Chapter 45 Do as you're told

  The long sword in his hand should be an iron sword, but it is unknown what kind of material was mixed inside, making the blade a deep red color, yet emitting a chill. The edge of the blade was extremely sharp, although not to the extent of being able to cut through jade like mud, but still a rare and exceptional weapon.

  Of course, for Liu Xuan, no matter how sharp and hard the Chi Xiao sword is, it can't compare to his own long knife. The two are fundamentally different, so this Chi Xiao sword will not become Liu Xuan's weapon. However, due to its significance to the Han Dynasty and the dragon energy attached to it, Liu Xuan still decided to wear it by his side every day, perhaps to intimidate some people.

  Han Dynasty's Gaozu Liu Bang, from the uprising of beheading the white snake to finally establishing the empire, always wore this Red Cloud Sword by his side. Later on, the Red Cloud Sword went missing and everyone just felt a little regretful but didn't take it seriously.

  After all, the Chi Xiao sword has a big name, but it's because of its ancestor Liu Bang, not because the long sword itself is a rare treasure. If this continues, it may leave behind a small record in history books and be passed down through unofficial histories.

  It should have been like this...

  He didn't want to be found by Liu Xuan, but now that he has been, it's a whole different story. The Han dynasty is in decline, and the past 400 years have seen its fortunes sink lower than ever before. Although all the officials and military officers are shouting about their loyalty to the Han dynasty and wanting to revive it, there are probably only a few who truly mean it.

  At this time, Liu Xuan appeared with the Chi Xiao Sword that had been missing for 400 years, which could excite some people: The Chi Xiao Sword, which had been missing for 400 years, reappeared today, was it a sign that the Han dynasty would rise again?

  Such a change of mind is not eye-catching, but it's very important. Liu Xuan has always hoped to achieve this point, and unexpectedly found such a treasure.

  He stroked the bright red sword body with his hand, and the cool touch made him feel invigorated. With a swing of his hand, the red light flashed, but nothing unusual happened. However, Liu Xuan let out a soft "hmm?"

  "This sword can actually resonate with the dragon energy within me?"

  It's unclear whether it's due to the imperial bloodline within me, but the dragon energy in this sword is surprisingly close to me. Although it hasn't been refined yet, I can use it to a certain extent.

  Just now that casual slash, if he hadn't noticed quickly and restrained his strength in time, it would have been a Half-Moon Slash shooting out immediately. Although it wouldn't hurt anyone, it couldn't be helped but cause some commotion.

  Originally, Liu Xuan had planned to absorb the dragon energy within Changjian and then use his own long knife to devour Chi Xiao Sword, strengthening his own long knife while also enhancing the dragon energy cultivation in his body. However, it seems that this weapon cannot be destroyed casually for now. At a time when he is still in the Dragon Egg stage, he actually needs such a treasure to protect himself.

  "The dragon energy inside the body cannot be moved, but the dragon energy outside is not restricted. Originally, if one's cultivation has not reached a certain level, they cannot control the external dragon energy, but this Chi Xiao sword, due to special circumstances, has resulted in this outcome, could it really be the will of heaven?"

  At this time, even Liu Xuan suspected that it was the will of heaven that had brought him here from some unknown corner of the universe to save the Han dynasty.

  "What's the point of thinking so much?"

  Liu Xuan couldn't help but laugh at himself, feeling that his thoughts had strayed a bit. He casually put the Chi Xiao sword back in its scabbard and placed it beside the bed, just as he was about to rest, when a palace maid came to report: "Cai Guiren has arrived."

  It's not unusual for Cai Yan to come over. To say nothing of the many palaces in the Chang'an imperial palace that have not been cleaned up, even when they were in Luoyang, Cai Yan often slept with him, and it can be said that this bedroom was also Cai Yan's residence.

  However, today she went out of the palace to visit her father. Liu Xuan thought that she would not return today, but unexpectedly, just as the sky was getting dark, Cai Yan rushed back before the palace gates closed.

  The noble lady can come and go as she pleases without needing to report, but since Liu Xuan is here, it's only natural to inform him. However, Liu Xuan himself never gave the order "Lady Cai is allowed to enter and exit my chambers freely", so whether or not to let Lady Cai in still depends on asking Liu Xuan's opinion.

  Liu Xuan didn't know that Cai Yan, who was waiting outside at this time, had a tense face. If you looked closely, his body was slightly trembling while standing there. When the palace maid came to inform him that he could enter, Cai Yan took a deep breath and encouraged himself secretly before stepping into the bedroom.

  After passing through several corridors, he finally entered the palace where he lived and saw the emperor sitting on a couch, looking up at him.

  After the ceremony, Cai Yan directly ordered the attendants to withdraw. The palace maids inquired about the emperor's intentions and then respectfully retreated. In an instant, only the emperor and Cai Yan were left in the room, without even a single servant remaining.

  Liu Xuan was wondering what Cai Yan wanted to do when he saw Cai Yan say a sentence: "These days, Your Majesty is busy with government affairs and rarely has a leisure day like today. At this time, the sky is not early, it's better to rest early."

  "I was just about to rest, Wenji has been busy all day today, she must be tired too."

  He still didn't understand what Cai Yan wanted to do, and at this time, he just thought that Cai Yan was tired and wanted to sleep early, but since he was by her side, it wasn't good for him to speak directly, so he asked himself if he should rest.

  But Cai Yan's next move made him realize that he had thought wrongly.

  All I saw was the woman in front of me, who lightly undid her clothes and then slowly but firmly removed the fabric that blocked the spring light, piece by piece. In just a blink of an eye, all her clothes were gone, leaving only her enchanting and captivating body.

  Liu Xuan was initially shocked, then suddenly realized, and by the time his clothes were half removed, he was purely appreciating. By the time Cai Yan's clothes were completely removed, Liu Xuan had already stood up and walked a few steps to stand in front of Cai Yan.

  Looking at the woman in front of him, Liu Xuan directly threw away the little sympathy he had - he was originally just someone who couldn't change his way of thinking, but that didn't mean he was a gentleman, let alone a monk who abstained from women, and he even had a bit of a wicked taste, otherwise when the officials asked him to take a concubine, they wouldn't have directly chosen Cai Yan.

  In ordinary days, it's not a big deal, but now the famous talented woman of the late Han Dynasty is standing in front of him, proactively undressing and delivering goods to his doorstep. If he didn't react at all, that would be too rude, so he made a very straightforward response.

  With a swoop of his arms, he swept Cai Yan into a horizontal embrace and gently placed her on the bed. Looking at her tightly closed eyes and rosy cheeks, Liu Xuan still extended those evil hands and committed that beastly act. In his heart, he secretly said: "This time I finally won't be worse than a beast..."

  One night without words, Cai Guiren, who had just accepted the rain and dew, was unbearable to whip and scold. At this time, she slept very deeply. Liu Xuan woke up for a while, and the woman beside him still curled up in his arms like a kitten. Lowering his head, he could see that there were tears at the corner of her eyes, her cheeks still had a faint red glow, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, apparently having resolved a heart affair.

  It was Liu Xuan who looked at the woman beside him and hesitated for a long time.

  "I didn't originally plan to devour you so soon, apart from thinking that your age is too young, I also wanted to see if we are of the same mind after all, but now it seems..."

  Liu Xuan, as a cultivator, was also a rather accomplished one in his past life. Although this life is a re-cultivation, recovering his original abilities isn't too difficult, as long as he has enough time.

  In that case, his lifespan can be said to be almost endless. In order to facilitate his own rule, he would naturally also gather a group of trustworthy subordinates and grant them the way of longevity.

  In this long life, he also needs to be able to accompany himself and understand the people around him. Although Cai Yan was the first concubine to enter the palace, whether she could become such a woman, he still had no conclusion in his heart.

  Yuán běn shì xiǎng yào jiāng zhè tiān xià dìng hòu huí tóu zài kàn, gōng zhōng nǚ zǐ jiū jīng nǎ xiē hé shì.

  At that time, at least a decade had passed, and he had spent enough time with the women in the palace to have a good understanding of which ones were compatible with him and which ones only wanted to advance themselves to enjoy wealth and glory - he didn't think that after conquering the world for over a decade, there would be only one woman in the imperial harem.

  But now that I think about it, that idea is really not feasible. To say nothing of the concubines in the palace, even if the emperor didn't touch them, what kind of trouble would arise? Even he couldn't always endure a life like a Buddhist ascetic.

  For the time being, he is busy stabilizing his foundation and can still endure a bit. However, once things are on track, there won't be as many tasks to keep him busy, and it would be too much if he were to continue living such a bitter life.

  Apart from this, one must also consider the thoughts of the woman. Liu Xuan only needed to look at Cai Yan's expression at that time to know that his actions in recent days had probably made this Cai Wenji very frightened, and perhaps he thought that what was good for them was actually harming them.

  "Alas... this wicked feudal society!" After strongly criticizing some of today's customs in her heart, she added another sentence: "However... it's not bad after all!"

  She got up from the couch, her movements very gentle, and then helped Cai Yan tidy up the quilt before starting to dress and wash under the service of the palace maid.

  Originally, Cai Yan would also get up to serve normally, but today it's fine. Looking at the several palace maids beside Cai Yan with a smile on their faces, Liu Xuan also understood that this time not only did Cai Yan put down her guard, but even the palace maids beside her let out a sigh of relief.

  He took a big step out of the bedroom, but Liu Xuan still felt that he hadn't fully integrated into this world. Perhaps he needed to pay more attention in the future. Fortunately, this mood didn't need to last too long, especially when there was someone he could vent to.

  Sitting in the Jin Hua Hall, he glanced at the civil and military officials sitting below, only to see that these people were trembling with fear, from time to time casting glances at Lü Bu standing obliquely in front of Liu Xuan, holding a halberd.

  He gave a wink to Cao Gong by his side, and Cao Gong took a few steps forward, reading out the imperial edict of Liu Xuan. The content naturally included changing the six caos into six departments, as well as confirming their duties and powers, and promoting the status of the six departments.

  As expected, as soon as the edict was issued, all the officials were shocked and didn't know what to say. Among them, Minister of Works Wang Yun had already gotten wind of it and was still calm at this time. However, Minister of War Zhang Wen and Grand Commandant Yang Bi exchanged a glance with each other, and for a moment, they also didn't know how to speak up.

  However, just because they didn't speak up doesn't mean nobody spoke up. Imperial Secretary Ma stepped forward in the midst of silence: "This move greatly violates the ancestral system; I think this reform is extremely inappropriate."

  Liu Xuans heart was coldly laughing, he glanced at the horse character and lightly said: "I am issuing an edict, not inviting you gentlemen to come and discuss it, just carry it out."