Master Huiqing was stunned when he met Shao Yunan for the first time, causing a stir among the onlookers, including the Old lady, the Old gentleman, Shen Bīng, and Su Chenyi. Shao Yunan was very generous, bowing before saying, “Master Huiqing, hello.” Master Huiqing came back to his senses and bowed in return, saying, “Master Shao, I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“Please, have a seat.” Shao Yunan walked to his father and sat down next to him and Master Huiqing bowed again before taking his seat. Shao Yunan was direct, saying, ” Master Huiqing, I regret to inform you that I cannot give the two relics to the Rainforest Temple. I originally purchased them to prevent them from falling into the hands of the people from the Dasi Kingdom. However, when I brought them home, Brother Tiger took them away. Brother Tiger is a divine beast and he loves things with an immortal aura.”

Before he could finish, a tiger’s roar echoed in the sky above the general’s mansion, followed by the appearance of three large tigers. Master Huiqing showed no fear but focused on Brother Tiger. After Brother Tiger arrogantly crouched beside Shao Yunan, Master Huiqing unexpectedly stood up and performed a very dignified Buddhist ritual towards Brother Tiger before looking at Shao Yunan and saying, “Master Shao is accompanied by a divine beast, yet I have been presumptuous regarding the matter of the relics.” After another bow, he said, “I would like to meet the Empress, I wonder if Sir Shao could introduce me.”

Master Huiqing, with his kind appearance and his decision not to mention the relics again, left a good impression on Shao Yunan, who didn’t refuse. He stood up and returned the gesture. “Master Huiqing, you’re too polite. I will go to the palace now, please join us at the General’s Mansion later.”

“Thank you, Master Shao.”

Shao Yunan prepared to enter the palace. He patted Brother Tiger’s head and Brother Tiger, along with tBig and Little Gold followed. When they got on the spacious carriage, Shao Yunan, who was almost crushed by the three large cats, threw Big and Little Gold into the space and said with a smile while holding Brother Tiger, “Brother Tiger, you really are a divine beast.” He couldn’t have misread the way Master Huiqing looked at Brother Tiger.

Brother Tiger gave Shao Yunan a disdainful look, as if saying, “You didn’t even know I’m a divine beast?”

Shao Yunan scratched Brother Tiger’s chin and wondered in his heart what it meant when Master Huiqing looked at him so stunned. Could he have seen through the fact that he wasn’t authentic?

After letting Brother Tiger play in the space, when they entered the palace, Shao Yunan brought the three large cats out of the space and shooed them off the carriage. The carriage was spacious, but it was already crowded with just Brother Tiger, not to mention Big and Little Gold.

Shao Yunan went to see the Empress. Surprisingly, the Empress, who had previously refused, agreed to see Master Huiqing again, causing a stir in the capital. Shao Yunan didn’t return home again. The Empress directly sent someone to the general’s mansion to summon them. After entering the palace, Master Huiqing expressed that he had something to say to the Empress alone. Anxious, Shao Yunan was led away by Eunuch Zhuo.

The Empress and Master Huiqing spoke in Jingyou Palace for about half an hour before Master Huiqing left. As soon as Master Huiqing left, Emperor Yongming arrived at Jingyou Palace without anyone accompanying him. Upon entering, he asked: “Empress what did Master Huiqing tell you?”

The Empress knelt down and said: “I congratulate Your Majesty.”

“What’s there to be congratulated about?” Emperor Yongming helped the Empress up.

The Empress replied: “When Master Huiqing entered the palace, he apologized to me. He also told me that he observed Yunan and the three tigers, especially Brother Tiger, and found them to possess extraordinary temperament. Yunan and Brother Tiger gave him an unprecedented impression, and Yunan seems to bear an auspicious aura. He also mentioned that the current atmosphere is markedly different from before. Regardless of whether he was trying to appease my dissatisfaction with Rain Forest Temple, his words coincided with the observation of the Observatory.”

Emperor Yongming laughed heartily: “I am well aware whether Yunan brings fortune or calamity upon us. However, this master Huiqing is quite astute. If he persists in demanding the relics, Yunan’s sharp tongue alone would be enough to give him a tongue-lashing.” Emperor Yongming’s smile faded: “But from now on, such matters as monks seeking an audience with the empress shall not be the norm.”

“I have already advised him.”

“Summon Yunan.”

Shortly after, Shao Yunan entered. He was slightly nervous, but to his surprise, as soon as he entered, Emperor Yongming said: “Yunan, I’m in a good mood today. Prepare some good dishes for me.”

Shao Yunan pretended to be curious and asked: “Is there something that made Your Majesty so happy that I should also rejoice?”

“Haha,” Emperor Yongming said: “With my auspicious star shining brightly, should I not be happy?”

Is having an auspicious star like Zhu Bajie’s blessing? Shao Yunan thought to himself, hoping he wouldn’t end up like Zhu Bajie.

“Well, indeed you should celebrate. So, Your Majesty, what would you like to eat?”

“Fish boiled in water. It must be water-boiled fish, and you can handle the rest.”

“Then I’ll go prepare it.”

“Guo Xun, go with him.”

“Yes.”

Guo Xun took Shao Yunan to the imperial kitchen, and Emperor Yongming laughed heartily a few more times, appearing extremely delighted.

Seeing the Emperor and the Empress demeanor, there didn’t seem to be any major issues. At least that Huiqing probably didn’t sense anything wrong about him, Shao Yunan thought. He prepared a table of good dishes, especially a large pot of water-boiled fish. Emperor Yongming was in a great mood, and the Empress was too. During tea after the meal, Shao Yunan couldn’t help but ask: “Your Majesty, did Rain Forest Temple really give up the relics?”

The Empress replied: “Brother Tiger is a mythical beast. Upon seeing Brother Tiger, Master Huiqing knew that those relics were not something Rain Forest Temple could covet. Both you and Brother Tiger are the Emperor’s auspicious stars.”

Shao Yunan instantly felt goosebumps all over his body. Emperor Yongming continued: “I plan to build a shrine for Brother Tiger as a guardian mythical beast. What do you think?”

Shao Yunan immediately shook his head: “Master Huiqing is a monk. If you decide to build a shrine for a mythical beast after meeting him, wouldn’t that be indirectly promoting Buddhism to everyone? Having faith is good, but I am more concerned about the present rather than the afterlife. We should maintain the proper reverence for the gods. Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parents, and Teachers. I personally still believe in these.”

“Respect for Heaven and Earth, filial piety, loyalty to the Sovereign, and respect for Teachers and teachings?”

Emperor Yongming pondered for a moment, then praised: “Excellent! This should be heard by Elder Weng!”

The Empress added: “Yunan’s words make sense. Rain Forest Temple is already the largest Buddhist temple in Great State of Yan. The royal family should not appear too supportive of Buddhism.”

Shao Yunan thought for a moment and said: “Your Majesty, I actually have an idea.”

“You may speak.”

“Let’s build a Shrine of Loyalty and Righteousness. Record the names of all the soldiers and scholars who sacrificed themselves for the safety of Great State of Yan in the Shrine of Loyalty and Righteousness, so that they may be respected by future generations. Next to the Shrine of Loyalty and Righteousness, there should be a Monument of Merit.”

“Excellent!” The Empress was the first to agree.

Emperor Yongming sighed: “Yunan, oh Yunan, are you truly are reluctant to take up official positions in the court?”

Shao Yunan shook his head directly and said bluntly: “I’m not good at playing politics, and I want to live a few more years. Besides, I have a spouse. Taking up official positions means putting myself in a vulnerable position.”

“Haha!” Emperor Yongming burst into laughter vulgarly.

If they weren’t so far apart, the Empress would definitely have given Shao Yunan a slap for his outrageous words in front of the Emperor!

After leaving the palace, Shao Yunan tapped his forehead. Regardless of what Master Huiqing said, it was surely harmless to him, or else Emperor Yongming and the Empress wouldn’t have reacted that way. Brother Tiger and Big Gold had already returned to the mansion amidst a chorus of astonishment. Shao Yunan took out a bottle of water from the space and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

Back at the mansion, facing the inquiries of the elders, Shao Yunan answered truthfully because he really didn’t know what Master Huiqing had said to Emperor Yongming. Guo Zimu originally came to see him about the shops, but this matter delayed him, so Guo Zimu returned to the King Rong Mansion, and the two arranged to go see them again tomorrow. The shops had already been selected and were undergoing renovations. While Shao Yunan was there, Guo Zimu wanted to take him to see the progress of the renovations and see if there were any changes that needed to be made.

Shao Yunan was lying on the bed still thinking about Master Huiqing when Brother Tiger came in. Shao Yunan sat up and said: “Brother Tger, help me guard. I’m going ‘in’ to take a look and I’ll bring you something nice to drink.”

“Roar!”

Shao Yunan entered the space and immediately froze. Rubbing his eyes, and blinking hard, he gasped for breath. The space had expanded!

“It actually expanded!” Shao Yunan snapped back to reality, quickly ran towards the Spiritual Milk Cave. Upon arrival, he gasped again. The Immortal Fruits had borne fruit!

“Oh my goodness.” Squatting down to look carefully, the top of the fairy fruit had indeed borne fruit, but it was very small, about the size of a pea. However, the leaves that had once picked three fairy fruits also bore fruit, half the size of the top. Shao Yunan looked around, the two relics were still there, emitting a faint glow, colorful. Shao Yunan pondered, unable to understand the connection between them. Could it be that fairy fruits and relics were truly a perfect match?

Thinking of the origin of the relics, Shao Yunan shivered and rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. He picked two peaches and took a drop of Spiritual Milk before leaving the space.

He gave Brother Tiger a peach and fed him a drop of Spiritual Milk. Shao Yunan whispered: “Brother Tiger, the fairy fruit has borne fruit again. Do you want to eat it?”

Brother Tiger stretched lazily and walked away. Shao Yunan curled his lips. Why did Brother Tiger have to be so picky? After thinking about it, he decided that he wouldn’t want things like the relic in the future. In the space, there were fairy fruits, relics, and a large piece of black wood. He was afraid that having too many “divine” things would overwhelm the space in the end. Since he wasn’t planning to cultivate immortality, maintaining the current state of the space was enough.

The next day, Shao Yunan got up and had breakfast with the elders and children before heading out. General Dai took Jiang Moxi out, Wang Qing went to the Imperial College, and Nizi went to the palace. Shao Yunan went directly to the King Rong Mansion to find Guo Zimu, but King Rong also wanted to accompany them. Seeing the marks on Guo Zimù’s neck that couldn’t be concealed, Shao Yunan immediately understood, no wonder Uncle Murong wanted to follow along.

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Hall of the Imperial Court, the ministers were intensely discussing the matter of the Dasi Kingdom envoy being killed by some kind of hidden weapon. The envoy was indeed sent by Dasi Kingdom’s monarch. But now, he had been shot by someone from the General’s Manor. Obviously, this incident would cause a dispute between the two countries. Some ministers believed that the other two Dasi Kingdom envoys who were captured should be released and appeased, and then someone should be sent to Dasi Kingdom to appease the monarch. Some ministers believed that since the envoy insulted the Emperor first, it was justified to kill him, especially since Dasi Kingdom and Dayan were not friendly nations, so why should they lower themselves? There were also some ministers who believed that this matter was caused by Zhong Yonghou and should be handed over to him to resolve. In short, it was a noisy and unresolved situation.

Although Emperor Yongming’s expression remained calm, he was actually extremely angry. The Dasi Kingdom envoy publicly claimed that he, the Emperor, was poor and couldn’t afford relics on the land of Dayan, humiliating him, the monarch of Great State of Yan. If Jiang Moxi hadn’t taken action, he would have ordered the envoy to be tortured to death himself. What was wrong with Dasi Kingdom? What did they have that he, the Emperor of Great State of Yan, should fear?

Emperor Yongming picked up a teacup from the table and then put it down again. The crisp sound, though not loud, successfully silenced the entire hall. Emperor Yongming spoke with a smile: “Are you saying that because the Dasi Kingdom envoy said I’m poor and can’t afford relics, I should just endure it?”

“Your Majesty, please calm down!”

Regardless of their opinions, everyone immediately kneeled.

Emperor Yongming picked up the teacup and smashed it towards the minister who had cheered the loudest just now. The minister who was hit on the head and bleeding immediately kowtowed: “I deserve to die! I deserve to die! Your Majesty, please calm down! Please calm down!”

Emperor Yongming stood up abruptly: “I’m in Room One! I heard clearly what that person said! Is this how you serve your Emperor? Should I endure it? Should I apologize to the Dasi Kingdom envoy? Have you forgotten who your Emperor is? Who are you serving?”

“Your Majesty, please calm down!”

“I can’t calm down!”

Emperor Yongming kicked over the table, cursed loudly: “If you’re afraid of Dasi Kingdom attacking, then go and surrender to the Dasi Kingdom monarch. You traitors who eat inside and steal outside, I’ll kill one less! If Dasi Kingdom dares to attack, I’m not afraid! The two who are still alive, torture them a thousand times and throw them out to feed the dogs!”

After venting his anger, Emperor Yongming left angrily. This was the angriest he had been since ascending the throne. He originally wanted to use this matter to trap Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan tightly, but now, he had to abandon this plan.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

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