The first day of the second lunar month was the day Shang Shaoyan went to the palace to express his gratitude.
On the thirtieth day of the first lunar month, Shang Yunlan went to the palace to pay homage to Emperor Chen. At that time, Emperor Chen was listening to music. When he saw Shang Yunlan arrive, he hurriedly said to Qin Ye, "Quickly bring a chair for Minister Shang."
Shang Yunlan thanked the emperor, and after he sat down, Emperor Chen asked impatiently, "What new gadgets has Minister Shang brought me today?"
Shang Yunlan took out a piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it to Emperor Chen with both hands: "Your Majesty, He Yang has found an ancient secret recipe in Shu Prefecture that can make better paper—this paper was made using this recipe. Please take a look."
Emperor Chen was not interested in this kind of paper, but he favored Shang Yunlan and was happy to give him some face, so he accepted it, thinking he could just make do with it casually.
However, Emperor Chen, who had only glanced at it casually, found it hard to look away—there was a story written on the paper, no, it shouldn't be called a story, but rather part of a vernacular story.
The title is "The Chronicle of a Mortal's Ascension to Immortality".
Emperor Chen was attracted to the name almost instantly. Like many emperors, he had the desire to live forever and become a god.
Emperor Chen wondered to himself, "Could this piece of paper be a divinely granted opportunity? Could I also become an immortal?" With this thought, Emperor Chen's spirits lifted, and he began to read on.
“My name is He Shuye, and I was born into a merchant family in the Northwest. My mother passed away early, and my father remarried. But as the saying goes, with a stepmother comes a stepfather, so from the time I can remember, I was worse off than even the most powerful servants in the family… When I was sixteen, my half-brother beat me to the point of near death. I clutched tightly a jade pendant that my mother had left me, her only remaining possession. I thought to myself, Mother, I have come to find you…”
"My blood accidentally dripped onto the jade pendant. Suddenly, the jade pendant emitted a dazzling light, and I completely fainted... When I regained consciousness, I saw that everything around me was pure white, and an old man with an otherworldly air was sitting on a huge lotus flower in meditation. He did not look like an ordinary person and seemed very powerful. I was afraid of disturbing him, so I did not dare to move... Just then, he smiled and said: 'I have waited for a thousand years and finally found the chosen one of heaven.'"
Upon seeing this, Emperor Chen instinctively tried to turn the page, only to find that there was only this one sheet of paper, and there was nothing on the back of the paper.
Emperor Chen was somewhat anxious, but even more so overjoyed. He immediately grabbed Shang Yunlan's hand and asked, "Minister Shang, where did this 'Chronicle of Mortals Ascending to Immortality' come from?"
Shang Yunlan thought to himself that this was a combination of tens of thousands of cultivation novels with the "Dragon Overlord Leveling Up" genre that he had in his mind, but he showed a perfectly appropriate look of doubt on his face: "What 'Chronicles of a Mortal's Ascension to Immortality'?"
Chen Huang pointed anxiously at the paper: "It's this one!"
Shang Yunlan took it and glanced at it, then pretended to suddenly understand: "Heyang told me that this was a story she heard from a young man in Shuzhou. The young man claimed to be a Purple Immortal from the Northwest, and said that he was several thousand years old... Heyang said that this person was handsome and good-looking, but spoke in a crazy way. She found it interesting and wrote it down. I didn't know that she even had a name."
Emperor Chen's eyes lit up. What did this mean?
This suggests that the story might actually be true! There really are immortals in this world!
Chen Huang's heart pounded like a drum. Looking at Shang Yunlan's indifferent expression, he was both anxious and delighted. He was delighted that Shang Yunlan and his sister were too young and foolish to miss such a good opportunity, allowing him to obtain it. He was anxious because he knew nothing more and still had to rely on the brother and sister.
Shang Yunlan was still sighing when she took the opportunity to "advise" Emperor Chen: "Your Majesty, this person seems to be insane. He's probably some kind of madman. Just treat him as a joke. Don't send Heyang to help you find him again. The Northwest is very dangerous. It's near the border, and the army is restless. They might even stop my sister. A delicate young woman like her would have no chance of survival if she went to the Northwest."
Emperor Chen was still hesitating about who to ask to find them, as he wanted to go himself. However, Shang Yunlan's words made sense. The Northwest was bordered by barbarians and troops, and he had heard that the environment there was terrible. Going there himself would be nothing short of torture.
But he was worried that if he asked someone else to go, they might develop ulterior motives.
Emperor Chen was well aware that the army was restless. He had not paid the army since he ascended the throne, so it was no wonder they were restless and it was quite possible that they would try to stop him.
These people only care about money, they're so ignorant... Oh, perfect timing! Aren't those soldiers former subordinates of the Shang family? If we send He Yang with the tiger tally, then we won't have to worry about the army stopping us.
Looking at it this way, it would indeed be more convenient to send a young woman. He Yang and Shang Aiqing depend on each other for survival, and Shang Yunlan is in poor health. He Yang would never abandon his brother to become an immortal. On the other hand, what can a young woman like He Yang do with the tiger tally? He Yang also has Shang Yunlan under his control. What else would He Yang not dare to listen to?
Whether this matter is true or false, it won't hurt to ask Heyang to take a look.
Thinking this, he smiled and looked at Shang Yunlan with kind eyes: "Minister Shang, you have always been the person I trust the most, and your Zhenguo Duke's Mansion has always been loyal... Why don't we entrust this matter to Heyang?"
Qin Ye, standing to the side, looked at Shang Yunlan with a palpable sarcasm in his eyes—this Duke was truly foolish, a young man lacking in cunning, trying to curry favor with the Emperor but failing miserably, and instead getting himself and his sister into trouble with just a few words.
Shang Yunlan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly became extremely terrified. He immediately knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
Emperor Chen frowned, somewhat displeased: "Minister Shang, how dare you defy the imperial decree?"
Shang Yunlan kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, He Yang is weak, and the Northwest is nothing short of hell for her!"
Emperor Chen waved his hand impatiently: "What's the big deal? I'll give her the Tiger Tally. With the Tiger Tally in her hand, no matter how restless those troops are, they won't dare to do anything to her."
Qin Ye, who had been observing from the sidelines, felt a jolt of surprise upon hearing this. For the first time, he scrutinized Shang Yunlan with a critical eye, only to find that the latter's forehead was red and scraped from the kowtow, but she remained unmoved. He truly only cared about his only sister.
Qin Ye suppressed his doubts, then lowered his head again and stood respectfully in place.
Seeing this, Emperor Chen felt a pang of pity, but still maintained a cold and displeased expression: "Alright, this matter is settled. Tomorrow, when He Yang enters the palace to express her gratitude, I will inform her of this matter. I will give her the Tiger Tally when she leaves Shu Prefecture. Minister Shang, I address you as 'Minister Shang' as an honor, but I can take it back at any time, do you understand? On the contrary, if you are more obedient, you will be promoted and rewarded, and I will not mistreat you."
As Shang Yunlan listened, she stopped kowtowing.
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