This is the martial arts world, what are you cultivators interfering in?

Chapter 30 The Master of Qingci

"So fast?"

Inside the Secret Service, Zhao Tanyue received the list and was utterly shocked.

Since the incident with the secret letter from the Lin family, she has been on edge and anxious, but she has been running around like a headless fly, knowing full well how deep the water is and how complicated the situation is.

But all of this was easily resolved in front of Li Lan.

She looked down, opened the list, glanced at it, and felt a chill run down her spine.

There are actually two top-tier masters hidden in the shadows, in addition to seven first-tier masters and more than a dozen near-first-tier masters.

Who on earth could have such a grand scheme? To mobilize so many martial arts masters and have them secretly infiltrate the prison without anyone noticing?

Incredible!

"Their goal was to assassinate the emperor."

Li Lan took a sip of tea and continued:

"The list may not be accurate, but it's probably not too far off."

"What does Lord Zhao intend to do next?"

Zhao Tanyue said, "I will gather a group of trusted experts to kill them all! Now that we are in the shadows, we have become the hunters. Even though there are many experts among them, dealing with them won't be too difficult..."

But before she could finish speaking, she saw Li Lan smile and shake his head.

"Does Young Master Li have any insightful suggestions?"

She asked a question.

Li Lan said, "Please think carefully, my lord. How many people in the court are capable of doing this?"

Zhao Tanyue remained silent upon hearing this, and after a long silence, she only let out a soft sigh.

She is a smart woman; how could she not understand things at this point?

"Lord Zhao is trusted by the royal family, as everyone knows, but he is ultimately surnamed Zhao and does not trust the Li family."

Li Lan calmly said, "Killing these experts now will naturally thwart his plot, but he himself will remain unharmed. Lord Zhao, without solid evidence, will His Majesty believe you and kill his son?"

"But if this person doesn't die, the future troubles will be endless!"

Zhao Tanyue hesitated, "Her Majesty the Empress should believe me... but His Majesty..."

The Emperor trusts no one.

She knew all too well that this Emperor Xianxian, now known to the world as a tyrant, was so obsessed with the idea of ​​immortality and neglected state affairs, yet he was still able to control the court and make the civil and military officials tremble with fear... because he was, after all, a tyrannical and suspicious ruler.

Even if His Majesty knew what he had done, he might not necessarily kill him...

Zhao Tanyue said helplessly, "He is engaged to Shangguan Xiaoxiao of the Taiyi Sect. Shangguan Xiaoxiao is a celestial being of the Taiyi Sect... Given His Majesty's obsession with the celestial path, he will not give up as long as there is a glimmer of hope. The celestial being marriage is his talisman."

Li Lanyi fell silent. Perhaps for the current Emperor Xianxian, as long as he could embark on the path of immortality and cultivation, he would even be willing to give up the entire empire...

For someone like Emperor Xianxian, the most luxurious wealth and power in the world had long become a daily routine he was tired of. After standing at the pinnacle of power for too long, he found no pleasure in eating dragon liver and phoenix gall, nor in having beautiful concubines. Becoming an immortal became a nightmare-like desire!

"Therefore, unless His Majesty is truly angry."

Li Lan said calmly, "The only things that can anger His Majesty are those related to immortals. If these people successfully reach the Qingtian Ceremony and cause some impact on it, then His Majesty... might really kill them."

"He would kill even his own son."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tanyue's expression changed, and she said, "You mean, let them go to the Qingtian Grand Ceremony!?"

Li Lan nodded solemnly: "Yes."

"Let them go to the Qingtian Ceremony and arrest them in front of the Emperor. That way, we'll have a better chance of eliminating them completely."

Zhao Tanyue said, "But in that case, it would be much more dangerous."

Li Lan thought for a moment, "I've heard that the Secret Service has a special poison used to deal with martial arts masters. After the poison is administered, if one mobilizes their internal energy, the poison will take effect, causing them to almost lose all their martial arts skills?"

Zhao Tanyue's eyes lit up. "Indeed, there is. This medicine is called Nine Medicines Breaking Yuan Powder. It is a poison that His Majesty accidentally created when he was refining immortal medicine. However, the quantity of this medicine is extremely small... but it should be enough to deal with these people!"

……

The Imperial Palace, the Hall of Welcoming Immortals.

The Empress, dignified and graceful, entered the palace slowly.

"Has the Empress already composed a petition for me?"

Emperor Xianxian stood up, looking quite expectant.

Empress Xianyi of Dali was named Zhen Shu. Originally, she was just a talented woman in the palace, but she was quite talented and good at writing poems, which is why she has reached this position.

"Your Majesty, please take a look at this petition."

Empress Xianyi smiled slightly and handed over a memorial, which Emperor Xianxian immediately accepted and read carefully.

The more he read, the more delighted he became, nodding repeatedly. Even after finishing the memorial, he couldn't help but read it again and again. He closed the memorial with great joy and exclaimed, "Excellent! Excellent! As expected of the Empress, she has won my heart! She has won my heart!"

"For such a grand ceremony as the Qing Tian Grand Ceremony, only the Empress's poem can be presented to the immortals!"

He burst into laughter, and his previously pale and listless expression regained some color, showing great joy!

The most important part of the Qingtian Grand Ceremony was this Qingci (a type of Buddhist prayer), but unfortunately, during this period, the Qingci written by many scholars and literati were either too narrow in scope, lacked thorough consideration, or were insufficient in talent... The general principle was that none of them could be used.

The Empress's article, however, is grand and magnificent, a rare find in literary style, and is perfectly suited for use!

"However, Your Majesty, this article is quite different from your usual writing style."

Emperor Xianxian smiled slightly.

Empress Xianyi smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise, because this article was not written by me."

Emperor Xianxian was surprised and asked, "Then who made this?"

Empress Xianyi said, "This article was found by Tan Yue. According to her, the author is Li Lan, the son-in-law of the General of the State and the husband of Lin Ruoxue, a martial arts prodigy."

Li Lan!

A glint flashed in Emperor Xianxian's eyes: "That Li Lan, who wrote 'Spring River Flower Moon Night' and was also involved in the examination cheating case?"

Empress Xianyi nodded. "Judging from 'Spring River Flower Moon Night' and this poem, Li Lan is a man of extraordinary talent. I'm afraid there's more to the story behind the cheating scandal in the examination hall."

Emperor Xianxian was in a very good mood after receiving this wonderful article, and he was also somewhat relaxed, so he smiled and said, "Li Lan would never have cheated. I already knew that."

"Who is Lin Zheng? He is extremely cautious and timid. He forced his daughter to quit martial arts because he was afraid that I would exterminate his entire family. How could he tolerate his son-in-law acting like this? Cen Jingchi is so proud that he might not even give me face. How could he leak the exam questions because of Lin Zheng?"

"Then why doesn't Your Majesty release Li Lan?" Empress Xianyi asked in confusion.

"Lin Zheng is quite interested in Li Lan. I originally intended to keep him in prison for a while, but we can release him as a reward after Lin Zheng has quelled the military situation in the Northwest."

"I never expected this person to have such talent... Tell Zhao Tanyue to keep a close eye on Li Lan and make sure no one kills him. If this article truly pleases the immortals during the Qingtian Ceremony, I will reward him handsomely!"

Empress Xianyi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

"By the way, Your Majesty, the cheating scandal in the examination hall may have another mastermind behind it, perhaps targeting the General's Mansion..."

She reminded her softly.

"Let them fight it out!"

Emperor Xianxian laughed and said, "After the grand ceremony of celebrating heaven, I will embark on the path to immortality. This empire will eventually be handed over to them. I do not wish for my successor to be a soft-hearted and weak ruler. The fact that he can make that old fox Lin Zheng suffer so much shows he has some skill, hahaha..."

Empress Xianyi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Isn't Your Majesty afraid that they... intend to do more than just protect the General of the State?"

She was naturally cautious and gentle, and she was already very nervous when she said those words.

Emperor Xianxian shook his head: "No, Li Yue and Li Guan both know that once I embark on the path of immortality, this position will belong to them. With the Qingtian Ceremony imminent, why would they do anything rebellious and only bring themselves infamy and trouble?"

"I need to refine elixirs now. I can't be bothered with these trivial matters. Your Majesty, you should go and rest!"

Empress Xianyi was extremely helpless. The Emperor was so focused on seeking immortality that he no longer cared about anything else. But because he didn't care... even the smartest person can often lose some judgment.

But she had no choice but to leave.

……

Zuiyue Tower.

"Your Majesty, Li Lan has been imprisoned. Should we rescue him?"

Yuzhen looked at Fairy Snow Moon.

Fairy Xueyue said, "We must save them. Take this letter to Jinyang Palace."

Yuzhen nodded and left.

However, Fairy Xueyue sighed, "After the Qingtian Ceremony, the Lin family will surely be executed. Even if we manage to save Li Lan, we don't know if he will still be willing to write poems and essays for the Holy Maiden in the future."

"Enough. Even if Li Lan is talented, how can he compare to Li Guan, who possesses the Dragon's Fortune and has the potential to master the True Dragon Technique? The Holy Maiden will eventually marry him. Saving Li Lan's life has already repaid the debt of gratitude."

She picked up a booklet containing several poems written by Li Lan and softly recited them: "What a beautiful line, 'May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, though separated by a thousand miles'... What a pity."

……

Jinyang Palace.

"A letter from Zuiyuelou,"

Mr. Zhu handed the letter to the Third Prince, Li Guan.

"Oh? Fairy Xueyue is Shangguan Xiaoxiao's protector, and she's always been very aloof. Why would she take the initiative to send a letter?"

Curious, Li Guan opened the letter, but after reading it once, his face darkened.

"She actually wants me to spare Li Lan's life after the Qing Tian Ceremony!"

He clenched his fist, crumpling the letter into a ball in his palm!

Seeing this, Mr. Zhu raised an eyebrow slightly, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Once the General's Mansion is destroyed, Li Lan will be nothing more than a cripple, so he won't really pose any threat..."

"No!"

Li Guan said coldly, "I will absolutely not let him live!"

Shangguan Xiaoxiao was his fiancée, and his fiancée pleading for Li Lan only intensified his murderous intent.

“But it wouldn’t be good to go against Miss Shangguan’s wishes,” Mr. Zhu said.

"Then let's not let Li Lan live past the Qingtian Ceremony!"

Mr. Zhu was slightly startled: "Li Lan is being protected by Zhao Tanyue in prison and is unable to make a move..."

"Let him die at the Qingtian Ceremony. Before we make a move, let my father kill him first!"

Li Guanhan spoke in a cold voice!

……

"This is a Qingyun Fruit,"

At the Zhenguo General's Mansion, Lin Zheng handed a sealed jade box to his wife, Xu Yanrong: "I have to run around for Li Lan's sake these next few days, so I'm entrusting this to you. Keep it safe and don't tell anyone else."

Xu Yanrong nodded, but her face also showed some anxiety. "Can this matter with Li Lan be resolved peacefully? Who exactly is framing us?"

Lin Zheng sighed softly: "Even if we can't clear his name, we can at least save his life."

Xu Yanrong nodded: "Li Lan is our son-in-law after all...you should pay more attention to him."

Having gone through many things during this period, Xu Yanrong has come to accept Li Lan...

After she left with the jade box.

Lin Ruobing came to see Lin Zheng again, and Lin Zheng also took out a jade box and handed it to Lin Ruobing: "Keep this safe and do not tell anyone."

Lin Ruobing nodded, but then asked, "Father, what about Li Lan?"

Lin Zheng looked at his daughter and suddenly noticed a hint of insincere concern in her eyes. He couldn't help but stroke his beard slightly, pretending to be deep in thought: "He's probably going to die this time. Sigh... You've never liked him. Now that he's dead, you can relax a lot."

Upon hearing this, Lin Ruobing felt a slight urgency, but she suppressed it and said, "Father, he can't die!"

Lin Zheng laughed and said, "Oh? You don't want him to die?"

Seeing Lin Zheng smile, Lin Ruobing's pretty face flushed red with anger, and she said, "Father, you're teasing your daughter again!"

She pursed her lips: "Father, you have a way to save him, don't you?"

"Don't worry, Dad will definitely return to you a good son-in-law unharmed."

"I don't want to."

Knowing that Li Lan was likely to survive, Lin Ruobing felt a little relieved and left with the jade box.

But watching her departing figure, Lin Zheng frowned slightly, as if something was amiss.

"General,"

After Lin Ruobing left, Lin Ruoshi also came in.

Lin Zheng handed the third jade box to Tie Poshan and instructed him to keep it safe.

"General, about my brother-in-law..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Zheng couldn't help but find it slightly amusing. When he wanted Li Lan to become his son-in-law, everyone objected and looked down on Li Lan.

Only a few days have passed, but in the blink of an eye, the whole family has become incredibly concerned about Li Lan.

This kid...

Mind your own business!

He was not very polite to Lin Ruoshi, so Lin Ruoshi had no choice but to retreat awkwardly.

"What plan does the general have?"

After everyone had left, Tie Poshan, standing behind Lin Zheng, asked a question softly.

Lin Zheng said calmly, "His Majesty deliberately left Li Lan hanging, just so I could focus my efforts in the Northwest."

"In that case, as long as the general pacifies the northwest, the son-in-law should be able to come out safely."

Lin Zhengdao said, "He may survive, but he may not be able to clear his name."

He sighed deeply, then glanced at his right palm and said, "But if I am severely injured in the battle, or even crippled and unable to wield a sword again... hehe, His Majesty might show some mercy and clear Li Lan's name."

His face was calm yet resolute.

Tie Poshan was greatly surprised and said, "General, you mustn't!"

He understood what Lin Zheng meant...

Lin Zheng planned to mutilate himself to impress Emperor Xianxian and thus clear Li Lan's name and get him released from prison!

If he were crippled, the Emperor would surely be moved, and Lin Zheng would lose his threat, making it logical for the Emperor to let Li Lan go.

However, Lin Zheng was a veteran of the battlefield. For him, how painful it would be to die disabled.

He is using everything he has to give Li Lan a clean and innocent reputation and future!

“Li Lan has done too much for the Lin family. I can’t just stand by and watch him suffer like this. He has no hope in martial arts. If he also gets a bad reputation in literature and ruins his future, he will only have a life of depression to live.”

Lin Zheng smiled and said, "I'm getting old. It's enough for me to pave the way for the children and let them suffer less."

"Besides, I also want to enjoy a peaceful retirement. After becoming disabled, I can stay at home, enjoy flowers, fish, and take care of my grandchildren. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Upon hearing this, Tie Poshan felt heavy-hearted and remained silent... He knew that Lin Zheng spoke lightly, but for a general like him who was born for the battlefield, being idle at home was endless torment!

……