Chapter 20: The Drunken Taoist
When he woke up the next morning, Zhou An found that he had made love with the three people in purple and absorbed their Yin energy, which greatly improved his internal strength.
Throughout the ages, the only one who could possess such internal strength after birth is probably myself.
Now he has a complete understanding of cultivation. Even if an ordinary person reaches the peak of the tenth level of acquired cultivation, his internal energy can only last for a maximum of 120 years, otherwise his body will not be able to withstand it.
It is said that Taizu had reached the limit of his skills in 120 years and was already invincible in the acquired realm.
Zhou An got up and found that the Queen had already gone to work early, preparing for her first court session of the day. The three concubines in purple also got up early and practiced in the courtyard. Last night, the Queen gave them new martial arts and elixirs to increase their internal strength, so they dared not slack off.
Originally, the Purple Guards were trained by the Empress Dowager since they were young, and they had no names, only code names. Because the three women became the emperor's concubines, the Empress gave them names. Purple Guard No. 1 was named Zi Yan, Purple Guard No. 3 was named Zi Qiong, and Purple Guard No. 7 was named Zi Xuan.
Zhou An stretched and got up, sighing that it was indeed best to let them do it, and he felt much more relaxed.
At this time, the palace maid who was waiting outside came in with a washbasin and helped him wash and dress.
In the next seven days, Zhou An signed in everywhere in Qianjing during the day and practiced with several female practitioners at night. He improved his internal strength by almost 10 years. 190 years of internal strength is absolutely astonishing.
The news of the turmoil in the palace had spread. The left and right sides joined forces and their methods were indeed very clever. This was the first time that the ministers in the court formed a united front and there was no chaos at all. This also stabilized the entire dynasty.
The Right Prime Minister was responsible for giving the Empress Dowager a grand funeral, which was organized by the Shangguan family.
The fact that the Sixth Prince became the Left Prime Minister was also discussed by many people, who felt that it was incredible that the current Emperor could tolerate the Sixth Prince.
Everyone in the world knows that the current emperor is just a puppet of the empress dowager and is licentious and immoral. Now that the Sixth Prince is back, he must either seize the throne or be executed by the emperor.
How could such an important position be given to the Sixth Prince? This is completely beyond the understanding of everyone in the world.
This is equivalent to placing a time bomb next to him, and it also gives him a great opportunity to strengthen his own power.
However, the most discussed thing in the entire Qianjing was still about Emperor Taizu. Some people believed that the Sixth Prince was able to take the position of Left Prime Minister because of the order of Emperor Taizu, and Zhou An might return to the status of puppet emperor again, but his master would be replaced by Emperor Taizu from the Empress Dowager.
Moreover, many people believe that since Emperor Taizu has lived to this day and is over 300 years old, he has become a god-like figure. As long as Emperor Taizu is alive, the Qianyuan Empire will be forever stable.
At this moment, in Zuixianlou, the best restaurant in Qianjing, Zhou An, dressed as a chivalrous knight, sat in the lobby. He ordered a table of food and wine, and while eating, he listened to the discussions of the people around him.
At this time, an old man in farmer's cloth saw that Zhou An was alone, and the table was filled with Zuixianlou's best food and wine. He licked his lips, smiled and came over to sit down and asked, "Young man, do you mind if I sit here?"
"Please make yourself at ease." Zhou An smiled and looked at the old man. Although his cloth clothes were old and had several patches, they were still clean and tidy. Moreover, this man had a dignified bearing and his eyes were clear and bright. He was definitely not an ordinary old man.
The old man ordered a pot of wine and a pile of peanuts, took a sip, and sighed with a sad face: "I am old, alone and helpless, and I can only drink this kind of watered-down wine and eat..."
Zhou An smiled and said, "Senior, if you want to eat together, I can order a few more dishes. You can drink as much wine as you want."
The old man's eyes lit up and he laughed, "Boy, you are so smart. Okay, okay, I won't be polite then."
As he spoke, he picked up the chopsticks and stuffed all the delicious food into his mouth. He also took the expensive wine on the table and poured it directly into his mouth.
"Waiter, bring us all the best food and wine you have." Zhou An took out a gold ingot and placed it on the seat.
"Okay." The waiter came over happily, his eyes shining as he picked up the gold.
The old man looked at Zhou An in surprise, nodded and said nothing more, and continued eating with big mouthfuls.
Soon, dishes of delicacies from land and sea were served, and a jar of fine wine was also brought up. The old man not only ate and drank without hesitation, but after he had eaten and drunk his fill, he poured the remaining half of the jar into a wine gourd and took it away.
Then he asked curiously, "Young man, you are really generous. Most people can't afford this meal with their annual income."
"It's worth it to make friends with such a senior over a table of food and wine." Zhou An smiled.
The old man was surprised, and then he looked at me carefully, and asked curiously: "Your temples are full and your internal strength is surging, you are considered a top expert in the post-natal realm.
"He has such a high level of cultivation at such a young age. Could it be that he is a disciple of some sect and knows this old man?"
Zhou An shook his head and said, "My family does have some money, but it's not first-rate. I just have some basic knowledge of reading people's auras. So I knew that you were a fairy hero, so I planned to make friends with you."
"You can see that the old man is angry. You are really capable. Young man, are you coming to Qianjing for royal affairs? Or are you here to watch the fun?" the old man asked again.
"I recently heard that Emperor Taizu showed up, and so many immortal heroes came to Qianjing. Naturally, I will not miss the opportunity to admire the demeanor of the masters. Maybe I can even get a chance to become an immortal. If I were outside normally, I might not be able to meet one in my lifetime." Zhou An said.
"Haha, this is the same as when I was young. I won't eat your meal for free. I'll give you this sign. There will be a good show at Baihua Tower at Xu time tonight. You can get in only if you have this sign. I'll take the wine away. It's rare to come across such good wine." After the old man finished speaking, he staggered away.
Zhou An looked at the wooden sign in his hand. There was a mark on it that he had never seen before, and the three words "Drunk Taoist" were engraved on the other side.
Baihua Tower is a special place for fireworks in Qianjing. It is special because no matter whether you are a high-ranking official or a martial arts master, you must abide by the rules of Baihua Tower when you are there.
This Baihua Tower also has a plaque written by Emperor Qianyuan himself, so even the ministers in the court do not want to cause trouble.
The most important thing is that all the women here have unique skills. None of the famous masters in the world can get away with anything good from these women. Even those who come here are top-notch masters.
Moreover, all the women in Baihua Tower are as beautiful as flowers, but it is a pity that they all sell their art and not their bodies. Moreover, the food and wine there are so expensive that ordinary wealthy families dare not set foot here. It is unattainable for countless high-ranking officials and nobles in Qianjing.
Even Zhou An, who was trapped in the palace, had heard the Queen Mother mention the name of Baihua Tower several times, but unfortunately, there was not much discussion about it.
At dinner time, Zhou An walked into this ancient building that was built nearly three hundred years ago. From the outside, the house looked like a flower bud, and the surrounding stone slabs and flower beds were like leaves as a backdrop. This style was unique in the Qianyuan Empire.
As he approached, the guard next to him reached out and stopped him, saying, "Sir, Baihua Tower is not open to the public today. Please come back tomorrow."
Zhou An took out the drunk Taoist's wooden sign, and the guard glanced at it and saluted, saying, "Come in."
Zhou An nodded and walked inside. Immediately, a light floral fragrance hit him in the face. The fragrance was vague and elusive. If one actively smelled it, there was no odor at all. Instead, one could smell this refreshing fragrance without realizing it.
In the middle of the lobby is an elegant compartment that spreads out like a lotus. In the middle is a circular stage where several beautiful women are singing and dancing.
There are twelve petals surrounding the stage, and on each petal is a table, with a pretty young woman sitting next to it serving.
Outside of that are the green leaves, a total of sixty-four leaves, each with a seat, but smaller.
Outside was a circle of corridors with many benches, where most people sat. Currently, most people on the field were sitting on the benches in the corridors, with more than 20 people sitting on the green leaves in the middle and only one table of people sitting on the petals.
You can tell at first glance that these seats are not ordinary. Zhou An came here to see how these immortal heroes behave. There was no need to be too ostentatious, nor did he want to be crowded with the people around him, so he chose a seat at the edge of the green leaves and sat down.
This position did not attract too much attention, but was only glanced at by some people.
As soon as Zhou An sat down, the woman in charge bowed slightly and said, "Young man, Ye Zuo only needs 10,000 taels of gold to take a seat, not counting any food and drink expenses. Do you want to take a seat?"
"Ten thousand taels of gold!" Zhou An was surprised. No wonder the people around him would rather crowd together than come over. Not many people can afford ten thousand taels.
He reached into his clothes, took out a ten thousand tael gold note from the system space and handed it to her.
The woman took it and pointed her finger at the bead on the table. A green light flew out like a gem, and then a soft white light was emitted, and at the same time a barrier light curtain appeared around it.
"Young man, this barrier can block the outside world's sight, but it can also be opened as you like." The woman's voice was sweet and soft, which was very comfortable to listen to.
"That's all. Bring us some of your local specialties." Zhou An sat down. He didn't know what material the chair was made of. It looked like jade, but it was soft against the table and had some warmth. It was very comfortable to sit on.
"Young man, if we want to order all our specialties, it will cost 770,000 taels of gold." The girl kindly reminded again.
(End of this chapter)
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