The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 101 The Disfavored Imperial Concubine

What should we do?

Even with her good mindset, Zhang Yunling couldn't withstand the impact of such a massive amount of information.

Was he Li Bai? Li Changgeng? A monk?

After Emperor Xuanzong's questioning fell silent, Gao Lishi and Yang Guozhong revealed their previously hidden hostility towards Zhang Yunling.

They all knew very well that the person who should have participated in this secret meeting was Li Linfu, the Minister of Rites. Zhang Yunling's attempt to take advantage of the situation was, in Emperor Xuanzong's eyes, nothing more than a childish trick.

At this moment, Li Longji stopped wasting words and shattered Zhang Yunling's defenses with just one question. The companionship between the emperor and his minister over the past three years seemed so fragile in the face of the Emperor's Banner.

"Alright... fine. As you think, I did deliberately conceal my identity as a cultivator, but only because I was worried about causing unrest in the court. I don't need to use my identity as a cultivator to gain anything. For the past few decades, I have only considered myself a pure poet."

Zhang Yunling's forehead was covered in sweat, but he still tried his best to withstand the pressure and answered Li Longji in a calm tone.

"Is that all? Why did the Emperor's Banner sense you?" Before the words were even finished, Li Longji flicked his left sleeve, and a short sword flew out, stabbing towards Zhang Yunling's head! The whole movement was clean, swift, and lightning fast.

Zhang Yunling understood that Li Longji was testing his strength, but this sword strike was too swift and fierce. If he were to take it head-on, he would inevitably be seriously injured. Right now, he could only choose to dodge or catch it.

Before his thoughts had even finished, his body's instincts had already begun to react. At the same time, the Swift Ghost Step technique made Zhang Yunling's reflexes several times stronger than those of an ordinary person.

Instead of dodging the sword, he stretched out two fingers and caught it directly. The tip of the sword was only an inch away from his left eye, and the cold light emanating from the entire blade made Zhang Yunling's hair stand on end.

The sudden attack startled Gao Lishi and Yang Guozhong, who were standing nearby. Princess Yuzhen, Li Xuanxuan, stepped forward to help Zhang Yunling out of the predicament, saying, "Brother, there are many cultivators in this world. Even if the Human Emperor Banner is moved by him, you should not use such an aggressive method to test him."

Besides, you two have been ruler and subject for several years now. Chang Geng has not been a corrupt official, nor has he interfered in court affairs. He has also been exceptionally talented, writing many fine poems for the Emperor. Shouldn't he be spared for these reasons?

Li Longji laughed at this moment. He naturally understood that Li Xuanxuan was giving him a way out, but in reality, he was just teasing Zhang Yunling.

It was indeed a test earlier, and judging from the way he caught the flying knife with just two fingers, he could tell that Zhang Yunling's cultivation level was definitely not simple.

"Serving a ruler is truly like serving a tiger..." Zhang Yunling thought to himself.

Li Longji suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Chang Geng, I never said that the fluctuations of the Human Emperor Banner were bad. I was just surprised by your identity as a cultivator. There is no need to be so afraid."

Hearing Emperor Xuanzong say this, Gao Lishi and Yang Guozhong were somewhat surprised, but they dared not utter a sound and silently put away their previous hostility.

Zhang Yunling also laughed, and the tense atmosphere began to ease.

Li Longji pondered to himself, "Li Changgeng's reaction is so quick. I haven't noticed anything amiss in the past few years of getting along with him. His cultivation level must be extraordinary."

With a wave of his sleeve, the Emperor's Banner, which still radiated golden light, was put back into the ring on Li Longji's hand.

Just then, the guards' shouts came from outside again. Li Longji withdrew the divine power covering the palace and called out loudly, "What is it?"

The guard pushed open the palace door and reported to Li Longji, "Your Majesty! Consort Yang requests an audience!"

While the others remained expressionless, Zhang Yunling was somewhat surprised. Logically, he should have met this imperial concubine long ago, but he had never heard of her existence while serving Emperor Xuanzong, which made him think that his actions had caused a historical error.

No sooner had the guard finished speaking than several palace maids escorted a woman through the palace gates and into the palace.

The woman was dressed in a red embroidered robe, with colorful silk ribbons fluttering in the wind around her waist. The robe was embroidered with phoenixes and peonies, which shone brightly under the lights in the hall, making her look quite extraordinary.

Her beauty was truly breathtaking, enough to shame the moon and flowers, and could topple kingdoms. Her skin was as white as ice and jade, and a touch of vermilion on her lips added to her allure. This woman was none other than Yang Guifei.

Upon seeing the arrival of this imperial concubine, Zhang Yunling observed Li Longji's changing expression. Unexpectedly, instead of the expected smile, the man suddenly hardened his face and began to question her:

"Why are you here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? Don't you know I'm discussing important matters with several ministers?"

Consort Yang shook her head slightly, took a few steps forward, took Li Longji's wrist, and led him outside.

No one else dared to make a move; they all remained where they were and waited.

A thunderbolt struck Zhang Yunling's mind, shattering his thoughts. He stared intently at the backs of Yang Guifei and Li Longji, unable to comprehend what had happened or how things had turned out so absurd.

......

Three days later.

Zhang Yunling had already left the imperial court to find a way out of this secret realm, but due to a series of events that occurred after he killed Li Linfu, he decided to return to the imperial court to investigate as much as possible.

At this moment in the inner palace, Consort Yang was chatting and laughing with a little girl.

This girl was originally of Turkic origin. Because she learned the witchcraft left by her mother, she repeatedly distinguished herself on the battlefield and was appreciated by the imperial court, which bestowed upon her many official titles. Considering that her parents had died early, the girl was adopted as a goddaughter by Yang Guifei.

At this moment, the girl was complaining to the imperial concubine because Yang Guozhong, the Minister of Literature, looked down on her as a Turk who had risen to power through crooked means, and therefore always suppressed her openly and secretly.

The imperial concubine shook her head. In the end, she was just a weak woman with no power to even kill a chicken. How could she possibly get involved in the power struggles within the court?

Even though Yang Guozhong, who now holds a high position of power, is her elder brother, the intricate and power-hungry officialdom is not something a mere mortal like her can get involved in.

Originally, Yang Guifei was not Emperor Xuanzong's woman, but the Crown Princess. However, one day the Emperor's Banner sensed something in her, and Xuanzong believed that she must have some connection with the banner, so he forcibly made her an Imperial Noble Consort, and eventually even had sexual relations with her.

But nothing happened afterward. Emperor Xuanzong could only keep Consort Gui behind to conduct further research later. Consort Gui did not conceive Emperor Xuanzong's child, and so she quietly faded from everyone's sight. This is also why Zhang Yunling never saw her.

After pouring out her grievances, the girl didn't expect the imperial concubine to be able to help her much. It was as if she had finally found someone to confide in after holding back her bitterness for a long time. After she had completely poured out her grievances, she felt much better.

Just then, the girl's pupils suddenly trembled. She sensed an energy fluctuation slowly approaching her, but she did not make any rash moves and deliberately ignored it.

A wisp of divine sense quietly probed towards the girl and the imperial concubine; it was Zhang Yunling.

"This girl's appearance... why does she look so familiar..." Zhang Yunling wondered to himself.