"Your Majesty, this man's words cannot be entirely trusted!" Seeing the emperor's change of attitude, Wuweizi and Xuanjizi, who had previously been trusted, felt a great sense of crisis and hurriedly slandered him.
"Your Majesty, if he possesses the secret to immortality, why have I never heard of him in the past few years?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. If that old Taoist priest with the limp has real skills, why didn't he save the people during the great drought and floods of the previous dynasty?"
"Your Majesty, although the household registration records can confirm that the lame old man took away a young man before, how can we prove that it was him?"
The emperor looked at Master Qingfeng, wanting to hear his explanation.
But Master Qingfeng remained calm and unhurried: "Our sect has a rule since ancient times that we must not interfere in the affairs of the mortal world. Back then, my master saved that child only because he was moved by the sincerity of the child's parents. Because of that incident, my master lost twenty years of cultivation."
Wuweizi seemed to have caught him red-handed: "Since you say that your immortal sect cannot interfere in mortal affairs, why did you recommend yourself to His Majesty?"
"It is only because Your Majesty possesses a destiny to become an immortal that I have come to guide Your Majesty."
"Which country are you a spy from? You say you want to ferry His Majesty away, what about Xuan Kingdom?"
"When did I say that Your Majesty should be sent to the Immortal Realm immediately?" Daoist Qingfeng glanced at him indifferently. "Your Majesty, you are the ruler of a country. Without you, Xuan Kingdom will surely be in chaos. Therefore, the Immortal Sect has specially broken the rules and allowed Your Majesty to govern the country while cultivating."
"You're talking nonsense!" Wuweizi tried his best to expose Qingfeng Daoist, even resorting to profanity.
Qingfeng frowned and said, "Wuweizi, you are also a cultivator. How can you be so vulgar? Whether I possess immortal techniques or not, Your Majesty can find out by testing me."
The emperor became interested: "Oh, how do you intend to demonstrate it?"
Master Qingfeng flicked his dust and said, “Your Majesty, since the beginning of summer, it has been more than a month since the capital city lasted for rain. I pity the people of the capital who are suffering from the sweltering heat, and I wish to pray to Heaven for rain tomorrow.”
Regarding the drought, the emperor had just summoned the Imperial Astronomical Bureau during the day, and all the officials there said that it was unlikely to rain anytime soon. If this person could truly bring rain...
The emperor's eyes immediately lit up with fervor: "What if you can't get rain?"
"Your Majesty may dispose of this matter as you see fit."
"Very well, let me see your abilities tomorrow."
"Your Majesty..." Wuweizi and Xuanjizi were both a little anxious. What if it really rains tomorrow?
But at this moment, the emperor clearly trusted Master Qingfeng more and waved his hand at them: "If Master Qingfeng cannot prove himself tomorrow, the two of you will still be the guardian masters of Taiji Palace."
"Your Majesty, if you wish to request rain, you must make a request."
"Please speak, Taoist priest."
"Praying for rain during a drought is going against the will of Heaven. It requires Your Majesty and the Empress to sincerely bathe and burn incense all night before praying to Heaven."
The emperor frowned: "Can't it be just me? Why do I need an empress?"
Master Qingfeng reasoned, "His Majesty and the Empress represent Yin and Yang, which aligns with the natural order of all things."
Since seeking the secret to immortality, the emperor had read several Taoist classics and naturally also read about the complementary relationship between Yin and Yang. Although he looked down on the newly appointed empress, he was more eager to verify the words of the Taoist priest Qingfeng. What if this person really lived to be over a hundred years old?
"Then let it be as the Taoist priest says. Someone, please invite the Empress over." After the Emperor finished speaking, he stared intently at Taoist priest Qingfeng. "Taoist priest, you must not disappoint me."
Master Qingfeng's face still showed no fear: "This old Taoist will certainly not disappoint His Majesty's wishes."
Wuweizi and Xuanjizi looked at him with cold smiles. They wanted to see how this man would die tomorrow!
When the imperial edict reached Fengyi Palace, the palace servants were filled with doubt and asked the eunuch who delivered the decree again, "Did His Majesty only say that the Empress should go alone? Are we not allowed to accompany her to serve him?"
"Taiji Palace is a sacred place of Taoism, and ordinary people are not allowed to enter without permission. Your Majesty, please."
"Your Majesty..." the female official chased after her to the door, "Please be careful."
"It's nothing." Song Xia's expression was particularly calm as she steadily sat into the sedan chair.
However, the palace servants of Fengyi Palace were not as calm as she was. They all thought that Consort Zhuang had reported her punishment of the head palace maid to the Emperor during the day, and that she had gone there to be questioned by the Emperor.
Consort Zhuang, who was waiting in Xingqing Palace, clearly thought so too. Her maid smiled obsequiously at her, saying, "Your Majesty, it must be that His Majesty heard about Your Majesty's grievances and specially summoned the Empress to question her."
Consort Zhuang feigned composure: "His Majesty hasn't issued a clear decree, could it be that we're overthinking it?"
"What else could it be? After all, His Majesty didn't favor the Empress on their wedding night, so why summon her today? Aside from the grievances suffered by Her Majesty, what else happened today?"
"But His Majesty did not come to visit me after all."
The palace maid continued to flatter him, saying, "Your Majesty is busy with many matters, and now is a crucial time for seeking immortality and enlightenment. It is understandable that you cannot leave Taiji Palace."
Consort Zhuang blushed as if embarrassed: "Yes, you are right, reward me."
In truth, none of the concubines believed in any secret arts of immortality. But since so many ministers had died back then and none of them had stopped His Majesty from building the Taiji Palace, how could they dare to speak out? Therefore, everyone became increasingly secretive about that place.
What made Consort Zhuang even more certain that Song Xia would be in big trouble was that since the Taiji Palace was built, women were not allowed to approach it, and to this day only eunuchs serve inside. What else could His Majesty's summons to the Empress be but a punishment?
Consort Zhuang's face relaxed. She never expected that she held such an important position in His Majesty's heart. Didn't this mean that her son was very likely to ascend the throne in the future?
Consort Zhuang's thoughts were also those of the other concubines in the harem, and they all instantly listed Consort Zhuang and the Second Prince as their most vigilant individuals.
It's truly unexpected that Consort Zhuang challenged the Empress's authority, and in the end, it was the Empress who was punished. It seems that not only will the Empress have a difficult time from now on, but they will also have to live under Consort Zhuang's thumb.
What's so good about Consort Zhuang? In terms of looks, she's inferior to any of them. In terms of talent, she ranks after Consort Xian, Consort Shu, and Consort Zhen. In terms of figure, apart from being tall, she's not as curvaceous as Consort Li. In terms of personality, she's not the kind of person who understands others. Could it be because of the 200,000 troops under her father's command?
At this moment, Song Xia, who was pitied by everyone, was neither sad nor happy, because she knew better than anyone else the purpose of His Majesty summoning her.
She truly hadn't expected things to go so smoothly after she relayed the message to her grandfather.
This Master Qingfeng was prepared by my grandfather several years ago, ready to be presented to His Majesty at the best time. That is why His Majesty was able to verify his identity so flawlessly.
Moreover, although her grandfather was very puzzled by her decision, he still allowed Master Qingfeng to enter the palace and say absurd things like praying for rain, which shows his trust in her.
"Xiaoling, have you bought the things we need for tomorrow?"
"Xiaxia, I bought it and activated the timed release function as you requested."
"That's good."
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