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Loyalty and Obedience Prince, like Prince Qirui, is an uncle of the current Emperor Li Xuan Zong. However, unlike Prince Qirui, who pledged loyalty to the emperor early on, Loyalty and Obedience Prince had caused considerable trouble for the emperor both before and after his ascension. It was only after the emperor secured his position that Loyalty and Obedience Prince had no choice but to submit. Although the emperor appeared kind to him on the surface, he had long harbored dissatisfaction towards Loyalty and Obedience Prince, seizing every opportunity to suppress the Loyalty Prince's Residence. Li Xuelan unwittingly provided him with such an opportunity; not only did her title change from Princess to County Princess, but she also dragged down Loyalty and Obedience Prince from a Duke to a Marquis. If Li Xuelan were not the legitimate daughter of Loyalty and Obedience Prince, his only daughter, he would have already silenced her. How could he possibly help her harm others further?
This was the perspective of Mo Yan, the Princess, Yue Yunfei, and others, who overlooked that Li Xuelan was indeed the biological daughter of Loyalty and Obedience Prince. Much of her current demeanor stemmed from her father's indulgence. Moreover, all her mindless cruelty was inherited from him. Since Li Xuelan had set her sights on Elder Brother Li, how could she give up? Furthermore, Loyalty and Obedience Prince had long wished to marry off his daughter; now that he had a scapegoat in sight, how could he let go? Elder Brother Li was merely a martial general from a remote area without any background—easy to manipulate. Besides, he was a prince while his daughter was a County Princess; Elder Brother Li was not Liu Guanwun. He couldn't believe that Elder Brother Li would not desire power and wealth. Yet there truly existed someone who disliked power—Elder Brother Li! He rejected the proposal from Loyalty Prince's Residence.
This would not have been a significant matter if not for the high-profile nature of Loyalty Prince's Residence's proposal, which made it known throughout the capital that Snow Orchid County Mistress had set her sights on another unfortunate soul. However, this unfortunate soul stood firm and rejected Princess Xuelan's proposal. Everyone speculated about what malicious actions Princess Xuelan would take against this unfortunate individual next; even gambling houses opened bets on Li Xuelan's subsequent moves and the ultimate fate of this unfortunate soul.
Loyalty and Obedience Prince was furious at being publicly humiliated and stormed into the palace to confront the emperor, demanding an imperial decree for marriage.
"Uncle Emperor, please remain calm," the emperor replied with a smile, employing a delaying tactic. "Who is Li Wei Feng? I am still unclear. It will not be too late to grant a marriage once I understand more." The emperor knew about Li Wei Feng. Both Marshal and Prince Ritchie had highlighted this individual: formidable skills, exceptional leadership abilities, and brilliant military strategies—all proving him to be a talented commander. His application of emergency medical care had reduced soldier mortality rates by at least sixty to seventy percent. Such a useful person had long been earmarked for promotion by the emperor; how could he possibly associate someone he disliked—Loyalty Prince's Residence—with him or allow that wicked woman Li Xuelan to ruin Li Wei Feng?
Not getting the desired outcome, Loyalty and Obedience Prince left in dissatisfaction. Shortly after his departure, the emperor's personal eunuch received a report and hurried back to inform the emperor: "Your Majesty, Loyalty and Obedience Prince's consort has entered the palace to see the Empress Dowager."
Upon hearing this, the emperor put down his documents with a cold snort: "Am I too lenient with them?"
Guan De Zhu lowered his head in silence, afraid to respond. The emperor had long been displeased with Loyalty and Obedience Prince and Empress Dowager; these people were becoming increasingly reckless in their actions—he could no longer tolerate them.
The current Emperor Li Xuan Zong is not the biological son of Empress Dowager; her biological son was among the first casualties in the struggle for power among princes. Empress Dowager looked down on Li Xuan Zong because his mother held a lowly status and died early. She supported him thinking he would be easy to manipulate; once he became emperor, she could wield power behind the scenes like Wu Zetian. However, Li Xuan Zong was not as innocent as he appeared; much like Yongzheng Emperor, he was capable of enduring hardship while secretly cultivating his own power base. Otherwise, how could Empress Dowager—a mere woman from the harem—have such influence in making him emperor? The women in the late emperor's harem were all formidable figures with substantial backing; they also had sons. Empress Dowager merely played a minor role during Li Xuan Zong's rise to power while being granted a title as Empress Dowager—Li Xuan Zong had already repaid her sufficiently. Little did she know that she harbored such grand ambitions to control him! While outwardly respecting Empress Dowager, Li Xuan Zong had already severed nine-tenths of her connections from the previous court and left her with only a few useless subordinates. Empress Dowager could hardly access any power from the former court; yet she remained unwilling to accept this reality and continued to act recklessly alongside her few subordinates—even becoming entangled with Loyalty and Obedience Prince at some point. Now, there was no room left for these two in the emperor’s eyes.
"Proclaim my decree: Minister of Rites Zhang Zishan is unfit for duty due to incompetence; remove him from his position as Minister and demote him to Governor of Seymour County effective immediately."
Zhang Zishan is Empress Dowager's nephew and one of her most capable allies; Seymour County lies far westward—known for its fierce people and barren land—the emperor intended for him never to return to the capital.
"Additionally, issue another decree: As Empress Dowager's birthday approaches, release some palace servants so they may return home to reunite with their families."
"Ha, this is cutting off the wings of the Empress Dowager in the palace, yet still wanting to borrow her name. Your Majesty, how ruthless you are; the Empress Dowager will surely be furious enough to spit blood." Guan De Zhu lowered his head, filled with admiration for his master.
"As for Li Wei Feng, have someone investigate his background," the Emperor continued to instruct. With the Empress Dowager taking action, the Loyalty Prince's Residence could not move for the time being.
"Understood." Guan De Zhu responded and exited the imperial study.
Elder Brother Li heard from Mo Yan, the Princess, that the Loyalty Prince's Residence was seeking a marriage decree from the Emperor and the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager had yet to issue her edict, and before she could act, the Emperor had already expelled her people from the palace. She was currently angry and had no mood to deal with Li Xuelan's affairs, causing the marriage proposal to be delayed.
"But it's only temporary. Once the Empress Dowager calms down, she will definitely grant the marriage," Mo Yan, the Princess said. "You don't need to worry about my elder brother; I previously went to the palace to request him, and he promised me he wouldn't make things difficult for you."
Elder Brother Li was relatively satisfied with Emperor Li Xuan Zong; he was a wise ruler. Since he wouldn't make things difficult for him, he certainly wouldn't interfere with matters concerning the Loyalty Prince's Residence. However, dealing with the Empress Dowager could be more complicated.
"It seems we need to resolve this issue at its root," Elder Brother Li stated.
"What root?" Yue Yunfei asked curiously.
"Fool," Mo Yan, the Princess, tapped Yue Yunfei on the head. "Li Xuelan is the root of it all."
Geng Shi'an asked with a strange expression, "You don't mean you want to kill Li Xuelan, do you?"
Elder Brother Li gave him a dismissive look. "Am I someone who kills innocents?"
Yue Fei replied nonchalantly, "Li Xuelan is hardly innocent."
Li Xuelan was not innocent at all; over thirty lives had been lost because of her. However, Elder Brother Li came from a society governed by law. Although he had killed many on the battlefield, Li Xuelan was not an enemy combatant, and he believed he could not arbitrarily take her life. But he could punish Li Xuelan to collect some interest for the Song Family and Liu Guanwun, ensuring she would no longer cause him trouble.
Elder Brother Li smiled and said, "Good and evil will eventually be rewarded; the way of Reincarnation is just. If you don't believe it, look up and see who has escaped. What Li Xuelan has done will naturally attract punishment from the Lord."
"What do you mean?" the other three asked in confusion.
Elder Brother Li smiled but did not explain further.
After the four finished their meal, Elder Brother Li managed to escape the other three's entanglements and returned to his room. After sitting for a while to digest, he drank a cup of tea, sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and began to chant softly:
"With every movement of my hand, I must have direction in all four cardinal points. When initiating an action that cannot be controlled by oneself, one must carefully perceive it, moving with others, bending with the flow, neither losing nor forcing. Do not stretch or contract on your own. Where there is strength in others, I too have strength; my strength comes first. Where there is weakness in others, I too may be weak; yet my intent remains paramount. One must always be vigilant. Wherever I am touched, my heart must focus there; I must seek understanding without losing or forcing. Remember that stillness brings about stillness; one must be as still as a mountain. What is strong remains strong; Gentle Breeze caresses the hills. In movement, there is no lack of movement; movement should flow like a river; what is horizontal remains horizontal; the bright moon shines over the great river..."
Indeed, no one was mistaken; Elder Brother Li was practicing the Nine Yang Divine Skill. The inner power cultivation method of the Nine Yang Divine Skill was something his former fiancée had forced him to memorize during their playful moments. The method was thoroughly detailed online, even explaining the true meaning of "Nine Yang": "Nine Yang" originates from the eight trigrams and follows the principles of the I Ching—Nine Yang unfolds solely through the virtue of Nine Five: Yuan, Heng, Li, Zhen; when Nine is high, it signifies a dragon's regret... Although Elder Brother Li could recite the scriptures of the Nine Yang Divine Skill by heart, he thought it was useless. After all, it was a fictional martial art created in novels that could not possibly be practiced in modern society. However, he found it amusing that a martial art deemed impossible to practice in modern society could actually be cultivated in this Ancient Society!
When Elder Brother Li had just been conscripted and left Aoyama Village, he had worked hard to hone his skills to survive successfully. He trained tirelessly until he felt utterly exhausted each day. At night, unable to sleep due to fatigue, he recalled the Nine Yang Divine Skill's method and decided to give it a try—astonishingly, he found he could cultivate it! Thus began his relentless practice; now he had developed profound inner power and remarkable skills. However, Brother Li kept his abilities hidden so that others remained unaware of his depth.
As his inner power circulated through his meridians and completed a full cycle returning to his dantian... After completing nine full cycles, Elder Brother Li opened his eyes, stood up stretching lazily with a refreshing sensation coursing through him. Cultivating Inner Power was like having an external boost; even without sleep, he felt remarkably energized.
"It’s time to get to work." Without alerting anyone, Elder Brother Li stealthily left the military camp. In this world where martial prowess was low and lightness skills did not exist at all, Elder Brother Li easily slipped out of the camp and infiltrated Loyalty Prince's Residence.
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