"Master, Master Tao is outside. Please summon him."

"Let him in."

Tao Zhongwen entered the Qianqing Palace and then the warm pavilion, bowing respectfully: "This humble Taoist greets Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty a long life, a long life, a long life."

"Get up." Emperor Jiajing put down the book in his hand.

When Tao Zhongwen looked up, he caught a glimpse of the book, "All Divine Light Shines Everywhere, the Supreme Void Emperor's True Scripture," and he had read about half of it.

"Is this the path to enlightenment that His Majesty has chosen for himself?" he asked.

The Jiajing Emperor glanced at the Taoist book and said, “I have roughly looked through all the Taoist practices in the Ministry of Revenue’s treasury, the Taoist temples and the inner treasury in the palace. After thinking it over, I think this Taoist practice is the most suitable for me.”

He looked up at Tao Zhongwen and asked him, "What does Master Tao think?"

"The vast wilderness and the four seas cannot compare to Your Majesty's magnanimity; the nine heavens and ten earths are all within Your Majesty's sight. What Your Majesty chooses is naturally the best."

The Jiajing Emperor nodded.

Actually, what he really wanted to cultivate was not this "All Divine Light Shines Everywhere, Supreme Void Emperor's True Scripture". As for which one it was, even he himself was not sure, let alone others.

Having studied Taoist practices for so many years, even without cultivation skills, I understand the principle of mutual generation and restraint among all things. How could I possibly reveal my cultivation methods to others?

After exchanging pleasantries, Tao Zhongwen got down to business.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report."

"Speak."

Tao Zhongwen glanced at Huang Jin with a slight hesitation.

The Jiajing Emperor gave Huang Jin a warning, and Huang Jin, accompanied by eunuchs and palace maids, was about to leave the warm pavilion...

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"Please wait a moment, Eunuch Huang," Tao Zhongwen suddenly said. "Please take all the water-containing items out of the hall."

Huang Jin looked at Emperor Jiajing, who waved his sleeve.

Huang Jin whispered to the eunuchs and palace maids, "Hurry up."

The eunuchs and maids on duty were quick and silent, taking away all the water-containing items in the Qianqing Palace.

Once everything is sorted out.

“Your Majesty,” Tao Zhongwen said, “I have been repeatedly contemplating the secrets of Heaven these past few days, and the secrets of Heaven show that Your Majesty has indeed successfully entered the Dao.”

"Is that so?" Emperor Jiajing couldn't help but smile.

"only--"

"Speak your mind, don't beat around the bush. A wise person shouldn't act like this!"

"Yes. But Li Changzhou also became an immortal."

"Oh?" Emperor Jiajing nodded, his expression flickering, showing both the excitement of 'humans can really become immortals' and other thoughts of someone in a superior position.

"Your Majesty, celestial omens indicate that Li Changzhou intends to seize not just half, but four-fifths of the dragon vein. Furthermore, once he ascends to immortality, no one in the world can control him, not even Your Majesty..."

Emperor Jiajing's expression changed slightly as his eyes narrowed.

Tao Zhongwen then said, "I have a talisman that can be used after Your Majesty has escaped the dragon vein and put on the golden crown. It will weaken Li Changzhou's magical power by 40%, thus cutting off his path to immortality."

Emperor Jiajing stood up, put his hands behind his back, and slowly paced back and forth in the warm pavilion, lost in thought.

He suddenly stopped, turned halfway back, and stared at Tao Zhongwen: "If we take four-fifths, what will become of the Ming Dynasty's fate?"

"It will die within a century."

"Where is I?"

"Entering the Dao and cultivating the profound is an uncertain path to success or failure."

The Jiajing Emperor remained silent.

“Your Majesty, Li Changzhou was originally the Heavenly Emperor of the Divine Sect, and it is inevitable that he also had the idea of ​​becoming the supreme ruler.”

◇

Li Changzhou escorted Yang Qinglan back and supervised the scene, melting down 169 golden Buddha statues in the Great Benevolence Hall into more than 13,000 catties of gold.

After dealing with the matter, he went to the Qianqing Palace. Because of a remark made by Xia Yan, he had something he wanted the Jiajing Emperor to help with.

Before even reaching the gate of the Qianqing Palace, one could see Huang Jin leading a group of eunuchs standing outside the gate to serve, while in the distance a palace maid was hanging a parrot cage on a withered branch.

Another parrot?

Li Changzhou recalled the incident when Yang Qinglan and the others encountered the zombie fungus in the palace. Li Qianxia mentioned that she had teased a parrot that could shout "Happy New Year! Happy Empress!"

It's quite normal to keep parrots in the palace.

The Ming Dynasty was the most prosperous period in history for feudal emperors to keep animals. There were many places for raising animals in the capital, such as Tiger City, Elephant House, Leopard House, Pigeon House, Deer Farm, and Eagle House.

Emperor Wuzong, the cousin of Emperor Jiajing, built the famous Leopard House in the Western Garden.

But this is a critical time. If Li Changzhou isn't careful now, when will he ever be careful in his life?

Seeing him from afar, Huang Jin walked over quickly, his face full of a flattering yet humble smile.

Before he even reached him, Huang Jin cupped his hands, bowed, and said with a smile, "Master Li!"

"Eunuch Huang!" Li Changzhou greeted him with a cupped-hand salute and a casual attitude.

"As expected of a true cultivator, you possess an otherworldly aura, unlike the civil and military officials who outwardly respect us but inwardly despise us." Huang Jin spoke these words with a touch more sincerity.

But after a moment of deep thought, he realized that it was probably not Li Changzhou who thought highly of him, but rather that he looked down on all the civil and military officials along with him.

In the eyes of such people, there is probably no difference between eunuchs, ministers, and princes and nobles.

Just as in Huang Jin's eyes, there was no difference between a ninth-rank Hanlin Academy Attendant and a fifth-rank Prefectural Assistant.

Li Changzhou smiled but didn't say anything more.

He has no otherworldly air about him whatsoever; his mind is filled with Yang Qinglan's face, lips, hands, chest, waist, legs, and so on. Occasionally, he will also uncontrollably think about Yaochi.

At worst, it's just nine years of compulsory education, which teaches us that everyone is equal.

"Where is His Majesty?" He glanced at the gate of the Qianqing Palace.

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