The Deposed Empress Takes Up Cultivation - Chapter 3

As the crowd dispersed, news that the deposed empress had become an immortal soon spread throughout the capital.

The Qingyun Sect became famous along with it.

Eternal youth. An undying life. Attaining the Dao and becoming an immortal.

Even an emperor couldn’t resist that desire.

What chance did ordinary people have?

By the time Shadow Guard A rode back to the palace at full speed to report, it was already too late to change anything.

The very heavens over Da Qi had changed!

I swept my spiritual sense over the palace.

Despite having just crowned a new empress, Zhao Ye was alone in the Hall of Diligent Governance.

He was silently cursing, broken porcelain strewn across the floor.

How triumphant he’d been when he’d dismissed the entire harem.

At the pinnacle of imperial power, with everyone obeying him.

What a pity. Only a few days later,

the emperor of Da Qi had “immortals” above him!

Wealth, rank, and reputation were fleeting clouds. Immortality was the ultimate goal.

Countless secret meetings took place that night. The court officials were calculating their prospects with a vengeance.

Early the next morning, more than half the officials knelt in the throne hall. Disregarding Zhao Ye’s sinister expression, they poured out impassioned petitions.

“Empress Jiang is a true phoenix descended from heaven to protect our Da Qi!”

“Your Majesty, please welcome Empress Jiang back to the palace!”

Hah. When my entire Jiang family was slaughtered, they hadn’t cared. Now, suddenly, they were all of one mind.

They probably didn’t know yet that my Qingyun Sect accepted only female disciples.

In the end, Zhao Ye made no answer to their request. He simply swept his sleeves and left.

Knowing him, he was bound to have something else up his sleeve.

I didn’t particularly care.

The absolute gap in our strength meant he could do nothing, no matter what he tried.

If cultivators weren’t generally forbidden to interfere in the rise and fall of dynasties, killing him would take no more than a thought.

I was idly drawing back my spiritual sense when I happened to notice unusually rich spiritual energy in one part of the harem. It seemed to be coming from the Palace of the Roosting Phoenix.

My residence before I was deposed.

The new empress was probably living there now.

My spiritual sense spread toward it instinctively. Nothing obstructed me.

The Palace of the Roosting Phoenix looked much as it had before.

Most of the furnishings were almost unchanged from when I’d left.

A good many servants had been replaced, though.

With a turn of my awareness, I found the source of the spiritual energy in the study of a side hall.

Sure enough, it was the new empress, Yao Jin.

Spiritual energy was leaking out with Yao Jin at its center.

Yet she herself appeared to have no cultivation at all.

The energy simply drifted away at random, showing no sign of being circulated.

It was as though her body were a vessel—or an outlet connected to some space filled with spiritual energy.

Or perhaps her cultivation was so much higher than mine that I couldn’t see through her.

That was very unlikely, though.

My spiritual sense had lingered for some time, and she’d continued reading on a chaise by the window as if she hadn’t noticed a thing.

No high-level cultivator would tolerate such an intrusion.

I took a closer look.

She was reading a history written by someone from an earlier age.

I’d originally taken it from Zhao Ye’s study and left it here after reading it.

Judging by the rate at which she turned the pages, she was reading carefully.

I’d also enjoyed reading in this side hall before.

An osmanthus tree stood outside. When it bloomed, its scent filled the room.

I would gather my sleeves and kneel at the low desk, lost in my book.

At a particularly interesting passage, I’d pick up my brush and make a note…

Yao Jin was different.

That chaise hadn’t originally stood by the window.

She must have had someone move it to make reading more convenient.

A small table rested on it, holding a plate of fruit, a plate of pastries, and a cup of tea.

She certainly knew how to enjoy herself.

With such momentous events unfolding outside, she could still read in peace. Presumably, she was a steady sort.

That didn’t match my previous impression of her.

She had arrived from another world a year ago. Zhao Ye had hidden her away immediately. Even as empress, I’d never been allowed to see her once.

Before long, he announced to the world that Yao Jin had performed a great service. He bestowed on her the title of Divine Maiden, protector of Da Qi.

Then my father was executed for treason. My mother, my elder brother, the old and the young in our household—none were spared.

The other consorts and I were deposed on the grounds that we’d failed to produce children despite years in the palace.

Immediately afterward, Yao Jin was made empress.

Zhao Ye even declared that she would be his one and only for the rest of his life.

With that history, I’d imagined Yao Jin must be dazzling and overbearing.

Now it seemed all those decisions were really Zhao Ye’s.

He was ruthless and unfeeling beneath the surface, yet insisted on presenting himself as honorable and gracious.

Infinitely tender when he needed you. The moment he was done, he’d discard you like a worn-out shoe.

He might have appeared to do a great deal for Yao Jin, but how much had truly been for her sake?

I wondered whether she could see that.

“His Majesty approaches!” a eunuch suddenly announced outside.

A maid waiting beyond the hall quickly reminded Yao Jin in a low voice, “Your Majesty, the emperor is here.”

Yao Jin’s eyes remained glued to her book, as if she hadn’t heard.

Only after a long while did she give an impatient sigh.

“I know.”

Then she slowly dragged herself off the chaise.

She pressed her lips together without speaking.

But every movement of her body seemed to be swearing up a storm.

Ha! This visitor from another world was rather interesting.

Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention!