"Xuan Qinshi? Xuan Yunlan? I've heard of her. She used to be a grand Qin master at the Jingyun Yalou. Not only was her mastery of the qin unmatched in the entire Shili Lingxiang District, but rumor has it she was also stunningly beautiful, captivating, and surpassed all other beauties."

"Heard of her! Heard of her! Two years ago, right when the Sovereign ascended the throne, he took a liking to this woman's unparalleled looks. That's why that absurd decree was issued, sealing off the entire Shili Lingxiang District just for her. It wasn't until Master Xuan ascended the mountain to offer herself that a satellite city was built, giving those poor women a place to stay. Alas, what a tragedy!"

Li Zhile's eyebrows shot up immediately. He muttered to himself that this truly was a depraved and foolish ruler. It turned out he had a history right at the beginning of his reign. So this Shili Lingxiang District was abandoned for this reason.

Speaking of which, two years ago, that Demon King couldn't have been more than fourteen, could he? Truly a beast!

His ears twitched slightly, and Li Zhile listened more intently. He heard another voice say, "The Sovereign is indeed lustful! Rumor has it that constantly by his side is a woman named Zhao Yanran. They say she is equally breathtakingly beautiful, with skin like ice and jade. Her complexion is as smooth as fine mutton fat. Her beauty might even surpass that of Master Xuan. I wonder where the Sovereign snatched her from—"

"—Hiss! Such a thing happened? Skin like congealed fat, how incredibly fair and smooth it must be. The Sovereign truly has a blessing of beauty!"

Li Zhile felt a surge of envy, jealousy, and hatred. While secretly enraged, he also wondered why this person wasn't him.

"It’s a pity the Sovereign, so young, is already captivated by beauty. To neglect state affairs for a year—this is not a blessing for our nation."

"But forcing the Commander of the Central Imperial Dynasty to become his secondary consort—is that really appropriate?"

"Heaven is high and the Emperor is far away; what is there to fear?"

"No wonder certain commodities have been scarce in the market lately. Perhaps the Sovereign is preparing the rites for taking a new consort?"

"Heh heh! I've heard some things about this, but there’s another version. It’s not that the Sovereign wants to forcibly take the female Commander as a consort. Rather, this woman took a liking to the Sovereign’s exceptional talent. After failing to forcefully take her that day on the mountain, she willingly offered herself—"

Li Zhile's eyes reddened slightly, and he could bear it no longer. With a sudden slam, he brought his palm down onto the tabletop.

True force erupted, and with a resounding boom, the wooden table shattered into pieces.

The entire tavern fell silent, all eyes turning in their direction, filled with astonishment.

Li Zhile coldly scanned his surroundings, wanting to unleash his anger on these people, but he knew that most in this tavern were just ignorant commoners.

He could only let out a cold snort, toss down a gold coin as compensation, and then stride out of the establishment.

The silver-armored knight followed closely behind, anxiously urging, "Commander, it is better to consider this matter carefully; you must not act impulsively! I suggest we first report to the capital. The Ministry of War and the several Grand Marshals will have their own counsel. The Commander is someone close to the Emperor's heart; His Majesty will surely not let the Qiantian Mountain issue go—"

Li Zhile remained silent, taking several deep breaths to calm his turbulent emotions.

Then, in the very next instant, he looked up at the sky with astonishment. Flakes of snow were drifting down.

Is it snowing? Snow in the sixth month—how is this possible?

Li Zhile’s expression immediately darkened, tinged with sorrow.

He mused, does Heaven itself understand my feelings? This state of mind is as desolate as the snow.

※ ※ ※ ※

In the capital city of the Great Shang Dynasty, heavy snow was also falling everywhere. The ground and buildings were already covered with two feet of snow, dyeing the entire Imperial Capital a pristine white.

Inside the Feng Hua Palace’s Hall of Governance, the yellow-robed elder unusually neglected his state duties. Instead, he stepped outside the pavilion, standing on the walkway beneath the eaves, gazing at the snowy landscape. The entire Imperial Garden was now a muted white. The various flowers that had been blooming now looked as if they were carved from ice and snow, presenting a unique and moving spectacle.

"Snow in the sixth month—"

The elder had no heart to appreciate it; instead, his brow was tightly furrowed: "Is there an injustice under my rule that causes Heaven's will to manifest?"

Standing beside him was Gao Ruo, the Chief Eunuch. Upon hearing this, he couldn't help but startle, then quickly replied with a smile, "How could that be, Your Majesty? These past years, Your Majesty has diligently governed, promoting many virtuous men to the court. In terms of clear governance, our Great Shang Dynasty, apart from Emperor Taizong and Emperor Taizu, has never seen an era like these years under your reign. The officials at the Grand Court of Revision, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice are all famously incorruptible great scholars. How could there be any injustice? Didn’t the State Preceptor already send word? He said this celestial phenomenon is not greatly related to our Great Shang. It seems to be a result of interference with the origin of our Cloud Realm, which triggered the celestial change. He is still investigating the detailed reason—"

The yellow-robed elder’s expression remained gloomy. He was not comforted by Gao Ruo’s reassurances.

"The snow is two feet deep; if this continues, it could become a disaster. I fear my subjects within the country will have no harvest this year."

Gao Ruo's expression stiffened for a moment, then his face filled with emotion.

"Your Majesty, since Your Majesty began governing, the Great Shang Dynasty has had surpluses every year. The granaries are abundant, the nation possesses three years of stored grain, and billions in savings. Even if a snow disaster occurs, we can handle it calmly, with ample resources for relief. Your Majesty never forgets the common people; you are truly a benevolent ruler. If the subjects knew this, they would surely revere you even more."

"Benevolent?"

The elder gave a self-mocking laugh and looked at his palm. A golden aura floated up from within.

The imperial secret martial art of the Great Shang Dynasty is named the 'Dragon Emperor Nine Supremacies Art,' which has twelve stages. He is the second among all the Great Shang Emperors to cultivate this technique to the twelfth stage. His attainment is so profound that even experts of the Divine Realm must bow before him!

He is praised as the restorer of the Great Shang Dynasty, a sage ruler on the throne.

These years in power, he truly wrestled the tide and governed diligently without a shred of slackness. After ascending the throne as a youth, he gritted his teeth and managed to gradually repair the Great Shang Dynasty, that massive ship riddled with leaks.

Yet even so, the elder knew he was far from being a sage ruler? He was immensely distant from the so-called Sage Emperors of the ancient era.

Although he could not see it, he knew that the Imperial Aura he gathered contained many impure hues. While stronger than his ancestors, the difference was limited.

He had even noticed expressions of regret in the eyes of the State Preceptor and several enshrouded Worshipers who possessed unique abilities.

"Grand Tutor, Grand Tutor, you once taught me that the way of a ruler lies in manifesting virtue, renewing the people, and abiding in ultimate goodness. Keep villains away, favor the virtuous. Believe in the Confucian way of governance, be diligent, understand the people's burdens, and lighten corvée labor and taxes. You said that if the ruler loves propriety, the people will not dare to be disrespectful; if the ruler loves righteousness, the people will not dare to be disobedient; if the ruler loves trust, the people will not dare to be insincere. I have done all of these things, I believe. But why, in Heaven's eyes, am I still just a mediocre ruler? Why is the fate of the Great Shang still precarious? Was I wrong, or is the Confucian Way inherently flawed?"

His gaze turned sinister, and the elder's expression gradually showed a fierce edge. He suddenly clenched both fists, and with a muffled peng, a sound rang out.

In that instant, the snow dust scattered across an area spanning a full hundred thousand zhang around the yellow-robed elder, pulverizing all the surrounding vegetation, grass, and leaves into fine powder.

The Chief Eunuch Gao Ruo’s eyes instantly narrowed at the sight, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. Yet he did not dare to move away; instead, he bowed low, saying, "Please calm Your Majesty’s anger!"

The elder, who had been acting as if possessed with a ferocious expression, immediately came to his senses upon seeing Gao Ruo and returned to calmness.

"Rise! It was my lapse in demeanor!"

With a slight wave of his sleeve, it seemed the heavy snow had gradually stopped. The yellow-robed elder felt a little relieved and no longer wished to linger there. Just as he was about to turn and step back into the pavilion, he spotted several shattered corpses lying near the edge of the ruined Imperial Garden.

There were also traces of blood mixed in the snow dust drifting in the garden, suggesting that these bodies had been completely pulverized.

The elder frowned but paid it no mind. Eunuchs—they were merely the Emperor’s household slaves; if they died, they died.

"Order them to be buried honorably, and provide generous compensation to the families of the deceased."

This treatment was already an immense favor.

He issued the command casually and walked into the pavilion. Inside, dozens of golden memorials were already suspended near the windows on both sides.

Gao Ruo, without waiting for an order, retrieved these memorials one by one. He was about to place them on the Imperial Desk when the elder waved his hand tiredly.

Gao Ruo immediately understood and opened one of the memorials. After just one glance, his expression became incredibly strange. He then hurriedly opened the next one, and his gaze grew even more peculiar.

The elder now noticed Gao Ruo's odd expression. He raised an eyebrow and asked in a flat, emotionless tone, "Why are you not reading these memorials aloud?"

Gao Ruo did not answer but continued flipping through several more memorials until the elder's eyes showed a hint of impatience. Only then did he bow and reply, "Your Majesty, the contents of these memorials are all the same. Dozens of prefectures within the Great Shang are experiencing heavy snow simultaneously. And it is not just the Great Shang; the rest of the Central Cloud Continent's borderlands, the Four Continents and Twelve Islands, are all covered in snow. Even the Ten Sacred Lands, the Nineteen Spirit Mansions, and even the Five Firmament Realms are not exceptions—"

The yellow-robed elder was stunned upon hearing this, his face filled with confusion.

The Five Continents and Twelve Islands could be understood, but the Sacred Lands, Spirit Mansions, and even the Firmament Realms are practically divorced from the world outside the heavens—how could they also be blanketed in snow?

Although the State Preceptor mentioned that this time it would not affect the nation's destiny, how could he not worry?

As he fell into deep thought, Gao Ruo turned to another memorial, and his eyes narrowed slightly: "Your Majesty, today in numerous Buddhist temples such as Gānan Cave, the Mingmiao Temple of the Two Realms Mountain, White Horse Temple, and Xiangguo Temple, many Buddha statues—including the Primordial Ancient Buddha, the Three Times Buddhas, the Vertical Three Times Buddhas, and the Vairocana Buddha—are shaking incessantly and emitting great light. It is said that the northern walls of all Buddhist temples have collapsed, without exception—"

The elder’s expression froze again. After a moment, he relaxed slightly: "So, this celestial change is related to Buddhism?"

The attendant who had been sitting quietly beside him began writing silently, inscribing several large characters onto the official diary: 'On the thirteenth day of the sixth month of the twenty-seventh year of Yuanchen, heavy snow in the Imperial Capital. His Majesty worried the snow depth would cause disaster and even lost composure. Later, when the snow stopped, upon hearing of the widespread snow across the Cloud Realm and the strange occurrences in the temples, the Emperor's heart was finally eased.'