Chapter 38: Going up the mountain to pray for blessings, the temple is far away [Early spring, the ninth day of the first lunar month. ] 【The emperor is in the south.】 [The emperor is now leading the officials as the first group to enter the mountains. The second half of the group is the Beifeng delegation, and the delegations from the four countries of Qianyuan, Han, and Chu.] [The second group was the imperial concubines and the families of the civil and military officials, a large and mighty group.] [You have been practicing for half a month, but you have made some rare progress, and you are delighted.] [That day, you washed your face, put on a Taoist robe, and walked out of the Tomb of the Living Dead. ] 【Seeing the warm spring days, it is the best time of the year. 】 [You, Lu Yu, and Liu Jinchan stood on the stone steps of Zhongnan Mountain to welcome the Emperor of Daqing, with hundreds of disciples of the Three True Sect standing in two rows behind you.] [Mt. Zhongnan has long been guarded by layers of guards. The emperor's tour to pray for blessings is a matter of great importance.]

[You, Lu Yu, and Liu Jinchan stood side by side on the stone steps of Mount Zhongnan, waiting for the arrival of Emperor Daqing.] [Liu Jinchan is the leader, standing in the middle, you and Lu Yu are on the left and right of Master Liu Jinchan.] [Master Liu Jinchan said unnaturally: "Shenzhou, as the commander-in-chief of the Northern Army, you have a high status and should stand in the middle."] [You laughed and said, "Now, I am just a disciple of the Three True Sect. I should follow the sect's rules and stand by my teacher's side."] [The emperor bathed and changed his clothes for three days, then took his ministers to the mountain. The scene of the pilgrimage was solemn and dignified.] 【You finally meet the emperor again. 】 【Emperor Qing, Zhou Heng.】 [The emperor is old, with white hair on his head. Under the noble yellow robe is a man in his sixties.] [Back then, when he ascended the throne, he was already over thirty years old. He spent the first half of his life in the palace, but suddenly he jumped onto the throne and became the ruler of all people.] [He stabilized the situation in three years, built up his own team, and truly took charge of Daqing in ten years. He cannot be said to be an incompetent ruler.] [You saw in his eyes the fear of death and the relief of having lived a lifetime.] [The eunuch Ma Bao, who holds the seal, follows behind respectfully.] [Following are the four princes, the eighth prince whom I have met, and the others are the second prince, the sixth prince, and the fourth prince. ] [The four princes are the four people in the world who are closest to the kingdom and divine weapon.] [After that, there is the array of civil officials, including the Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, Grand Guardian, the six ministers, the assistant ministers, the cabinet ministers, the Secretariat ministers, the Dali Temple imperial envoys, the Imperial Academy chief priests, etc.] [The military generals were on one side, clearly separated, next to the Imperial Guards, the Minister of the Interior, the Generals of the Four Continents, the Commander-in-Chief, the Admiral, etc.] 【Lu Chen's father claimed to be ill at home, and his mother did not come to take care of him. 】 [But you know that this is to avoid suspicion. ] [You can't help but catch a glimpse of some familiar faces among them. They are all the most powerful people in Daqing today. ]

[You three have met Emperor Zhou Heng.] 【Zhou Heng waved his hand and said, "Everyone, there is no need to be so polite."】 [The old emperor said gently: "Walk with me."] [“It will take some time to offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray for blessings.”] [Zhou Heng walked calmly, accompanied by Lu Chen and the other two, and all the civil and military officials walked in a line.] [Zhou Heng and Liu Jinchan talked about the way to keep healthy. Every word they said touched the old emperor's heart, which made him look relaxed and happy.] [Zhou Heng sighed with emotion: "Time flies, and youth passes by easily. When people reach old age, they realize how precious life is. I am afraid that I will not be able to see this prosperous world again."] [The second prince behind him hurriedly said: "May your father live forever, and he will be blessed by heaven. This is not just adding to your troubles. He is a god on earth."] 【Zhou Heng smiled and said: "Second brother, you are the best at talking."】 [The second prince said shamelessly: "I will take after my father."] [When Zhou Heng was a prince, he was bound to do some so-called "stealing" and "scamming" things, but the historians recorded that "he was very heroic and made friends with talented people in Wuling."] [The second prince married the Princess Beifeng and received great support from the southern noble family. His power in the court is at its peak.] [The southern clans advocate peace.] [Zhou Heng looked at Lu Chen, with a different kind of brilliance in his eyes.] 【This old man, who has reached the age of sixty, is filled with infinite emotion at this moment. 】【"Shenzhou, I saw you and your father alone in Kyoto that year. You rode fast horses into the capital at night. It was curfew, but you couldn't stop the people in Kyoto from seeing you. Kyoto was crowded at night, which meant that the law did not punish the masses. The noise was more lively than the Lantern Festival."】 [“I instructed Ma Bao to wake me up as soon as you and your son enter the city. Maybe this dog slave forgot, or maybe I am old and slept until dawn, leaving you and your son waiting in the palace all night.”] [“Shenzhou, do you blame me?”] [As soon as he finished speaking, the eunuch Ma Bao, who was in charge of the seal, prostrated himself on the ground and said, "I deserve to die, Your Majesty, please punish me."] 【Zhou Heng didn't care, he lightly kicked Ma Bao and looked deeply at Lu Chen.】 【Once these words were spoken, even the officials became solemn. 】 [The second prince smiled.] 【Liu Jinchan's heart tightened.】 [How to respond to this tricky question, whether the answer is "yes" or "no", it seems difficult to avoid getting into trouble. ] [If you answer "yes", it may be seen as disrespectful to the emperor, and if you are not careful, you may be suspected of being "arrogant". ] [However, if you choose to answer "no", it will seem insincere and unconvincing. Most of the upright officials of the Qingliu are outspoken. ] [Liu Jinchan was caught in a dilemma, and sighed inwardly: This answer doesn't work no matter how I answer it, it seems that no matter how I answer it, it will be wrong.] [No matter what choice he makes, it seems that he will inevitably be criticized and blamed. In this court full of intrigues and struggles, every word and every sentence needs to be carefully considered.] [He has practiced Taoism for many years, but he does not understand the deep meaning. ]

【I really can’t think of a response.】 【However, he was not worried. 】 [This disciple is calm and measured, and never neglects anything in his dealings with others. ] [The atmosphere among the civil and military officials was tense and subtle. ] [Among the court officials, some who were familiar with Lu Chen were worried about him, while others just watched coldly and laughed secretly. ] [And those officials who saw the rumored Lu Shaobao for the first time had eyes full of curiosity and inquiry. ] [Only a few people understood the deep meaning, but they kept silent.] [The Eighth Prince's eyes were filled with enthusiasm. ] [Everyone waits for Lu Chen's reply.] [You have the ability to judge people and have understood the meaning.] So you decided... 1. If the answer is affirmative, there is indeed resentment, or there is a possibility of being reused 2. Answer in the negative, without any resentment, or you will be out of the court. 3. If you remain silent, Daqing will no longer tolerate you and your family will be in trouble. 4. Get involved in person. (1/3) Yu Ke looked at several options. Option 3. If you remain silent, Daqing will no longer tolerate you and your family will be in trouble. Nature excluded! Yu Ke already had a plan in mind: in the next ten years you will only practice Taoism and don't want to get involved in the temple. Yu Ke directly chooses 2, answers negatively, has no resentment, and may leave the court! As you choose! [You answered Zhou Heng's question, "I don't have it in my mind", without any embellishment, and answered straightforwardly.] [After hearing your answer, Zhou Heng looked thoughtful, then sighed slightly.] [“What a pity, I am old.] [“If I were thirty years younger, no,… twenty years, even if it’s ten years.”] 【Zhou Heng suddenly said again: "No more talking, no more talking, let's go up the mountain!"】 [The emperor said in a tone that he could hear:] [“That night, I also didn’t sleep all night.”] [The team began to go up the mountain. Liu Jinchan led Zhou Heng to the altar, followed by the four princes and the civil and military officials.] [Lu Chen and Lu Yu did not have official status, but were outside the altar. ] [The second wave, Beifeng's delegation, Qianyuan, Han, and Chu's delegations have arrived!] (End of this chapter)