Jiang Liu was sizing up Li Shimin, and Li Shimin was also sizing up Jiang Liu.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly concealed. However, Jiang Liu keenly sensed that seeing himself seemed to remind him of someone.
"Please sit down, Daoist Master. These are Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Wei Zheng!"
The three high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty, neither humble nor arrogant, bowed to Jiang Liu. They were no ordinary people; they were all Confucian scholars who had cultivated their inner strength.
Although they are not at the level of Earth Immortals, even ordinary Qi Refining and Spirit Transformation level demons are no match for them.
When righteous energy emerges, demons bow down.
Once you understand that Wei Zheng was able to slay the Jing River Dragon King in his dream, you'll know how powerful they were.
"Your Majesty, I have come today with a request!" Jiang Liu said directly. Now that he had the power, he naturally didn't need to be polite. Addressing Li Shimin as "Your Majesty" instead of "Emperor of Tang" indicated that he was now a person outside the realm of civilization, not one of his subjects.
Li Shimin smiled and pointed to the brocade box on the table, saying, "Immortal Yuan has already told me that this contains the Dan Ding Liu cultivation method, Yin Yang Nine Revolutions."
In the spirit of reciprocity, Jiang Liu, wanting to spread Christianity in the Tang Dynasty and make Qianlong Temple prosper, would naturally not be stingy.
As the ruler of the Nine Provinces and the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Jiang Liu had to expend some effort to win over Li Shimin. So, he took out a pill bestowed upon him by Shennong.
This pill can bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bones; it is a celestial elixir.
A small jade bottle was placed in front of Li Shimin. Jiang Liu said, "I have heard that Empress Zhangsun is seriously ill, and even Fellow Daoist Li is unable to cure her. This pill is a celestial elixir bestowed by the Three Holy Emperors of Huoyun Palace. Your Majesty may take it and give it a try!"
The reason Tieguai Li stayed in Chang'an was because Li Shimin had asked him to treat Empress Zhangsun's illness. Unfortunately, even he couldn't cure her, and could only prolong her life with elixirs.
According to Tieguai Li, Empress Zhangsun might not live to see spring. This is because she is not suffering from an illness, but rather from being harmed by a powerful demonic cultivator. The demonic energy has lingered in her body for many years, now penetrating to her very bones, like a maggot clinging to a bone—even a god could not save her.
However, after Jiang Liu healed Bai Lu's injuries with elixirs, Tieguai Li asserted that the elixir bestowed by Shennong might be able to dispel the evil energy of Fugu.
Jiang Liu knew about the relationship between Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun. If he could save Empress Zhangsun, there would be no obstacles to the spread of Buddhism from Qianlong Temple to the Tang Dynasty.
All those talismans from the Three Mountains, and those from Dragon Tiger and Wudang, will have to step aside.
"The elixir bestowed by Shennong!" Li Shimin's eyes lit up. Holding the jade bottle, he couldn't wait to go to the inner palace.
Seeing the emperor lose his composure, Changsun Wuji coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress's illness is not urgent."
As Empress Zhangsun's brother, he naturally had the right to say such things. If Wei Zheng or Fang Xuanling had said them, Li Shimin wouldn't have been furious, but he would have harbored resentment.
Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger!
Li Shimin immediately composed himself and said, "Thank you for the medicine, Daoist. If Guanyinbi recovers, I will definitely go to the Temple of the Three Holy Ancestors to express my gratitude and build a temple for you to spread your teachings."
Guanyinbi was the nickname of Empress Zhangsun.
"I hope it works on Empress Zhangsun!" Jiang Liu covered the brocade box with his palm and put it away. Then, after thinking for a moment, he said, "When Emperor Tang saw my appearance just now, did it remind him of someone?"
Since his master, Daoist Xuanming, passed away, Jiang Liu's origins have remained a complete mystery. Seeing Li Shimin's expression today, he casually inquired about it. As for his background, it was of no use to Jiang Liu. Knowing was better than not knowing; let it drift away with the wind!
"Does the immortal really know?" Li Shimin seemed to recall something, then looked at Jiang Liu's face and said, "Immortals possess dragon energy. As far as I know, this dragon energy is not something that cultivators possess; only emperors have it. Naturally, immortals would not covet this dragon throne."
It wasn't surprising that Li Shimin could sense the dragon energy emanating from the earth's veins within him. As the emperor of the Nine Provinces, he was naturally extremely sensitive to dragon energy.
"The Taoist priest is protected by dragon energy, and... his appearance is very similar to one of my distant relatives! Extremely similar!"
After Li Shimin finished speaking, Changsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, and Fang Xuanling all looked at Jiang Liu.
Then, with a look of surprise, he said, "If Your Majesty hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have noticed... It's so similar, so very similar!"
Chapter 277 Changsheng Moves People's Hearts
Yuan Tiangang looked at Jiang Liu with surprise, then shook his head and smiled bitterly, "So you are his descendant. Judging by the years, you should be his grandson. So the Sui Dynasty still has orphans!"
Orphan of the Sui Dynasty!
Jiang Liu frowned and said, "I am... the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui?"
"So young!" Li Shimin was even more surprised. Calculating the years, the Taoist with the strength of an Earth Immortal was not even twenty years old.
A twenty-year-old immortal—how many people in the world can become immortals at the age of twenty?
Unless he's a reincarnated immortal!
But why would a celestial being be reincarnated as a descendant of a fallen kingdom? There's no logic to it.
"If only he were a descendant of my Li family. If he had been born twenty years earlier, there would probably be no Tang Dynasty!" A thousand thoughts raced through Li Shimin's mind, but ultimately only one remained: "Does he pose a threat to my Tang Dynasty?"
Jiang Liu saw his worry at a glance and laughed loudly, "Dust to dust, ashes to ashes. Now that I have become an immortal, the grudges and karmic retributions of this mortal world are no longer related to me. Rest assured, Your Majesty, my heart is in the Great Dao, in immortality!"
With the path to immortality right before them, why would they care about the insignificant throne of an emperor?
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty has a long history, and even if Jiang Liu wanted to sit on the throne, he would have to consider the consequences.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression turned somewhat dejected. As emperor, he had unified the nine provinces, received congratulations from all nations, and was hailed as the Heavenly Khan by the various steppe countries, yet he could not escape the shackles of lifespan.
In particular, Empress Zhangsun's serious illness intensified his desire for immortality.
From the First Emperor of Qin to Emperor Wu of Han, who didn't harbor the obsession with immortality?
Immortality, from ancient times to the present, and perhaps thousands of years from now, will remain the goal pursued by everyone.
"Perhaps I should have pursued Taoism back then. With my talent, I should have become an immortal!" Once this thought took hold, the desire for immortality could never be suppressed.
What could be more appealing than immortality than the throne?
Changsun Wuji and the others remained calm. They naturally knew that a celestial being of Jiang Liu's strength would not care about the emperor's throne.
Not only do they not care, but even if you give it to them, they will reject it.
But what they didn't know was that the wise emperor before them already harbored the idea of seeking immortality.
It took Li Shimin a long time to recover his composure. Looking at Jiang Liu, he said, "Actually, Empress Xiao is in Chang'an! Do you want to go see her?"
Empress Xiao, wife of Yang Guang, was also the grandmother of this body.
To meet or not to meet.
Jiang Liu paused for a moment, then said, "Let's meet him!"
"Consider this my last wish!" Jiang Liu thought to himself.
Li Shimin immediately made the arrangements, and before long, an old woman came walking briskly over.
At this moment, only Jiang Liu and the old man in his seventies remained in the small palace.
His hair was white and his face was deeply lined.
"You are Jian'er's child, my grandson..." The old woman looked at Jiang Liu, her turbid tears rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to hug Jiang Liu, but she didn't dare!
Because she knew that the person before her was an immortal!
Jiang Liu was actually quite embarrassed, but he managed a smile and bowed deeply.
"I have already entered the path of immortality in this life, please do not blame Jiang Liu for being heartless, Ancestor!"
"Jiang Liu? Alas!" Empress Xiao, having reached such an age, had long since let go of worldly affairs. Wiping away her tears, she smiled and said, "If your grandfather could see this, he would surely be overjoyed. Although the empire is lost and the country is destroyed, your achievements are enough, more than enough! Those who cultivate the Dao are untouched by worldly affairs; how could I not know that? Seeing you today... even in the afterlife, I can face my ancestors with a smile..."
"Is there any unfulfilled wish of our ancestor?"
"With the Yang family having an heir, my wish has been fulfilled. If possible, I hope to be buried with your grandfather after my death."
...
As night fell, Empress Xiao left the palace, her heart filled with joy. Life expectancy is rarely seventy years, and she never imagined that after waiting for decades, she could finally leave this world with a smile.
Jiang Liu gazed at the night sky, lost in thought. Neither Empress Xiao, nor the Yang family, nor the Sui Dynasty stirred any emotion within him; it seemed none of these matters concerned him whatsoever.
When Empress Xiao left, she was prepared to die; perhaps, for her, living was a form of suffering.
Jiang Liu did not stop him.
Cold-blooded? Perhaps! Jiang Liu asked himself, but couldn't find the answer.
"Master!"
Jiang Liu turned his head and saw Li Shimin, whose face showed a heartfelt joy.
As the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he actually bowed to Jiang Liu and said, "I have no way to repay your great kindness!"
"It's good that the pill works!" Jiang Liu said calmly.
Li Shimin hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
Jiang Liu cleared his mind of all thoughts and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Wait a moment, Daoist Master!" Li Shimin seemed to have finally made up his mind, and said in a low voice, "Just now, Master Li examined the Empress's body and said that the elixir could only prolong her life for three years. I have a favor to ask; I am willing to take that kind of elixir..."
“You should know how precious such a pill is…” Jiang Liu immediately interrupted him and said, “But you only know how precious this pill is, but you don’t know that the person who gave you the pill will also be entangled in enormous karma. The Empress’s lifespan should have come to an end, but because of me, she has lived for another three years. I am defying fate, and Heaven will punish me.”
Li Shimin's expression changed, and he swallowed the words he wanted to say. He knew that cultivators would not easily get involved in karma; living three more years was already a great blessing, so how could he ask for more?
Even the most powerful emperors, rulers of the land, could not change this. Li Shimin was merely an emperor; how could he defy Heaven?
“If you really want to defy the heavens, that’s not impossible!” Jiang Liu looked up at the moonlight and said again.
Li Shimin looked at Jiang Liu and said in a deep voice, "Since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, no human emperor has been able to cultivate. Their lifespan is no more than a hundred years, perhaps even less. I am already forty years old. Yuan Tiangang predicted my fate, stating that I have absolutely no chance of living past sixty years. I have twenty years left, or even less... Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu overseas to seek the elixir of immortality, and Emperor Wu of Han used the entire nation's resources to pursue longevity, but both failed. The Heavenly Court acts on behalf of Heaven to uphold the Way of Heaven. If you want to defy Heaven, you must first defy the Heavenly Court. Can you do that?"
Whether something works or not depends on what you gain and what you give up!
Every word Jiang Liu said made his heart pound.
"What do you want? The entire Tang Dynasty will lend its strength to help you!" Li Shimin leaned forward and whispered.
"Your reign will last for twenty-three years! This is ordained by Heaven, and I cannot change it!" Jiang Liu smiled mysteriously, then said, "The rest is up to you!"
"Twenty-three years...twenty-three years..." Li Shimin murmured. When he came to his senses, there was no one in front of him. Jiang Liu had already left.
"What is the throne compared to lifespan? Twenty-three years? At worst, I can fake my death and abdicate!"
Chapter 278 New Nobles of the Tang Dynasty
Empress Xiao is dead!
Jiang Liu had already anticipated that Li Shimin would bury him with the rites due to an empress, and that he would be buried with Yang Guang in Yangzhou. Naturally, Jiang Liu would attend the funeral, as a way of understanding the cause and effect of this body.
By the time Jiang Liu returned from Yangzhou, the imperial examinations had already concluded.
The newly appointed top scholar was Xie Hong, a descendant of the Xie family.