Chapter 321 : It’s Not Easy Being the Head of Household 5 (1/2)

The priests of Mt. Wanyuan were greatly respected.

Even the Empress was courteous to them.

As for the reason? No one knew…

It was just a tradition that had been passed down for a long time.

The population of Mt. Wanyuan had already dwindled greatly. But although it was no longer as revered in recent times, the imperial clan still respected them greatly.

As a result, one could see why Jiang Zhi offending the priest when she was meant to invite him had made the Empress so angry.

All of the people the Empress had subsequently sent were rejected mercilessly. In the end, all the officials of some ranking had been sent. It was soon Shi Sheng’s turn.

Shi Sheng wanted to get out of going by pretending to be ill. Unfortunately, the Empress exercised great foresight by preparing the entire procession beforehand and announcing the decree to send her in front of many commoners.

Shi Sheng could only grit her teeth and board the carriage. She could wilfully refuse to go, but then the Jun Clan would probably end up drowning in the spit of the people.

Jun Liyou had wanted the Jun Clan to be fine.

If Shi Sheng didn’t go, the Jun Clan could forget about having any more peaceful days.

Public opinion had always been a favourite tool of politicians.

Mt. Wanyuan wasn’t located too far from the capital. For the sake of showing the importance she placed in the priests of Mt. Wanyuan, the Empress had done her utmost to impress and decked out the procession quite grandly.

Shi Sheng propped up her jaw and watched the view outside the carriage slowly change as the procession trundled along.

This world didn’t contain spirit energy, so the priests on Mt. Wanyuan probably just chanted scriptures and meditated all day.

By the time they reached Mt. Wanyuan, night had already fallen. As she stood before a set of stairs that appeared to lead to heaven, Shi Sheng wore a dissatisfied expression as she looked at the two Yues.

She had ‘you actually want this Prime Minister to climb up there on foot?! Are you crazy?’ written all over her face.

“Your Excellency, just bear with it.” Ying Yue smoothed her ruffled feathers. “It’s a mission from the Empress, isn’t it? Besides, mountain-climbing has health benefits…”

Dai Yue nodded too. “Indeed, Your Excellency. At the very least, you have to put on a good show so you can report back to the Empress.”

Shi Sheng was still dissatisfied. ‘This mountain’s so tall, I’d(bbb) die before I(bbb) reached the top.’

“You two wait here. I’ll go up on my own.”

Ying Yue immediately objected, “How can that do? Although this is Mt. Wanyuan, Your Excellency’s safety comes first!”

The priests of Mt. Wanyuan disliked having too many people on the mountain. So they had only been planning to bring just a few people to accompany their lady up, while the rest camped at the foot of the mountain.

But suddenly hearing that Shi Sheng wished to ascend on her own, how could they agree to that?

The two Yues were unwilling to allow Shi Sheng to go up alone no matter what she said.

Shi Sheng, “…” ‘I(bbb) just wanted to use my sword to fly up, what’re you guys getting in the way for?’

“This is an order.” Shi Sheng shaped her features into a stern mask. “Don’t follow me, else I’ll go back.”

The two Yues, “…” ‘Why does Her Excellency’s temper seem much worse than before?’

Shi Sheng rushed up several flights of stairs and disappeared into the darkness of the night. Once she was out of everyone’s view, she drew her sword and used it to fly up.

The temple on the mountain was rather big, but there were only two sources of light. One came from a courtyard, while the other came from an even higher place up a cliff..

Shi Sheng frowned as she landed in the courtyard. ‘Why’s this temple so quiet? It barely feels lived in…’

Creaaak—

The door to a room on her left suddenly opened, allowing the light inside to spill out and envelop Shi Sheng, causing her shadow to appear long and drawn out.

“Ah!” Its occupant let out a short yelp.

The person standing in the doorway was a young lad who appeared about 11 or 12. He appeared very fair and tender and wore a green Daoist robe.

“Who are you? How did you get here?” The boy supported his somewhat crooked Daoist hat[1] as he poked his head out to get a better look at her. “You’re an official?”

These past few days, many officials sent by the court had arrived to pay a visit, so the boy couldn’t help but make this guess.

“En. Go call the person in charge here.” Since the other party was but a young lad, Shi Sheng didn’t reveal her ferociousness.

“Senior Brother is resting.” Throughout this exchange, the lad was using one hand to support the Daoist hat on his head. “Please come again tomorrow.”

Shi Sheng, “…” ‘I climbed a mountain in the middle of the goddamn night and this fellow tells me to come again tomorrow?! Is this a joke?! My(bbb) time is very precious, okay?!’

The lad watched as the woman’s previously calm manner turned fiendish and she started striding over to him. Her terrifying aura scared him into retreating.