Chuanwen felt both sympathy and amusement upon hearing this, because she had checked the plot: "That excrement wasn't smeared by General Shi; go find the Vice Minister of Personnel, Black Old Du!"
However, Chuanwen expressed some doubt: "Is Lao Wu going through a Mercury retrograde lately? Why is he so unlucky?"
Marquis Changxing was speechless. Sigh, it was all because he had run into his granddaughter that he was so unlucky. Otherwise, if he had taken a leave of absence, he could have stayed home, had some tea, and written some poems. How comfortable that would have been!
Another piece of gossip is that the Vice Minister of Revenue and Lin Jinjun were drinking together when they started arguing, which escalated into a shouting match. He called him stingy, suspicious, petty, and despicable, while Lin Jinjun called him jealous and sick! Neither of them would back down, and they even ended up fighting!
Two days later, Lin Jinjun packed a small bag, bid farewell to her family, and went on a journey.
[Wandering in the clouds?]
Chuanwen wondered, "Isn't Lin Biao going to try and reclaim his position as Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial?"
She felt that someone as narrow-minded as Lao Lin wouldn't accept his fate so easily.
Then, upon reviewing the plot, I burst out laughing: [So Old Lin went out to find the elixir of immortality, hoping to regain the emperor's favor using it!]
However, all those elixirs in my brother's novels are just fantasy. In reality, if you take those alchemists' pills for a long time, the only result will be metal poisoning. In that case, Old Lin would be murdering the emperor...
Chuanwen fell silent just thinking about that scene, but after a while, she put it out of her mind. [Anyway, good luck!]
Marquis Changxing was completely stunned. He looked at his granddaughter, who was completely oblivious to everything else and enjoying the moment, and thought, "Don't just wish her good luck! You should quickly see if Lin Jinjun can find the elixir of immortality, and see if the Emperor will be alright in the future!"
However, after thinking about it, he realized that his granddaughter's magical ability seemed to have lost its predictive power, and he couldn't help but feel frustrated.
Although Chuanwen was indifferent to everything and only cared about having enough to eat and drink, he noticed that Marquis Changxing had been somewhat absent-minded these past few days. He found this strange, but after reviewing the plot and finding nothing amiss at home, he simply said, "Strange?" and then ignored it.
Marquis Changxing had mixed feelings. He realized that sometimes being able to hear his granddaughter's inner thoughts wasn't a good thing; it was a bit torturous.
On New Year's Eve, when the emperor held a banquet to celebrate with his officials, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices took out a brocade box and said that it contained a gourd of elixir of immortality. Upon hearing this, Marquis Changxing almost collapsed and his whole body went into overdrive.
The emperor was quite pleased, but he still restrained himself; a wise ruler would not be obsessed with elixirs!
However, the emperor's eyes were full of admiration when he looked at the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. Although this minister was a little unfamiliar (the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had a low official rank and stood at the back of the court, so he usually didn't have many opportunities to get close to the emperor, so the emperor didn't have much of an impression of him), "I will remember you and find an opportunity to promote you to a higher rank and title!"
"I don't want immortality. I'll be content as long as my Great Jin Dynasty becomes strong and prosperous during my lifetime."
Although the emperor said that, he still had someone pour a cup of wine for the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was flattered, as the emperor had not poured wine for anyone else at the entire banquet!
Just thinking about it makes me excited. I stand up and lavish praise on the emperor's civil and military achievements. The emperor can see right through my flattery, but in this season and atmosphere, isn't it just a matter of someone flattering him and praising his governance? Hehe, that's how he gets motivated!
The other ministers secretly rolled their eyes at the sight of a lowly eighth-rank official showing off. The Censorate was already prepared to make him their first target after the New Year. He had actually presented the emperor with some kind of elixir of immortality—was he trying to bewitch the monarch into obsessing over alchemy and neglecting his duties? Didn't they see what happened to their second prince, who was the last one to be obsessed with alchemy?
The Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was so excited about being appreciated by the emperor that he didn't notice the disdainful looks he received from the others present. He excitedly introduced the origin of the elixir of immortality and how difficult it was to make.
This elixir of immortality was refined by Master Taiqing of Qingfeng Temple. As everyone knows, Qingfeng Temple has a long history dating back to the previous dynasty and is recognized as the most efficacious Taoist temple. At the end of the previous dynasty, it was the Taoist priest of Qingfeng Temple who predicted that the dynasty's fate was nearing its end and that a new dragon aura would appear in Linzhang County, Dingzhou. Emperor Wu of Jin, the founding emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty, was born in Linzhang County, Dingzhou.
Therefore, the people of the Great Jin Dynasty have a strong faith in Qingfeng Temple. Throughout history, emperors have continuously renovated Qingfeng Temple. Now, Qingfeng Temple is the largest Taoist temple in the Great Jin Dynasty, attracting a constant stream of pilgrims and believers every year.
Qingfeng Temple has three masters: Taiqing, Taixiao, and Taichen. These three are of high seniority and prestige, and they are well-versed in Taoist doctrines. The emperor always benefited greatly from chatting with them every time he visited.
When the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said that the elixir was refined by Daoist Taiqing, the emperor was initially puzzled. He remembered that among the three Daoists, Daoist Taixiao was the one who was somewhat interested in elixirs. How did it become Daoist Taiqing who refined it?
Even the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices didn't know much, but Chuanwen, who had sensed the gossip when the Vice Minister presented the elixirs, knew all too well.
Because Master Taixiao was frightened away by the emperor, resources outside were scarce. People who wanted to refine elixirs had no choice but to send the formula to their senior brother, Master Taiqing, asking him to help them refine it...
emperor:......
He had completely forgotten that Chuanwen was also there.
For this palace banquet, he allowed the ministers to bring their families. The banquet was held in a suite in the Linhua Palace, with the men in the outer room and the women in the inner room, and the Empress presided over the reception.
Previously, only Lin Jinjun, the former Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, had heard the story of the emperor scaring away the Taoist priest Tai Xiao. So when the ministers heard the story that the emperor had scared away the Taoist priest Tai Xiao, they were a little confused.
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