Ji Xiang smiled faintly, "This Daoist is still this Daoist. The little Daoist that Your Majesty sees, is it the external form, or the soul?"
Consort Dowager Shang now understood. Some things, once hinted at, were already said enough.
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect you... to be an old fossil too!"
"You old fossil, pretending to be a child, your acting is quite good."
"I have lived in the deep palace for many years, and I am not even good at palace intrigue. My methods of fathoming human hearts are insufficient, but I have at least heard of those who have returned from the dead."
Ji Xiang also put on an act of an old ghost, saying to Consort Dowager Shang, "When I first awoke, my strength was insufficient. Those expressions were indeed not feigned. After all, this Daoist is unfamiliar with the Ming Dynasty. I apologize for unintentionally entering Yongning Palace, Your Majesty."
Consort Dowager Shang pondered that there was no need for apologies. After all, the Zhen artifact, the Golden Striker, also had its pitfalls. But now, it seemed she had acted foolishly. She wondered if the Zhen artifact of the nation could still be used on herself.
She had intended to have the Golden Striker returned in twelve years to help her achieve a transformation, but now it seemed Ji Xiang was not someone to be trifled with.
Therefore, there was only one choice left.
"What do you want me for?"
She no longer referred to herself as "this old woman," for there was now someone even older than her present.
"What do we want you for? I have many questions bottled up that I wish to ask Consort Dowager Shang!"
The Wanli Emperor's current appearance, holding a sword in one hand and a lotus in the other, truly had a touch of immortal grace.
As for the questions, they were naturally why Emperor Jiajing had gone into the Inner Mountains and Rivers, what his views were on the Great Ming court, what his attitude was towards the current contradictions between the Inner and Outer Mountains and Rivers, and which side he stood on.
Upon hearing these questions, Ji Xiang almost blurted out "Thanks for asking."
"I also want to know if the reason the Great Ming has become weak now, and why the divine positions, when invoked, exert less and less power, is related to him?"
"And, is Tao Zhongwen still alive?"
The Wanli Emperor posed a crucial question.
Facing the Wanli Emperor's interrogation, Consort Dowager Shang exhaled, but gave the Wanli Emperor an unexpected reply:
"His views on the Great Ming, and so on, were merely using the Great Ming as a tool for his own enlightenment. In the past, when he searched for the source of the palace's curse, it was actually to allow the Great Ming to continue to function normally. Whether it weakened or prospered, he did not care, as long as the Great Ming remained the Great Ming, preserving its name and legitimacy."
"Because the Great Dao is still in the heavens of the Great Ming, but the Heavenly Courts are not eternal. So, have you ever considered what would happen if humans became the Heavenly Dao?"
"Tao Zhongwen is dead, having passed away without achieving corporeal release. It seems he had some kind of deal with Emperor Shizong, perhaps related to the Divine Firmament Dao? I'm not sure about that. As for the weakening of the Ming Dynasty's divine positions... perhaps it is related to the change in the Heavenly Courts that he mentioned."
Ji Xiang listened, slightly surprised, "Even the Heavenly Heart realm cannot touch the Great Dao, and Hunyuan dare not speak so boastfully. Emperor Jiajing is merely in the Pure Yang realm..."
He left half a sentence unspoken!
The impolite words Ji Xiang wanted to say were: "Ambition exceeds one's destiny!"
Old Zhang was thinking the same thing, as was the Wanli Emperor. The Wanli Emperor had learned from Hu Long that Emperor Jiajing was being chased like a dog, which indicated that his grandfather was not as formidable as he seemed.
He might have been a powerful figure in the Outer Mountains and Rivers, but upon entering the Inner Mountains and Rivers, he was a complete novice.
However, there was one aspect of the Outer Mountains and Rivers that made the Inner Mountains and Rivers so frenzied: the Great Dao resided in the Outer, not the Inner.
At this moment, Consort Dowager Shang once again expressed her personal opinion of Emperor Jiajing, which greatly surprised the Wanli Emperor.
"Actually, after thirty-one years, I also really want to kill him."
The Wanli Emperor was somewhat bewildered and caught off guard.
Before the Wanli Emperor could indulge his curiosity, Consort Dowager Shang proactively offered an explanation:
"Emperor Shizong was my master. He taught me Daoist methods, guided my cultivation, and ultimately seized my immortal bone essence to refine into a great pill, thereby changing his own aptitude and gaining an opportunity for ascension."
Consort Dowager Shang smiled, but it seemed somewhat eerie, "Thirty-one years have passed in the blink of an eye."
"I have wanted to see him every moment, and then dig out his bones."
"He probably never imagined that I could cultivate again and break and then stand... The Imperial Palace is an excellent place for cultivation. It is deep and secluded, and within the cold palace, not many people would pay attention to me."
And so, she cultivated to the Nascent Soul realm, with no one knowing, no one understanding, except...
"Empress Dowager Li?"
Ji Xiang suddenly spoke, which made the Wanli Emperor somewhat suspicious.
"That's right. Just as Your Majesty is thinking, Empress Dowager honors Buddhism. You bestowed upon her the title of Nine Lotus Bodhisattva, and the Nine Lotus Bodhisattva, in Buddhist scriptures, is an emanation of Guanyin Bodhisattva."
Ji Xiang revealed the current situation, indicating that Your Majesty's mother was also a substitute for someone else, and the root of this matter originated from Your Majesty himself!
Upon hearing this, the Wanli Emperor was speechless for a long time. Only when several people looked at him did he come back to his senses and sigh:
"The Inner Mountains and Rivers are still intent on destroying the Great Ming... Every move here is spied upon by countless people. This feeling is truly uncomfortable."
Consort Dowager Shang's smile became more beautiful, her appearance now seeming to transform from that of a middle-aged woman to youthfulness:
"Your Majesty's feelings, I can empathize with. All actions are monitored by others, and even being a pawn for others."
"So, Your Majesty, are you going to expel me from the palace now?"
Wanli Emperor: "What you said might not be true. If you are Emperor Shizong's spy, influencing me here, wouldn't I still have to waste someone to keep an eye on you specifically?"
At this moment, Old Zhang spoke:
"There is no need to worry about that. Twelve years of secluded cultivation is unavoidable. To achieve Innate, one must go through this trial."
"Moreover, Consort Dowager Shang has already dissolved all her cultivation. She is going to reforge her foundation and bones as a mortal. Her Nascent Soul will be confined within a mortal body for twelve years, and then she must die."
"If there is even the slightest misstep, and feigned death becomes real death, then you will not be able to survive."
Consort Dowager Shang then said, "Therefore, I originally had my own plan, which was that the Golden Striker in his hand is the key to my breaking and then standing... There is no need to tell you more about the deeper secrets."
She pointed to the Golden Striker at Ji Xiang's waist. This Zhen artifact left by Emperor Jiajing was the key to her regaining her original foundation and bones.
"The Buddhist sect sent the Seven Treasures Yellow Lotus, and Guanyin once again helped me. This is not the first time... Your Majesty, please thank the Empress Dowager on my behalf."
Ji Xiang was silent for a moment, then said, "Besides the Seven Treasures Yellow Lotus, there should be other treasures that can shorten those twelve years of secluded cultivation, right?"
"If the Buddhist sect has it, the Daoist sect must have it too. If it exists in the Inner Mountains and Rivers, it must also exist in the Outer Mountains and Rivers."
Consort Dowager Shang looked at Ji Xiang, her eyes shifting. She exhaled, her tone somewhat meaningful:
"Senior, shall we make a deal?"