I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 82 Emperor Xuanzong, Prince Qi Presents a Treasure

"He's just a hermit."

This was an admission that the legendary extraordinary man who passed through Xiangyang was him... Recalling the magical arts he had heard about, he was truly a master. The master examined him for a long time, his heart filled with astonishment, and it took him a long time to suppress it.

Finally, he bowed with his hands clasped in greeting.

He said cautiously, "Friends, fellow Daoists."

Jiang She returned the greeting: "Greetings, fellow Daoist."

The other party asked, "Is there really a night banquet held by the mountain gods and earth spirits?"

"Have."

"Is there really a magic that can make someone enter a dream for forty years?"

Jiang She did not take credit: "I am grateful to those ants for taking me in for a while."

After observing the children's academic methods for a while, he and Sanshui visited the mountain springs and a short waterfall of Yunmeng Mountain. It was indeed a wonderful fairyland, a veritable paradise in the eyes of mortals.

Back in the house, Jiang She sat for a while, then suddenly remembered something.

He took out his notebook and wanted to see if there were any updates.

It's been a few months since I left Xiangyang.

During this time, I've cut paper into paper donkeys, encountered ghosts, met the City God, and seen two heretical Taoists who had gone astray. I even witnessed a Tang Dynasty Taoist practicing alchemy. Thinking about it, my experiences have been quite rich; I should probably add a lot more details to this.

……

"North of Xiangyang County, there is a village called Xiliu. The Zhao family in the village is quite wealthy and has two sons and two daughters. They are known for their bold and generous nature. One day, a traveler passed by their door, and Mr. Zhao invited him in and prepared wine and food to entertain him."

"As they were about to part, the youngest son admired the fine horses outside the gate. A visitor then cut out a paper donkey and breathed on it, and it came to life, astonishing everyone present. They peered outside the gate, but found no trace of the scholar."

"Upon hearing this, the village head presented this paper donkey to the emperor."

...Hmm?

The paper donkey was confiscated?

It seems the Zhao family kids are out of fun.

Jiang She felt a pang of regret for the children, did some quick calculations, and shook his head.

After turning a few more pages, I saw the text written on it, which was all about what I had seen and heard along the way, including the story of Master Jin Yuan and Yunmeng Mountain.

He examined the journal.

Strangely enough, a historian followed me when I went out from there.

……

……

Seven or eight days' drive away, the afternoon sunlight shone brightly on the roof tiles of Daming Palace.

The original Taiji Palace was located in a low-lying area, making it damp and hot, especially in the summer when it was like a sauna. Starting with Emperor Gaozong, the emperors of the Tang Dynasty preferred to hold court in the Daming Palace.

Among them, the Zichen Hall is located north of the Xuanzheng Hall and belongs to the inner court, where the emperor handled daily government affairs and summoned important officials.

After the emperor finished his audience with Zhang Yue, the Grand Secretary, and listened to his report on the Fengshan ceremony, his head was throbbing with frustration. So he summoned Cui Jiu to speak with him. Cui Jiu was a friend of his from his time as a prince, always eloquent and witty, and naturally humorous and fond of joking, which would be a good way for the emperor to relax.

The eunuchs and palace maids moved silently, while the guards standing on duty outside could hear loud laughter coming from inside the Zichen Palace.

Cui Jiu sat cross-legged, eating the fruits and melons that had been presented as tribute.

He smiled and apologized, without getting up.

"I just received news from Luoyang that my son got into a fight with the Prince of Hedong. Fortunately, the Prince of Qi was magnanimous, and the Prince of Hedong also showed mercy, so no trouble was caused. When I get back, I will reprimand him and apologize to the Prince of Hedong."

The emperor already knew, but didn't take it seriously.

He frowned only when the name of the Prince of Hedong was mentioned.

Cui Jiu asked with a smile, "Does Sanlang have something on his mind again?"

The emperor leaned back leisurely on the ivory mat, pressed his forehead, sighed, and said, "The fourth prince is in poor health, and his son... let's not talk about him."

I've seen good-for-nothing members of the imperial family, but none of them have been this outrageous.

Cui Jiu asked, "The Prince of Qi's health..."

"The imperial physician has already been sent to examine him, and he said that excessive drinking is actually worse."

Seeing that the emperor didn't want to dwell on the matter, Cui Jiu changed the subject to amuse him, and then summoned musicians from the Pear Garden to play. The music was of tunes recently popular in Chang'an and Luoyang, some grand and beautiful, others ethereal and otherworldly, all exuding magnificence and grandeur.

The emperor listened with his eyes closed. He was very knowledgeable about music and heard one particular piece.

"What song is this?"

Cui Jiu said, "It is said to be a story about a man from Xiangzhou who encountered a deity."

He read the poem aloud.

The emperor was initially in high spirits, but upon hearing the last line, "Since ancient times, all sages and worthies have perished, only drinkers have left their names behind," he chuckled and leaned back against the ivory mat.

"What a wild and unruly scholar!" "Did Confucius and Mencius not leave their names behind, or did Emperor Wen of Han and Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong not leave their names behind?"

The poem describes an encounter with immortals, which would be an even greater daydream for the emperor.

"immortal?"

"Is he as capable as Ye Fashan? Or as knowledgeable in Yin-Yang numerology as Sima Chengzhen? I think he only knows how to drink, dream, and write poetry."

Cui Jiu smiled and said, "Sanlang is right."

"I think so too. It's just the ramblings of a drunkard, not to be taken seriously. Hahaha, this poem is arrogant, let's not mention it." Cui Jiu said, raising his hand to look at the musicians of the Pear Garden.

"Let's sing another song."

The musician then changed the tune to another one, a poem by Vice Minister He.

The music floated and swayed, the pipa's sound was clear and bright, and the palace was filled with ice, so there was no trace of summer heat.

A eunuch walked in from outside the palace. Gao Lishi walked lightly to the emperor's side and said in a gentle voice:
"The things that Prince Qi sent from Luoyang are said to be quite interesting. Would Your Majesty like to see them?"

The emperor nodded.

"Bring it over for us to see."

Cui Jiu asked with interest, "What is it?"

A eunuch entered carrying gifts—two brocade boxes. Gao Lishi stood to one side and introduced them softly, his tone composed:
"This is a divine pill refined by the abbot of Hongdao Temple in Luoyang, Daoist Taihe. I heard that there are miraculous methods used when the pill is completed, it is quite extraordinary."

Cui Jiu glanced at him sideways.

"Divine Pill?"

The emperor raised his hand and opened the box, where he saw a pale blue pill, no different from any other pill. He picked it out and examined it; it had a herbal fragrance.

It cannot compare to the six- or nine-turn golden pills, which gleam with golden and purple hues, offered by other Taoist priests.

But after all, it was the fourth brother's good intention.

The emperor thought for a moment, then picked it up.

He swallowed it.

Cui Jiu remained silent, waiting for the elixir to take effect. After a quarter of an hour, he cautiously asked...

"how?"

The emperor carefully tasted it and felt there was nothing different about it.

He no longer felt the rush of blood and energy, the lightness and vitality he had experienced when taking the medicine before. He looked at another brocade box.

"What's in here?"

He opened it and was taken aback to find a crudely cut paper sculpture inside.

Gao Lishi was also taken aback. He hadn't expected that the "interesting thing" the people from the Prince Qi's mansion were talking about was a piece of paper. This was... He wasn't sure what was going on either.

Gao Lishi said in a low voice, "I will go and ask."

The people from the Prince Qi's residence were still waiting outside the hall.

The emperor summoned him in, his face showing no anger, and asked, "What is this?"

The people from Prince Qi's residence mustered up their courage and looked up.

He said respectfully, "Please, Your Majesty, bring out the paper so that we may have a look."

Cui Jiu watched from the side and saw that Sanlang paused for a few breaths, suppressed his anger, and still took out the light piece of paper.

For some reason, the paper floated down from my fingertips.

Cui Jiu was thinking about what to say to ease Sanlang's anger.

The paper fell to the ground and instantly transformed into a long-eared, lame, grayish-brown donkey.

“Oh——”

He shouted loudly in the Zichen Palace.

Cui Jiu's eyes widened.

"This is a live donkey? How can it turn into paper?"

Gao Lishi was startled.

Many of the eunuchs and palace maids inside the hall lost their composure for a moment, exclaiming in surprise and staring in horror at the live donkey, which looked incredibly real.

Cui Langjun voiced their doubts, wondering how a live donkey could be transformed into a light piece of paper and then stored in a box.

The emperor was stunned, staring at the donkey.

"This is……"

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)