Chapter 34: I wish my emperor a long life!

Starting from the early morning of May 18th, Shen Zhui felt that the intensive planning over the past few days had already paid off.

First, the adopted sister and adopted mother were invited to the palace by Imperial Concubine Xuan Yue. Princess Anping accompanied them, visited the garden to enjoy flowers, and held a banquet. Concubine Yuan even directly expressed her intention to accept Shen Xinlan as her adopted daughter at the dinner!

Afterwards, figures from the three families of Liu, Wei and Yang entered the palace and had an audience with the Emperor. They had a pleasant conversation.

Another morning, Kou Xun, the Duke of Yong, suddenly fell seriously ill, and no one came to the Kou residence. Rao Kou Xun, who was originally a matchmaker for the Fan family, could not even attend His Majesty's birthday banquet. Naturally, it was impossible to propose marriage to Fan Hongyi.

One after another good news reached the Hou Mansion, making Shen Zhui smile from ear to ear. People throughout the capital who had the ability to find out the inside story also looked at the champion Hou with admiration.

After all, King Zhao's foundation is still shallow, and there is no doubt about his influence on the Ministry of War, but no one expected that the champion Hou Shenzui could have such great energy in the court. However, it soon became known that this was inseparable from the mediation of the Seventh Prince Ji Chen.

"The Fan family gave in." Ji Chen rushed to Shen Zhui's Hou Mansion in a hurry. As soon as he sat down, he received shocking news.

"You gave in? How can you see it?" Shen Zhui was also shocked. Fan Hongyi was the son of the left prime minister, and the great-grandson of King Wu Fan Yi. With the help of the four princes, he had the confidence to challenge Ban Jichen and King Zhao. However, he did not expect that this was just Eight hours later, you actually gave up?

"The key is Duke Yong!" Ji Chen was a little excited, with a flush on his face. "Hahaha, his Fan family doesn't even have a matchmaker, so what if he doesn't admit defeat? Originally, even if Kou Xun changed his mind, he could ask the great scholar Li Qingzheng to come forward. But the first person he invited was not Li Qingzheng. Now that something has changed, he will ask again, even if The Li family doesn’t consider the gains and losses involved, and can’t live with it in terms of face... Don’t dignified scholars not care about face?”

"Kou Xun actually has such great influence." Shen Zhui was also a little stunned.

"Of course!" Ji Chen smiled. "Among all the old men who have fought with my father, he is the only one who has the most special status and is deeply trusted by my father."

"The rest of the people, Fan Yi asked his father for the king of Wu, Liu Ruqin asked for the name and was named Wenzong, the fourth and third princes of the Yang family, Li, Wei, Kong, Chen and other twenty-eight surviving Yuntai generals were either crowned kings or Guangdong He runs the government, holds an important position, and is rich. Yes, no one in my Ji family can be sorry for the heroes who worked for my father!"

"Only the champion Yang An, the protector Shen Yin, and Yong Guo Gong Kou Xun, these three people have made great contributions, but they did not get much benefit at the beginning. Yang An is better. Although he is a bit regretful, it is not the fault of his father. . Moreover, my father treats the Yang family well. Lord Protector Shen Yin, if you were not framed by others, you Shen would have enjoyed all the glory and wealth."

"But Kou Xun, the Duke of Yong, first went into battle for his father in his early years. He stood in front of the horse and blocked the shot of the puppet king Liu Xun for his father. He had to give up martial arts and follow the civil service and become the king of the state in the rear. After that, his injury improved slightly, and he continued Yang An attacked West Antarctica, and his soul was severely damaged again."

"Both the civil servants' ways and the warriors' qi training left them with irreparable injuries. They tried their best to stay in the true god realm."

"He missed the title of king and only got a duke, and the Yongzhou was still a little barren. Moreover, Kou Xun had never fought for fame and wealth. For eight hundred years, the children of his Kou family had been well-behaved and abide by their duties. Therefore, the entire capital's civil and military affairs Among the hundreds of officials and ministers in the court, only he, Kou Xun, could enter the palace at any time. According to legend, when the appointment was first made, there were some absconding pseudo-kings and external forces who wanted to assassinate the father, and caused chaos from time to time, making it difficult for the father to Fall asleep."

"Duke Yong Guo wore armor and held a sword and entered Ziqing to guard his father's bed, so he could sleep peacefully. Under normal circumstances, the only minister who can gain such trust from his father is Duke Yong." Ji Chen said with emotion.

"So that's it." Shen Zhui was also sighing after hearing this. In terms of power, the Kou family may be far behind Fan, Liu, Yang and Wei, but this trust is unmatched by anyone.

"Hahaha, I don't even know how you convinced Duke Yong?" Ji Chen asked.

Shen Zhui was confused. I haven't done anything? The gift was confiscated and I was kicked out.

"Except for letting me use my sword skills, he didn't do anything else." Shen Zhui wondered.

"Invincible Sword Intent?" Ji Chen asked.

"Um."

Ji Chen nodded with a subtle expression.

Shen Zhui didn't pay attention to the expression on Ji Chen's face. Regardless of whether the Fan family's concession was due to another conspiracy or to retreat in order to advance, they would proceed according to the original plan.

"Where will His Majesty's birthday banquet be held?"

"Ling Xiao."

…………

On May 18th, the thirty-three layers opened together.

The entire capital formation mysteriously changed, surrounding thirty-three layers of space. Thirty-three pieces of land appeared in the same sky.

Ling Xiao is in the center, and the other thirty-two levels are slowly rotating around Ling Xiao. If you are lucky, even the first level of earth can still see the scenery of the upper space.

As soon as Shen Zhui walked out of the gate of the Hou Mansion, he looked up and saw many inverted black spots above his head swimming in the streets. With Shen Zhui's eyesight, he could naturally see that many common people were walking on On the streets, celebrating together. Shen Zhui could even see Xingyao who was very close. There were some women wearing veils flying to high places in this space, waving to men elsewhere...

"This can be called a true universal celebration." Shen Zhui said with a smile.

"The thirty-three wonders will fully bloom only during His Majesty's birthday banquet every year. There may be several spaces appearing on weekdays, but rarely such a full panorama." Manager Huang Jing explained with a smile. road.

"Master Marquis, the carriage has been prepared. Madam has been waiting for a long time. Please change Master Marquis into the Qilin Wolin clothes."

"I know." Shen Zhui waved his hand and immediately passed through the armored guards and got on the carriage with seven dragon beards and two wings.

"Let's go!" Tanlang shouted, and hundreds of soldiers rose into the sky, crowded around Wuhou's chariot, and headed for Lingxiao.

…………

"If you don't wait for your parents' orders, and follow the advice of a matchmaker, if you look into each other's caves and obey each other over the wall, then your parents and the people of the country will be despised!"

"Except for sons-in-law, convicts, secondary citizens, and slaves, ordinary people must pay attention to this etiquette when getting married. If you propose marriage without a matchmaker, it will be considered an insult to the family. Princes and nobles should pay more attention to it. That’s it. Over the past few hundred years, Confucian etiquette has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and even foreign princes have learned the etiquette of our human race."

"Of course, some people are not included in this list. The outside sect has no rules and regulations. There are also female practitioners who shave their heads and wear military uniforms. When they practice to a certain level, their gender will be blurred, and everyone will only think of her. If you treat her like a man, you will only get married in the future, or you will only seek the Tao and never marry for the rest of your life."

In the carriage, Ji Chen and Shen Zhuitong sat on a jade mat and talked. Ji Chen's palace was also in Yuehua, so as soon as he went out, Ji Chen invited Shen to catch up with the prince's dragon chariot.

Of course, Shen Zhui happily accepted the invitation. Anyway, now everyone knew that he was the seventh prince Ji Chen's son, so there was no need to hide it.

"I heard that the Champion Lord once lurked in the Nine Nether Realm. Have you ever dealt with a female cultivator?" Ji Chen asked.

"There are one or two sects." Shen Zhui nodded. "One of the sects is the Hehuan Sect. From the sect leader to the disciples, everyone is female."

"Oh? There is such a thing. Is there really not even a man?" Ji Chen seemed to be interested. Although he also had the experience of leading troops in wars, he was a prince with a respected status after all. Most of the time, he commanded from the rear. No one would really let him charge into battle. If something happened, Marquis Wu of the Northern Navy would be in trouble for the rest of his life. Therefore, Ji Chen's opportunities to come into contact with Fangwai's sect were limited to prison interrogations or private auctions held by certain chambers of commerce.

"That's true," Shen Zhui said. "But it's either a lowly handyman or a furnace being trained."

"I have only heard of the sect's evil practices that use women as cauldrons. What's the difference between this man's cauldron?" Ji Chen was like a childlike young man at this moment, full of curiosity.

"There is not a big difference. They are all cultivating people into beings with empty Yuanyang and empty combat power for the master to absorb. If there is a real difference, then I am afraid that the consumption of male slaves like the Hehuan Sect will be larger. " Shen Zhui explained.

"Why?"

"Have you ever heard of a proverb, Your Highness?"

"What a proverb."

"There are only exhausted cows and no damaged fields. That's probably the difference."

"..."

Ji Chen looked at Shen Zhui with a subtle expression, and then spoke after a while: "The champion's summary is really... insightful."

Shen Zhui smiled slightly and said nothing more.

It would be inappropriate for a Marquis of Wu and a prince to talk about these obscene topics all the time.

Along the way, the two talked about some future plans. Apart from proposing a marriage, the most important thing was to control the South China Sea Islands and let Zixuan inherit the position of Fairy Xuanyue. And, after the birthday banquet, he entered Wuhou’s secret realm to practice.

"The islands in the South China Sea are full of spiritual energy and have countless treasures. Ten years ago, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development designated more than 120,000 types of strategic materials for tribute and military supplies as coming from the South China Sea, accounting for almost one-fifth of the list."

"The South China Sea Islands follow the ancient system. Many elders occupy a blessed place and regard Xuanyue Immortal Island as their respect. When the Great Zhou Dynasty was founded, many people in the South China Sea Islands were stubborn and still worshiped the Li Dynasty as their respect and did not recognize it. The great Zhou Dynasty was orthodox and intended to help Hou Li restore his country."

"But after my father made a trip to the South China Sea, he beat up all the monsters and monsters before he was convinced. Later, in order to calm people's hearts, my father married the contemporary goddess of Xuanyue Fairy Island, who was the noble concubine Xuanyue. ."

"For eight hundred years, the islands in the South China Sea have been obeying the orders of our Great Zhou Dynasty, resisting the invasion and chaos from the Antarctic Kraken. Disciples from many islands have also come to our dynasty to serve as officials, or have been given to the royal palace and nobles, among which the official position is the largest. Yes, it’s Hagrid, the transporter between two continents. His son Hai Qing also participated in the test of the Holy Word Secret Realm with you before. Have you seen him?"

Shen Zhui recalled briefly and nodded: "We had a chance encounter."

"Hai Qing will also enter Wuhou's secret realm this time. If there is a chance, you may be able to make some friends." Ji Chen said with a smile.

"Wuhou Secret Realm? Does Hai Qing have this chance?" Shen Zhui was a little surprised.

"The secret realm of Wuhou is a place to cultivate Wuhou. It does not require Wuhou to enter." Ji Chen explained.

"If you want to enter Wuhou's secret realm, you must first have amazing talents, and your cultivation level must not exceed the high level of the Venerable when entering. Only those with higher talents and more monsters will have a chance."

"The second is that after the prince, when he goes to Jiuzhou, the prince will protect the royal family. Of course, his direct descendants will receive special treatment. As a descendant of the prince himself, his wealth will not be bad. However, those who can enter the secret realm of Wuhou are generally the prince. The heir to the title of king or duke will be the Jinwu Guard when he enters."

"But you are already a Wuhou, and you are well-endowed. Once you enter, you will be the commander of Jinwu, and your treatment will be much better than the others."

"The four major secret realms in the capital, including elites and top talents, are all gathered here. But its threshold is extremely high and the number is too rare. If you have average talent, you can only enter the general-level secret realm. It only takes three training days Year."

"Although the general-level secrets are all Venerable-level, and the resources are not bad, there is not much hope for them to break through to the True God. We only give those Venerables who have made meritorious deeds a chance. Can we seize these three years? It's up to you to seize the opportunity. Even so, there are only one hundred thousand people in the general-level secret realm."

Shen Zhui nodded. One hundred thousand people seemed like a lot, but looking at the whole situation, how many people were needed? Da Zhouguang is a Wu'an army with nearly a thousand sages and tens of thousands of supernatural powers. One hundred thousand people are very few for the whole country.

"The secret realm of Marquis Wu is about 10,000 people."

"There are about a thousand people in the True King's Secret Realm."

"As for the population of the God King's Secret Realm, I'm afraid there are not even a hundred people."

"But the secret realm is large, but the God King's secret realm is the largest, and the general-level secret realm is the largest."

"There are only a hundred people in the God King's secret realm, but it is the largest secret realm?" Shen Zhui was slightly stunned.

"That's status."

"Dazhou gives special treatment to the strong. The strong will naturally occupy better and more resources when they resist strong enemies!"

"For example, in the General's Secret Realm, only 10,000 contribution points are available when you enter it. Basically, it can only be enough to buy a set of secret techniques, and you can't even buy a treasure."

"But Wuhou's Secret Realm? As soon as you enter, it's 100,000 contribution points! If you want to get more, you have to take dangerous' level, or even 'life and death' level tasks! And there is no free guidance from the true god in the General's Secret Realm. , but in Wuhou’s secret territory, you can hear the true god’s sermons every once in a while.”

"As for the True King's Secret Realm, it's even more terrifying. It starts with one million contribution points, and one person occupies a wide blessed land to practice. There are a lot of servants and clothes, and he can recruit many sparring partners. If there are any tasks, they are all for the upper level. The secret realm is chosen first." Ji Chen showed a hint of envy.

Shen Zhui was stunned.

The difference is too big. The generals who are majestic and guarding one side outside can't even afford a set of treasures in the secret territory. And in the True King's Secret Realm, there are a large number of points that can be chosen almost at will, and there are even true gods who not only give verbal guidance, but also provide training?

"There are less than a thousand people in the True King's Secret Realm. Looking at it, almost all of them are invincible beings among the True Gods. For example, King Zhao was once at the peak of the Venerable level and was a famous talent in the True King's Secret Realm." Ji Chen said with a smile. "Such a strong person has made great contributions to the country. It is not surprising to receive such treatment."

With Ji Chen's help, Shen Zhui probably also knew a little bit about the four secret realms, but only the God King's secret realm, even Ji Chen knew very little about, because he had never been there. Only when you become king in the future will you be able to know more.

Unconsciously, the carriage stopped.

Ling Xiao has arrived.

…………

Lingxiao, the imperial city.

The surging river flows between the palaces, just like the Milky Way across the sky, which is very spectacular.

The entire imperial city, including palaces, gardens, pavilions, Lingshan lakes, and royal palaces, stretches for 300,000 miles. On the day of isolation, there are complex corridors and cloud bridges connecting the palaces, surrounded by dense light colors. It's like a fairy palace.

The first-class king, the second-class prince, and the third-class waiter. Civil and military officials, according to their rank and status, entered various palaces and took their seats.

Lingxiao Palace, Ziqing Palace, Princes’ Palace, Civil Service Garden…

At night, the diffuse starlight is distributed among the thirty-three layers, becoming scattered.

All the palaces are entities, but when the sight is focused on a certain place, they become completely transparent like glass, and you can see the other palaces, so that no matter where the participants are sitting in Lingxiao, they can see the person in the center. The figure of the emperor.

"It's really an eye-opener." Shen Zhui was sitting at the Marquis Wu's seat in the Li Palace. Looking at the tables in front of him that were sometimes transparent and sometimes materialized, he couldn't help but exclaimed that it was amazing. A mere case could actually have the semi-material characteristics of a supernatural power realm. Shen Zhui was also amazed by the methods of the Great Zhou Engineering Department.

Many of the courtiers who came here for the first time looked at this scene with great surprise.

"It is rumored that this palace was transformed by a divine engineer. Every seemingly ordinary object has the characteristics of a divine weapon."

"Look at that dragon pillar. The dragon pattern on it looks like a living thing. It's so scary!"

"Tsk, tsk, even the luminous cup is a fourth-level magic weapon. If you bring one back..."

"Hu Yao, look for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.comｍ You bastard, give up this idea quickly, don't hurt me!"

"Oh, the child knows that his father is wrong..."

…………

The banquet officially started. The Emperor appeared in Lingxiao Palace with a group of concubines, including the Queen, Concubine Xuanyue, Concubine Yuan, Concubine Chen... as well as princes, princesses and princesses who came from all over the country.

There were thousands of people under all kinds of lights and shrouds of gods and goddesses!

"The size of the royal family is really huge..." Shen Zhui was secretly speechless.

For eight hundred years, if the royal family was willing to live, it would not be surprising to see such a scale.

"Thousands of virtues will make the soil prosperous, the people will be happy, and blessings will last forever."

"Jiuzhou established the tripod, established the eternal world, revised the grand ceremony, and enlightened the people of the world; the laws of the Zhou Dynasty were stipulated, and evil was not neglected; the old were taken care of, the young were supported, the country was peaceful and the people were safe, and the prosperity of the world was all thanks to one person..."

The ceremonial officer's voice was extremely loud and echoed in the thirty-third level. He was chanting the achievements of the Human Emperor.

"Congratulations to my emperor, may you live forever!"

All the ministers and the thirty-three people all paid homage upwards.

"Congratulations to my emperor, may you live forever!"

"Congratulations to my emperor, may you live forever!"