Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 378 Empress's Breakthrough

The next morning, at the Donghai City Wharf.

The sea breeze was strong, making the flags flutter loudly.

A large ship was moored at the dock, with three masts and five sails. The hull was black, and a lifelike roc with outstretched wings was carved on the bow, as if it were about to take flight at any moment.

Yao Yao stood on the dock, staring wide-eyed at the huge ship:

"Wow! This is huge! It's more than twice the size of the ship I took from Zhongzhou last time!"

Lan Fenghuang laughed and said, "This is a warship, it can carry more than a thousand people, of course it's big."

Yao Yao skipped and hopped aboard the ship, running around on the deck, touching the rudder and looking at the mast, as excited as a child.

A-Yue followed behind her, very carefully, afraid of falling.

Hand in hand, they walked quietly at the back, a faint smile on their faces.

Liu Shengxue stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the distant sea with a blank expression.

Liu Sheng Piaopiao stood beside her, her little hands clutching her sister's sleeve, her eyes red, she had cried again last night.

Lin Chen was the last to board the ship, standing at the stern and looking at Yan Er on the dock.

Yan Er knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "My lord, rest assured, I will investigate and deal with the cities surrounding Donghai City in accordance with the law."

Lin Chen nodded: "You can keep Yan San to Yan Shisan, and also a thousand Imperial City Guards. Those who deserve to die must not be let go."

Yan Er shouted, "Understood!"

Lin Chen waved his hand, turned around, and boarded the boat.

The sails were raised and billowed in the sea breeze, like a giant white wing.

The ship slowly left the dock and headed east.

At the dock, Yan Er, along with a thousand Imperial City Guards, clasped their hands in unison and watched the large ship sail away.

Yao Yao leaned on the stern railing, waving towards the dock: "Goodbye! Goodbye!"

The figures on the dock grew smaller and smaller, more and more blurred, until they finally became a row of small black dots, swallowed by the sea.

On the deck, the soldiers of the Great Snow Dragon Riders stood in neat rows, three hundred men, riding white horses, wearing silver armor and white robes, with long swords hanging at their waists and long spears in their hands, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

They didn't speak, laugh, or whisper to each other; they just stood there like three hundred statues.

Yan Da stood in front of them, hands behind his back, surveyed the group, and nodded in satisfaction.

Blue Phoenix walked over and stood beside Lin Chen, looking at the Great Snow Dragon Riders, and couldn't help but sigh:

"Your soldiers are really well trained."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "That's right."

Lan Fenghuang glanced at him: "You're getting cocky just because I praised you?"

Lin Chen laughed heartily.

The sea was calm and the sunlight shone on the water, making it sparkle like a layer of scattered gold.

Yao Yao ran over and tugged at Lin Chen's sleeve: "Husband! What are we having for lunch?"

Lin Chen glanced at her: "You just finished breakfast."

Yao Yao retorted confidently, "Breakfast is breakfast, and lunch is lunch. How can they be the same?"

Lin Chen shook his head speechlessly and looked at A Yue.

A-Yue stood not far away, staring blankly at the sea, a suspicious glint of water at the corner of her mouth.

"Ah Yue," Lin Chen called out.

A-Yue suddenly snapped out of her daze, wiping her mouth: "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Are you craving something to eat too?"

A-Yue blushed and whispered, "I...I was wondering if there are any fish in the sea..."

Blue Phoenix couldn't help but laugh out loud.

……

The capital city, the imperial palace.

In the imperial study, the Empress sat on the dragon throne with her eyes closed, her inner energy surging like a tide.

Since Lin Chen began his inspection tour, the administration of Dayan has been greatly improved.

Corrupt officials were either killed, imprisoned, or exiled, while the people lived in peace and prosperity, and merchants traveled back and forth without end.

These visible changes, reflected in the unseen realm, are what constitute the dynasty's destiny.

The destiny of a dynasty is invisible and intangible, but it truly exists.

It is the will of all people, the resonance of mountains and rivers, and the recognition of the ruler by heaven and earth.

The stronger the fortune, the more prosperous the nation, and the faster the emperor's cultivation will improve.

At this moment, the true essence in the Empress's dantian had become extremely solid, like a golden bead slowly rotating within her body.

The surface of the bead is covered with cracks, densely packed, as if something is about to break out of its shell.

The peak of the Celestial Realm is only a hair's breadth away from becoming a terrestrial immortal.

Zhao Lingyang took a deep breath, and his true energy surged through his meridians like a great river, flowing endlessly for thousands of miles.

With each breath, she could feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathering towards her, surging in from all directions, flowing through her pores, acupoints, and meridians, into her dantian, and into that golden bead.

The cracks on the bead grew larger and denser, and golden light shone through them, illuminating the entire dantian.

Qingluan walked in carrying tea. When she saw the Empress's appearance, she was startled. She quickly put down the tea, stepped aside, and didn't dare to breathe.

The imperial study was extremely quiet, with only the Empress's even breathing and the occasional chirping of birds outside the window.

Time passed second by second.

Suddenly, the Empress opened her eyes.

A flash of golden light appeared in his eyes, and the air in the entire imperial study trembled.

The books on the bookshelf rustled, the teacups on the table vibrated, and even the windows shook.

A powerful aura erupted from her, soaring into the sky.

A golden beam of light suddenly appeared in the cloudless blue sky above the capital, shooting straight into the sky and lingering for a long time.

All the civil and military officials saw the pillar of light and knelt down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

The Empress closed her eyes, sensing the changes within her body.

The peak of the Celestial Realm has been completely stabilized.

No, it's not just stable; her total amount of true energy has more than tripled compared to before her breakthrough.

Although the golden bead in the dantian was not completely shattered, a corner of its interior had already been revealed.

The seed of a terrestrial immortal has been planted.

She opened her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Only then did Qingluan dare to approach, and cautiously said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, on your great progress in cultivation."

The Empress picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Where is Lin Chen?"

Qingluan replied, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenbei arrived in Donghai City five days ago."

The Empress nodded and asked no further questions.

She put down her teacup, walked to the window, and looked at the distant sky.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her and casting a long shadow.

The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the wind was gentle.

She looked down at her slightly protruding belly.

You can't really see it unless you look closely.

But she knew that there was a little life there, slowly growing up.

Her hand gently touched it, feeling the barely perceptible warmth through the thin fabric.

"Lin Chen," she said softly, her voice carrying a hint of indescribable emotion.

"You've given me so many surprises, I'll give you one in return!"

She recalled Lin Chen's somewhat frantic night before he left.

I think of his hands, his lips, his breath.

She recalled the words he had whispered in her ear—"Your Majesty, I take my leave."

Taking my leave?

Take your leave my ass.

She smiled, a smile that contained a hint of reproach, joy, shyness, and a touch of longing.

Qingluan stood to the side, head down, pretending not to see or hear anything.

The Empress turned around, walked to her desk, picked up a pen, and wrote a few words on a blank imperial edict.

After she finished writing, she looked at it, tore it up, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the wastebasket.

Qingluan couldn't help but look up.

The Empress glared at her: "What are you looking at?"

Qingluan quickly lowered her head: "No... I wasn't looking at anything."

The Empress sighed, picked up another blank imperial edict, and began to rewrite it.

This time, she didn't tear it.

She handed the imperial edict to Qingluan: "Pass down the decree, instructing all regions along the route to treat her well."

Especially from Dongli, they sent a letter stating that if Lin Chen were to lose even a single hair, I would annihilate them.

Zhao Lingyang knew that Lin Chen was definitely going to Dongli, but she didn't know that Lin Chen had already set off.

Qingluan accepted the imperial edict and bowed, saying, "Yes."

The Empress waved her hand: "Go."

Qingluan left and gently closed the door.

The Empress was left alone in the Imperial Study.

She stood by the window, one hand on her slightly protruding belly, the other hand holding the window frame, looking at the distant eastern sky.

That's the direction of the East China Sea.

"Come back soon," she whispered.

A gust of wind blew in, turning several pages of the memorials on the table with a rustling sound, as if someone was responding to her.