odessanovel Chapter 420
Chapter 420
In the eyes of Emperor Mingxi and his court, Immortal Lord Yue Fuguang had descended to the mortal world, now bound by flesh and blood like any other. Though she received incense offerings and worship, she was ultimately still a mortal being.To perform divine deeds with a mortal body was no simple matter—it wasn’t like the small-scale antics of summoning a thunderclap or a drizzle back in the day. She would have to traverse the entire Great Yan Empire. Such exertion could truly harm her foundation, and if that happened, they would have suffered a great loss!
“Your Majesty, rest assured. Since I dared to take on this task, I have full confidence that I can accomplish it,” she said.
The Great Yan had been preparing for this drought—lasting over two years now—since two years ago. And she, Yue Fuguang, had begun her own preparations even earlier than that!
This rain wouldn’t just fall once or twice. Fortunately, the power of the incense offerings enhanced her abilities, allowing her to accomplish divine feats through her own strength. Otherwise, if she had to rely entirely on the Cloud Rain Talismans from the system shop like she initially planned, she would have ended up at a massive loss!
Emperor Mingxi, hearing her confidence, nodded repeatedly. He turned and took a purple-gold emblem inscribed with “As if the Emperor himself were present” from Eunuch Qian, personally hanging it on the bronze ring of Yue Fuguang’s carriage.
“Fuguang, this journey of yours is akin to my own imperial tour of the realm. With this emblem, you have the authority to execute local officials first and report later.”
Yue Fuguang’s fingers lightly brushed the smooth tassels hanging from the emblem, and she chuckled lightly. “With your words, Your Majesty, I won’t hold back. If I end up moving against your beloved ministers, don’t come asking me to spare them later.”
Her journey wouldn’t simply be about summoning rain.
She had, after all, managed to clean up the Great Yan court to a certain degree. At least now, important decrees wouldn’t be leaked to irrelevant parties before they were announced.
But the provincial regions were a different story. As the old saying went, “The emperor’s power doesn’t reach beyond the county.” With poor transportation and blocked information in this ancient world, local magistrates all acted like petty tyrants in their own territories.
Another saying went, “A county magistrate can ruin a family; a prefectural governor can bring down an entire clan.” Who knew how many scourges were waiting for her to eliminate, or how many parasites were waiting to be rooted out?
This journey would serve as clearing out hidden dangers at home before the Great Yan could expand its borders. Otherwise, if the provinces were unstable, no matter how much territory they conquered, none of it could be held.
Emperor Mingxi’s face bloomed with a smile at her words. He waved his hand with great boldness and said, “Fuguang, act boldly. I’ll have your back in everything!”
Wei Ping and Cai Xuan, watching the exchange between His Majesty and the Grand Tutor, couldn’t help but twitch their eyelids. Their mouths twisted, and if the occasion hadn’t been so formal, they might have rushed over to grab the Grand Tutor’s robe and begged her to go easy, whispering, “Ancestor, please break the news slowly and clean house gently. Our workload is already endless!”
The aristocratic families’ cases still weren’t closed. The investigations into opium and White Flower Blight were ongoing. If major cases from the provinces got dragged in, they really would be worked to death in their posts!
Yue Fuguang caught the weary faces of the two ministers in her peripheral vision, their expressions far more haggard than their peers. She decided to take a sustainable approach. After squeezing them dry for so long, it was time to offer a sweet reward.
“Little Zhu,” she thought. “The provinces of Great Yan aren’t clean. I’ll need Cai Xuan and Wei Ping for a long time yet. In their current condition, they might not hold up much longer.”
【What does my master intend to do?】
Cai Xuan and Wei Ping both mentally nodded like crazy. Yes, yes! The Grand Tutor has finally seen our hardships! We beg you to take it slow!
“Give them each one Health-Building Pill. And honestly, Emperor Mingxi works them so hard, just look at how aged they’ve become!”
The warm bond between ruler and minister lasted only a moment before Emperor Mingxi found himself suddenly slapped with a huge, invisible pot as a scapegoat.
An aggrieved Emperor Mingxi thought: These two have been run ragged, and honestly, the only one in the entire court who doesn’t realize why is this very ancestor!
Human joys and sorrows were not the same. Emperor Mingxi bore the blame, while his two loyal ministers received Health-Building Pills—specially granted to them by Yue Fuguang alone. Those two really had faces as thick as a dog’s hide!
Emperor Mingxi squinted sideways at Big Cake Face and Pot Helmet Face, who were desperately suppressing their grins. His heart was full of disdain.
Wei Ping and Cai Xuan, however, couldn’t care less about their emperor’s expression at that moment. Their hearts were pounding, their hands trembling. Happiness had come too suddenly—all they could do was clench their fists and grit their teeth to barely suppress the urge to leap with joy.
Feng Tang, standing beside them, caught sight of their twisted expressions. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes and hissed through his teeth, “Wipe those looks off your faces. Careful—if the emperor catches on, he’ll tear you both apart!”
The two lowered their heads, pinching their own thighs while silently grumbling that the censor’s mouth truly spoke not a single likable word—except, of course, when addressing the Grand Tutor.
Before they could complain much longer, a sudden warm current surged from the soles of their feet, slowly spreading through their entire bodies.
When the warmth rushed into his head, Wei Ping felt the wrinkles on his face smooth out ever so slightly. He had no mirror to check his own reflection, but cleverly used Cai Xuan as one. Staring at him was like looking at himself.
The two locked eyes in a “deeply affectionate” gaze, drawing looks of envy, jealousy, and eye-rolling disgust from their fellow officials.
Emperor Mingxi was envious, but he still had to maintain the dignity of a sovereign. He only cleared his throat lightly to make everyone rein in their faces that practically screamed they’d trade places with her.
Lord Chong: Your royal face isn’t much better than ours!
“Your Majesty, I’m off then!” Yue Fuguang acted as if she hadn’t noticed the extra longing for the Body-Strengthening Pill in their gazes.
Emperor Mingxi nodded, the morning light falling perfectly on his face, which was etched with reluctance and the fear that she might never return. “Fuguang, take care on your journey. Most importantly… come back soon!”
Yue Fuguang then looked at the officials behind the emperor, who wore equally worried expressions. What did they take her for?
A runaway?
She had long wanted to travel beyond the capital, but this time she was heading out for serious business, not for fun.
Yue Fuguang turned and climbed into her magnificent carriage. Emperor Mingxi naturally gave her a hand.
She thanked him with a smile, and just as her figure was about to disappear inside the carriage, she suddenly turned back to the emperor with a mysterious grin. “Your Majesty, let me show you a magic trick.”
Emperor Mingxi looked puzzled. Magic? Did she mean illusion?
Before he could ask, Yue Fuguang turned her back, waved at him, and called out in a louder voice, “Move out!”
The carriage slowly began to move. The wheels rolled over the official road, producing a dull, steady rumble that drowned out the soft clatter of the Imperial Guard’s armor.
Passing through the towering city gates, she left behind the majestic capital of Shangjing, the farewell party, and all those complicated gazes.
“Wind, arise!”
“Clouds, arise!”
Everyone heard Yue Fuguang’s calm voice drifting from the carriage as it faded into the distance, the words ringing clearly in their ears.
As her words fell, a cool wind sprang up out of nowhere, and rolling clouds surged in on the wind.
In an instant, pitch-black storm clouds shrouded everything within sight.
Commoners who had stayed indoors pushed open their windows to look outside; some even reached out their hands to feel the faint moisture the wind carried.
“Rain, come!” Yue Fuguang’s fair little hand pointed toward the sky.