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The surrounding heroes of the martial arts world all gasped in surprise.
Everyone was wondering: if they faced this storm of hidden weapons head-on, could they escape unscathed?
The answer is self-evident—for most people, it is absolutely impossible.
Sheng Yayu is like a thorny rose, beautiful yet with hidden sharpness.
Next to appear was Nongyue, who was playing the zither in the small building.
Unlike Sheng Yayu's sharpness, Nongyue is gentle and charming, making people feel pity for her.
Her slender fingers plucked the strings, her red lips parted slightly, and the heavenly sound, coupled with her stunning beauty, captivated everyone present.
Just then, three beauties made their appearance in succession:
Ji Yaohua, the great constable of the Song Dynasty, is imposing and capable, with bright eyes and white teeth.
Princess Li Qinglu of Western Xia sat alone in the palace, dressed in full regalia, her brows furrowed with an unyielding sorrow.
Shen Bijun, the daughter of the Shen family, was distributing porridge at the porridge stall. Her compassionate heart made her beauty even more radiant.
Chapter 157 A Peerless Beauty
The five stunning beauties each possessed a unique charm that captivated the world.
The land of Kyushu fell into an unprecedented silence.
......
Inside the Xianyang Palace, Ying Zheng's brows were furrowed.
The mystery of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions has finally been revealed.
The Qin Dynasty and Haojing, the former capital of the Zhou Dynasty, were separated by only a river, and thus knew the most about this secret.
Three thousand years ago, the land of China was in turmoil. The Zhou dynasty rose to power in Haojing and defeated King Zhou of Shang in Chaoge.
Legend has it that King Wu of Zhou established his rule over the world by relying on the power of the Azure Dragon and the Seven Mansions.
To prevent the divine object from being used by others, King Wu divided its power into seven locations.
The ancestors of the Qin Dynasty once herded horses for the Zhou Dynasty, and after the founding of the Qin Dynasty, they secretly sought out this secret.
After a thousand-year search, only one Illusionary Sound Box has been found to date.
It is said that this object is one of the seven constellations of the Azure Dragon, but no one has ever been able to determine which constellation it corresponds to.
"Your Majesty! The great achievements of the Zhou emperors of yesteryear must have concealed a hidden secret."
Donghuang Taiyi took the lead in speaking.
"The Illusionary Sound Box is now in my possession."
"The Fire Rain Lord's treasure may also be part of this."
"Li Kai's daughter Nongyu, Li Qinglu of Western Xia, and Shen Bijun of the Great Song each possess one."
"If we can acquire all three, we will obtain five of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon!"
"Solving the mystery of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions is just around the corner."
"According to the Heavenly Hundred Flowers Ranking, whoever collects all of them can unify the world."
"Even Ximen Yu would find it difficult to withstand such divine power!"
The courtiers in the palace had all heard of the Azure Dragon's Seven Mansions.
Upon hearing Donghuang Taiyi's words, everyone was greatly encouraged.
"Your Majesty, Li Kai is under my command. His daughter possesses the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon. I am willing to retrieve it for Your Majesty."
Bai Qi took the initiative.
"I, your humble servant, am willing to go to see Shen Bijun of the Great Song Dynasty."
Shang Yang was unwilling to lag behind, believing that the Song Dynasty had no more capable generals.
"Li Qinglu of Western Xia..."
Zhao Gao was about to...
Although the Western Xia was nominally a single country...
In reality, it was not even as good as the Song Dynasty; it was merely clinging to life.
Even if such a small country has guardians and offerings, it is at most a terrestrial immortal realm.
Which of the top assassins from Luo Wang Liu or Tian Zi Yi could not crush someone of this level?
Such tasks are as easy as taking candy from a baby.
"Lord Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, are you losing your eyesight?"
Zhang Han interrupted him before he could finish speaking.
"What do you mean by that, Prefect Zhang?"
Zhao Gao looked displeased, thinking that the other party wanted to take credit.
"Nothing more than a reminder to carefully examine Li Qinglu's case file."
Zhang Han said with a subtle expression.
"What's so special about a princess from a small country?"
Zhao Gao didn't take it seriously, but still glanced at it.
"Princess Yinchuan of Western Xia, granddaughter of Li Qiushui... Hmm? This name seems familiar?"
"He's in charge of the intelligence network, specializing in information gathering, yet he's unaware of the relationship between Li Canghai and Li Qiushui?"
Ying Zheng questioned him in displeasure.
"Li Canghai?"
Zhao Gao suddenly realized what was happening.
"Li Canghai? May?"
How could such a small place as Western Xia have any connection with the Azure Dragon Society?
This is too ridiculous!
At this moment, Zhao Gao really wanted to ask how far the influence of the Azure Dragon Society had spread.
The Azure Dragon Society gives the impression of being more like the Net than the Net itself.
"Isn't now the perfect time to secretly deal with the Azure Dragon Society?"
"The Han army has already begun its operation."
"Since even the Han Dynasty has taken direct action, why not attack the Western Xia directly?"
Zhao Gao pondered for a moment, but still felt it was inappropriate.
"Lord Zhao's insight is brilliant. If we seize the Fang Ri Tu from Li Qinglu, wouldn't that be tantamount to telling the Qinglong Society that the Great Qin is targeting them?"
"Doesn't this just give the Azure Dragon Society an excuse to start a war?"
"If war truly breaks out, would Lord Zhao be willing to lead the charge?"
"Will you bear the wrath of Ximen Yu, the most taboo figure in the Nine Provinces?"
Fusu couldn't listen any longer. The three great dynasties were all secretly plotting their own schemes.
The force that takes action must be unrelated to the three great dynasties, and preferably an enemy force.
All of this was to prevent Ximen Yu from retaliating first upon his return.
But what Li Qinglu is holding is an object—or perhaps it is!
If one tries to seize it by force, but fails to collect all seven constellations of the Azure Dragon, or obtain the Unwavering Devotion Pill, then...
Wouldn't the Great Qin be the first to bear the brunt of Ximen Yu's wrath?
"This servant knows his mistake..."
Zhao Gao then realized what was happening and immediately knelt down again.
"Go and accept your punishment! I hope you'll think before you speak in the future."
Ying Zheng never hesitated to punish Zhao Gao, and after saying this, he addressed his ministers:
According to the Heavenly Hundred Flowers Ranking, Li Qinglu is the only princess of the Western Xia Kingdom.
"That is, the sole heir to the Western Xia Kingdom!"
"Now that they have grown into adults, and the King of Western Xia is quite old."
"They will likely select a husband for Li Qinglu."
"Therefore, as long as I decide, I will select a prince to form a marriage alliance with Western Xia."
The Great Qin Dynasty is now the number one dynasty. Without the Azure Dragon Society, its strength and influence are the strongest.
Compared to the Qin Dynasty, the Western Xia Kingdom was at most a prefecture or county.
Now, for the sake of the Azure Dragon Seven Mansions, Ying Zheng has even proposed a marriage alliance, which can be described as going to great lengths.
Fusu was taken aback upon hearing this, still pondering Ying Zheng's words.
Your Highness, a young prince stepped forward:
"To share my father's burdens and serve the Great Qin, I, your son, am willing to personally travel to Western Xia to seek the hand of Princess Yinchuan in marriage."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was the eighteenth prince, Huhai, who had spoken.
Ying Zheng's gaze lingered on Huhai for a moment, then he glanced at the slightly hesitant Fusu, and said in a deep voice, "Granted."
......
Inside the Daming Palace, Wu Zetian gazed at the Heavenly Flower Ranking that appeared in the air, a look of surprise on her face: "The Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon? Left behind by King Wen of Zhou? Is this true?"
The Zhou Dynasty had long since fallen, yet unexpectedly, a secret treasure related to King Wen of Zhou had appeared. Even more astonishing was that this object possessed the power to rule over the nine provinces. She couldn't help but wonder: could this object possibly contend with that Ximen Yu?
"Your Majesty, the Book of Changes does indeed record the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon," Yuan Shoucheng said, holding the classic text intently. He explained, "Legend has it that King Wen of Zhou used the Eight Trigrams of Fuxi as a foundation to deduce the Sixty-Four Hexagrams, and from there derived the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon. It was with this very knowledge that King Wu of Zhou was able to decisively defeat King Zhou of Shang at the Battle of Muye and establish his rule over the world."
These words were not unfounded. Yuan Shoucheng was proficient in divination and astrology, and combined this with the insights from the Heavenly Hundred Flowers Ranking to arrive at this conclusion.
"Such power?" Wu Zetian murmured to herself, suddenly feeling somewhat dazed. "The world changes too fast. I just heard the tale of Xu Xian and the White Snake, and now the legend of King Wu's conquest of King Zhou has emerged."
The courtiers, upon hearing this, found it amusing, yet also deeply alarmed. Indeed, strange phenomena had been frequently appearing in the heavens and earth recently. If there were no immortals or demons in the world, how could the Heavenly Dao Rankings be explained? But if immortals and demons truly existed, why had martial artists searched for them for thousands of years, yet no one had ever seen their true forms?
Wu Zetian composed herself and said solemnly, "Since the matter of the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon is of paramount importance, our dynasty should naturally exert all its efforts to seize them. In my opinion, the seven mansions are scattered in various places; obtaining just one will give us the upper hand. My esteemed ministers, where do you suggest we begin?"
As the ministers pondered, Shangguan Wan'er offered a suggestion: "I believe that the Star Constellation artifacts held by Nongyu and Huoyu Gong should be eliminated first. The Qin Dynasty is powerful and will certainly not allow others to covet the treasures within its territory."
She paused, then continued, "Of the remaining options, Shen Bijun and Li Qinglu are the most suitable. Especially regarding Li Qinglu, I suggest sending a prince to arrange a marriage."
"The might of the Tang Dynasty far surpasses that of the Song Dynasty, and the mere Western Xia is not worth worrying about."
"With the prince personally present, the ruler of Western Xia should naturally bow down and submit."
"As for Shen Bijun, we only need to have the enemies of Shenjiabao or Lianjiabao take action."
"Which prince do you think is the most suitable?"
Wu Zetian had already made up her mind.
“The Prince of Linzi is capable of this task.”
Shangguan Wan'er answered without hesitation.
"Excellent! Issue the edict immediately!"
Wu Zetian had always favored the Prince of Linzi, and immediately agreed.
"But we need to expedite the task of dealing with the Sui Dynasty."
"That 'Spring Flower' Sheng Yayu was able to single-handedly thwart the Yuan Dynasty's conspiracy."
"Now she not only obtained the Mythical Dao Rhyme Pearl, but also possesses the Broken Dao Rhyme Pearl."
"The former can accelerate the cultivation of the Mythical Realm."
"The latter increases the chances of advancing to the Shattered Realm."
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