Chapter 64: Scare the Officials
Standing next to the Prince of Runan, Lu Sen was the center of everyone's attention.
But he remained calm.
When he was in college, he lost a bet with his roommates, and then they dragged him to sign up for a show together. He danced awkwardly at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala, and the whole school burst into laughter.
From then on, Lu Sen was no longer afraid of being stared at by a large group of people.
Honestly speaking, participating in one or two such group activities can really help to strengthen one's nerves.
After chatting with the Prince of Runan for a while, the palace gate opened and the civil and military officials filed in. On the way to the Daqing Hall, they adjusted their positions.
Lu Sen had been staying beside the Prince of Runan. This time his father-in-law escorted him the whole time, so he did not feel at a loss as if he was just joining a large group.
After entering the Daqing Hall, they waited for another half incense stick of time and finally waited for Zhao Zhen to go to court.
Although the fat man looked a little tired, he looked very excited. He sat on the dragon throne and smiled when he saw Lu Sen standing next to the Prince of Runan.
When Lu Sen saw Zhao Zhen, he was also slightly surprised.
He had seen the fat man among the guests when he got married.
It turns out that he was on a secret visit at that time, no wonder.
"Thank you again, my dear ministers, for getting up early and working on state affairs." Zhao Zhen sat on the dragon chair, saluted with both hands and said with a smile: "Please speak to me if you have anything to say."
Regardless of Zhao Zhen's ability in governing the country, at least his attitude of treating officials with kindness and care made many people feel comfortable.
No one stepped out.
Because they know clearly that the protagonist this time is not them, but someone else.
After waiting for a while, seeing that no one came to report the court affairs, Zhao Zhen looked at Lu Sen and said with a smile: "Since there is no report, then I will talk about other important matters. Master Lu, I invite you to the palace."
The civil and military officials tacitly divided into two groups, leaving the open space in the middle. Then they turned around and looked at Lu Sen.
Lu Sen walked to the middle, clasped his fists and saluted Zhao Zhen who was sitting on the dragon throne, and said calmly: "Greetings, Your Majesty. I don't deserve the title of Master. I am just a junior who knows a little bit about magic."
"A few days ago, I asked the Prince of Runan to secretly take me to the wedding banquet of Master Lu and the youngest daughter of the Yang family." Zhao Zhen said with longing: "It is now winter, and the world is cold. Only in the low mountains is there a fairyland . It is warm like spring, with flowers blooming and colorful butterflies dancing to the fairy music. It is truly a fairy palace on earth."
In fact, at this time, almost everyone in the entire Bianjing city knew that Lu Sen had great supernatural powers.
After all, Bao Zheng had endorsed him before.
And now, Zhao Zhen has endorsed Lu Sen again, which has increased the credibility to a level that almost no one doubts.
At this moment, many people looked at Lu Sen with burning eyes, thinking about how to establish a good relationship with this person.
Only a few people like Bao Zheng were secretly worried that Lu Sen would once again lead the entire Song Dynasty into a fanatical atmosphere where everyone was seeking immortality and the way to enlightenment.
"That is the method of the cave." Lu Sen said the words he had thought of in the past few days.
In fact, Zhao Zhen just wanted to know the content related to cultivating immortals. In his opinion, all the unreasonable behaviors of Lu Sen were the external manifestations of immortal arts.
"What is the cave mansion method?" He asked excitedly, "I have read many strange stories and rumors, all of which say that immortals live in caves in the mountains."
Everyone's eyes fell on Lu Sen. What Zhao Zhen asked was what they wanted to know.
"The spiritual energy of the mountain is drawn to form a formation called a 'cave', and a small world of one's own is called a 'mansion'." Lu Sen said slowly: "The so-called cave mansion method is that after the magic is mastered, one can build a place for cultivation and retreat from the world. Without a cave mansion is no cultivation."
No cave to cultivate immortality?
When the civil and military officials heard this, they all had different expressions.
Most people believed it, only a few looked skeptical.
"What nonsense!"
Just after Lu Sen finished speaking, a middle-aged Taoist priest in a blue Taoist robe walked out from the darkness on the right side of the hall.
His face was as white as jade, and his beard was black and reached his collar.
Holding a dustpan in his hand, he lifted his legs higher than most people when walking, with his body slightly leaning back, giving off a peculiar aura of an otherworldly person.
He walked to the bottom of Zhao Zhen, pointed at Lu Sen with his hand, and said angrily: "If you don't eat Qi and pills, how can you have immortality? This cave is the residence of immortals. There were immortals first, then there were caves. And this monster surnamed Lu actually lived in the cave first and then cultivated immortality. He is confusing the truth and is unbearable."
Everyone looked at this Taoist and nodded slightly.
The Eighth Wise Kings and others showed mocking expressions on their faces.
Even Zhao Zhen's face was full of impatience.
These people had seen it with their own eyes and even stayed in Lu Sen's yard for several hours.
Lu Sen said that it was a cave, and they absolutely believed it.
Lu Sen smiled softly: "May I ask the Taoist's name?"
"Yang Yuanqing, a disciple of Taiyi Palace, Taoist name Liyang." The middle-aged Taoist priest held his whisk and said coldly, "May I ask where you learned from, young man? Who is your master?"
"My master's surname is Xi, my name is Tong, and my Taoist name is Feng Ling. My master gave me the Taoist name Yueying." Lu Sen said with a smile: "As for the origin of my sect, I don't know either. If my master doesn't tell me, I dare not ask."
Taoist Li Yang sneered twice, then turned to Zhao Zhen and said, "Sir, this young man didn't even tell you who his master was. He is either a liar or a heretic."
"I, the Eighth Sage King, Bao Xiren and other beloved ministers, all attended Master Lu's banquet and saw with our own eyes the paradise on earth, which is what Master Lu called the cave." Although Zhao Zhen still had a smile on his face, his expression was obviously unhappy: "Master Li Yang, please leave first."
Was he doubting whether he was blind or cheated? Zhao Zhen suddenly felt that the Taoist Li Yang, whom he had trusted so much in the past, was no longer trustworthy.
"but……"
"Your Majesty, please leave." Liu Chuanzhi took Taoist Li Yang's hand and walked to the back without saying anything.
Taoist Li Yang was stronger than Liu Chuanzhi, but he could not break free from the eunuch's grip and was gradually dragged away.
The civil and military officials looked at Taoist Li Yang in such an embarrassing state, and almost all of them laughed faintly at the same time.
In fact, the Taoist Li Yang previously participated in the court meeting as the "Heavenly Master" of Taiyi Palace.
Although he would not offer any opinions, the fact that a Taoist could appear in the court was in itself a sign of favor.
But now it seems that this Taoist Li Yang will probably be kicked out of the palace in the future.
After Taoist Li Yang disappeared, Zhao Zhen said with a smile, "I am sorry to have disturbed Master Lu. Just now you said that the cave is the foundation of cultivating immortals. Does that mean that as long as there is a cave, anyone can cultivate immortals?"
Birth, aging, sickness and death are the knot that no mortal can escape; only the immortals and gods can transcend them.
If there is a chance to become an immortal, who wouldn’t want to give it a try?
What is the Dragon Throne?
Lu Sen shook his head: "It's impossible. The conditions for cultivating immortals are extremely harsh. It's hard to find one person among millions of people."
At this time, the Eighth Sage King, who had been keeping his eyes slightly closed, suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "In other words, Master Lu believes that he is a genius that only appears once in a million people?"
"Yes." Lu Sen replied without hesitation: "This is not what I said, but what the master said."
The Eighth Wise King immediately stopped talking. If Lu Sen said this himself, others might say that he was arrogant.
But since these words were spoken by the other party’s master, it is difficult to criticize them.
Insulting someone's teachers is worse than insulting someone's parents.
The civil and military officials were extremely curious about the matter of cultivating immortals. They felt itchy after listening to the story, and were a little unhappy when they saw the Eighth Wise King interrupting them.
Zhao Zhen glanced at the Eighth Sage King, and then asked, "Master Lu, why is it so difficult to cultivate immortality? Only one in ten million people can do it?"
"It's actually very simple. The Way of Heaven is vast. Birth, aging, sickness and death are all determined by Heaven. The fate of most living beings is caught in the net of Heaven." Lu Sen slowly told the setting he had thought of before: "But occasionally there are fish that slip through the net. Such people, whose fate is not recorded in the Way of Heaven, have the opportunity to escape from the Way of Heaven, and thus have the qualification to cultivate immortality."
It was the first time that everyone had seen such a "strange" statement.
They had also asked monks and Taoists before how to achieve immortality.
And these people's answers are all the same...something about having a chance to become an immortal,something about not being sincere,something about the elixir not being refined properly, etc.!
This was the first time they had heard of such a thing as a fish slipping through the net of heaven.
At this time, a young civil servant stepped forward and asked, "Master Lu, won't the Heavenly Dao take care of you who have slipped through the net and catch you back?"
Lu Sen had expected someone to ask this question.
He smiled and said, "Let me give you an analogy. An old man bought an ant nest and brought it home to make black ant wine. Occasionally, two or three ants fell on the sidewalk. Do you think the old man would go to the street to find the two ants?"
This analogy is very realistic and everyone understands it as soon as they hear it.
Zhao Zhen was overjoyed: "Master Lu, you mean that as long as we can escape from the web of heaven, we can cultivate immortality?"
Not to mention Zhao Zhen, even other civil and military officials were tempted. It was the first time they heard such a relatively "reliable" explanation.
"Theoretically, yes." Lu Sen suddenly said seriously, "But the government had better not even think about it."
All the officials were stunned, even Zhao Zhen was stunned.
"Why can't I think about cultivating immortality?"
It was the first time he saw a Taoist advise an official not to practice Taoism.
Aren’t all Taoists and monks trying every possible means to trick the emperor into practicing Taoism?
"Because you are the Son of Heaven, you have left your name in the Heavenly Dao." Lu Sen looked at the panicked faces of the ministers around him and continued, "The Heavenly Dao is the father, and birth, aging, sickness and death are the established rules. If the Son of Heaven cultivates immortality, it is against Heaven's will and is tantamount to being unfilial. This action may bring disaster."
This is actually a bit too harsh.
At this time, being unfilial is a very serious crime.
And it is also disrespectful to Heaven.
However, Lu Sen decided to add some more explosive material: "The Emperor of Qin sent Xu Fu to take 3,000 boys and girls to the sea to seek the elixir. Not long after, the Emperor of Qin died suddenly outside the palace."
If Lu Sen had just said that it was unfilial for an emperor to cultivate immortality, then the "connection" of the Qin Emperor's sudden death was like throwing a huge rock into a small lake, blasting everyone into a daze and making them lose their minds.
Especially Zhao Zhen, his face even turned ashen.
After the shock, the civil and military officials began to talk among themselves, and their voices were as loud as a vegetable market.
After Zhao Zhen paused for a while, he said, "Master Lu means... I can never cultivate immortality?"
"Yes, the emperor cannot practice immortality." Lu Sen said firmly: "Any emperor who eats immortality pills and practices immortality will never have a good ending."
Zhao Zhen's face twisted and became extremely ugly. He said unwillingly: "Master Lu, you are trying to persuade me, so you are trying to scare me."
"You and the ministers are all people who are familiar with history books. Recalling what is recorded in the books, how many emperors who asked the gods and ghosts had a good end? Not to mention the two emperors Yan and Huang, those who were saints during their lifetime are not included in this case."
They thought about it and shook their heads, as if there really wasn't any answer.
Zhao Zhen touched his forehead uncomfortably.
He is a fat man and is born with high blood pressure, so he easily gets a headache when he gets excited.
Bao Zheng looked at Lu Sen in the crowd, a little surprised, and finally nodded with a smile.
Zhao Zhen's head was aching so much that he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, today's morning court session ends here. My dear ministers, go home and rest first."
Having said that, without waiting for anyone else to reply, he stood up, and with the help of Liu Chuanzhi, returned to the harem.
The officials left one after another.
Lu Sen followed the Prince of Runan and walked out.
At this time, many people came forward to say hello, all wanting to establish a relationship with Lu Sen.
Even if he cannot obtain the method of cultivating immortality from Lu Sen, at least he can get to know him well. If he ever feels unwell or gets seriously ill in the future, he can still ask Lu Sen for help.
Because so many people came to say hello, they had to stop every few steps. Therefore, it took Prince Runan and Lu Sen half an hour to walk out of the palace.
After leaving the palace, the Prince of Runan took Lu Sen directly back to his home. In the study, he sighed and asked, "Other Taoists are thinking about how to make the emperor believe in immortality so that they can gain favor and rise to prominence. But you, on the other hand, have shattered the emperor's thoughts."
Lu Sen chuckled indifferently.
Seeing that he didn't care, the Prince of Runan also smiled and said, "It's okay, it's fine to expose it. Anyway, it won't hinder the big things. On the contrary, the son-in-law can attack or defend in the future, because you didn't flatter the emperor, which is very important."
Literati don’t like Taoists very much.
He was afraid that they would lead the official astray and seek immortals and ask for advice, and then ignore state affairs.
This time, Lu Sen directly shattered Zhao Zhen's thoughts, making them extremely fond of Lu Sen.
"Actually, I didn't think about it that much. I just simply said it out loud. I guess the government has no interest in me anymore." Lu Sen explained.
"That won't happen." The Prince of Runan looked out the window and thought for a while, then said, "In fact, he himself knows that as an emperor, it is almost impossible for him to cultivate to become an immortal. And you, my dear son-in-law, are the only one who truly possesses great magical powers. You are irreplaceable. When the emperor calms down, he will definitely grant you an official position."
Hearing this, Lu Sen nodded.
"The most troublesome thing now is how to let my son-in-law have real power." The Prince of Runan said with some embarrassment: "According to past practice, Taoist priests are given honorary titles. Although they have high ranks, they have no real power."
But even if a Taoist priest has no real power, as long as he gains the trust of the government and leads the government astray, he can still cause chaos in the entire country.
The Prince of Runan thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if my dear son-in-law has any idea about the position of 'Military Supervisor'?"
"Well, military inspector?" Lu Sen was a little surprised.
The Prince of Runan nodded and said, "As far as I know, the Zhe Clan and the Zhong Clan in the northwest will soon attack Xixia at the same time, so they will have to send a military supervisor to supervise the battle."
