I Have A Qi Fortune Altar-Chapter 691 - 445 True Core! True Core!_3

"This humble official Chen Yuan, pays respects to Your Majesty."

Jingtai lifted his head and revealed a trace of a smile as he spoke:

"Ah, it’s my valiant Earl Wuwei who has come."

Chen Yuan, with his head lowered, smiled.

"All right, rise. There’s no need to be so formal here," Jingtai commanded.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Chen Yuan raised his head and spoke softly.

In the Imperial Study Room, including Chen Yuan, there were three people. The other person was Cao Zhengxian who, in Chen Yuan’s impression, was a Supervisor in the Imperial Factory and could be said to be inseparable from Jingtai’s side, serving him closely.

The favor he received far surpassed that of others.

"Come... take a look and see what you think of my painting," Jingtai said with a faint smile, glancing at Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan complied and slowly walked forward, his eyes widening in shock. On the paper in front of Jingtai was none other than a painting of the extraordinary vision of the Seven Stars in a Row!

A jolt went through his heart, and he couldn’t help but speculate deeper. Could it be that Jingtai was also connected to the previous Seven Stars in a Row?

Or was this just a coincidence?

"How is it?"

"Your Majesty’s painting is certainly beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Jingtai smiled: "This is something I felt inspired to depict today after observing the Seven Stars in a Row a few days ago. Speaking of this matter, did you see this extraordinary vision a few days ago?"

"This humble official spends most days after returning home in cultivation and indeed missed such a beautiful scene."

"Then this painting is a gift to you."

"Thank you for bestowing me with this painting, Your Majesty. From now on, it shall be the Chen Family’s heirloom." Chen Yuan chuckled in agreement.

"Do you know why I summoned you here today?" Jingtai’s expression turned serious as he suddenly asked.

"This humble official does not know."

He was not a god, able to divine the workings of fate – how could he possibly know why this tricky old boy had summoned him?

Jingtai slowly sat down and took a light sip of the Spiritual Tea in his hand, not beating around the bush as he directly said: fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"I have summoned you to the palace for three matters."

"This humble official is listening attentively."

"Firstly, it is to encourage you. On the day you broke through the Sumeru Illusion Realm, you restored the court’s dignity. My original intention was to reward you generously, but other matters within the palace prevented me from doing so."

"Do you feel dissatisfied?"

"This humble official dares not. Being granted an earldom by Your Majesty is a great kindness; how could I harbor any dissatisfaction towards Your Majesty?"

"Don’t be nervous. There’s no need to be so formal before me. I told you before the trial that whether you could become a minister of the arm, my most valuable advisor, depended entirely on whether you could break through the Sumeru Illusion Realm,

Since you have succeeded, you are naturally my minister of the arm, a pillar of the court."

"You possess talent that is rare to see once in a hundred years, a promising seedling. Naturally, I will make great use of you in the future."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty."

Chen Yuan timely displayed a hint of pleasantly surprised gratitude.

This satisfied Jingtai greatly:

"The day you killed Ito Ikeda, you were noted by those Japanese wretches, and fearing they would later seek revenge against you, I already ordered a Tribute from the Royal Family to severely wound him. With me here, no matter what you do, the court will shoulder it for you."

Of course, this was to bestow favor upon Chen Yuan. Since it had already been done, it was pointless to keep it hidden; better to use it to ensure Chen Yuan remained even more loyal to the court and the Royal Family.

Certainly, this matter truly was beyond some of Chen Yuan’s expectations, as he had genuinely not heard about it and had been quite careful all along.

Even when leaving the city, he was extremely cautious, fearing that a master might ambush him.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your servant shall repay your grand kindness with my life."

"The second matter is that the preparation for the ancestral rites in the Grand Hall is about to begin, and you must start your preparations as well. At that time, several leaders in the Imperial City will also be needed to guard the periphery."

"Your servant has already been preparing for this matter for some time now, rest assured, Your Majesty."

This wasn’t a lie; he had been preparing for this ancestral rite in the Grand Hall for quite a while now, only his purpose... was somewhat different from what Jingtai had in mind.

"Then that’s good; I have great confidence in your ability to manage affairs."

"Thank you for your generous affection, Your Majesty."

"Because of this, there’s another matter I want to entrust to you," as Jingtai spoke of this matter, his previously joyful countenance turned grave.

Chen Yuan couldn’t help but sigh internally; the saying ’serving the emperor is like being with a tiger’ was indeed true.

Jingtai’s change of expression was rapid – he almost didn’t catch it in time.

A moment later, he promptly said, "Your Majesty has but to command, and this humble official shall spare no effort."

Jingtai’s fingers tapped on the tabletop, pondering for a moment before saying:

"Yesterday, an incident occurred in the Harem; the Concubine accidentally drowned. However, I don’t think it’s that simple. I heard that when you were in Qingzhou, you made a name for yourself by investigating cases. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to entrust this matter to you. Don’t disappoint me."

Chen Yuan felt a sense of foreboding. It really was as Tao Qingyuan had mentioned; a mysterious death in the Harem was not good news at all. However... for him, this could be an opportunity to conduct a thorough search within the Harem.

He needn’t seek the help of that good sister-in-law of his anymore.

As for why Jingtai chose him, Chen Yuan wasn’t sure – maybe it was as he said, or maybe there was another agenda.

After all, if it was indeed about investigating a case, the Ministry of Justice was the right place to turn to.

What’s really going on is not yet clear. Many powerful figures within the Imperial Palace were adept at shielding their thoughts; none would dare to let their spirits wander into the Harem to spy.

"This humble official will obey the decree."

"Also... keep this investigation quiet. You hold my token to conduct the inquiry, and when the results are out, it’s best not to let outsiders know too much."

Jingtai said in a deep tone.

Chen Yuan narrowed his eyes, his spirit radiating even more.

Could it be... Jingtai himself knew something?

Or perhaps, this Concubine’s death was somewhat... dishonorable.

"This humble official shall obey, I shall be utterly discreet," his heart pondered much, yet his expression did not reveal anything, his demeanor extremely respectful.

"I summoned you here for these three matters, now... you may withdraw," Jingtai commanded in a serious voice.

Chen Yuan took the token and bowed respectfully:

"This humble official takes his leave."

After saying so, he turned to leave, but just as he reached the doorway, Jingtai narrowed his eyes, releasing the teacup he held; it plummeted to the floor with a ’bang.’

And Chen Yuan instinctively looked back over his shoulder.

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