Chapter 212

Chapter 212: Sister Zi’s Little Mouth Is Really Sweet, But the Taste Is Weird! Fei Yan’s Room Became a Sauna Room!

The moonlight enveloped the mountaintop.

A luxurious villa stood quietly and isolated on the mountain peak.

Lord Changping got off the carriage, straightened his clothes, and walked to the front of the villa.

Just as the entourage was about to knock on the door, he raised his hand to stop him.

Then he lightly tapped the heavy door knocker.

Soon, a gap in the door opened.

A maid poked her head out from inside.

Lord Changping politely asked, “Is the National Advisor at home?”

The maids in the villa were meticulously chosen by Jing Ni and Sister Zi.

Though their appearances were ordinary, they were quick and insightful.

Lord Changping had been here before, and the maid recognized him.

Upon hearing his request, she opened the door and invited him into the hall.

After serving tea, the maid hurriedly ran to the back courtyard to inform Li Mo.

Lord Changping waited patiently.

Half an hour passed during this wait!

It wasn’t that Li Mo was deliberately leaving him hanging.

But the maid took nearly half an hour to find Li Mo in the back courtyard.

The villa was large.

There were many courtyards.

And Li Mo didn’t have a fixed place.

In the first half of the night, he might be in Sister Zi’s courtyard.

But in the second half, he might have crossed half the estate to go to Humeiren’s place.

The maid had no idea which lady he was sleeping with tonight.

She could only search courtyard by courtyard.

Half an hour later, Li Mo came out of Nongyu’s courtyard with a face full of frustration.

What’s wrong with this Lord Changping?

Coming here late at night.

Doesn’t he know people make little ones at night!

“Greetings to the National Advisor, I hope my late-night visit did not disturb your rest?”

Lord Changping waited for more than half an hour but showed no signs of impatience.

However, the question was hitting a nerve.

“No disturbance. But it’s quite late; is there something important you need to discuss with me, Lord Changping?”

Li Mo forced a smile.

“I am here to thank the National Advisor. The Empress Dowager and His Majesty have appointed me as the Chief Minister of the Inner Cabinet,”

Lord Changping said with a serious expression.

His eyes burned as he spoke.

Li Mo had a big complaint he didn’t know whether to voice or not.

That’s it?

You came over so late just for this?

Made me draw my sword halfway just to tell me thanks and be done?

“Ha ha ha.”

“Since that’s the case, don’t let down the Empress Dowager and His Majesty’s expectations in the future, Lord Changping.”

Li Mo forced a laugh.

The Inner Cabinet might not have as much power as the Prime Minister, but the responsibilities are heavy.

Lord Changping repeatedly agreed.

He felt that Li Mo’s attitude towards him was not as courteous as before.

Could it be that he had done something to displease the National Advisor?

Lord Changping pondered deeply.

It shouldn’t be, he had followed all the instructions in court today.

And he had come over as soon as court was dismissed.

Thinking about it, he became more respectful.

He said, “I owe it all to the National Advisor’s support. I came for another matter; I wish to seek advice from the National Advisor.”

Li Mo raised an eyebrow lightly.

“Speak.”

Hurry up and finish so you can leave.

Little Yuer is still waiting!

Lord Changping quickly said, “The Inner Cabinet was established today, I am the Chief Minister, and my cousin Changwen Jun the Deputy Chief Minister.”

“His Majesty said two more cabinet members need to be appointed, but no specific nominees were given.”

“Which means I have to pick them myself.

“I’m here to seek the National Advisor’s advice on appropriate candidates.”

With these words, Lord Changping’s attitude was clear.

If someone joins the Inner Cabinet, they will surely rise to prominence in the future.

This is direct access to the center of power.

Ordinarily, he should not hesitate to place his own people.

But now he was asking Li Mo.

This meant he was positioning himself correctly.

Li Mo immediately understood his intention.

He chuckled lightly, “Since the Empress Dowager and His Majesty want you to choose, you can handle it as you see fit.”

“This is Inner Cabinet business; I won’t get involved.”

As the National Advisor, he didn’t meddle in political affairs; if the Inner Cabinet could function as normal, he would rather not be bothered.

Lord Changping came with the intention of pledging allegiance.

In essence, he wanted to ingratiate himself.

So he had made up his mind before coming.

Upon hearing this, he lowered his stance, saying, “The National Advisor is joking. Although I am the Chief Minister of the Inner Cabinet, it’s only because of your support.”

“The Inner Cabinet was also established under your advice.”

“Naturally, the selection of cabinet members should be consulted with you first.”

“I have a candidate in mind, and I ask the National Advisor to make the final decision.”

He had someone in mind but still came to ask.

This attitude couldn’t be faulted.

“Who?”

Li Mo asked blandly.

Lord Changping pressed his lips and uttered two words.

“Li Si.”

Then he asked, “What does the National Advisor think?”

Li Mo’s expression turned intriguing.

Are you familiar with Li Si?

As far as he knew, the two had only met once at his door.

Lord Changping didn’t even know who Li Si was before.

This time, Li Si’s envoy to Han for his sake was because he had mentioned it to the Emperor of Qin.

Ordinarily, such an obscure person wouldn’t be considered for the Inner Cabinet.

Even if they were waiting in line, it wouldn’t be his turn.

The fact that Lord Changping thought of him first wasn’t because of his performance in Han.

But because besides him, Li Si was the only one Li Mo had received.

Li Mo nodded noncommittally.

“He is indeed not bad.”

He had heard of Li Si’s performance in Han.

As a Confucian, he indeed had a sharp tongue.

One person made a group of people wide-eyed.

Hearing this, Lord Changping knew his candidate was correct.
“When he returns, I will invite him to join the Cabinet,” she said.

Li Si is still at the border.

After some time, once Bai Xianwu is dealt with, he will need to go to Han again on a diplomatic mission.

Lord Changping then asked, “What about the other candidate?”

Li Mo pondered for a moment.

Originally, he intended to place Han Fei in the Cabinet as well.

But Han Fei had no interest in it.

So he planned to find another more suitable position for him.

After thinking for a while, he said, “You can decide on the other candidate yourself.”

Han Fei was different from Li Si.

Even though Emperor Han discarded him, he still held the title of a prince.

Thus, it was more suitable to make him a guest minister than to throw him into the Cabinet.

A guest minister is a foreigner who serves as a high-ranking official in another country.

Simply put, it’s akin to being an advisor.

In historical records, Li Si once served as a guest minister.

But now, Li Mo intended to replace him with Han Fei.

After sending Lord Changping away, Li Mo turned and walked towards the Nongyu Courtyard.

He went back to continue his unfinished grand plan.

The next day, something unexpected happened.

Li Mo, who had gone to Sister Zi’s courtyard in the middle of the night, was washing up there.

A maid came running into the courtyard, gasping for breath, “Master, Master, a lot of people have come outside. The first lady asked me to inform you.”

Li Mo wiped his face and said indifferently, “Go tell the first lady that I’m not here.”

There was no need to go out; he could sense who had come just from being in the courtyard.

The courtyard was crowded with officials from the court.

It seemed they had all brought gifts.

One didn’t need to guess the reason and purpose.

It was most likely because they knew that Lord Changping had been appointed as the Prime Minister after visiting him.

They were all here to make their presence known.

“Oh, alright, I’ll go tell the first lady,” the maid responded obediently and ran back to the front hall.

Sister Zi poked her head out from under the quilt, yawning lazily.

Her silky purple hair cascaded like satin over her snowy shoulders.

Propping her head up, she looked seductively at Li Mo, her lazy posture alluring.

“Who are these people? Why not go out and meet them?” she asked.

Unlike Li Mo, she couldn’t tell who had come just by being in the courtyard.

Li Mo casually replied, “Court officials, most of the notable ones are here.”

Sister Zi was stunned for a moment.

“Then why don’t you see them?” she asked.

Li Mo chuckled, “Why should I see them?”

“If I see one, I have to see them all. If I see them once, I’ll have to see them twice.”

“After that, we can forget about having peace here.”

In simple terms, these people were all here for favors.

They wanted to imitate Lord Changping.

However, the reason Lord Changping was appointed as the Prime Minister was that he was qualified.

Even without Li Mo’s influence, the Emperor of Qin and the Empress Dowager would most likely choose him.

Sister Zi’s eyes sparkled with intelligence as she lay down on the bed.

With a wise look in her eyes, she said smiling, “Is the Master trying to avoid trouble or avoid suspicion?”

In terms of intelligence, Sister Zi was currently the smartest among the women.

A slight thought revealed Li Mo’s intention to her.

Li Mo walked to the edge of the bed and bit her lips hard.

“You’re the smart one.”

Indeed, he had those considerations in mind.

Why did Ying Zheng trust him so much?

His own ability was one reason.

Another reason was that Ying Zheng could see that he had no interest in power.

As a National Advisor, he had no need to get entangled with those officials.

If he opened his doors widely and accepted the flattery of those civil and military officials, how would he be different from Lu Buwei?

If it weren’t for his promise to Ying Zheng and his reluctance to break it, he would’ve quit after eliminating Lu Buwei.

Sister Zi moaned a couple of times, initially wanting to push him away.

But as he kissed her, her body softened.

She couldn’t muster any strength.

After the kiss, she gave him a shy glance.

Licking her lips, she said with mock anger, “I haven’t even washed up.”

Li Mo savored the sweetness in his mouth and praised, “It’s both fragrant and sweet. Did you sneak some honey?”

Sister Zi chuckled.

She looked at him with a strange smile and asked, “Is it sweet?”

Li Mo earnestly nodded, “Sweet.”

Sister Zi suddenly clapped her hands and laughed heartily.

Li Mo was completely puzzled by her laughter.

After she finished laughing, she patted her chest and said, “Last night… I didn’t rinse my mouth last night.”

Li Mo suddenly realized something.

He froze for a moment, then his face darkened.

Damn, he had forgotten about that!

Sister Zi was amused by his reaction and giggled again.

She lay on the bed, propped her head up, and said teasingly, “Didn’t you say it could beautify and improve one’s looks? Now it’s your turn to be beautified.”

Li Mo had previously made up that story to trick her.

Sister Zi, being so smart, wouldn’t believe such nonsense.

But she had just been pretending to be ignorant all along.

Li Mo, looking depressed, came to Fei Yan’s courtyard.

He wasn’t sure if Fei Yan had gotten up early or hadn’t slept all night.

She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating.

The internal energy in her body surged, emitting a warm aura.

She radiated heat like a source of warmth.

The room was filled with intense heat, making it feel like a sauna.

Transforming internal energy into qi is a long process, not something that can be completed in a day.

It requires compressing the original internal energy to the extreme.

Then, absorb more internal energy to fill oneself.

Then compress the internal energy again.

This cycle repeats until the body is filled with qi formed from compressed internal energy, unable to absorb any more internal energy.

If the human body is compared to a container, then internal energy is like a sponge.

Squeeze the sponge flat, put it in a corner, and make room for another sponge.

Then flatten the sponge again and add a new one.

Continue this until the container is filled with compressed sponges, and only then is it complete.

Absorbing internal energy is not difficult; compression is the key.

The sponge is elastic.

And so is the compressed internal energy.

So, it requires extreme caution to prevent it from rebounding.

Li Mo did not disturb Fei Yan.

A maid served him tea, he took a sip and set it aside.

He sat in the courtyard, observing her earnest demeanor.

Her porcelain-white face looked solemn, exuding an innately noble aura.

She resembled a goddess deserving only to be admired from afar.

One would not dare to profane her.

But still, what should have been profaned was profaned.

Fei Yan’s gentleness was irresistibly endearing.

According to Li Mo, this smoke was addictive once inhaled.

It was nearing noon when Fei Yan awoke from her meditation.

She opened the door and saw Li Mo sitting in the courtyard.

“Husband, when did you come, why didn’t you come in?”

If it were anyone else in the mansion, she would have noticed someone in the courtyard even without opening the door.

But Li Mo was the only one stronger than her here.

“I just sat down, haven’t been here for long.”

In fact, Li Mo had been there for over an hour.

But Fei Yan was too considerate.

If he told her he had been here long, waiting for so long,

she would feel guilty.

She would blame herself for not coming out earlier and making him wait so long.

Li Mo understood her well, so he said he had just arrived.

Fei Yan’s gentle gaze swept over the teacup on the stone table.

The tea was barely touched, yet it wasn’t steaming.

Fei Yan’s heart softened, and she instantly understood.

Her gaze at Li Mo became so tender it seemed about to turn into liquid.

She picked up the teacup.

Sure enough, the tea was already cold.

A trace of guilt appeared on her face.

Li Mo awkwardly pressed his lips together.

Darn it, seems like he gave himself away.

The wives were all too clever, each more astute than the last.

Fei Yan didn’t say anything.

Li Mo understood her, and she could guess his intentions just as well.

With jade-like hands, she gently rubbed the teacup.

The once-cool tea began to steam.

She handed it to Li Mo.

“Husband, have some tea.”

Li Mo took it and sipped; the temperature was just right.

He drank the whole cup of warm tea and complimented, “The lady is truly amazing.”

Fei Yan smiled softly and modestly said, “It’s just a small trick, nothing compared to your abilities with thunder.”

She was born with a pure yang body, so even her inner strength and insides were warm.

Heating tea with her fiery inner strength was a simple task.

But the ability Li Mo figured out in Han was different.

That was creating something out of nothing.

Both the Yin-Yang School and Taoism rely on comprehending the laws of heaven and earth, borrowing the power of the universe for their own use.

Fei Yan knew well how difficult it was to comprehend a brand new skill.

The “Dragon’s Traveling Qi” she was now cultivating, as well as the secret skills of the Yin-Yang School, were all created by their predecessors.

Current disciples of the Yin-Yang School are training under the blessings of these ancestors.

The thunder skill Li Mo comprehended, in a sense, was groundbreaking.

Just this one thunder skill alone was enough to start a new school and become a grandmaster.

Li Mo had recently been organizing his insights.

He couldn’t teach them his skills, but he could teach them the method.

The two were chatting in the pavilion, and before long, Fei Yan noticed that Li Mo seemed to have something he wanted to say but was hesitating.

She asked softly, “Did you come here because you have something to discuss?”

Li Mo, without a second thought, said, “No, just came to see you.”

Fei Yan raised the corners of her mouth in a half-smile and said, “Really?”

Li Mo scratched his forehead.

“And also to see what’s going on with Bai Xianwu.”

Fei Yan immediately caught on.

“When the time comes, I’ll guard you. You need not worry.”

But before bringing Li over, they needed to deal with the previous body first.

Otherwise, if Zhao Ji suddenly finds a missing handmaiden, she’ll surely get suspicious.

Fortunately, it was manageable.

The body was already dead, so they just needed Fei Yan to turn it into a puppet.

Then the puppet could continue to stay by Zhao Ji’s side.

And after Li controlled Bai Xianwu’s body, naturally, she would go back to Han.