Chapter 1
It is said that the martial arts world has just experienced a catastrophe, which has now been quelled by the imperial court! Speculation is rampant within the Min Kingdom, but how many people know the truth?
That was in the sixteenth year of the reign of Wang Zhi, the second emperor of the Min Kingdom, also known as the sixteenth year of Yuanfeng. The imperial court sent troops to suppress the martial arts forces. It was said that the reason for the attack was that Guan Haoshan colluded with foreign invaders to rebel and plot to usurp the throne. Only the emperor would believe this, let alone the common people! That spirited and carefree man, who cared nothing for court affairs, how could he possibly rebel? Rumors spread like wildfire, saying that the emperor feared a change of dynasty, and the biggest threat was Guan Haoshan, the youngest leader of the martial arts alliance at the time. He was a peerless martial artist, only twenty years old, and his city of Fengcheng was prosperous and peaceful, with people living in peace and not locking their doors at night. He was deeply loved by the local people, but few had ever seen the true face of the mysterious leader. Some even said that Leng Ying, the daughter of the current Crown Princess and a great general, was once the young leader's confidante, and that the catastrophe was caused by the Crown Prince Wang An, all for the sake of his beloved!
Strangely enough, the second emperor of the Min Kingdom never intended to appoint an empress since his ascension to the throne. However, just over a month after his coronation, he named his sixth son, Wang An, whom he had raised from childhood, as crown prince. It is said that the crown prince's mother died shortly after his birth. The other four sons were born when the current emperor was still the crown prince. There are four sons and two daughters in total. The eldest and second sons are already married, the third son is now approaching twenty, and the two daughters are both in their prime and already married. Only the third son remains unmarried.
Back when Guan Haoshan was in Fengcheng, a border town, he heard that foreign enemies had invaded the frontier. He immediately contacted martial arts heroes and went to the frontier to fight alongside the imperial soldiers. In less than three days, the enemy was completely annihilated. That year, the general Leng Shouqing was in charge of guarding the frontier. Since the frontier was leaderless, the emperor sent him to temporarily guard it. After the battle, Leng Shouqing was extremely grateful to Guan Haoshan and wanted to write to the emperor to recommend him as a frontier general. However, Guan Haoshan firmly refused, so he had no choice but to give up. Later, Leng Shouqing adopted Guan Haoshan as his godson. Guan Haoshan was only eighteen years old that year.
In the seventeenth year of the Yuanfeng era, a new mansion was built twenty kilometers south of the capital. The plaque above the gate read "Moved Mansion". This mansion, located halfway up the mountain, is probably the only one of its kind in the world. It is not that the Moved Mansion is large, but that it is extremely dangerous and hidden. Those who do not know it would not only be unable to find the gate, but they would also lack the skill to even get to the halfway point of the mountain. The area below is surrounded by miasma and poisonous gas. If one is not a master, one would probably not be able to enter alive. Upon entering the mansion, a long, winding corridor stretched out before you. On either side, numerous artificial hills, ponds, gardens, and pavilions of all sizes lined the path. At the end of the corridor lay a cliff. To the right was the main hall, and to the left were the rear courtyard and side rooms. Such a peculiar layout was truly rare. Right at the edge of the cliff, a man dressed in a black robe with cloud-like sleeves stood. His hair was tied with a jade crown, and he wore a white robe underneath, a black brocade belt around his waist, a folding fan in his hand, and black boots on his feet. A gentle breeze blew, causing his black robe to flutter in the wind. The man smiled slightly, leaned forward, and disappeared at the edge of the cliff, so fast that there was no time to see his face clearly. Suddenly, the man from before appeared at the bottom of the valley. With a flick of his wrist, the mountain wall in front of him slowly moved away, revealing a mountain gate. The man entered the gate and quickly traversed the long tunnel. Half an hour later, he appeared in the backyard of the imperial palace. Only then could one see the man's face clearly. He was astonished by his extraordinary appearance. His thick eyebrows were like swords reaching his temples, his phoenix eyes were long and alluring, his lips were of equal thickness, his nose was straight and beautiful, his skin was as fair as a lychee, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. He was charming and enchanting, and his gender was indistinguishable. His ten fingers were long and slender, half hidden in his sleeves. He stood tall and elegant in the emperor's harem. He was truly audacious. He pushed open the front door, passed through the bedroom hall, and went straight into the inner room. He stopped, looked at the beauty lying on the embroidered bed, and his smile deepened. He quickly sat down by the bed and roughly pulled her willow-like body into his arms, laughing, "Is Consort Xiu's alluring pose meant to seduce me?" The beauty in his arms giggled, "Then has Yimin succumbed to this temptation?" The man smiled wickedly without speaking, then suddenly lifted the beauty in his arms, spread her legs, and straddled her in his lap, causing the beauty in his arms to scream in surprise. She scolded, "Yimin is really audacious, actually teasing Xiu'er!"
"Isn't this what Consort Xiu wanted?"
"Would Yimin be willing to have Xiu'er?"
"Of course, I will do my utmost to serve Consort Xiu's wishes."
"Then...would you stay tonight?" The man remained silent, his eyelids slightly lowered. Suddenly, the beauty angrily said, "Xi Yimin, I knew you only brought me into the palace for revenge. You've been using my feelings for you all along. You're so heartless! Get out!" Xi Yimin tightly embraced the struggling woman in his arms and whispered, "Xiuer, believe me. Once I've eliminated all those who killed us, I'll rescue you. Then we'll leave Min Kingdom and go wherever we want to go, okay?" The beauty looked up at the handsome man before her, her eyes filled with tears, and murmured, "Really? Yimin..." Xi Yimin's eyes flickered, and he stammered, "Really? Alright, Xiuer, let's get down to business."
"good!"
"Does Xiuer know what the Emperor has been up to lately?"
"Yes, His Majesty has been searching for a woman since he ascended the throne!"
"Do you know the woman's name, who she is, and where she is now?"
"I really don't know. I just happened to pass by the Imperial Garden last night and overheard the Emperor asking the Imperial Guards about the results of their search for someone. But that person is definitely the woman the Emperor loves."
Why are you so sure?
"Because that person gave birth to a son for the Emperor, who is now the Crown Prince, Wang An."
"Does Xiu'er know what kind of person Wang An is?"
"Acting impulsively, ignorant of worldly affairs, and utterly naive!"
"It seems the Emperor truly loves that woman whose whereabouts are unknown!"
"Why do you say that, Yimin?"
"For a prince like that to survive in the treacherous palace, it's entirely thanks to the emperor's protection. But how did Xiu'er know that person was acting impulsively?"
"It's all because the Crown Prince used to frequently leave the palace to play. He fell in love with a woman from the martial arts world and insisted on marrying her as his Crown Princess. The Emperor refused, and the Crown Prince even threatened to kill himself. After all that, it was later discovered that the woman was not a martial arts figure at all, but rather the second daughter of the meritorious general Leng Shouqing, Leng Ying. As the daughter of a meritorious official, it was perfectly reasonable for her to marry the Crown Princess!"
It's her!
"What did Yimin just say?"
"It's nothing, Xiuer, it's getting late..."
"Are you leaving, Yimin?"
"Xiuer, I will come to see you." Xi Yimin gently held the woman in his arms, whom he had wronged so much, then let go, gently placed her on the couch, and quickly left.
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