Chapter 92: Becoming an Immortal or a Sage

"Yes, yes, yes! This subordinate will return right away!"

The messenger had never seen Li Shimin with such an expression; the look, as if he were about to eat someone, truly frightened him.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Li Shimin gasped for air; how could he not see through these people's thoughts? It was simply that they did not want Li Chengqian to have too much prestige among the Commoners.

Li Tai was foolish and could not see that this was a slap in his own face; Zhangsun Wuji and Xiao Yu were definitely playing dumb.

Fang Xuanling was the same, only Fang Xuanling must have been threatened by Li Chengqian.

Sitting beside him, Li Zhi lowered his head, thinking of every sad thing in his life to slowly suppress the corners of his mouth that could not help but turn upward.

When he raised his head, his eyes were filled with worry:

"Father, Big Brother and Fourth Brother surely did not know; it was an unintentional mistake.

What is most important now is to make amends; why not use the official gazette to publicize the details of the disaster relief?

Father left behind the disaster relief regulations before the eastern expedition; I believe the people of Great Tang will understand Father's painstaking efforts."

Li Daozong spoke up in agreement: "Emperor, the Prince of Jin is right; the regulations you left behind were only followed by the Crown Princess and the Princesses according to your orders."

"What?"

Li Shimin gave a cold snort: "What do you take me for? Such a shameless thing, I cannot do it."

"What is shameless?"

Hou Junji put on a blank look: "Emperor, what are you all talking about? What disaster relief? What messenger?

Weren't we just discussing how to wipe out Su Wen?

Oh! Emperor, why is your horse whip in this subject's hand? Emperor, please forgive me, please forgive me."

Hearing this, the crowd reacted in an instant and spoke up one after another in agreement:

"Emperor, please forgive us; we subjects just fell asleep."

"Emperor, this cannot be blamed on us; the hour is so late, and without tea to drink, it is inevitable to feel sleepy."

"Your Highness the Prince of Jin, why don't you go and see why there isn't even any tea?"

Li Zhi glanced at Li Shimin, and seeing no reaction, he tactfully exited the tent to send someone to catch up with the messenger.

After Li Zhi left, Li Shimin chuckled:

"Near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black. Duke of Chen, should I say you are shameless, or that you are exceptionally clever?

Enough! Continue talking about Goguryeo; the enemy is now cowering and refusing to come out, we must think of a way to lure them out."

"..."

Li Shimin really did not want to agree to Li Zhi's method, but for the sake of the imperial reputation, he could only tacitly consent.

He was now thinking about giving the Crown Princess and the Princesses some compensation after returning.

In fact, the Crown Princess Su Xi did not care about these things; to her, a good reputation was not necessarily a good thing.

If it were possible, she would rather never be famous, and never have anyone know her for her entire life.

At this moment, Su Xi was looking at Li Chengqian with a grave expression:

"So many Daoist priests have come to Chang'an City, it has already attracted others' attention. Dou Zongzheng sent someone to ask me when we will begin?"

"Next February. The Brocade Guard has already sent word that Master Xuanzang has been received and will return to Chang'an in the first lunar month.

They are not fools; they know there must be something going on, but they cannot guess it yet.

As long as Xuanzang can reach Chang'an smoothly, no one can stop it."

"The Xuancheng Department is in the hands of the Prince of Wei; are you sure he will be used by you?"

"Heh! Qingque has already sent out the article; it won't take long before Buddhism has Memorials submitted.

Perhaps we won't even need to wait for Buddhism; those Daoist temple masters are probably already stirred up with indignation!"

"News came from Shannan Circuit that many commoners do not trust the government and would rather sell themselves to noble clans or become monks than accept the imperial court's arrangements.

There are many farmlands around Xiangyang City, but other prefectures in Shannan Circuit are different; there are more marshes than farmland, plus they are attached to their land and reluctant to move.

Therefore, it is still difficult to get the disaster-stricken people to go to the Wide Land to divide fields! The ability of the Eastern Palace Six Garrisons is not enough."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Selling oneself to a noble clan only requires paying grain and does not require corvée labor; seeking advantages and avoiding harm is human Nature, it is normal.

I have already sent Su Liangsi to Jiaozhi; he will stop by Jingzhou on the way, and the matters there are left for him to handle.

You should also rest recently; when you have nothing to do, take Changle and the others out for a stroll."

"Fine! I'll leave the Prince of Qi to you."

"What is wrong with him?"

Su Xi sighed: "Ever since returning to Chang'an, he has been hiding in the palace and won't come out, lying on the bamboo couch every day in a daze. Yin Fei's hair has even turned white in several places."

"What's wrong? The person he likes got married, and the groom wasn't him?"

"Look at what you're saying; is this what a Crown Prince of a country should say?

I can't be bothered with you; go ask him yourself."

Li Chengqian curled his lips, not caring at all; to him, a sycophant suffering from heartbreak was nothing, let alone a little brat's sentimental melancholy.

At noon the next day, after Li Chengqian finished handling government affairs, he went to find Li You.

Looking at Li You's panda eyes and haggard appearance, Li Chengqian looked surprised:

"Fifth Brother, have you cultivated to the All-Night Realm and are preparing to advance toward the Sudden Death Realm?"

Li You lay motionless on the bamboo couch in the courtyard, looking at the sky and muttering to himself:

"The movement of heaven is full of power; the superior man makes himself strong and untiring! Heaven and earth are born with me, and all things are one with me! The future cannot be waited for, the past cannot be chased..."

"Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism, which one is the truth? Who should I learn from? Who am I? What am I going to do?"

Li Chengqian slowly approached, listening to Li You's murmurs, and could not help but click his tongue:

"Are you trying to attain the Dao and become an immortal or a sage?"

Li You turned his head to look at Li Chengqian: "Eldest Brother, what do you say people live for? For power, for fame, for profit?"

"To survive, one can bend their spine; to survive, one can turn themselves into something neither human nor ghost; to survive, one can commit acts worse than a beast—why is this?"

"Slap!"

Li Chengqian heavily patted Li You's thigh: "Are you possessed? Is that something for you to consider? That is for the Buddha to consider; what does it have to do with you?"

"But I don't know why I should live, and to live, I have to pretend that I don't care about anything."

"'Heaven and Earth are the lodging place of all things; time is the traveler of a hundred generations!' Do you know what these two lines mean?"

"I do not!"

Li Chengqian spoke indifferently: "It means that this world is merely a temporary residence for us, and you and I must eventually return to where we came from."

"Just like when you go to Luzhou, you go with a mission, and once the matter is settled, you naturally must return to Chang'an."

"At fifty, one knows the Mandate of Heaven; that is what this means. If you think of your mission, you will know why you are alive."

"And if I cannot think of it?"

"Then come back to this human hell for another trip next time."

Li You suddenly sat up straight: "Eldest Brother, how should I find my own Mandate of Heaven?"

"Do you know what ecology is?"

"I do not!"

"People eat rice to grow, and rice eats the earth's energy to grow. Where does the earth's energy come from? It comes from the decay of human corpses."

"The Dao of Heaven diminishes the surplus to replenish the deficiency; Heaven and Earth require balance, allowing all things to live in this world simultaneously."

"Humans are a member of Heaven and Earth, so naturally, we must help Heaven and Earth maintain balance."

"And maintaining balance is not something one person can complete; everyone needs to be responsible for one aspect, just like a carriage—some people must be the wheels, and some people must be the wooden planks."

"Once you find your position, you have more or less found your Mandate of Heaven."

Li You shook his head, his face full of confusion: "Eldest Brother, could you explain it more clearly?"

"First think about your family background, then think about what you have learned, and finally think about what there is that people around you take the initiative to learn from you."

"Imperial Prince? Daoist Scriptures? Take the initiative to learn—there is nothing!"