I have Immortality In The Cultivation World-Chapter 619 - 457 Borrowing a Knife to Kill
Chapter 619: Chapter 457 Borrowing a Knife to Kill
Zhou Yi gave Zhou Ping’an a glance and retorted,
“You whelp, fancy yourself as Emperor?”
“Father, who in the world does not covet the great throne?”
Zhou Ping’an, holding the position of a secretary in the imperial ministries and approaching his forties, had long since reached the realm of being well-versed and strategic, yet he dared not hide anything or be insincere in front of Zhou Yi.
This was an old monster who had lived through five dynasties!
Zhou Yi said somberly, “That unsightly place in the Imperial Palace, being an emperor is far less comfortable than being an official.”
...
Zhou Ping’an kept silent, fully understanding the logic.
Before the Tang family was exterminated, the elders in the clan often said that no matter the Emperor’s surname, the Tang family could always hold official positions.
“However, you are not entirely without opportunity,” Zhou Yi added.
With a change of tone, Zhou Yi continued, “Our family is on excellent terms with Eunuch Yuan, if we could replace the Crown Prince once, naturally we can do it a second time!”
After Eunuch Wei died, only Eunuch Yuan, a Grandmaster, remained in the palace, easily manipulating the succession of the throne.
Excitement flashed in Zhou Ping’an’s eyes as he bowed repeatedly and said, “I implore Father to make your move. Your son wishes to support the Zhou bloodline, to govern the world.”
“The Zhou family…”
Zhou Yi shook his head slightly, long considering the Zhou clan extinct, void of any sentimental attachment, “I ask you, how did the Empress Dowager suddenly die?”
Of course, it was the Emperor who had her killed!
Zhou Ping’an did not directly answer, suspecting that his adoptive father’s question was not so simple. After pondering carefully, he said,
“Could it be that His Majesty killed her to conceal his lineage?”
With the help of the Gu brothers, Emperor Taichang acknowledged his birth mother, and soon afterward, the Empress Dowager died suddenly.
Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Since the Great Ancestor, the Bureau of Imperial Attendants had produced dozens of Grandmasters, among them regents. With their wisdom, would they not go as far as to change the heir to the throne?”
After a long silence, Zhou Ping’an vaguely understood, “The Imperial Clan cares not about lineage, just as long as His Majesty bears the surname Zhao?”
“It’s not just that,” said Zhou Yi.
Zhou Yi continued, “Even if a successor of the Zhou family were to ascend the throne, when one day he learns of his own origins, tell me whether he would choose to acknowledge his kin or exterminate the Zhou family?”
The Zhao Imperial Family’s lineage has been entrenched for hundreds of years and has deeply rooted itself in people’s hearts. Moreover, the Imperial Clan holds considerable power in both the Imperial Court and the military.
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Putting himself in their shoes, Zhou Ping’an would inevitably choose the latter.
“Thank you, Father, for your guidance. Your son’s foolish thoughts nearly brought disaster upon our family,” he said.
“But there is not without means,” Zhou Yi’s tone shifted again, saying, “The late Emperor’s land reform failed, provoking retaliation that harmed the commoners. During the subsequent Heavenly Sequence years, there were also the Nine Regular Attendants who brought disaster.”
“Had it not been for Chancellor Tang strenuously maintaining order, there would have been local heroes rising up to revolt by now. With Chancellor Tang imprisoned, the Imperial Court has returned to the brink of collapse, needing but a slight push from external forces to crumble!”
Zhou Ping’an said, “His Majesty only needs to follow the old policies of Chancellor Tang…”
Emperor Taichang had ascended the throne right after birth, and in the following decade, Chancellor Tang introduced many new policies, and Daqing saw signs of a revival.
Zhou Yi said, “His Majesty dares not use Chancellor Tang’s people, and even if he follows the old policies, implementing them with different officials will turn good governance into misrule.”
“I understand now,” said Zhou Ping’an.
Zhou Ping’an certainly grasped the principle that without the person, policies cease. However, he needed to seize the opportunity to receive his father’s teachings to foster closer father-son relations, so he respectfully inquired, “May I know how we can borrow external forces?”
Zhou Yi asked, “Do you know how the Empress fares within the palace?”
Zhou Ping’an replied, “Your son is acquainted with the palace eunuchs and has heard some news; she is essentially living a life worse than death.”
Zhou Yi expected this and knew that only Tang Mingyuan was deluding himself to believe that Emperor Taichang would treat his daughter well. He took a Bronze Token out from his robes.
“This is a secret decree of our family. Having previously revealed my presence, it should still have some influence within the Bureau of Imperial Attendants,” he said.
Suppressing his elation, Zhou Ping’an bowed deeply and accepted it, “Thank you for your generous gift, Father.”
During the recent battle at Xiao Xiang Pavilion, Zhou Yi had killed Luo Shuo, the Knife God, in a single breath, sending shockwaves across the world. How could the old guards in the Bureau of Imperial Attendants dare to have second thoughts?
Zhou Yi said, “Since the Empress is in such pain, it’s better to free her from her misery sooner rather than later, remember to do it cleanly.”
“Your son understands,” Zhou Ping’an replied.
Zhou Ping’an knew what ‘cleanly’ meant — the death had to be substantiated with reasoning.
Nowadays, the Empress is despised by Emperor Taichang but occupies Kunning Palace. There is no shortage of jealous consorts in the Inner Palace.
Seeking a few eunuchs to sow discord and collaborate, they arranged for the Empress to catch a chill from the breeze or lose her footing and fall into the water, with the murderous concubine unaware that she was merely the knife in the hands of the killer.
Zhou Yi said, “Then inform Chancellor Tang of this matter, and wait for Emperor Taichang to pass away. Seize the opportunity to push a new sovereign to ascend to the throne.”
Zhou Ping’an expressed his doubts, “Chancellor Tang has been imprisoned for two years, his former subordinates have been transferred away from the core of power. Could he really commit regicide once more?”
“Heh heh heh…”
Zhou Yi let out a few strange laughs without further explanation.
Tang Mingyuan clearly possessed extraordinary talent, and yet, his nature was too naive. His actions lacked ruthlessness, and he would, at times, show weakness and shrink back.
Didn’t he know that throughout history, those revered as wise and saintly rulers were all ruthless in their killings!
…
The Imperial Palace.
In the northwest corner.
A cold pond half an acre in size, with several small pavilions built over it.
Eunuch Yuan sat cross-legged, circulating his cultivation technique, drawing strands of Yin Sha cold air from the pond water and refining it into Innate True Qi.
Suddenly, a gust of wind came from behind.
“Who?”
Eunuch Yuan’s eyes snapped open swiftly; his shoulders seemed boneless as his left arm bent backward, and his withered palm struck out into the void.
“What a palm technique!”
A clear and bright voice of admiration sounded, extending a hand white as jade, unleashing a torrent of True Qi that surged forward violently.
The pavilions shattered with a thunderous crash, and the pond water shot up dozens of feet.
Eunuch Yuan leaped into the air, crossing ten-plus meters in void traversal, landing atop another pavilion roof, and lifted his cloudy eyes to look over.
A young man, around twenty years old, clad in grayish-blue attire—the most basic clothing of a minor eunuch in the palace—stood in mid-air with a smile brimming in his eyes.
Three to four feet above the water surface, his sash fluttered as if he were a celestial being.
Eunuch Yuan looked at the familiar yet strange face that gradually overlapped with the image deep in his memory, muttering.
“Little Yi…”
“Long time no see.”
Zhou Yi said with a smile as he greeted with a cupped fist, “I’ve been busy with various matters since leaving seclusion, and have only now found the time. Thank you, Eunuch Yuan, for your help!”
Eunuch Yuan scrutinized Zhou Yi carefully, resembling the youth from over thirty years ago by seventy to eighty percent. Back then, Zhou Yi was only about ten years old; as an adult, he must have settled into this appearance.
He couldn’t help but lower his gaze towards the pond, seeing his own reflection aged and with white hair, thinking how he appeared almost like Zhou Yi’s grandfather.
“Do you, Supervisor Zhou, feel so confident as to reveal your true face to the world now?”
There was much mockery in his words, yet they also contained an unavoidable envy.
“The world envies our family’s everlasting immortality.”
Zhou Yi sighed and said, “But little do they know that for every effect in the world, there is a cause, and gains are always balanced with losses!”
Ever since his comprehension had inexplicably soared, Zhou Yi had come to a realization; perhaps there indeed existed gods, Buddhas, and demons, secretly observing from the darkness.
“If Supervisor Zhou has no urgent matter, please do not disturb my meditation.”
Eunuch Yuan responded with a cold voice, feeling that Supervisor Zhou was merely showing off. Even if everlasting immortality were poisonous, he would not hesitate to drink it.
Zhou Yi said, “In a few days, when the emperor passes away, I hope Eunuch Yuan can assist the Zhou family in one or two matters.”
“With your unmatched power, are you still concerned with the mundane pursuit of power?”
Eunuch Yuan was not concerned with Emperor Taichang’s life or death; having personally committed regicide years ago, he had long lost reverence for royal authority.
Zhou Yi explained, “I need the assistance of the Imperial Court to search for several individuals.”
Eunuch Yuan asked curiously, “Who?”
“The Grandmasters who survived the battle in the capital!”
Zhou Yi did not hide the truth, but neither did he reveal it entirely.
While cultivating the martial arts, if one had a realization, but yin and yang were incomplete, it would be difficult to break through to higher realms.
Thus, seeking revenge was merely incidental; Zhou Yi’s true goal was to take the secret technique of Yin Yang reversal from Eunuch Hai and regain his manhood.
