Gold Core Is A Star, You Call This Cultivating Immortality?

Chapter 50: Past Memories

"Ah?" Jinli was momentarily stunned.

"I am now in control of the Yiguanjin and have recruited a group of followers. Their strength should be decent, so defeating Sima Ting shouldn't be a problem. Should I send them over to help you?" Qi Yuan had always been concerned about Jinli's situation.

Since he had gained control of the Yiguanjin's Yibu Forbidden Army, he should quickly send them to assist Jinli. Delaying even a day could lead to irreparable regrets.

"Ah?" A huge wave of surprise surged in Jinli's heart. If Qi Yuan were by her side, she couldn't imagine how crazy or impulsive she would be at this moment.

She was willing to give herself to him, but she was also afraid of not being worthy of him.

"Are you happy?" Qi Yuan teased, "I'll help you cheat."

Suddenly, he felt like a player who had spent millions of RMB.

Jinli was just an ordinary player.

An ordinary player's gaming experience was also the experience of an RMB player.

Of course, more importantly, when he was seriously ill and living alone, Jinli was the only light he could see.

"But if I send them over, it will probably be quite slow, and they will have to attack from outside the city. With no one to protect you, Sima Ting might become desperate. How about this, you build a shrine and perform a sacrifice, and the Yibu Forbidden Army will appear. It should take about three days!" Qi Yuan explained in detail the method of summoning the Yibu Forbidden Army to Jinli, which took about half an hour.

Qi Yuan was extremely exhausted and finally logged off.

And Xiaojia quietly hugged Qi Yuan, not moving at all, as if Qi Yuan was her everything.

...

"Summon the Yibu Forbidden Army!" Jinli's eyes lit up with a smile.

Among them, there was both the joy of surviving a disaster and the joy of being able to see... Qi Yuan.

"Summon the Minister of Rites, Kong Qi..." Jinli spoke, thinking for a moment, and added another name, "Summon the Duke of Yuyu!"

After about half an hour.

In the palace, Kong Qi and the Duke of Yuyu stood below the hall.

Qin Yi, the Flower Fairy, and others also stood to the side.

They looked at Empress Jinli with a hint of doubt in their eyes.

"Minister Kong, I want to build a shrine. Here is the blueprint. How long will it take to complete?" Empress Jinli handed a blueprint to the Flower Fairy, who then passed it to Kong Qi.

This blueprint was drawn by Jinli herself.

Kong Qi took the blueprint and carefully examined it.

After looking at it for a while, a puzzled expression appeared in his eyes. "Your Majesty, this shrine can be built in four to five days. I wonder, Your Majesty, what is the purpose of building this shrine?"

Kong Qi was very puzzled.

The Duke of Yuyu beside him was also somewhat confused.

Now that Sima Ting had ambitious plans, they shouldn't be thinking about how to deal with it or escape. Why would they be building this shrine?

Jinli's expression changed, becoming cold and stern. "Just do it, don't ask for reasons!"

"This..." Kong Qi's face became troubled. "Although I am the Minister of Rites, the Ministry of Rites is actually under the control of that thief Sima Ting. If I want to mobilize manpower and resources to build the shrine, I need a suitable reason."

Upon hearing this, Qin Yi became somewhat dissatisfied. "Can't Your Majesty's personal order be enough?"

Although she also didn't understand why Her Majesty was doing this.

But whatever Her Majesty did, she would support.

"A reason... Just say that I want to offer sacrifices to the heavens and ancestors. Is that reason enough?" Jinli said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable inside.

Indeed, she had no control over the Six Ministries.

She was like a mascot.

Life and death were entirely dependent on Sima Ting's mood.

"Your Majesty... I'm afraid... it won't work." Kong Qi knelt on the ground, prostrating himself, his face filled with shame and regret. "I have failed to live up to your grace!"

Although he was a great scholar and had a reputation in Nanqian, he couldn't even control the Ministry of Rites.

However, Kong Qi raised his head again. "Your Majesty, the most urgent matter is to leave the imperial city. Building a sacrificial altar is not a big deal. I implore Your Majesty to prioritize the overall situation, discuss plans to leave the capital, go to Yanbei Pass, and command General Tianqi to fight against the rebels!"

In Kong Qi's view, what use was there in building a sacrificial altar? The most urgent matter now was for Your Majesty to leave the capital. As long as General Tianqi remained loyal to Nanqian, Your Majesty would still be Your Majesty!

Jinli remained silent.

Building a sacrificial altar was important. However, she couldn't mention summoning the Forbidden Army from the Ministry of Attire, as it might reach Sima Ting's ears. This matter sounded strange and unbelievable, but what if Sima Ting acted cautiously?

Duke Yu stood by and whispered, "Your Majesty, it would be best to leave the capital at this moment. Leaving the capital is the only chance for survival!"

Although most of the people present knew that it was almost impossible for Your Majesty to successfully leave the capital, it was still the only possibility to gain a chance at survival.

Jinli's face darkened. "Build the sacrificial altar!"

At this moment, she had to stick to her own opinion and be firm.

Kong Qi felt somewhat disappointed in Empress Jinli when he saw this. Although the former emperor had also been sidelined, he had always thought of breaking free from the cage and had the demeanor of a wise ruler. But Empress Jinli...

Kong Qi felt bitter in his heart. Seeing Jinli's stubbornness, tears streamed down his face. "I am useless and unable to share Your Majesty's worries. I am willing to offer three hundred and seventy-two taels of silver to raise funds for building the sacrificial altar."

Three hundred and seventy-two taels of silver was a lot for ordinary people, but it was still not enough to build the sacrificial altar.

Duke Yu sighed softly. "Your Majesty, this is going to lead the country to ruin! I am willing to offer eighty thousand taels of silver and eight hundred craftsmen to build the sacrificial altar for Your Majesty. It can be considered as the last thing I do for Nanqian."

In the past, his daughter, the Noble Consort Xixi, was pregnant, and the Empress was also expecting a child. They both enjoyed watching the flowers together, and a servant girl brought a bowl of apricot blossom snow, a bowl of ordinary soup.

The Noble Consort Xixi loved to drink apricot blossom snow, so the Empress gave her some. As a result, someone had put drugs in the soup, causing the Noble Consort Xixi to miscarry and eventually die in sorrow.

It could be said that if it weren't for the Noble Consort Xixi, the one who drank that bowl of soup would have been the Empress. In that case, Empress Jinli would not have been born.

It could be said that the Noble Consort Xixi and the child in her womb had sacrificed themselves for Empress Jinli.

Of course, there were rumors outside that the Noble Consort Xixi was poisoned out of jealousy by the Empress, but Duke Yu understood that it was Sima Ting's doing.

Therefore, when Empress Jinli came to Duke Yu's mansion to borrow books, Duke Yu had violated the law by allowing Jinli to kneel before the spirit tablet of his own daughter.

Because her daughter and the unborn grandchild had died for Empress Jinli.

Sometimes, he even treated Empress Jinli as his own granddaughter.

Jinli naturally didn't know about all this. Upon hearing Duke Yu's words, she felt delighted. "Thank you, Duke Yu!"

Silver was important, but craftsmen were the most important.

Duke Yu offering eight hundred craftsmen meant that almost all the problems had been solved.

How could Jinli not be happy?

Duke Yu looked at Empress Jinli, stood up, and said, "Your Majesty, I don't know what your purpose is in doing this. But I want to say that your life has been exchanged for the sacrifices of countless people. Your life and death are related to the safety of the country of Nanqian. Please prioritize the state affairs. I will stay in the palace and build the sacrificial altar!"

His words implied that he would act as a diversion, building the sacrificial altar while Empress Jinli secretly left.

Empress Jinli understood the meaning behind Duke Yu's words, even if she was slow. She said, "I understand."

(End of this chapter)