Incense was burned and candles were lit in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The very old Emperor Qian leaned on a couch with his eyes squinted.
The young eunuch at the side handed over the pipe filled with longevity cream.
Immediately, Emperor Qian became alert.
He squirmed twice and moved closer to the lit lamp on the low table.
Puffing out smoke.
Looks comfortable.
"Xiao Dezi, if it weren't for the longevity cream, I would have died long ago."
Emperor Qian, with an old and hoarse voice, moved his body to make his posture more comfortable.
"Oh, Your Majesty, look at what you said."
"You will live forever."
Xiao Dezi is a clever little eunuch.
Ever since Xiao Dezi said to him before, "You will definitely live a long life," and was beheaded, he has kept this in mind.
Why?
Emperor Qian is eighty-nine years old this year.
“There is no such thing as eternal life. For human beings, being able to live and enjoy life is the greatest blessing in the world.”
"Even if life is a little complicated, it's a good thing if no one cares about it."
"What I fear most is being poor and being missed by others..."
Before Emperor Qian could finish his words, a young eunuch ran in from outside.
"Your Highness, Her Royal Highness the Princess requests an audience."
The words were spoken softly.
Emperor Qian, however, frowned.
His biggest headache was meeting his sister.
But what is more troublesome is that I have to see him.
"Let her in."
Emperor Qian said this in a low voice, while handing the pipe in his hand to Xiao Dezi.
Xiao Dezi quickly packed up.
The eldest princess can't stand these things.
Although he was seen, Emperor Qian was fine.
He must die.
A moment later, Zhao Dingsi, dressed in casual clothes, walked into the hall.
As soon as she came in, the eldest princess twitched her nose.
Then, he looked displeased.
He didn't say anything, just stared at Emperor Qian.
"Ahem, sit still."
Emperor Qian coughed lightly and greeted him repeatedly. He didn't look like a king at all, but more like an old man who sneaked out to fish and was discovered by his daughter.
In fact, Emperor Qian's father was extremely unreliable.
When Emperor Qian was fifty years old, he and his new concubine gave birth to the eldest princess, Zhao Dingsi.
After that, he indulged in partying every night and died three years later.
The fifty-three-year-old Emperor Qian ascended the throne with the three-year-old princess by his side.
When the eldest princess came of age, she gave birth to the crown prince, the second prince, and the third prince.
So, in a sense, this eldest princess was raised by Emperor Qian.
It is not an exaggeration to say that she is my own daughter.
"Didn't you say you won't smoke Fu Shou cream anymore?"
"That thing is harmful to people, don't you know?"
"The barbarians from foreign countries offered this thing to you. Don't you know their intention?"
The eldest princess asked three questions in a row.
"this……"
Emperor Qian was speechless.
Of course he knew.
But he can't say it.
As soon as they talked, there was another quarrel.
He doesn't want to quarrel.
I could only look at the eldest princess helplessly.
"Brother, you haven't been involved in government affairs for ten years. I see that you are in good spirits. How about you take charge of government affairs at the beginning of next month? I just have something to do."
The eldest princess said seriously.
"Dingsi, what's wrong with you?"
"Are you unhappy?"
"Or is someone gossiping again?"
"Tell me that I have wiped out all nine of his clans."
Emperor Qian sat up directly.
He didn't look like a man who was almost ninety years old.
Especially the fierce light in his eyes.
As if it were real.
Like a dragon's roar.
The eunuchs and palace maids who were waiting outside the palace all fainted with their eyes rolled back, especially Xiao Dezi, who was closest to the palace. He bled from all his orifices and died instantly.
To the outside world, everyone spread the rumor that the princess controlled the government and Emperor Qian had long been sidelined.
But right now, it’s not the case.
Or rather, inaccurate.
Because it wasn't the eldest princess who sidelined Emperor Qian.
Instead, it was Emperor Qian who took the initiative to give up power.
The eldest princess looked at her brother, sighed, raised her hand and held Emperor Qian's hand.
"No one."
"I'm just a little tired and want to go out for a walk."
"Brother, please let me out."
As the eldest princess spoke, her tone became coquettish.
Emperor Qian had no opinion and agreed immediately.
"Okay, okay, go ahead."
"But come back early."
"I'll let the Shenwu Camp follow..."
"The Shenwu Camp has 80,000 people. It's no big deal for them to follow me. I'm just going out to relax and have fun. Besides, the Shenwu Camp guards the important area of ​​the imperial capital and cannot afford to lose anything."
When faced with fundamental issues, the eldest princess insisted on her own opinion.
There was even more doting in Emperor Qian's eyes.
"well."
"But you need to have people around you who can help you."
"Go and take a team of imperial guards with you."
Emperor Qian took out a badge and said, "This time, no one can refuse it."
The eldest princess heard it.
So, I nodded.
Afterwards, the brother and sister chatted for a while.
"Why do I feel a little hungry all of a sudden?"
The eldest princess said.
"Ha, I was just worried you weren't hungry."
"I'm all ready."
Emperor Qian quickly got up from the bed, walked to the cabinet beside him, and took out a food box full of snacks. Inside the box was a heart that was glowing red and still beating.
Not a human heart.
Huge and full of oppressive feeling.
Still hot.
"This is the dragon heart that Lan presented as tribute. I had it cooked."
"Although it's definitely not a dragon's heart, it's a lizard or something like that, but it works well."
Emperor Qian said as he looked at his sister expectantly.
When he saw the eldest princess open her mouth and the entire dragon heart was wrapped up in the smoke and inhaled into her stomach, his eyes were filled with even more anticipation.
“It tastes good.”
“It’s just a little spicy.”
The eldest princess commented.
Emperor Qian had a smile on his face.
"This is a barbarian land, the taste is a bit pungent. Next time I will ask the Imperial Hospital and the Imperial Kitchen to think about whether there is a way to get rid of the taste. Can you still eat it?"
"No."
"My body can't handle that much."
"I feel uncomfortable after eating too much."
"Then my brother, I'm leaving first."
Seeing that Emperor Qian obviously wanted to chat for a while longer, the eldest princess was like a willful child and just left.
Emperor Qian escorted him straight to the palace gate.
He just watched the eldest princess's back disappear and then returned to the bed.
He took out the bong again and lit the lamp.
Once again puffing out smoke.
After two or three mouthfuls, this person suddenly spoke up -
"Go tell those barbarians that the lizards we got last time were good, and ask them to pay tribute with a few more."
"besides……"
"Didn't some barbarian say they had a firebird? The people from the Imperial Observatory said the firebird had phoenix blood, so they asked them to give it up so that Dingsi could have a better meal."
Speaking of this, Emperor Qian still had a doting look on his face.
But the next moment, his face turned gloomy.
"Tell the Southern Dipper and Northern Dipper Divisions to deal with the Taoist master of the Longevity Path. Do not let him meet Dingsi."
"If they can't do things well, there's no need for them to exist."
As the voice fell, someone responded immediately from the shadow of the curtain.
Afterwards, Emperor Qian was the only one left in the hall, puffing out smoke.
In the trash can nearby were the memorials from the second prince, the third prince, and the two missing princes.
Emperor Qian was indifferent to this.
…
The days go by one after another.
It's almost February.
Haimen is thriving. The newly built wharf is open to the public directly. Ships come and go. Standing on the wharf, you can see the sails reaching the sky with no end in sight.
Get up early and see people coming and going on the pier.
Drink some soy milk and eat some steamed buns from time to time.
It is true that the demon from the 'Changsheng Dao' is causing trouble.
But we all have to live, right?
Moreover, this time, the demons from the 'Eternal Life' sect were causing trouble for some big shots.
What does it have to do with these common people?
Everyone goes to work happily every day, and then listens to stories happily.
That taste is actually quite delicious.
However, the most beautiful one is the silly boy Li Changhai.
Ever since he learned flying knife skills from Zhang Deshou, his skills have been improving day by day.
Even the young master of the Zhang family had to admit that Li Changhai was suitable for flying knives.
Today, after Li Changhai blindfolded himself and shot down two sparrows, the young master of the Zhang family said that Li Changhai was ready to start his apprenticeship.
"I can't teach you the rest. This is my family heirloom. I can't teach it to my daughter or son-in-law. I can only teach it to my son."
The young master of the Zhang family also made it clear what he said.
This silly boy Li Changhai has no jealousy at all.
How can you teach a family heirloom to an outsider?
Just like the picture of his Li family going into the mountains, can it be given to outsiders?
impossible!
That is the capital for making a living.
But the more this happened, the more grateful this silly boy Li Changhai felt in his heart.
So, early this morning, Li Changhai went to get some wine.
He was prepared to thank the young master of the Zhang family very much.
He also had enough money.
Old Li knew that the family was poor but the road was rich, so he took care of the child. When he left, he not only gave him silver dollars and copper coins, but also sewed twenty gold leaves inside his jacket - this time Li Changhai planned to take them all out.
Originally, the silly boy wanted to book a restaurant.
The restaurant where Hun Yangmohu stayed that day was fine, but the young master of the Zhang family didn't want to go.
There are many people and many eyes.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
If the secret leaks out , he'll be finished.
As Goethe's business grew bigger and bigger, the young master of the Zhang family could no longer keep up with Goethe's ideas.
He didn't know what Goethe was trying to do.
But he knows.
If I had ruined Goethe's plans.
He must be finished.
So, we can’t go to the restaurant.
Then drink some at home.
At least drink and eat something.
Therefore, Li Changhai not only had to buy wine, but also had to buy roast chicken and pork elbows. The roast chicken had to be crispy and the pork elbows had to be stewed until soft. It would be even better if there were braised beef with soy sauce and fried meatballs.
Peanuts and dried tofu are of course a must as well.
They are all snacks.
Li Changhai was extremely grateful for this.
He thought that it was the young master of the Zhang family who saved him money.
For all these things, not to mention the gold leaves, the silver dollars and loose change he had on him were more than enough.
Li Changhai went to buy some wine and vegetables.
Xia Yunfei was concentrating and cultivating his energy in the yard.
The young master of the Zhang family staggered to the gate and leaned against the sun.
He is now dressed like a beggar.
There aren't that many requirements.
Moreover, I don’t know if I’ve gotten into the role.
The young master of the Zhang family always felt that being a beggar was pretty good, as he didn't have to dress up or ride on anything, and he was free and unrestrained.
Inexplicably, I can still feel happy.
Leaning against the wall, basking in the warm sun, the young master of the Zhang family crossed his legs and hummed a tune.
It’s so comfortable.
But immediately, the young master of the Zhang family frowned.
A fortune teller appeared before him.
He was holding a banner with the words "Divine Calculation" written on it, wearing a melon-shaped hat, with cloudy eyes, looking like a blind man, and his clothes were old but quite clean. He just stood in front of him.
Although he was blind, he felt as if he was being scrutinized.
The young master of the Zhang family smiled.
He was not timid, nor did he get angry. He just moved to the side.
"Together?"
"Excuse me for disturbing you."
The blind fortune teller didn't hesitate and set up his stall right where the young master of the Zhang family had been lying.
The whole process was extremely skillful.
He doesn't look blind at all.
After a while, the blind man sat down and spoke while waiting for someone.
"Since I'm taking your place, shall I tell you your fortune for free?"
"Don't worry."
"I have a bad life and a small heart. I can't stand hearing those words."
The young master of the Zhang family waved his hand.
"Bad luck?"
"Your fate, although you will have dangers when you are a child, but after that, you will meet a noble person, not only will the danger turn into blessing, but you will also become extremely rich and powerful. This kind of fate is incomparable even to the royal family, so how can it be bad?"
The blind fortune teller asked seriously.
"Just say something nice."
"He is also a royal relative."
“I am a beggar now.”
The young master of the Zhang family leaned back in the sun and said with a smile.
"What's wrong with beggars?"
"Does this affect your luck?"
"No."
"On the contrary, if you continue, you will become the king of beggars."
The blind fortune teller pinched his fingers for a long time with a serious expression.
"The king of beggars?"
"What is that?"
The young master of the Zhang family became interested.
“Still a beggar.”
The blind fortune teller tells the truth.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Come on, come on, you set up your stall and I'll bask in the sun."
"We don't interfere with each other's business."
The young master of the Zhang family rolled his eyes and gave the blind fortune teller the middle finger.
It's an instinctive move.
However, what the young master of the Zhang family did not expect was that the blind fortune teller actually grabbed his raised middle finger.
Um?
The young master of the Zhang family was stunned.
Not blind?
Can see.
Moreover, he was able to grab my fingers without me reacting.
Master!
Suddenly, the young master of the Zhang family became alert.
But before the young master of the Zhang family could react, the blind fortune teller let go.
“Almost.”
The blind fortune teller said so.
"Almost what?"
"Can you please tell me the whole story? "
"Say half, keep half, and your son will have no asshole."
The young master of the Zhang family yelled, his body squirmed twice, then turned around and ran away.
He kept turning his head and looking while running.
Huh?
What about the blind man?
Behind him, the blind man was gone.
Before the young master of the Zhang family could figure it out, he bumped into the wall.
It is indeed a wall.
But there was clearly a door here before.
What's going on?
The young master of the Zhang family covered the bump on his forehead, and stars appeared in front of his eyes.
The blind fortune teller came over with a smile.
"Do you want to learn?"
"In no mood!"
The young master of the Zhang family answered simply, turned around and ran again.
But this time, I hit a wall again.
Just as he covered his head, wondering what to do, a voice suddenly sounded in his ears.
"Qi Men Dun Jia?"
"Can I learn?"
The young master of the Zhang family was overjoyed.
This voice is so familiar.
Turning his head, the young master of the Zhang family saw Goethe who had not appeared for a long time.
And the blind fortune teller who had a look of doubt and shock on his face and was trembling all over.
I only heard the blind man stammering to himself:
"Extraterritorial demon!"