Chapter 304 119: The Plot Advances Ahead of Schedule, Are My Feet Pretty?, Tampering with the Corresponding Memories (Part 4)

After having Song Youwei escort away the woman from the Liu Clan, Jiang Lan began to consider how he could make the Observatory's Linglong Commander take notice of the matter "by chance."

Perhaps there was a more indirect way, one that didn't involve the Linglong Commander directly.

'The portrait...'

With this in mind, Jiang Lan put away the portrait on the table.

...

Over the next few days, the Imperial Capital Jingyang City grew increasingly bustling. The Desire Immortal Pavilion, in particular, was a glorious, dazzling blaze of light every night.

Along the riverbanks, pavilions and palaces were shrouded in clouds and mist. There were even painted palaces and halls standing amid the Void, resembling the abodes of Immortals.

Painted boats drifted by one after another. The women aboard were adorned in vibrant, cloud-like silks and loose robes, their hair pinned with Lotus Crowns. With faces artfully painted, they revealed large expanses of snow-white skin, their melodious chatter and playful banter filling the air.

Just walking along the riverbank, one could hear waves of decadent music and smell a strange floral fragrance drifting from the boats.

Many of the young prodigies who had come to the Imperial Capital found themselves lingering here, losing themselves in its land of gentle pleasures, unwilling to leave.

"The culture of my Great Xia may be open, but it has never been this... decadent."

"Why were those women just now all dressed in Daoist robes, wearing Lotus Crowns, and stepping on cloud-patterned shoes? Have Daoist priestesses really been reduced to working in the Desire Immortal Pavilion?"

A tall, slender man walked along the bank by the Desire Immortal Pavilion, his hands clasped behind his back.

His hair was tied back neatly, and his face was handsome and fair. His eyes were deep and brilliant, as if they held a galaxy of stars, though at first glance he appeared somewhat lean.

He was dressed in an elegant purple silk robe with a high hat and a wide sash, a smooth piece of Ancient Jade hanging from his waist—the very picture of a refined young master from a wealthy family.

Four guards followed silently behind him.

Hearing this, one of them replied, "My lord, in the Desire Immortal Pavilion, this is what they call 'ambiance.' They aren't actually women from the Daoist School, they're just dressed to look the part."

"Ambiance?"

"Hmph..."

"In all of Great Xia today, only the Desire Immortal Pavilion would dare to pull a stunt like this. If this happened anywhere else, the Daoist School would tear the place to the ground the moment they found out."

The man at the front was none other than Emperor Xia, who had left the palace in disguise. Upon hearing this, she snorted coldly.

It was impossible for her not to feel a pang of envy at the Prime Minister's Mansion's methods for accumulating wealth.

But as Emperor Xia, she couldn't engage in such activities, even in secret. It would damage her reputation.

The Imperial Capital had been incredibly lively recently. With the influx of numerous young Celestial Prides, the Desire Immortal Pavilion had naturally become their most popular destination.

While receiving a few Elders from the Immortal Sects, Emperor Xia could faintly overhear the young Celestial Prides behind them using voice transmissions to discuss the Desire Immortal Pavilion, planning to explore its mysteries that very night.

As it happened, she had found herself with some rare free time recently.

So tonight, after handling her various duties, she had disguised herself, brought four of her personal ladies-in-waiting, and left the palace for a trip to the Desire Immortal Pavilion. She hoped to glean some useful information from the younger generation of the various Immortal Sect Lineages.

Of course, her recent respite was also thanks to the Prime Minister's Mansion, which had ceased its open opposition to her.

On the major issue of the Southern Hunting exercise, the Prime Minister's Mansion had prioritized the greater good and expressed its willingness to respect her opinion.

With the Prime Minister's Mansion yielding, a rare scene had unfolded in the royal court: the ministers all vied to voice their support for her.

This brought Emperor Xia great pleasure, giving her a taste of what it felt like to truly hold power, with all her ministers submitting to her will.

She had been in an excellent mood for the past few days.

But upon arriving at the Desire Immortal Pavilion, her good mood began to sour.

Compared to places like inns, taverns, weapon shops, and Gambling Stone Workshops, the nighttime fervor of the Desire Immortal Pavilion surpassed her wildest expectations. It was no exaggeration to describe it as a heaven on earth, an unprecedented spectacle.

The most luxurious painted boats and Cloud Boats, as well as the finest private rooms, were completely booked out and required advance reservations.

The appearance fee for a single Qing Guanren cost anywhere from thousands to tens of thousands of Spirit Stones.

In Emperor Xia's eyes, all those Spirit Stones represented mountains of weapons, armor, Elixir Pills, and Secret Technique Scrolls. They could have been used to raise countless soldiers and bolster the armies of Great Xia.

That money could have funded the Thousand Mechanism Sect, the Celestial Talisman Hall, and the War Hall to create more weapons, War Fortresses, and Talismans...

All these resources could have strengthened Great Xia, yet they were all being squandered on pleasures of the flesh, only to end up in the pockets of the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Honestly, she was green with envy.

And this was just one of the Changlong Business Alliance's many schemes for accumulating wealth.

Back when the founding Monarch of Great Xia established the empire, he conquered the Hundred Kingdoms and annihilated countless Sects. Those Sects ultimately fled overseas, taking an untold amount of Spirit Stone resources with them.

In recent years, the Changlong Business Alliance has emerged, opening up trade routes to these overseas domains.

Those kingdoms and Sects, now occupying territories overseas, have no choice but to go through the Changlong Business Alliance to trade with the mainland of the Celestial Central Province. As a result, the Alliance has made an absolute fortune.

Behind the Changlong Business Alliance stands not only the Prime Minister's Mansion but also the most powerful Immortal Sect of the current era: the Taiyi Sect.

Though Emperor Xia was envious, she had no way to counter them. The merchant groups backed by the Royal Family, both large and small, could only huddle together for survival to avoid being devoured by the Changlong Business Alliance.

"Actually, the Daoist School has tried to make trouble for the Desire Immortal Pavilion before, but it never went anywhere."

"Even the Buddhist Sect has come to complain. Some of the women in the Desire Immortal Pavilion dress as Bodhisattvas to attract clients, which has infuriated many of their high-ranking monks..."