A goddess dwells in my heart.

Chapter 36 Empress: Who is seducing my daughter?

Lin Zhengge's eyes turned slightly cold, and her red lips had just parted when Lu Zheji spoke first:

"Wait, I have one question—no, two questions. Why is our sect so determined to exterminate Emperor Wu? And why do most of the Lin family members follow him?"

Actually, what he really wanted to ask was the latter. He could imagine that once his identity as the reincarnation of Emperor Wu was exposed, he would inevitably end up as an enemy of the whole world.

Even the Lu royal family, at most, would only remain neutral and not kick someone when they're down, which would be considered more than enough. What reason does the Lin family have not to protect themselves?

He died five hundred years ago. The old ministers of the Lin family who followed Emperor Wu back then would hate the Goddess Palace and despise the Southern Wei royal family for their former master. But what if all those people died?

Why should the current members of the Lin family abandon the wealth and glory of a top family and stand against the entire world because of the kindness and friendship from five hundred years ago?

Lin Yuexi tilted her head: "Our sect naturally has a grudge against Emperor Wu, but even without this grudge, killing Emperor Wu should be the consensus of all the famous sects in the world. As for the Lin family..."

She glanced at Lin Zhengge, a hint of pity curving her lips. "They're a bunch of pathetic wretches too, their minds bewitched by the blood of the Nine-Tailed Fox, bound to Emperor Wu's broken ship and unable to get off."

"How so?"

"In the past, the Devouring Heaven Demon Emperor left a portion of his essence blood to the Lin family's ancestor to improve their bloodline. The blood of the Lin family's descendants was fused with the Devouring Heaven Demon Emperor's blood, and they were thus subtly influenced. Just as the Devouring Heaven Demon Emperor was blindly loyal to the Martial Emperor, the Lin family's descendants also inherited this blind loyalty."

Lin Zhengge coldly replied, "Nonsense! The blood of the Fox Ancestor has not imprisoned our minds at all!"

Lin Yuexi smiled slowly and said, "Otherwise, how can it be called subtle influence? This bloodline has been diluted generation after generation, and now it really only has a negligible influence. For a mentally sound adult, it is not much different from having none at all."

"But what if it starts from childhood? From a young age, they cultivate the techniques left by Emperor Wu, read the poems and stories written by Emperor Wu, and the whole family, young and old, does the same. Growing up in such an atmosphere, with everyone around them praising Emperor Wu, wouldn't they all be molded into Emperor Wu's loyal hounds from childhood?"

She paused, then gestured with her chin towards Lin Zhengge: "Look at her like this, isn't she just itching to bark at me because I scolded her master?"

These words, when heard by Lu Zheji, the reincarnation of Emperor Wu, left him with a strange and indescribable feeling.

Lin Zhengge's full chest heaved violently, the smoky blue brocade rippling with each movement. "Solicitation of reason! The Lin family worships Emperor Wu because he is worthy of our homage. Emperor Wu's kindness to humanity is akin to rebirth; without him, where would humanity be today?"

"The peaceful life you enjoy today is a legacy he left to humanity, yet instead of being grateful for his kindness, you do everything in your power to smear him and cover up all his achievements for humanity..."

Lin Yuexi interrupted her without any politeness: "So you mean that as long as someone performs the feat of saving humanity, he is qualified to dominate everything in the world? You think what your family has passed down is the truth? You say we expose the evil, but hasn't your Lin family also concealed the truth about the virtuous?"

"In the past, Emperor Wu defied the world and betrayed the goddess who had shown him great kindness. Even so, three quasi-emperors were willing to stand with him through thick and thin. But what happened later? His second disciple, the Sword Emperor, turned against him, and his sworn brother, Emperor Wen, retreated to the mountains. Only his chief disciple remained, blindly loyal. Can you still think he has no problems at all? Aren't they just a bunch of brainwashed loyal dogs?"

Lin Zhengge was so angry that he was speechless.

Lin Yuexi pressed her advantage, her tone becoming increasingly aggressive: "Emperor Wu himself wrote an edict of self-reproach, and you've stared at those seven words for centuries, yet you haven't reflected on anything. When will the Lin family change this habit of thinking you're the only ones who are sober when everyone else is drunk? Don't you know that in the eyes of other powers, every member of the Lin family is seriously ill? I'm afraid even your own family members can't understand you?"

Without giving Lin Zhengge any room to refute, she grabbed Lu Zheji's arm and turned to leave.

Lu Zheji was being pulled away by her, but his heart was in turmoil.

He had already made up his mind about right and wrong.

The dragon slayer becomes the dragon himself; no one understands the weight of those words better than he does.

However, no one can be completely rational. Knowing that the Lin family does not distinguish between right and wrong and is still willing to follow the Martial Emperor who has already denied himself, he still felt a surge of inexplicable emotion.

Lost in thought, Lin Yuexi suddenly nudged him with her elbow and whispered, "Junior brother, do you want your junior sister?"

Lu Zheji nearly tripped and fell: "...What?"

The harshness and arrogance that had just appeared on Lin Yuexi's delicate face had vanished, replaced by an almost mischievous interest. "To be honest, Senior Sister Yin has been eyeing Lin Zhenge, the pride of the Lin family, for a long time. My mission on this trip is to persuade her to join my sect."

Lu Zheji couldn't help but ask, "Isn't she from the Myriad Spirits Sect?"

Lin Yuexi shrugged matter-of-factly: "She's essentially from a noble family, so going to another sect won't bother her. Just like your junior sister joined my sect, her older sister Lin Zhenci also joined the Goddess Palace, didn't she?"

"But you almost completely offended her just now..."

"This is part of the plan." Lin Yuexi curled her lips into a sly and smug smile. "The lack of understanding from other clans within the family is a thorn that the Lin family can't get rid of. Junior brother, all you need to do next is to pretend in front of Lin Zhengge that you admire the Martial Emperor but dare not show it due to your circumstances. In this way, you can naturally take advantage of the situation and gain her trust."

After listening, Lu Zheji smiled slightly: "Leave it to me. I'm sure I can act flawlessly and make her completely believe me."

He whispered in his heart, "Qiaoqiao, do me a favor and write a poem for me."

Inside the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, the goddess who had been kneeling with her eyes closed opened them, her eyes filled with anticipation.

……

In the study, Lin Zhengge sat alone behind her desk, the turmoil in her heart not yet completely subsided.

She had heard the claim that the Lin family bloodline was being controlled since she was a child, but she always firmly believed that it was only a very slight influence.

Blood ties wouldn't make them blindly follow a scoundrel. The Lin family has revered the Martial Emperor for generations because the deeds of the Martial Emperor passed down in the Lin family have made them wholeheartedly acknowledge that the great emperor their ancestor followed deserved this respect.

That person was so dazzling that it's only natural to feel admiration for him.

If she hadn't been to Yunlan Academy, she might have been swayed by Lin Yuexi's sophistry today.

The people of Yasukuni have little blood relation to the emperor; in fact, it could be said that no other nation in the world has more reason to hate Emperor Wu than the people of Yasukuni.

Yasukuni was a kingdom founded by the first goddess, and Emperor Wu was the murderer who persecuted the goddess they worshipped. This hatred should have been irreconcilable. However, simply because Yasukuni did not distort that history, many of the younger generation in Yasukuni secretly revered this enemy who should have been their mortal foe.

One of the textbooks at Yunlan Academy is the "Classic of the Four Seas," which was personally compiled by the first goddess two thousand years ago and records the gods, demons, and strange beasts from ancient times.

Those chapters are full of demons and evil gods who wreak havoc on the region. Eating people is commonplace for them, and massacring millions of people is not uncommon.

During the goddess's lifetime, the "Classic of the Four Seas" was revised from time to time, because she wanted to constantly update the horrific crimes committed by those ferocious gods and beasts, so that future generations could remember these blood debts.

After the goddess fell into the hands of Emperor Wu, the Dao Xuan Sect she founded continued the revision of the "Classic of the Four Seas." However, the book has not been updated with new content for a long time now.

Because in almost all the chapters about ferocious gods and beasts, the record ends with the same sentence—Emperor Wu attacked them.

How many spirited young men, after reading this book, were not moved by the story of Emperor Wu?

With his literary talent that could astound the ages and his martial prowess that could shake the world, this legendary hero commanded a complex and unspoken reverence even from the people of Yasukuni, who were his blood enemies.

If the Great Wei had not gone to such lengths to smear him, Emperor Wu would still have been able to command a large following upon his return.

But Lin Yuexi's last words were like a knife to Lin Zhengge's heart.

Those women who married into the Lin family, or the men who married women from the Lin family, even if they changed their opinion of Emperor Wu after learning about the legends of Emperor Wu being erased, still felt out of place in the Lin family.

As the wine flowed freely and the atmosphere became lively, the Lin family members slammed their fists on the table and declared with boundless pride, "If His Majesty Emperor Wu returns, the sons of the Lin family will surely follow him once more to conquer all corners of the land, even if it means dying on the battlefield!"

Their partners would probably think to themselves: No, the Goddess Palace didn't just pardon you once back then, do you want to do it again?

Of course, those families that can be called cultivation clans have all had their bloodlines manipulated to some extent, and are naturally affected by their bloodlines; those in the know can understand this. The Lin family's problem is considered minor among top-tier families.

It's not a pleasant feeling to be perceived by your spouse as having "thoughts that are nothing more than obsessions controlled by blood ties." The lack of understanding from one's partner has always been a hidden pain for the Lin family.

This is precisely why the Lin family frequently forms marriage alliances with the Lu family, as only the Lu family members can relatively understand them. In particular, the head of the Lin family, who holds the reins, cannot tolerate a partner whose ideals are completely different from their own.

Lin Zhengge sighed softly, walked to the window, and looked at the crabapple blossoms just beginning to bloom in the courtyard.

She primarily studied the Martial Emperor's lineage, and her reverence for the Martial Emperor surpassed that of ordinary members of her clan. If possible, she naturally hoped that her future partner would understand this reverence, or at least not think she was mentally unstable.

But she had never even seen the Crown Prince. She only knew that he lived deep within the Goddess Palace for many years to avoid assassination attempts and rarely left the palace.

How could such a cowardly and cowardly person be worthy of Lin Zhengge? How could he possibly understand the vast and fiery starry sky in her heart?

With the support of the head of the household, she had already decided to live separately from the head of the household, leaving only a nominal marriage for the prince.

The head of the family even encouraged her to keep a male concubine in secret, as long as it didn't come out in public.

However, she politely declined. Finding a partner who wasn't her soulmate just to relieve loneliness was simply asking for trouble; it was better to have none at all.

"Knock knock."

A gentle knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Lu, who had gone astray, returned.

He walked to the desk, placed a folded piece of paper on it, and said casually, "I'm really sorry I didn't prepare a gift for you. I could only write this in a hurry. It's a little poem you wrote casually before. I don't know if you still remember it. I wrote it down as a memento, and I'm just passing it on to you this time. If you still remember it, then forget it and just burn it."

After saying that, he turned around without hesitation and left the study in a few steps.

Lin Zhengge looked down at the note on the table, her brows furrowing slightly.

When did she write a poem in front of him? Could it have been written by Lin Zhenci?

wrong!

Lu Zheji's strange words immediately reminded her, who was well-versed in the stories of Emperor Wu, of espionage.

His point was that if he memorized it, he should burn it; if it were leaked, it would be her writing, and it would have nothing to do with him.

She remembered the head of the family saying that this fool was punished by having his score invalidated during the civil service exam at the academy because he refused to slander Emperor Wu, and ultimately failed the palace examination.

Now that he is under the influence of the Southern Wei forces, he was unable to voice his support for her in the study just now because of the presence of that annoying Lin Yuexi and the pressure from his sect.

Is he secretly sneaking back to find her behind the sect's back, using this method to express his feelings to her?

This guess made her heart beat faster for no apparent reason, and a vague, indescribable emotion quietly spread through her heart.

She unfolded the note with this secret expectation. After just one glance, Lin Zhengge's beautiful peach blossom eyes widened suddenly.

The broken halberd lies buried in the sand, its iron still uncorroded; I will polish it myself to recognize the former dynasty.

If only Wen Chenglong were here, the two beauties would be locked away in the depths of spring at Tongque Terrace.

"Broken halberds and sunken sands..." It really was written by him.

The term "former dynasty" is clearly referring to the powerful Wei dynasty under Emperor Wu. Now, with the north and south locked in a standoff, the Wei dynasty exists in name only, making the term "former dynasty" both reasonable and poignant.

The first two sentences are quite well-written, unlike what this fool could have written. Perhaps they were the result of long-term deliberation and a stroke of genius.

The next two lines directly return to their true level, with a terrible rhyme and structure, and they even blatantly copied Emperor Wu's "If only the Flying General of Longcheng were here," probably because they ran out of words at the end and had to borrow from it.

The term "Wencheng Longjiang" refers to Emperor Wen, whose fief was in Wencheng. He was also known as the "Dragon Slayer General" because of his victory in the battle of slaying the dragon.

Unlike the Sword Emperor's defection, the disagreement between Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu had not yet reached the point of turning against each other. This can be seen from the fact that he later came out of seclusion to avenge his brother and drew his sword against the second-generation goddess.

If Emperor Wu had been able to yield to Emperor Wen back then, and the brothers had worked together, the outcome might have been uncertain.

But none of that is the point. The point is the last sentence—

The two beauties are locked away in the depths of spring at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace.

This "two beauties" definitely doesn't refer to her and Lin Zhenci, the two beauties of the Lin family. So who else could it refer to? Who else could it be?

They were two generations of goddesses, of course!

I thought you would write me some poems praising Emperor Wu's achievements and expressing your remembrance, but instead you wrote me a seditious poem! And this kind of disgusting seditious poem at that!

I only dared to secretly dream that one day I could follow the reborn Emperor Wu, storm the Goddess Palace, and avenge our past humiliations...

You've already thought of capturing the two goddesses of different generations and taking them to the Bronze Sparrow Terrace for Emperor Wu's pleasure!

That idiot, his head is full of what kind of dirty nonsense!

Vulgar! Shameless! Lecherous scoundrel!

She cursed Lu Zheji in her heart, but her cheeks were burning hot, and even her neck was flushed.

However, after the embarrassment and anger subsided somewhat, Lin Zhengge's expression suddenly hardened.

Lu Zheji wrote such an overly forceful rebellious poem for her. Was he implying that he was currently in Cao Cao's camp but his heart was with Han, and that once he rose to a high position in Southern Wei, he would definitely do his best to help her if she needed him?

Lin Zhengge's eyes shimmered, and she gently bit her lower lip.

That idiot...

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a graceful and elegant figure stepped into the study. Her brocade robes trailed on the ground, and her phoenix crown was majestic. It was none other than Empress Lin Xiwei.

"Zhen Ge, you missed me... What are you looking at?"

At this moment, Lin Zhengge's ears were flushed, her eyes were shimmering, and her gaze still held a lingering tenderness. Lin Xiwei's gaze swept across her face, and the corners of her lips immediately curved into a smile:

"Oh, didn't you say you wouldn't have male lovers? Which young talent wrote this love letter? Read it to us."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Zhengge swiftly stuffed the note into his mouth, swallowed it with a quick movement.

Lin Xiwei's smile froze. She looked at Lin Zhengge's tense face and his slightly moving throat, a rare look of bewilderment appearing on her cold and beautiful face.

No, I was just kidding. It really is a love letter?