"I know, Your Majesty, that you completely trust the Queen Mother, and even if she takes full control of the Heavenly Court, you won’t mind too much. However, the majority in the Heavenly Court are still human generals and officials, and seventy percent of the Human Emperor’s heritage has already been handed over to the Heavenly Court.
"I have continually been pushed to the forefront, driven by the interests and montum of the human race to constrain the Queen Mother.
"I truly find myself powerless.
"Would you consider marrying another Human Empress? If you find Lady Ba’s Calamity Dao ineffective, I can introduce you to several Human Emperors’ princesses. The Shennong Shi has two princesses in the Golden Immortal Realm who have not yet married. Typically, they appear as elderly won, but if they choose to beco youthful, they are truly stunning beauties, you...
Li Ping’an’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
He did know those two princesses.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he could envision those elderly won throwing seductive glances his way.
"Eastern King, spare the trouble; I don’t wish to accumulate any more emotional debts."
Li Ping’an sighed:
"The longevity of this world is still uncertain; the survival issues remain unresolved, so why concern myself with romance and poetry?
"The Queen Mother’s desire for power is indeed significant, but that’s rely her nature. The policies she’s enacted aren’t wrong, just sowhat stringent and require later adjustnts.
"As for the pressure on the officials... Once they enter the Heavenly Court, they should serve as officials and generals from the Heavenly Court—this level of awareness is still lacking."
The Eastern King forced a smile and responded.
"Your Majesty, whatever you decide."
"By the way, Eastern King, your reminder is tily: I should pay Lady Ba a visit soon."
Li Ping’an sighed softly:
"I can’t tell if Lady Ba is still angry with , for previously, concerning the matter of Xuanyuan Sister, I felt quite guilty."
"If she agrees, I’ll bring her back to the Heavenly Court.
"She is the eldest princess of the human race, and earlier, when we pressed Mount Ling, she also appeared in the south.
"What do you think, Eastern King, what kind of gift should I bring as an apology for her?"
The Eastern King murmured softly: "Being Your advisor, I also need to assist with your romantic pursuits?"
"Hmm?"
"Well, considering Lady Ba’s fiery temper, fire fears gentle water the most," the Eastern King smiled and said, "just be tender, and she has deep feelings for you as well. Haven’t you both long since promised each other eternity? It’s not that complicated."
Li Ping’an thought for a mont, then winked at the Eastern King.
The Eastern King continued: "Your Majesty, there is another matter... Have you ever heard the tale of Houyi shooting down the suns?"
"Of course, I’ve heard of it."
"That story is quite lengthy; I need to report to you in detail."
The Eastern King pondered for a mont before slowly saying:
"Houyi was originally a Great Witch, and enraged by the death of Kuafu, he shot and killed the Golden Crow Prince, reducing ten suns to one, with nine Golden Crow corpses buried within the Taiyang Star, and controlled by the Heavenly Dao.
"There is indeed a secret story here, occurring during Shennong Shi’s era, concerning Houyi.
"Oh? What kind of secret story?"
"This involves the Queen Mother.
The Eastern King sighed softly and began to speak slowly:
"After the overthrow of the Ancient Heavenly Court, the Witch Clan was severely weakened, while the thods of cultivation for the human race began to spread, and their prestige grew. With the support of Taiqing and Nüwa, two of the six Sect Hierarchs, my grandfather, Fuxi Shi, beca the second Human Emperor, inheriting the will of Suiren, and was respected by the Hundred Clans as the ruler of all under heaven.
"At this ti, Houyi, the hero who shot down the nine suns, had significant prestige among the Hundred Clans and was active in the Southern Continent.
"Wait a mont," Li Ping’an frowned and said, "I read in so ancient texts that Houyi perished in battle during that great conflict, didn’t he?"
"Houyi did not perish in battle at that ti; so human race ancient records deliberately beautified it to conceal this matter."
The Eastern King sighed and continued speaking as they approached the South Celestial Gate:
"During the reign of Fuxi Shi, the Hundred Clans coexisted in harmony. The human race and Witch Clan jointly governed the world, and intermarriage between the two beca customary, leading to the flourishing developnt of the Witch-human race.
"By the ti of Shennong Shi, the Witch-human race had beco a powerful force second only to the human race, laying the groundwork for the future chaos caused by Chiyou.
"The Witch-human race was skilled at hunting but not farming, thus ancient states and regions fell prey to Witch-human tribes.
"After Shennong Shi assud the role of the universal ruler, the Witch-humans grew increasingly powerful and frequently caused disturbances, resulting in multiple ancient nations falling victim to Witch-human raids. Additionally, behind the Witch-human race stood the Witch Clan, including Houtu and Xuan Ming, two great Ancestral Witches, along with nurous Great Witches—a formidable force not to be ignored.
"Resolving the Witch-human disturbances necessitated appeasing the Witch Clan; hence, Shennong Shi decided to facilitate a marriage alliance.
"You an, Shennong Shi married off his daughter?"
"Indeed," said the Eastern King, "Shennong Shi betrothed Chang’e, then known as the most beautiful woman in heaven and earth, to the Great Witch Houyi. But it was actually a sche. The marriage between Chang’e and Houyi was postponed to a century later."
Li Ping’an suddenly understood and said slowly:
"I understand now.
"The marriage was used to win over the Witch Clan, and then a hundred years were spent resolving the disaster of the Wu-Human Tribe.
"The Wu-Human were actually part of the Witch Clan’s forces, only half-witch and half-human. The Witch Clan did not truly acknowledge them. As long as the Witch Clan was given enough respect, they would not care about the Wu-Human Tribe.
"Once the Wu-Human Tribe was suppressed, the Witch Clan lost their wings and could be controlled by the Human Race, thus nullifying the marriage."
"Indeed."
The Eastern King laughed and said, "The plan was executed smoothly. Several tribes of the Wu-Human were defeated by the allied forces of the Fang Kingdom. But then, unexpectedly, sothing happened."
"What kind of thing?"
"Taking advantage of the Wu-Human chaos, the Witch Clan was ambushed, Houyi was killed, his head severed. The one who killed Houyi was likely the Golden Crow Prince who escaped back then, now Daoist Luya."
"Deep hatred and enmity, not surprising."
Li Ping’an frowned and asked:
"So the marriage between Chang’e and Houyi was thus locked?"
"Indeed."
The Eastern King sighed and said:
"At that ti, the Witch Clan was furious and constantly searched for the whereabouts of the murderer.
"Rumors spread that Shennong Shi did not want his daughter to marry into the crude Witch Clan, and therefore caused Houyi’s death. The Witch Clan believed this and insisted that Chang’e marry into their clan to serve as Houyi’s widow.
"In the end, it was the Human Race that sought the help of the Western Queen Mother, who is now the Queen Mother, asking for her cooperation, and bestowed a so-called elixir of immortality. Chang’e, under the pressure from the Witch Clan and so human officials, moved to the Taiyin Star.
"To embellish this story and the scheming of the Human Race behind it, the ancient books of the Human Race avoid ntioning this matter.
"The story widely spread in the world was fabricated by advisors at that ti, saying Chang’e stole the elixir of immortality, abandoned Houyi, and fled to the moon, only to be trapped there for ten thousand years, enduring the loneliness."
"Ten thousand years... it’s been tens of thousands of years, hasn’t it?"
Li Ping’an subconsciously looked up at the sky. It was still daylight, and though the Taiyin Star was on the horizon, it was not visible.
He asked, "What is Chang’e’s current cultivation?"
"Daluo Golden Immortal."
"What?" Li Ping’an was shocked, "She beca a Daluo Golden Immortal? How many Daluo Golden Immortals are there in the Human Race? Why didn’t she help us before?"
The Eastern King cleared his throat:
"This matter was originally a scandal for the Human Race, so few people ntion it.
"Chang’e has always harbored resentnt towards this matter. After moving to the Moon Palace, she no longer contacts her family, even driving away the guards sent to the Moon Palace, and... Majesty.
"Chang’e is indeed the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, being the daughter of Shennong Shi and also a Daluo Golden Immortal. Perhaps you could visit the Moon Palace when you have the chance?
"Actually, it has been suggested more than ten tis to incorporate the Moon Palace into the Heavenly Court’s affairs. The Moon Palace was originally the traveling palace of Wangshu in ancient tis, but the matter was suppressed by the Queen Mother. It is rumored that the Queen Mother decreed in the Jade Pool that no one should ntion the matter of Chang’e of the Moon Palace to Your Majesty.
"The fortune of the Heavenly Emperor, Majesty."
Li Ping’an frowned as he looked at the Eastern King, pondering aloud, "Does my brother Xuanyuan’s harem of three thousand include half of your contributions?"
"Not half, but certainly three to four hundred. It started with alliances between the Fang Kingdom, and later developed genuine feelings."
The Eastern King stated seriously:
"So-called stratagem is about achieving the greatest value with the least cost; stability is the most important.
"Your Majesty should consider this matter carefully.
"Without checks and balances, the Queen Mother may soon cause misfortune, and if my suspicions are correct, she will soon issue a new heavenly regulation under the influence of the Heavenly Dao. Once this regulation is issued, the Heavenly Court will stand against the cultivators.
"If the impact of this is not handled well, it could easily undermine Your Majesty’s foundation in the Human Race. It is necessary to let the Queen Mother play the role of an adversary, while you need to show an image of considering the Human Race’s interests, creating an illusion of falling out with the Queen Mother.
"Even just making a trip to the Moon Palace would suffice. Everyone knows you are as pure as jade."
Li Ping’an asked, "What kind of heavenly regulation?"
"More or less, it should be... the Longevity Golden Immortal Tribulation."
Li Ping’an paused slightly, standing in the air speechless for a long ti.
The Eastern King, this guy, truly has a knack for foreseeing events.
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