Zhang Yuanqing gazed steadily into the golden eyes of the State Preceptor, and spoke with a resonant voice: "At this moment of crisis, I would like to seek the protection of the State Preceptor—for the Southern Dynasty, and for the common people." His voice was strong, cutting through the surrounding noise and clearly reaching the officials and commoners present. Eyes turned naturally toward the State Preceptor. Among the crowd, Xie Lingxi called out brightly, "Please, State Preceptor, protect the Emperor—for the people and for the court." She didn't know why Yuan Shi had ventured alone into the dragon's den, but she knew that all she needed to do was unconditionally support Yuan Shi. Likewise, Wang Beiwang, Hong Jiguo, Xiao Yuan, and the Master of Zhishā Palace offered unconditional support. Under the active encouragement of their teammates, the people began to join in, pleading for the State Preceptor to protect the Emperor—someone they had long resented and often complained about. After a long silence, the State Preceptor finally spoke softly, "Agreed!" And then vanished into the building, transforming into a beam of golden light. Zhang Yuanqing smiled slightly, turned to Zheng Wenhan, and said, "Minister Zheng, I will handle state affairs at Tianji Building. As for the internal investigation of spies within the Imperial City Office, it's entirely up to you. If you can't uncover any spies secretly communicating with the Northern Dynasty within three days, come and bring their heads!" This was his way of signaling to Zheng Wenhan that he was employing a delaying strategy. Though their differences could not be resolved and their conflict was destined to be unyielding, a rebellion remained a serious matter—especially after the planned celestial ritual had failed. Unless absolutely compelled, Zheng Wenhan would naturally have chosen to proceed cautiously, preparing thoroughly before taking action. By leaving the Imperial City Office untouched and not exposing his intentions of rebellion, Zhang Yuanqing was effectively giving Zheng Wenhan a way out, thus preventing an immediate uprising. Zheng Wenhan fully understood this, yet had no choice but to follow suit. In the presence of everyone, he suppressed his emotions and bowed respectfully, saying, "The humble minister understands." In the Dan Chamber, Zhang Yuanqing stood by the window, gazing out as the common people flowed like ants and like streams along the streets, dispersing in various directions. On the square outside the Tianji Pavilion, two hundred city defense troops and two hundred officials from the Imperial City Office were arrayed in formation. The former were under Yang's command, while the latter belonged to Zheng. Further along the main road connecting to the Imperial City, elegant sedan chairs were moving steadily toward the Tianji Pavilion—some carrying ministers from the Grand Secretariat, others officials from the palace. The ministers had come because the Emperor had ordered them to handle official affairs at the Tianji Pavilion, requiring their presence there for administrative support. The palace eunuchs were there to attend upon the Emperor personally. Zhang Yuanqing turned his gaze away and walked toward the outer door of the chamber. "Please wait, Your Majesty," said the middle-aged Taoist standing at the entrance, his expression impassive. "The Master has instructed that you may only rest in this room and must not leave it or move within the Tianji Pavilion." Zhang Yuanqing examined the middle-aged Taoist, whose face was clean and well-groomed, eyes clear and bright, spirit and vitality fully intact—clearly a practitioner of deep cultivation. "I wish to see the Grand Master," he said. "The Grand Master has meditated on the Heavenly Skill and sees no one," replied the Taoist, maintaining his gaze without the slightest change in demeanor, even though Zhang was the Emperor. A few seconds later, the middle-aged Taoist recovered from the mental strain, his gaze toward the昏king now filled with both caution and astonishment. He said calmly, "Since the Emperor wishes to see the State Preceptor, I shall deliver the message on your behalf." He exhaled a stream of Yin energy, and a white-robed spiritual servant drifted gracefully out. Zhang Yuancheng turned back to the pavilion, sat cross-legged on the mat, and summoned the spiritual servant to bring a low table, a water bucket, and a bundle of charcoal from the corner. He began to boil water and prepare tea. When bubbles began to rise at the bottom of the clear water in the pot, a golden light pierced through the wall and entered the pavilion, materializing into an elderly Taoist of serene and noble bearing. "You've arrived quite swiftly—water hasn't even begun to boil yet," Zhang Yuancheng said, scooping a ladleful of water from the bucket to clean the tea utensils. His eyes remained fixed on his tasks, never once turning to look at the figure seated across the low table, who was clearly a master of supreme authority. "Does the Emperor fear that I might kill him?" the State Preceptor asked Zhang Yuanqing picked up the tea cup with a bamboo folder, draining off the excess water. "You could have killed me years ago. Why bother with so much effort? Previously, I only thought you might have reservations, unwilling to personally carry out the act. Now I understand the reason." "What do you mean?" the Patriarch asked calmly. "Imperial Majesty, I am protected by the dragon energy. Should you kill me, it would bring about the Five Decays of the Celestial and Human realms," Zhang Yuanqing said in a composed tone, as if chatting with an elder. "Therefore, you needed to rely on the Zheng family and Lady Ya to carry out the killing." The Patriarch's expression remained cool. "I can still have the Zheng family eliminate you. There are many ways to do so—I need not personally intervene. Entering the Tianji Building does not guarantee your safety." Zhang Yuanqing remained unfazed, gazing steadily into the Patriarch's eyes and smiled. "You have already missed the optimal moment to kill me. Now, even ordinary three or four individuals of the Sixth Rank pose no threat to me. Moreover, there are still city garrison troops and officers from the Imperial City Guard stationed "Moreover, you dare not let me die at the Tianji Building, for if that happens, the people will question you, blame you, and lose their trust in you—thus weakening, and eventually dissipating, your dragon energy." Upon hearing this, the Abbot's eyes flashed with brilliant light, his hair and sleeves moving subtly without a breeze, his presence commanding and formidable. "How do you know all this?" His voice was now deep and resonant, no longer ethereal. Zhang Yuanqing smiled. "The Abbot calculates all matters of destiny—why ask me?" Zhang Yuanqing seemed entirely unaware of the Duke's unusual demeanor. He picked up the teapot and began to brew tea with calm grace. Though he didn't particularly understand tea, having spent years interacting with affluent and influential circles, he had naturally learned the art of elegant tea preparation. Sipping the hot tea, he said, "Excellent tea. Though the setting appears simple, even a tea leaf from a mere Dan Room would surpass the quality found in my imperial palace. Your households—except for the women, who are fewer than mine—enjoy far more comforts than I do, yet you all still plan to overthrow the Southern Dynasty. The Southern Dynasty's fate is already sealed," the Duke remarked. All say the State Sage is kind-hearted, healing the people and saving the world, yet none know that he is gradually eroding the southern dynasty's fate, pushing millions of commoners into war and into hell. "State Sage, what is your true reason for doing this?" "By the will of heaven!" the State Sage's tone returned calm and distant. Zhang Yuanqing said with disdain, "In fact, it's not hard to guess. At your level, wealth, beauty, and desires no longer distract you. The only thing that truly stirs your longing is the attainment of boundless mastery and supreme enlightenment. The Taoist from the Celestial Mechanism Pavilion said you've been meditating in seclusion, reaching a critical juncture—let me venture a guess: you intend to use the northern dynasty's southern campaign as an opportunity to extinguish the southern dynasty. Once that is done, you can sever the southern dynasty's final legacy from the Zhao family, making it the stepping stone for your own ascension to a higher realm. Is that correct?" "Indeed!" the State Sage nodded. Zhang Yuanqing immediately bowed and said, "May the State Sage be so kind as to impart his secret method to the Zhang Yuancheng immediately lost his temper, snorting, "I've heard the Grand Abbot is supremely skilled in predicting celestial events and mastering both astronomy and geography. Then I shall use the entire realm as a chessboard and the people as pawns—let us play a game together." The Grand Abbot smiled. "That's quite interesting," he said, making a gesture of invitation. "Then, Your Majesty, please begin your move." Zhang Yuancheng chuckled. "My first move? To eliminate Chen He!" Before the five university scholars had even opened their mouths, Zheng Wenhan spoke smoothly and steadily: "The frontline troops are fighting hard to resist the enemy and require a stable rear. Most of the officials on the list hold key positions and should not be moved at this time. Moreover, whether or not they are corrupt still needs to be verified. I propose that we settle accounts with them in the autumn." More than half of those impeached were officials favored by Zheng Wenhan. Yang Zheng firmly argued: "Precisely because this is a time of crisis, we must eliminate these parasites and pests. How can we hand over power to such growths?" Zheng Wenhan calmly replied: "This matter requires no further discussion." "Simply suspend their posts for investigation." "No!" Yang Zheng and Zheng Wenhan engaged in vigorous debate, while the four university scholars struggled to mediate—two remained neutral, two leaned toward Zheng Wenhan, and one remained steadfastly loyal to Yang. The political authority in the Southern Dynasty flowed from top to bottom: the Emperor, then the Cabinet, and finally the Six Ministries. The Cabinet consisted of six university scholars, among whom Zheng Wenhan and Yang Zheng simultaneously held the offices of Vice Indeed, in the political system of the Southern Dynasties, both the Grand Secretariat and the Chancellor existed. While the Grand Secretariat held considerable power, it remained constrained by imperial authority; the Chancellor, however, wielded power that directly threatened the emperor's authority. As a result, the emperor and the Grand Secretariat frequently clashed over the course of five centuries of Southern Dynasty history, with numerous instances where the power of the Chancellor overshadowed that of the emperor. Zhao Shun's power had long been eclipsed by the Grand Secretariat, and he now served more as a symbolic figurehead, residing in the imperial palace. At this moment, the struggle was being waged not against imperial authority, but against the Right Chancellor Yang Zheng. From noon until dusk, the two parties failed to reach an agreement, both exhausted and dissatisfied, parting without resolution. …… The Hall of Celestial Secrets. A streak of blood-red sunset filtered through the observation tower and illuminated the inner chamber. The State Preceptor, formed by a subtle spiritual presence, sat before the desk, speaking calmly: "For years, the emperor has neglected state affairs. How can he believe that a single imperial decree will suffice to make the Grand Secretariat submit? Your intention to eliminate corrupt ... midnight. Sun Mi-miao opened the clan's warehouse, retrieved the Little Red Cap, donned it on her head, and transformed into starlight, departing from Yang's estate. With a clear destination, she arrived at a rice mill, entered the rice storehouse, and found the grain silos filled with rice grains. "Hmph, the refugees outside the city are even eating bark, yet the grain merchants' stores are overflowing with rice," she remarked. She opened the internal space of the Little Red Cap and transferred an entire warehouse's worth of grain into it. Then, she transformed into starlight and departed. Throughout the entire night, she visited numerous rice mills, merchant homes, and the residences of court officials, stealing grain from each.