The Emperor of the Three Realms

chapter 18

After being depressed, Jiang Chen finally asked anxiously, “Your aunt is not the type to hold a grudge, right?”    

“Hehe, he loves me very much. As for whether he held a grudge or not, Zhiruo had no idea! Brother Jiang Chen, do not be afraid. I'll talk to him on your behalf when I have time.”    

Hmph. It doesn't matter who begs on your behalf, Jiang Chen! Heir to the duchy of Jiang Han, ranked last in the pre examination, but had yet to pass any of the three basic exams”    

Near the artificial mountain, Princess Gouyu reappeared without anyone's knowledge, wearing a thin, delicate yellow robe.    

There were a few traces of a cold smile on his face, “Jiang Chen, you have the courage to walk here.”    

Some say dead pigs are not afraid of boiling water. Since things were going as they were, Jiang Chen could only finish them to the end. “What, you want to take revenge on me?”    

"Revenge?" A hint of cold smile fell on Gouyu's lips. “Right now you don't even deserve revenge. Worry about it if you make it through to the final exam.”    

True, as the main organizer, Princess Gouyu could not bear to humble herself and harass someone who could not even pass a single basic test.    

Heh heh, stupid woman. You think I'm too little. Jiang Chen knew that in Gouyu's heart, she was most likely equated with the words “stupid and incompetent”.    

He was about to say something when he heard the sound of loud footsteps from outside. The delivery of the crouching stones has arrived.    

Jiang Chen gestured and said to Princess Gouyu, “What's your name, Gouyu right? Princess Zhiruo said that you love her. I'm just asking this, do you have any authority in the imperial harem?”    

"Why?" Gouyu asked coldly.    

“If you have the authority, then destroy all the buildings within a hundred feet of Princess Zhiruo's residence. Destroy any mountain, fill any water.”    

“Also, hire the best craftsmen to carve the largest pieces of rock that crouch into the stone pedestal. Let Princess Zhiruo sleep on it. Better he sleep naked.”    

Jiang Chen did not care at all that a black line slowly formed on Princess Gouyu's pretty forehead, and continued to speak.    

“Compose the remaining eight stones that crouch according to the diagram on my paper. I will come back again with more tasks next time.”    

“And, little Zhiruo, I have reserved this sachet for you. I have broken the Dragonbone Sun Grass into nine pieces and put them into nine sachets. Keep one for you at all times, and put the other in a place you visit often. Although this Dragon Bone Sun Grass was a bit of trash, for now it was still enough. Which qi it produces will nourish your meridians.”    

“In addition, this is a hand sketch of the 'Sun God Spirit Diagram', along with the accompanying mantra. Meditate and ponder with your heart. This will help your body produce that qi.”    

“It's temporary repair, we need to stabilize your condition first. Remember, do what I say. In particular, do not practice again, or the situation will be bad beyond comprehension.”    

Jiang Chen's words of guidance had the impression of a master. His attitude and delivery made Princess Gouyu pause for a moment.    

He did not give Gouyu a chance to speak after he finished speaking. He cleaned his sleeves and started walking haughtily.    

Gouyu regained consciousness as Jiang Chen was about to leave. He snorted, “Jiang Chen, you are the one who can't even pass the three basic exams. Why should we listen to you?”    

Jiang Chen's gaze was cold as his body stopped, but he did not turn around. “If you really love your niece, you will do as I say. If you want him to die early, keep practicing with him like you just did.”    

It had to be said, Jiang Chen had the potential to become a bluffing expert. His astonishing words accompanied by a calm dignified aura, were enough to cause the leading Princess Gouyu, the powerful figure responsible for the fate of all the ranks of a duke through the Hidden Dragon Trials, to be the most powerful, lost for a while.    

Only when his shadow disappeared did Gouyu recover, “That brash new guy! He makes me so angry!”    

Eastern Zhiruo laughed, “Aibi, brother Jiang Chen is actually quite good. Listen, that day at the Heavenly Worship Rite.”    

When Eastern Zhiruo finished conveying the events of the past few days, Princess Gouyu's face showed various expressions.    

“Who would have thought that so many things would happen in the capital of the time as long as I was away? I'm gone not even a month!” Gouyu's expression became complicated upon hearing that Jiang Chen had risen from the dead after being flogged to death, and had actually gained divine protection due to his misfortune.    

Princess Gouyu was born into a royal family, and had one of the highest standards in the entire capital. His ambition and worldview never stopped at a mere kingdom.    

Therefore, he was committed to practice and set a goal to explore the wider and more interesting world, through the path of martial dao.    

It was because his eyes were fixed high, that he knew more than most people about divine protection. If an ordinary person were to worry between skepticism and belief, then he believed about 70% after listening to Zhiruo.    

“It is impossible for a teenager to fabricate so many things in hot moments. Especially Zhiruo and her mother were born under a solar eclipse. This kind of royal secret was never revealed. Yin Constitution, Yin humor?”    

Princess Gouyu felt mixed feelings. Eastern Zhiruo was one of his most beloved nephews, and he had watched her grow up.    

He had always insisted that Eastern Zhiruo was weak and weak, and therefore urged Eastern Zhiruo to train and train. Even if he did not achieve any achievements, strengthening his body was still a good thing, right?    

However, Jiang Chen's excessive and harsh lecture today had caused his confidence for many years to falter, just a little.    

“Am I really wrong? Everything I did for Zhiruo did not help her, but instead harmed her?”    

“Divine protection? Should I believe in something like this?”    

At this moment, eunuch Xia Ting had led a crowd of people nearby.    

“Princess, are we going to destroy this area? Your servant begged for royal guidance.”    

Princess Gouyu scanned the surroundings, there was a hint of fear in her beautiful eyes. He glanced again at Eastern Zhiruo and noticed the spirit in the girl's eyes. It was obvious that he was very confident in Jiang Chen.    

“Destroy!”    

Gouyu herself found it hard to believe that she said those words. Why destroy? Why would he listen to that damn kid? Does he really like his actions?    

No no, I thought of Zhiruo. If that makes him happy, then we destroy this area! The proud Princess Gouyu quickly found a suitable excuse for herself.    

When he left the imperial harem, Jiang Chen paid another visit to Eastern Lu. After all, he was the king of a nation, manners had to be obeyed. Jiang Chen was a smart person and did not want to provide any food for the gossip factory.    

Eastern Lu was quite satisfied with Jiang Chen's report. “Jiang Chen, I can see that you are much better than all those royal healers.”    

“Your Majesty, there is an excess of yin qi in the imperial harem. This was not a suitable residence for someone with the Princess' constitution. Your subject's action is simply to fight yin qi. In order for the Princess to be like an ordinary person, she had to break out of the imperial harem and settle down in a place that gathered Yang Qi.”    

“Mm. Your advice has been recorded. However this issue is very important and requires consideration.” This was an action that was clearly contrary to the royal tradition. Even Eastern Lu could not easily agree to it.    

“Because of that, your subject asked for his permission. I will enter the palace to update my diagnosis every month and find out the condition of the Princess. If there is no accident, the condition can be stable. As for whether it can effectively exceed expectations, it will depend on the karma of the Princess.”    

There were many things that Jiang Chen did not need to explain too much detail, such as the “Sun” Spirit God Diagram. It was actually luck that changed the Princess' life. It was something that the Celestial Emperor had prepared for Jiang Chen back then.    

Jiang Chen naturally did not have the ability to replicate the Sun God Spirit Diagram, but had no problems simulating the simplified version.    

If Princess Zhiruo really pondered over it every day, as time passed, the effects of this single diagram would be enough to allow her to live a normal life.    

But Jiang Chen would never voice this. Playing this hand close to his heart would prevent Eastern Lu from burning the bridge.    

Throwing away a person after his usefulness was exhausted; jiang Chen had been born into the royal family in his past life, how could he not know of this?    

When he left the palace, he did not go to his usual place for drinks and prostitutes, nor did he visit his friends. Instead, he went straight back to the palace.    

All of his best friends have been punished by their respective parents for the furore they caused at Jiang Han's palace a few days ago, not to mention the approaching end-of-month exam.    

Desperation had filled the hearts of all the dukes. The second half of the year will mark the arrival of the final exams of the Hidden Dragon Trials. The performance of their sons at this stage is key to determining whether they can maintain their position for the next twenty years.    

Those who know for sure that their position will be maintained should still be worried if the ranking will change.    

Overall, the intense competition in the Hidden Dragon Trials caused all dukes to be wary.    

On the contrary, Jiang Han's household actually had a more relaxed atmosphere.    

Jiang Feng, the duke of Jiang Han, did not have high expectations from the start. He had already mentally prepared himself to hang up his armor and return to the fields.    

As for the current Jiang Chen, the rank of a duke in a kingdom was not even listed on his radar.    

He participated because he did not want the outside world to think that the Jiang family was full of cowards and did not even have the courage to attend the Trials.    

The bigger picture of the fierce competition among the dukes had long been formed, and Jiang Chen had no choice but to go with the flow.    

Otherwise, avoiding the first battle after his reincarnation would leave a shadow in his heart, which undoubtedly affected his training path in the future.    

The current biggest gossip in the Jiang Han household was none other than Jiang Chen. It was because the servants found out surprisingly that the young Duke had been staying at home for five whole days.    

This is very challenging news. One should know that the young duke was a restless master before. He had never even set a record of staying at home for ten hours, let alone five full days.    

Even Jiang Feng was astonished and he continued muttering, “What is this kid doing? This isn't his style?”    

Jiang Feng's philosophy of child rearing includes four words, “Do as he wishes”.    

As for the main character of the rumor, Jiang Chen did not respond to the reactions of the outside world. He had not wasted a single moment in the past five days.    

Train, strengthen his meridians, strengthen his body – all final preparations to clear the fifth acupoints.    

Reading to understand and assimilate as much of this world as possible through reading the various volumes of – these two things had almost become Jiang Chen's entire life over the past few days.    

As dawn broke on the sixth day, the four original qi strands were full of vitality like dawn, and were as vigorous as sunrise.