Showing off Poverty
"Yes," the old man agreed and followed behind Lan Xiao. The four unicorn horses, already endowed with intelligence, pulled the carriage and followed behind them.
"Holy Envoy, should we first meet with the Empress or head to your residence?" Fu Qing asked in a low voice as he walked beside Lan Xiao.
Given his strength, he didn't need to act so deferentially. If it weren't for Mo Qingkuang's advice to show weakness, he wouldn't have personally come to receive them.
However, no matter how much they showed weakness, the Empress's strength was still there. Unless a Martial Saint came in person, no one had the qualifications to make the Martial Emperor greet them personally.
Lan Xiao casually replied, "Let's meet the Empress first. As guests here, we should see the host."
"By the way, Principal Fu, when are the people from the Blue Flame Empire arriving?"
Fu Qing smiled, "We wouldn't dare keep the Holy Envoy waiting. The people from the Blue Flame Empire arrived yesterday and have been accommodated at the relay station."
"That's good. Let's invite them along too. We should resolve this matter as soon as possible in front of the Empress," Lan Xiao said, nodding.
Hearing this, Fu Qing's face stiffened. He hadn't expected Lan Xiao to be so direct and wanted to resolve the matter today.
That would render all the arrangements he had Mo Qingkuang prepare useless.
This couldn't happen.
Fu Qing's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "The Holy Envoy has traveled far and must be tired. It would be better to rest for a few days before making any decisions."
Lan Xiao frowned slightly at Fu Qing's evasiveness and looked at the old man beside him.
Although he was the primary envoy, this trip was mainly for his training.
Before leaving, his master had advised him to observe more and listen to the old man's opinions.
The old man in coarse clothing transmitted his thoughts, "Holy Envoy, it's best to agree. Find some time to meet the captured Prime Minister of Tianxuan and understand the situation. We cannot draw conclusions based on one-sided information."
"Very well. However, I hope to see the spy from the Blue Flame Empire. Can Principal Fu arrange that?" Lan Xiao asked Fu Qing.
Fu Qing nodded, "No problem. I will arrange it for tomorrow."
Wang Hua, after years of planning and subsequent failure, had been severely affected and lost all his spirit. He confessed to all interrogations without hesitation.
Fu Qing knew that Lan Xiao wanted to interrogate Wang Hua further, but he wasn't worried. He was confident that Wang Hua wouldn't deny his crimes or accuse them.
"Then I'll trouble Principal Fu."
"It's my duty."
As they entered the capital city, a scene of desolation greeted them.
With Wang Hua's capture, the court was in chaos, the people lost their faith, and the entire Tianxuan seemed to be in a state of gloomy stagnation.
The capital city was not as bustling and prosperous as it usually was; instead, it felt more like a depressing cage.
Lan Xiao's audience with the Empress was brief, with only a few exchanges about the current situation.
Afterwards, Fu Qing led Lan Xiao into the dungeon.
When they emerged, Lan Xiao's face was dark, as if it could drip water.
Wang Hua had not disappointed Fu Qing. He admitted to his crimes but maintained his loyalty to the Blue Flame Empire, showing no sign of wavering despite years in Tianxuan.
He refused to reveal any details about the Blue Flame Empire's plans or other spies within the court. Even when Lan Xiao tried to intimidate him with the prestige of Penglai Immortal Island, Wang Hua dismissively replied, "I'm already a dead man. What do I have to fear?"
Seeing Lan Xiao's gloomy expression, Fu Qing was pleased internally. Wang Hua's actions had further incited Lan Xiao's dissatisfaction with the Blue Flame Empire, making him subconsciously more inclined to consider Tianxuan's interests.
"Holy Envoy, from here, our deputy Mo Qingkuang will take you to your lodging. As young people, I'm sure you will find some common ground," Fu Qing handed Lan Xiao over to Mo Qingkuang and then left.
Handling the specific matters was better suited for Mo Qingkuang's arrangements and leadership.
Mo Qingkuang and Han Shu respectfully bowed to the Holy Envoy, "Please follow us, Holy Envoy."
The two led Lan Xiao to a small courtyard, which had been specially constructed for the Holy Envoy.
Despite the Holy Envoy's distinguished status, it was inconvenient to stay in the palace, so setting up a separate place was more suitable for Mo Qingkuang's operations.
Lan Xiao looked up and saw that the courtyard was quite exquisite, located not far from the palace. The environment was peaceful, surrounded by large, secluded residences, making it difficult for anything to disturb the area.
Entering the courtyard, the decorations were quite luxurious: jewels, jade artifacts, murals, and plants, all meticulously arranged.
Mo Qingkuang pointed to the flowers and plants on the ground and said to Lan Xiao, "Holy Envoy, do you find this courtyard satisfactory? The medicinal herbs here are all treasures of our Tianxuan Empire. If you need any, please feel free to use them."
Listening to Mo Qingkuang's introduction, Lan Xiao's expression turned somewhat peculiar.
The flowers and plants on the ground were indeed medicinal herbs, temporarily transplanted into this courtyard, exuding a refreshing medicinal fragrance.
However, most of them were low-grade herbs. There were a few high-grade ones, but nothing particularly rare.
These types of herbs were so common in Penglai Immortal Island that Lan Xiao wouldn't even feel bad if he accidentally stepped on them. Such items wouldn't even be allowed into the medicinal herb garden of Penglai Immortal Island.
Yet here, they were considered treasures of the Tianxuan Empire's national treasury!
What struck Lan Xiao as amusing was Mo Qingkuang's proud and somewhat boastful demeanour during the introduction.
He mentioned things like an 80-year-old Bone-Mending Flower, worth its weight in gold.
Or a sixth-grade medicinal herb, the Ginseng Spirit Grass, the only one in the entire Tianxuan Empire!
Lan Xiao couldn't help but find it laughable. How poor must the Tianxuan Empire be to regard such items as treasures?
A sixth-grade medicinal herb was indeed valuable, but in such a vast empire, having only one was far from impressive. Should he praise Tianxuan's abundant resources or mock it as a remote, impoverished land?
Moreover, seeing the concealed yet evident greed and desire in Mo Qingkuang and Han Shu's eyes, Lan Xiao realized these items were something they rarely encountered.
Lan Xiao sighed inwardly, "What a desolate and impoverished place the Tianxuan Empire is."
However, seeing Mo Qingkuang's enthusiastic hospitality, Lan Xiao, trained in high etiquette since childhood, could only muster a polite yet somewhat awkward smile, "It's quite good."
Mo Qingkuang was overjoyed upon hearing this and exaggeratedly gestured, "Holy Envoy, you have no idea. For your arrival, we specifically inscribed a sixth-grade Spirit Gathering Array in this courtyard!"
"The daily maintenance alone costs over a hundred spirit stones! Tsk, I've never used spirit stones for cultivation before! Can you feel how much richer the spiritual energy here is compared to the outside?"
Saying this, Mo Qingkuang greedily took a deep breath, "If I could cultivate here for a day, it would be worth half a month of hard work."
Lan Xiao was amused and exasperated. He had never experienced a sixth-grade Spirit Gathering Array's effect. Growing up on Penglai Immortal Island, he had always been under a grand ninth-grade Spirit Gathering Array, which gathered the spiritual energy of the vast ocean onto the island.
Such dense spiritual energy could almost condense into rain, something Mo Qingkuang and his kind probably could never imagine in their lifetime.
***
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And yeah, some stones would be appreciated!!!