"Zhao'er."
Emperor Luo's voice was unhurried. "What do you plan to do now?"
This question made Luo Zhao hesitate for a moment.
"Imperial Father... are you referring to Gu Chengyin?"
A faint but genuine smile appeared on Emperor Luo's face.
"Who else?"
Emperor Luo leaned back, his posture relaxed, yet his tone was very firm.
"I have already said that I will no longer interfere in Gu Chengyin's affairs."
"Therefore, Zhao'er, no matter what Gu Chengyin is doing or thinking, that is your business."
Emperor Luo's gaze fell on Luo Zhao's face as he enunciated every word clearly.
"Because he is your man."
Luo Zhao's heart skipped a beat.
Only a fool takes words at face value, and she was no fool.
The surface meaning of Emperor Luo's words was that Gu Chengyin belonged to her and was under her jurisdiction.
The secondary meaning was that he would no longer intervene, leaving her to handle it as she saw fit.
And the deeper meaning...
Luo Zhao's thoughts spun rapidly.
"Because he is your man"—coming from Emperor Luo, these words carried far more weight than their literal sense.
Gu Chengyin was the Junior Preceptor to the Crown Princess, the Chief Steward of the Internal Affairs Department, the Right Vice Minister of Rites, and the Marquis of Bingjian.
Returning from this inspection tour, he had gained two more identities: the successor of the Qingyun Immortal Clan and the Sect Master of the Azure Sword Sect.
Gu Chengyin had accumulated too many titles, and behind each title lay a faction and a complex web of connections.
Yet Emperor Luo said he was her man.
This meant that no matter what Gu Chengyin was doing or thinking.
No matter how capable he was, how deep his background ran, or how mysterious his inheritance was.
To Emperor Luo, he was still Luo Zhao's man, her sword.
As long as he didn't rebel, even if he overstepped his bounds or seized dominance.
That would still just be a matter between Gu Chengyin and Luo Zhao.
Unless Luo Zhao truly could no longer control him and was completely helpless against him.
Only if she came crying to Emperor Luo to stand up for her would Emperor Luo intervene again.
However, Luo Zhao did not believe such a thing would ever happen.
Absolutely not.
She immediately cupped her hands, her voice clear and firm, "I understand. Thank you for your grace, Imperial Father."
Only then did Emperor Luo reveal a satisfied expression.
After all, Luo Zhao was the Crown Princess; sooner or later, she would have to face everything alone.
He could not possibly arrange everything for her; she had to weather the storms she was meant to face.
And Gu Chengyin was Luo Zhao's greatest storm.
As long as she could handle Gu Chengyin, Luo Zhao would inevitably transform into an Empress even more formidable than him.
Emperor Luo raised his hand and gestured to Lyu Fang beside him.
Lyu Fang had been standing in the corner with his hands at his sides, his presence extremely low.
Seeing the gesture, he immediately stepped forward, holding a purple sandalwood box.
The box was not large, about a foot square.
Lyu Fang approached Luo Zhao's side, opened the lid, and respectfully presented it to her.
The inside of the box was lined with bright yellow satin, and in the center lay a rolled imperial edict.
At the same time, Emperor Luo's voice rang out.
"This imperial edict is blank."
"What to write, how to issue it, when to issue it, and who to send to issue it."
"It is for you to decide."
Luo Zhao looked down at the edict in the box.
The bright yellow satin, the dark gold dragon patterns, the vermilion seal.
This was the decree of the Son of Heaven of Great Luo, the authority capable of mobilizing thousands of troops, the token that could determine the life, death, honor, and disgrace of countless people.
And now, this blank edict had been handed to her.
Not for her to deliver the decree.
But for her to make the decision.
Luo Zhao's fingertips tightened slightly; she understood Emperor Luo's meaning.
This was a delegation of power.
It was trust.
And it was a test.
What she wrote would reflect her attitude toward Gu Chengyin.
How she issued it would reflect her mastery of tactics.
When she issued it would reflect her judgment of the situation.
Who she sent to issue it would reflect how many people she had at her disposal in the royal court.
Luo Zhao took a deep breath, extended both hands, and respectfully accepted the purple sandalwood box.
The box was slightly heavy, pressing down on her palms and weighing on her heart.
"I shall definitely not disappoint your expectations, Imperial Father."
Emperor Luo nodded slightly, picked up his teacup, and took another sip.
This was a gesture to see the guest out.
Luo Zhao understood. Holding the purple sandalwood box, she took two steps back, turned, and walked toward the pavilion door.
Her footsteps were steady, her posture perfectly straight, every step planted firmly.
But only she knew that the fingertips of the hands holding the purple sandalwood box were trembling slightly.
Lyu Fang lifted the door curtain, and Luo Zhao walked out of the warm pavilion.
The cold wind outside blew against her face, carrying the chill of early spring, entirely different from the warmth inside the pavilion.
Luo Zhao took a breath, feeling as if her lungs had been cleansed by the cold wind, making her mind much clearer.
Shangguan Yunying was waiting under the corridor. Seeing her come out, she quickly stepped forward to greet her.
Her gaze fell on the purple sandalwood box in Luo Zhao's hands. Her pupils shrank slightly, but she asked no questions.
She merely asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, shall we return to the palace?"
Luo Zhao nodded and handed the purple sandalwood box to Shangguan Yunying.
The two walked one after the other, heading out along the palace path they had come from.
Luo Zhao walked very slowly, her gaze fixed ahead, yet it seemed as if she was looking at nothing.
Shangguan Yunying followed closely behind to the side, remaining silent.
They turned one corner, then another.
Just as they were about to reach the Xuanwu Gate, Luo Zhao suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Shangguan Yunying also stopped immediately and looked up at her.
The morning light shone from the side, casting intertwining shadows of light and dark on Luo Zhao's face.
Her expression was very calm, so calm it bordered on aloofness, but something was surging within her eyes.
"Yunying," Luo Zhao suddenly spoke.
"This humble servant is here," Shangguan Yunying replied.
Luo Zhao's gaze landed ahead, on the plaque bearing the word Xuanwu.
Her voice was very light, as if talking to herself.
"Tell me... if there were someone who had been deceiving you from beginning to end, and who never cared about you."
"Should such a person be spared?"
Shangguan Yunying was taken aback. She looked at Luo Zhao's profile and those flickering eyes.
She did not ask who this person was.
Because there was no need to ask.
In the entire world, there was only one person who could make Luo Zhao ask such a question.
Shangguan Yunying fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Your Highness, this humble servant does not know whether the words that person spoke were true or false."
"But whether true or false, this humble servant believes it actually does not matter."
"What matters is whether you have the strength and courage to flip the table."
Luo Zhao turned her head to look at Shangguan Yunying.
Light reflected in Luo Zhao's eyes, and the flickering surge within them subsided slightly in that instant.
She looked at Shangguan Yunying for a moment, then suddenly curled the corners of her lips.
Raising her head, she declared in a clear, resounding voice.
"His Majesty has issued a decree."
Shangguan Yunying immediately lowered her head, preparing to respectfully listen to the decree.
However, the content that followed made her turn pale with shock.
"The Junior Preceptor to the Crown Princess, Gu Chengyin, has shown no gratitude, perverted the law for bribes, and possesses corrupted morals."
"He has usurped the position of Sect Master of the Azure Sword Sect, acting recklessly, arrogantly, and domineeringly."
"His actions are of an egregious nature, shocking the court and the public, causing immense disaster, and creating a terrible impact."
"We specially command Lin Qingyan, the Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion, to follow this imperial order and apprehend him immediately."
"He must be captured without fail and escorted back to the capital."
"Respect this."
end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
tions: attribute allocation, analysis, proficiency, and simulation. Specializing in mechanical alchemy, from crafting sorcerous battle armor to handcrafting mechanical maidens, his mechanical legion conquers endless realms... Relying on his wits, he begins with a student-teacher romance, wins over a female director, enslaves a female assassin and a underworld queen, becoming the husband of a Grand Duchess... He enslaves the Goddess of Magic from the divine realm, developing his power simultaneously in both the Wizard World and the Realm of Gods...
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
