Chapter 232: Shangsi Festival

Kai Bao Year 9, Shangsi Festival.

Spring harmonious and scenery bright, all things revive.

The emperor's procession did not go to Jinming Pool to enjoy with the people, but instead marched westward in a mighty procession, heading for Luoyang.

Zhao Kuangyin lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the scenery outside, his mood unusually relaxed.

This western journey to Luoyang was nominally to sacrifice to his ancestors, but in truth he just wanted to go out and relax. The intrigue in the court, the frontier battle reports, and the matter of Zhao Guangyi... had left him exhausted.

He needed to get some fresh air.

Kaifeng City was too dull, and this emperor was too much a lonely ruler.

Luoyang was the place where he started his career, and also his beloved former capital. Returning here could remind him of the days of golden spears and iron horses, of gratifying grudges and kindnesses.

The convoy reached the outskirts of Luoyang and rested briefly on a mountain path.

Zhao Kuangyin disembarked from the imperial carriage and walked leisurely to an ancient pine, gazing into the distance at the thousand-year-old capital.

Just then, a voice sounded from behind him, carrying a hint of ethereal laughter.

"Your Majesty, long time no see."

Zhao Kuangyin turned his head sharply.

He saw a Daoist wearing a faded gray robe, holding a horsetail whisk, smiling at him.

The Daoist had crane-white hair and a youthful face, his eyes clear, as if able to see into people's hearts.

It was him!

In Zhao Kuangyin's mind, a long-dusted image flashed instantly.

Back then, he was still a down-and-out Imperial Guard officer, strolling the streets when this Daoist stopped him and declared that he would one day attain the supreme throne.

He had taken it as a joke then, a ruined commoner like himself daring to dream of that position.

But he never expected the words to come true! He gradually built his fortune, first becoming the Chief Inspector of the Palace Guards, then donning the yellow robe to become emperor, and now it's been over ten years.

"It's you!" Zhao Kuangyin's voice brimmed with uncontainable excitement and joy, "Daoist!"

He hurried forward, actually forgetting the ruler-subject distinction, and grabbed the Daoist's arm.

"I have been looking for you for many years!"

The Daoist smiled slightly, swaying his whisk. "This humble Daoist wanders the four seas; our fate with Your Majesty is not yet exhausted, so today we naturally meet."

"Hahahaha!" Zhao Kuangyin laughed loudly, the pent-up gloom in his heart seemingly swept away at this moment, "Good! Good that our fate is not yet exhausted! Immortal Master, accompany me to the traveling palace; tonight we shall drink until we are drunk."

Without further ado, he took the Daoist and boarded his imperial carriage.

The surrounding guards and eunuchs all looked stunned.

"What divine being is this? To make the emperor lose composure like this?"

That night, within the Luoyang traveling palace, lights shone brightly.

Zhao Kuangyin dismissed all his attendants, leaving only himself and the Daoist.

Inside the hall there were no ruler and subject, only old friends.

Fine wine and delicacies were served one after another like flowing water.

Zhao Kuangyin took off his imperial robe, wearing only common clothes, and personally poured wine for the Daoist.

"Immortal Master, if it weren't for your single word that awakened me from my dream, I fear I would still be doing some odd job in Kaifeng City, with no way to reach this position today." He raised his cup, filled with emotion.

The Daoist lifted his cup, took a light sip. "Time and fate. This humble Daoist merely sensed that aura; whether spoken or not, Your Majesty's heavenly mandate was already destined."

"Heavenly mandate..." Zhao Kuangyin pondered these two words, his gaze growing somewhat complex.

He drank cup after cup, and his words grew more and more.

He spoke of how he launched the Chenqiao Mutiny and donned the yellow robe.

He spoke of how he released military power over wine and brought the empire's troops under his control.

He also spoke of how he pacified the south and unified the realm.

These glorious achievements, he had never boasted of them in court, nor could anyone in the inner palace speak of them.

But before the Daoist, he was like a child eager to show his teacher his grades, laying out his proud works one by one.

The Daoist listened quietly, occasionally nodding or raising his cup in acknowledgment.

His calmness instead made Zhao Kuangyin relax even more.

After three rounds of wine and five flavors of dishes.

Zhao Kuangyin's face was already flushed with drunkenness.

He leaned against the soft cushion and let out a long sigh.

"Immortal Master, do you think I, this emperor, have done an adequate job?"

"Your Majesty has completely ended the chaotic Five Dynasties era, allowing the people to rest and recuperate; his merit covers a thousand ages." The Daoist's evaluation was concise.

"Covers a thousand ages..." Zhao Kuangyin self-mocked a smile, "But I still have worries."

He thought of those officials who outwardly obeyed but secretly defied in court.

He thought of the Wang family, which had planted a nail on his Zhao Song lands.

He also thought of his brother, who felt something amiss yet could find no trace—Prince Zhao Guangyi.

The realm had been conquered.

But guarding the realm is harder than conquering it.

Human hearts are harder to fathom than the world.

The candles in the hall flickered gently.

Drunk, he became more and more genuine, and his deepest fears quietly surfaced.

He sat upright, eyes fixed tightly on the Daoist, his voice hoarse from tension.

"Daoist, you back then actually could see that I would ascend to the imperial throne..."

Then… could you help me calculate the rest again?

He paused for a moment, as if using all his strength, and asked the question that had lingered in his heart for a long time.

How much of your yang lifespan remains, Your Majesty?

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt much lighter, as if a huge stone had been lifted from his heart.

Only the faint "crackle" of the burning candles remained in the hall.

The smile on the Taoist's face also faded.

He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce the palace roof and gaze into the deep night sky.

A long while.

Only then did he slowly open his mouth, each word bursting out one by one.

Kai Bao Year Nine, October 20.

Zhao Kuangyin's heart tightened suddenly.

That day…… how was it?

The Taoist's gaze fell back onto his face, each word crystal clear.

That day, if the weather is clear, Your Majesty still has one ji of lifespan.

One ji, twelve years.

Zhao Kuangyin's heart relaxed a little.

Twelve years is enough. Enough for him to pave the way for De Zhao, clear all obstacles, and let his line forever preserve the realm.

But the Taoist's next sentence sent his heart plunging into the abyss at breakneck speed.

If it is overcast and rainy, then… Your Majesty must prepare early; if the method is proper, perhaps it can still be avoided.

Prepare early?

Prepare what?

Prepare for the afterlife?!

Before the Taoist finished speaking, Zhao Kuangyin's thoughts began to churn. The wine cup in his hand clanged and fell to the ground, shattering.

The wine mixed with his cold sweat soaked the luxurious carpet.

His intoxication vanished completely in that instant.

Prepare!! We must prepare! And there are still plenty of clear days in October! We haven't reached the final moment!