Standing in front of the palace of self-reflection, Li Chen opened the plain doors with a doorknob in the form of Puxi* holding a ring. The inside looked as plain as it could be, but a gentle stream of water flowed, outlining the building, giving it a serene feeling.
He took a deep inhale, and the earthly scent of the breath of life lifted his spirits. He saw an old willow tree by a small pool formed from the stream, which represents adaptability, emotional reflection, flexibility and the ability to bend, not break through life's storms.
The lotus budding in the pool and the dancing swans, he could not ask for more. Is this palace meant for punishment or reward? He truly could not say.
The palace seems a bit weary, as it was unoccupied for a long time. The maids were busy dusting the webs, mopping the floors, and cleaning the windows. It was bustling with activity, and he saw men carrying the trees that he planted in his first residence. The trees were then shifted to the second western residence, and now they made their way here.
He, along with some guards, dug up the ground in many parts of the courtyard.
He planted the already-grown orchids representing spring in the east, the bamboos of summer in the south, and the chrysanthemums of autumn to the west, and lastly plum blossoms representing winter to the north.
These are called the four gentlemen; they teach us humility, integrity, endurance and perseverance. By this time, the palace arrangements were done.
He stepped inside the simple yet solemn interior, without much decor. He placed a pale blue porcelain vase with a gently curving neck on the table.
He placed branch-and-stick grids in the vase to hold the stems in place. He chose the tallest bamboo trimming to one and a half times the height of the vase, and inserted it slightly off center gently leaning forward as if bowing to an unseen breeze. It is the spine of the arrangement, setting heaven.
He chose the largest white chrysanthemums, their petals still heavy with dew, and positioned them at roughly half the height of the heavens. He placed it slightly forward and to the opposite side of Heaven, creating a dynamic but peaceful imbalance. This is the heart of the arrangement, placing humanity.
Arranging hydrangea low and wide, letting it spill gently forward, covering the rim of the vase. It creates a visual ground that makes the taller elements feel rooted. This is the base of the arrangement, anchoring earth.
As for the last step, he nestled yellow orchids among the chrysanthemums. Curved the crabapple branch outward, as if reaching toward sunlight. Tucked in three wild violets at the base, as he added some bamboo leaves to soften lines.
A well-executed arrangement was judged as a balanced painting in terms of composition and artistic conception. The goal was not to dominate nature but to capture its essence, arranging flowers and leaves so they appear as vivid as if they were the work of nature itself.
The art of arranging flowers was not mere decoration but a philosophical practice—a way to harmonise with nature, express inner tranquillity, and compose a living painting.
He stepped back to admire this masterpiece. He muttered, 'Home is where the heart is.
Inside the empress's palace of gathered elegance, there were twelve seats arranged half to each side. The Empress sat in the centre seat as she tapped the table by her side with her exquisitely decorated long nail guards on her ring finger and little fingers.
Looking at the half-empty hall, the empress spoke, placing her middle finger on her temples.
"Consort Ning, where did the noble lady Shen go? Did she forget that this empress exists, or is she treating me like a dead object?" The empress spoke with a condescending tone.
"Reporting to the empress, she is sick for a few days. She didn't want to spread this to everyone here, so she is taking a rest," Consort Ning replied with a weak voice.
"Oh, why don't I send imperial doctors to check if she is okay. They are itching to find some patients anyway," the empress replied.
"She said it's just a minor cold and a few days of rest will suffice. Thank you, your majesty, for your benevolence," Consort Ning spoke with a hint of worry.
"Look at this, half of the hall is empty. They are letting go of basic formalities like the morning greetings. It's clear that this is Ping Fei's hand playing chess," one of the consorts spoke, holding a fan to cover her face, her eyes revealing a malicious glint.
Empress slapped her table as she spoke furiously, "Dividing the harem, forming factions and disrupting the harmony. This is clearly a rebellion against the throne."
The concubines standing behind the chairs felt the air becoming heavier; they nodded their heads with fear written all over their faces. Their ranking was low; they are unable to even voice their opinions in these meetings unless they have a title.
"Your majesty, please cease your anger; protecting your health is most important", one of the concubines spoke, placing her handkerchief in front of her nose, unlike the other fear-stricken ones.
"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before?" the empress questioned.
"Replying to her majesty, I just entered the palace a few months ago, under your majesty and noble consort Duan's care," spoke the concubine Xin.
Empress looked at Duan Fei with a mysterious gaze and dispersed the assembly.
Now, only a few remained in the hall; these are the empress's trusted people. Duan Fei, Ai Fei, Chun Fei, and the new concubine Xin remained. Just then, a figure emerged from the back gates of the palace with a conspicuous robe covering her body.
Empress, as if finally able to speak her mind, spoke the moment she saw the unwanted members leave, "She is finally making her move, slowly but steadily. She accumulated her power in silence till now. We have to be careful," she warned with a hint of apprehension.
Seeing the distant figure entering the hall, the consorts were surprised. Empress spoke with a smile on her lips, "Hua Fei, you are finally here. Separated from your child for years and spending your time in seclusion, your heart must be heavy. Come aid this seat in stabilising her power."
After a moment of silence.
"It's not like we just let her power grow; we too built her evil reputation step by step. We just need to make a final move, and this dam of accumulated resentment will collapse on its own." Ai Fei spoke as if it were already a decided matter.
"It's not that simple, the emperor favours her. Now we have to mobilise the power of citizens so that even the emperor has to concede. For a kingdom to be stable, the people must be happy, and even the emperor must answer to his subjects." Duan Fei spoke her wisdom.
"Indeed, but the citizens don't care about what happened inside the palace walls. They just treat it as gossip and even mock us royals. Only when her demon hands reach outside of the palace will the people panic and point their fingers here — we have our chance, but how?" The empress spoke disdainfully.
The concubine Xin, who remained silent till now, spoke with an ambitious tone, "I heard Li Chen and the twelfth prince had a small altercation. The first prince is ambitious and opportunistic with a simple mind and a ruthless nature."
"Oh, what ideas do you have? Let us hear it," the empress's eyes lit up.
"We will use the first prince's hand to assassinate the twelfth. We will provide him with assassins, and this assassination must take place outside the palace gates. This will be Ping Fei's first reach outside the walls. Then, citizens will mysteriously disappear over time. First, those who witnessed this scene first-hand will disappear, but only after the news spreads wide and far. And then those who heard it will disappear. Fear will take root, and its outlet falls on Huang Ping. Of course, these assassins will wear artificial faces resembling Ping Fei's guards," she spoke about this detailed plan with an expectant look.
"Who will recognise that these guards belong to Ping Fei?" the Empress questioned with her gaze, with a hidden zeal.
"Of course, we must lead one of the low-ranking ministers who is familiar with the palace near this site. How do we do this? Promising him a promotion, we will lead him here. After this minister goes missing, the court will be in turmoil. The ministers who are supporting Ping Fei will falter in their resolve," replied concubine Xin, her devious plan laid bare.
"Marvellous, using a borrowed knife, causing unrest among citizens, wariness among ministers. She will become a pig in the slaughterhouse with no way out," the empress exhaled to calm her restless heart.
Her gaze now fell on concubine Xin, as if trying to rip her bare and find what secrets she was hiding. This newly arrived concubine is truly suspicious. Did these thoughts come to her naturally, or was she prepared beforehand? If it is the former, she just needs to keep a wary eye on this thorn. But if it is the latter, then there might be something far more sinister at play.
Li Chen, not knowing this devious plan aimed at his mother, sat on the rooftop of the palace with a lantern by his side. He was reading about the prerequisites and precautions of cultivating.
It says some blessed individuals are born with innate spiritual roots. Those born with innate spiritual roots can skip the body forging realm and directly absorb spiritual qi. When they absorb qi into their body, their body will be forged as a byproduct, cleansing the impurities.
It says that before they start cultivation, these roots would have already refined their essence into qi, storing it in their roots. To guide the spiritual qi, one must guide the qi inside their spiritual roots to feel the qi outside and resonate with these particles, thereby attracting them. But how does this attraction take place? He does not know.
He can think of some theories, though. For something to flow towards them, the simplest way is to tilt the plane and liquids and solids will flow down. As for attraction, there must be some magnetic forces involved. But he knew that did not apply here.
That leaves only one theory, pressure. Creating a low-pressure point in his body and opening this closed container that is the human body, and letting the dense qi outside rush inside. Then arises the question of how one creates this low pressure. Just emptying his inner space where qi is stored creates a low-pressure point.
This does not make sense either, because if it's just opening and filling the container, it almost takes place very quickly. There is no need to condense the qi as it will automatically be filled inside.
This means we have to call upon these particles as if communicating with them or something. He didn't know much about these things; it's best not to ponder over them lest he misguides himself.
The book states that spiritual roots are categorised into five grades: yellow, profound, earth, heaven and saint grades. Every individual possesses five elemental spiritual roots.
It is written that the five elements are the foundation of cultivation. Without any one root, the foundation will be flawed. If you have these five roots, you can access any elemental techniques you want, be it thunder, wind, or ice, as they can be derived from these roots.
Those who are not born with spiritual roots, after reaching the peak of the body forging realm, heaven will present them with spiritual roots. These are called acquired spiritual roots. You can use them to absorb qi, but eventually you have to refine them and merge them with yourself, making them innate spiritual roots if you wish to form your foundation.
Then arose the question, why did the emperor not check their spiritual roots? Surely, if they can directly enter the cultivation world, they would definitely save some time and progress further. This can only mean the emperor did not think that anyone would have innate spiritual roots. Why was he sure that nobody would have them? There must be some hidden secrets he does not know. There's also the question — if heaven is going to provide everyone with a cultivation opportunity, why be partial and separate them into innate and acquired? Using what measure does it distinguish who to provide with innate roots and who not to?
If it works on a merit-based system, then those who have accumulated good karma may receive innate roots. But what merits would a child have accumulated, it must have been accumulated by their parents, their grandparents and so on.
No wonder this mortal world is very peaceful; everyone is trying to accumulate good karma so their offspring may have a chance at innate roots.
Then this imperial family must have accumulated bad karma, so they are certain that we would not have been born with innate spiritual roots. He felt that he had removed one layer of truth in this world.
Puxi* - The mythical beast whose face is often identified as Jiaotu, one of the nine sons of the Dragon. It was said to be quiet and guard its door diligently. Alternatively, it is sometimes identified as the gluttonous beast Taotie, whose ferocious appearance was meant to scare away evil spirits.