Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 77
On the fifth day of June, the scenery was boundless while the weather was pleasant.
Emperor Chengyuan set out early in the morning with all the officials in the capital, riding their horses at full speed all the way to Qingyun Temple.
Lu Yan sat on his horse, gazing at the distant mountains. There was endless green grass on the mountains, with one or two white rabbits occasionally shuttling between the willows. Everything was full of life, just like in his dreams.
The sparrows chirped incessantly, and everyone dismounted one after another.
As soon as the gate of Qingyun Temple was closed, the surroundings fell into silence. At the Emperor’s command, several eunuchs helped to set up the formation. Taoist Master Ge stroked his beard with his left hand and slowly walked to the center of the hall.
At this moment, Zheng Zhonglian covered his chest and fell to the ground in a daze. His breathing became weaker and weaker and his whole face turned purple from suffocation. It seemed that he was about to stop breathing… Everyone around started panicking.
Lu Yan’s eyes froze.
He had sent people to pay attention to Zheng Zhonglian’s diet in the past two days, and there was nothing unusual. If he fell ill at this time, it could only mean that Lord Zheng did have a heart disease.
Lu Yan shifted his gaze to Taoist Master Ge.
As expected, Taoist Master Ge pushed aside a eunuch in front of him, walked straight to
Zheng Zhonglian squatted down and began to press on Zheng Zhonglian’s chest, then blew air through his lips. After a while, Zheng Zhonglian slowly opened his eyes.
The officials around were all stunned.
After the commotion, Taoist Master Ge glanced at the clock, then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes and muttered something silently.
Lu Yan tapped the table impatiently with his index finger.
It’s about to begin.
After a while, Emperor Chengyuan asked, “I wonder what the Heavenly Master has discovered?”
“I dare not speak.”
Emperor Chengyuan said, “You can speak freely.”
Taoist Master Ge frowned and shook his head, then sighed and said, “In the seventeenth year of Qingyuan, there will be four major disasters in the Jin Dynasty.” There were rustling sounds all around, some people sneered, some questioned and some took a breath of cold air.
Lu Yan raised his head and met Zhou Shu’an’s eyes. Then he looked around and saw the faint smile on the Sixth Prince’s lips.
Things that he had not noticed in his previous life now seemed clearer.
As the sky gradually darkened and a rainstorm was about to come, Taoist Master Ge stood up, shook his robe, raised his hands and said word by word: “In June of the seventeenth year of Qingyuan, a plague will break out in Chang’an City.”
The voice rose again, shouting: “In July! There will be a flood along the Yellow River. This flood will be different from the previous ones. Once it occurs, it will last for several years.”
“In September…”
Before Taoist Master Ge finished speaking, Imperial Censor Hong slammed the table and stood up, sneering loudly, “Next! Are you going to say that there will be another earthquake in Shu in September!”
As soon as these words came out, Taoist Master Ge’s eyes flashed with panic and his steps stumbled, “How do you know?”
The smile on Emperor Chengyuan’s face disappeared instantly, his face darkened and he said in a stern voice: “Hong Yushi, how come you can predict the fate of the country?”
Imperial Censor Hong stepped out, bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I am a humble official, so I dare not interfere in matters concerning the fate of the nation. But this man! I dare to conclude that he is nothing more than a low-class charlatan!”
Emperor Chengyuan trembled his eyebrows and asked, “Why do you say that?”
“When I went home yesterday, as soon as I entered the house, my little boy started mumbling about the ‘national destiny’ that Taoist Master Ge had just predicted. I was shocked. My little boy is only seven years old. How could he say such an indecent thing? I immediately sent someone to investigate and stop the rumor. But rumors are like plague. They can spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. It is impossible to prevent them. Now everyone in Chang’an knows about it.”
All the officials whispered to each other, nodded repeatedly and agreed, as if many people had heard about it.
Emperor Chengyuan slammed the table and asked angrily, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“This matter is strange and has not yet been fully investigated. I wanted to report to Your Majesty tomorrow morning after investigating…”
Emperor Chengyuan said slowly: “I want to ask you, where did this rumor first come from?”
Imperial Censor Hong said, “I only know that a Taoist priest named Zhu has just come to the Red Earth Altar at the south gate and the rumor started from there… The rest has not yet been investigated.”
Hearing this, Taoist Master Ge retreated again and again, muttering, “This is impossible. This is absolutely impossible.”
“Your Majesty!” Taoist Master Ge said in a trembling voice: “What I just said is the will of heaven, every word is true!”
“Enough!” Emperor Chengyuan said to Zhou Shu’an, “This man is spreading lies and confusing the people. Put him in the Dali Temple Prison and hang him immediately!”
Upon hearing the word “hanging”, Taoist Master Ge knelt on the ground with a plop. “Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty! I have never said a single word falsely. If your Majesty does not believe what I said, you can wait a while. If there is no plague spreading in the capital in June, Your Majesty can execute me by Lingchi1(put to death by dismembering the body a feudal form of capital punishmen) and I will not say a word.”
Imperial Censor Hong laughed and said, “Even if there really was a natural disaster in the capital, it was predicted by Taoist Zhu in the Red Earth Altar. What does it have to do with you?”
Zhou Shu’an winked at Chu Yi2(Zhou Shuan’s bodyguard) beside him.
Chu Yi stepped forward and pushed Taoist Master Ge to the ground. Taoist Master Ge struggled desperately and Chu Yi had to use all his strength.
Above the main hall, there was a creepy sound of bones dislocating and Taoist Master Ge kept wailing.
The Sixth Prince’s face turned pale and he clenched his fists.
The emperor was suspicious to begin with and after this incident, Taoist Master Ge could no longer gain the emperor’s trust. But his mother had said that this person was the key to whether he could ascend to the throne or not.
Desperate, the Sixth Prince had to pass a note to Li Di.
Li Di took it from the eunuch, covered it with his sleeves and slowly unfolded it. He took a deep breath, stood up and walked forward, “Your Majesty, I believe that there are many doubts about this person and he should be questioned carefully. After all… he just used magic to save the life of Lord Zheng.”
Now, everyone turned their attention to Zheng Zhonglian.
Zheng Zhonglian’s ancestors were all from the capital and he was promoted by Emperor Chengyuan. He has been an official for many years and is honest and upright. He would never collude with these evil people.
“That’s right!” Taoist Master Ge’s eyes were glaring as he gritted his teeth and said, “If you don’t believe me, then I dare to call Taoist Master Zhu to confront me!”
Lu Yan’s eyes darkened. This man must not be given the chance to speak again.
After thinking it over again and again, Lu Yan also stood up and stepped out, staring into Taoist Master Ge’s eyes and said, “I just want to ask one question, were those prophecies made by you when you set up the formation today?” He deliberately emphasized the word “today”.
Taoist Master Ge’s lower lip trembled as he replied, “Of course.”
“Are you sure?”
“I am sure!” Taoist Master Ge swallowed and said, “The prophecies just now were all whispered by the immortals in my ear!”
Lu Yan nodded and then said to Emperor Cheng Yuan: “Your Majesty, if all these prophecies are going to come true, I think that the Taoist Master Zhu of the Red Earth Altar is obviously more advanced than this one. After all, these prophecies have to be decided on a first come first served basis.”
Imperial Censor Hong said disdainfully: “In my opinion, he is a shameless person who took other people’s prophecies and claimed them as his own!”
Taoist Master Ge was anxious and quickly retorted: “You are the shameless one! What Zhu Taoist! What Red Earth Altar! It’s all nonsense! I predicted these prophecies as early as the beginning of the year.”
Lu Yan’s face was solemn and he said, “I asked you again and again whether those prophecies were predicted by you today. How did you answer?”
Everyone present could hear the contradiction in Taoist Master Ge’s words.
Emperor Chengyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and for a moment he hated these kinds of evil people. He said to Zhou Shu’an, “What are you waiting for? Take him away!”
Li Di clenched his fist and was about to say something else but he felt someone tapping his shoulder lightly.
He knew that the Sixth Prince was telling him not to interfere anymore.
Taoist Master Ge is so stupid that he was tricked by just a few words. There is really no need to support him anymore.
——
News of today’s events soon reached the palace. Empress Xu flew into a rage at the Sixth Prince, smashing tea bowls all over the floor and saying with trembling fingers, “Why, why didn’t you protect Taoist Master Ge!”
The Sixth Prince stood up and said, “Mother, I’m afraid it would have turned into a nightmare! How can I protect him in that situation! In Qingyun Temple, everyone was attacking him, saying one thing after another, except for Imperial Censor Hong who is from the East Palace, the others are all trusted ministers of His Majesty! If I say one more word, it will be like telling the world that I was the one who found this Taoist Master Ge!”
Empress Xu rubbed her temples with both hands and murmured softly, “But he can’t die, he can’t die.”
The Sixth Prince smiled and said, “I think my mother has probably been deceived by this man!”
“What do you know!” Empress Xu said, “My spies have found out how powerful this man is since they met him last year. He not only has superb medical skills but can also predict worldly affairs and even make ‘land mines’. Ye’er, those ‘landmines‘ are very powerful. Once they explode, hundreds of people can get seriously injured and there are also…”
“Enough!” The Sixth Prince sat down next to Empress Xu. “I know that everything you did was for me. But if he really had the ability to conquer the world, why did he come here to help me?”
Empress Xu said: “If Taoist Master Ge cannot enter the palace, then you will have to confront the Eastern Palace endlessly, your father…”
The Sixth Prince whispered: “Mother, just wait patiently. When the plague appears, there will be no more worries about overthrowing the Eastern Palace. You and I both know that this plague…” is not a natural disaster.
——
By then, the sky was already dark, with a bright moon in the sky and gray clouds surrounding it, like desolate smoke.
After Lu Yan returned home, he sat on the couch, lit the lamp and fell into a deep thought.
