Chapter 80 The God of Drama Opens His Eyes
Aren’t you the most beautiful scenery... Zhao Duan swallowed the cheesy love words and followed Xu Zhenguan out of the "Yangxin Palace".
A dragon chariot had been prepared outside the palace, accompanied by dozens of female officials and eunuchs.
Six pure-blooded horses are ready to go, and the dragon chariot is inlaid with gold, silver, jade, gems and pearls, showing its nobility.
He once thought that Yuan Li's car was already very impressive, but today he realized that it was nothing compared to hers.
…
A full moon night.
In the southwest corner of the imperial palace in the capital, a team of imperial guards were patrolling the streets.
The leader of the team was Zhou Cang, a captain of the imperial court.
As a member of the imperial guards, the Jinyi Yawangs are also responsible for the defense of the capital, day patrols and night patrols.
The night is quiet, and the only sound is the collision of nails as you walk.
"Boss, that watchtower up ahead is so tall."
Behind Zhou Cang, a newly promoted official looked forward with a curious tone.
Although this area is outside the imperial palace, it is still within the jurisdiction of the government offices and few outsiders approach it.
Zhou Cang held the hilt of his sword with one hand, squinted his eyes and looked ahead at the dark building under the night sky, and said:
"That's the 'Emperor's Tower', the largest and tallest watchtower in the capital when it was built.
During wartime, it was a good place to deliver news to the palace and observe the capital. Later, when there was no war, many watchtowers in the capital were abandoned and used for other purposes.
In the past, when the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival was still held in Beifang, people gathered there and the sage would sit on top of it and enjoy the festival with the people.
However, after the Beifang City was closed, it became a forbidden area, and apart from the government office's repairs, it was rarely used."
As soon as he finished speaking, the dark and tall "Emperor's Tower" suddenly lit up section by section.
Starting from the lowest point, lanterns were lit one by one all the way up to the top floor.
Zhou Cang: “…”
The young man in brocade clothes asked, "Boss, didn't you say it's rarely used?"
Zhou Cang's expression changed. He said, "Return the same way. There's no need to patrol the block ahead."
"Why?"
"Unless you want to disturb the Holy Emperor," Zhou Cang snorted and scolded:
"After the current sage ascended the throne, he would occasionally go up to the tower to admire the moon. When the sage went on tour, the streets within a radius of several miles were cleared and curfews were imposed, and idle people were forced to stay away."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but look back at the tall building, but left something unsaid:
When going up to the Empress's Tower, it was customary to only light half of the lanterns.
It's all bright tonight. Could it be that the Empress is not the only one climbing the tower?
But who in the world has this honor?
…
…
At the bottom of the Emperor's Tower.
The noble and majestic dragon chariot slowly stopped.
Xu Zhenguan led Zhao Du'an downstairs, and the eunuch who had been waiting there respectfully handed him a warm towel to wipe off the dust.
Hundreds of palace servants were already waiting with their heads bowed under this "First Watchtower". The ancient building, shaped like an octagonal wind chime, was full of traces of time, and the red lights were magnificent.
"Your Majesty, the imperial kitchen has delivered dinner to the top floor, and now is the perfect time to eat it," a female official said respectfully.
"Your Majesty, a curfew has been imposed in the surrounding area, and the Jinwu Guards are stationed in all directions to ensure that no one disturbs us." A guard stepped forward.
Xu Zhenguan nodded, and the palace ladies dispersed and stood with their heads bowed in the distance.
No one looked up or even glanced at the two of them the entire time.
"Are you surprised?" Queen Dayu suddenly asked with a smile.
Zhao Duan said honestly:
"Indeed. I was surprised to see you here, and I was also surprised that the Saint would leave the palace. Just having a meal would already cause such a grand ceremony."
Xu Zhenguan was graceful and elegant:
“When you reach a certain point, you will find that everyone in the world is kind, and any door will open in front of you.”
Zhao Duan seemed to be thinking about something.
The empress stepped onto the stairs.
The night breeze blew gently, and her white clothes fluttered, emitting a very faint body fragrance.
Zhao Duan followed closely behind, going up the spiral staircase.
He looked into the distance, and as the floor went higher, the scope of the capital city in his field of vision expanded.
The lights of thousands of homes are like a galaxy on the ground, but for Zhao Duan, who has lived in a modern city for many years and is accustomed to light pollution, this night view is too shabby.
"Your Majesty, is this the night scene of the capital that you are showing me?"
When passing by the lantern, Xu Zhenguan's profile will be reflected in orange, like warm jade. When the lantern is removed, it will be dazzling white in the darkness.
Hearing this, without even looking at him, he said, "Very disappointed?"
"I dare not."
"That's still it, but of course this isn't the real scenery."
As he spoke, Xu Zhenguan stepped onto the stairs and lightly flicked his fingers with his slender jade fingers.
A golden light shot out from his jade-like fingertips and sank into Zhao Duan's brow.
"Look at it this way."
Zhao Duan was caught off guard and felt a stinging pain in his eyes, followed by a chill.
When I opened my eyes again, I was shocked to find that the world was like a veil lifted, revealing the other side of its true self.
In the distance, above a market town, a huge and illusory ship was slowly drifting.
It is shaped like a gold ingot, and its cabin is filled with mountains of gold, silver, jade, gems and copper coins. On the erected mast, the huge sail is painted with a huge smiling face.
On both sides of the ship, there were golden boys and jade girls carrying bamboo baskets, constantly scattering silver bills.
"That is the deity 'God of Wealth', and the ones serving him are 'Wealth-Giving Boys'." Xu Zhenguan explained calmly.
Zhao Duan moved his gaze towards the "Big Bell Tower" of Tianshi Mansion.
The night sky was dyed blue, with magnificent ripples spreading out.
Countless strange-looking, illusory and mysterious "gods" float around the blue sky, in a daze.
Corresponding to it from a distance is the location of "Shenlong Temple".
The pale golden Buddha light tore through the night sky, and in the center of the Buddha light, a huge "Buddha head" was vaguely visible floating above it, overlooking the world with compassionate eyes.
"The Tianshi Mansion compiles a list of righteous gods. When the priests practice, they will attract many gods to gather and linger." Xu Zhenguan said.
After a pause, he continued:
"As for that magnificent Buddha head, it is the main deity of Shenlong Temple, the World Honored One, and it symbolizes 'wisdom'. Don't look at it too much. If you lack sufficient cultivation, forcing yourself to look at the World Honored One will instill wisdom in you. At the very least, you will feel dizzy, at worst, you will become stupid, and at the worst, you will sever your mortal roots and lose all worldly desires."
Cut off the roots... Zhao Duan instantly withdrew his gaze and decided not to look in that direction anymore.
Is the night in the capital so lively?
When mortals stay home, the world seems to belong to the gods.
Zhao Duan was greatly shocked and asked curiously:
"I can probably understand that the cultivation of the priests and sorcerers led to the appearance of divine beings. But what about the God of Wealth that was hovering over the market town, and the others scattered around?"
In the field of vision, except for the "Tianshi Mansion" and the "Shenlong Temple", there are gods floating in every direction of the entire capital, but they are much dimmer and smaller in comparison.
"When all mortals gather their thoughts, they can also serve as offerings to the gods." The empress said succinctly.
Therefore, every household in the market town worships the God of Wealth, and when their thoughts converge, they will manifest... Zhao Duan suddenly realized.
Suddenly, his eyes caught a glimpse of the direction of the "Banfang Theater" and saw a dim god on it.
Hmm, what kind of gods do these actors worship? I'm curious.
"I see that there seems to be light in many mansions?"
"That's the 'house god' worshipped by the people. A powerful house god, he has his own world. If a strong person steps in, he will be defeated if he is not careful."
"The last time I fought with the sorcerer from Prince Jing's palace, I saw the 'Wind Master'. I heard there's also a 'Rain Master'?"
"When it rains heavily, if you open your eyes, you can see the 'Rain Master' in the dark clouds, directing his actions and alleviating his suffering. If you are strong enough in martial arts, you can smite the 'Rain Master' with one palm strike, and the clouds will disperse and the rain will stop.
In the past, Emperor Taizu was a master of martial arts. It happened that there was a severe drought in the northwest and heavy rain in the south. The sorcerers sent by the court were also ineffective. Emperor Taizu was furious and went to the south in person. He captured 300 "rain masters" alive in the thick clouds and took them to the northwest.
Wherever we passed, rain clouds covered the area for thousands of miles, creating a magnificent spectacle."
Xu Zhenguan shared the secret.
What is South-to-North Water Diversion Project... Zhao Duan was fascinated by it.
Suddenly I thought, there are still many years of disasters recorded in history books.
It can be seen that extraordinary means may have a price and cannot be used lightly.
At this time, the coolness in the eye sockets dissipated and the night sky returned to normal.
It is quiet and peaceful, the lights are like stars, and there are no more strange and mysterious scenes.
The king and his minister also came to the watchtower.
Inside the fence is a flat rooftop, and on the low table in the middle are sumptuous dishes prepared by the imperial kitchen.
There were also dozens of pitch-black wine jars arranged around the place.
The night wind blew, and the stunning empress sat cross-legged, her three thousand black hair fluttering in the wind, her skin was as white as ice and her beauty was more beautiful than countless others in the world.
"What are you still standing there for?"
Xu Zhenguan waved his sleeves, and with a "woop" sound, a jar of heavy osmanthus wine was held in Zhao Duan's arms.
He suddenly understood where the old supervisor got the fine wine.
Xu Zhenguan raised the corner of his mouth, his beautiful eyes narrowed:
"Waiter, bring the wine."
…
at the same time.
The Bafang Theater is brightly lit.
A big play had just ended and the actors had retreated backstage, but through the curtains, one could still hear the cheers from the hall.
The actor who was chosen by Pei Si Niang to play the role of "Xiao Sheng" took off his costume and sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Wu Ling, you've worked hard tonight." The theater owner came over and gave a thumbs-up, his emerald ring gleaming brightly.
"This play is amazing. A guest wants to see you."
The young man named Wu Ling looked weak:
"I feel a little unwell and am afraid I cannot see any visitors."
The class owner looked embarrassed, but finally gritted his teeth and said:
"Then go and rest. Don't catch a cold and damage your throat."
Wu Ling thanked him and walked through the crowd to the quiet bedroom behind the theater. Once he was away from the crowd, his expression suddenly became sharp and he unfolded a piece of paper from his palm:
"Zhao Duan is still in the palace. He may return home tonight. We can wait for an opportunity to kill him."
Wu Ling narrowed his eyes and burned the note in the lantern.
Then he took out a scroll from the bamboo box under the bed and hung it on the wall.
In the painting, there is a god wearing colorful clothes and a pure white mask.
Wu Ling bowed three times and said, "Please, God of Drama!"
The stiff actor in the painting suddenly opened his eyes.
(End of this chapter)
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