The First National Preceptor of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 19

Xu Tian arrived in the hall, glanced around, and saw that there was indeed someone sitting at a table in the corner.

After careful observation, I was not mistaken; it was indeed Zheng Xie, the top scholar I had met a few days ago, now the chief secretary of Dingxiang City.

"Brother Zheng, is that you? Brother Zheng, it's you sitting here alone. Why didn't you ask the manager to let me know? When I saw you for the first time, I was worried I had mistaken you for someone else." Xu Tian said, pretending to have discovered you by chance.

Zheng Xie looked up, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and said, "Oh, it's Scholar Xu. Please excuse my rudeness. Since we've met, let's sit down and have a couple of drinks."

"Alright, it's a rare treat to meet Brother Zheng, so I'll accept without hesitation. Ever since I met Brother Zheng on the Lantern Festival, I've been eager to get to know him better."

“Young Master Xu, you may not know this, but our first meeting wasn’t on the Lantern Festival; it was much earlier,” Zheng Xie said with a smile, his expression somewhat mysterious.

When Xu Tian heard him say this, he was taken aback. After recalling for a moment, he was somewhat confused. "I'm sorry, I really can't remember when I had the honor of meeting Brother Zheng before."

He doesn't go to many places on a regular basis, so if the two of them had met in person, he would naturally not forget it.

"On the fifth day of the first lunar month, in the prefectural capital, I followed behind Li Su, the military governor. You probably didn't notice at the time, but I witnessed your masterpiece, the Kongming lantern."

"Oh, I see. To be honest, there were many officials present at the time, and I was quite flustered, so I didn't notice Brother Zheng. Please forgive me." Xu Tian remembered that there were indeed several people following behind Li Su.

At the time, I thought they were just attendants or something, and given the circumstances, I didn't really pay attention.

"It's normal if you don't notice. I admire your creative talent very much. Not to mention the Kongming lantern that has been lost for hundreds of years, I have also been exposed to chess and number cards in my daily life."

The ingenious ideas were unique. Especially the new numbers on the cards, which were easy to remember and had many practical uses in daily life. Zheng Xie praised them a few times.

"Hehe, it's just a toy, meant to amuse. General Li also said it's nothing special," Xu Tian said modestly.

“Li Jiedu’s words naturally have their reasons. That’s what he said. Some people have said that poetry is a minor art, but that hasn’t stopped people from racking their brains for the past hundred years. They want the whole world to know as soon as they come up with a couple of good lines.”

For ordinary people like us, these are the kinds of mundane things we encounter most often. Food is also a mundane thing, yet this restaurant manages to do it in a unique and extraordinary way, which I suppose is related to you.”

"Brother Zheng is indeed insightful. I can only put some effort into these minor matters. The major issues still require pillars of society like General Li and Brother Zheng to worry about and resolve." He flattered him.

"That's a bit of a tangent. Now that I've met you, I have a few questions to ask," Zheng Xie said directly.

"Oh, please go ahead."

"My first question is, do you really not understand the Eight Trigrams Formation?"

"Yes, I already said in public that day that I really don't know the Eight Trigrams Formation. How could I lie in front of General Li and the officials? Why do you still ask this question?" Xu Tian asked in return.

"Because I observe that the chess and number cards you created both test a person's strategy, and only those who can see the whole picture are truly talented."

"You are both talented and intelligent; you might actually be able to recreate the Eight Trigrams Formation. General Li has always been fond of military strategy; if you know the Eight Trigrams Formation, presenting it to him would be of great benefit to you."

“Brother Zheng, now that you mention it, I’m very interested in knowing what the Eight Trigrams Formation looks like, but unfortunately I haven’t seen any description of it.”

"Yes, I believe you. I have another question. Is Young Master Xu proficient in medicine? I asked this the other day, but I still want to ask it again. You said you come from the Taoist school. Most of the Taoists I've met before know some medicine and alchemy."

Moreover, the food served at this restaurant is said to be of Taoist origin, so it must be related to Daoist alchemy as well.

Xu Tian hesitated for a moment.

"Speaking of this, well, I admit that I do know a little about medicine and alchemy, but the medical and alchemical methods of my Wudang school are very different from those of other places, and I haven't mastered them, so I can't treat people."

You've probably heard of Hua Tuo's craniotomy technique. My Wudang medical skills are similar; we study how to open up a person's intestines and directly eliminate the cause of the disease. However, doing so carries great risks; it's lucky if one survives out of ten attempts. It should only be used as a last resort.

The same applies to alchemy; it uses poison to fight poison, specifically for the dying, but it's generally ineffective. Xu Tian could only make up this explanation.

Zheng Xie was stunned by his words for a moment, and then said, "Opening up the intestines and using poison to fight poison, I didn't expect there to be such a way to treat the disease. Sure enough, there must be a reason for the rumors. This rumor has been circulating for a long time and it is not without reason."

Thank you for telling me. I have no further questions. Come, let's have a drink together.

The two then clinked glasses.

"Well, Brother Zheng, there's something I don't understand. I'd like to ask you why the Kongming lantern incident caused such a big commotion last time. I was actually summoned directly by the prefectural government. Logically speaking, even if there was something wrong, shouldn't the county government have contacted me?"

Xu Tian still couldn't understand what happened last time and was somewhat resentful.

"Hehe, this is no ordinary county town. Dingxiang City is the seat of the prefecture, the capital of a circuit. What seems insignificant often has far-reaching implications."

From the county government's perspective, avoiding trouble is better than causing problems, so they naturally wouldn't go looking for trouble. Zheng Xie smiled and explained.

Xu Tian thought about it and realized that it did make some sense, but he still didn't explain why it was the prefecture.

Zheng Xie continued, "As for why the prefectural government is paying attention to Kongming lanterns, we have to go back two days earlier."

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Governor Li went to Tanxi Temple in Nanshan to offer incense and fulfill his vows. He asked the senior monks in the temple about the meaning of the flying lanterns on New Year's Eve.

The high monk explained that this lamp must have been made by a folk genius. According to ancient legend, if you make a wish when a shooting star streaks across the sky, the heavens will grant it. Since this lamp was made by an ordinary person, it must be because someone had a wish and wanted to use the power of the heavens to make it come true.

"For mortals to rely on the power of Heaven is doomed to unpredictable consequences; as the high monk originally said, it is simply unspeakable."

He carefully explained the details.

"Prefect Li was very interested in the person who released the lanterns. He made arrangements, and his men naturally searched diligently. It is said that someone reported it to the county government, which then notified the prefectural government, which led to the events of that day."

So that's how it is. Xu Tian finally understood the story after hearing it; it was a bit convoluted.

"Since we've come this far, I'd like to ask you a question: do you truly have any wish that you wish to fulfill with the power of heaven? Since you are of Taoist origin, is the Kongming Lantern a kind of unknown Taoist magic?" Zheng Xie asked earnestly.

"Hehe, Brother Zheng, you're overthinking it. It has absolutely nothing to do with magic; it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. That old monk was just talking nonsense. If I were to say I truly wished for something, would you believe me if I said I hoped for lasting peace?" Xu Tian chuckled.