When speaking of food, Master also has a very human touch, unlike that ethereal Lord Fuguang on Lingxu Mountain who seems untouched by worldly cares.
Perhaps for Master to ascend to divinity, he needs to comprehend this taste of mortal life. After immersing himself in the red dust of the world, seeing through the karma contained within all living beings—more complex than the movement of stars—and the profound bonds deeper than heaven and earth, the return to simplicity after great enlightenment might be what the Divine Lord requires Master to realize.
"Little Pearl, you are right. The mortal world is the path! We are both observers and participants. Then, let's give the court of Dayan and its common people a chance."
[Master, you agree to reveal the treasure matter to the Emperor? Which one should we tell them about?]
"Any one will do. Let's give them one first and see how they perform. If this money is not used for the people's livelihood or military preparedness,
but ends up lining certain individuals' pockets, then Dayan deserves to perish. Whether others save them or not, I for one will no longer care about their fate."
[I'll prepare some lots for you, Master. Just pick one randomly...]
The Dayan Emperor and his ministers: Is it really this casual? But having something is better than nothing.
Dong Qianli had already thought of various methods to strictly guard against and prevent anyone from embezzling even a single tael of silver.
Is this just money? No, this is a test set by the little immortal lord for our Emperor and his ministers. Pass it, and Dayan still has hope; fail it, and just wait to pack your belongings and flee or clean yourself up and await death!
Clearly, the others also understood this reasoning. They glanced at each other, each thinking the other might be the one to drag them down!
[Alright, Master. One, two, three, which do you choose?]
"The doctrine of the mean. I choose two."
[Master, number two is the other half of the Tong family treasure. Eunuch Qian's nephew came to the capital this time precisely under orders to seek external allies here to help search for this treasure.]
Hearing that the first treasure they might obtain was the Tong family treasure, Emperor Mingxi and his ministers were all secretly thrilled.
They were so excited they could hardly contain themselves, wanting to laugh heartily and rush out—to do what? Dig for treasure!
Yet they had to force themselves to finish the court session properly, lest those two notice anything amiss.
As for the remnants of the previous dynasty, now that they knew these people were still active, they were on guard. Once they intercepted their last reliance, they would no longer be a threat.
Moreover, now that they knew about that nest of 'the Qian family', were they afraid they couldn't capture others by seizing them?
"They sought external allies? Who did they find?"
[According to records, they sought the Nan Yue people. During the Emperor's longevity festival this year, the Nan Yue envoys in the capital will obtain a jade Guanyin statue, inside which is hidden the treasure map.
Half a year later, they finally find the Tong family treasure based on the location drawn on the map.
Later, news of this leaks. Spurred by this, Prince Rong's son leads his men and, after more than half a year, finally finds the key to the old Emperor's treasure vault hidden by Prince Rong.
After obtaining the key, they find the vault's location from it and successfully use the key to open the savings accumulated by Dayan's previous emperors over several generations, left by the old Emperor for his son, totaling nearly ten million taels of silver.
They use this money to raise an army and bribe many court and local officials, effectively sounding the death knell for Dayan once again!
The old Emperor never imagined that the silver he sent out would become the hammer that shattered the broken drum that was Dayan. His own descendants personally sending their dynasty to its demise is quite ironic!]
Emperor Mingxi's face twitched, filled with both anger and embarrassment. After all, these people were his own father and nephews, all members of the Xie family. Burying one's own dynasty—quite something!
"A Guanyin statue? It couldn't be the 'Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Guanyin' statue from the auction, could it? I thought those people were strange at the time.
But since you know the location, whether we have the statue or not shouldn't affect retrieving the treasure.
Little Pearl, all I can say is I'll try to pass the message to Emperor Mingxi. I'm just a child, my words carry little weight; he might not believe me.
If he doesn't believe and misses the treasure, then it has nothing to do with us!
It just means this windfall wasn't in his fate, and he can't blame others.]
The Dayan Emperor and ministers: Your words carry little weight? Would you care to look around—who in all of Dayan has words as effective as yours?
To speak out of turn, even His Majesty's words aren't as potent as yours now!
Emperor Mingxi: This wealth is definitely in my fate. I will certainly listen to whatever you say.
The most shocked had to be the Crown Prince. He was present for the entire bidding of that Guanyin statue at the time, never imagining it concealed such a secret as a treasure map!
If he had known earlier... never mind. Even if he had known, with the free location provided by the divine artifact, he wouldn't have been willing to spend tens of thousands of taels to buy it.
The Crown Prince, the richer he gets, the more reluctant he is to throw money around like he used to.
Recently, while busy with the Ministry of Revenue preparing disaster relief, he always unconsciously equates silver with rice and flour.
[Mhm, give them one chance. If they can't grasp it, then forget it. Little Pearl just had a sudden whim to meddle in this matter.]
"Find an opportunity to remind old Qian. He shouldn't keep sending money to his family's murderers anymore. In the end, he even gets stabbed by his own nephew and nearly sent to his grave!"
Pfft! Eunuch Qian still couldn't hold back and fainted. He had acknowledged thieves as father and mother, sending them money, grain, and everything he possessed.
He had failed his parents, brothers, and the sister who always carried him on her back.
No wonder his sister grew distant after he turned five—that person was no longer his real sister!
A clear tear slid from the unconscious Eunuch Qian's eye. And his only remaining relative in this world, his missing younger sister A'Tao—he must find her!
Yue Fuguang sighed inwardly, hoping Eunuch Qian could quickly pull himself together to search for his sister. This system couldn't help with that; he had to rely on himself.
Later, the official story for Eunuch Qian fainting in court was that his nephew had come to the capital to report a bereavement—Eunuch Qian's parents had both passed away due to illness, and he was overcome with grief, leading to his collapse.
Whether others believed it or not, Yue Fuguang, in front of Emperor Mingxi, blinked her big eyes and expressed pity for Qian Gui for a while. She even took out a small handful of gold melon seeds from her own purse, calling it condolence money for Eunuch Qian.
This prompted Emperor Mingxi to also take out a piece of silver on the spot, saying he'd also contribute.
The ministers who hadn't left yet also generously opened their purses. The still-unconscious Eunuch Qian, without his knowledge, had received nearly a thousand taels, almost matching all his previous savings.
One particularly remembers Yue Fuguang, before leaving, solemnly proposing to Emperor Mingxi, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Qian is currently overwhelmed with grief. Traveling alone might not be entirely safe. Perhaps Your Majesty could send more people to accompany Qian Gui back for the funeral. Near his home... well, 'near' meaning within a hundred li... there's a mountain called Tongming Mountain..."
She also mentioned that while at the Taoist temple, she heard devotees say Tongming Mountain lies at the border of Jiaozhou and Jingzhou prefectures. Neither prefecture manages it well, leading to rampant banditry in that mountain range. Perhaps the Emperor could send people to conveniently suppress them while they're at it.
Finally, she added, "Your Majesty, Fuguang heard those devotees say those bandits are guarding a treasure in the mountains. Does treasure really exist in this world?"
Emperor Mingxi's expression at that moment... was quite spectacular! The corner of his mouth even twitched. Hahahaha!
It was just that casual. Believe it or not!
