Chapter 251: Cabinet Ministers Enter the Immortal Cultivation World
Prince Yu’s Mansion, in the main hall.
Prince Yu, Zhang Juzheng, Crown Prince Zhu Yijun and Wang Chonggu took their seats in turn.
This time, Prince Yu and Zhang Juzheng tacitly agreed not to mention Prince An Zhu Zairun.
The two of them understood the rules, and this time the emperor did not disturb Prince An and the others. Jiuwa entered Yuxi Palace for a while without intending to tell the Ninth Prince about the existence of the immortal world.
There is no need to say much about Prince Yu. They are actually cooperating. Even though he appears to support his younger brother Prince An, family affection in the royal family has always been weak, and when it comes to interests, they are like strangers.
Since his father had chosen not to tell the Ninth Prince about the affairs of the immortal world, he naturally would not take the initiative to tell him.
Although Zhang Juzheng chose Prince An, he naturally knew how to choose between Jiajing and a prince.
Before the Emperor explicitly told the Ninth Prince that he could participate in the affairs of the immortal cultivation world, he would never dare to leak the news.
"Zhu Yijun, you speak first." Prince Yu looked at his son who was thinking with his head down.
Ever since the power of the palace was handed over to Zhu Yijun, he has been more of a representative of the palace to the outside world. In fact, the current Prince Yu's Palace has long been under the charge of Zhu Yijun.
After hearing his father's words, Zhu Yijun put away his thoughts, took a deep breath, bowed to Prince Yu, and then looked at Zhang Juzheng and said, "Sir, I think it's better to say some things at the beginning."
"Please come in, Prince." Zhang Juzheng made a gesture of invitation, and at the same time he couldn't help but secretly guess in his heart what Zhu Yijun would say to him next.
"Okay," Zhu Yijun nodded, and then said bluntly: "Regarding Uncle Seven, since Grandfather Emperor has not informed us, it means that he will not let Prince Nine get involved."
"And the reason why Grandpa Huang asked the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department to participate, I hope that Mr. Zhang, no, all of us, will regard it as a grace bestowed by Grandpa Huang."
"Since it is a blessing, we should cherish it and never become arrogant because of it."
Zhang Juzheng could tell that Zhu Yijun was warning him not to reveal the matter of cultivating immortals to Prince An.
"I understand what Your Excellency means. Please rest assured." Zhang Juzheng nodded and said.
There was no sign of surprise on his face because Zhu Yijun had chosen him. In fact, there was even a hint of approval in the depths of his eyes.
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel regretful. If he had not parted ways with Prince Yu at the beginning, and if what happened later had not happened, perhaps Zhu Yijun would have been his student.
Wang Chonggu, who originally belonged to the direct line of Prince Yu's Mansion, was delighted to see that his own son could handle things so well in front of Zhang Juzheng with the attitude of a superior.
But he is just a military man. Although he is now a member of the cabinet, it is not appropriate for him to interrupt at this time. He just needs to watch quietly.
"Sir, you are an old man in the cabinet. I, Yijun, naturally know this," Zhu Yijun said, pausing slightly and smiling.
"In fact, what I want to say is that no matter you or my Prince Yu's Mansion, we will all enter the world of cultivating immortals. In addition to working for the benefit of our Ming Dynasty, we must also develop ourselves."
"In this process, we absolutely cannot do without the use of people."
"And it's a large number of people, and the screening of these people must be very careful."
"Therefore, I propose that everyone we choose to enter the world of immortal cultivation must hand over his or her own destiny."
"This move is naturally to reassure Grandpa Huang!"
"I have thought of this as well," Zhang Juzheng said, and then he paused and looked at Prince Yu and Zhu Yijun, saying:
"But, as far as I know, all the direct officials of Prince Yu's and Prince Jing's palaces did not hand in their own lives." As he spoke, Zhang Juzheng bowed his hands and apologized:
"To be disrespectful, for the Emperor, compared to his subjects, the princes are the least safe."
When Zhang Juzheng finished speaking, the atmosphere in the hall became slightly tense.
Prince Yu, who was sitting in the upper seat, had a slightly stiff expression on his face. This was indeed an issue that had to be considered.
Zhang Juzheng's consideration was reasonable. If he were in the Ming Dynasty, as his father's biological son, he would have to hand in his life, and his father's attitude towards him had never changed.
Even before his father went into seclusion, he gave him and King Jing a lot of resources for cultivation.
But now they are about to enter a vast world of immortal cultivation, which is also the source of all immortal paths in the Ming Dynasty.
In his opinion, they could obtain a large amount of immortal cultivation resources from the immortal cultivation world just like their father did. The most important thing was that they would no longer rely on their father from now on.
In this way, these princes can set up their own faction and build their own immortal cultivation force at any time.
Moreover, these princes now have their own supporting officials. If they use the other world as their base, they can establish another small court at any time.
Although these may be insignificant, there are no relatives in the royal family, and my own father has always been extremely suspicious. He might suddenly punish me at any time.
Of course, the way to break the impasse is to hand over your life!
In this way, their immortal path was completely in the hands of their father, and the emperor was naturally completely relieved.
Thinking of this, Prince Yu subconsciously looked at his son Zhu Yijun, but then he heard Zhu Yijun say:
"Tomorrow, I will hand over my life to Grandpa Emperor." After saying that, he looked at Prince Yu and said, "Father, we have no choice, and in my opinion, this move has more benefits than disadvantages."
Prince Yu frowned and said nothing, but just signaled Zhu Yijun to finish his words.
"The ultimate goal of our Prince Yu's Mansion is to strengthen our own strength and obtain the position of Crown Prince."
"Before this, the reason for not handing in my life was simply because I didn't want to be controlled by the future crown prince or the new emperor."
"But father, have you forgotten? The reason we want the position of Crown Prince is to gain more resources."
"For the new emperor, the fact that the position of Taizong fell to another member of the royal family was a thorn in his flesh."
"No matter how powerful the Prince of Yu's Mansion becomes in the future, it will eventually have to survive under the Ming Dynasty."
"So the position of the crown prince can only return to the emperor's lineage in the end. The only difference is the length of time."
"In this case, I will hand over my life to Grandpa Emperor in advance and enter the world of immortal cultivation, thereby obtaining more immortal cultivation resources and strengthening the power of Prince Yu's Mansion in exchange for future freedom."
“If one or several immortals can appear in my Prince Yu’s mansion before Grandpa Emperor abdicates, we will be the strongest backing for the royal family.”
"This destiny will come back sooner or later!"
"In addition, handing over my life to Grandpa Emperor can also gain his favor, thereby obtaining greater authority in the world of immortal cultivation, obtaining resources, and developing my own power."
"On the contrary, if you don't hand in your life at this time and let others get it first, you will have no advantage at all."
At this point, Zhu Yijun's eyes sparkled, and he said in a low voice: "We must set an example for the kings!"
"Although I believe Fourth Uncle and the others can think of this, we must hurry and get there before they do!"
"In this way, when the Emperor Grandfather recalls this in the future, he will also remember the good things that happened in Prince Yu's Mansion."
"Therefore," Zhu Yijun bowed to Prince Yu and said, "I think that at this time, it is better to hand over my life to Grandpa Emperor than to do any harm!"
After Zhu Yijun finished speaking, whether it was Zhang Juzheng or Wang Chonggu, when they looked at the Prince of Yu in front of them, their eyes were filled with uncontrollable shock.
Especially Wang Chonggu, his joy was beyond words and his face was full of admiration.
From the moment he decided to stick with Prince Yu to the end and not hand over his life to the Emperor, he had already secretly regarded himself as a retainer of Prince Yu's mansion in his heart.
Now that Prince Yu’s Mansion has such an heir, they, the family servants and subordinates, are naturally extremely excited!
This means that their future will also be secured!
"Your Highness is right!" At this time, Zhang Juzheng also spoke up and praised:
"The Prince Yu's Mansion only seeks self-preservation and self-sufficiency, not the throne. They are also members of the royal family. When the Prince Yu's Mansion becomes powerful in the future, whether it is in the world of immortal cultivation or on a star outside this world, they can live in peace and quiet. I think the new emperor will also be relieved."
Zhang Juzheng's words were to express his own position, and he was also expressing his opinion on behalf of Prince An.
Although as a subject he was not qualified to make decisions for his master, especially the future new emperor, the current Prince An was too weak and all his power came from the support of Prince Yu.
When one day in the future Prince An is allowed by the Emperor to know about the world of immortal cultivation, he must agree to this statement.
Because, at that time, the power of Prince Yu's Mansion was probably enough to dominate even in the world of immortal cultivation.
Prince Yu's Mansion will become the indispensable and greatest helper for Prince An. At that time, Prince An can only agree! He will even be thankful that Zhang Juzheng made his statement on his behalf in Prince Yu's Mansion today.
Zhang Juzheng himself was a cultivator, so he naturally understood the path of cultivating immortals. If you take one step ahead, you will be ahead at every step.
The power of Prince Yu's Mansion will be so great in the future that if Prince An wants to compete for the throne, he must rely on Prince Yu's Mansion.
At that time, all he would need was a Heavenly Blood Covenant to indicate that if he became emperor in the future, he would not make things difficult for Prince Yu's lineage.
I have to say, the world of cultivating immortals is great, oaths can be fulfilled, and even the emperor cannot break them.
However, what Zhang Juzheng will never know is that the future master of the Ming Dynasty is the emperor himself!
After some thought and consideration, Prince Yu nodded and said, "In that case, tomorrow, I will hand over my life!"
Seeing that Prince Yu decided to surrender himself, Zhu Yijun, Zhang Juzheng and Wang Chonggu all smiled.
The sky gradually darkened, the rain became heavier, and in the blink of an eye it was the second day.
A night passed, but Yan Song and others were unable to sleep the whole night. They could only force themselves to calm down through meditation and practice, so as to wait until dawn to enter the world of immortal cultivation.
However, everyone waited from morning till afternoon, but still did not see any movement from Jiajing, until night fell.
Finally, amid everyone's nervous anticipation, Jiajing's calm voice suddenly rang in their minds. At the same time, they were told that the passage to the world of immortal cultivation, the Western Continent, had been opened.
In the study room of Yan Mansion.
"I have opened a passage for you to enter the world of immortal cultivation. Please get ready. I will take you there right away."
Listening to the voice gradually fading away in their minds, Yan Shifan and Yan Song stood up from their seats.
"Dad, I feel like my soul seems to have some special sensation!" Yan Shifan looked at Yan Song excitedly.
"This feeling is very strange, as if there is some kind of calling and pulling deep in my heart, and I can go there as long as I think about it. The source of the calling and pulling, could it be..." "It should be," Yan Song nodded, resisting the urge to respond to the calling and pulling immediately through his soul, and at the same time said to Yan Shifan:
"Don't act rashly. Wait for the emperor's orders!"
"Yes, Dad, I..." Yan Shifan was about to say that he was not such an ignorant person, but before he could finish his words, he felt an irresistible force forcibly engulfing him, and the next moment, he felt his consciousness go black and he completely lost consciousness.
At the same time, the same scene was happening to everyone in the cabinet, the Imperial Household Department, and the two royal palaces.
At this time, in the Western Continent, Lingxu Island, Qingmu Prefecture, a corner of the East, Fengling Town, inside the Jin Family Manor.
The speed of time flow in the two worlds is the same, the only difference is that when it is bright day, it is dark in the world of cultivation.
When Jiajing and others entered the world of immortal cultivation, it was night in the Ming Dynasty. In the world of immortal cultivation, it was naturally morning.
"Master, I guess it will take a while for him to wake up." Lu Fang looked at the cabinet members lying in a mess in the courtyard and the Imperial Household Department, and said with a smile to Jiajing who was standing beside him.
It was the first time for someone to enter the world of cultivating immortals from Daming. It took some time. Lu Fang still remembered that the first time he entered the world of cultivating immortals, he lay down for a whole day.
This is the body adapting to two different worlds.
"Wait a minute," Jiajing squinted at the sky, took a look at the orange-yellow morning light, waved his hand, and a big chair appeared behind him, "Go prepare breakfast."
"Yes." Lu Fang agreed and turned to leave.
Yesterday, Jiajing had already brought Lu Fang to see the layout of the manor, so Lu Fang was familiar with this place.
In the darkness, Yan Song's consciousness gradually became clear. He could even feel the rich spiritual energy from all directions, as well as a slight warmth shining on his skin.
He tried hard to open his eyes, but found that his body did not obey him at all.
At this moment, even Yan Song, who was used to many storms, couldn't help but panic in his heart.
For a moment, many assumptions flashed through his mind. The first one was whether the emperor was going to take action against him and the Yan family, but he quickly dismissed this idea.
If the emperor wanted to take action against him and the Yan family, why would he go through so much trouble? He could just issue an imperial decree to deal with the Yan family.
“The rich spiritual energy is no different from that in the capital, or even not as rich as that in the capital. However, it is completely different from the spiritual energy emitted by the spiritual veins. It comes from between heaven and earth…”
Although the spiritual energy of the Ming Dynasty capital has, to some extent, surpassed most places in the leisure world.
After all, the spiritual veins of the Ming Dynasty capital have long since evolved from the original seventh grade to a third grade spiritual vein after Jiajing broke through the golden elixir. The spiritual energy of the entire capital is extremely rich.
A third-grade spiritual vein was already comparable to some of the major sects in the world of immortal cultivation.
However, according to the recording standards of the "General Records of the Star Domain", the "Earth" where the Ming Dynasty is located is a "dead star".
The natural world has no spiritual energy!
Therefore, no matter how rich the refined spiritual energy is, it is ultimately not the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but the spiritual energy emitted by the spiritual veins.
Yan Song, who had already broken through to the middle stage of foundation building and possessed spiritual awareness, felt the difference in spiritual energy at the first moment.
"Could it be that we have already arrived in the world of cultivating immortals?" Although he still had doubts in his heart, he had already firmly believed it.
"I can't move now, but I can sense everything in the outside world. Excluding the possibility that the emperor wants to take action against my Yan family, the only possible reason is the world of immortal cultivation!"
Yan Song was indeed an old fox who had become cunning and experienced much. After a brief panic, he calmed down instantly.
Of course, at this moment, Xu Jie and others had similar ideas to his, so everyone gradually put their minds at ease and waited.
They knew that there was no reason for the emperor to attack them for no reason, and as time went on, they found that their bodies' perception of the outside world was becoming stronger and stronger.
Soon, everyone guessed at the same time that perhaps their bodies were adapting to this world.
As time passed, night fell in the blink of an eye.
"Hmph." Finally, with a light snort from someone unknown, everyone sat up one after another.
"Where is this place..." Yan Song sat up and looked around. At this moment, Lu Fang's voice sounded behind him.
"Lord Yan, why don't you pay your respects to the Emperor?"
The Emperor? Yan Song was stunned, and his body trembled suddenly. Then, as if he had suddenly realized something, he turned around quickly, knelt down smoothly, and said:
"This old minister has been disrespectful in front of the emperor. I hope the emperor will forgive me."
This old fellow! Seeing this, Lu Fang, who was standing next to Jiajing, was speechless. How could he not know that Yan Song was putting on a show again?
This old fellow's cultivation has clearly entered the middle stage of foundation building. In the world of immortal cultivation, he is considered a strong man among the independent cultivators. However, he always acts like a drowsy old man on weekdays.
At this time, Xu Jie and others also knelt on the ground and saluted.
"Everyone, get up," Jiajing waved his hand, signaling everyone to get up, and said, "This is your first time entering the world of immortal cultivation, and your bodies need a period of adaptation."
"It won't be the same the next time you enter."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." After everyone stood up, they stood in the yard according to their respective positions.
In the front were naturally Prince Yu and Prince Jing. Behind the two princes, on the left and right were Qingfeng and Chanshuang, the two imperial masters of Buddhism and Taoism.
Afterwards, everyone from the Cabinet and the Imperial Household Department stood still, including Lu Fang's godson, Chen Ju.
The people from the Imperial Household Department entered the world of cultivating immortals this time only to cooperate with the cabinet in the future, and then they would return to Ming Dynasty.
As for Qingfeng and Chanshuang, they were a favor given by Jiajing to the two girls. Moreover, he had other plans regarding these two Buddhist and Taoist girls, but that was all for the future. It was too early to make arrangements now.
Soon, Lu Fang served spiritual porridge to everyone.
After eating, at the signal of Jiajing, Lu Fang said: "Everyone, where are we now..." Lu Fang introduced the basic situation of Fengling Town to Yan Song and others.
Yan Song and others listened carefully, afraid of missing any details, and secretly analyzed the situation in the town.
"Okay," Lu Fang said after the introduction, "From now on, you can travel freely between the two worlds."
"If you want to leave Fengling Town and develop somewhere else in the future, you can return to Daming with just a thought."
Because these people are already part of the Ming Dynasty, and have the authority given by Jiajing to travel between the two worlds, they don't need to be like Jiajing, who has to travel in a fixed way every time.
It was not until now that he had his natal object, the dust, floating around the world of immortal cultivation that he could move relatively freely.
"I'm waiting for your good news." After saying that, Jiajing slowly stood up, then took Lu Fang away and headed for the southern continent.
Jiajing needs to go back to the Daming Immortal Sect, and Lu Fang also needs to go back to the Central Plains to keep an eye on the Huoyun Sect.
This time, the entire Ming Dynasty's top leaders have all entered the world of cultivating immortals, and everyone has a clear division of labor.
Seeing his father leaving, Prince Yu glanced at Prince Jing beside him imperceptibly, and could only suppress the desire to surrender his own life to show his loyalty.
In the courtyard, as Jiajing and Lu Fang left, everyone felt the atmosphere relax invisibly.
But soon after, everyone was replaced by excitement in their hearts. They had finally entered the world of cultivating immortals.
This means that from now on, they no longer need to focus on the small things in the Ming Dynasty, because they have bigger goals. As for the resources of the Ming Dynasty, let the people below fight for them.
"Lord Yan," after being a little excited for a while, Xu Jie, the second assistant of the cabinet, immediately stood up and looked at Yan Song, "What should we do next? I still need you to make a decision."
After hearing Xu Jie's words, everyone, including Prince Yu and Prince Jing, had no complaints at this moment.
For them, what is laid out before them is an enormous benefit, and they do not have the time to bicker with each other as they usually do in the Wenhua Hall.
Everyone understands that at this time, a reliable person is really needed to step forward and make decisions for everyone.
There is no doubt that when it comes to grabbing resources and making profits for himself, if Yan Song dares to say he is second to none, no one dares to claim to be first.
Coincidentally, at this time, whether it was the cabinet, the Imperial Household Department, or the two royal palaces, everyone was a representative of the Ming Dynasty, and they were united in seeking benefits for the Ming Dynasty.
Only then can they get a share of the profits from the Ming Dynasty.
Now they need someone to stand up and point everyone in a general direction, and then based on this direction, derive other ways to gain benefits, so that no mistakes will be made.
Well, to put it bluntly, it means letting Yan Song make decisions and set the future direction, and if there are any mistakes, Yan Song will be responsible.
Seeing that these old foxes in the cabinet were about to push their own people to the forefront, Yan Shifan's eyes became a little gloomy. He clenched his fists and couldn't help but curse in his heart.
However, this time, he did not rashly start to scold everyone as usual, because he knew that this was inevitable, because his father Yan Song was the Prime Minister of the Cabinet.
At this time, no matter what faction everyone present belonged to, under the Ming Dynasty, they were a whole. If the Prime Minister of the Cabinet did not speak at this time, it would be tantamount to dereliction of duty.
"It's getting late," Yan Song had returned to his usual behavior. He first looked at the night sky, then said, "Why don't we go into the hall and talk?"
After saying this, he ignored everyone and said to Prince Yu and Prince Jing, looking towards the brightly lit hall, "Your Highnesses, please come in."
Seeing Yan Song's mature and steady appearance, as if he had already made plans, Prince Yu and Prince Jing looked at each other, and without being arrogant, they extended their hands to Yan Song and said, "Lord Yan, please."
"..."
(End of this chapter)
