When Xiao Mo's consciousness emerged from the Hundred Generations Book, it was already six o'clock the next morning.
Xiao Mo had spent nearly two months inside the Hundred Generations Book.
Although time in the Hundred Generations Book flowed one hundred times faster than in reality, its protective mechanism allowed Xiao Mo to quickly readjust to the real world's pace.
Furthermore, the life he experienced within the Hundred Generations Book had also restored his physical energy.
What made Xiao Mo frown, however, was that in the Hundred Generations Book, he had clearly been a Sword Cultivator at the Nascent Soul Realm who had mastered the Grass Character Sword Intent.
Yet upon waking, he had forgotten it all. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember a thing.
He had been hoping to cultivate the Grass Character Sword Intent in the real world.
But now, that seemed impossible.
'I'll just have to see what this reward distribution is all about.'
After breakfast, Xiao Mo continued to rest in bed.
Since he hadn't fully recovered from his illness, Xiao Mo was exempt from paying his respects to the Empress Dowager and attending the morning court session.
'It's not like attending morning court is of any use,' Xiao Mo thought. 'The Imperial Court is filled with Yan Shanao's cronies.'
'I'm eighteen years old, yet the Empress Dowager is still ruling from behind the curtain. She's utterly shameless.'
After Wang Can was demoted and banished from the Capital City, no one dared to cross Yan Shanao.
"Wei Xun," Xiao Mo called out.
"Your Majesty." Eunuch Wei hurried to Xiao Mo's side.
"Go fetch me some Daoist scriptures. Then, inform the Prime Minister and the Empress Dowager that during my... absence, the Zhou Kingdom will require their diligent care."
"Your Majesty, you mean to..."
Xiao Mo stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, and began to pace around his bedchamber.
"A body trained to a crane's form, 'neath a thousand pines with scriptures in hand. / I came to ask of the Way, with nothing more to be said, / For the clouds are in the azure sky, and the water is in the bottle."
Xiao Mo stopped pacing and looked at Wei Xun. "From this day forward, I shall pursue Cultivation!"
...
"A body trained to a crane's form, 'neath a thousand pines with scriptures in hand. / I came to ask of the Way, with nothing more to be said, / For the clouds are in the azure sky, and the water is in the bottle."
Yan Shanao recited the verse Xiao Mo had composed and couldn't help but nod. "His Majesty truly possesses great literary talent."
Wei Xun kept his head bowed, not daring to speak.
Just a moment ago, Wei Xun had arrived at Lingxin Palace to relay His Majesty's intentions.
Empress Dowager Yan sat on her high seat, calmly sipping tea as if the matter had nothing to do with her.
Though Empress Dowager Yan was over forty, her beauty hadn't faded in the slightest. She even possessed a mature allure; every movement carried not only the majesty of the Empress Dowager but also a natural charm.
Yan Shanao turned to look at Wei Xun. "Did His Majesty really say that?"
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, yes. His Majesty said he wishes to pursue Cultivation and asks that you and the Empress Dowager take great care with the affairs of the court."
"Since ancient times, Emperors have been influenced by the Mountain and River Fortune. How could they possibly cultivate? Emperors who single-mindedly seek immortality never come to a good end."
Yan Shanao sighed.
"I shall go and persuade His Majesty later. He must pay more attention to the affairs of the state."
Hearing Yan Shanao's words, Wei Xun's brow twitched. 'How can this man be even more shameless than a eunuch like me?' he thought.
'Do you really want His Majesty to care about state affairs?'
'You're probably hoping His Majesty will spend all his days on Cultivation and never ask about matters of the court.'
"However, this poem is indeed quite good. Wei Xun, circulate this poem. Let the court ministers appreciate His Majesty's literary talent."
"Yes, Prime Minister..."
Yan Shanao rose, walked over to Wei Xun, and patted his shoulder. "If anything happens with His Majesty, report it to me immediately. You will be well rewarded. But if you get any funny ideas, you know what the consequences will be."
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister!" Wei Xun fell to his knees at once. "This old servant is completely loyal to you and the Empress Dowager!"
Yan Shanao waved a hand. "Go. Later, a few palace maids will be sent to the palace. You are to bring them to His Majesty."
"Yes, Prime Minister."
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Wei Xun shakily departed from Lingxin Palace.
After Wei Xun had left, Yan Shanao turned and looked at his sister with delight. "Sister, now that His Majesty is focused on seeking immortality, what are your thoughts?"
"A body trained to a crane's form, 'neath a thousand pines with scriptures in hand. / I came to ask of the Way, with nothing more to be said, / For the clouds are in the azure sky, and the water is in the bottle. Heh heh heh..."
Empress Dowager Yan laughed coldly.
"This Emperor of ours has never shown any ambition. He's always been a coward. Otherwise, we never would have chosen to have him adopted into the main line.
When Wang Can went to see him last time, you had him demoted. His Majesty was likely scared out of his wits—why else would he be so frightened as to fall ill?
It seems he has now given up completely."
The Empress Dowager raised her eyes to her younger brother. "Having Wei Xun spread that poem was an excellent move. A few people in the Imperial Court still harbor loyalty toward the Xiao Royal Family. Now that His Majesty is focused on Cultivation, what reason do they have left to resist?"
"Then again, this can be considered Xiao Mo saving his own skin."
A vicious glint flashed in Yan Shanao's eyes.
"He owes his position entirely to us, yet he still dared to meet with Wang Can! If he doesn't learn to behave and stay in his place, heh heh heh... we can always choose a new Emperor!"
The Empress Dowager Yan glanced at her brother. "Less trouble is always better. As for Wang Can, find a way to take care of him. Make it clean. Leave nothing behind that can be used against us, understand? Those Advisors are like dogs; they love to bite."
"I know, Sister." Yan Shanao nodded, sat back down in his seat, and took a sip of wine. "In a poor, remote place like Lingnan, it's all too easy for someone to 'die of an illness'."
The Empress Dowager Yan reclined on a soft couch. Seeing this, a maid hurried forward to gently massage her legs and shoulders. "Speaking of which, what is the situation with the Wanjian Sect?"
"Elder Huang of the Wanjian Sect will arrive in the Imperial City in three months. I have already thoroughly investigated his preferences. We've exchanged letters before, so as long as nothing goes wrong, we'll be able to secure the Wanjian Sect as our backer."
The Empress Dowager Yan nodded. She had confidence in her brother's ability to handle matters.
"If we can get on board with the Wanjian Sect and make them our backer, everything will be much easier to handle. Whatever the Wanjian Sect demands, we will do our best to provide.
Additionally, take Elder Huang to visit our Yan Family estate often. I know the Wanjian Sect is very strict in its selection of disciples.
But if, by some chance, a few of our disciples manage to catch Elder Huang's eye, it would be a huge boon for our Yan Family."
"Hahaha, if one of the younger generation of our Yan Family could become a disciple of the great Jiang Qingyi, then the entire Zhou Kingdom would truly be ours to command! Those old geezers wouldn't dare curse us behind our backs, and at that point, Sister, you might even become the first Empress of the Zhou Kingdom!"
The Empress Dowager Yan gave her brother a cool glance. "Sword Immortal Jiang has never taken a single disciple since she became famous. Stop entertaining such fantasies and just do your job. Furthermore, it's about time to select some women from the Yan Clan to enter the palace. The future Crown Prince must have Yan blood."
Yan Shanao bowed with clasped hands. "Yes, Sister."