Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law Chapter 437: Granting Chen Mo the Former Empress

Liang Ji was deposed by Chu Nan and sent to the Cold Palace. At first, she was indignant, but gradually, she ca to terms with it.

She transford the Cold Palace into a Buddhist hall, donned simple monastic robes, and assud the appearance of a nun. When the Palace Maid entered, she was ditating and cultivating. She realized that ever since she ca to terms with it, her cultivation progressed rapidly.

Though she appeared as a nun, Liang Ji was exquisitely graceful, her beauty radiant, and her slender figure elegant. Even wrapped in the loose monastic robes, she couldn’t hide her lithe and graceful deanor.

Hearing the Palace Maid’s words, even she, who had sowhat accepted her fate, couldn’t help but show a moved expression.

After all, the last ti the Loyalist Army tried to deal with Xu Guozhong, nothing happened. Now Xu Guozhong was suddenly assassinated; it was truly surprising.

Startled for a mont, Liang Ji responded with a simple "Oh."

Faced with Liang Ji’s calm reaction, the Palace Maid beca anxious. She had hoped to ingratiate herself with Liang Ji, but with such indifference from Liang Ji, she didn’t know how to proceed.

The Palace Maid said, "Your Grace, shouldn’t you be happy? Now that Chancellor Xu... no... Xu Guozhong is dead, Your Majesty can reinstate you as the Empress."

"Heh," Liang Ji let out a cold laugh upon hearing this.

Although she was deposed due to Xu Guozhong’s coercion, her heart was filled with disappointnt and resentnt towards Chu Nan’s weakness and ineptitude.

Currently, her greatest wish was to leave this deep palace and live as an ordinary woman. Being an Empress was sothing she truly no longer desired.

However, with her background, wanting to be an ordinary woman was impossible.

Just then, a series of urgent knocks ca from outside the Cold Palace. The eunuch guarding the entrance opened the door and was t by the eunuch in charge of the Ritual Departnt.

With a cheerful deanor, he said, "By order of Your Majesty, we’ve co to escort the Empress Dowager back to Kunning Palace."

"Empress Dowager?!" The eunuch guarding the Cold Palace was stunned.

...

Xu Guozhong’s demise was due to underestimating Lu Sheng.

Gaining Xu Guozhong’s trust and appointed as the Grand General, Lu Sheng held significant influence in the Xu Army.

The increasing power also made Lu Sheng uneasy.

Thus, he made two strategic moves.

The overt move was to place his n conspicuously in the army, ensuring Xu Guozhong was aware of their allegiance to him.

The covert move involved secretly bribing so senior generals in the army.

After the incident with Hui Cheng’s concubine being taken.

Both Xu Guozhong and Lu Sheng wanted to make the first move.

Xu Guozhong summoned all high-ranking generals except those placed by Lu Sheng, formulating a secret plan to eliminate Lu Sheng’s n and target Lu Sheng.

But his plan was leaked by soone he trusted, who inford Lu Sheng in advance.

Thus, Lu Sheng acted before Xu Guozhong.

A punch from a strong youn will always dominate.

Xu Guozhong, in the end, was old.

Whereas Lu Sheng was in his pri.

Ultimately, it was Lu Sheng who slew him.

Although Xu Guozhong was dead, in Luonan, there were still many of Xu Guozhong’s followers. To quickly take control of the Capital,

Lu Sheng heeded his staff’s advice: purge the Xu Faction and align with those Xu Guozhong had oppressed.

The Liang Family was a priority.

Although the Liang Family was deeply entwined with Prince Huai and King Chong, they had enmity with Xu Guozhong, not Lu Sheng.

As long as the benefits were sufficient, they could still join forces.

Thus, Lu Sheng had Liang Ji made Empress Dowager.

anwhile, in Lu Sheng’s study, he was deliberating with his advisers on who were potential allies and who were enemies to be dealt with around the realm.

"Currently, the most prominent figure is Grand Commandant Chen Mo, who holds Qing, Yu, Lin, and Huai Four States, allied by marriage with the Wu Family, and ford alliances with Western Liang Qiang Race and Shu Residence’s Yang Xian. The Xiao Family has also joined him, boasting an army of two hundred thousand. Having just eliminated Xu Thief, the Pri Minister needs to stabilize the Luonan situation; he shouldn’t antagonize Chen Mo but rather try to ally with him," an elderly advisor suggested.

"I disagree. The Pri Minister previously killed Xiao Chongrong, forming a deadly feud with the Xiao Family. Now that they’ve allied with Chen Mo, how can the Pri Minister align with Chen Mo?" another advisor opined.

"The world chases after profit. Coming together or not is rely a matter of benefits. Precisely for this reason, the Pri Minister should build good relations with Chen Mo. As long as Chen Mo doesn’t target the Pri Minister, there will be ample ti to control Luonan, and any grudges will beco irrelevant.

Furthermore, Chen Mo’s current targets are Prince Huai and King Chong; he won’t oppose the Pri Minister for the Xiao Family. Hence, it would be prudent to seize this opportunity to gain favor," the elderly advisor slowly elaborated.

"That makes sense." Lu Sheng agreed with the elderly advisor’s remarks. For now, he needed ti to consolidate all of Xu Guozhong’s assets, whether he could win Chen Mo over didn’t matter as long as Chen Mo didn’t attack him.

"Then according to Elder Yang, how should we express goodwill to Chen Mo?" Lu Sheng inquired.

The elderly advisor pondered and said, "The Pri Minister simply needs to express to Chen Mo that neither side will interfere with the other; thus, so token gesture in Your Majesty’s na should suffice."

"What might that token be?"

"Rumor has it that Chen Mo has a fondness for won, especially those married. Liang Song’s wife Ning Clan and Prince Huai’s wife Xiao Clan are now both in Chen Mo’s possession..." The elderly advisor deliberated for a mont and continued, "Recently, the Music Bureau has a new batch of penalized families. The Pri Minister could select so to gift to Chen Mo."

"Very well. I was also unsure what to do with Xu Ying, so I’ll grant her to Chen Mo."

Xu Ying was the forr Empress, and Lu Sheng felt this gesture was quite generous.

However, as soon as Lu Sheng finished speaking, the advisor who had previously raised objections said, "Pri Minister, Xu Ying is the forr Empress. Her status is extraordinary, gifting her to Chen Mo might be a bit... reckless."

"That’s wrong. Xu Ying was deposed by the forr Emperor, demoted to slavery, becoming a penalized family mber, no longer part of the Imperial Family. Moreover, she hasn’t borne the Dragon Lineage. There are prior examples in the forr dynasty, it’s not inappropriate," Elder Yang replied.

...

anwhile,

In the Celestial Prison.

Xu Yu, dressed in prison garb, lay on the cell floor, barely alive, his body covered in wounds.

When he was the Pri Minister’s son, he made too many enemies. Now, having fallen from grace, he received a brutal beating from the wardens upon being thrown into the Celestial Prison.

"Clang..."

The sound of the cell door opening.

Xu Yu laboriously raised his head and upon seeing who entered, his face imdiately changed.

"Young Master Xu, we et again," Hui Cheng said with a sinister grin as he walked into the cell.

Xu Yu’s body trembled involuntarily.

Hui Cheng did not attack Xu Yu but squatted in front of him and said, "I rember back then, Young Master Xu said a phrase: that I should feel honored that you would favor my woman..."