I am a living immortal.

Speaking of the Zheng family, they have been living in fear these days. Even Old Master Zheng was only buried in a simple manner, and they did not dare to make a big fuss. The Zheng family was originally a wealthy family in the local area. Although they held official positions, they also owned many tea plantations in the local area.

But this time, no one would rather let the tea leaves grow old and rot in the fields without taking care of them.

Some people say that it is because Mrs. Zheng is too sad about the death of her grandfather, but this sadness cannot be at odds with money. What's more, she has been sad for so many days, and it is time to take action, but there is still no movement. The Zheng family has not made any movement. Those who know the truth dare not say it until it is determined, and those who don't know find it strange and are curious but have no time to care.

But the Zheng family seemed to be dead.

Until the birthday of the Holy King, the Zheng family had made preparations early. A group of people rushed to the Holy King Temple on Yiyang Mountain with great momentum. This team still attracted great attention, for no other reason than that it was too grand.

If they didn't seem guilty, the Zheng family would have donated half of their property to the Shengjun Temple to show their determination. However, doing so would not only make people think that they were putting on a show with ulterior motives, but it would also be a question whether the Shengjun Temple was willing to accept it. This would be even more embarrassing and more like a show.

Helplessly, after much discussion, they finally prepared three hundred taels of gold, which was a standard amount. It seemed small, not so valuable that they could not afford it, and it also showed their sincerity. So they left in a grand manner.

Moreover, worshiping gods seemed normal. First, the Zheng family went there every year. Second, worshiping gods could establish some connection with gods. They really wanted to sincerely ask the Holy Lord what the fate of themselves and others was.

Of course, besides the Zheng family, there is another person who thinks so, and that is the current emperor.

As the founding heroes, the title of Duke of the State was of great value to the Zheng family. From the time Su Mu slew the evildoers and emptied the palace to the time the current emperor ascended the throne, the Zheng family actually had some influence in Jiading Prefecture.

At that time, Jiading Prefecture was located in the south, and the emperor had just ascended the throne and was not yet stable. He had to negotiate refuge and war with the remnants of the previous dynasty, and be prepared for counterattacks at any time. All kinds of things made the emperor overwhelmed and he lacked influence in the south.

But the Duke of Zheng at that time was not stupid. He quickly saw the future of unification, so he began to use his connections, appeal to people's emotions, persuade people with reason, make arrangements everywhere, add favors, and use interests to bind the entire Jiading Prefecture together, and then radiate outward from Jiading Prefecture. Some people with the same ideas as him joined in, and the team grew bigger and bigger.

Jiading Prefecture was still very wealthy at the time. It gave money and food to the emperor, giving him a chance to catch his breath. It was also the first to express its loyalty, letting outsiders see that they were determined to fight a protracted war.

Although the war did not break out in the end, the Zheng family's shot in the arm played a crucial role in the decision.

After that, the Zheng family suddenly made a leap from a small family to the current Duke's Mansion.

Just as it was glorious in the past, it is now doubted.

The emperor could not reconcile the man who was so decisive and strong enough to tie people up with the man who was afraid of death now.

The more you think about it, the more loopholes you find.

How did the Zheng family, a family neither big nor small at that time, manage to tie the entire South on board? What reasons did Duke Zheng use to convince those greedy families to give them whatever they wanted? All of this is very unreasonable.

However, it would be much more reasonable to add a demon or a god in the middle.

If a monster can cause chaos in a country, he will definitely have a backup plan.

This is also the reason why the emperor was wary, because he was born in that era, and he had experienced the inhumane extent of the evil and chaotic politics in that era. All this must not be repeated again. This is absolutely not allowed. In his later years, the issue of abdicating to the prince was already on the agenda. He absolutely could not abdicate to a country in turmoil, so he attached great importance to the matter of Duke Zheng.

However, no matter what, he cannot just listen to one person's words. Who can tell whether it is a demon or a god?

If he makes a rash decision, it will certainly discourage those meritorious officials and make them and the families behind them very uneasy. His abdication will inevitably be hindered and turmoil is inevitable, but he will not allow the country to be in turmoil.

Now he can already feel that he is unable to do the job. The Crown Prince has been regent for more than ten years, and it is time for him to take over.

As expected of the founding emperor, his mentality is very stable.

So this time when praying at Hengyue Mountain, whether it is a god or a demon, let God tell him. It is God's decision, not mine, and all the decisions are left to God.

However, no matter what the outcome is, the Zheng family will be away from the center of power and even away from officialdom. As the Zheng family expected, the best outcome is to change their official position and be transferred away from the center of power to become a rich man with an idle job.

The worst outcome is the exile or even death of the entire family.

The Holy Emperor's birthday was celebrated with great ceremony in the imperial capital this year, and there were many considerations involved.

…………

The third day of March was the birthday of the Holy King, and as many people had expected, it did not rain that day.

The mist on Yiyang Mountain had long since dissipated, and the bronze bell of Shengjun Temple had already struck its first clear note. The moment the vermilion-lacquered gate creaked open, the thirty-six strings of gilded bird-scare bells on the eaves swung silently, startling countless birds from their nests in the sycamore trees.

The pilgrims on the mountain path had been waiting for a long time, some of them had arrived last night.

The small town at the foot of the mountain was already bustling before dawn, with many people rushing here, waiting for this moment.

Su Mu was also in the crowd, looking towards the Shengjun Temple at the foot of the mountain. The temple was very magnificent, and its outline could be seen at the foot of the mountain.

"How does it feel to worship yourself?" Shenlong was stuffing pastries into his mouth. These dough pastries were made into specific shapes to bring good luck. In fact, the filling was no different from ordinary ones, but the price was several times higher. But at this time, no one would care about the price of two or three copper coins.

"You're here too, haven't you been beaten enough?"

Su Mu's words made Shenlong choke, and the cakes immediately lost their fragrance.

At this moment, the ringing of a bell attracted everyone's attention. No matter where you are, it is a tradition to be the first to burn incense. The crowd rushed into the temple, and the temple keeper had already made preparations. On such a special day, they could not be careless.

The owner of the first incense stick was not a noble, but an old man. When he lit the first incense stick, curls of green smoke floated up, and the first ray of sunlight fell at the right time, shining the glazed tiles of the temple. The temple fair officially kicked off.