"The young emperor, entrusted by the late emperor, inherits the throne, bearing the hopes of ancestors and the suffering of the people, with great trepidation…"
The new emperor ascended, granting amnesty to the realm.
Bright Hua's founding emperor, the late Ming, was buried in Zhao Mausoleum, with the temple name Taizu, posthumous title Gao, known as Emperor Taizu Gao.
The era name remained unchanged, still using the late emperor's era name, to be updated in the new year's court assembly.
Ren ascended the throne, and his children were rewarded. He has five sons: three were made county kings, two are too young to be titled yet. His eldest daughter Qing and youngest daughter Li were both made princesses, granted a palace, and countless treasures.
Notably, Tao was demoted to a commoner and exiled to the northwest, while Zan was made a general and richly rewarded.
It turned out that on the day of the late emperor's death, Zan had already allied with Marshal Jun to support Ren, swiftly defeating Tao, stabilizing the throne rapidly, so much so that even the common people barely felt the shift in power.
Bright Hua's palace is built along a mountain and river, unlike the flat architectural styles of others. Initially, the founding emperor treated the palace as a fortress, and indeed it was. Before it became the center of the realm, Ming used it as a military stronghold for war and defense.
Thanks to this, the palace is constructed around a mountain, with many later-built palaces clinging to the mountainside. The emperor's sacrificial ceremonies are held at the mountaintop, a design that taxed the ingenuity of the realm's master craftsmen. After the dynasty was established, major rituals like the heavenly sacrifice were conducted at the peak. The emperor and royals had sedan chairs, but elderly ministers had to climb on foot, exhausting themselves.
Over a decade, the ministers adapted to this routine and grew physically stronger, but the founding emperor passed away first.
Qing's palace sits on one side of the mountaintop, quiet and secluded yet beautiful. From there, one can see the entire capital's scenery. It's said Ming loved gazing at his vast empire from high places in his leisure time.
The palace, called Lian Yue Ju, is small in scale but offers stunning views. Being remote, few maids or eunuchs come here, sparing her from tedious social duties. The emperor knows his eldest daughter's temperament, preferring peace over noise.
*Pluck!*
Qing sat alone in the pavilion, playing the zither. Her fair, slender fingers gently plucked the strings, producing a captivating melody. This was a habit from childhood; whenever troubled, she'd sit and play a heart-wrenching tune to calm her mind and spark inspiration.
Without using magic, this enchanting music was for her ears alone.
It had been two weeks since she moved into the palace. She only asked the Ceremonial Directorate for a few maids to clean the courtyard and palace. The small palace was desolate, like a haunted house in deep mountains, but with her fairy-like aura, it transformed into a peach blossom fairyland from legends.
She gazed into the distance, recalling these days. Apart from her father visiting once amidst his busy schedule, it was mostly Li, the mischievous girl, who came, always bouncing and clumsy, never without mentioning "Brother Feng."
Feng Wei.
He was making waves again.
Since refining the Innate Origin Pill and showcasing his extraordinary alchemy talent, he'd become a celebrity sought after by many big figures. With his usual style, wherever he went, trouble followed. Recent events in the capital all tied back to this stubborn, handsome youth.
Even Marshal Jun, plagued by old injuries, was healed by his pills, and rumors spread of a romantic tale with the marshal's granddaughter.
This was one of Feng Wei's traits: wherever he went, romantic entanglements followed.
For some reason, thinking of this, Qing's already complicated thoughts grew more chaotic.
*Pluck…*
The zither notes became disordered.
Her jade fingers stopped, and Qing rose from the pavilion. Her black hair lifted like silk, falling smoothly on her back. She stood gracefully, like a solitary snow lotus. Her warm, smooth jade neck revealed delicate collarbones, her deep clothes tightly wrapping her high, firm breasts, outlining a perfect curve. The fitted long skirt covered her slender waist and flat, smooth, adorable belly button.
The skirt clung to her high, round buttocks, like a jade plate, slightly sinking in, separating two maddeningly perfect peach-like buttocks. Between her tightly closed legs, the secret triangular area was like Pandora's box, enchanting and mesmerizing.
"Master, is this the trouble of experiencing the mortal world?"
Qing's clear, moon-like eyes looked into the distance, and also toward a place she'd been somewhat deliberately avoiding yet caring about these days.
Half a month ago, she saved Elder Mu there and left without further attention.
Over the past half month, her cultivation bottleneck remained unmoved. No matter how she practiced, she couldn't break through that intangible barrier.
A voice in her heart told her that her opportunity lay in Yong Row… or rather, with Elder Mu.
"Experiencing the mortal world to temper the heart, but my heart cannot calm down," Qing murmured, stepping into the void.
After the bloody massacre half a month ago, it had been cleaned up, bloodstains removed from the ground and walls. Only some dried, blackened stains spoke of the tragedy from that day.
But the palace is the center of the realm, like the ever-changing, indifferent ocean. If you're eliminated, someone will replace you.
Moreover, with the throne's upheaval, many important figures died, so who cared about these old, frail eunuchs and maids?
Within half a month, a new batch of maids and eunuchs were assigned to Yong Row. The emperor distrusted most palace staff and replaced them.
The new arrivals were initially frightened by the bloodstains, but after a few days, they settled down, living and crying as before. Yong Row seemed unchanged.
The only constant was the dilapidated hut deep in Yong Row, isolated by all.
Beyond the foul smell was Elder Mu, half-dead. Many thought he was gone, but this stinky old eunuch would sneak out at midnight to devour leftovers meant for pigs.
Elder Mu was so filthy that the new chief eunuch didn't bother managing him, even wishing he'd die soon to spare the stench.
But today, Elder Mu was in a daze.
In past days, a mad, extreme voice tormented his mind, but recently, it stopped.
Even his frail, dying body had improved. He no longer lay in bed, groaning in pain meaninglessly.
But Elder Mu had a new problem.
His lower abdomen would swell into something thicker than a fire poker, larger than his arm, so big he couldn't wear pants. They'd tighten and hurt, even tearing his already ragged hemp pants.
Elder Mu lay on the bed, his massive meat rod, thirty centimeters long and seven or eight centimeters thick, resting between his withered legs, looking like a deformed man with three legs.
He scratched his castrated scrotum area. Over the past half month, it had swollen like two water bags, itching and heating up. At midnight, he'd hear gurgling sounds and warm water rolling. When the itching subsided, Elder Mu would use his chicken-claw-like fingers to grasp his towering meat rod.
His skinny fingers couldn't even wrap around the thirty-centimeter, seven-to-eight-centimeter-thick cock. Holding it felt like gripping a scalding iron rod.
Then, both hands began to stroke, rubbing up and down.
This was a skill he'd taught himself over the days. Stroking like this eased the painfully hard meat rod, even bringing a pleasure and comfort he hadn't felt in years.
But dry stroking left him unsatisfied after a long time. Suddenly, he remembered the "princess" he saw half a month ago, the beautiful, pure, fairy-like princess.
Recalling her ample breasts, tightly bound by plain clothes, lifted high, round and perfect, making one want to uncover them and explore…
And her high, firm, peach-like buttocks, like a ripe yet unripe fruit, with the skirt sinking into the crevice, casting a mesmerizing shadow.
Thinking of this, Elder Mu's heart raced, his breathing quickened, and his stroking grew faster and fiercer. He felt his meat rod harden and heat up, veins throbbing, the large mushroom head trembling, the horse eye opening and closing.
"Princess!"
The horse eye twitched, but no liquid came out.
Elder Mu felt an indescribable pleasure and exhaustion, his body weak, as if he'd reached a blissful state.
But it was unsatisfying. He felt hot, sticky liquid rolling in his newly grown testicles but couldn't ejaculate, preventing true pleasure.
Unsatisfied, he continued stroking his slightly softer but still hard meat rod.