Emperor Jingxiao was distracted by the report outside the door, feeling puzzled.

What kind of important thing could drive the young duke of the Wan clan to make a special trip to the Elixir Chamber of the High Priest?

"What's the matter?"

The Emperor sat up listlessly and asked in a deep voice, his face burning red.

"His Majesty, the Shenle Marquis occasionally got a treasure recently, and he came here to present it to you specially."

Should he see him or not?

Emperor Jingxiao frowned. His hesitant eyes fell on Yu Xuanji's enchanting face which he was greedy for.

Yu Xuanji breathed a sigh of relief secretly. He moved his red lips, showing a slight and cold smile.

"His Majesty, it is not easy for the Shenle Marquis to enter the Palace, so how can you refuse to see him? Why not take a look at the treasure he offers first?"

The Emperor laughed as soon as he heard it. He pinched the smooth and delicate chin of Yu Xuanji with two fingers, his turbid red eyes gazing at his beautiful face, and then he said.

"The High Priest is impure. As a stylite, you are greedy for money and treasure. So, tell me, should I punish you?"

Yu Xuanji held the Emperor's restless big hand and said obsequiously.

"The astronomical phenomenon predicts that at about one o'clock in the morning, there will be a meteor shower in the seven constellations in the northern sky. It's an auspicious sign of Da Yi. At that wonderful moment, we can do the integrated cultivation then."

"I'll follow you this time. Come on. I will take you to have a look at the treasure brought by Wan Li."

After hearing the words, Emperor Jingxiao no longer insisted. He got out of the soft bed, re-dressed the loose robe on his body, and stepped out of the meditation room with well-dressed Yu Xuanji.

In the outer hall, a few strands of light blue smoke were rising from the holes of the lion-eared copper furnaces in the corner of the wall.

The Shenle Marquis Wan Li stood amidst the scent, wearing a violet gold hair-bunching crown and a blue robe printed with water clouds, which made people feel refreshed when looking at him.

Seeing the Emperor and the High Priest walking in, Wan Li hurriedly prostrated himself.

"His Majesty."

"What kind of treasure can excite you so much that you even come to the Sixiang Hut to look for me?"

Emperor Jingxiao approached Wan Li and motioned him up, with a smile on his face.

Wan Li stood up, picked up the peach wood sword on the square table, and said with excitement.

"I've got some superb peach wood recently. I know that brother-in-law loves to practice Dao so much, so I specially asked someone to carve the wood into a sword for you, brother-in-law."

Having been called "brother-in-law" by Wan Li twice, Emperor Jingxiao couldn't help frowning, and there was unhappiness in his eyes.

In the past, Da Yi relied on the Wan clan, and the father and son of the Wan clan had outstanding achievements in the battlefields. It was Emperor Jingxiao who spoiled Wan Li greatly, his young and foppish brother-in-law.

While his disrespectful behavior this time made the Emperor unhappy, the Emperor couldn't do anything with the High Priest in the present.

Yu Xuanji stood behind the Emperor with his hands clasped, lowering his head with a smile.

Every time when Wan Li appeared, he would show a sense of superiority and oppression as if he had been superior to others. The evils people brought on themselves were the hardest to bear. Sooner or later his arrogance would spell disaster to him.

Yu Xuanji had already anticipated the ending of Wan Li, knowing that it was not the right time for him to speak. As an outsider, it was the best for him to look on coldly.

Emperor Jingxiao stretched out his hand with a cold face and placed the wooden sword presented by Wan Li in front of his eyes to watch carefully.

Both sides of the scabbard were the common seal scripts of Dao, and there was nothing unusual except for the exquisite carving.

Emperor Jingxiao lowered his eyes, glanced at the scabbard, and then held the dragon-head hilt in one hand to pull out the wooden sword.

The blade of the three-feet peach wood sword was flat and smooth, with a unique aroma of wood. On the sword body facing the Emperor were eight words.

"God-given auspicious wood will bless the dynasty."

Emperor Jingxiao raised his brows slightly after seeing that, showing a light smile at the corner of his mouth.

He weighed the sword repeatedly in his palm before he nodded.

"Great material. Wan Li, where did you get it?"

Wan Li made a bow with hands folded in front, showing happiness and insolence in his eyes.

"His Majesty, my mother has cultivated herself according to the rules of Dao for many years. She dreamed of the High Lord at night a month ago who told her that there was an one-thousand-year-old peach tree in Yunwu Mountain and there were eight true words on it."

"After my mother woke up from the dream, she let me look for the sacred tree. After I worshiped the tree god, I took two of his branches and let a skilled craftsman carve it into a peach wood sword before I dared to present it to you, His Majesty."

Emperor Jingxiao kept silent, smiled lightly, and then glanced at the neatly written words on the sword with his sharp eyes.

He already knew everything, but there was no need to expose him on the spot.

Turning over the wooden sword and looking at the other side, he saw that the sword was inlaid with seven balls, the materials and colors of which were all different. They were arranged in an orderly manner in the shape of Charles's Wain.

In the main position among the seven balls was a rare fiery dragon stone.

The color of fire was so beautiful, which attracted the Emperor at once with its great magnificence.

The Emperor was lost in trance for a short while. He stared fixedly at the sparkling gem in front of him, thinking about something quickly.

Yu Xuanji was standing aside. When his sharp eyes caught the confusion on the Emperor's face, he couldn't help smiling coldly.

He leaned forward and stared at the huge round ruby on the wooden sword with cold eyes. But even the blazing color could not disperse the faint cold air in his eyes easily.

"It is fiery dragon stone!"

The time had come.

Yu Xuanji suddenly spoke at this moment with a smile on his face. And there was a hint of inexplicable coolness in his slightly surprised voice.

"After His Majesty gave the fiery dragon stone to me which was a tribute of Qianglou Country in Southern Jiang, I've once heard that there was a male and female pair of the gems. I know the rumors are true then when I see this one."

His words made Emperor Jingxiao's eyes flicker in an instant, which was extremely complicated and elusive.

He then remembered that he had seen this familiar ruby a few years ago. It was the treasure offered by southerners to Da Yi.

He remembered that he had rewarded that fiery dragon stone to the High Priest, but he did not remember he had another fiery dragon stone and rewarded it to the Shenle Marquis.

So, where did Wan Li get this fiery dragon stone?

Meditating with furrowed brows, Emperor Jingxiao couldn't help narrowing his eyes. His face became sulky then.

Feeling that something was wrong, Wan Li looked embarrassed. After a moment of silence, he said excitedly.

"His Majesty, you are the Son of Heaven, so you are bound to own such treasures. I got the sacred wood and the fiery dragon stone by the will of Heaven, and I didn't dare to have them all to myself. Because only you are entitled to possess these two treasures, His Majesty."

Emperor Jingxiao sneered, and put the sword into the sheath.

"So, which art shop made such excellent carving?"

"His Majesty, it is naturally the famous carpenter shop 'Linlang Cabinet' in Jing City."

"Okay."

The Emperor grunted carelessly, lifted his robe, and took a seat. He placed the wooden sword on the table, and then asked improvisationally.

"You've been always active among the people for a long time. Have you heard anything new recently? Tell me about it."

Wan Li rolled his eyes, smiling, and then said proudly.

"Jing City has become so lively recently. The Eastern Depot is catching people day and night, making the capital in chaos. People are all talking about it!"

Silence reigned in the main hall suddenly, and time seemed to stop at this moment...

Yu Xuanji's heart suddenly tightened when he heard it, and his fists were clenched in his sleeves.

Staring quietly at Wan Li, who was wagging his head, Yu Xuanji drooped his thick eyelashes slightly, covering the overwhelming darkness in his eyes.

Emperor Jingxiao looked at Wan Li and asked with interest.

"What are they talking about?"

"It's nothing but they are fed up with what the Eastern Depot did."

Wan Li waved his hand helplessly, sat down in a casual manner, and said.

"Those people may not know the whole story of the mannequin case in the Palace. Seeing that the Eastern Depot caught Shen Kun, Sun Yuan, and Ding Qiwei, they naturally didn't understand. All three of them held important positions in the Ministry of Works and the Privy Council, but the Eastern Depot even didn't give an explanation about them being put into the Royal Prison."

Emperor Jingxiao snorted and scolded lightly.

"Explanation? Shen Kun and Sun Yuan embezzled a total of 1 million taels in the Dredging Project of Yingtian River last year. The Eastern Depot had investigated for a long time before the case was considered to be closed. And Ding Qiwei, as an official in the Privy Council, secretly colluded with the Northern Fan. All these major and important cases have to be handled by the Eastern Depot on my behalf. The people know nothing!"

Wan Li's heart tightened.

Did the Eastern Depot tend to report these to the Emperor so as to cover up the facts of its involving in the two cases of Baishui Gate and Zheng Ran secretly?

If he wanted to find it out, he would have to take a risk to sound the Emperor out.

Thinking of this, Man Li's eyes drooped slightly. His indifferent voice was touched with sarcasm then.

"His Majesty, you don't know that after the death of Zhong Siyou, the former Minister of Personnel, there were doubts among the people. Then three people from the Ministry of Works and the Privy Council committed crimes."

"The people have different opinions. Some people think that those four people were the heroes of the state in the early years, but now they should have been convicted by the Eastern Depot. What the Eastern Depot has done is unimaginably queer, and it has become an after-dinner talk for people outside the Palace. Whether for the dignity or for the prestige, you should make plans early, His Majesty."

There was a deadlock again, and every inch of air around was so heavy that people couldn't even breathe. The quirky air permeated people's hearts and made people shudder.

Emperor Jingxiao and Wan Li looked at each other calmly. Then the Emperor's deep face suddenly changed, and the corner of his dry mouth twitched twice obviously.

The next moment, the Emperor stood up suddenly, pointed at Wan Li furiously, and cried out.

"How can you be so presumptuous as a member of the imperial house? Get out of here!"

Wan Li was completely unprepared for the Emperor's anger. He immediately got up slowly. The panic on his face turned into flightiness instantly.

Before Wan Li spoke, Emperor Jingxiao raised his hand and threw the sword. He pointed towards the door and screamed.

"Get out of here! Never let me see you again!"