“Such reckless words! This is slander!” The National Preceptor of Chen pointed at him, furious. “Even if you’ve become the Grand Preceptor of Chu, you’re still a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect. I’ll report this to the sect leader…”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu, seeing this, already had his answer.

He spoke calmly, “Calm down. The sect leader favors Chu the most. Writing to complain will be useless.”

The National Preceptor of Chen was taken aback.

A sudden suspicion flashed through his mind, and he instinctively frowned. “You… have you already used this information to threaten my… ahem, the sect leader? Is that why he favors your Chu Kingdom?”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu shook his head. “No, I haven’t.”

But the National Preceptor of Chen wasn’t convinced. He suddenly felt a sense of resignation and said, “Fine. So why are you exposing me now? To threaten me too? Hah, since you and Da Xia already know this secret, unless…”

A hint of madness flashed across his face. “How about this? You and Da Xia fight it out first. Whoever wins, I’ll listen to them.”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu chuckled lightly. “You misunderstand, fellow Daoist. We are both Preceptors of great kingdoms, equal in status. I would never do something so barbaric.”

The National Preceptor of Chen let out a sarcastic “Hah,” clearly not believing him.

“Old Daoist, I noticed you seemed distracted, so I wanted to offer some advice. This Sect Leader Zhao is extremely meticulous. Since he dared to let you leave the mountain, he must have made thorough preparations. In other words, even if there are rumors, they won’t harm him in the slightest.”

The National Preceptor of Chu continued, “If you don’t believe me, you can discreetly send a letter back to ask.”

The National Preceptor of Chen’s face was full of doubt.

The Grand Preceptor of Chu turned and left without another word.

Now the National Preceptor of Chen was truly hesitant. Could it be that the Grand Preceptor of Chu was genuinely well-meaning?

No, he needed to observe further.

And so, the National Preceptor of Chen observed for several days.

On the first day, the Grand Preceptor of Chu didn’t bring up the topic again, only occasionally discussing Daoist teachings and mundane matters.

On the second day, they exchanged Daoist teachings as usual.

On the third day…

Gradually, the National Preceptor of Chen let down his guard. The Grand Preceptor of Chu truly had no ulterior motives. So, was what he said true? Had his father really cleaned up all the evidence?

If so… then Da Xia had no way to threaten him with this?

With this thought, a heavy weight lifted from the National Preceptor of Chen’s heart. Immediately after, the resentment that had been suppressed within him erupted.

His expression twisted, and moments later, he handed a token to a soldier of Chen Kingdom.

…

A short while later, a Chu Kingdom soldier hurried to the Grand Preceptor of Chu Kingdom and whispered, “Grand Preceptor, the guards at the four gates saw soldiers from Chen Kingdom leaving the city.”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu Kingdom nodded. “Hmm.” It seemed the seed he had planted had sprouted.

He chuckled. “At twenty years old, one is full of pride and eager for revenge. Well, keep an eye on the Da Xia’s spring festival. There will likely be… no, there will definitely be disturbances.”

The soldier nodded. “Understood. I’ll ensure the Grand Preceptor isn’t implicated.”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu lightly tapped the soldier’s forehead with a book. “Wrong. Don’t worry about me. Remember, our purpose in coming to Da Xia is to gather intelligence. The spring festival is a major event for all four kingdoms, and Da Xia is currently suffering from drought. If disturbances occur during the festival, Da Xia will undoubtedly spare no effort to resolve them.”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu continued, “So, at that time, have your people closely monitor Da Xia’s officials. Find out who is responsible for handling the disturbances, what methods they use, the procedures, and so on. Compile all this information into a report and bring it back to Chu as soon as possible.”

The soldier bowed in admiration. “Understood.”

The Grand Preceptor of Chu leisurely gazed out the window. The pieces were in place. Now, he would wait and see which talented individuals could unravel years of scheming in just a few months.

…

Kunning Palace

The very person the Grand Preceptor of Chu was wary of, Yuan Ruan, had just grown her third tooth.

She was puffing out her cheeks, secretly nibbling on a small piece of roasted meat with her two teeth.

System: [Ruan, it’s just a piece of roasted meat. Do you really need to eat it so reverently?]

Yuan Ruan: [Mmm-hmm…]

System: […] Unbelievable. She’s even too absorbed to communicate via brainwaves.

In truth, Yuan Ruan’s sneaky eating was quite obvious, like a teacher spotting a student snacking in class. The Empress had noticed but, feeling soft-hearted, chose not to expose her.

At that moment, palace maids entered carrying stacks of boxes, opening them one by one in front of Yuan Ruan.

The Empress waited until Yuan Ruan had swallowed before gently saying, “These are the Daoist robes, accessories, hair ornaments, and horsetail whisks for the spring festival. Ninth Princess, if you see something you like, just touch it, and we’ll dress you in it later.”

The palace maids opened the boxes one by one, announcing which palace or consort had sent each item.

Yuan Ruan’s eyes widened as she saw the array of tiny clothes, miniature horsetail whisks, and small ornaments. It wasn’t that she lacked experience, but these items were simply too exquisite and beautiful.

System: [The Empress has really put her heart into this. Everything is made to scale for you. Even though you can’t hear, she doesn’t take credit for the other consorts’ contributions. She’s truly… I’m moved to tears. But Ah Ruan, you should choose carefully.]

Yuan Ruan: [Huh? Why?]

System: [Look, each item represents a consort’s goodwill. If you choose one, doesn’t that mean you favor that consort?]

Yuan Ruan: [System, you’re being silly. Only children make choices. As a baby, I’m taking it all!]

As soon as she finished speaking, the Empress saw Yuan Ruan waving her chubby limbs, clearly trying to grab all the boxes.

The Empress couldn’t help but laugh and hugged Yuan Ruan. “All of these are for our little Ninth Princess. But we need to pick the most beautiful one so you can shine at the spring festival in a few days, alright? You’ll be the most beautiful little National Preceptor of the four kingdoms.”

Yuan Ruan babbled, “Yi-ya yi-ya,” and even put on an adorable act.

At that moment, the Second Princess and Seventh Princess also entered. They first paid their respects to the Empress, then smiled and said, “Ninth Sister, Ninth Sister, we’ve brought you some clothes too. Come and see.”

The Seventh Princess nodded eagerly and pulled out a jade horsetail whisk taller than Yuan Ruan herself.

The Empress and Second Princess’s eyes twitched slightly: This was undoubtedly Consort Rong’s style—extremely expensive.

Yuan Ruan’s eyes lit up.

She reached out with her chubby hands, and the Seventh Princess, Qi Yue, immediately handed the whisk to her.

Yuan Ruan excitedly grasped the whisk and planted it on the ground. The whisk stood just a head taller than her, and the black jade shimmered in the sunlight, as if a silver dragon were flowing along its length.

System: [This… this doesn’t really suit you. Which Daoist priest’s horsetail whisk is taller than the priest themselves?]

The Empress and Second Princess nodded in agreement: …

This time, they sided with the system.

The size really wasn’t appropriate.

Yuan Ruan: [You’ll see soon enough.]

System: […]

Yuan Ruan: [Ah, I remember something like this—like Athena holding the Staff of Victory! Don’t I look just like her?!]

System: [Don’t say it, don’t you dare say it… except for the fact that you’re a three-headed, chubby, short…]

Yuan Ruan glared: [Hmm?]

System quickly praised: [You look just like her! A perfect little Athena cosplay!]

Everyone was stunned: So that’s how the goddess in the little national fortune’s world holds her staff?

With this in mind, they looked at the setup again, carefully, and finally began to see a strange rhythm and beauty in it.

The Seventh Princess, Qi Yue, was delighted. “I also prepared some clothes.”

She then took out a black-and-white Daoist robe.

As she unfolded it, Daoist symbols embroidered in gold and silver thread on the black silk robe shimmered, exuding a mysterious beauty even in the shadows. The robe’s cuffs, collar, and hem were also adorned with intricate designs.

Yuan Ruan was mesmerized. This robe completely shattered her perception that black clothes were “easily monotonous.”

The Empress said, “It’s beautiful. But…” She pointed to the translucent inner lining of the robe. “With just this layer, it’s not wearable.”

Yuan Ruan: [Huh? Why not?]

System: [Probably because it’s too sheer? Look closely where the Empress is pointing. You can see skin through it.]

The Empress was surprised to hear this.

Was the little goddess’s world so conservative?

The Empress explained, “This year, Da Xia is suffering from drought, so the spring festival will focus on water rituals. This robe is too thick and heavy. If Ninth Princess wears it and goes into the water, it could be dangerous. We need to use this kind of fabric instead.”

With that, the Empress took out a robe from another box.

Yuan Ruan and the System: …

Well, it looked lightweight, but…

Wouldn’t this lead to instant exposure?!