Jiang Yuqing and Jing Yan fought a battle. Although there was no clear winner, the Realm Lord was able to vent his resentment over being mocked and ridiculed by the Spirit Tool earlier.
After making the one-sided decision to cut ties with the Realm Lord for at least an hour, the Spirit Tool ran back to the Spirit Realm.
What was hidden behind the barrier was a not very big mountain cave. Sitting cross-legged inside the cave was a skeleton that had been dead for who knows how many years.
Hanging at its waist was a storage bag. Jiang Yuqing reached out and took it, wiping away the last trace of spiritual awareness on it.
Looking inside, apart from a few low-grade spirit stones and some blank jade tablets, there were only some miscellaneous items, nothing of much value.
Since there was no identity information related to the skeleton that could be found, there was no way to know where it came from or its name. It was only known that this was a low-level cultivator, and it was not known for what reason it had meditated here until death.
Since they had come here, it could also be considered a predestined affinity. The two of them then dug a pit and buried the skeleton, letting it rest in peace in the soil.
Just as Jing Yan hugged up the skeleton, there was a "crack" from the spot where the skeleton had been sitting. The ground suddenly rose up, pushing out a small box.
Jiang Yuqing opened it and looked inside. It turned out to be an extremely exquisite high-end spirit gathering array disc.
Set in the middle of the array disc was a spirit crystal. The familiar spiritual aura remaining on it allowed Jiang Yuqing to determine at a glance that this was the array disc supporting the barrier.
Apart from this array disc, there was nothing else in the box, but Jiang Yuqing felt that the box didn't seem that simple.
Just as she was hesitating, Jiang Yuqing saw Jing Yan bend down to hug the box and turn it to the side. Immediately following was a scalp-numbing "crack crack" sound.
An enormous stone door that had not been there before started to crack open on the cave wall, revealing the pitch-black cavity behind.
Jiang Yuqing set up a protective shield covering herself and Jing Yan, then lit a spirit lamp and sent it flying ahead to light up the way.
This was an ancient tomb of magnificent scale.
After Jing Yan carefully studied the murals on both sides of the tomb passageway and the inscriptions, he determined that this was the mausoleum from over five hundred years ago of a king from a small country on the border lands during the previous dynasty.
At that time, half of the area of Su Prefecture had belonged to this small country.
Jiang Yuqing didn't understand much about these things. As Jing Yan researched, he also explained to her. She somehow felt like she was visiting a museum in her previous life, and was listening with great interest.
The two of them continued forward. They easily evaded the various mechanisms and traps they encountered, and before long, they reached the main burial chamber containing the owner's coffin.
The main burial chamber contained the tomb owner’s intact coffin and accompanying funeral objects, indicating that this place had been well protected over the past few hundred years and had never been visited by grave robbers.
The two found the epitaph in the tomb, but unfortunately no one could read the text on it.
Fortunately, the walls of the burial chamber were also covered with brightly colored murals. The murals not only gave a detailed record of the tomb owner's life, but also recorded the connection between that cultivator and the tomb owner.
It turned out that the cultivator had crossed over from another world by a twist of fate. He was rescued by the king after being seriously injured upon arrival.
Unable to return to his original world, to repay the king’s kindness, the cultivator stayed in this small country and served as the national teacher.
Later events could be roughly inferred.
After the king died, he was buried in this mountain valley, and later when the national teacher’s lifespan approached its end, he also chose this place as his final resting place before entering meditation unto death.
Using the high-end spirit gathering array he had brought from the other world, he set up this barrier to ensure that he and this royal tomb would never be disturbed.
That was how simple it was.
However, Jiang Yuqing had no intention of giving up such a good array disc.
Therefore, after leaving the burial chamber, she left some spirit crystals on the ground as compensation, and reset the barrier. This could also be considered allowing them to rest in peace once more.
Although there were no more dangerous man-eating vines in this mountain valley, after all it was still filled with baleful energy and dangers.
To prevent anyone else from accidentally entering and losing their lives, Jiang Yuqing directly set up a barrier at the entrance of the valley gorge, completely sealing off this place.
At the same time, a thousand miles away in the Capital City,
Emperor Xia Jing asked Li Deshun, "Hasn't the Crown Prince returned yet?"
Li Deshun looked up at the Emperor and carefully replied, "Not yet."
"What day is it already?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, it's the fourth day."
Emperor Xia Jing angrily slammed the memorial on the imperial desk: "It looks like he's having so much fun he's forgotten to think of home."
Li Deshun brewed a cup of tea at just the right temperature and respectfully offered it to Emperor Xia Jing, persuading him, "Your Majesty, there's no need to get angry. It's normal for young people to want to have fun. Besides, His Highness is not without self-restraint."
"Humph. He'd better be so!" Emperor Xia Jing took the tea and sipped it. Seeing the piled up memorials on the imperial desk, his heart was filled with resentment, lamenting it was another day he wanted to abdicate.
On the very day Jing Yan returned, Emperor Xia Jing bluntly told his son that he wanted to abdicate and become the retired Emperor.
Jing Yan responded rather ungraciously, "Jiang Yuqing just gave you a life extending pill. You can live at least another twenty years.
When the time comes, you might be able to directly pass the throne to my son, your grandson. There really is no hurry."
The Emperor was so angry his hands were shaking. "So according to you, your dad should be resigned to working like an ox and horse for you for another twenty years? You unfilial thing!"
Jing Yan actually nodded and said, "Although the facts are so, there's no need to state them in such an offensive manner."
How could someone with such shameless audacity be his son? He had clearly been educated using the strictest methods to raise an heir apparent. Where exactly had things gone wrong?
Emperor Xia Jing felt his lungs were about to explode from rage. He looked everywhere for something to beat this unfilial son to death...
At the same time, he hardened his heart - since kind words were useless, he would just have to do it by force.
So early the next morning at court, Emperor Xia Jing issued an edict before all his officials, abdicating the throne to Crown Prince Jing Yan, and retiring himself as the retired Emperor. He ordered the Imperial Astronomy Bureau to select an auspicious date in the near future to hold the new Emperor's ascension ceremony.
The ministers had long known of the Emperor's intention to abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince, so apart from some initial surprise, they soon accepted it readily afterwards.
Moreover, the Crown Prince was proficient in both literary and military skills, clever and benevolent. He was familiar with all court affairs and knew every little detail.
Although he did not yet have the title of ruler, he had already assisted his father in managing court affairs for many years. His succession this time could be said to be a case of formalizing what was already true.
With the imperial edict, all the ministers in the hall knelt and hailed out long live the Emperor! No matter how unhappy Jing Yan actually was, he could only endure the situation for now, intent on settling accounts with his old father afterwards.
The Imperial Astronomy Bureau soon gave its calculations - "The ninth day of the eleventh month is an auspicious date of great fortune. The ascension ceremony can be held then."
And so the court set the ninth day of the eleventh month for the new Emperor's ascension ceremony.
Once the news spread, the entire Capital City erupted in jubilation.
Duke Jiang's Residence in particular was thriving more than ever.
Given how much the new Emperor doted on his fiancée, as soon as Jiang Yuqing entered the palace, she would definitely become the firmly established and unshakable Empress.
Therefore, all sorts of transcendents, whether familiar or unfamiliar, swarmed Duke Jiang's Residence like bees to honey.
Lu found it extremely annoying, so she found an excuse to escape to the family's hot spring villa, finally gaining some peace and quiet.
Jiang Yuqing didn't have this concern. She went to the hospital when she needed to go to the hospital, and worked when she needed to work.
Due to her formidable reputation, even if others coveted her, they wouldn't dare approach her recklessly. Doing that would be courting death.
During this period, she went to find Wei Lingyun once.
It's been said that after disappearing for many years, this immortal lady finally brought her family with her and returned to the General's Residence.
Seeing her long lost daughter, Wei's mother hugged her and cried so hard she nearly fainted.
After being shaken awake, she grabbed a cane and gave her a good beating, then hugged her daughter and cried some more.
Fortunately in the end, it was a joyous reunion.
The Wei's were good-natured people. They didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction towards Xiao Ming the scholar son-in-law.
On the contrary, because he had saved their daughter and had always treated her with sincerity over so many years, the Wei family was rather fond of him.
With the Wei family's support, the family of five gained a foothold in the capital city.
Wei's mother gave Xiao Ying all of the dowry items she had originally prepared for her daughter. Included were several quite profitable shops.
Worried her daughter wouldn't know how to manage them, she guided her carefully step-by-step.
Xiao Ming was well read, but his family had been poverty-stricken for years, delaying his progress.
Now with no need to worry about livelihood, Wei Lingyun handed over one of the book and painting shops for her husband to manage, allowing him to continue self-studying while handling the chores.
Of course there were still those who said petty things, claiming Xiao Ming was just a kept layabout. But he took it in stride - as long as he could be together with his wife and children, what did a few tart words matter.
When Wei Lingyun found out, she immediately took up her horse whip and went to beat that person once, finally letting out her anger.
Xiao Ming persuaded her: "The mouth grows on someone else's body. If he is willing to talk, let him talk. I won't lose any meat anyway. Moreover, it's obvious that this kind of person is sour grapes."
However, in less than two days, Xiao Ming got into a fight with someone.
The reason was that after the incident of Wei Lingyun holding a whip and whipping people spread, several gossipy people portrayed her as a tigress and a night demon.
As Xiao Ming happened to hear this, he, who loved his wife as his own life, immediately got into a fight with them.
So that by the time Wei Lingyun heard the news and hurried over to see her bruised husband, she was amused and angry at the same time.
And when the Wei family heard about this incident, their fondness for this son-in-law increased even more.
Looking at Wei Lingyun's current life, and then looking at Yuan Wanyang, who was trapped in the luxurious big house. Jiang Yuqing suddenly remembered a sentence he had read in his previous life.
In marriage, people are like drinking water, knowing whether it is warm or cold by themselves.
If you meet someone who treats you with sincerity, even if life is a little more ordinary, those days are still vibrant and warm.
Mrs. Lu had hidden on the farm for half a month before coming back. Now that the storm had passed, everyone could finally calm down.
At the same time, preparations for the new emperor's ascension ceremony were also underway at full steam. Jiang Wenyuan was still worried when he returned home after being busy all day.
Mrs. Lu knew what was on her husband's mind, so she asked, "Did the Retired Emperor talk to you again about the marriage of the two children?"
Jiang Wenyuan nodded and said, "The new emperor will ascend the throne in a few days. The palace cannot remain without a queen for too long.
I'm afraid that after the new year, whether we are willing or not, we will have to marry our darling daughter out." My heart feels so bad!"
Mrs. Lu hugged her husband and gently patted him on the back, "How could I bear to part with them? But both children have grown up. As the saying goes, a boy grows up to marry and a girl grows up to marry into another family.
Especially A Yan. Now that he has become the emperor, I'm afraid there will be no shortage of families setting their sights on him to form marriage alliances.
We can't give up what belongs to our daughter just because we can't bear to be parted from Wan."
Jiang Wenyuan's eyes widened, "Let's see who dares!"
Mrs. Lu said, "Everyone under heaven comes for profit. The world moves for profit. They would calculate half a day for a tiny bit of profit from a fly's head, let alone the position of empress.
Although A Yan has his heart set on our darling Wan, good intentions still cannot withstand the calculations of those with ulterior motives. I'm afraid that after a long time, variables may arise."
Although Jiang Wenyuan also knew that what his wife said made sense, he just felt upset in his heart. He sat on the couch like a child throwing a tantrum, "But I still feel bad."
Mrs. Lu, "......" So much talking for nothing.
