was something everyone was psychologically prepared for, yet at the moment of the announcement, everyone couldn’t help but subtly change their expressions, Tang Wanzhuang included. It’s clear that everyone was very resistant… If this issue is not resolved, it will inevitably become a bomb in the new dynasty, bound to explode sooner or later.

And as for subduing the Four Symbols Sect… Chichi was not the issue, nor did Guigui care much about these matters. Ever since accepting the Water Soul and Guigui herself had developed a concept of the Divine, her devotion to Emperor Ye had become questionable. So, in fact, the crux of the conflict was with Vermilion Bird alone.

While Zhao Changhe pondered, he strolled through the palace, his feet unconsciously taking him to the former Imperial Concubine’s sleeping quarters.

Although Huangfu Qing had become the Empress Dowager, her chambers hadn’t moved, remaining in the original location. In matters of human etiquette and lavish comforts, Vermilion Bird did not care. At this moment, the place was bustling with people coming and going, the complicated degree of taking complete control of the inner palace affairs was not inferior to the court.

“Your Highness…” when the palace maids saw Zhao Changhe, they curtsied with some trepidation: “The Empress Dowager is not here…”

Not here? With you all so busy, where could she have gone?”

The palace maids exchanged looks, none daring to speak.

Zhao Changhe tapped his head, having realized Huangfu Qing must have just set up a bunch of tasks here and then, busy as a bee, ran out of the Imperial Palace to attend to Vermilion Bird’s matters at the Four Symbols Sect’s Main Base.

It must be said that the current prosperity of the Four Symbols Sect, smoothly inheriting the greatest fruits after Xia Longyuan’s death, largely credited to Vermilion Bird’s immense contributions. Truly like getting the work of two for the price of one. If they were all lackadaisical, the Sect would have been long gone…

She practically was the Sect Hierarch.

Since Huangfu Qing wasn’t around, and he didn’t know what to say to these young girls, Zhao Changhe waved his hand in farewell and wandered aimlessly.

As he walked, he found himself subconsciously returning to the familiar Temple, the battlefield from the day before.

Xia’s corpse had already been encoffined, prepared for the burial ceremony, though where the coffin currently was remained unknown. There were some guards here, mainly because beneath the Temple was a Secret Realm created by Xia, and that special Heavenly Vault still held much research value. It aligned with the Heavenly Vault above and resonated with the mountains and rivers below. At that time, Xia had lost control of the mountains and rivers due to a Qi Vein backlash, making what should be a homefield advantage completely ineffective. Otherwise, the thing itself was akin to a nuclear-grade secret weapon.

Furthermore, having stayed here long-term, there should be some special collections beneath the high platform. It was unlikely to be empty-handed, and it wouldn’t make sense to store them in any inner treasury of the Imperial Palace. There was no need—the inner treasury should contain only ordinary items. The important stuff should be here.

Zhao Changhe thought for a moment and went straight inside. With nothing else pressing, Cultivation was indeed what he ought to be doing—he hadn’t even studied the page of the Heavenly Book that Xia had given him, he was so busy…

The guards hesitated to speak and didn’t stop him.

Zhao Changhe’s presence within the palace was exceedingly exceptional, and no one knew quite how to treat him. Theoretically, treating him as if he were the Emperor wouldn’t be inappropriate… No one dared to be bold enough to obstruct him.

He reached the high platform below unobstructed and stood at the top, looking up at the still sparkling Heavenly Vault, unable to discern its construction. It felt different from the sunrise and sunset he had seen in the Spirit Clan’s domain, and also unlike the “real celestial dome” at the farthest east. He couldn’t even fathom the basic principle.

But what he could imagine was that Xia Longyuan, having deemed this world an artificial small world, must have been exploring in this direction too. This Heavenly Vault was his attempt to construct his own world. The so-called Imperial Realm he Controlled the World with wasn’t the whole story; Controlling the World was just a step in the process, there should be Controlling Heaven and Earth to follow… Only by walking this path, he could reach that terrifyingly formidable Level 2.5 of the Imperial Realm.

Zhao Changhe suddenly leapt up, stretching his hand to touch the Heavenly Vault above.

The sensation was strange; the point of contact seemed to be shifting, as if something was flowing, the night hue of the expanse like a flow of black silk continuously moving.

Wait a moment…

Zhao Changhe suddenly widened his eyes: “Chichi, could this be Night Sand?”

The blind man sighed, “You should have been studying these things earlier, what the hell have you been doing these past days…”

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PS: A transitional chapter, a bit short emmmm… Damn, I’ve had a cold for a week and it’s still not gone, it’s maddening.