Thanks to their publicity, the Fox Fairy Temple is now quite famous. Although most of the pilgrims come here to pray for children, Yun Yuan is very satisfied and she sends blessings to all the devout people.
After staying in the Fox Fairy Temple for an hour, night finally fell.
Yun Yuan looked at the sky and guessed that the palace banquet was about to begin. She teleported again and stood outside Puling Temple, then walked in without hesitation.
There was no one in Puling Temple. It was so deserted that not even the chirping of insects could be heard. It was extremely eerie.
In the darkness, the more than three-meter-tall statue stood majestically. Yun Yuan carefully observed the light on the statue and found that it was indeed much dimmer than when she first saw it.
She sat cross-legged on the mat, practicing while waiting for Jiuli to send her a signal.
…………
At this time, Changle Palace was brightly lit, the tables were full of guests, a wide variety of delicacies were on display, and the fine liquors were intoxicating.
As Xuanyuan Chengyin had deliberately arranged, Xiao Changan's seat was placed closest to the emperor, which surprised him a little, but he did not think much about it, thinking that it was a special treatment given to him by the emperor.
He was surrounded by a group of sorcerers, and a little further to the side were the people from Qingqi City.
Having lived in Qingqi City for a long time, they were influenced by Taoist culture, and many of them had some understanding and mastery of Taoist techniques.
Therefore, upon learning of their arrival, the emperor invited them to attend the palace banquet to show his appreciation for them.
The prince sat in the back, and a masked man stood quietly behind him. He was dressed in a guard's uniform, his posture as straight as a pine tree.
Hearing the ministers discussing the seating arrangements, the Crown Prince smiled gently, "Xiao Chang'an saved my father's life, and the Taoist priests from Qingqi City have also come from afar. We should treat them with courtesy."
Xiao Changan sat with a group of sorcerers and Taoist priests from Qingqi Mountain, enjoying their compliments.
"Master Xiao is young and promising. I wonder where he learned this method of borrowing life span? It has such a wonderful effect."
"Even Jiuli couldn't save His Majesty's life, but once Lord Xiao took action, His Majesty was fine. The young are truly formidable!"
"If you ask me, Jiuli should give up the position of National Master and let our Lord Xiao take the position."
Xiao Changan responded modestly, looking around from time to time. He didn't see Yun Yuan, but he saw the mysterious man. Thinking of the next plan, he curled his lips in the direction of Jiuli.
The emperor was sitting at the highest point, holding a beauty in his arms. His hands were wandering around the beauty's body dishonestly, causing her to giggle.
"Your Majesty is disgusting~"
The emperor laughed loudly, his voice like a bell, his eyes narrowed slightly, and with a hint of drunkenness, his gaze slowly swept over the ministers below.
"Today, Changle Palace is hosting a banquet. First, to celebrate my improved health; second, to entertain the distinguished guests from Qingqi City who have come from afar; and third, to reward Lord Xiao. Lord Xiao has made great contributions today. Please feel free to ask for any reward you desire. I will do my best to satisfy you."
Everyone had different expressions.
Xiao Changan stood up and said loudly in front of everyone: "Your Majesty, I don't want anything else but the position of Imperial Master."
The position of national teacher!
Everyone looked at Jiuli.
Jiuli had already guessed Xiao Changan's purpose. He calmly put down the wine glass and just glanced at the emperor coldly.
The emperor was startled by the coldness, and his drunkenness immediately dissipated a lot. He waved his hand to let the beauty leave. Thinking of what he had promised Xiao Changan in advance, he felt guilty and didn't dare to look at Jiuli.
"Grand Master, what do you think of Lord Xiao's proposal?"
Jiuli said in a nonchalant tone, "Your Majesty gave me the position of Imperial Master. If Your Majesty wants to take it back, you can take it back. You can give it to whoever you want. I have no objection."
The emperor was delighted, but pretended to be calm and said, "In that case, I will give the position of Imperial Preceptor to Xiao Aiqing. He has done me great service in saving me."
Jiuli showed a meaningful smile on his face, nodded slightly, and said: "It is just as your majesty said."
The emperor didn't expect Jiuli to agree so quickly. He thought he would fight for it or put forward some conditions as compensation, but Jiuli didn't ask for anything and seemed to really not care about the position of national teacher.
The emperor felt a little uneasy, but still said, "In that case, then..."
"Your Majesty, don't do that!" The Grand Tutor was so anxious that he almost jumped up and hurriedly advised: "Jiuli has saved the people from danger many times. His contributions are obvious to all. Moreover, he is deeply loved and supported by the people. His influence among the people is no less than that of Your Majesty.
Your Majesty, if you dismiss Jiuli from his post without any reason, I'm afraid it will dishearten the people of the world."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Li Tongzheng also hurriedly said: "Jiuli successfully prayed for rain in Guimeng City a few months ago, solving the local drought problem. Then he and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince worked together to fight floods in Yunzhong.
Now that he has just returned to the capital, Your Majesty has not only failed to give him the commendation he deserves, but is instead dismissing him from his post. This is truly inappropriate."
"Rewards and punishments must be clear, rewards and punishments must be clear! Your Majesty, by doing this, aren't you destroying the foundation of the Xuanyuan Dynasty?" Other ministers echoed, and they all expressed dissatisfaction with the emperor's decision.
"How dare you!" The emperor stood up angrily, feeling that his dignity had been challenged. With his eyes wide open, he roared:
"Jiuli has no objection, so what right do you ministers have to discuss this? He did save the people from dire straits, but Xiao Aiqing also saved my life. Is my life less important than the lives of millions of people?"
Sorry, not really.
The Grand Tutor bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the method of borrowing lifespan is an evil art. The people of the capital are already beginning to resist it. If you appoint Xiao Chang'an as the Imperial Preceptor, wouldn't that be a blatant endorsement of this evil art? This would undoubtedly go against the people's wishes and would probably cause public resentment!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
