[Court Intrigue + Empress + Mature Woman + Female Master + Lighthearted + Satisfying Read]
On Jade Maiden Peak, Lin Fan greedily breathed in… the sweet air.
After five years of cultivating under his peerlessly beautiful master, Liu Qingmei, he had risen to the very top tier of martial artists in the Tianyuan Kingdom.
Once, an old sea turtle had beaten him mercilessly until he coughed up blood.
Now, he could crush its shell with one hand.
Once, Liu Qingmei could trample his face into the dirt.
Now, all she could do was snuggle into his arms and act coy.
The court and country of Tianyuan were in turmoil, and the once-mighty Lin family, said to stand five feet from Heaven, had fallen into decline.
It turned out that two years ago, the Empress had sent twelve urgent summonses to recall Lin Hu, the Divine Martial Marquis guarding the frontier, then thrown him into the Heavenly Prison. From then on, the Lin family grew weaker by the day.
The mature Lin Qianxue was exiled to the frontier to repel the enemy, surrounded on all sides.
The young widow Ye Wanrou was placed under house arrest at the Lin residence, where she endured constant harassment.
Inside the imperial palace, the graceful Empress stood with her hands behind her back, watching the winds of change.
At home, she relied on the Miaoying Pavilion to gather intelligence from across the land and anticipate her enemies. Abroad, she leaned on the Shangguan clan, secretly stoking infighting among the great families and promoting centralized rule.
Generals: "The Empress's ten years have been ten lost years."
Aristocrats: "The Empress's ten years have been ten years of bloodshed."
Commoners: "The Empress's ten years have been ten years of gain."
After weathering countless storms, Lin Fan returned to Jade Maiden Peak. Looking at the rolling mountains and boundless spring scenery, he couldn't help feeling a little stirred.
He patted the old sea turtle on the rear. "Hey, tell me, are you sure you can cross to the edge of the heavens? And can you stop pooping?"
The old sea turtle covered its backside and trembled all over, answering reluctantly, "I can poop. Just a little, though…"
