Chapter 502: The Highly Esteemed Empress Dowager Yuan

Chapter 502: The Highly Respected Empress Dowager Yuan

Ji Yuntang thought to herself that since this was the best tavern in Mingyue Town, and the waiter had seen many travelers come and go, he would surely have more information.

She asked, "You just said the Crown Prince was burned to death beyond recognition, with only an identity token on him. Aren't you afraid that someone might have stolen the Crown Prince's token?"

As soon as she said this, Ji Yuntang clearly felt Hua Feixue's gaze shift toward her.

Clearly, he also wanted to know the answer.

The waiter, having accepted the silver, was forthcoming and answered without reservation.

"Of course it couldn't be just the token alone. Empress Dowager Yuan, to prove the identity of the one burned to death, specially invited the Imperial Preceptor to perform divination, seeking answers from heaven. In the end, they calculated the deceased's birth date and hour, and it was indeed the Crown Prince himself."

"Not only that, the deceased's height and build all matched the Crown Prince perfectly. If it wasn't him, then who else could it be?"

Seeing that Ji Yuntang and the others didn't look too pleased, the waiter mistakenly assumed they also held the Crown Prince in low regard, and complained to them:

"Speaking of which, the Crown Prince really was something else. Being of royal blood, with such a noble status, why couldn't he just stay in the palace and live a life of luxury? Why did he have to run out and cause trouble?"

"Empress Dowager Yuan, in order to find him, sent out hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers over two years, spending a massive amount of manpower, resources, and money, nearly turning the entire Xishu Kingdom upside down."

"Now, they've brought back a charred corpse. Empress Dowager Yuan fainted from anger when she saw it. Fortunately, the Imperial Preceptor was by her side to manage the situation, or who knows what chaos would have ensued!"

Ji Yuntang's mouth twitched a few times. She knew Hua Feixue wasn't treated well in the palace, but she hadn't expected his reputation among the common folk to be so poor either.

The waiter's words implied that the Crown Prince didn't appreciate his blessings, was foolish to run away, while Empress Dowager Yuan was so hardworking and suffering.

Compared to Luo Jingshen as Crown Prince, he really had it rough. She almost felt sorry for him!

But Hua Feixue chose this moment to ask, "How come I've never heard that the Xishu Kingdom has an Imperial Preceptor?"

The waiter glanced at him disdainfully and said, "As an outsider, of course you wouldn't know. Our Imperial Preceptor is a true enlightened master, the chief disciple of the abbot of Taibai Mountain, with the title Perfected Master Lingxi."

"It's precisely because the Xishu royal family has been plagued by misfortunes these years—first several princes and princesses dying one after another, then the Empress passing away from illness, the Emperor too ill to hold court, and the mad Crown Prince running out of the palace, disappearing without a trace."

"The court astronomer observed the stars and deduced that a fox demon had descended to bring chaos to our Xishu Kingdom, so he suggested Empress Dowager Yuan invite an enlightened master down from Taibai Mountain to pray for blessings and ward off evil."

"This Imperial Preceptor was brought down from Taibai Mountain by Empress Dowager Yuan two years ago to bless and protect the nation. Because he cared for all and loved the people as his own children, Empress Dowager Yuan persuaded him to stay and appointed him as Imperial Preceptor."

"Empress Dowager Yuan also had a Baohua Hall specially built for him in the palace, forbidding anyone from disturbing his spiritual cultivation."

Xie Liuzheng asked curiously, "Is this Imperial Preceptor really that powerful?"

The waiter lifted his chin, looking proud, "Of course!"

"Our Imperial Preceptor has helped Empress Dowager Yuan a great deal. Ever since the Emperor fell ill and the Crown Prince disappeared, when Empress Dowager Yuan began serving as regent, he has been by her side assisting her every step of the way."

"One could say that without him, the court wouldn't be so stable now. He is Empress Dowager Yuan's most capable right-hand man. Anything she can't handle, he takes care of completely. The people of Xishu hold him in the highest regard!"

With that, the waiter glanced at Ji Yuntang and said, "It's only for this young lady's sake that I've told you all this."

"If you're heading to the capital, you must mind your tongues. Don't say anything you shouldn't. If you offend the Imperial Preceptor and Empress Dowager Yuan, no one will be able to protect you, for they have many supporters among the people."

Ji Yuntang smiled slightly and said, "Thanks, young man, we'll keep that in mind."

After the waiter left, Xie Liuzheng immediately locked the door.

He asked Ji Yuntang, "These two, Empress Dowager Yuan and the Imperial Preceptor, sound like trouble. What should we do now, Sister Yuntang?"

Ji Yuntang's expression turned serious. She sat at the table, lightly tapping her fingers on it.

She said slowly, "It seems Empress Dowager Yuan has exceptionally high prestige among the Xishu people. To boost her own reputation, she's likely done a lot to smear the Chu royal family."

"To defeat an enemy, you must first destroy their reputation. We need to tear down the good image she's built among the people first."

Xie Liuzheng pressed, "How do we tear it down?"

Ji Yuntang narrowed her eyes, "By finding her weaknesses and exploiting them one by one, of course."

In Ji Yuntang's view, Empress Dowager Yuan and Consort Li had a lot in common.

Both were skilled at manipulating people—committing evil deeds while still winning praise from the masses.

Consort Li appeared to be helping Luo Junhe, but in reality, she was just putting on an act as a virtuous wife and loving mother, winning herself a reputation for doting on her son.

Empress Dowager Yuan, on the surface, seemed to be helping the Xishu dynasty, but behind the scenes, she was consolidating her own power, taking control of the entire kingdom's military forces.

The difference was that Empress Dowager Yuan had clear objectives and immense power, determined to usurp the Chu dynasty's authority, with great ability and ambition.

Consort Li, however, had ambition that exceeded her ability, confined to the walls of Emperor Jingyang's palace, languishing in misery.

The three stayed in Mingyue Town for a night, during which Ji Yuntang went out and gathered more information.

The most notable piece was that the remains of Crown Prince Chu Yi would be buried in the Xishu royal mausoleum three days later, buried alongside the late Empress Chu.

This meant that Empress Chu's tomb would have to be reopened by Empress Dowager Yuan.

When Hua Feixue heard this, his eyes went red with fury. The veins on his wrist bulged as he crushed the teacup in his hand with all his might, blood running down his palm.

"You old witch, I'll kill you!"

Seeing this, Xie Liuzheng felt a twinge of sadness. He knew full well what reopening Empress Chu's tomb meant.

But he wasn't one to give comfort easily, so he simply said, "I'm not saying this to criticize you, but even in anger, don't hurt yourself!"

"We should focus on figuring out how to stop that old witch Empress Dowager Yuan from burying the impostor Crown Prince's remains with your mother."

Hua Feixue's eyes were bloodshot, and he gritted his teeth, "She's doing this on purpose. Absolutely on purpose."

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