"Taoist Friend, this matter is of great importance, we need to consider it carefully."
Upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's inquiry, Ye Daoyuan said solemnly.
Pei Xuanjing was puzzled, "Is there something that concerns you?"
The current conflict between the two sides has been clearly laid out and is irreconcilable, neither side can afford to back down.
In Pei Xuanjing's view, Ye Daoyuan and his group should be prepared, or perhaps even have a fully formulated plan in place for their next move.
However, upon inquiring and hearing Ye Daoyuan's response, Pei Xuanjing couldn't help but wonder. After all this time, did they not even have a plan prepared for what comes next?
Seeing Pei Xuanjing's puzzled expression, Ye Daoyuan felt a bit embarrassed, he said with a wry smile, "The current political situation at court is complex. Aside from the factions of His Majesty and empress Dowager, there is a group of people who have not yet made up their minds, so …"
Indeed, the political situation at court is considerably complex with more players than just the emperor's faction and the dowager empress's faction. There are others as well.
The influence those people exert on the court is not insignificant. If they choose to join any side, it could easily shift the balance of power, yet they haven't made their choices yet.
Most of these individuals were those who had been handpicked and promoted by the late emperor. They are loyalists and hold high positions that neither the new emperor nor the dowager empress dare to move against them unless they are found guilty of some wrongdoing.
They are the ones who least want to see the current stalemate, unwilling to see the Heir Presumptive, who was recently crowned emperor, being deposed.
But they also do not want to see the emperor take action against the dowager empress right after his ascension to the throne, causing not only harm to the dowager empress, but also sullying his own reputation with the label of being undutiful.
Thus, they have been mediating between the two factions and painstakingly maintaining the current situation at the court.
"Heh heh." Pei Xuanjing chuckled, understanding their predicament.
In the end, because of the existence of this third party, and their non-negligible influence, they are all unwilling to act prematurely, fearing that it might backfire and cause the third party to join the opposition.
"Now, do you understand my predicament?" Ye Daoyuan said to Pei Xuanjing, "After all, I am but a humble Superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, a loyal servant left by the late emperor."
Although Ye Daoyuan is currently strongly supporting the emperor but he is clear about the awkwardness of his position.
His position as superintendent was conferred upon him by the late emperor following his nomination by the Taoist School. Thus, he qualifies to lead the Taoist School and represent it in the court.
But with the ascension of the new emperor, according to tradition, he should resign from the superintendency, and the Taoist School should nominate a new candidate for the emperor to appoint as the new Superintendent of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory.
Even in Ye Daoyuan's own opinion, given Pei Xuanjing's credentials, he would be the most suitable candidate to succeed him as superintendent. After all, he has the new emperor's trust, and with his own backing from the Taoist School, there should be no problem.
Who could have expected that the new emperor, right after his ascension, would eagerly start sidelining the dowager empress's supporters and appointing his own loyal subjects? These actions incited a fierce counterattack from the dowager empress and brought things to a stalemate. He, who should have vacated his position as superintendent, remained in his post.
He smiled and told Pei Xuanjing, "Actually, you are the most suitable for this position right now."
Pei Xuanjing shook his head, "I have no interest in that position."
If he belonged to this world, he might have been interested in the position of the superintendent, as it offered many privileges and access to much knowledge.
Unfortunately, everything in this world was only a part of Pei Xuanjing's life, maybe important, but definitely not the entirety of his life.
He was only a visitor to this world, once he had done everything he wanted in this world; he wouldn't have any sentiment attached to it.
Even on the off chance, Pei Xuanjing was in the Great Ming World, he was still considered the emperor's teacher, holding the position of the national teacher, which was far more honorable than being a superintendent. But even then, Pei Xuanjing didn't take those things too seriously.
What Pei Xuanjing desired was immortality, to become an immortal and live forever. That was his goal and pursuit.
"I understand." Ye Daoyuan sighed with a sense of regret.
His earlier words were just a test, to see if he could persuade Pei Min to accept the position of superintendent.
But it's a pity, Pei Min rejected him without hesitation.
Although it was as he expected, he still felt disappointed when he received the confirmation.
Several times before, Ye Daoyuan had speculated that Pei Min was unwilling to accept the position. Especially after listening to his resolute words about his single-minded pursuit of the Dao, he was even more certain.
However, being in this position he couldn't resist trying until their refusal. Only then did he truly give up.
How would such a person with lofty ambitions of cultivation want to waste time in such a position?
Ye Daoyuan thought to himself.
Pei Xuanjing's words interrupted Ye Daoyuan's contemplation: "In fact, I think this issue isn't as complicated as you believe."
Ye Daoyuan snapped back to reality and looked at Pei Xuanjing, "Please enlighten me."
A smile appeared at the corner of Pei Xuanjing's mouth, but his following words shocked Ye Daoyuan.
"The current situation may seem confusing and difficult to handle, but fundamentally, it hinges on one person. If she stops interfering, all the trouble will vanish."
Ye Daoyuan took a sharp intake of breath, his voice heavy, "You plan to take direct action against the dowager empress!"
He wasn't a fool. Upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's words, he instantly realized what he was suggesting.
Pei Xuanjing responded with a question, "Isn't that why you invited me to come to the capital?"
Ye Daoyuan frowned slightly and explained, "Our plan was for defense, not for taking direct action. After all, her status is unique. She's the emperor's birth mother. If word got out …"
Pei Xuanjing scoffed, "So what if the word gets out? Is it the first time such a thing has happened in the Great Tang? Are they afraid of being laughed at?"
"You …" Ye Daoyuan was stunned. He found the man before him to be crazy for even saying such things.
Even though such incidents have happened in the Great Tang, they are still considered taboo. Nobody would casually or dare to mention them. If word about these comments got out, without considering his power, it would inevitably provoke the wrath of the royal family.
Pei Xuanjing was nonchalant about it and said, "Victory justifies all actions. If we are so concerned with collateral issues, we might as well avoid the struggle. Just hand over the kingdom."
Ye Daoyuan found Pei Xuanjing's proposal bold, but he also understood it was the most effective solution.
Since they couldn't resolve the current situation, it wouldn't hurt to handle the person causing it.
The situation was fundamentally a result of the struggle between the emperor and the empress dowager. As they sided with the emperor, the only way to solve this problem was to force the empress dowager to retire from the struggle.
A divine light flickered in the depths of Pei Xuanjing's eyes, he said, "You mentioned that the empress dowager is on the verge of breaking into the Realm of Heavenly People, didn't you? Why don't we seize this opportunity to encourage her ascension? It would be a good story."
"Encourage the empress dowager to ascend?"
"Yes, encourage her to ascend to become a Heavenly Ascender. In this way, there would be no cause for criticism."
"This…seems not bad."
Ye Daoyuan temporarily agreed with this plan. He asked, "However, since our last confrontation, the empress dowager has remained within the depths of the palace and rarely comes out. How can we find an opportunity? Surely we can't just barge into the palace and force her out!"
The empress dowager was deep within the palace and never ventured out, making it difficult to even meet her, let alone attack her. The palace was heavily guarded with many skilled people. It wouldn't be easy to strike.
Pei Xuanjing looked at him carefully, scoffed and said, "I can't believe that as a Superintendent for many years, you can't even handle this. And besides, aren't there people from our side inside the palace?"
As a cunning fox like Ye Daoyuan who had held the position of Superintendent for many years, how could he possibly not have people inside the court? If not, how had he managed to escape so easily when the empress dowager had injured him?
Moreover, if they were going to make a move, they naturally needed to coordinate with the emperor. With the emperor on their side, how could there be no solution?
Caught in his lie by Pei Xuanjing, Ye Daoyuan remained unperturbed. He nodded calmly and said, "You're right, Taoist Friend. With His Majesty's assistance, this plan seems incredibly simple."
Pei Xuanjing didn't dwell on this matter but instead asked, "The most critical point now is to determine how many skilled individuals are by the empress dowager's side, and how many can we mobilize?"
This was a critical point. Normal Heavenly Rank masters could be ignored, but a few Half-Step Heavenly Beings with Condensed Legal Domain could pose a problem. After all, facing such a strong opponent, even Pei Xuanjing had to tread carefully.
As rare as Half-Step Heavenly Beings were, it didn't mean they were exclusive to their side. At least, Pei Xuanjing didn't believe that the Brahman Gate and the Demonic Cult didn't have any.
The empress dowager was already an unmatched master, rumored to be on the verge of breaking into the Realm of Heavenly People, thus becoming one of the strongest in the world. It would be challenging to deal with her, and even more so if they had to face more opponents. In that case, their plan would be impossible to execute.
Ye Daoyuan didn't answer immediately but pondered for a long while. Finally, he said, "Brahman Gate and Demonic Cult each have one Half-Step Heavenly Being. As for the Taoist School, including myself, we have three."
Upon hearing this, Pei Xuanjing's eyes flashed with surprise. "No wonder the Taoist School can suppress the other two."
The Taoist School indeed had profound strength. There were three Half-Step Heavenly Beings within the Taoist School alone, one more than Brahman Gate and Demonic Cult combined.
"It seems that, even if I didn't appear, you should have been able to manage this situation," Pei Xuanjing said, confusion in his heart.
If one looked only at the paper strength, the Taoist School dominated overwhelmingly. So how could they fail in his previous simulation?
Hearing Pei Xuanjing's words, Ye Daoyuan displayed a hint of bitterness on his face and shook his head. "The truth hasn't been fully revealed. Among the Half-Step Heavenly Beings in the Taoist School, only one is truly available to take action. The other would most likely abstain unless the Taoist School was facing extinction."
"Oh?" Pei Xuanjing grew curious. There seemed to be hidden information in that statement.
Ye Daoyuan's next words enlightened Pei Xuanjing.
"Of the other two Half-Step Heavenly Beings, one is from the Zong Sheng Temple, and the other from Louguan Tao. . . "
Before Ye Daoyuan could finish speaking, Pei Xuanjing understood the reason by hearing these two names.
Zong Sheng Temple and Louguan Tao were the two most powerful sects in the world of the Taoist School. In fact, over a hundred years ago, these two sects originated from the same source – Zong Sheng Temple was a splinter from Louguan Tao.
Louguan Tao would use grass to construct towers, observe the stars and predict future events, hence the name Louguan. They revered Yi Xi, a Heavenly Person of the Taoist School, as their founder. They were the direct descendants of the Supreme Taoist School.
This sect had a long history and was highly respected by successive royal families. During the founding of the Great Tang, they supported Emperor Gaozu and subsequently received special attention. Since the royal family of the Great Tang considered themselves the legitimate successor of the Supreme Lineage, Louguan Tao reached their peak of prosperity, nearly commanding the entire Taoist School.
Unfortunately, prosperity leads to decline. Louguan Tao inevitably went downhill after their peak. Their decline did not result from internal disputes, but from the royal family's apprehension.
Emperor Gaozu received support from Louguan Tao, so as a reward, he instructed them to change their name to Zong Sheng Temple. Little did he expect that this would sow a seed of internal discord within Louguan Tao.
Several members of the sect were displeased with the name change, but they had temporarily held back due to the Master Guan's firm pressure.
Later on, when Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, Louguan Tao, which had strongly supported the crown prince, lost favor. Their immense influence naturally aroused the apprehension of Emperor Taizong and subsequently invited covert suppression.
Due to this, there was a considerable division within Louguan Tao, leading to a separation, with one side continuing to use the bestowed name Zong Sheng Temple, and the other side reverting to its original name, Louguan Tao. The two sects no longer interacted.
"The foundation of Louguan Tao is indeed extraordinary. If they hadn't split, there would have been two Half-Step Heavenly Beings in one sect!" Pei Xuanjing sighed.
"Indeed, if it were not so, the position of superintendent would have unequivocally been theirs. I would never have had a chance." Ye Daoyuan shared the sentiment.
Louguan Tao's glory therefore remained unmatched. It was a pity that Louguan Tao now kept a low profile and seldom made public appearances. Although Zong Sheng Temple still maintained substantial strength, they were reluctant to get overly involved in royal affairs. This time, only due to the emperor's personal invitation and the matter concerning the great righteousness of the Taoist School, would they agree to act.
Pei Xuanjing said, "The next step is to investigate the whereabouts of the two skilled masters from Brahman Gate and Demonic Cult. If they are not in the palace city, we should deal with them first."
After a pause he continued, "If they are within the palace city, then we strike directly. You and the Taoist Priest from Zong Sheng Temple can handle the masters from the Demonic Cult and Brahman Gate, while I take care of the empress dowager."
Ye Daoyuan nodded, "If this is the case, I will swiftly take care of my opponent so as not to delay too much time."
In Ye Daoyuan's view, if the masters from the Brahman Gate and the Demonic Cult were with the Empress Dowager, they had to be defeated individually, otherwise their combined strength would be too formidable to counter.
After all, the power of the Empress Dowager was such that even Pei Xuanjing could only delay for a while, otherwise defeat was certain.
Therefore, since Pei Xuanjing had taken the initiative to speak up, he did not decline, deciding to first deal with the opponent and then join forces with Pei Xuanjing against the Empress Dowager.
As far as Ye Daoyuan was concerned, even though he had been defeated by the Empress Dowager, dealing with the other Half-Step Heavenly Being was nothing, this was his self-confidence.
"Good!" Pei Xuanjing nodded.
Next, Pei Xuanjing stayed put to adjust his condition, while Ye Daoyuan sent people to investigate the whereabouts of the masters from the Brahman Gate and the Demonic Cult, and he also needed to go into the palace to discuss some other plans with the Emperor.
Pei Xuanjing held the Longevity Sword in his hand, his eyes filled with fighting spirit: "A Heavenly Ascender, I'm really looking forward to this!"
Three days later, Pei Xuanjing entered the Palace City and met with Ye Daoyuan and another Half-Step Heavenly Being from the Taoist School. This Taoist was the current Master of the Zong Sheng Temple, known as Yin Daoist.
After exchanging greetings, Ye Daoyuan said: "Through investigation, it appears that the Empress Dowager is in retreat and the two Heavenly Ascenders from the Brahman Gate and the Demonic Cult are guarding around her. If Taoist Pei hadn't suggested to investigate, we might have missed this opportunity."
The situation was lucky indeed. If Pei Xuanjing hadn't raised this plan, Ye Daoyuan would not have intentionally investigated the movements of the two individuals, and would not have found out that the current Empress Dowager was in retreat.
This was an unprecedented opportunity for them. If they could act when the Empress Dowager was unable to act because she was in the middle of retreat – whether the three of them combined their power to first kill the two Half-Step Heavenly Beings who were protecting the Empress Dowager, or two of them engaged the two Half-Step Heavenly Beings while one took the opportunity to disrupt the Empress Dowager's retreat – it would be a great decision.
"Such a divine opportunity. If we don't take advantage, we may never get another chance." Yin Daoist sighed.
The Zong Sheng Temple's entanglement with the royal family was too deep. Regardless of the Empress Dowager's strength, he had to wade into these muddy waters. He was even prepared to risk his life for it.
However, receiving this message now made him very happy. After all, if he could survive, nobody would willingly choose to die aimlessly.
Pei Xuanjing also nodded: "Then, let's act immediately."
He looked at Ye Daoyuan and asked: "The emperor should be prepared, right? At least the guards protecting the Palace City won't give us any trouble!"
The Imperial City was strictly guarded. The Sixteen Guards defending the Imperial City were no small thing. These soldiers were the elite Imperial Guards of the Empire. If they truly arranged a military formation, it would cause immense trouble for them.
But considering that the Emperor had only recently ascended to the throne and did not have complete control over the Sixteen Guards, Pei Xuanjing considered that they did not need the Emperor to command the soldiers of the Sixteen Guards to act with them, they simply needed to hold their ground without causing any trouble.
Ye Daoyuan nodded: "The troops on duty are from the Jinwu Guards on the left and right. The Emperor has already sent people to infiltrate them, ensuring that they will not pose any trouble to us."
As for Pei Xuanjing's concerns, Ye Daoyuan had considered it early on and had already taken corresponding measures when discussing it with the Emperor.
Although the Emperor was initially unwilling to accept their plan when they first started discussing it, since it would bear great pressure and criticism, Ye Daoyuan didn't need to persuade him much. After he proposed the idea, naturally, the Emperor's staff officers and strategists persuaded the Emperor, explaining the critical issues.
After all, the victory or defeat of the Emperor affected the lives of all those staff officers and strategists. In the current situation, having Pei Xuanjing and Ye Daoyuan willing to take action was already a blessing.
After all, if there were internal disagreements, their chances of winning would be greatly reduced. Failure might mean nothing to Pei Min and his associates, but it would mean certain death for them.
Threatened with life and death, these people couldn't care less about criticism. After all, it wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened in the Empire, so there was nothing to be afraid of.
With a determined mindset and realizing that there was no other way out, the Emperor now put all his forces into ensuring that he would be in absolute control of the situation when the Jinwu Guards were on duty, buying them enough time.
"Good!" Pei Xuanjing nodded, then looked up at the burning sun in the sky and said: "In that case, let's act tonight!"
The night of the full moon, was indeed an auspicious time.
Ye Daoyuan naturally did not disagree with this, he agreed.
Yin Daoist had already prepared to act at any time before he came, so he wouldn't refuse either.
The three of them each chose a quiet room to sit in, waiting for the time when the moon was at its zenith.
To the three of them, this plan might be a bit rough, but it didn't matter. After all, any plan requires people to execute it, and sometimes thinking too much might lead to more loopholes.
Since they had already learned that this was the weakest time for the enemy, the best method was to seize this opportunity to attack.
The golden sun set in the west, and the jade rabbit rose in the east.
The pure moonlight sprinkled upon the world from the sky, enveloping the entire Capital in a thin layer of silver.
The Emperor had a calm expression, but one could tell from his eyes that he was not as indifferent as he appeared.
"Everything is up to the three of you!" He bowed to Pei Xuanjing and the other two.
The three of them did not dodge, they rightfully accepted his bow.
Yin Daoist said: "The Zong Sheng Temple has been supported by the Great Tang for hundreds of years. Today, even if I have to die, I will protect the inheritance of Great Tang."
Ye Daoyuan also spoke seriously: "The Brahman Gate and the Demonic Cult harbor wicked intentions. Today, I will sweep away all the evil in the world and restore peace."
Seeing the two speak, Pei Xuanjing also felt compelled to say something. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "Let's see who will rule the world today!"
The moment their words fell, they turned and left.
Watching the retreating figures of the three, the Emperor made another bow with stirring emotions.
When he stood up again, his eyes full of determination, he ordered in a cold voice: "Follow me!"
The three of them had their own affairs to handle, and he had his own matters to attend to as well.
He was fed up with the traitors in the court, and today he would wipe them all out!
The moonlight was pure and beautiful, but regrettably, in this serene moonlit night, there was apt to be a massacre, a massacre that would shock the world.
Because, no matter who wins or loses in this battle, this slaughter cannot be stopped.
This is the verdict of the victors on the losers, and also the last struggle and resistance of those unwilling to accept defeat.