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“Can Third Royal Brother still be saved?” Wu Ruian had no appetite for breakfast and his eyes were fixed on Zhong Xu.
“Yes,” Zhong Xu nodded, looking calm.
Hearing Zhong Xu’s confident answer, Wu Ruian felt relieved. Although he knew Wu Yu could be saved, the thought of Zhong Xu’s “not clean” remark still made him feel uneasy, and he had completely lost his appetite.
Zhong Xu, on the other hand, ate his congee with greens as if nothing had happened, not touching the fish and meat.
“Are you really a Taoist priest?” Wu Ruian suddenly became curious.
Zhong Xu nodded generously.
“Don’t only Buddhist monks eat a vegetarian diet?” Wu Ruian asked again.
“...” Zhong Xu was silent for a moment, then said coldly, “I like it.”
“Oh, I see...” Wu Ruian nodded thoughtfully, realizing he wasn’t making much headway in his conversation with Zhong Xu. He sat quietly at the table, bored, waiting for Empress Chen to finish morning court.
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At court, Empress Chen issued a new edict, ordering the Right Chancellor, Changsun Qi, to supervise the creation of two new tiger tallies to command the defense troops and the Imperial Guards in Taiping Prefecture.
Previously, there was only one tiger tally each for the 100,000 defense troops and the 30,000 Imperial Guards, which were held by the Minister of War, Zhao You, and the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Liu Heng. Now, the four newly created tiger tallies would be held by the Left Chancellor, Gongsun Miao, and the Right Chancellor, Changsun Qi. To deploy either the defense troops or the Imperial Guards, three of the four tiger tallies must be present; otherwise, no action could be taken without authorization.
Empress Chen’s move seemed to be an elevation of Gongsun Miao, but in reality, she was decentralizing his power. Even if they were dissatisfied, they had no choice but to accept.
Who told them to act so conspicuously last night?
The Minister of War and the Commander of the Imperial Guards were both Gongsun Miao’s men. Exposing this fact too early only invited checks and balances.
After court, Empress Chen summoned the Imperial Preceptor, Master Xianshen.
The origin of Master Xianshen was somewhat related to Gongsun Miao.
Legend had it that on the Mount Buzhou, demons and monsters ran rampant, and no living person dared to approach. But on its peak stood a temple of great reverence, and Master Xianshen had practiced there for many years. During one of his ascetic journeys, he met Gongsun Miao.
At that time, Gongsun Miao’s home was plagued with strange occurrences, and he suffered from nightmares every night. Master Xianshen performed a ritual for him, and after drinking some holy water, his illness was cured without medicine, and no more strange things happened in his house.
Empress Chen knew that Gongsun Miao had been ill for two months. Seeing him become so lively overnight, she also held Master Xianshen in high regard. She bestowed upon him the title of Imperial Preceptor, treated him as a first-rank official, and gave him the Mingjing Pagoda as his residence.
When Empress Chen saw Master Xianshen again after court, she almost didn’t recognize him.
Compared to his plump appearance not long ago, he had become a bag of bones, looking as if he were critically ill.
His eyes were deeply sunken, his cheekbones protruded, his lips were blue, and his forehead was dark. He looked like he was at death’s door, with one foot already in the coffin.
“Imperial Preceptor, what has happened to you?” Empress Chen sat on her throne, looking at the tottering Master Xianshen below. She immediately called out to her maids, “Quickly, give him a seat.”
After sitting down, Master Xianshen’s trembling improved slightly, but he still looked like a withered stalk of straw, without any energy.
He let out a long breath and said slowly, “Your Majesty... this old official almost didn’t get to see you again.”
“Oh?” Empress Chen frowned, puzzled. “What do you mean, Imperial Preceptor?”
“To be honest, Your Majesty, last night on the Ghost Festival, the gates of hell opened, and a demonic entity lingered in the Daming Palace, unwilling to leave. I was afraid of scaring Your Majesty, so I never dared to mention it to you. Last night, I performed a ritual and intended to capture it, but it backfired on me, leaving me severely injured and unable to recover.”
“There was such a thing?” Empress Chen’s face showed shock and alarm.
Master Xianshen nodded and continued, “Fortunately, this old official managed to capture it and subdue it, which is why Your Majesty was able to escape from the brink of death and return to the world of the living.”
“It was you who saved my life?”
Master Xianshen nodded again. “This is the true form of that demonic entity.” As he spoke, he took a vibrant red peony from his sleeve. The peony was in full bloom and very eye-catching.
“How can there be a peony this season?” Empress Chen was confused.
Master Xianshen continued, “The Peony Prince was in pain in the underworld, so he transformed into a peony flower spirit, wanting to pull you into the underworld to keep him company. Luckily, this old official protected you with my life, ultimately ensuring your safety and health.”
“...”
Empress Chen’s pupils constricted, and her hands clenched into fists under the table. She took a deep, silent breath and then unclenched them.
She walked down from her throne and stood before Master Xianshen. “Imperial Preceptor, your actions have moved me deeply.”
“It is my duty to be loyal to Your Majesty. This old official does not dare to claim credit,” Master Xianshen said with a forced smile, his every movement appearing incredibly difficult.
Empress Chen then said, “Since the Imperial Preceptor has worked so hard, you should spend your twilight years peacefully at Chongling Temple.”
Master Xianshen suddenly looked up, staring at Empress Chen with a puzzled expression. “Your Majesty, I don’t understand.”
“My meaning is simple, my dear official. You are old and it is time for you to retire. I already have a candidate in mind for the next Imperial Preceptor, so you do not need to trouble yourself any further,” Empress Chen said calmly. “Someone, escort the Imperial Preceptor back to rest. Starting today, he will move out of the Mingjing Pagoda and go to Chongling Temple for his practice.”
With that, Empress Chen waved her hand, not allowing Master Xianshen to say a single word in protest.
After he left, the vibrant peony fell to the ground. Empress Chen glanced at it and then deliberately stepped on it.
The petals of the peony were crushed on the floor, no different from any ordinary flower. To Empress Chen, this was nothing but a joke.
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When Empress Chen returned to the Daming Palace, Wu Ruian was just about to take Zhong Xu on a tour of the imperial garden.
He had been with the wooden-faced Zhong Xu in the side hall for two hours and finally couldn’t take it anymore. Just as they were about to leave the hall, Empress Chen walked in with a large group of people.
The palace maids were carrying a golden edict, a golden book, and a golden seal, as well as a set of plain white Taoist robes with gold embroidery, and a white jade hairpin.
Empress Chen had the maids put the items down, then dismissed everyone, leaving only Shi Wenchang by her side.
After Wu Ruian and Zhong Xu paid their respects to Empress Chen, she immediately helped Zhong Xu up and said solemnly, “Master Zhong, after last night, you must know that my Daming Palace is facing both internal and external threats, and is full of hidden dangers.”
Zhong Xu nodded, indicating that he understood.
Zhong Xu’s nod also confirmed Empress Chen’s suspicions—last night, besides the mei causing mischief, there were others coveting her position.
Empress Chen let out a long sigh, cupped her hands, and bowed to Zhong Xu. “To ensure the stability of the Xuánwǔ dynasty, I have been fighting alone for over a decade. Now the position of Imperial Preceptor is vacant, and I earnestly request that you come out of retirement to assist me.”
“Your Majesty, you are...” Zhong Xu was dumbfounded. He didn’t quite understand what Empress Chen meant, nor did he know what he should do next.
Should he help her up?
Was she really bowing to him?
Wu Ruian patted Zhong Xu and said, “Why are you just standing there? Say yes! Do you want to stay cooped up in a coffin shop your whole life?”
“Why not?” Zhong Xu asked, confused.
Wu Ruian had an expression that said, “You’re going to die of stupidity.” He said, “Mother Empress wants to make you the Imperial Preceptor, a first-rank official, and the master of the Mingjing Pagoda!”
“What?” Zhong Xu’s eyes widened, and he looked at Empress Chen.
Empress Chen smiled and nodded at him, confirming that was indeed her intention.
“I... but I’m just a commoner. I can’t possibly take on such a great responsibility.” Zhong Xu scratched his head and rubbed his hands together, becoming completely flustered. He continued, “I don’t look like an Imperial Preceptor in any way. I really can’t accept this...”
“Master, do not be so modest. You are absolutely worthy,” Empress Chen interrupted him.
At that moment, Wu Ruian took the white jade robe and held it up to Zhong Xu, praising him profusely. “Clothes make the man, just like gold paint on a Buddha. Once you put on this robe, you’ll look just like an Imperial Preceptor!”
Zhong Xu stared blankly at everything, still feeling that this wealth had come too easily and was too unbelievable.
Empress Chen said, “I say you are worthy, and you are worthy. Do you have the heart to refuse me?”
Zhong Xu shook his head repeatedly, hesitating. “But my coffin shop...”
“I’ll sell coffins for you!” Wu Ruian said impulsively, patting his chest, which earned him another eye-roll from Empress Chen.
But Empress Chen didn’t contradict him.
After all, Wu Ruian was now free of any official duties and had no important things to do at court. If Zhong Xu truly couldn’t bear to part with his coffin shop, it wouldn’t be so bad for Wu Ruian to get a taste of common life.
In their joyful conversation, the matter was settled. Zhong Xu was appointed as the new Imperial Preceptor, becoming the third master of the Mingjing Pagoda.
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