In the Heavenly Palace, the Lingxiao Palace, all the emperors of Heaven except those who were on the List of Conferred Gods and those who served as the Emperor of Heaven were gathered together.
The Lady of the Nine Heavens stood atop the celebratory clouds of the sky, her gaze sweeping over the various emperors within the hall. Then, softly, she spoke, "In the ancient times, Donghuang Taiyi died, and the ancient Heavenly Court collapsed. In the midst of this calamity, the Lord of Heaven ascended to the throne. From the beginning of his reign, he befriended Taoism and Buddhism, recruited talented individuals, and conquered demons and pacified rebellious forces. Therefore, when the Lord of Heaven ascended to the throne, he left no rules or laws."
"What we're discussing today is the rules and ceremonies for the Great Celestial Venerable's ascension to the throne," said the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman. "The ceremonies don't have to be grand, but they must demonstrate the magnanimity of our Heavenly Court as the ruler of the Three Realms, and the grace of the Great Celestial Venerable in ruling over them."
The Queen Mother of the West looked around and found that no one spoke, so she became the first to speak. She said, "I think that when the Great Celestial Lord ascends to the throne, he should hold a grand banquet for all the immortals in the Heavenly Palace. All the immortals with merit in the Three Realms are invited to come to Daluo Heaven to attend the banquet."
Dong Wanggong said: "To entertain so many immortals, I am afraid that we may not be able to prepare well in a short time."
The Queen Mother of the West said, "It's a pity that the peaches are not ripe yet. Otherwise, we could hold a peach festival in the Heavenly Palace to celebrate for the Great Celestial Venerable."
The Lady of the Nine Heavens asked, "What do you think, my Lords, about the banquet that the Queen Mother of the West has proposed for all the immortals? Is it feasible?"
Nezha, holding a jade sceptre, said, "Your Majesty, Juntian Great Emperor, Your Majesty, Queen Mother of the West, I believe that a grand banquet is feasible. However, there's no need to invite so many immortals. Too many people will cause too much trouble. Moreover, a large number of Heavenly Court's celestial soldiers have been dispatched to the Three Realms to eliminate evil spirits. Too many people will make it difficult to maintain order. If something unexpected happens at the banquet, wouldn't it be a laughing stock for the Three Realms and bring shame to the Great Celestial Venerable?"
Sun Wukong replied, "Emperor Taiyi's words make sense. I also think it's inappropriate to invite too many immortals to the Heavenly Palace for a banquet."
The Queen Mother of the West looked at Nezha and Sun Wukong and said, "Which immortals do you two emperors think you should invite?"
Sun Wukong spoke first, "I think we should only invite those immortals who are loyal to Heaven or have made contributions to Heaven. These people are loyal to Heaven, so they will definitely not cause any accidents during the banquet."
Hearing Sun Wukong's words, Nezha was the first to express his opinion: "Emperor Qitian's words make sense. I second your opinion."
Erlang Shen also said, "I second your opinion."
Next, a group of emperors seconded the proposal, and finally the Queen Mother of the West said to the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman, "What the Great Emperor Juntian, the Emperor Taiyi, and the Emperor Qitian said is reasonable and well-founded. I also think it is feasible."
The Lady of the Nine Heavens nodded and said, "Very well, I will leave this matter to the Divine Heaven Jade Palace. Send out invitations throughout the Three Realms, inviting those immortals loyal to the Heavenly Court to come to Daluo Heaven to participate in the Great Celestial Lord's Imperial Ceremony. This must be completed within three months, and the deadline cannot be missed."
Erlang Shen held up the jade scepter and respectfully accepted the order. He then smiled and said, "Please rest assured, Great Emperor Juntian. The 'Chenxu Immortal Corridor' at the Tiangong Academy has been basically completed. This matter will be completed in a month at most."
Upon hearing this, Lady Jiu Tian Xuan Nu smiled and nodded, saying, "The Shen Xu Immortal Corridor connects the Three Realms and Nine Heavens. This is all thanks to the Four Emperors of Ling Xiao."
Erlang Shen, Nezha, and Sun Wukong all bowed and said they dared not. Only Fang Jian stood there as if he didn't hear them.
When the emperors saw this scene, they showed a hint of surprise on their faces, but only Sun Wukong was clear-minded.
When Fang Jian returned to Heaven yesterday, he learned about the changes that Lady Jiu Tian had made to the 'General Outline of the Jade Code of Heaven' and that night he went to Lady Jiu Tian to argue with her.
According to Qingyan Tongzi, the two quarreled fiercely, and Fang Jian was at a disadvantage. In the end, he left Xuanyang Palace in anger.
The Lady of the Nine Heavens looked at Fang Jian and asked, "Emperor Hongqing, I heard that you were the one who single-handedly presided over and promoted the Shenxu Immortal Corridor? You should be credited with the greatest contribution."
Upon hearing this, Fang Jian finally took action. Holding a whisk in hand, he spoke, "To the Great Emperor Juntian: 'Thus, the sages practice non-action and teach without words. They bring all things into being without complaint, giving birth without possession, working without reliance, and achieving success without dwelling on it.' As an immortal official in the Heavenly Court, everything I do to benefit the sentient beings of the Three Realms is my duty and what I should do. I have no credit. If there is any credit, it should go to the immortal ministers of the Heavenly Court and the heavenly soldiers who paved the Shenxu Immortal Corridor."
The emperors in the Lingxiao Palace finally noticed something unusual. The Queen Mother of the West was going to reward the four Lingxiao emperors for their contributions based on the "Chenxu Immortal Corridor", and Fang Jian had the greatest contribution among them.
However, Fang Jian used words from the Taoist scriptures to refute the Queen Mother of the West's claim of merit. From this, the emperors could see that there must be some conflict between Fang Jian and the Queen Mother of the West.
The Queen Mother of the West frowned slightly. She looked at Fang Jian in surprise, then at the Lady of the Nine Heavens, and then felt a slight pain in her head.
Just when the emperors thought that Jiu Tian Xuan Nu was going to have a conflict with Fang Jian in the Ling Xiao Palace, Jiu Tian Xuan Nu smiled faintly and showed no anger at Fang Jian's words.
"Fang Jian, the Heavenly Court governs the three realms. It rewards those who have made contributions and punishes those who have made mistakes. This is the art of governing the world. If there are no rewards for merits and no punishments for mistakes, how can it convince the people? How can it reward the gods, immortal officials, heavenly soldiers and generals who serve the Heavenly Court and all living beings? As the Emperor of the Heavenly Court, don't you understand this principle?" said the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman.
Fang Jian was waiting for her, so as soon as the Lady of the Nine Heavens finished speaking, Fang Jian asked, "May I ask, Lord Juntian, how are merits and demerits determined? How are rewards and punishments determined? Is it based on that blank 'General Outline of the Jade Code of the Heavenly Court'?"
As soon as Fang Jian said this, a sudden burst of realization sounded in the hall. Now the emperors understood what the conflict was between Fang Jian and the Queen Mother of the West.
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