Chapter 367: One Plot Harming All Nations

Prince Chun's Mansion.

Before we knew it, it was already October.

For the past month, Li Nuo has been teaching in the tutoring class, and just finished the course for the last batch of students two days ago.

Even though he charged different tuition fees for each person and did not charge a penny for poor students, the tuition fees he collected from these five hundred people amounted to more than two million taels.

Among the five hundred students, only less than twenty came from poor families.

The rest of the students, even if they were not from aristocratic families, must be wealthy and commercial.

The format of the imperial examination meant that it was destined to be just a game for the rich.

Li Nuo has tried his best to plant a seed in their hearts. As for whether the seed can sprout and what it will eventually grow into, we will have to wait and see.

Today they finally had some free time, and Prince Chun invited them and their family to visit the palace.

Li Nuo's family sat together, and Li Yun sat in the corner with the woman from the agency beside him.

After not seeing her for many days, this mechanical woman looked even more lifelike, and even her eyes had become more lively. This was because Li Yun's cultivation had already broken through to the fifth level of Mohism.

The development of medicine, agriculture, and military science cannot be separated from the help of Mohism.

During this period of time, Li Nuo provided directional guidance, and Li Yun was responsible for putting these ideas into practice.

The Mohist cultivation of the two naturally improved together.

In the past month, Li Nuo's cultivation in both the Diplomacy and Mohism schools had successfully advanced to the fifth level.

However, after the fifth level, the rate of growth in cultivation slowed down significantly.

Above the fifth realm is the semi-saint realm. This huge gap has blocked countless geniuses.

While eating, An Ning drank a mouthful of soup, looked at Prince Chun in surprise, and asked, "Brother, the chefs in your palace are much better than those in our family. Did you keep all the best chefs here?"

Prince Chun said: "How is it possible? The best chef in the whole of Daxia is in your Li family."

An Ning showed a skeptical expression and said, "I don't believe it. They are all the same dishes. The taste of these dishes is just better!"

Prince Chun asked, "Which dishes?"

An Ning pointed at the table and said, "This one, this one, and these few..."

Prince Chun looked at the dishes she pointed out, with a somewhat smug look on his face, and said, "These dishes, these are made by me..."

An Ning was slightly stunned and speechless for a moment.

As the prince regent, the dishes he cooked were even more delicious than those of gourmets who had studied cooking for their entire lives. Look at the woman in the agency beside Li Yun... In their family, the princess was probably the only normal one.

Li Nuo took a bite of the dish and expressed his admiration for Prince Chun's cooking skills.

These dishes, no matter in color, aroma, taste, appearance or presentation, surpass those of the gourmet chefs in Li Mansion. It is no exaggeration to say that Prince Chun is the most amazing gourmet in Daxia.

He even wondered if his cooking skills were the best in the continent.

Li Nuo had read some rumors about the Gourmet School in a rare and unofficial history book that recorded the various schools of thought. The book said that when the Gourmet School reached a high level of cultivation, it could possess power that was not inferior to that of the various schools of thought. The power of the Gourmet School could be condensed into the sharpest weapon in the world, which could cut through anything...

Of course, unofficial history can only be guaranteed to be wild enough, but not authentic.

A calligrapher can write the fate of others with just a pen. A thief can not only steal things but also steal hearts and lives. He can steal the hearts of women and steal other people's lives for his own... These are all recorded in unofficial history and have never been proven.

After dinner, Li Yun mysteriously pulled Li Nuo aside and said awkwardly, "Um, can you lend me some money?"

Li Nuo asked in surprise: "You are also short of money?"

Li Yun said: "Of course I am short of money. My father used to give me one thousand taels of pocket money every month, but because I didn't get married, he stopped giving me money last month. Now I don't even have money to buy materials..."

The study of Mohism is indeed very expensive. Li Nuo is too busy with various things on weekdays to handle it, let alone the time to study Mohism. Li Yun is his substitute player. Only when Li Yun makes progress can he make progress.

He did not hesitate and asked, "How much do you need? Is 100,000 taels enough?"

Li Yun's eyes widened, fearing that Li Nuo would go back on his word, and he immediately nodded and said, "Enough, enough!"

He had never seen one hundred thousand taels in his life.

With these 100,000 taels, he could buy more and better materials for Qingqing. He put his arm around Li Nuo's shoulders and said with a smile, "Thank you, good brother!"

After returning to Ningxin Garden, Li Nuo asked Fenghuang to prepare 100,000 taels.

Li Nuo and the beautiful ladies An Ning and Yi Ren were not good at managing money, nor did they have the intention to do so, so the financial power of the family was handed over to Feng Huang.

She is a professional in this kind of thing. She is responsible for all the income and expenses of the family, and the finances of the Li family are managed by her in an orderly manner.

In terms of wealth, although Li Nuo earned two million taels of silver a month, it was still a little less than Feng Huang. Li Nuo didn't even know how much wealth she had.

In the study, Fenghuang was sitting at Li Nuo's seat and doing the accounts. Hearing this, he raised his head and asked, "Are you going to give this 100,000 taels to Prince Chun?"

Li Nuo said, "Uncle Chun Wang was very kind to our family. Ningxin Garden was given to us by him. This garden alone is worth more than 100,000 taels."

Fenghuang nodded and said, "Okay then, I'll ask the accountant to withdraw 100,000 taels and have someone send it to Prince Chun's mansion."

Li Nuo added: "Remember to hand it directly to Li Yun."

Phoenix nodded and said with a smile: "I understand..."

Half a day later, Yuyin Pavilion.

Fenghuang looked at the white-haired old woman and asked, "Fifty thousand taels, what do you want so much money for?"

The old woman glanced at her calmly and said, "If they need so much money, they must have a use for it. Just prepare it immediately. No need to ask any more questions."

Phoenix leaned back in his chair and said, "No."

The old woman frowned and said in a cold voice: "What did you say? You don't think this is your money, do you? Without the support from above, you wouldn't be where you are today. How come you don't even know your name after being the wife of the Li family for just a few days? I can give you all this, but I can also make you lose it all!"

Fenghuang crossed her arms and said calmly, "You also know that I am the wife of the Li family. My money is the money of the Li family. Fifty thousand taels is not a small amount. If I give it to you this time, how can I explain it if it is found out in the future? Not only will all our previous efforts be wasted, but everything we have in Chang'an will also be lost..."

She glanced at the old woman and said, "I told you not to worry, not to worry, but you insisted on rushing me. Now things have turned out like this, is it my fault?"

The old woman moved her lips and asked, "How could a mere fifty thousand taels be discovered?"

Fenghuang said, "You don't know how strict the tax inspection is this year. Every payment will be checked. It's better to be safe than sorry. If you really want it, I can give it to you. If anything happens in the future, don't blame me..."

The old woman hesitated for a moment, then said, "Forget it. Let's put the overall situation first. I'll find another way to get the money. Protect yourself and don't expose yourself..."

After a moment, she spoke again: "I came here this time to entrust you with an important matter."

Phoenix's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said, "What's the matter? Tell me."

The old woman asked, "It is rumored that the blood of the royal family can prolong life, and that the Emperor of Daxia was able to regain his youth by slaughtering the powerful and wealthy. Is this true?"

Phoenix shook his head and said, "How could I possibly know about this kind of thing?"

The old woman said calmly: "Just because you don't know doesn't mean others don't know. Li Xuanjing is the most trusted person of the Great Xia Emperor. He must know something. Find a chance to ask around at the Li family. The higher-ups take this matter very seriously..."

…

Ningxin Garden.

Jiahe and Yiren took the child back to the Song Mansion to visit the old lady. An Ning was coaxing the child to sleep in the room. In the pavilion in the middle of the lake, Dongfang Qing watched Li Nuo and Fenghuang paint, but her mind was thinking about dinner soon.

After Fenghuang finished painting a lotus flower, she seemed to remember something and looked up to ask Li Nuo, "Yesterday I heard a few girls from Yuyin Pavilion say that the blood of the royal family can be used to make some kind of longevity pill. Is this true..."

Li Nuo had also heard this statement.

People also said that the Emperor of Daxia used the essence and blood of the powerful and wealthy to make elixirs to prolong his life.

Later, the Dali Temple made a special clarification on this matter.

But Li Nuo has verified that the one who killed those powerful people was not the boxing master named Zhao.

As for whether those people were killed by His Majesty, he had no way of verifying it.

The Dali Temple's move may just be to guide public opinion. After all, this matter involves the emperor. If they are allowed to speculate at will, the consequences will be unpredictable.

Li Nuo said honestly: "I don't know, but I haven't seen the so-called longevity pill in any book."

Before Li Nuo could speak, Dongfang Qing said, "My grandfather also said that this is not true. He said that only Yin-Yang masters above the sixth level can extend the lifespan of others, and at the cost of their own lifespan..."

Butler Wu, who was fishing with the doorman Lao Huang on the promenade in the middle of the lake, suddenly turned around and said, "I remember the master said that the blood of the royal family is blessed by the country's destiny, and it seems to be different from that of ordinary people..."

Fenghuang's eyes moved slightly, but she didn't continue the topic. She shook her head and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. It sounds scary..."

Dongfang Qing nodded and said, "Yeah, why are you talking about this? When are we going to eat?"

…

Yuyin Pavilion.

The old woman stared at Phoenix and asked, "Are you sure?"

Fenghuang shook her head and said, "Anyway, that's what the housekeeper of the Li Mansion said. Whether it's true or not, you can judge for yourselves. However, even if this is true, the Emperor of Daxia will definitely not let others know. I can't just ask his father..."

The old woman murmured, "The Great Xia Emperor trusts Li Xuanjing so much, there must be a reason. He can't just get younger and younger for no reason. This matter is probably true. It would be great if we could catch Zhao Wuji..."

Chu State.

Jingzhou.

Inside Jingzhou City, an old man in gray knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "It wasn't me, it really wasn't me. After the failed assassination attempt on Li Xuanjing, I fled to Chu State and never set foot in Daxia again. How could I have killed those powerful people in Daxia?"

As a martial arts master of the fifth realm, he was usually high and mighty and respected by others, but at this moment he could only kneel on the ground in humiliation.

Because the people standing opposite him are all masters.

The faint aura emanating from the black-robed man who was at the head of the group made him unable to muster the slightest desire to resist.

Half Saint!

How come even the Half-Saint of the Sixth Realm is here!

Whenever he thought about this matter, he felt wronged. How could he put the blame on someone like this? Just because he was not in Daxia, they accused him of such a serious crime. Isn't this bullying?

A figure came from behind and whispered to the man in black robe: "Ancestor, I have asked the servants here. In the past year, this person has been here and has never left Jingzhou..."

Under the black robe, the wrinkled face showed no surprise, and he said calmly, "As expected."

The Emperor of Daxia pushed someone to take the blame so quickly, obviously to conceal his true purpose.

It seems that the incident was not just a rumor...

He is not the only old fellow nearing the end of his life.

The royal families of the five dynasties are not so easy to target, and there are not many small countries outside the five dynasties. Even if they are all slaughtered, it will not be able to satisfy everyone's needs.

There is no time to lose, we must act as soon as possible.

He who acts first will live long, and he who acts later will die.

Even though he didn't know how to make the longevity pill yet, it wouldn't be wrong to get their blood first...

…

Liang country.

Liang was a small country located between Chu and Xia. For hundreds of years, it was closer to Chu. Under the protection of Chu, the domestic situation had always been stable. Since its establishment, it had been in power by the Yang royal family.

But this stability was broken yesterday.

Overnight, more than ten members of the royal family died tragically in their homes.

Those who died were all brothers and nephews of His Majesty.

The people of Liang were shocked, but secretly cheered in their hearts.

All of these princes and nobles are full of evil. The royal families of the five dynasties can still be restrained by others, but the royal families of these small countries have a firm control over the entire country and can do whatever they want without any restraint.

Unlike the common people, the surviving royal family members of Liang were in panic and terrified.

The homes of the royal families all had a certain amount of guards, but the murderer still broke into them easily. There must have been a master involved.

In the entire Liang Kingdom, there are only two masters, one is His Majesty, and the other is the Great General who protects the country. To kill more than a dozen princes in one night, the power that can do so must come from the five more powerful dynasties.

During this period of time, there have been rumors that the royal blood can prolong life. Could it be that a powerful person has set his sights on them?

For a time, all the royal family members of Liang Kingdom hid in the palace.

The Emperor of Liang even mobilized all the troops near the capital to surround the imperial palace. Nearly a thousand guards took turns on duty every twelve hours.

There are a small number of envoys stationed between each small country.

Such a big change happened in Liang State, and the news soon spread to all the countries.

After learning the news, the royal families of various countries were extremely horrified.

The thing they were most worried about finally happened.

Those powerful men have already taken action against the royal family of Liang, and I'm afraid it will be their turn soon.

Just when the royal families of various countries didn't know how to respond, news came from Ningguo.

Emperor Ningguo abdicated.

Unlike any other change of imperial power in history, Emperor Ningguo did not pass the throne to his son or brother, nor was he overthrown by rebellious forces and forced to give up the throne.

He abdicated voluntarily and did not designate the next emperor of Ningguo. He directly handed over the imperial seal and all the power as emperor to the court.

From then on, Ningguo's national affairs were decided jointly by officials in the court.

After the emperor abdicated, he naturally no longer enjoyed the blessing of national fortune, and he immediately lost his cultivation in the fifth realm.

This incident sounds like the Emperor of Ningguo has gone crazy. He gave up being the ruler of a country and insisted on handing over power to others. But anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is a move to save his life.

When he was no longer the emperor, the royal family was no longer the royal family. Without the blessing of national fortune, their blood naturally did not have the effect of prolonging life.

Either give up or die.

This is a no-brainer.

After the news from Ningguo spread, just the next day, news came from Shengguo, which was adjacent to Ningguo.

Although the Emperor of Shengguo did not abdicate, he also handed over the imperial seal.

The jade seal represents the imperial power. Handing over the jade seal means handing over the imperial power. His fifth-level royal cultivation also completely disappeared the moment he handed over the jade seal.

Although Shengguo retained the emperor, he was only a symbolic emperor.

The disappearance of his cultivation meant that he no longer possessed the destiny of the nation, and it would be useless for those powerful people who wanted to prolong their lives to kill him.

The royal family of Sheng State was also in name only.

All countries are well aware that the only significance of the existence of these small countries is to serve as a buffer between the big countries. It is actually the same whether they have an emperor or not.

Even with the strength of their entire country, they are not even as powerful as a family of a big country. What can a fifth-level emperor do to change the overall situation?

When the status of royal family could not bring them benefits but instead became a shackle that demanded their lives, the royal families of various countries made their choices one after another.

Starting from the Ningguo Shengguo, then the Jingguo, Jiangguo, Yanguo..., Liangguo, Jinguo, Zhouguo, in just one month, except for the five dynasties, all the small countries on the continent experienced the greatest changes in hundreds of years.

In these countries, the emperor no longer exists...

The power of the three provinces has been expanded unprecedentedly, but they are mutually restricted. No one can decide national affairs alone, and no one can or dares to covet the supreme position...

A country in mainland China.

Inside a quiet mansion.

Lin Fuzhi opened an envelope, read the contents, and quickly walked into a courtyard. He said to the figure watering the flowers, "Master, the Emperor of Zhou has also completely given up his power..."

As the Zhou emperor became a mere figurehead, there were only five dynasties and real emperors on the continent.

The water flow under the shower paused, then continued to pour. After a while, the old man with his hands behind his back placed the kettle on the stone table, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said, "What a good trick. I wonder which old guy is responsible for this..."

Lin Fuzhi was stunned for a moment and asked, "Master, what do you mean..."

The old man showed praise on his face and said, "With just this one plan, countless sixth realms on the continent were manipulated in the palm of his hand, and no one in the countries dared to claim to be emperor anymore. This is how Zongheng's fortune is..."

(End of this chapter)