Chapter 402 The Emperor's Attitude

The emperor nodded:

"Since you've so assured her that she can come back, why not wait until she returns to Beijing..."

"Father!" Xiao Zirui said in a deep voice, "If the Imperial Uncle insists on acting as a guarantor, I have no objection, but there must be a time limit for the Regent Princess's return!"

"That's true," the emperor mused, "then the time limit..."

Xiao Zirui immediately said:

"Hasn't Master Jingyuan already returned to the capital, and has scheduled a lecture in three days? He originally sent that spiritual object back with someone, so he'll definitely ask about it when he gets there. It would be unreasonable for the Regent Princess not to be there to give an explanation!"

"Why not set the deadline at three days? If Master Jingyuan begins his lecture and the Regent Princess still doesn't show up, then the Emperor's uncle will be the one to handle this matter!"

The Emperor looked at Xiao Changheng:

"What do you think, my royal brother? Are you sure she can come back within three days?"

Xiao Changheng said calmly:

"I can only guarantee that she will return to the capital, but I am not sure whether it will be within three days."

Xiao Zirui frowned and said:

"So if she doesn't come back, will this matter just drag on and nothing will happen?"

Xiao Changheng glanced at him calmly and said to the emperor:

"Regardless of whether she returns in three days, I want to explain the situation to Master Jingyuan. He will make his own judgment. If Master Jingyuan also thinks Qingqing's seizure of the spiritual object was wrong, I am willing to accept his decision."

Seeing him say this, the emperor could only nod:

"Yun Qingqing hasn't returned yet, and Master Jingyuan hasn't appeared yet, so it's really hard to deal with. So let's do as you say and see what happens."

Xiao Zirui gritted his teeth secretly, but didn't know what to say.

Yun Bailian saw what he was thinking and suddenly said:

"Now that the Imperial Uncle has said so, shouldn't he make a promise? If Master Jingyuan proves that she shouldn't have seized the spiritual object, and the Imperial Aunt doesn't return to hand it over, how will the Imperial Uncle take responsibility?"

The emperor looked a little embarrassed again:

"this……"

Xiao Changheng said calmly:

"Just tell me, Princess. What do you want me to guarantee?"

Yun Bailian's eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her head and said timidly:

"I dare not speak rashly, but I feel that spiritual objects are related to the fate of the country. Since the uncle is acting as a guarantor, he should also bring something comparable to it. This is considered sincere..."

Her voice became smaller and smaller, as if she was afraid to speak.

Xiao Changheng curled his lips coldly without saying a word. Yun Bailian only felt that the air around her had become colder, and the air pressure was so low that it made it difficult for her to breathe.

Xiao Zirui understood what Yun Bailian meant, a glint flashed in his eyes, and he said with the pressure of the Regent:

"The Crown Princess is just a woman's talk, so don't take it seriously, Uncle. The only thing that can be compared to the fate of a country is the military token. Uncle has countless military achievements and is the God of War of our Daliang. Even if the Regent Princess takes the spiritual object and flies away, never to return, you can't ask Uncle to use the military token as a guarantee!"

"Bai Lian, why don't you apologize to the emperor's uncle?"

Yun Bailian immediately said timidly:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince was right in giving me this lesson. It was my reckless words that slipped through my fingers. I beg your forgiveness, uncle."

Xiao Changheng snorted coldly, bowed slightly to the emperor, and said seriously:

"I have already said that I believe the princess must have a reason for her actions. Regardless of whether she can return in time, I am willing to guarantee it with the military token! If Master Jingyuan says in three days that the spiritual object should not be hers, I will return the military token to my brother!"

The emperor frowned and waved his hand:

"I don't agree with this! This entire country is filled with civil and military officials. Who can I trust more than you in the hands of the military talisman? We'll discuss this later!"

He stood up and said coldly:

"I'm tired, everyone please leave! If you have anything to say, we can talk at the Fahua Temple in three days!"

The emperor flicked his sleeves and left.

Xiao Changheng watched him leave, then left the imperial study directly without paying any attention to Xiao Zirui and Yun Bailian.

On the way back to the Prince's Mansion, Xiao Zirui's face was gloomy and he punched the carriage seat hard.

"Father's heart has truly gone astray! He's defending him so openly, it's already unreasonable!"

Yun Bailian was startled and quickly pulled him back and whispered:

"Prince, be careful with your words!"

Xiao Zirui took a deep breath and stopped talking, but his expression became increasingly gloomy.

The emperor said that he could rest assured that the military command was in Xiao Changheng's hands rather than in anyone else's. This sentence made Xiao Zirui's sense of crisis more intense than ever.

What kind of king would be unguarded against a minister in charge of a large military force?

No, he didn't even consider Xiao Changheng as a subject! The emperor's attitude towards Xiao Changheng was simply that he regarded him as the crown prince!

A strong murderous intent flashed in Xiao Zirui's eyes.

…

…

Yun Qingqing returned to the capital and went to Tianming Pavilion first.

After instructing Mu Hongling to settle Chu Jingyan's affairs, she plunged directly into the unfinished matters and was busy for two days and two nights.

After finally finishing the case files on the regulations, she felt that she had accumulated some more strength.

Seeing that she had finished her work, Zhiluo finally found the opportunity to talk to her:

"Your mission at Tianming Pavilion should be over, right? Do you want to continue?"

Yun Qingqing looked at the pile of files in front of her and smiled slightly.

She understood what Zhiluo meant.

Nowadays, there are more and more sources of these wishes, including those from the eight ghost cities in the underworld, the inner disciples of the Seven Stars Hall, and the believers of the Tianming Pavilion.

In comparison, the wishes provided by Tianming Pavilion all come from mortals, and in terms of quality and quantity, they are far inferior to others.

That's why Zhiluo felt that the input-output ratio was too small and it would be better to close this place.

Yun Qingqing shook her head:

"I originally opened this Tianming Pavilion for the purpose of accumulating willpower, but that's not the only purpose."

"Low-level practitioners cultivate their Dao, while high-level practitioners cultivate their mind and character. But in fact, there is another kind of practice in this world, which cultivates sentient beings and karma."

"My previous... ahem, I was limited by my environment. Although my progress in cultivation seemed unattainable to outsiders, it was still limited to the stage of cultivating my mind. It wasn't until I came here and opened the Tianming Pavilion... that I finally felt like I had touched the threshold of cultivating sentient beings and cultivating fate."

"What's more, it was the willpower of the Tianming Pavilion's followers that helped me get through the most difficult period earlier. If I close Tianming Pavilion and abandon those ordinary people who instinctively seek help just because I've made a little progress, wouldn't that be like destroying the bridge after crossing it?"

Zhiluo sighed:

"You always have your reasons... So what are you going to do with this place from now on? Do you really have to keep spending so much energy on it?"