Chapter 46 p2
***
The Heavenly Emperor also received news from the Realm Beyond Heaven.
He hadn’t expected Ming Jian Su to go there. Yuan Yao Star Monarch was already dead. Was she still investigating? Investigating whom? Was she planning to implicate the other feathered Star Monarchs and wipe them all out? Did she think he had spent the past thousand years supporting the Vermilion Bird and Bifang lineages for nothing?
He didn’t believe that Ming Jian Su was acting on her own. Ever since the Celestial Mother emerged from seclusion, everything in the Heavenly Court had been going wrong. He was losing control. He had thought that Feng Chiyue’s arrival would only cause a minor disturbance, but it turned out to be the beginning, a harbinger of a storm! The Celestial Feather Ministry was changing, the Four Seas Department was undergoing reforms, and even the immortals of human origin were grumbling. If it weren’t for the fact that the Heavenly Mechanism Department and the Heavenly Prosperity Department were completely under his control, they might have followed the same path as the Celestial Feather Ministry!
“Did you order her to do this?” he demanded, confronting the Great Yin Celestial Mother. His trusted general was purging the Celestial Feather Ministry under the Celestial Mother’s command, causing turmoil in the Heavenly Court. His daughter, rebellious and defiant, refused to return from Asura City and was determined to uncover the root of the conflict on the battlefield. All this was the Celestial Mother’s doing!
The Celestial Mother’s expression was calm and indifferent, like the still waters of an abyss. She met his gaze. Although she didn’t know what he was talking about, judging from his fury, it was probably something unfavorable to him. Her silence was taken as confirmation. The Heavenly Emperor took a deep breath. “Our discord will disrupt the balance between yin and yang, giving the demons an opportunity!”
The Celestial Mother flicked her sleeve. “Is the world out of balance now?” she asked, her tone unconcerned.
The Heavenly Emperor frowned. The Star of Destiny was constantly shifting, indicating that the Mandate of Heaven was in flux. His position as the Heavenly Emperor was precarious. “We are one,” he said, trying to reason with her. “Going against my path won’t benefit you.”
The Celestial Mother’s expression turned cold. From the moment she was born from the Great Yin, both the pronouncements of the Mandate of Heaven and the words of the immortals had emphasized that the Great Yin existed to accompany and assist the Heavenly Emperor. She was tired of hearing it! Even if the Heavenly Emperor had been willing to follow her lead, she would have found it unbearable. She had only one goal—to claim the entire Mandate of Heaven for herself! “You’re welcome to try and stop me,” she said coldly.
The Heavenly Emperor rubbed his forehead in frustration. “You make it sound so simple. If these reforms are fully implemented, will those high-ranking officials accept it? Will the Star Monarchs in the Realm Beyond Heaven agree? Their resistance will disrupt the functioning of the Heavenly Court. If the demons invade, those Star Monarchs might refuse to fight!”
The Celestial Mother scoffed.
All his arguments were meaningless. The fundamental reason was that his Mandate of Heaven was built upon the existing system and order. Once that order collapsed, his Mandate would shift, and a new Heavenly Emperor, destined to face tribulation, would emerge. Then the Great Yin would give birth to a new being, destined to become the new Emperor’s consort. Guided by the Mandate of Heaven, the Heavenly Emperor and the Great Yin complemented each other, the cycle repeating endlessly.
The Heavenly Emperor’s face darkened. The Celestial Mother’s long seclusion had blurred his memory of her, but as she reappeared, her increasingly clear features were like a thorn in his side. He couldn’t help but recall the scene after the Fall of the Phoenix, her expression filled with disdain and arrogance, as if he, the Heavenly Emperor, was nothing but an insignificant ant.
“You want reforms? Fine,” he said with a cold laugh. “Since the Celestial Feather Ministry and the Four Seas Department desire change, let’s change everything. From this day forward, they will be responsible for their own expenses. The Heavenly Prosperity Department will no longer provide for them!” Channeling his divine power, he made a decree, which transformed into a beam of light, shooting towards the Heavenly Prosperity Department. The Four Seas possessed abundant resources and had never relied much on the Heavenly Prosperity Department. However, the Celestial Feather Ministry, under the previous leadership of Danxue Mountain, had always blurred the lines between public and private funds. They might not even be able to pay their officials’ salaries with their own resources.
The Celestial Mother knew exactly what he was doing. He was trying to force the Celestial Feather Ministry back into line by cutting off their funds.
***
In the Heavenly Prosperity Department.
The Minister of Fortune, observing the events unfolding on the Chaos Mirror, felt grateful that he hadn’t ended up in the Heavenly Mechanism Department or the Celestial Pivot Department. However, his relief was short-lived. He soon received the Heavenly Emperor’s decree. All officials, regardless of their origin, received a certain amount of elixirs, artifacts, and scriptures, all distributed by the Heavenly Prosperity Department. Now, the Celestial Feather Ministry and the Four Seas Department were being excluded? If this was implemented, it would certainly save them a considerable sum. Although, according to the rules, those departments were supposed to submit their own income to the Heavenly Prosperity Department, in reality, very little actually reached them. On paper, the Heavenly Prosperity Department was losing money because of them.
“The Celestial Mother currently oversees the Celestial Feather Ministry and the Four Seas Department. Will this offend her?” Jing De Immortal Monarch asked cautiously. His previously fiery temper had been completely extinguished. He now lived in constant fear, afraid that Ming Jian Su would storm into the Supreme Palace and cut him down. After all, most of those who had offended Feng Chiyue had been reduced to ashes. He felt that his own death was imminent, but the executioner’s blade had yet to fall, leaving him in a state of perpetual anxiety.
“Who granted you your position, the Heavenly Emperor or the Celestial Mother?” the Minister of Fortune frowned, glancing at Jing De’s dejected expression with disdain.
Jing De Immortal Monarch opened his mouth to reply, but his fellow disciple, sitting beside him, tugged at his sleeve. He immediately fell silent.
The Minister of Fortune had no intention of discussing this with his disciples. He was the sole authority in the Heavenly Prosperity Department. “Post an announcement on the Chaos Mirror,” he instructed. “We don’t want anyone claiming we didn’t warn them.”
***
In the Celestial Feather Ministry.
Qing Xun, clutching the Chaos Mirror, rushed towards Que Chenyi like a whirlwind, passing by the other officials.
Que Chenyi was drawing a map of the feathered lineages’ settlements. Hearing the commotion, she quickly turned around and caught Qing Xun—the impact almost made her see stars. She gritted her teeth and silently repeated “Heavenly Phoenix Fruit” several times to suppress her annoyance. Gripping Qing Xun’s shoulders, she forced a smile. “What happened?”
Qing Xun let out a breath and said rapidly, “The Celestial Feather Ministry can no longer obtain Cinnabar Jade, elixirs, or artifacts from the Heavenly Prosperity Department. The Heavenly Emperor has issued a decree, cutting off our funding.” She looked up at Que Chenyi. “Assistant Ministry Head, someone is asking where their salary will come from.”
Que Chenyi: “…” What was wrong with the Heavenly Emperor? The Celestial Feather Ministry had a treasury, but it had always been used solely for “accounting.” The actual vault was in the Heavenly Prosperity Department. Now that they were refusing to provide funds, was he trying to eliminate the entire feathered lineage?
Qing Xun asked innocently, “Does our Ministry have any money?”
Que Chenyi turned to look at the mines marked on the map. The Mountain Patrol Emissaries were now in place, and the old accounts had been audited. She nodded firmly. “Yes.” Before Qing Xun could celebrate, she added, “But not much.” The Celestial Feather Ministry’s finances were a mess. Everyone had taken their share, leaving very little for public use. The Heavenly Prosperity Department cutting off their funds at a time when they needed them the most… wasn’t this trying to kill them?! Thankfully, they had dismissed many Feather Guard officials earlier. Could this have been the Ministry Head’s foresight?
Qing Xun was anxious. “What should we do?” She owed Dong’e Mountain a lot of spiritual fruits and was relying on her job at the Celestial Feather Ministry to repay her debt. If the Ministry was gone, what would she do?
Que Chenyi had no idea what to do, but she couldn’t panic in front of Qing Xun. She calmed herself and said slowly, “We’ll wait for the Ministry Head to return.”
Qing Xun looked up abruptly, her expression accusing.
Que Chenyi felt uncomfortable under her gaze, as if she had committed some heinous crime.
Qing Xun raised her voice. “The East Abode Master and the Ministry Head entrusted the Ministry to us!”
“Yes,” Que Chenyi agreed.
“If we just wait for the Ministry Head to return whenever something happens, what’s the point of us being here?”
Que Chenyi: “…” This little Azure Dragon was quite ambitious and motivated. She maintained her composure and asked gently, “Do you have any ideas?”
Qing Xun clasped her hands behind her back. “Confiscate their assets.” Robbery and confiscation were the most effective ways to get rich, but the former wasn’t exactly ethical for an immortal. That left the latter. She had memorized the jade slip given to her by the Ministry Head before she left. Cultivation required time, but she could put this “get-rich-quick” scheme into practice immediately.
Que Chenyi was stunned. This wasn’t the Qing Xun who had first arrived at the Celestial Feather Ministry. Was this her true nature? No wonder she had caught Dong’e Mountain’s attention. After all, even Feng Chiyue wasn’t afraid to scold her fellow phoenixes. After a moment of thought, Que Chenyi realized that this plan could actually work. The Vermilion Bird Elder from Danxue Mountain must be very wealthy. He had undeniably colluded with the demons. Shouldn’t his assets be confiscated? She gave Qing Xun a thumbs-up, thinking, “As expected of an Azure Dragon from Dong’e Mountain.”
***
In the Realm Beyond Heaven.
Ming Jian Su and Feng Chiyue arrived at Yuan Yao Star Monarch’s abode.
Twelve lifelike Golden Pheasant statues stood in the square outside the Dao Palace. Ming Jian Su swept her sword across them, and a shattering sound echoed through the air. The statues were crafted from high-quality materials, but the image of the Golden Pheasant was offensive no matter how she looked at it.
Yuan Yao Star Monarch had once been an official. He was far wealthier than Peng Ning, whose nest had been raided for his shady dealings. The Dao Palace contained several treasuries. Ming Jian Su sent Undefeated, along with the other two swords, to handle the treasures while she retrieved some ancient documents from a sealed jade box. She had assumed they were just ordinary letters, but after a quick glance, her expression turned cold, and anger surged within her.
Feng Chiyue, who had been examining some interesting artifacts, immediately noticed Ming Jian Su’s change in mood. She tossed aside the artifact and turned to look at her, blinking. “What’s wrong?”
Ming Jian Su forced a smile. “It’s nothing.” The “Fall of the Phoenix” had been orchestrated by the Heavenly Emperor, but there had also been involvement from the Realm Beyond Heaven. And the reason was utterly absurd! Those feathered lineages had believed that the Phoenix Sovereign wouldn’t ascend to the Upper Realm and had feared that she would threaten their power if she came to the Lower Realm! And the human Star Monarchs, eager to weaken the feathered lineages, hadn’t stopped this ridiculous scheme. Instead, they had actively supported it! None of these damned officials were innocent!
Feng Chiyue’s gaze fell on Ming Jian Su’s hand, which was clutching the jade box. “Your hand is shaking,” she observed. She approached Ming Jian Su, not minding her attempt to hide the documents, and whispered in her ear with a smile, “I won’t agree to serve you forever, you know.”
Ming Jian Su tossed aside the jade box and put away the documents. Her junior sister shouldn’t know about these troublesome matters. She wouldn’t tell her. Suppressing her anger, she pursed her lips. “It’s not shaking.”
Feng Chiyue made a noncommittal sound and fell silent. What was bothering her Elder Sister? It was related to Yuan Yao, so it must be something to do with the feathered lineages. Their existence was truly a mistake. A flicker of malice crossed her eyes, but her face remained bright and cheerful as she circled Ming Jian Su. Her gaze, like autumn waves, shifted, then she suddenly spoke. “Elder Sister, if there were more people like Yuan Yao, we would be even richer, right?”
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