It was already late at night.
The June night breeze still carried a hint of heat, blowing warmly on the face.
The entire Demon Suppression Division was brightly lit, and there were martial artists diligently practicing in the training field.
Even though Xie An was only passing by and watching from afar, he could feel the sweat flowing on the martial artists' faces and the pursuit and desire for the future in their eyes.
Although Xie An was old, he liked this kind of inspiring atmosphere.
He only pursued stability and didn't like being aggressive and combative.
But that didn't mean Xie An didn't want to work hard.
Young lads might say they want to find an older woman or something, not wanting to work hard, which is understandable.
But Xie An didn't have that luxury, he could only work hard and rely on himself.
Some sharp-eyed martial artists saw Xie An and called out, "Commander Xie."
Reaching the seventh floor, Zhao Qing'er gently knocked on the door, then cupped her hands and said, "Commander Xie has arrived."
A soft voice came from inside, "Let him come in alone."
Zhao Qing'er naturally respected the Eldest Princess's words, gave Xie An a look, and then stood upright at the door like a guardian.
Xie An didn't hesitate, gently pushing the door open and entering.
A round moon hung high in the east, and the bright moonlight crossed the Great Yin Mountain, crossed the county town, and fell on the railing of the seventh floor of the Demon Suppression Division, reflecting on a tall woman.
Her upper body was a light blue silk jacket, and her lower body was a dark blue Luo skirt.
The hem of the jacket was tucked into the Luo skirt, and a belt was tied around her waist, outlining a very slender waist, paired with a pair of embroidered shoes, making her temperament even more fresh and refined.
Xie An had now entered the officialdom, gained knowledge, and knew a lot about the attire of official women, and had a more comprehensive understanding of the aesthetic of women in the Great Qian Dynasty.
In Xie An's view, the clothing of the Great Qian Dynasty was a mix of the Tang and Song dynasties of his previous life, even more inclined towards the Song Dynasty.
Women were reserved and graceful, pursuing a slender waist.
The entire Great Qian Dynasty considered slender and slim to be beautiful.
The women of the Great Qian Dynasty paid attention to wearing an upper garment and a lower skirt, pursuing a fitted and tight body, shaping at the waist and releasing below the waist.
Official women mostly paired narrow-sleeved clothes and long skirts, called "upper tightening and lower releasing."
The upper garment was mostly a jacket, a tube top, a half-sleeve, etc.
The lower skirt was mostly made of Luo, called "Luo skirt", and the material of Luo was light and thin with pores, presenting the characteristics of "light, thin, and fluttering", the skirt fluttering, extremely beautiful.
At this moment, Su Yuqing's clothing undoubtedly embodied the Great Qian's aesthetic of women.
"Greetings, Eldest Princess."
Hearing the voice, Su Yuqing, who was holding the railing, slowly turned her head, her beautiful hair moving in the wind, revealing a faint smile on her delicate and noble face, "Now that you're an official, you speak with such formality.
There's no need to be so ceremonious, come and sit."
The Eldest Princess sat at the head of the tea table, brewing tea with one hand and beckoning Xie An to come over with the other.
Xie An sat on the side seat, taking the opportunity while Su Yuqing was making tea to look at the Eldest Princess in front of him.
Four years apart, time had not left obvious marks on Su Yuqing's face.
Instead, he felt that the Eldest Princess's temperament had become more restrained and calm, and her charm was even more flavorful.
The June night was already a bit hot, and with the stove on the side, it was even hotter.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xie An's forehead, but the Eldest Princess was still as usual.
Unaffected by heat or cold.
She was not in a hurry to ask Xie An about the matter, still slowly boiling water and brewing tea.
Then, with slender and slender jade fingers, she opened a delicate small jar, used a wooden tweezers to take out some delicate and fragrant tea leaves, and put them in the porcelain cup in front of Xie An.
As the hot water was poured in, after the second brew, the rich tea fragrance was released, refreshing the heart and spleen.
Xie An felt very comfortable smelling it.
Every time he sat with this Eldest Princess, Xie An would feel an elegant and peaceful taste, as if the many troubles in life had disappeared in an instant.
Su Yuqing then spoke, "This is the Purple Bamboo Leaf I brought from the capital, you can taste the flavor."
Xie An picked up the porcelain cup and gently sipped it.
It was slightly astringent at the entrance, but after swallowing it, it was sweet between the teeth.
Moreover, the lower abdomen became a lot more comfortable.
In his previous life, he had drunk some so-called good tea, but all of them combined could not compare to this cup of Purple Bamboo Leaf.
The royal family still knows how to enjoy, there are really a lot of good things.
"Good tea."
Su Yuqing listened to Xie An's reply, and also picked up the porcelain cup, opened her jade lips and sipped it, carefully feeling the taste, "This is the tea garden personally managed by the Empress Dowager, naturally it is extremely good tea.
If you like it, this jar of tea leaves is all yours."
Whoosh!
A jar of tea was pushed in front of Xie An.
This…
Xie An was about to decline, "This is too precious, how can I let the Eldest Princess spend so much."
Su Yuqing smiled and said, "This tea leaf was originally brought to you."
Xie An was a little flattered, "Then I will respectfully accept it."
Accepting the tea leaves, Xie An began to calculate in his heart that in the future, when he was lying in the Drunken Weng chair basking in the sun, he would let Yu He brew this tea to drink, adding a bit more leisure.
Su Yuqing added another serving of water to Xie An, "I have received the two letters you wrote to me.
I originally planned to reply to you, but later Zhao Qing'er came to find me, so I came over to talk to you in person."
Saying that, Su Yuqing took out a yellowed booklet and handed it to Xie An, "The treasure plant you mentioned should be the rare Blood-Cold Lotus.
There are detailed cultivation methods on it, as well as corresponding fertilizers, etc.
However, ordinary Blood-Cold Lotus are not as big as you said.
What you got is probably some kind of mutation of the Blood-Cold Lotus.
You can try it according to the above methods, if you can't cultivate it, you can tell me again.
I'll ask someone again."
Xie An didn't expect that he had just casually mentioned it in the letter, but the Eldest Princess took it to heart so much.
There was a bit of warmth in his heart.
"Thank you, Eldest Princess."
Xie An thanked her after receiving the booklet.
Su Yuqing didn't care much, "It's just a small effort.
You helped me break the Great Bronze Bell, you have already helped me a lot.
This time you discovered the whereabouts of the Demon Empress, it is not impossible to say that you are my lucky star."
Xie An chuckled twice.
Demon Empress…
It seems that the New Dynasty still has resentment towards the Empress of the Old Dynasty.
Seeing that Xie An didn't speak, Su Yuqing said, "I have just ordered that He Chunli's guilt be waived."
Hearing this, Xie An immediately stood up, cupped his hands and thanked him: "Thank you, Your Highness the Eldest Princess.
However, will this make it difficult for the Eldest Princess?"
Su Yuqing raised her hand and pressed down, signaling Xie An to sit down, "There's no need to be so alarmed.
Didn't you also say in the letter that it was because of He Chunli that you discovered the whereabouts of the Demon Empress.
He Chunli can offset his merits and demerits."
Xie An then sat down.
He secretly sighed that it was convenient for the royal Eldest Princess to do things.
This is something that other officials would find difficult to operate, but for Su Yuqing… it's just a word.
Xie An knew that the Eldest Princess had solved his two problems, and now it was time to share the Eldest Princess's worries, so he retold in detail what he had seen and heard in the underground of the Great Yin Mountain.
He also explained in detail the process of questioning Zhou Li and Li Fushan in the county government.
Su Yuqing already knew these details, but she still listened very carefully, trying not to miss any details.
Finally, Su Yuqing affirmed Xie An, "Zhou Li and Li Fushan committed suicide out of fear of crime… You made a flexible decision, well done.
According to you, the Demon Empress is currently in the Giant Whale Gang?"
The information that Zhao Qing'er conveyed to Su Yuqing stopped there.
As for Chenxi's matter later, no one knew except Xie An.
Xie An looked around, very vigilantly.
Su Yuqing said: "Don't worry, there is no third person here."
Xie An was still not at ease, moved his chair closer to Su Yuqing, "The Prince of Huainan has a distinguished guest named Chenxi, does the Eldest Princess know?"
Su Yuqing nodded, "I just secretly met Chen Tie and Wei Haoran, they said it."
Xie An scanned the surroundings again, and finally leaned close to Su Yuqing's ear, smelling a faint fragrance, and said: "This Chenxi is Jin Xiaotang!"
In an instant, Xie An clearly felt Su Yuqing's body become stiff.
Xie An was not surprised.
Even the current reigning princess would be alarmed to hear that the Immortal Empress of the previous dynasty was hiding in the Demon Suppression Division.
Xie An retreated to his seat, picked up his teacup, and took a big gulp, trying to calm his nerves.
Su Yuqing was stunned for a long time before turning her head to look at Xie An. "Are you sure?"
Xie An recounted the explanation he had prepared long ago: "I'm sure. A few days ago, while I was sleeping, Chenxi sneaked into my room. She probably knew that I had shattered the Great Bronze Bell and was seeking revenge, wanting to strangle me. She muttered some things to herself and even displayed techniques beyond the eighteenth level of the Bright Jade Skill. I don't know what happened in the end, but she stopped and left. She thought I was asleep and didn't know anything. But I had already used the Fetal Breath Technique to feign sleep and knew everything."
As he finished speaking, Xie An revealed a sigh full of emotion, as if his days were very difficult.
Su Yuqing stared at Xie An for a long time. "It must have been hard for you. Does anyone else know about this?"
Xie An shook his head. "This matter is of great importance, and I haven't told anyone, nor have I let Chenxi become suspicious. I'm just hoping that the princess will arrive soon to take charge of the overall situation."
Su Yuqing raised her slender jade hand, holding the porcelain cup for a long time before saying, "Strange things are really happening one after another."
Xie An said, "Is the princess planning to capture the Immortal... Demon Empress?"
He asked this question with the intention of testing her.
Although the princess was undoubtedly a martial arts grandmaster, the Immortal Empress was not to be trifled with either. If the princess showed difficulty or hesitation, it would mean that she didn't have much confidence. In the future, Xie An would need to be even more careful.
If the princess showed indifference, then Xie An felt... that the princess, this towering tree, was fine.
Fortunately...
The princess's performance was as confident as ever, "Catching a Demon Empress is not a big problem."
This made Xie An breathe a sigh of relief.
He sighed inwardly that martial arts grandmasters were indeed awesome.
This wasn't even a big problem.
You're the best, Princess.
Xie An felt that the days ahead would be peaceful.
However...
"But..." Su Yuqing said two words, pausing slightly.
Xie An's heart rose again, and he listened attentively.
Su Yuqing pondered for a moment and decided to say it, "Although the Demon Empress is not difficult to deal with, the Five Old Demons behind her are very troublesome."
"Five Old Demons?"
This was the first time Xie An had heard these three words.
What the hell was that?
Seeing Xie An's confusion, Su Yuqing explained, "The Corpse Refining Hall, as a branch of the Longevity Sect, initially fled into the Great Yin Mountain because there were Five Old Demons deep within the Great Yin Mountain. Relying on the deterrence of the Five Old Demons, the Corpse Refining Hall was able to hide in the Great Yin Mountain for a hundred years. And the only person in the Corpse Refining Hall who had contact with the Five Old Demons was Jin Xiaotang, the Demon Empress."
Xie An's scalp went numb.
He had lived in Qingwu County for many years and had long heard from his ancestors that there were demons in the Great Yin Mountain.
But he had never seen them.
Unexpectedly, there really were great demons.
Moreover, the local chronicles and historical records of various counties in Daqian all recorded that there were demons in the Great Yin Mountain.
The documents of the Demon Suppression Division also stated very clearly.
Slaying demons and eliminating monsters was the duty of the Demon Suppression Division.
It was just that Xie An had lived a stable life in the past and had never seen them. So, when he heard it for the first time, he was inevitably shocked.
Su Yuqing continued, "When the Emperor founded the country, he was ambitious and tried to open a commercial port from the Great Yin Mountain on the southeastern border to the East Sea, but he was blocked by the Five Old Demons of the Great Yin Mountain. Later, the Emperor was furious and sent two grandmasters into the Great Yin Mountain to slay the demons, but they both returned defeated. Later, it could only be left unresolved.
Because of the existence of the Five Old Demons, the southeastern border of our dynasty has always been closed, cutting off the sea route.
Although the Five Old Demons have been hiding in the Great Yin Mountain for hundreds of years without coming out, this is the biggest hidden danger in the southeast of our Daqian."
Xie An became more and more shocked and suddenly understood many things, "So... the princess's upgrade of the Qingwu Demon Suppression Division is not only to search for the Demon Empress, but also to help defend against the Five Old Demons of the Great Yin Mountain?"
Su Yuqing nodded, "This is just a preliminary upgrade."
Xie An was even more shocked.
This was just a preliminary upgrade?
Would it continue to be upgraded in the future?
Seeming to see Xie An's doubts, Su Yuqing did not hide anything, "I won't hide it from you, this palace... intends to complete the unfinished business of the Emperor's founding of the country, eliminate the hidden danger of the Five Old Demons of the Great Yin Mountain, and help Daqian open a commercial port on the southeastern border. To open up the southeastern commercial port for our dynasty and benefit the people of several southeastern states."
Xie An stared blankly at the woman in front of him, unable to speak for a long time.
It was not until now that Xie An completely saw the Kunpeng ambition of this princess.
It turned out that she had run from the capital to Nanyang Prefecture to set up for more than twenty years, not only for the Corpse Refining Hall, nor only to wipe out the Longevity Sect... she wanted to complete the ambition that Emperor Jingtai had failed to achieve.
For the people of several states.
This ambition, of course, made Xie An very admire.
But Xie An thought of Princess Taiping in his previous life.
If Su Yuqing really completed this feat, it would certainly benefit hundreds of millions of people.
But... wasn't she afraid of being jealous of Emperor Jingtai?
Wasn't she afraid of being too meritorious?
Vaguely, Xie An felt that Su Yuqing in this life would follow in the footsteps of Princess Taiping in her previous life.
Although the great event had not yet been accomplished, Xie An had already heard the lament.
Xie An wanted to remind her, but he felt it was unnecessary.
This princess was one or two years older than him and was well-versed in the ways of the world. What he could see, she must have seen as well.
Su Yuqing did not know what Xie An was thinking. Seeing Xie An staring at her for a long time, she said, "In addition, the Prince of Huainan was a great general of the previous dynasty, and Jin Xiaotang has become a guest of the Prince of Huainan. The two sides may collude, plus the Five Old Demons. The situation is complicated. The preliminary upgrade of the Qingwu Demon Suppression Division is also to set up a nail in this core place.
Next, you will continue as usual and don't let Jin Xiaotang become suspicious."
Xie An vaguely knew what Su Yuqing was thinking, but he still asked, "What are the princess's plans?"
Su Yuqing did not hide anything, "Wait. Wait for Jin Xiaotang to collude with the Five Old Demons, wait for Jin Xiaotang to collude with the Prince of Huainan. Then, close the net."
Xie An admired the princess's patience.
He knew that Su Yuqing wanted to eliminate the Prince of Huainan, Jin Xiaotang, and the Five Old Demons at the same time.
Of course, it was possible to arrest the Demon Empress now. But the Prince of Huainan might not rebel, and the Five Old Demons would not come out. If they didn't come out, the hidden danger of Daqian on the southeastern border would always exist, watching covetously, like a thorn in the back.
Only wait.
Wait for the Prince of Huainan to rebel.
Then he could be wiped out.
Although Su Yuqing was a member of the royal family, the best way to eliminate a prince of a different surname was to: wait for him to rebel!
The fact that Su Yuqing could say all this meant that she really regarded Xie An as one of her own.
Xie An was naturally gratified, but also worried.
But as things stood, Xie An had no better way.
In the end, it was still strength.
As long as Xie An stepped into the nineteenth level of the Bright Jade Skill and was comparable to a martial arts grandmaster, he would have enough say. At that time, he could leave if he wanted to, and the court would also need to win him over and value him.
Even if Xie An didn't want to participate in court affairs, as long as he didn't become an enemy of the court, the court wouldn't make things difficult for him.
In troubled times, everything depended on strength.
Xie An knew that this day would come soon.
Before that, relying on the princess to develop was undoubtedly the best choice.
After understanding these things, Xie An felt much relieved.
Su Yuqing said, "I will tell Chen Tie, Wei Haoran, and Zhao Qing'er to hide the news of my coming here. Just pretend I've never been here. By the way, I heard you bought a house in the county town?"
Xie An didn't expect that she would know such a small thing as buying a house, so he didn't hide it, "Yes, it's not far from Tangjiabao."
Su Yuqing said, "Is it convenient for me to live there for a while?"
Xie An was overjoyed, "It's convenient."
That's exactly what he wanted.
With the princess around, Xie An wouldn't have to worry about the Immortal Empress attacking him. Then he could develop well and strive to break through the nineteenth level of the Bright Jade Skill as soon as possible and be comparable to a martial arts grandmaster.
Then he would be free to soar like a fish in the sea, no longer needing to rely on anyone.
