I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 87 Emperor Xuanzong Finds It Hard to Accept (Seeking First Subscription)

Jiang She glanced at it and said, "This is auspicious."

He added, "It's rare to see such a harmonious family, with brothers who love and care for each other. Everyone is overjoyed at today's wedding."

Li Bai took the opportunity to take a closer look, memorizing its appearance so he could boast about it to Yuan Danqiu when he got back.

Yuan Danqiu and the Mountain God have been fishing for the past two days. They've heard that a strange fish lives in the clouds of Yunmeng Mountain, and they've been fishing for several days without catching anything. The longer they don't catch anything, the more addicted they become.

Jiang She sat in the courtyard, watching the old woman in plain clothes begging for money from afar, while everyone around him kept their distance.

"Let's wait until Xi Sha leaves before we go."

The geomancer next to them also heard this and said, "Sir, you are truly kind-hearted."

Jiang She laughed: "He who eats another's food is bound to do so."

He had to express his gratitude for the lavish wedding feast. Having witnessed a grand Tang Dynasty wedding ceremony, Jiang She was in high spirits. Although the Lin family wasn't wealthy, they were meticulous in many ways.

He had just overheard people gossiping that the saddle the woman was riding on when she stepped through the door was one that Lin Erlang had specially borrowed from a classmate's house.

It means peace and safety.

The bride's light green wedding dress, also embroidered by herself, featured mandarin ducks and intertwined branches, and she wore a red shawl draped over her shoulders. It perfectly complemented Lin Erlang's crimson robe.

The time spent digesting food.

Jiang She listened absentmindedly to the guests talking about which widow was keeping a lover and how the price of rice had increased by three coins, which was terrifying.

He opened the journal to see if there were any further updates to the paper donkey.

……

……

Once the paper gets wet in the rain, it can never turn into a donkey again.

The most exquisite illusions have been lost.

The emperor's face was grim. The Taoist priest, Sima Chengzhen, carefully took the paper and examined it closely. At first, there were faint, mottled blue marks on the paper.
The back looks like it was soaked and ruined by rain, and the light blue color is completely gone.

In an instant.

It turned back into ordinary, unremarkable paper.

No matter how much human presence it attracted, even though the emperor, Taoist priests, kings, princesses, and eunuchs all touched it in the Hanliang Palace, the paper remained perfectly intact.

Just as there has never been a magic trick, nor a paper donkey.

It was just a heavy rain.

Is this gone?

Princess Wan'an remained silent, staring at the light, fluttering piece of paper. It was as if she had briefly witnessed a magical world before it vanished, leaving her with a sense of regret.

After a while, she heard her father ask Sima Chengzhen.

"Master, can you tell what's going on?"

Sima Chengzhen bowed and said:
"It's probably already malfunctioning."

Everyone in the hall changed their expressions. Crown Prince Li Ying frowned, several young princes and princesses were taken aback, and the emperor leaned back on the armchair without saying a word.

Princess Wan'an insisted, "She was perfectly fine just now."

Sima Chengzhen smiled wryly: "That's right. This thing probably can't be soaked in water. Just now, a sudden rainstorm blew it in, and this paper donkey lost its spirit and ability to transform."

He handed the paper donkey to the princess.

An aged finger tapped on the paper. "Princess, please take a look."

Princess Wan'an stared silently, and a few more heads popped up behind her. Her fourth and fifth brothers were also looking at her. "What does the master want me to see?"

"This paper-cut was originally blue."

Sima Chengzhen led the king and princess to examine it closely, "Now all that can be seen is the wetness, not a trace of blue, the illusion on it has disappeared."

"what……"

Princess Wan'an lowered her head.

"Was it really because of that rain?"

Sunlight streamed in from outside the palace, casting shadows on the emperor's face, half in light and half in darkness, obscuring his expression and thoughts.

The emperor asked:
"I understand. Is it possible to obtain it again?" Sima Chengzhen looked at the sky outside the palace. At this moment, the rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared. The sky was bright and clear. Birds shook their feathers and flew out of the forest to perch on the glazed tiles of the palace, standing together with the roof beasts, shimmering in the light.

That torrential rain just now felt like a dream.

Sima Chengzhen pondered.

Addressing the emperor, he slowly said:
"The rain came and went in a hurry; everything in the world has its own destiny. If there is no destiny here, there will be one elsewhere."

Even without illusions, a saint is still a saint.

"It governs fifteen circuits, three hundred and twenty-eight prefectures, and one thousand five hundred and seventy-three counties."

"This is the etiquette of the Son of Heaven and the foundation of a ruler."

"As for Yin-Yang numerology, it is no ordinary matter."

"Governing a country is like cultivating oneself. Lao Tzu said: 'Let your mind roam in tranquility, let your breath mingle with the vastness, follow the natural course of things without selfishness, and the world will be at peace.' The Book of Changes also says that the virtue of a sage is in harmony with the nature of heaven and earth."

Sima Chengzhen clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said:

"From this we can see that Heaven does not need words to convince people. It does nothing, yet allows all things to grow. This is the fundamental way to govern a country."

"As for illusions, talismans, yin and yang, divination and numerology, etc."

"Your Majesty has already understood, and it is really not something that your foolish subject should say more about."

"There is a natural order in the universe."

This is a cautious advice to the ruler not to focus on the illusory ways of gods and ghosts, but to return to the fundamental principles of governing the country.

Since we have already lost the superior illusion technique.

Therefore, what a monarch should do is not to seek out the whereabouts of a wise man, nor to continue seeking immortality and enlightenment, but to focus on governing the country and ensuring its stability.

The palace was quiet; neither the king nor the princess spoke. The only sounds were the soft, repetitive patter of rain as water was drawn from the Hanliang Palace.

After a while.

The emperor said, "I understand."

“What the guru says makes sense.”

Sima Chengzhen breathed a sigh of relief.

The emperor immediately waved his hand and presented him with a precious zither and a robe with rosy patterns.

The next day, Princess Wan'an went out to visit her guru with her entourage. She had entered the Taoist path at a young age to pray for her grandfather, and although she lived in the palace, she was a person detached from worldly affairs.

Cavalry and guards cleared the way.

Behind him were attendants dressed in green, and the fiery red carriage was ornately decorated with pheasant patterns painted on both sides.

The procession held aloft green umbrellas and long-handled fans to shield the princess from the sun and dust. The guards carried halberds, swords, and shields; the ceremonial swords were ornately decorated, and some wore gilded bronze swords at their waists.

A large number of palace maids and eunuchs accompanied the procession, all dressed in gorgeous clothes, and their horses and saddles were exquisite.

The etiquette was impeccable, with clear distinctions between insiders and outsiders.

The young princess wore a purple Taoist robe embroidered with cranes and stars, a golden lotus crown on her head, and held a jade ruyi in her hand.

She looked up and asked Sima Chengzhen:

"I feel it's a pity. Is there really no other way for the Master?"

Sima Chengzhen showed no surprise. He invited the princess to sit down and served her camellias.

"I'm afraid it's impossible."

Princess Wan'an frowned slightly and said:

"My father and elder brother didn't say it, but I know they still want to witness such wondrous magic. Are there really immortals in this world?"

"What does the princess think immortals are like?"

"Possessing countless supernatural powers, coming and going like clouds."

Sima Chengzhen smiled gently, looking at the young princess with affection, and said to her, "What is the difference between a fairy and a performer who plays tricks on people in the martial arts world?"

The princess thought for a long time and asked:

"What does the master think a true immortal looks like?"

(End of this chapter)