Imperial Cultivation

34: Chapter 32 Perilous

34 -32 Perilous

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After leaving the Prince Qing Mansion, he slowed his pace and breathed a sigh of relief.

They, as siblings, had taken etiquette classes when they were young.

But at that time, they were under house arrest and didn’t know if they would ever be free in their lifetime.

Learning seemed pointless and even rebellious, making them not very diligent in their studies.

In ordinary situations, there was no problem, but in formal solemn occasions, they couldn’t help but be shy.

Going to the Prince’s birthday banquet was fine, but New Year was near, and it was a tradition for the Princes and Heirs to celebrate the New Year in the Imperial Palace with the Emperor.

They couldn’t go in previous years, but this year they probably would have to.

Having Chu Yi relearn etiquette would not only give her confidence but also prevent any embarrassment.

The rules in the palace were still numerous.

He first visited the Ministry of Rites to check in, then went to the Auditing Department two hundred meters away.

Exiting the Imperial Palace, to the west was the Prince Mansion, and to the east were the Six Ministries.

The Six Ministries and various departments were in one area, not far off from each other.

Wearing his official robe, he wasn’t stopped when entering the Auditing Department.

As he stepped into the gate of the Auditing Department, he immediately felt the rigorous and busy atmosphere that was so different.

The officials coming and going were in a rush, starkly contrasting with the leisurely pace of the Ministry of Rites.

Zou Fang had already inquired about the whereabouts of the person they were looking for and went directly to an outer courtyard.

Zou Fang went in first.

A moment later, Zou Fang came out with a small, thin middle-aged man.

The small, thin middle-aged man clasped his hands in greeting from afar: “This humble official, Song Shunian, greets the Princely Heir.”

“Lord Song, I’m sorry to trouble you.” Chu Zhiyuan clasped his hands and smiled, “Has my meritorious service already been counted?”

“Rest assured, Princely Heir, I’ve already put those two requests for meritorious recognition at the front of the queue for expedited processing.

Results should be out within three days.”

“Then I thank Lord Song.” Chu Zhiyuan smiled and gave a signal to Zou Fang.

Zou Fang stepped forward and discreetly slipped a silver note into Song Shunian’s sleeve.

As a Grandmaster, his movements were graceful and precise, not allowing Song Shunian to react before the silver note was already in his sleeve.

“This…” Song Shunian hesitated.

Chu Zhiyuan waved his hand: “Eighteenth Uncle is Eighteenth Uncle, I am myself, I’ve not yet developed the habit of letting people work hard for nothing, so I won’t disturb Lord Song any longer.”

“…Please, Princely Heir.”

Song Shunian personally escorted Chu Zhiyuan out of the Auditing Department.

The Auditing Department was a prestigious governmental office, superior in position, also directly under the Emperor’s jurisdiction, not subject to the restriction of the Six Ministries and other departments.

External forces found it hard to interfere with its operations, but that did not include Princes.

This Song Shunian was a relative of Chu Mingxuan, unable to alter results for favoritism, as that would be a capital crime that no one dared to commit.

However, changing the order of submission was possible.

Results originally might take a month or even longer; now, with the order changed, they would be delivered in three days.

This was already the fastest timeline.

After all, someone had to be sent down to audit, allowing no errors; otherwise, heads would roll.

Chu Zhiyuan left the Auditing Department and headed to the Heavenly Treasure Department.

The Heavenly Treasure Department was adjacent to the Tongtian Pavilion, located at the eastern end of the street where the Six Ministries and various departments convened, at the crossroads of two long streets, accessible from all directions.

Upon observation, the facade of the Heavenly Treasure Department appeared no different from other departments, solemn, majestic, and simple, but there was a considerable crowd, bustling as if it were a top-tier hospital from a past life.

Upon entering the doors of the Heavenly Treasure Department, he felt an inexplicable pressure.

The hairs on his body stood on end, urging him to flee.

The Super Sense landed on an old man by a flower bed along the wall.

The old man wore a gray robe, was thin and frail, and appeared to be an ordinary elderly man.

He lay lazily on a chair, holding a book; a small teapot sat on a side table beside him, bubbling with white steam rising from a red clay stove.

He exuded tranquility and leisure, seemingly disconnected from the hustle and bustle around him.

Chu Zhiyuan glanced at the top of the old man’s head and immediately felt disoriented.

Before him was a vast starry sky, with seven particularly bright stars, blazing and flickering, the starlight connected to form a longsword.

The old man stood on the void, wielding the sword of starlight, poised to cut through everything in the world.

As he was trembling to the core, a cool sensation suddenly appeared in his palm, and the Qingying Sword brought him back to clarity.

A layer of sweat had already formed on his body.

The last Great Grandmaster he probed was Chu Qingfeng, and due to practicing a similar technique, there was no attack received.

This time, if not for the aid of the Qingying Sword, his mind might have suffered.

He was quietly terrified and quickly withdrew his Super Sense to avoid the old man, following the crowd toward the main hall, entering the spacious great hall.

The noisy crowd inside the hall appeared even smaller like a group of ants in the vast interior.

The great hall, unlike the outside, was not noisy; instead, it was very quiet.

A broad sandalwood platform formed a semicircular enclosed ring, and behind the platform were the clerks of the Heavenly Treasure Department, both male and female, their expressions solemn and indifferent.

Chu Zhiyuan personally stepped forward and handed over a shiny silver plaque.

This was a token of the Ninth Grade Merit, with one side carved with nine ephemeral flowers and the other bearing his portrait, name, and age.

The clerk behind the platform was a young man of average appearance and cold demeanor.

After taking the token, he first scrutinized it and then looked at the plaque, saying indifferently: “What would you like to exchange?”

“The small Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.”

“Please hold on.”

He pressed the plaque onto the red ink pad beside him, then onto the white paper.

He flipped the plaque and pressed it again onto the ink pad, and then onto the paper.

The front and back impressions matched impeccably, and then he wrote the four characters for small Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill and turned to leave.

Chu Zhiyuan waited for about a minute, then the young clerk returned, handing back a green porcelain bottle.

Chu Zhiyuan opened it, smiled and nodded, then dipped his forefinger into the red ink and pressed it onto the paper.

He had already gone through this procedure once, requiring no reminder.

Tucking the small Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill into his sleeve, he left the Heavenly Treasure Department with Zou Fang and Guo Chi, proceeding to the adjacent Tongtian Pavilion.

After reading for a day, he returned to the mansion in the evening, heading directly to Chu Yi’s courtyard.

Upon entering Chu Yi’s small courtyard, it was as if stepping into a different world.

Flowers competed in beauty, and a faint fragrance filled the air.

A variety of strange and exotic flowers and plants were distributed in different spots in the courtyard, some forming small flower beds, others on artificial rocks swaying in the breeze, and some in a creek, creating a world of strange flowers and grass.

In the open space between the flower beds, Chu Yi was balancing a bowl of water on her head, her upper body still, and her feet moving in small lotus steps forward.

Two middle-aged palace maids supervised; one pointed out errors from time to time, and the other demonstrated occasionally, while Chu Yi’s small face showed an expression of deep misery.

Chu Zhiyuan wanted to laugh but held back.

When the two palace maids saw Chu Zhiyuan appear, they greeted with a graceful bow, displaying a great beauty in etiquette.

Chu Zhiyuan returned the salute: “I must trouble the two masters.”

The two palace maids respectfully smiled, gave a light farewell, and left.

Chu Zhiyuan watched them leave with grace before taking out a small wooden box from his sleeve and handing it to Chu Yi, who had a face of silent complaint: “See what this is?”

Within the box was a small flower, each petal a different color.

“Seven-Colored Flower!” Chu Yi exclaimed with joy, advancing carefully to cradle it with a mesmerized expression.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled, “With this, can you practice etiquette well?”

“Practice, it’s no big deal.” Chu Yi’s gaze seemed fixed to the Seven-Colored Flower, replying absentmindedly.

Right now, her eyes saw only the Seven-Colored Flower.

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled and stepped out of her courtyard, returning to the quiet room to prepare for another attempt at breaking through the First Layer.

But as he took out a small Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, ready to begin, he suddenly stopped, frowning.

An indescribable intuition grew within him.

His intuition told him this attempt would not be successful.

One small Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill couldn’t achieve success, he needed at least two.

He shook his head in resignation and stowed away the small Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill.

…

The next morning, while practicing at Mingwu Hall, he thanked Chu Mingxuan, and before leaving, Chu Mingxuan pulled him aside to invite him over for dinner in the evening.

“I’ve got another jar of medicinal wine.” Chu Mingxuan beamed proudly, adding, “Also, it’s a welcome feast for Old Third returning from the Northwest.”

Chu Zhiyuan was taken aback.

He knew this was Third Heir Chu Zhiyao, heir to the Fourth Prince, Prince Xuan.

Chu Mingxuan said, “Speaking of your generation, it’s just you three innate masters now, don’t you wish to meet?”

Chu Zhiyuan asked, “Who else is attending?”

Before him, among the “Zhi” generation of heirs, only third heir Chu Zhiyao and sixth heir had become innate masters and then entered the army.

Chu Zhiyao was twenty-four, four years older than him, and had left Mingwu Hall two years earlier to join the border army.

Joining the army provided more opportunities for meritorious service, yielding access to more elixirs and faster progress.

He wondered if he could progress faster than himself.

The Jade Lock Gold Barrier Skill might not allow him to become a Grandmaster in one fell swoop, but alongside the Heavenly Yuan Technique and Earth Origin Technique, it granted him an extraordinary cultivation speed.

Yet the world was vast and full of wonders; there were always individuals superior, perhaps Chu Zhiyao had a fortuitous encounter, leading to rapid cultivation.

“Only Old Nine and Old Ten will be there, no outsiders.”

“Alright.” Chu Zhiyuan nodded in agreement.

He, along with Chu Zhitian, Chu Zhichuan, and Chu Mingxuan, had formed a small group, growing increasingly close.

After leaving Mingwu Hall, he went to the Ministry of Rites to check in, then headed excitedly to the Auditing Department.