CHAPTER 641: CHAPTER 98: FOUR SYMBOLS CHESS MIDDLE HEAVEN

"This humble official deserves death. It is not that I wish to be negligent, but I’m compelled by circumstance. Duke Mansion has fallen into decline, and the annual salary is entirely used to pay off the debts to the Ministry of Revenue. Currently, in the mansion, there are only a few old horses that are nothing but skin and bones, unfit for any grand occasion. Moreover, I left home at a young age. It has been ten years since I last entered Wohua Imperial City. Despite the vastness of the Imperial City, even though the leading officers tried to slow down, I still could not keep pace," others might feel embarrassed to cry poor, but Yue Jinghua was remarkably composed. As she spoke about her pitiable situation, she even feigned wiping the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve.

Her words, though unbecoming, were logical and she explained the cause and effect clearly, while also reminding the Emperor and the Princess of the negligence of the Imperial Guard who delivered the message, and the "miserable state" of the Duke Mansion now.

"Nonsense, you clearly begged a Golden and Silver Qilin from the hands of this Young General, how could you lack a suitable mount," still smarting from the last time Yue Jinghua at the Sky Port had forcefully taken the Golden and Silver Qilin from Long Jiuzun.

This fellow was also very sharp-tongued. Just before, he had instructed his guards to deliberately make things difficult for Yue Jinghua, failing to prepare a mount for her, all to make her look improper before the Emperor.

But who knew Yue Jinghua would not only behave appropriately but also feign pity before the Emperor, truly outrageous.

"Many thanks to Young General Long for keeping that pair of Qilin in your thoughts. His Majesty is wise; my brother and I, as His Majesty’s officials and children, abide by imperial commands and also need to show filial respect to our elders. After my father left, my mother has been somewhat disconsolate. However, she took quite a fondness to that pair of Golden and Silver Qilin, and thus, I have given them to my mother Lie Rou as her personal travelling Dark Beasts," in saying so, Yue Jinghua implied that Long Jiuzun was being petty.

As a result, the image of her and her brother stood tall and mighty, seemingly epitomizing virtuous and filial siblings and loyal subjects.

Ji Jie, Long Jiuzun, and others who heard this clenched their teeth in anger. These men all considered themselves thick-skinned and shrewd, but in front of Yue Jinghua, they turned into mere rabbits.

This damn Little Fox, she really has the nerve to say it out loud. The Duke Mansion is poor?

Let’s not even talk about how Yue Jinghua previously made a fortune at the Beast Fighting Arena. Presently, Fengdan Bailu’s two counties alone bring in an annual income to the Duke Mansion that could be described as a daily influx of gold.

Yue Jinghua, who tosses Seventh Rank Flash Mink Leopards around so carelessly, wouldn’t have a decent Dark Beast mount?

Fool the devil! Such a shameless swindler.

Seeing a gathering of old ministers and generals puffing their beards and glaring, Princess Long Xue couldn’t help but laugh instead of getting angry.

She managed to hold back her laughter and whispered into the ear of Long Teng the 72nd: "Father Emperor, it is rare that Young Master Yue at such a young age understands to be considerate of her elders. In my view, why not bestow her a Dark Beast mount?"

The Linglong Stables within the Imperial City breed many rare birds and exotic beasts from the Dragon War Empire and even the Eastern Continent. Gifting Yue Jinghua a Treasure Beast to win her over wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Upon hearing this, Yue Jinghua was visibly overwhelmed with gratitude, bustling with incessant thanks.

Just then, a deep cough sounded from ahead and a voice said "Rise," prompting Yue Jinghua to stand up.

Only then did she steal a glance and saw that in the main hall of Jiuhua Hall, a dragon bed was set up.

Long Teng the 72nd sat wearily on the bed steps. Although it was summer, he was covered with a thick blanket.

In the previous Dragon Pulling Test, Yue Jinghua hadn’t gotten a good look at Long Teng the 72nd’s imperial countenance; now she had the opportunity to observe closely.

Long Teng the 72nd had a square-shaped face with characters of the nations, and grey-white whiskers. Only his old but bright eyes retained a bit of clarity.

The Imperial Army was in a state of emergency, and Long Xiangtian had been woken up in the middle of the night by urgent military news, which led to the summoning of numerous old ministers for an emergency audience.

Princess Long Xue stood behind the Emperor, looking equally exhausted.

Pill Master Cheng Ying gently massaged his back while her expressive eyes landed on Yue Jinghua almost imperceptibly.

Observing the Emperor, it was indeed like the sun setting in the west, a situation not at all optimistic.

Yue Jinghua took a few steps back and was swiftly pulled aside by Little Jinuo, who grinned and said, "How about that, the treasure beast from Linglong Stables that I recommended, you snatched it without even speaking, your luck is truly great. Remember to send some wine to my mansion, it must be the kind from Five Saints Town."

"Thank you so much for that," Yue Jinghua grunted as if in pain, contemplating whether to put some Elixir Pills recently developed by Feng Chuo into the beer he was to send to Jin Nuo, enough to have him out of sorts for three days and nights.

While Yue Jinghua hurried towards Jiuhua Hall, inside the hall, people were listening to the urgent military news that had occurred on the borders of the Imperial City earlier.

Yue Jinghua had already learned about the affairs of Shang Kingdom from Jin Nuo, but what she didn’t know was that unrest had not only occurred in Shang Kingdom. The only coastal city of the Empire, Fandi Port, had also experienced disturbances.

"In the view of this old official, marching on land is not feasible. It not only takes a toll on the people and drains the treasury but also takes too much time," said Minister of the Ministry of Revenue Ji Jie, who had to speak out first when it came to deploying troops and military expenditures.

Shang Kingdom was located to the north of the Imperial City, while Fandi Port was to the south. This distance from north to south spanned across the Empire and horizontally covered hundreds of thousands of miles. If the Imperial Army only marched by land, it would take at least several months to reach both places. By then, if the urgency of the military situation exacerbated, the unrest could have already turned into war.

"This official believes it is more appropriate to directly deploy the elite Imperial Dragon Cavalry Group to both locations," echoed several young generals, headed by Long Jiuzun, from the Military Department, in agreement with the Ministry of Revenue’s proposition.

"Old General Long Ao, what do you think?" Princess Long Xue didn’t rashly make a judgment but instead sought advice from Long Ao.

Princess Long Xue was also astute. She faintly noticed that the Ministry of Revenue and Military Department had already formed an alliance. Now that her father the Emperor was unwell, her own words carried little weight. It was better to ask for Long Ao’s opinion directly.

Long Ao’s Floating Light Silhouette appeared intermittently within the hall, and even so, when he began to speak, the hall instantly fell into a respectful silence.

The authority of the National Guardian Heavenly General seemed to even overshadow that of the Emperor himself.

Yue Jinghua secretly observed and had guessed the rough situation that Princess Long Xue was in.

"This old official believes that deploying the Imperial Dragon Cavalry Group en masse is not a prudent course of action. The Imperial Dragon Cavalry Group has only a few hundred members. If they are sent out and divided between two places, it would leave the Imperial City vulnerable. If foreign enemies invade, who can ensure the safety of the Emperor and the Princess?" Long Ao expressed the worry in his heart.

"Under current circumstances, this old general must be asked to return to the Imperial City to guard it," said Old Jinuo of the Pengbo Family, who had also considered this point.

The Floating Light Silhouette of Long Ao could only last for 24 hours. After a night of discussions, dawn was breaking, and around Noon, Long Ao’s silhouette would disappear.

"This..." Long Ao showed a troubled expression: "Now, my true body is far away within the Four Symbols Chess Middle Heaven..."

Four Symbols Chess Middle Heaven?

In Jiuhua Hall, upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed dramatically, while Yue Jinghua alone looked utterly bewildered.