That one? A man of ambition and daring, a local stalwart.

Song Xu had always believed that it was better to have a commoner who accumulated good karma and fortune, than a high-ranking official who exhausted vitality and squandered ancestral blessings.

This was why Song Xu could never truly connect with Yuan Huajing. Yet, originally, the two, a prince of the Song Dynasty and a descendant of a meritorious pillar of the nation, should have been the most compatible.

Song Xu crossed his arms, leaning against a pillar, his back to Yuan Huajing, the Second Prince of Dali, who faced the courtyard. “Have you ever noticed, that Mr. Chen and that Chen Ping’an are like two extremes?”

“The Imperial Advisor once said that any true powerhouse should not just inspire fear, but also awe. If the Chen Ping’an who opened the door himself and walked out of the Stopped Water Realm filled us with despair, a sense of utter annihilation, then he represented ‘Xu’, the eleventh Earthly Branch.”

“Then the Mr. Chen who came to save us later was choosing the humanity he recognized in us. At that moment, was he Mao? Chen? Zhen? Wu? Shen? None seem quite right. Perhaps he was more like everything *other* than ‘Xu’?”

Yuan Huajing looked at the back of the prince, as if truly seeing this Dali prince for the first time.

When Song Xu nurtured the flying sword “Nursery Rhyme,” especially when he became a cultivator of the Earthly Branch lineage, it meant that Song Xu would never be emperor in this lifetime.

Yuan Huajing asked, “Song Xu, have you ever thought about becoming emperor?”

Song Xu nodded. “Of course, I have. I even resented this ‘Nursery Rhyme’ flying sword. Then one day, I suddenly didn’t want to anymore.”

“That time was during a grand sacrificial ceremony. We had to provide covert protection. I watched from afar, seeing my father, the Emperor, clad in dragon robes, surrounded by stars. Of course, my elder brother was also in the procession. For some reason, I felt no envy. Instead, I felt a sense of confinement, like the dragon robe was a cage. I had a strange thought then: how many places could our Dali Emperor visit in his lifetime? That night, I went to the city walls. Standing at that height, I suddenly realized that I was free to go anywhere, while my father and brother were not. At that moment, I willingly became a Qi Refiner seeking the path of immortality.”

The Dali Crown Prince, Song Xu’s elder brother, the future heir apparent, was indeed a man of great strategy and capable hands. However, he was very different in private. Whenever something went wrong, upon returning to his residence, he knew not to smash the porcelain or scholarly items, as they were recorded. As for the books of sages, he dared not break them. In the end, he could only vent his anger on silk and satin. On the other hand, his third brother was gentle and, in Song Xu’s view, perhaps more resilient, even if his talent was inferior to that of his elder brother. As for the other younger siblings, Song Xu was even less familiar with them.

Jade trees in the courtyard, branches of jade and misty vines, how much do they know of war?

Song Xu suddenly asked, “This time, when you acted without authorization, were you instructed by someone in the palace?”

Yuan Huajing remained silent.

Song Xu didn’t ask further. The answer was already clear.

“Don’t let it happen again.”

Song Xu stood up and left, turning back to say, “That’s what I said.”

From today onwards, Yuan Huajing had effectively lost his position as the leader of the Earthly Branch cultivators.

Over at the flower trellis, the Old Scholar was also not drinking. He crossed his legs, interlacing his hands on his knee, appearing… He glanced at the colorful knot that Aunt Feng used to tie her dark hair. It was quite valuable.

Aunt Feng smiled. “What, is Literary Saint here to be a lobbyist for the Hundred Flowers Paradise, asking me to return this item? Or did the Flower Master give away some fine wines and Flower God Cups during this meeting, and some Sect Leader from the Central Earth Literary Shrine softened, so Literary Saint is actually carrying an imperial decree from the Sage today?”

The Old Scholar declared righteously, “What would an old man like me meddle in matters between women?”

He wasn’t good at it.

Apart from his closed-door disciple, the Literary Saint lineage were all bachelors who couldn’t figure this out.

The Old Scholar huffed, “Besides, given Aunt Feng’s years of friendship with our Literary Saint lineage, who would dare to act so presumptuously in front of a poor man like me, ordering Aunt Feng around? Wouldn’t they be thoroughly scolded by me?!”

Aunt Feng nodded. “That’s good, or I would have to ask you to leave.”

This colorful knot concealed mysteries. That was why Hundred Flowers Paradise…