Chapter 633: I Untie the Battle Robe with the Gentleman, from Now on the King Will Not Attend Morning Court

Chapter 633: I Shall Doff the War Robe for My Lord, and the King Shall Ne'er Rise Early for Court

"Why have you come so late? The yellow chrysanthemums have already withered and cold." In another corner of the imperial palace, atop a pavilion, Sanniang leaned leisurely against a pillar, sipping her wine. Huangfu Qing clutched Sanniang’s collar in deep irritation: "When we needed brute force most to stabilize the court earlier, you, the grand Black Tortoise Venerable, were nowhere to be found. What use are you?"

"I was so far away, in Yangzhou, alright?"

"Both of you came from Yangzhou. Chichi arrived early this morning. Are you a tortoise?"

"I am, didn't you know?" Sanniang gave up and slackened her posture.

Huangfu Qing: "..."

Indeed, a person who had truly given up was invincible.

Sanniang gently pried her hand away: "Changhe... Zhao Changhe could arrive so quickly because his horse can fly. As for the reason Chichi was so fast, I suggest you take a proper look into it. What does it mean to merge one's body with the stars, a flying dragon in the sky... She is more absurd than flying; she has already reached the realm of the ultimate profound. At least, I cannot do it. That is your apprentice, yet in the mere understanding of the Azure Dragon's intent, she has surpassed us by a whole level, and you are completely unaware."

Huangfu Qing froze, a bit lost in thought. By this reasoning, Xia Chichi's Azure Dragon intent had already reached the level of mastery. The Heaven's Edge overseas was indeed her land of destiny. Sanniang had accepted the Soul of Water and was now the Ruler of Water; her inheritance could even allow Chichi to disrupt Wang Daoning's soul. Now, it seemed that she herself was the one lacking the most. She wondered if there was another land of destiny that could allow her to make a leap as well? If so, where would it be?

Sanniang spoke again: "As for me, Wan Tianxiong is half-dead, and I needed to stabilize Jianghuai; otherwise, Wan Dongliu alone could not hold it down. That side is the fundamental base of our power, and its importance is no less than that of the capital... Have you been blinded by this easily acquired control of the capital? To think you dare look down on Jianghuai? Please, if there were no Jianghuai, our Emperor right now would only have a solitary capital. Did you really think you held thousands of miles of rivers and mountains?"

Huangfu Qing snapped back to her senses and said crossly, "Of course I know. How is the situation now?"

Sanniang said, "It is alright... Wan Dongliu is no pushover. With me backing him up, it took only half a day to make all factions of the Canal Gang bow their heads in submission. Now that Chichi has succeeded the throne here, when will the proclamation be sent to the world? So that Wan Dongliu's side can respond."

"People were already ordered to draft the proclamation during the ceremony today, but it is just for show. Others will not recognize the legitimacy of the Great Xia law, and in truth, we ourselves have not accepted this legitimacy either. Even the dynasty has been changed, and the name used is the Azure Dragon legitimacy... Right now, the Emperor is just a title we claim ourselves. The advantage lies in our rapid control of the capital; the officials have accepted it on the surface through gritted noses, which can be considered taking the initiative over other forces."

"Hmm..." Sanniang pondered, "By that logic, once the news spreads, within ten days, everyone in the world will declare themselves king... Right now, we have only occupied it quickly; it is by no means as calm as it appears on the surface."

"Indeed..." Huangfu Qing said, "There is a pile of matters now. During the ceremony, I did not dare create side issues by mentioning the sect's affairs. Chichi only said a single line about establishing the Four Symbols Sect as the state religion. At that time, observing the expressions of the officials, all of them looked rather unsightly, and Tang Wanzhuang was no exception. At least they did not openly object... They know whose side the strength lies with, so they dare not object, but that does not mean they are convinced in their hearts. We have a long way to go, Sanniang."

Huangfu Qing, her mind full of worries, snatched Sanniang’s wine gourd and took a draught herself.

Sanniang stretched out her hand expectantly, then lowered it helplessly: "The sect's affairs need to be slowly adapted to the situation. We do not lack talent in our sect; you should not just sit there racking your brain alone. In truth, the greatest talent is Chichi, did you know? Did you really think she is just a little fool who follows you around like a lackey and accepts your punishments all day long? That little wench knows how to bend and stretch; in reality, she hides a bellyful of dark waters and is fiercely ruthless. Let her be the Sect Master, and she will handle many things perfectly on her own."

"I only feel distressed because I discovered exactly this, Sanniang!" Huangfu Qing slapped the pillar: "The little wench already hides a bellyful of rebellion against me now. If she really becomes the Sect Master and becomes my superior... how am I supposed to live my days in the future? Here I am considering how to support her to become the Sect Master, yet it feels exactly like researching how to hang my own head from the roof beam..."

Sanniang grinned, already starting to laugh.

An even funnier thing was, it seemed you did not know your own home had already been stolen by me... to think you are actually consulting me.

She who cuckolds others shall forever be cuckolded! Who told you to be so fierce, to scold me, and to snatch my gourd.

In truth, if one truly wanted to offer her counsel, the most suitable advice right now would be to take this opportunity to make it public. Furthermore, she should confess to Zhao Changhe first; as long as he protected her, no matter how much of a social death it was, it would not end too terribly. Chichi would stamp her feet in anger, but she would not truly do anything. The more she insisted on concealing it, the more impossible it would be to resolve. If the day truly came when Chichi discovered it herself, the degree of social death would be such that no one could save her, and she would subsequently be punished by the Sect Master to copy books until her death...

But then again, Vermilion Bird was truly the one who exerted the most heart and soul for the grand cause of the Four Symbols Sect. Even though she knew she would be quite miserable after supporting Xia Chichi to become the Sect Master, she still kept thinking of raising her up. She was truly putting her own neck into the noose. Her significance to the Four Symbols Sect was almost like Tang Wanzhuang to the Great Xia nation. Only when a faction possessed such a person could it have the foundation to succeed.

Sanniang thought for a moment and smiled: "If nothing else, stop obstructing her and Zhao Changhe... In this matter, you are a proper villain. Zhao Changhe hides a bellyful of displeasure against you in his heart, did you know?"

Huangfu Qing glared: "What does he want to do? If he has the ability, let him kill me!"

"Heh... Don't talk tough. I don't believe you aren't afraid of him truly being angry with you." Sanniang pointed mockingly at the surrounding palace chambers: "In the future, the cold palace will be lonely, and life won't be easy..."

"What kind of attitude is that? Do we, the grand Venerables of the Four Symbols, actually beg for a man's favor?" Huangfu Qing flicked her sleeve and said, "It's not as if we cannot live without a man!"

"Heh..."

"Enough, enough. Right now, your meaning is also to directly support Chichi to become the Sect Master, is it not? I originally thought you would have some objections and wanted to reach a consensus with you... Since you are of the same mind, then this matter is settled." Huangfu Qing said, "No time to lose. It will be troublesome for you, but send orders to the Twenty-Eight Mansions and all the Guardian Elders to return to the main headquarters to hold the most important ceremony of the Sect Master."

"Then what about you?"

"...I am the Empress Dowager; I cannot leave."

"Heh... Then is the Empress Dowager going to go see what the Emperor is doing right now?"

Huangfu Qing: "..."

Could she really have run off to refill Zhao Changhe's cup? You are not Baoqin!

...

The sky was faintly dawning.

Xia Chichi was currently tangled tightly with Zhao Changhe like an octopus, both of them trembling with extreme satisfaction.

She had not even taken off her dragon robe... The dragon robe was half-open, empty underneath, completely turning this most solemn representative object into an item of passion.

The effect obtained was that Zhao Changhe, who had originally been exhausted and startled from his sleep, now found his manly vigor greatly aroused, almost as if he had consumed dozens of pounds of aphrodisiacs. Moreover, because the dual cultivation of the two was a true advancement of mutual cultivation rather than an arduous effort to heal wounds, this round instead replenished their vitality, leaving them spirited once more.

Panting, Xia Chichi buried her head in the crook of his shoulder, comfortably clasping his waist: "How am I compared to your Chief Tang? Would she play these things with you?"

That was truly a no. If Wanzhuang were truly made to play cosplay, she would likely die of shame and indignation. However, Wanzhuang was now extremely obedient; whatever posture she was asked to cooperate with, she would bite her finger and cooperate, which possessed its own distinct flavor. Of course, these words were unsuitable to be spoken. Zhao Changhe embraced Xia Chichi, reaching his hand inside the dragon robe to caress her gently, laughing: "I only feel that I am far more delighted than Dong Zhuo..."

Xia Chichi rolled her eyes at him: "In truth, you should be more delighted than an emperor. The Emperor herself is serving you... although this Emperor is currently unworthy of the name."

"How is it unworthy of the name?" Zhao Changhe said, "What we must do next is to make it thoroughly worthy of the name!"

Xia Chichi did not speak, only leaning against the crook of his shoulder to rest.

Zhao Changhe felt that her emotions seemed somewhat amiss, so he asked, "Are you... still not used to such an identity?"

"In truth, for so many years, the things I have done have been very awkward. On one hand, I only wanted to settle scores with him, yet on the other hand, I never thought about what I would do if he truly died. On one hand, I extremely resisted the identity of his daughter, yet on the other hand, I subconsciously went to understand politics and understand the system... Today, the situation has pushed things to this step, and only now have I awakened to the fact that bloodline is ultimately there. Even if you do not recognize it yourself, in the eyes of others, you possess such a layer, and naturally, you will receive it in your hands, whether what is passed down is an inheritance or a debt."

Speaking to this point, Xia Chichi smiled slightly: "It is nothing, just that I am temporarily not quite used to it... You went to fool around with others again, so naturally, my heart felt empty. With you by my side, my heart is at peace, and after a couple of days of getting used to it, it will be fine... Only, do not leave these next two days; stay with me more."

Zhao Changhe held her tightly and said softly, "Rest assured, I will wait until everything is stable. Even if I must leave, that would be to go out and conquer the world for you."

Xia Chichi bit her lower lip: "I am ready again. Do you want to..."

Before her words could fall, a knock came from outside the door, and Huangfu Qing’s voice arrived crossly: "The sky is already bright, and the officials are gathering at the palace gates... Does Your Majesty intend, on the very first day of your ascension, to ensure the King shall ne'er rise early for court?"