Shangyang
On the day of the funeral, Xiao Wan'er and the other two were all dressed in mourning clothes.
Liuyun's death was mourned with great honor, and court officials flocked to offer their condolences, a sentiment shared by fellow officials. Xiao Wan'er, who had taken over as abbot, stood at the head of the group, receiving the mourners.
When the time came, the coffin was carried out for the funeral. Xiao Wan'er remained in the main seat, and along with her fellow apprentices and brothers, she carried the coffin back home. The coffin was escorted all the way to the mountain gate of Biyun Temple. The guests had already dispersed by the time they left the Divine Capital, leaving only the craftsmen who, at the emperor's command, had accompanied the Liuyun coffin up the mountain.
This time, they took a different route, bypassing the villages they had always passed on their way up and down the mountain. Instead, they ascended via a lesser-traveled path. They occasionally encountered ferocious beasts along the way, but any one of the three Dao-entry cultivators could easily take their lives. Thus, the group arrived smoothly at the gates of Biyun Monastery.
Several years have passed since I last returned to Biyun Temple. The Taoist temple, which I had just cleaned when I left, was covered with dust again. Xiao Wan'er frowned as she looked at the slightly dilapidated Taoist temple.
She turned around and instructed Liu Mingyin: "Junior brother, please stay and clean the Taoist temple. We can't let His Majesty's craftsmen sleep in a shabby place."
Liu Mingyin agreed and walked into the Taoist temple.
The others made their way to the cemetery behind the Taoist temple. Here, the tombs of generations of Biyun Temple's monks were buried. In the front row were the tombs of successive abbots, followed by the rest of the disciples. Xiao Wan'er located Liuyun's tomb in that order, using magic to move the soil and create a tomb. The craftsmen then lowered the coffin into the tomb.
Seeing the coffin already lowered into the tomb, a craftsman hesitated for a moment before asking Xiao Wan'er, "Master Xiao, does Immortal Liuyun have any burial objects?"
Since ancient times, people have sought lavish burials. Anyone with a bit of wealth would buy burial objects for their enjoyment in the afterlife. The craftsman was puzzled to see that a fifth-rank official had no burial objects.
"The sword that Master often used was buried with him in the coffin. As for the rest, I don't think Taoists care about such things."
The craftsmen no longer had any doubts, and the coffin was finally buried. People at the time often wrote epitaphs for their deceased loved ones and inscribed them on stele tablets, and Liuyun's tomb was no exception. The emperor had already commissioned the epitaph, and once the coffin was buried, the craftsmen began carving the stele.
Xiao Wan'er looked up at the sky and said to Pei Yingguan, "Brother, you stay here and watch over these craftsmen. I'll go make some food for them."
She returned to the Taoist temple, which had been completely renovated.
Xiao Wan'er treated the craftsmen sent by the emperor with great courtesy, offering them the best possible conditions. After the Liuyun Tomb was completed, she returned to the Divine Capital with them. The carriage drove to the gates of Taichu Palace, where the craftsmen returned to report, before staggering back to Anyefang.
Xiao Wan'er and the other two returned home, and before they could even sit down on the stool, a eunuch came to their door.
"Master Xiao, I'm truly sorry to have to trouble you again, having just returned to the Divine Capital," the eunuch said, bowing with a smile. "It's just that the Empress Dowager is ill and specifically requested to see you, so I'll have to trouble you and me to go there."
"What does the Empress Dowager want to see my junior sister about?" When Pei Yingguan heard that the Empress Dowager was looking for Xiao Wan'er, he quickly flashed to her side, separating her from the eunuch, with a look as if he was facing a great enemy.
"This..." The eunuch was very embarrassed. "Why did the Empress Dowager come to see Master Xiao? How can I know?"
"In that case, I don't trust my junior sister to go see her."
Pei Yingguan's vigilance wasn't without reason. During the coup, Liuyun, Pei Yingguan, and Xiao Wan'er had all more or less sided with the current emperor, and their contributions to the empress dowager's ouster had played a part. Now that Liuyun had died of his betrayal and the empress dowager was ill, what was her purpose in specifically requesting to see Xiao Wan'er?
Pei Yingguan didn't want Xiao Wan'er to take the risk.
The eunuch was in a dilemma. If he couldn't invite the person back, he would be punished. At this moment, he saw Xiao Wan'er put her hand on Pei Yingguan's shoulder.
"Brother, don't worry. I didn't swear any oath to the Queen Mother back then. Now she's a sick old woman, what can she do to me?"
In the eyes of the eunuchs, Xiao Wan'er instantly turned into a fairy.
"Thank you, Lord Xiao, for your mercy!" Knowing that he had a chance to be saved, the eunuch immediately thanked Xiao Wan'er, fearing that she would regret it again.
Pei Yingguan had no choice but to condense the sword energy into a sword talisman, and then input another strand of sword energy into the sword talisman before handing it to Xiao Wan'er.
"Take it for self-defense."
Xiao Wan'er took it with a smile.
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
Xiao Wan'er followed the eunuch onto the carriage, which departed from Anyefang and headed all the way to Shangyang Palace.
Located northwest of the capital, Shangyang Palace boasts lavish architecture and stunning scenery. It was a prime location for holding court, entertaining ministers, and enjoying a peaceful retirement. Since her abdication, the Empress Dowager has lived here.
After the carriage entered Shangyang Palace, Xiao Wan'er poked her head out. Shangyang Palace was divided into east and west by the valley water, connected by two rainbow bridges. The palace roofs were covered in yellow and green glazed tiles, reflecting a mesmerizing light in the setting sun.
"This Shangyang Palace is truly a paradise on earth." Xiao Wan'er exclaimed to the eunuch.
The eunuch smiled proudly.
After the carriage entered the Empress Dowager's palace, Xiao Wan'er disembarked at the eunuch's request. While still magnificent, the place possessed a touch of tranquility, with clusters of flowers and lush vegetation. The number of palace servants clearly exceeded the prescribed limit, and all were quietly working, evidently well-trained.
The eunuch brought Xiao Wan'er to the palace gate, went in to report, and came out after a while, then invited Xiao Wan'er in.
"Master Xiao, please come in."
Xiao Wan'er stepped into the Empress Dowager's bedroom. The interior was even more ornate than the exterior. The ornaments were made of gold, jade, and precious woods. The utensils were all from the imperial kilns, the finest quality. The calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls were all works by famous artists from the previous dynasty.
The Empress Dowager was still in the side room, so Xiao Wan'er took a thorough look around the main room used for receiving guests. As she was carefully examining it, a palace maid helped the Empress Dowager into the main room.
Xiao Wan'er looked over and was stunned. However, she hadn't seen her mother for several months and she almost didn't recognize her.
To be fair, the Empress Dowager was undoubtedly treated very well among the emperors who were driven from the throne throughout history. She lived in Shangyang Palace, one of the two palaces in the capital, along with Taichu Palace. Her food, lodging, and the palace staff were all treated to the finest standards. The Emperor even visited Shangyang Palace every ten days to personally chat with her, and on several occasions, he even brought his officials with him to visit her.
But the Queen Mother inevitably aged rapidly.
Earlier this year, she still enjoyed dressing up. Back then, despite the presence of her children and grandchildren, no one noticed her age. Now, her hair is white, her skin, once smooth from a distance, is now covered in wrinkles and age spots, and her once upright figure has become stooped. Most importantly, her eyes have lost their former sparkle, replaced by a dead silence.
She was indeed an old woman on her deathbed.
Xiao Wan'er looked at the Empress Dowager quietly. She had changed so drastically in just a few months, all because she had been driven from the throne. Retiring to Shangyang Palace, even with the diligent servants and constant food and clothing, her energy was rapidly waning.
There has never been a moment like this that made Xiao Wan'er realize how terrible it is to lose power.
She looked at him for so long that the maid beside the Queen Mother coughed gently, bringing her back to her senses.
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother." After realizing that she had been daydreaming for too long, Xiao Wan'er immediately bowed to the Queen Mother.
"Get up," the Queen Mother seemed to have lost interest in worldly affairs and waved her hand nonchalantly, asking her to get up. "You are here after all."
"If your Majesty has ordered me to come, I will naturally come."
"At a time like this, you finally remember that you're a subject," the Queen Mother said, seeming dissatisfied with Xiao Wan'er's response, her words tinged with sarcasm. "Just like your master, usually respectful and deferential, but in crucial moments, he shows no sign of being a subject."
Xiao Wan'er didn't want to listen to the empress dowager's words.
"My master simply did what he believed was right. He was fully aware of the consequences of his actions and readily accepted his fate. Your Majesty, I cannot agree with your assessment of my master."
Neither the Queen Mother nor the maidservants around her had ever thought that someone would directly contradict her. The maidservants were so frightened that their eyes widened and they lowered their heads. The Queen Mother was also momentarily stunned and didn't know what to say.
After a while, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then why did you stand on my son's side? They want to restore the Li Tang Dynasty, but you don't want to, right?"
"Does your Majesty still remember Quanzhou?"
The Queen Mother pondered for a long time before she finally remembered what Xiao Wan'er was referring to. She was deeply puzzled.
"Just because of this?"
"Yes," Xiao Wan'er answered firmly, "because of this matter."
The Queen Mother was obviously shocked by this answer and was silent for a long time before she recovered.
"Well, now that things have come to this, I'll take it as the truth." She ordered the maid to bring a stool for Xiao Wan'er to sit on. "I heard that before your master died, he was ordered by my son to divine the fate of the Tang Dynasty. What did he predict?"
Seeing Xiao Wan'er lower her head and not answer, the Queen Mother smiled. "Why? Has your master not yet told you about this successor? Or is it that I am no longer the Emperor and therefore unworthy of knowing?"
"It's not that I don't know, nor am I unwilling, but the divination result is really unsatisfactory." Xiao Wan'er had no choice but to tell the truth.
"This is quite normal," the Queen Mother said without surprise. "I know my own son very well. I'm not surprised by anything an emperor who crowns his father-in-law as soon as he ascends the throne does."
Xiao Wan'er was stunned for a few breaths before she realized that the Empress Dowager was referring to the Emperor's first reign. However, the Master's divination wasn't for this Emperor.
"My Lady, Master's divination corresponds to your youngest son's third son, the current Prince of Linzi."
The Queen Mother was speechless for a moment.
Xiao Wan'er felt emotional. The Queen Mother herself was a legend, but now her two surviving sons had met with disaster. This was so frustrating.
However, there was one thing she didn't understand.
"Your Majesty, I have one thing I don't understand. Your Majesty yourself ascended the throne as a woman, and you also ordered all your children to change their surnames to Wu. Why didn't you raise Princess Taiping? Your Majesty has said that the princess resembles you. If you raise her seriously, wouldn't the Great Zhou have another female emperor? Then, the princess could also give her children the surname Wu, and the Great Zhou dynasty would be passed down. But I see that when Your Majesty chose an heir, she only chose between the current Majesty, the Prince of Xiang, and the men of the Wu family, and never considered the princess."
Not only that, when the Empress Dowager was in power, Princess Taiping had little real power, but now that the Emperor had ascended the throne, she truly held immense power. Xiao Wan'er simply couldn't comprehend this.
But this time, all that awaited her was silence.
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