I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Yangxin Hall.

The lights were bright.

Emperor Hongwu slowly came to his senses and opened his eyes to see the White-Bearded Imperial Physician.

“Your Majesty has awakened!”

The old physician’s voice carried a sense of relief, for if he had indeed treated Emperor Hongwu to death, his whole family would likely have faced execution.

Emperor Hongwu asked softly, “How long did I lose consciousness?”

“Two hours!”

Eunuch Yuan murmured, “This servant has informed Lord Yang and Commander Chen; the Inner Palace is still unaware.”

Emperor Hongwu nodded with satisfaction, as this was part of an early contingency plan, and he felt an even deeper trust for Eunuch Yuan, then gave instructions.

After speaking, he turned his head to the old physician, “How much longer do I have?”

The old physician dropped to his knees with a thump, instinctively saying, “Long live Your Majesty, long live, long long live!”

Emperor Hongwu said, “I want to hear the truth!”

The old physician hesitated for a long time, wanting to say that was indeed the truth, but feared committing the crime of deceiving the emperor. Eventually gathering his courage, he said, “Most likely, you won’t make it past this autumn.”

Autumn governed execution and the withering of all things.

At this moment.

There came the sound of two kneeling figures, none other than the current Grand Secretary Yang Si and the head of the intelligence agency Commander Chen Shen.

“Both of you, rise.”

Emperor Hongwu gestured for the physician, maids, and inner servants to leave, leaving only the four of them in the hall, “My time is running short. When the new sovereign ascends the throne, he will need both of you to support him from the inside and out.”

A flicker of emotion passed through Yang Si’s eyes as he listened quietly.

Chen Shen said mournfully, “Long live Your Majesty…”

The intelligence agency, responsible for surveilling officials and the Wulin, was always headed by the emperor’s trusted aides. Once the new sovereign solidified his position, the head of this agency was certain to be replaced.

“I have listened to ‘Long live the Emperor’ all my life, yet I won’t even live to see eighty; the phrase has started to sound rather grating,” Emperor Hongwu said slowly.

“Yang Aiqing, do you know why you were promoted to Grand Secretary two years ago?” Emperor Hongwu asked.

Yang Si looked at his elderly ruler whose eyes were still deep and bright, and suddenly, a flash of insight struck him, he answered, “This subject once served as a tutor in the Eastern Palace and later taught the Crown Prince’s son, your grandson, to read!”

The Crown Prince’s son!

Both Eunuch Yuan and Chen Shen were shocked and paled, never expecting Emperor Hongwu to consider passing the throne to his grandson.

After Prince Wei was granted a fief, there was no lack of princes in the palace. None had titles yet, and it would have been entirely possible to choose one and establish him as the heir.

“I had considered passing the throne to the sixth or seventh sons. After observing their disposition in secret, perhaps because they were born and raised in the deep palace and pampered by women, they are too spoiled to shoulder the great responsibility,” Emperor Hongwu said.

“Instead, the Crown Prince’s son, who spent a few years at the Northern Border, seems quite hale and hearty and seems to understand the hardships of the common folk,” Emperor Hongwu continued.

Suppressing the joy in his heart, Yang Si bowed deeply and said, “Your subject shall devote his utmost efforts to assist the Crown Prince’s son!”

Chen Shen and Eunuch Yuan both knelt to accept the command, as they, one from the inside and one from the outside, were to be the eyes and the blade of the new sovereign.

Emperor Hongwu nodded, “In a few days, I will name an heir. Yang Aiqing, make the necessary preparations early on.”

“As you command.”

Yang Si’s thoughts raced, considering which of the former Crown Prince’s allies could potentially be won over to support the grandson.

The emperor did not possess true authority simply by sitting on the throne; he must unite the majority of the officials, or else his commands would not reach beyond the capital. Of course, Emperor Hongwu, the monarch who revitalized the dynasty, would leave a succession edict that would influence most officials.

After a long silence, Emperor Hongwu suddenly said.

“Mister Wei, I need you to do something for me.”

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the hall, dressed in the plain clothing of an inner servant, apparently a low-ranking eunuch without any particular distinction, with an old face and white hair, standing tremblingly before the bed.

Eunuch Yuan hurriedly bowed, “Greetings to the esteemed ancestor.”

Both Yang Si and Chen Shen couldn’t help but look on curiously at this legendary eunuch of the palace, rumored to have reached the pinnacle in martial arts and having saved Emperor Hongwu’s life on numerous occasions.

Eunuch Wei bowed and said, “Your Majesty, please give your instructions.”

Emperor Hongwu said, “I cannot bear to see the Empress suffer in the Cold Palace after decades of our marital affection. The Imperial Mausoleum is already prepared. Let the Empress go first, and I shall follow soon after.”

“By your command.”

Eunuch Wei bowed and agreed, his form disappearing like a specter.

Yang Si’s brows furrowed slightly, hazarding a guess, his expression abruptly turned to one of shock.

Emperor Hongwu sighed, murmuring,

“How will the history books judge me, as a son recognizing the Wolf King as his foster father? Imprisoning and killing my biological father? Or causing the deaths of my son and wife…”

…

Cold Palace.

The night wind rustled.

Zhou Yi woke up startled from a deep sleep—he heard the sound of footsteps.

Although they were subtler than the wind, his ears, enhanced by the Breath Listening Technique, easily distinguished them.

During the transfer of imperial power, any stranger had to be guarded against. Without bothering to dress, Zhou Yi burst through the window and hastened towards Empress Xia’s room in just a few strides.

Bathed in moonlight, a frail shadow emerged from the room.

“Who?”

Zhou Yi’s face was etched with terror, not startled by the newcomer’s strange appearance, but because he could no longer hear Empress Xia’s breathing.

Eunuch Wei gave Zhou Yi a glance, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, as he prepared to soar off into the night.

“An assassin!”

Zhou Yi circulated his True Qi, his roar extending for miles. His body rapidly expanded to a twelve-foot stature, and with a surge of brute force, his speed was on par with Eunuch Wei’s Qinggong.

“Eh?”

Eunuch Wei’s eyebrows raised, and he turned to counter Zhou Yi with a palm strike.

Thud!

It sounded like a drum, like thunder.

Zhou Yi was sent flying backward, smashing through two walls, feeling a cold, icy essence of foreign True Qi wreaking havoc and eroding his meridians from within.

There wasn’t much of the foreign True Qi, but it was extremely tough and obstinate, requiring Zhou Yi’s True Qi to be hundreds of times more powerful to suppress it.

Eunuch Wei fared no better, as he too was sent flying tens of meters back. Upon landing, he utilized his Qinggong and vanished into the moonlit night.

Zhou Yi suppressed the foreign True Qi, not concerned with chasing the assassin. His twelve-foot Golden Body brutally broke through the door, only to find Empress Xia, lifeless.

“Damn it!”

“You should have foreseen this,”

Old Deer’s voice came from behind: “Even you didn’t believe the Empress had gone mad, much less the Emperor!”

Zhou Yi dispersed his Golden Body, returning to normal size, stark naked as his clothes had disintegrated during the use of his Cultivation Technique: “What if Her Majesty really had gone mad?”

Old Deer replied: “Then it would’ve been easier for her, spared from suffering.”

Zhou Yi said in a heavy voice: “Is this what decades of marital love come down to?”

“Little Yi, those couples who stay together to the end mostly have no better choice…”

Old Deer tossed him a set of clothes: “People are coming. You can’t be seen like this, or you might be charged with gross disrespect!”

The approaching footsteps were somewhat late; leading the group was the palace overseer, Eunuch Cui.

Upon seeing the breathless Empress Xia, Eunuch Cui wailed as if his own mother had died. He soon sent a message to Yangxin Hall, well-practiced in arranging for what came after.

Zhou Yi watched Eunuch Cui coldly; this man was supposedly a close confidant of Empress Xia!

To have performed servile tasks for six months, only to end up with nothing, was no small blow for Zhou Yi.

Eunuch Cui felt a chill down his spine. He glanced at the Cold Palace, which resembled an overthrown earth dragon, especially since it coincided with the Empress’s recent death. Without daring to show a smile, he used a face uglier than crying to say,

“Eunuch Zhou, you can rest now; I will take care of things here.”

Zhou Yi, his face dark, returned to his dwelling, using the True Qi from his dantian to erode the foreign True Qi.

Old Deer sauntered back, found a cotton blanket, and draped it over the broken window. Fearing the night’s cold and damp, he wanted to live a few more years.

Zhou Yi asked: “Old Deer, Her Majesty’s plans had succeeded, so how did the Emperor suddenly discover them?”

“It’s not certain he just found out. Perhaps Her Majesty’s plans were in line with the Emperor’s own intentions,”

Old Deer pondered for a moment before adding,

“Or the Emperor inferred from the results; evidence is unnecessary when suspicion falls on those who benefit…”

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