Chapter 190

Chapter 190

Cui Xuan picked up the chess piece engraved with the character "advisor", his fingers continuously tracing its surface.

He stood up and looked towards the window, where the peonies in the courtyard had bloomed to their fullest, signaling the arrival of yet another spring.

He turned back, his gaze falling on the chess piece with the character "general". If his "general" was indeed a lady, then he...

Cui Xuan's heart raced fiercely, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the chess piece in his hand. Immediately, he noticed another "advisor" piece still beside the "general," and his brow furrowed.

During this period, Qi Chen had been confined in the palace. To avoid suspicion, Cui Xuan had reduced his visits to the palace, allowing Xie Yiguan to seize the opportunity. The "Great Cloud Sutra" was clearly embellished by Xie Yiguan—

Though unwilling to admit it, Cui Xuan had to acknowledge that Xie Yiguan was slightly better at making stories vivid.

"Master, Su Yu has come again," a servant from the Cui household panted as he rushed in.

After the incident with the Western merchants, they had learned that Su Yu was the emperor. However, since Su Yu referred to herself as Su Yu, they dared not suddenly reveal her identity and could only rush to inform Cui Xuan.

Cui Xuan paused slightly, threw the chess piece in his hand onto the table, and was about to run out.

After taking two steps, he turned back somewhat stiffly, neatly arranged the chess pieces on the table, carefully adjusted his collar in front of the mirror, and then strode out.

The servant sighed in relief, patting his chest. Seeing Cui Xuan rush out earlier had startled him, thinking Cui Xuan was possessed. Thankfully, the master was still the master he knew.

Cui Xuan hurried to the front hall, pausing briefly before entering to straighten his collar once more, then stepped over the threshold.

Su Yu, seated in the main chair, was dressed in a dark, fitted outfit, resembling a young, dashing hero. She sat casually, propping herself up on the table with one hand, her long hair falling over her shoulder and onto the table, exuding a relaxed, carefree air.

Cui Xuan was momentarily stunned. He thought, Su Yu had an extraordinarily beautiful face, yet he had rarely doubted her identity, likely because of her personality—

Which lady would tell an outsider about her hemorrhoids?

Cui Xuan's face flushed involuntarily. When Su Yu turned her gaze toward him, he quickly lowered his head and offered a slight bow: "Your Majesty."

Su Yu smiled and asked, "Xing Jian, have you been drinking? Why is your face so red?"

Cui Xuan pursed his lips and covered, "Perhaps I walked too fast. This isn't the right place for conversation. Let me escort Your Majesty to my study."

Su Yu did not object. It was her first visit to Cui Xuan's study. The chess set she had gifted him was neatly placed on the table, the wooden pieces polished to a glossy finish.

Bookshelves lined both walls, filled with books, not a speck of dust to be seen.

Su Yu turned back to ask Cui Xuan, "It's so clean, may I sit here?"

Cui Xuan cleared his throat lightly, "It is prepared for Your Majesty."

Su Yu asked with a teasing smile, "Should I change into a robe before I sit down?"

Cui Xuan hesitated, as if considering whether to fetch a new robe for Su Yu.

But Su Yu was merely jesting. In the moment Cui Xuan hesitated, she had already sat down boldly.

She lifted her eyelids, casually glancing at the "Great Cloud Sutra" Cui Xuan had placed on the desk, and said nonchalantly, "It's been a while since I played chess with Xing Jian. Sit down and play a game with me."

Cui Xuan sat down solemnly and gestured for Su Yu to make the first move.

Su Yu's chess skills were not refined, and she was checkmated by Cui Xuan in just five moves. She looked up at Cui Xuan.

Without her needing to say a word, Cui Xuan expressionlessly reset the game to the previous move.

After several rounds, Su Yu was still checkmated. Cui Xuan was about to undo the move again when Su Yu's fingers pressed down on the back of his hand.

Cui Xuan's heart raced. He kept his eyes downcast, paused for a moment, and then asked, "Shall we end the game, Your Majesty?"

"Let's stop. I can't win anyway," Su Yu shook her head and laughed. "This is how you differ from Zhi Wei."

Cui Xuan stiffened. Su Yu removed her fingers, stood up, and continued, "Zhi Wei would start going easy on me the first time I took back a move, letting me win outright. But you, Xing Jian, would silently let me take back move after move, then continue to play seriously. You want to teach me how to play chess, don’t you?"

He did want to teach Su Yu how to play chess, but unfortunately, she wasn’t interested in learning.

Cui Xuan clenched his hand slightly and took the opportunity to ask, "Which way of playing does Your Majesty prefer?"

Su Yu slowly walked to the windowsill, enjoying the gentle spring breeze brushing against her face. After a long while, she replied, "Each has its strengths."

Cui Xuan looked over. Every smile and frown of Su Yu seemed etched into his heart, unforgettable even without effort. Yet, every time they met, he would be struck again by her beauty. Her casual glances, her gestures—each was a sight too captivating to fully absorb.

He restrained himself and asked, "What does Your Majesty want from me?"

Su Yu walked back to him, gathered all the chess pieces into a pile, and finally placed the red "general" piece on top.

She sat back down opposite him, propping her chin with one hand, leaning slightly toward him, her eyes and brows exuding confidence as she asked, "Do you know why I chose you, among so many prestigious family heads, to collaborate with from the start?"

Cui Xuan looked at her, and Su Yu laughed freely, "Because I know you, Xing Jian. You’re not one to play by the rules. So, how about breaking those outdated rules with me and creating a brighter future for this world?"

She extended her hand to him.

Cui Xuan thought to himself, Her Majesty knows I can’t refuse.

With a gentle expression, he took Su Yu's hand, momentarily stunned by its softness. He quickly withdrew his hand, stood up, and bowed deeply, "Your servant obeys Your Majesty's will."

After Su Yu left, he pressed his hand tightly over his mouth. After a while, he remembered that it was this very hand that had just held Su Yu's. His ears turned so red they looked like they might bleed.

After returning to the palace, Su Yu went to visit Ruo Kong, whom she had kept confined for several days.

Ruo Kong had not yet met Master Xuling, but he had learned much from Qi Chen during these days. He held no resentment toward Su Yu, but his eyes were filled with sorrow. "Your Majesty, can you tell me honestly why you deceived me?"

Su Yu patted Yuan Ran and pointed to the loquat tree. Yuan Ran understood and climbed the tree, gathering a bundle of loquats in her skirt.

Su Yu picked a large one and handed it to Ruo Kong, saying casually, "To aid your cultivation. It seems you’ve seen too little in these four years and don’t understand the deceitfulness of human hearts."

Ruo Kong looked at her, puzzled.

As she peeled the loquat, she smiled and said, "The human heart is like this loquat. You’ll never know if it’s sweet or bitter until you try it. But what if it’s bitter? One bitter loquat won’t stop me from eating the next. If this whole batch is bitter, then it’s not the loquat’s fault, but the planter’s. We should think about how to make this loquat tree bear sweet fruit."

Ruo Kong stared at the loquat in his hand for a long time before asking, "What does this have to do with Your Majesty deceiving me?"

"So, Ruo Kong, instead of asking why I deceived you, reflect on why I did," Su Yu said with a grin.

Ruo Kong lowered his head in thought. So, the Emperor meant that she couldn’t speak frankly to him, hence the deception? But why couldn’t she speak frankly? Was he not trustworthy, or was the world too corrupt?

He thought so deeply that it amused Su Yu. Hearing her laughter, he suddenly looked up.

Su Yu handed him a few more loquats, "After eating, remember to plant the seeds in the soil. That way, new loquat trees will grow."

As Ruo Kong watched her walk toward the palace gate, he turned to Qi Chen beside him and asked, "Master Qi Chen, what does Her Majesty mean?"

Qi Chen remained silent for a moment, then said, "The loquats of today are the fruits of past causes. The cause and effect are already set and cannot be changed. Only by planting today’s causes can we reap tomorrow’s fruits."

"Her Majesty means that all things in the world follow the law of cause and effect. The reason she deceived me is due to my past actions. But since the past has already borne fruit, I must plant new good causes to reap good fruits in the future?" Ruo Kong suddenly understood, clasped his hands together, and bowed devoutly in Su Yu's direction. "I have been too foolish."

Yuan Ran walked with Su Yu for a while before she couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, is there a deeper meaning to having those monks plant loquats?"

Su Yu said with a smile, "Of course, it's so that we can enjoy more loquats next year."

Yuan Ran glanced at Su Yu and then back at the closed palace gate. Regardless of any deeper meaning, what the Emperor said was always correct.

"Have the bookstores taken over from Minister Xie been settled?" Su Yu changed the topic and asked Yuan Ran.

Yuan Ran immediately straightened up and replied, "The original personnel have all been settled, and the bookstores are now staffed with our own people."

Su Yu said, "Then print more copies of the 'Great Cloud Sutra' and make sure every bookstore has several."

By distributing the sutra through bookstores, this newly compiled 'Great Cloud Sutra' spread not just in the capital but rapidly throughout Great Qi from north to south, making the story of the Pure Light Heavenly Maiden widely known.

In early summer, the Emperor heard of an auspicious sign discovered in the Pingshan Kingdom and specifically sent Prime Minister Cui Xuan to investigate.

When Cui Xuan returned from Pingshan Kingdom, he brought back a naturally formed, life-sized white jade statue of the Water-Dripping Guanyin, one of the thirty-three forms of Guanyin Bodhisattva, symbolizing the salvation of all beings from suffering, an auspicious omen.

However, since the Emperor had previously suppressed temples, the ministers were unsure of the Emperor's stance.

When Cui Xuan presented the Water-Dripping Guanyin statue, Su Yu bowed devoutly and ordered the statue to be enshrined in the Great Compassion Temple for proper worship. She publicly stated in court, "The fault has always lain with people; in the past, some unruly monks used the name of deities to commit misdeeds."

The ministers: "..." They sensed the Emperor's words carried a subtle jab.

However, as long as the Emperor did not explicitly target anyone, given the auspicious sign, they naturally responded with flattery and praise.

Meanwhile, merchants in the south, after hearing the story of the Pure Light Heavenly Maiden and the discovery of the white jade Water-Dripping Guanyin in Pingshan Kingdom, without overthinking like the court officials, quickly imitated the idea, claiming to have found a statue of the Weaving Maiden in the Qiantang River, a sign of divine favor for the south, encouraging them to expand their textile workshops.

Liu Wushi even sent a letter to Su Yu regarding this matter.

Su Yu responded, "Since the Weaving Maiden statue has been found, we should also look for the Cowherd statue. With women weaving and men farming, the Cowherd can bless everyone with a bountiful autumn harvest."

Upon receiving the letter, Liu Wushi immediately commissioned a Cowherd statue and had it buried in the ground.

The next day, someone plowing the fields discovered the Cowherd statue.

Regardless of whether it was real, it was seen as a divine miracle, a sign of heaven's favor for Great Qi.

Later, the tale evolved, claiming that the Pure Light Heavenly Maiden was an incarnation of Guanyin, and the Cowherd and Weaving Maiden were her Golden Boy and Jade Girl attendants. Eventually, it was said that the current Emperor was the reincarnation of Guanyin, sent to save the suffering people of Great Qi.

When Liu Wushi heard these rumors, he happily wrote to Su Yu, "The southern regions are acclaiming Your Majesty as a divine reincarnation, sent by heaven to save the suffering, the true Son of Heaven."

He did not know that the origin of these rumors was none other than the Emperor he so admired.

When Su Yu received the letter, she was quite pleased with how the story had spread.

In May, she hastily organized an imperial examination for engineering, recruiting a group of talents to build fortifications on the city walls of fifteen states.

In June, the King of Luosuo, hiding in the west, gathered an army intending to sneak attack Weizhou. Unfortunately, before they could reach the city gates, a newly built fortification fired a missile that blasted them back to Luosuo.

However, the King of Luosuo was tough and only suffered minor injuries.

He then led his troops south, writing to the King of Nanzhao seeking cooperation.

Nanzhao, which had been attacked by Luosuo several times, surprisingly agreed to cooperate with Luosuo.