Chapter 171: Hello Chang’an
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**Chapter 171: He Has Always Been Hiding Something**
After receiving Wu Jue’s confirmation, the Empress asked, “If she truly has Princess Chongyue’s soul, will this formation harm her?”
Wu Jue replied seriously, “If there is a mutual response with the formation, there will likely be obvious discomfort, but it won’t be life-threatening. At most, we just need to cut off the connection in time and remove her from the formation.”
The Empress nodded. “In that case, I am at ease.”
“I will immediately issue an order,” she continued. “We will stay at the Dayun Temple for three days... General Li Yi and General Chang have already led the army to Huainan, and I intend to have twenty thousand of our Da Sheng soldiers fast for three days, praying for divine protection.”
She added, “Thus, I ask for the Chang family’s young master and young lady to come here, to pray for General Chang together with me.”
This reasoning was perfectly logical and would raise no suspicions.
She first needed to ensure that the girl would be unperturbed and follow her instructions, arriving at the Dayun Temple smoothly.
The emperor's words were clear, and those like Cui Jing would understand what needed to be done and what should not be done.
At this moment, the Empress turned her gaze to Ming Luo. “Gu’an, I leave this matter to you. Tomorrow morning, you will return to the city and go to the Chang estate to deliver my edict, bringing the Chang young lady here to pray.”
Ming Luo was momentarily stunned, lowering her gaze to respond, “Yes.”
Yet, she sensed that the Empress’s eyes had not left her.
That gaze was calm and silent, but it made her feel intensely as if all her thoughts and intentions were being seen and pierced through.
Ming Luo felt a chill run through her, yet her back was soaked in sweat despite the deep autumn air.
After a brief pause, the Empress spoke again. “Remember, there must be no mistakes in this matter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, rest assured.” Ming Luo did her best to keep her voice steady and calm. “I understand.”
Her aunt was reminding her that this matter was of particular importance to the Empress. The phrase “no mistakes” was meant to alert her to be cautious and wary of anyone who might hinder this plan—herself included.
Now, she understood why her aunt had insisted she stay and listen in on this matter.
Unlike Cui Jing and Wu Jue, her role tonight was to observe the situation and her own position in it.
The Empress’s complete transparency with her, while seeming like trust, was actually a way to avoid unnecessary complications from her—rather than letting her harbor suspicions and potentially sabotage things from the shadows, the Empress had chosen to let her know everything and placed her fully under scrutiny. By giving her this responsibility, the Empress intended to nip any problems in the bud.
An emperor must rule the world, not shy away from it. They must use people, not avoid them. The concept of control was crucial, and her aunt was very skilled in managing others.
At this moment, Ming Luo could clearly feel that she had been under the Empress’s control from the very beginning.
She was like a tiny ant before the emperor, whose gaze marked the boundaries within which she could move. How she crawled and explored within those boundaries did not concern the emperor.
Now, this emperor was reminding her not to overstep.
This reminder applied to the present matter, but it was also a long-term warning—she was being advised to “keep her place” for the foreseeable future. Was her aunt truly preparing for the return of Princess Chongyue?
But what about her? If that ridiculous fantasy came true, if Chang Suining really did have traces of Princess Chongyue’s soul, even if it was just a fragment... where would her place be?
Would she have any future at all?
“If it truly is Chongyue who has returned, Wu Jue, General Cui, and all those, including Gu’an, who have worked tirelessly for twelve years between the Dayun Temple and the palace, will be my loyal servants.”
A trace of hope appeared in the Empress’s eyes. “Twelve years... tomorrow, we will know if heaven will show mercy on me and Chongyue.”
Outside the tower, the rain had stopped without anyone noticing.
However, the night was still pitch black with no stars or moon.
As the night deepened, most of the lamps in the temple had been extinguished, and the grand, solemn structure was shrouded in cold, damp darkness, making it hard to discern its original shape.
Even in Wu Jue’s room, the lamps had long been extinguished.
Though the rain had stopped, the wind still howled, and the closed window panes creaked intermittently.
When another similar creak echoed through the room, a cold wind rushed in.
Wu Jue sat up from his bed, seeming about to get up and close the window.
However, before he could reach the window, someone suddenly restrained his shoulder from behind and covered his mouth.
A shadow had entered with the wind.
The shadow lowered its voice. “Master, don’t make a sound. It’s me.”
Wu Jue nodded.
Cui Jing then withdrew his hand and stepped back, raising his hand to apologize.
Wu Jue said nothing. He simply closed the window, fastened it tightly, then grabbed the young man’s arm and pulled him to his bedside. He silently gestured for him to follow.
Wu Jue then knelt down first, crawling in the dark toward the bed’s underside.
Cui Jing: “...”
Is this the revered monk everyone speaks of?
As he watched, a hand emerged from under the bed and waved at him. Without hesitation, Cui Jing climbed in as well.
Fortunately, Wu Jue wasn't inviting him to lie under the bed and talk, or else, given their respective figures—one too round, the other too tall—the cramped space would have made it impossible.
The underside of the bed was equipped with a secret passage, a trapdoor Wu Jue was most skilled at setting up, very well hidden.
Once the mechanism was activated, Wu Jue led Cui Jing through the dark passage. After they entered, the mechanism closed behind them.
They didn't walk far before the surroundings began to open up, and Wu Jue skillfully groped for a light, igniting an oil lamp. The room lit up, revealing a secret chamber.
Cui Jing's gaze immediately fell on a stack of wine jars that had piled up into a small mountain.
Wu Jue followed his gaze and, in all seriousness, said, "...They’re all empty. They’re just here to block the sound, in case the walls have ears. Surely, General Cui knows that jars and pots have sound-dampening properties, right?"
Cui Jing nodded.
But from what he knew, for jars and pots to effectively block sound, they needed to be embedded in the walls, not just casually placed around. Besides, the smell of alcohol was so strong here that even the mice living in this place would be drunk all day long. He would have to be careful to get rid of the scent once he left.
Cui Jing wasn't concerned with the abbot's secret stash of wine. He came for a specific purpose: "Cui Jing has come regarding the matter of the Heavenly Maiden Tower."
"I know. That's why I've been waiting by the window for you, General Cui, to come," Wu Jue said, abandoning any pretenses and looking at the young man before him. "So you’ve come."
He sighed deeply, yet his eyes gradually filled with a smile. His voice was slightly hoarse: "Now that you've arrived, General Cui, I have my answer."
Meeting the monk's gaze—calm yet filled with swirling emotions, with a hint of inquiry—Cui Jing nodded. "Yes."
Yes.
That one word settled in Wu Jue's heart, causing him to stand a little unsteadily. He took a few steps back and leaned against the cold stone wall, slowly sitting down, wiping his moist eyes with his large, plump hand.
Just as Cui Jing wondered if he should say something, Wu Jue suddenly slapped his thigh and burst out laughing, exclaiming in great relief, "I knew it! I still have some skill!"
"When I meet the princess, I’ll have to ask her—who’s the stronger one now, that old man with the Heavenly Mirror or me?"
Cui Jing asked, "Was this formation set up by you to prove that to her?"
"Of course!" Wu Jue answered without hesitation.
It was, of course, a joke.
Cui Jing sat down cross-legged on the floor.
Though the room was dimly lit and covered in dust, the sight of the young man in his black robe sitting there somehow made Wu Jue feel that the secret chamber had a strangely noble aura.
Tsk, this kid—wherever he stands, he’s a treasure.
Wu Jue collected himself, then looked at the young man with a thoughtful, probing expression. "May I ask, General Cui, when did you confirm it?"
"I had suspected it before, but I only confirmed it tonight."
"Could you share with me how you confirmed it?"
Cui Jing nodded and explained his suspicions and reasoning, including Wu Jue’s earlier comment about Miss Chang's changed appearance.
"...Yes," Wu Jue said softly. "When that girl returned to Dayun Temple after escaping from Hezhou, I immediately noticed a subtle change in her."
At the time, he had assumed it was just the effect of surviving a great danger and hadn't thought much of it, so he had casually remarked that "Suining looked even more beautiful."
"Since General Cui has confirmed it, why did you conceal this matter before His Majesty?" Wu Jue asked cautiously.
The young man didn’t hesitate. "Whether this matter should be disclosed or not should be decided by her."
He didn't know her thoughts, nor how she viewed Holy Emperor, but since she had yet to reveal anything, it must mean she had her own plans or hadn't fully made up her mind.
Wu Jue: "What you’re doing could be seen as treason... Aren't you afraid that I might just turn around and tell Holy Emperor?"
"This Resurrection Formation is a forbidden technique, one that goes against the balance of the cycle of life and death. The master once tried to secretly set up the formation, but when Holy Emperor found out, this is how the Dayun Temple came into being. After the master insisted on setting the formation, he fell ill for two years and nearly lost his life—"
These were the visible things, but even more was hidden, and the price may have been even greater.
Cui Jing looked at Wu Jue with respect in his eyes: "Master is the one who has sacrificed the most for this matter. If I don't trust you, Master, then there’s no one left to trust."
Wu Jue sighed deeply and smiled. "General Cui, you’ve truly made this matter about 'that girl' your own."
Cui Jing slightly moved his lips but didn't deny it.
"You are right," Wu Jue said in a low voice, "this matter should be decided by her. Since she made the decision to set up this formation, I have been prepared for it..." His voice became softer as he continued, "The princess's return to life is not to serve anyone, nor to be anyone’s child... She only needs to be herself, and do what she wants to do."
At this point, Wu Jue looked at Cui Jing and said, "So, from the very beginning, I lied to Holy Emperor about something."
Cui Jing waited for him to continue.
"This Resurrection Secret Art is not without precedent... A hundred years ago, in the Western Regions, someone set up this formation, and the dead were brought back to life after many decades. But soon after, they were burned alive as demons and evil spirits."
"My friend found that ancient, damaged book in the Western Regions and discovered this story. To prevent it from being leaked, he erased all traces of that rumor at the time."
The friend he mentioned was Meng Lie.
"At that time, I didn’t intend to tell Holy Emperor that I wanted to use the formation to call back the princess’s soul. But I was careless, and Holy Emperor found out… It was the only way."
But he had kept something from Holy Emperor—he didn’t reveal that this formation had a very real chance of success. He didn’t want Holy Emperor to have too much hope, in case, if the princess really returned, he would have a hard time hiding it.
Simply put, he had already made up his mind that if the princess came back, he would part ways with Holy Emperor.
But he wasn’t sure in what form the princess would return, or how many years it would take. He thought that perhaps he would die before that happened.
He never expected that fate would show him some mercy and allow him to live long enough to witness it.
"…If it weren't for that old man, Tianjing, constantly gossiping, Holy Emperor wouldn't have noticed so quickly! As soon as he came out of seclusion, he started babbling everywhere, just because he can read faces!" Wu Jue said with a touch of bitterness. "He was supposed to be in seclusion for three years, yet he couldn’t even keep quiet for a moment!"
Although this was somewhat of a breach of propriety, Wu Jue, who had already defied the heavens, felt entitled to say such things.
"What's worse, Holy Emperor trusts him so much… He believes whatever nonsense Tianjing says."
Wu Jue frowned and continued, "In fact, it's not just that I’m secretly keeping an eye on Holy Emperor, Holy Emperor doesn’t fully trust me either… Back when the ancient book containing this secret technique was missing some pages, Holy Emperor had someone search for the missing part, and took it away for a while. I suspect Tianjing has already seen it."
Cui Jing: "So, that’s why you had to tell Holy Emperor about that trial method in the formation?"
Wu Jue nodded.
This method was indirectly recorded in that ancient book. If he had remained silent and Tianjing remembered it, Holy Emperor would have soon realized he was deliberately hiding something, and that would have been an admission of guilt.
Earlier, in the tower, he tried to use the excuse that "the girl from the Chang family isn't of the Ming or Li family bloodline" to dismiss Holy Emperor's suspicions, but Holy Emperor was resolute. If he denied it again, it wouldn't make sense.
"Master, do you remember what we saw when 'she' first came to the Dayun Temple, when we came out of the Heavenly Maiden Tower?" Cui Jing asked.
"Yes... It seems she had an unintended resonance with the formation then."
Cui Jing said, "At that time, she hadn't entered the tower yet, but she already had this reaction. If she enters tomorrow, there will definitely be something unusual."
Wu Jue was deeply worried: "But this formation must be entered tomorrow... Because no matter how we avoid it, it will only confirm Holy Emperor's suspicions."
Cui Jing: "Does Master have any countermeasure?"
"My master knew I liked to stir up trouble, so he left me something that could slightly block the formation's disaster... But this is an evil formation, and that thing probably won't work..."
As Wu Jue pondered, he heard the young man speak up: "Since there’s no countermeasure, I have a suggestion. I don’t know if it will work—"
Wu Jue looked at the young man seriously.
…
Good night, everyone.
(End of this chapter)
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