"Little Mirror, you go to the Empress's bedroom and cover for me first; I'll be there shortly," Chen Mo said.
"Alright, if the Empress asks, I'll say you have a stomachache." Little Mirror's eyes lit up at the opportunity to serve the Empress.
No eunuch doesn't want to climb the ranks, they're just lacking opportunities.
Although he also served in Weiyang Palace, he barely got to see the Empress.
Chen Mo nodded.
After sending Little Mirror away, Chen Mo closed the door.
...
Inviting Zhao Fujin to sit down and diligently pouring her water, Chen Mo sat down opposite her and immediately asked, "Your Highness, have the Nan Zhou texts been translated?"
"Of course, I asked the professor who studies Nan Zhou characters to translate them." Zhao Fujin took out a piece of parchment from her bosom, spread it on the table, and said, "Chen Hong, how do you plan to thank me?"
The so-called 'professor.'
The great scholars in the Imperial College could all be called professors.
"Thank you?" Chen Mo was startled, then stood up respectfully and said, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
"Is this how you thank someone?" Zhao Fujin's face darkened.
Chen Mo smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, I'm just a eunuch, coming from a poor background, I have nothing to offer in thanks."
Hearing this, Zhao Fujin glanced around the room. Aside from a bed, a table, a few stools, and some daily items, there was nothing else, it was indeed plain.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Fujin said, "Then remember it for now, don't forget."
"I won't forget, Your Highness," Chen Mo replied.
Zhao Fujin shot Chen Mo a look as if saying 'I doubt you'd dare,' and then pointed to the parchment, "Chen Hong, I'm telling you, buying that Bronze Small Bell for a thousand taels was a huge gain, do you know what martial art is recorded on it?"
"What?" Seeing Zhao Fujin's expression, Chen Mo knew it was extraordinary, and his eyes instantly lit up.
"It's the royal martial art of Nan Zhou, the Celestial Tier Upper Grade 'Eight Desolates Prison,' an extremely domineering martial art. At the time, Nan Zhou's Grand General used this art to annihilate the ten-thousand-troop army led by Meng Qian from the previous dynasty, shocking the world," Zhao Fujin described grandly.
At this, Chen Mo nodded silently.
From what he's learned these days, although the Great Song Dynasty's military power is exaggerated, it's not at the level of an Immortal.
An elite army's soldiers are almost all Ninth Grade Martial Artists.
As for the Imperial Guard protecting the Imperial City, the soldiers are almost all Eighth Grade Martial Artists.
A First Grade expert, according to the book, can only fend off a force of around five thousand Imperial Guards.
If it's a ten-thousand-troop Imperial Guard, once their battle array is formed, even a First Grade expert would struggle to escape.
Not comparable to the Immortals in novels who can destroy a nation with one move.
Besides, the longest-lived First Grade experts do not exceed three hundred years; most have a lifespan of around two hundred years.
Hearing this, Chen Mo's breath quickened slightly, and he swallowed, saying, "Your Highness, are you saying that what's on here is 'Eight Desolates Prison'?"
Zhao Fujin nodded, then said, "But it's not complete; there are only two forms. It's said the complete 'Eight Desolates Prison' consists of eight forms."
"Oh..." The light in Chen Mo's eyes dimmed a bit.
"Don't be ungrateful. You've got quite the luck; these two forms happen to be the first two, perfect for cultivation. If it were the middle or latter forms, you wouldn't be able to cultivate them at all." Zhao Fujin rolled her eyes at Chen Mo.
"Your Highness, I'm not ungrateful, just a bit regretful," Chen Mo said.
"It is indeed regrettable. It's said that when the Nan Zhou Kingdom was destroyed, the royal family at the time burned all the cultivation techniques and martial arts in the Imperial Palace. Those who cultivated the 'Eight Desolates Prison' either died in battle or self-immolated together."
Zhao Fujin spoke with regret, then added, "I didn't expect some remnants would still exist."
Chen Mo listened quietly without interrupting.
Looking at the parchment in front of her, Zhao Fujin suddenly thought of something and said, "It's rumored that 'Eight Desolates Prison' is extremely domineering, and women can't cultivate it, you..."
Chen Mo understood the implication in Zhao Fujin's words. Women tend to be yin-natured, and eunuchs are too...
"Can eunuchs not cultivate it?" Chen Mo asked.
"Not necessarily. I just heard that women can't cultivate it, and you... I don't know if it will affect you, you can give it a try," Zhao Fujin said.
"No one in the Imperial Palace should recognize 'Eight Desolates Prison,' right?" Chen Mo suddenly said.
Zhao Fujin nodded, "It's been so long, no one could live till now; though some Nan Zhou remnants have been lingering in the palace recently, Father said the Nan Zhou royal lineage has long since dwindled. As for their martial arts, those remnants shouldn't recognize them either."
"That's good." Chen Mo murmured to himself, then jokingly said, "I'll give it a try. What if I strike it lucky and successfully cultivate it?"
"Go ahead, after all, you are... a man." Zhao Fujin said.
Just as Chen Mo was about to put away the parchment, he suddenly asked, "Your Highness, did you..."
Chen Mo pointed to the contents recorded within the parchment.
"I've already copied it," Zhao Fujin smiled.
With that, Chen Mo packed it up and said, "Your Highness, I should go serve the Empress now."
"I'll go with you; I want to pay my respects to Mother as well."
Chen Mo nodded.
Following behind Zhao Fujin, they walked together towards the Empress's bedroom.
But just as they arrived, they saw Xiao Yunxi leaving in a hurry, followed by Wang Ying, Cai'Er, and others.
Seeing that Little Mirror wasn't among them, Chen Mo quickly asked, "Little Mirror, what happened?"
Little Mirror first saluted Zhao Fujin, then whispered, "I heard His Majesty was overwhelmed with anger and fainted..."
"What? Father, he..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Fujin's expression immediately changed, and she lifted her skirt and hurriedly ran off.
"Overwhelmed with anger?" Chen Mo raised an eyebrow.
Something's not right.
With the Empress leaving, doesn't that mean I have a chance?
"Hey, Little Mirror, go to the kitchen and blanch some meat for me; I'll do it later. You, you, go and help."
After telling Little Mirror, Chen Mo also addressed the two eunuchs guarding the Empress's bedroom.
Chen Mo was currently in favor, and since the Empress wasn't around needing attendants, Little Mirror and the two eunuchs hesitated slightly before nodding.
After dismissing them and seeing no one around, Chen Mo sneaked into the Empress's bedroom.
He then skillfully navigated to where the Phoenix Seal was kept.
But upon arrival, he saw.
Where's the Phoenix Seal?
The place where the Phoenix Seal was once placed was now empty.
So Chen Mo cautiously searched around while keeping an ear out for any sounds from outside.
Though he searched around, he couldn't find the Phoenix Seal.
But the Holy Decree was still there.