objection

Early in the morning, the waiter who was delivering food saw Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin in the formation and almost dropped the food box.

"I, I actually delivered food to the immortal?" This was a new face. He had never seen the disciples of Biyun Temple before, and he was surprised when he saw them. "I can talk about this for the rest of my life!"

He walked forward and looked at the formation, extremely curious. "Are you two immortals trapped inside? So why are you trapped?"

"I lost the sparring match with my master and was trapped in there." Xiao Wan'er smiled and told the half-cut truth.

"So even immortals can be punished by their master," the waiter marveled. He placed the food box inside the formation with a smile and told the two about the events in the Divine Capital. "You two immortals probably don't know that the Crown Prince led his troops into the palace yesterday. The battle was quite brutal. I wonder how many more people will die this time."

"Then who do you hope will win?" Xiao Wan'er took the lunch box and asked as she opened it.

"Hey, as long as they have enough to eat and clothes to wear, it doesn't matter who sits on the throne, right?" Breakfast had already been delivered, and the waiter didn't want to linger any longer, so he said goodbye. "Enjoy your meal, immortals! I'm going back now. I can actually deliver food to immortals! I'll definitely keep this up until I die!"

In the evening, Princess Taiping was the one who delivered the meal. She brought two maids, each holding a large food box, and handed them to the two trapped in the formation. Xiao Wan'er took the food box and opened it, revealing the roasted lamb leg inside.

"It seems that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has won." She said knowingly.

"The Queen Mother has ordered my brother, the Crown Prince, to govern the country, and will soon pass the throne to him," Princess Taiping said in a cheerful mood. "Captain Xiao's words that day played a significant role. Without them, I might have become Yuan Hui's hostage. After we return to Tang, I will ask my brother, the Crown Prince, for credit on your behalf."

"Return to Tang?" Xiao Wan'er put down the lamb leg and looked at Princess Taiping disapprovingly. "The Crown Prince is Your Majesty's son, and it's only right that he inherits the throne of the Great Zhou. Why return to Tang?"

"After all, my royal brother is a descendant of the Li family, so of course he should return Zhou to Tang." Princess Taiping was quite puzzled by Xiao Wan'er's opposition.

"Your Highness, returning power to the Tang may seem like a win-win for everyone, but it's actually disadvantageous to women all over the world!"

Princess Taiping clearly didn't understand. Her expression grew slightly colder as she asked, "Whether it's Zhou or Tang, our brother is the emperor. What harm could there be?"

"Your Highness," Xiao Wan'er said with a hint of regret, "Women of the Wu Zhou Dynasty could participate in politics, but could women of the Li Tang Dynasty do the same? Your grandmother, Empress Zhangsun of Emperor Taizong, was a role model for women of the Li Tang Dynasty, but didn't she also die young? Her sons and brothers feuded, and several of her daughters died tragically. In the end, even her own brothers were convicted, exiled, and committed suicide. If the Zhou Dynasty were to be renamed the Tang Dynasty, would these female officials Your Majesty has promoted be able to continue serving as officials after the Tang Dynasty was restored? Would women still be able to participate in politics through the path of female officials in the future? Could women across the world still follow the example of Your Majesty and these female officials and change their own destinies?"

Princess Taiping finally woke up from her dream.

"But now that the situation has been decided, and my brother has always longed to restore the Li Tang dynasty, what should we do?"

Xiao Wan'er sighed deeply, "Your Highness, please send for brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone immediately."

Princess Taiping's maid brought the pen, ink, paper and inkstone as quickly as possible. Xiao Wan'er ground the ink, spread the paper, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and wrote a memorial as quickly as possible.

"Princess, please give this memorial to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Princess Taiping took the memorial and read it through first. Without a word, she put it away. After a moment's hesitation, she asked Xiao Wan'er, "Captain Xiao, are you sure? Once this memorial is submitted, you'll likely miss out on any chance of promotion."

"That's all right, Princess. Please present it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

After the crown prince was reinstated, Princess Taiping presented the new emperor with a memorial that evening, stating that the new emperor, as both the crown prince and the biological son of the retired emperor, should serve the Zhou dynasty and not restore the old Tang dynasty.

"The Great Zhou has been established for fifteen years, enjoying harmonious governance and peaceful conditions. He was granted the mandate by Heaven and the Nine Cauldrons, and the people obeyed his policies, hailing him as a sage emperor. As the Retired Emperor grew old, corrupt officials seized power and disrupted the government. Your Majesty led the five ministers and the army to punish the corrupt officials and restore order. The Retired Emperor, deeply conscious of his age and frailty, passed the throne to Your Majesty. This was all for the sake of the country and its people. However, I have heard that some officials want to overthrow the Zhou and return it to the Tang. The old dynasty has fallen, and Your Majesty was the crown prince of the new dynasty, having abdicated after the Retired Emperor. Why would you want to return to the old dynasty? I am deeply concerned, and so I present this letter, asking Your Majesty to reconsider."

The new emperor did not announce this memorial to the court ministers. He only summoned Empress Wei, Prince Xiang, and Shangguan Wan'er, who forged the imperial edict on the day of the coup.

"Imperial sister, you said this memorial was written by a cultivator from the Fengming Guard?" He read it over and over again, his tone unfriendly, "I really want to meet this cultivator properly."

So Xiao Wan'er was called into the palace.

"No need to bow," the emperor said, exempting Xiao Wan'er from the formalities and tossing the memorial to her. "I heard from my sister that this memorial was written by you?"

"Your Majesty, that's right." Xiao Wan'er answered with full energy and no guilt at all.

"I heard that Captain Xiao used words to force the monks of Yuanhui to retreat on the day of the military remonstration. Why then does he not agree with my restoration of the Tang Dynasty's name?"

Xiao Wan'er took a deep breath and elaborated on the reason she had already thought of. "Your Majesty, why did you remonstrate with the army that day? You discovered that the two Zhang brothers were plotting a rebellion, and you wanted to eliminate the treacherous officials for the Emperor Retired. How did Your Majesty ascend the throne and become Your Majesty? It was because the Emperor Retired abdicated. If Your Majesty changed the Zhou Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, how would the history books record it? Were you eliminating the treacherous officials or were you discontent with the Great Zhou and therefore plotting a rebellion?"

"Xiao Wan'er, how dare you!" Princess Taiping took the initiative to attack before anyone else could speak. Her back was already soaked with cold sweat, but she couldn't say much in front of the emperor. She could only glare at Xiao Wan'er fiercely, telling her to be careful with her words and actions.

But this reason convinced the emperor - no emperor wanted to be recorded in history books as having rebelled to gain the throne.

"It's okay, I allow you to speak frankly." The emperor waved his hand and let Xiao Wan'er continue.

Xiao Wan'er was also blunt: "Furthermore, during his reign, the Retired Emperor made every effort to promote the commoners and weaken the aristocratic families, and this has been very effective over the years. If the Tang Dynasty is restored, can the system of the Great Zhou Dynasty continue? Will the aristocratic families continue to be weakened and the commoners strengthened? Your Majesty should know that if the aristocratic families become too powerful, they will only oppress the common people and bully the emperor. If the old Tang system is restored one by one, the efforts of the Retired Emperor may be in vain."

The emperor fell into deep thought. Xiao Wan'er's words had indeed touched him, but restoring the Tang Dynasty had been his long-cherished wish. Finally, he said, "My dear Xiao, please return. I will consider this carefully."

"You're still as brave as ever," Shangguan Wan'er said a few days later, taking time out to meet Xiao Wan'er. "You know, I was frightened to death the day His Majesty met you, and Her Highness the Princess was also quite frightened by you."

Xiao Wan'er chuckled: "We have to give it a try."

Shangguan Wan'er reached out and pinched her cheek, sighing, "She's such a lovely little girl, why does she have such a personality?"

Xiao Wan'er tilted her head and thought for a moment before coming to an answer: "Maybe it's because I'm strong. At worst, I can just resign and return to the Taoist temple. After all, among the cultivators serving the court now, no one except Master can defeat me."

Shangguan Wan'er was speechless and silent for a long time, but finally had to admit that she was right.

"His Majesty did not make your memorial public, but only summoned trusted ministers to discuss it together," Shangguan Wan'er added. "Do you think the country's name will be changed back to Tang in the end?"

"It's hard to say," Xiao Wan'er replied. "From the look of His Majesty, he seems weak. He lacks the courage to make important decisions on his own, and he can't resist the temptations of those around him. His ultimate decision will depend on whether his trusted ministers can come up with arguments more convincing than mine."

Xiao Wan'er found it hard to imagine that such a remarkable woman like Emperor Wu could have such a son, but this kind of personality also had its advantages.

"Whether the final name of the dynasty is Zhou or Tang, you can persuade Empress Wei to intervene more in government affairs," Xiao Wan'er advised Shangguan Wan'er. "The Empress has been by His Majesty's side since his humble beginnings. Given His Majesty's character, he will undoubtedly trust her. If the Empress is willing to intervene in government affairs, perhaps the system of female officials participating in government affairs during the time of the Grand Emperor can be preserved."

She paused, then continued, "Sis, since you forged the imperial edict this time, you should also be promoted. No matter what, you must not give up the authority you have held since your time as the Grand Emperor."

"I know that no one can take away from me what I have." Shangguan Wan'er replied with a smile, and the aura of a good sister she usually showed in front of Xiao Wan'er disappeared in an instant.

Xiao Wan'er also felt relieved. The female officials who held great power during the empress's reign would never allow others to deprive them of their power easily.

However, there was one thing she urgently needed to know the answer to.

"Sister, do you know where my master is?"

Ever since the day of the coup, when the Crown Prince and his entourage were allowed into the Empress's chambers, Liu Yun hadn't been seen since. There was no further news of him in the palace. Xiao Wan'er and Liu Mingyin couldn't find anyone to ask about him, even if they wanted to. Xiao Wan'er had tried to divine Liu Yun's condition, but it was too much of a stretch to divine a Transcendent Realm cultivator with Entry-level cultivation. Xiao Wan'er's repeated attempts to divine had yielded no revelation.

"I don't know about this either." Like the people she had asked before, Shangguan Wan'er was unable to bring any information. "But Immortal Liuyun is very powerful, so he will be fine. Just relax, sister."

"Thank you for your comfort, sister." Although Xiao Wan'er thanked Shangguan Wan'er for her comfort, she was not at peace in her heart. Instead, she had a very ominous premonition.

After Shangguan Wan'er left, she took out the divination grass and divined the whereabouts of Liuyun—as usual, she found nothing. She wiped the sweat from her brow, rested for a moment, then took out the tortoise shell and began to divine the future name of the country.

"Puff!" She spurted blood from her mouth while trying to commit suicide and fainted. The last thing she was aware of was Liu Mingyin's scream.

"Senior Sister!"

When she woke up again, she was lying on the bed in her room. There was a bowl of cold medicine on the bedside table and a note under the bowl.

"Your Majesty has ordered me to enter the palace. After you wake up, you can heat up some medicine and drink it yourself to repair your internal injuries and replenish your Qi and blood. In the future, I hope you will take this as a warning and not force yourself to do things that are not allowed by divination."