"Ah???"
Li Xuan, held by Emperor Yongyuan, looked bewildered, wondering if he had misheard.
"He just said he wanted Ankang to be the Female Emperor, is that right?"
Although Li Xuan knew well that good things don't fall from the sky and Emperor Yongyuan wasn't that kind-hearted, he still couldn't help but nod frantically.
"A Female Emperor!"
"If Ankang becomes the Female Emperor, who would dare to provoke the three of them?"
Seeing Li Xuan nod in such a hurry, Emperor Yongyuan laughed heartily, even more joyful than before.
At this moment, the Grand Eunuch in charge of the lamps couldn't help but clear his throat, reminding him:
"Your Majesty, please do not get overly excited."
"Take care of your Royal body."
Emperor Yongyuan waved his hand dismissively.
"No matter."
Seeing Emperor Yongyuan say this, Wang Xi said no more and silently retreated.
After the initial joy, Li Xuan couldn't help but confirm with Emperor Yongyuan:
"Can you really make Ankang the Female Emperor?"
"You're not tricking me, are you?"
Even though Great Xing had a special culture where women could cultivate and held significant influence, it wasn't so free and open to this extent, was it?
Li Xuan still harbored doubts about this.
"What, Li Xuan, do you think women cannot be Emperors?"
"It seems that while you are intelligent, you do not understand the history of Great Xing."
Emperor Yongyuan smiled slightly, then said something astonishing:
"The founding Emperor of Great Xing was originally a woman."
Li Xuan blinked, his expression instantly becoming incredibly vivid.
Emperor Yongyuan, seeing his reaction, was amused and couldn't help but shake his head:
"Just by looking, this Little Cat of yours is unlearned; in the future, I must find a teacher for you to make up for this knowledge."
Li Xuan broke out in a cold sweat. He was just a Little Cat; reading martial arts manuals was already quite presumptuous, let alone learning history and such. Don't demand too much from a Little Cat.
Seeing that Li Xuan truly didn't understand this period of history, Emperor Yongyuan, in a good mood today, patiently began to explain.
"Actually, there were two founding Emperors of Great Xing, one male and one female, revered by later generations as the Twin Sage Emperors."
"The male was named Li Chixiao, with the title Yingtian Divine Dragon Emperor."
"The female was named Li Lu妃, with the title Sage God Zetian Emperor."
"Although these two shared the same surname, they were not related by blood."
"Legend has it that the Twin Sage Emperors, aided by Crimson Dragon Power during a chaotic era, ended the age of chaos and established the Daxing Dynasty."
"And after establishing the Daxing Dynasty, the Twin Sage Emperors became husband and wife, thus forming the current Great Xing Li Imperial family."
"Therefore, in reality, there were two founding Emperors of Great Xing."
"So, Great Xing has had a precedent for Female Emperors since ancient times."
"The more open customs for women in our Great Xing are also greatly related to Sage God Zetian Emperor."
Li Xuan listened to this historical account from Emperor Yongyuan, feeling utterly stunned.
He hadn't expected the founding history of Great Xing to have such an interesting background.
"The founding Emperors were two people, and this man and woman even became husband and wife, which led to the current vast Li family dynasty."
Li Xuan hadn't expected Ankang's two ancestors to be quite romantic.
A man and a woman journeyed together to end the chaotic world, not only establishing Great Xing, which continues to this day, but also, in the end, the lovers found their happily ever after, giving birth to countless descendants.
"It can be considered a beautiful ending," Li Xuan thought silently.
At this point, Emperor Yongyuan continued:
"Although Great Xing has been ruled by male Emperors ever since, with the precedent of Sage God Zetian Emperor, a Female Emperor ascending the throne is not an impossible matter."
Speaking of this, Emperor Yongyuan smiled inexplicably, seemingly quite confident about the matter.
Recounting that founding history of Great Xing seemed to have calmed Emperor Yongyuan down considerably.
He silently placed the lifted Li Xuan back onto the imperial desk, feeling quite emotional.
After Li Xuan confirmed the feasibility of a Female Emperor ascending the throne from Emperor Yongyuan's mouth, he then asked, "Alright, let's assume Ankang can become the Female Emperor with your help."
"But what does this have to do with my Yin Yang True Qi?"
"Is this thing so important to you?"
Ever since Li Xuan successfully cultivated Yin Yang True Qi, both Chief Steward Shang's reaction and Emperor Yongyuan's reaction were so exaggerated that they almost broke their original personas.
It even led Emperor Yongyuan to offer to support Princess Ankang in becoming the Female Emperor, showing how important this matter was to them.
"Li Xuan, it has come to this point, so I will tell you the truth."
Emperor Yongyuan's eyes were full of sincerity.
"According to Imperial family secret history, both Twin Sage Emperors were cultivators who mastered Yin Yang True Qi."
Li Xuan was startled, not expecting to be connected to these two founding Emperors of Great Xing again.
But the next moment, Li Xuan immediately reacted, frantically wagging his tail to explain.
"Hey, I'm saying this upfront, although our Jingyang Palace used to live in hardship, we never blamed Great Xing, nor did we have any thoughts of rebellion!"
The tip of Li Xuan's tail wagged so fast it almost sparked, and he kept glancing at Emperor Yongyuan and the several old eunuchs beside him, afraid that if he said something wrong, they would come forward and seize him.
Looking at the Little Cat in front of him, acting as if he had something to hide, Emperor Yongyuan's mouth twitched, but he maintained the smile on his face.
Speaking of which, Jingyang Palace's hardship was largely due to him, and Emperor Yongyuan himself felt very guilty.
"The Emperor's grace is vast, all our good days now are bestowed by Your Majesty. Although I am a Little Cat, I am definitely a sensible, good Little Cat."
"How could I have thoughts of rebellion?"
"Making some food is more like it!"
"Your Majesty, please observe, I, Little Cat, am wronged!!!"
Seeing the Little Black Cat in front of him, thumping his chest loudly, making repeated assurances, crying out in injustice, squeezing tears from his eyes but failing to produce any, Emperor Yongyuan frowned tightly, covered his mouth, and fell into deep thought.
"Do I really want this thing to be the Protector Divine Beast?"
At this moment, Emperor Yongyuan began to feel that he had been a bit impulsive just now.
Seeing Li Xuan's endless fuss, Emperor Yongyuan said with a headache, "I didn't say you were going to rebel, what are you so anxious about?"
Li Xuan's action of wiping his dry eye sockets suddenly paused, and he thought to himself, "Did I just incriminate myself?"
Li Xuan secretly tried to gauge Emperor Yongyuan's expression, but this sneaky cat-like movement, in Emperor Yongyuan's eyes, further lacked any divine beast majesty.
"Ah, forget it."
"None of this is important."
Emperor Yongyuan sighed, silently comforting himself.
Li Xuan and Emperor Yongyuan exchanged glances, tacitly revealing awkward smiles.
"Hehe."
Li Xuan cleared his throat, sat back upright on the imperial desk, and began to use his tongue to groom his messy fur, while signaling Emperor Yongyuan to continue.
"Uh…"
"Where was I just now?"
At this moment, Wang Xi quietly reminded him, "Your Majesty, you were talking about the Yin Yang True Qi of the Twin Sage Emperors."
"Oh, right." Emperor Yongyuan rubbed his temples, alleviating his headache symptoms, and continued, "Yin Yang True Qi."
"Ancient sages once said that the general trend of the world, if united for a long time, will divide, and if divided for a long time, will unite."
"This has been evident in several major crises since the founding of Great Xing."
At this point, Li Xuan interrupted and asked his question.
"How many years has it been since Great Xing was founded?"
Emperor Yongyuan looked speechless, gaining a deeper understanding of Li Xuan's lack of common sense, but still replied irritably:
"Nine hundred seventy-five years."
"Ah? Nearly a thousand years!?" Li Xuan exclaimed with his expression.
Emperor Yongyuan, seeing Li Xuan's expression, seemed very satisfied, and also showed a hint of pride.
"Yes, nearly a thousand years of the Daxing Dynasty…"
Then, he murmured to himself:
"It can't possibly end in my hands."
Li Xuan was still shocked by Great Xing's thousand-year history and didn't clearly hear Emperor Yongyuan's soft whisper.
"Over nine hundred years, it has long exceeded the three-hundred-year cycle. Is it because of the transcendent power system?"
Li Xuan became even more fully aware that Great Xing was unlike any dynasty he had learned about in history in his previous life.
It was clearly a feudal society, yet women held a relatively high status; the dynasty's historical cycle was also much longer than the dynasties he had known before.
Not to mention the cultivation system that defied common sense.
"But no matter how powerful a dynasty, after a thousand years of corruption…"
Li Xuan silently looked up at Emperor Yongyuan, observing his not-so-old face and the white hairs that couldn't be hidden at his temples.
"Is this really a problem that can be solved by making me the Protector Divine Beast?"
Li Xuan now somewhat regretted nodding so casually just now.
He didn't want to fall with an aging and decaying dynasty along with Ankang.
What if he's the Protector Divine Beast?
What if she's the Female Emperor of Great Xing?
Don't they both need to survive first?
Li Xuan had no particular feelings for Great Xing.
He estimated that Princess Ankang was in a similar situation.
"This is trying to drag us onto a pirate ship!"
"But, can a sick princess and a martial arts-trained cat really save this sinking ship?"
Li Xuan still had many doubts and quietly listened to Emperor Yongyuan's next words.
And Emperor Yongyuan was constantly observing Li Xuan's reaction.
So many years of imperial experience had long trained him to make every action and every word purposeful.
Everything Emperor Yongyuan was saying now was to guide Li Xuan to where he hoped he would go.
"And this power that influences the general trend of the world is the Yin-Yang Qi."
"Yin-Yang Qi is not Yin Yang True Qi."
"Where Yin-Yang Qi gathers, the country can be prosperous and the weather favorable."
"But during this process, the Yin-Yang Qi will slowly dissipate until it completely disappears."
"When the gathered Yin-Yang Qi is exhausted, disaster will strike."
"War will rage, the people will suffer, and the world will be in turmoil."
"At this time, it is necessary to re-gather the Yin-Yang Qi of the world and establish a new order."
"The two Twin Sage Emperors back then established the Daxing Dynasty in this way."
"This Yin-Yang Qi can be seen as a vague concept of luck or national destiny."
"And the existence bearing Yin Yang True Qi will be the key to guiding the re-gathering of Yin-Yang Qi."
"At least, that's how it was at those critical junctures in history."
"If it were an accident, it would be too much of a coincidence."
Emperor Yongyuan said this, then quietly looked at Li Xuan, giving him enough time to digest the information he had just provided.
"Guiding the general trend of the world…"
"Me? A Little Cat?"
Although Li Xuan felt Emperor Yongyuan's explanation was somewhat unreliable, looking at his serious expression, it didn't seem like he was joking.
But this would be troublesome.
The general trend of the world, which ambitious person wouldn't want it?
And if one couldn't get it, they would surely destroy it!
"Meow, why didn't you guys say anything before I started cultivating?!"
Li Xuan glared at Emperor Yongyuan, knowing this guy must have had a plan all along.
He probably wished for someone who could cultivate Yin-Yang Qi to appear quickly.
As it turned out, by a twist of fate, he, this Little Cat, ended up cultivating it.
Recalling how Zhao Feng had eagerly called him a "Heaven-sent auspicious sign" back then, Li Xuan glared fiercely at that old man again.
Zhao Feng, however, was standing at the very end at this moment, staring at the tip of his shoe and pretending to be foolish.
"Meow! (None of them are good people!)"
"Meow wuwu! (They only know how to bully Little Cats!)"
Li Xuan couldn't care about anything else now, meowing and complaining incessantly.
Recalling how Li Xuan had happily enjoyed the title of "auspicious sign" back then, now it seemed it was all a trap!
Emperor Yongyuan, seeing Li Xuan directly start scolding, said with a smile, "You don't need to be so agitated. If it weren't for this, everything you have now wouldn't exist, would it?"
"Or do you prefer to live your original life?"
Li Xuan narrowed his eyes and immediately wrote in mid-air:
"Is a choice made by oneself the same as a choice made by being tricked?"
Li Xuan felt a surge of anger; even though he knew that, given the choice, he would have made the same decision, he still couldn't tolerate this feeling of being deceived.
"You could have told me all this when I started cultivating Yin Yang True Qi…"
Emperor Yongyuan shook his head and said definitively, "No, you would have backed down for Ankang!"
"Are you going to deny that possibility?"
Emperor Yongyuan raised his head, asking Li Xuan from a commanding position.
At this moment, Li Xuan felt the majesty of an Emperor from him.
Li Xuan's tail drooped powerlessly. He knew that what Emperor Yongyuan said was possible, and most likely Li Xuan would have chosen that way.
Li Xuan had no ambitions, nor did he want to achieve any grand imperial dominion, nor did he care about being remembered in history.
He had been a commoner, a consumable, and he knew what it felt like to be treated as a number.
Li Xuan didn't want to get involved in the struggles of those important figures; he just wanted to live happily with the people he liked, undisturbed.
He didn't need to be remembered by history; he only needed the people he liked to remember him.
Emperor Yongyuan looked at the disheartened Little Black Cat in front of him and spoke seriously:
"Li Xuan, you have been chosen."
"The choice of fate cannot be avoided."
After saying this, Emperor Yongyuan couldn't help but look towards the entrance of Ganlu Hall.
Even now, he still remembered the scene of being led into this place by someone.
Emperor Yongyuan, like Li Xuan, was an existence chosen by fate at the same time.
"Li Xuan, help me."
Emperor Yongyuan extended his hand to Li Xuan, making a solemn invitation.
"For yourself, and for Ankang."
"You need to become the Protector Divine Beast of Great Xing."
Emperor Yongyuan's hand reached out in front of Li Xuan, waiting for Li Xuan's response.
The Grand Eunuchs on the side couldn't help but look up at this historic moment.
"Clap!"
The next moment, a crisp sound rang out.
Emperor Yongyuan looked at his hand, which had been slapped aside, with a stunned expression.
Li Xuan raised a cat's paw, maintaining the motion of batting away Emperor Yongyuan's hand, his eyes filled with determination.
"I am not the Divine Beast of Great Xing."
"I am only Ankang's Li Xuan!"