While other people at the banquet were still toasting each other, Prince Jin quietly walked to the side of his teacher Li Mushu.
"Teacher, it seems that my elder brother has upset our father tonight, so he came to my place temporarily..."
"Shh... Your Highness Prince Jin, please stop talking. Just pretend you don't know."
Li Mushu looked in the direction of the emperor, and his words were soft but weighty. King Jin trusted him very much.
"By the way, Yin Jieyuan, are you used to eating at my family banquet?"
Prince Jin faced Yin Zhaoxian who was on the other side of Li Mushu. At least on the surface, he did not seem to be very reserved at this moment. He quickly put down his chopsticks and bowed to Prince Jin.
"Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness. We have delicious food and fine wine, but this stool is still very hot..."
Seeing that Yin Zhaoxian could actually make a joke, Prince Jin nodded with a smile.
"Yin Jieyuan, don't be so reserved. Everyone in the capital knows my temper. The friends I invited don't hold important official positions, so they can't be considered as forming a clique for personal gain. You are a commoner now, so you can't be considered as one either."
When these words came out of the mouth of Prince Jin, Yin Zhaoxian felt a burning sensation on his spine, but he felt somewhat relieved.
"Haha, when it comes to hot stools, the storyteller over there is even worse than you."
Yin Zhaoxian took advantage of the situation and moved to the table which was only about seven or eight feet away. It was obvious that the storyteller didn't even dare to drink tea.
The emperor had no idea at the moment. From an ordinary person's perspective, there were two gods inside the banquet hall, and they were asking the storyteller about what happens to mortals after death.
"Mr. Wang, do you know if people really go to the underworld after they die? And where is the underworld located?"
The storyteller was called Wang Li. Facing the emperor for such a long time was more tiring than performing several ventriloquist performances. The key point was that he was very nervous and did not dare to say anything wrong.
"In reply to your Majesty, I have heard that the underworld is the residence of souls, and before a person dies, a ghost messenger will come to lead the way. I, a mere mortal, don't know exactly where it is. I have also heard that it seems to have something to do with the local city gods. In folk tales, the gods of various departments in the city god temple will judge a person's merits in life and determine the outcome after death. After all, there are judges in the temple."
The emperor stroked his beard and drank the wine in the glass, thinking about this and that in his mind. He asked the storyteller again with a smile.
"I have read a lot of books and historical materials. City gods in various places are mostly recommended by villagers to build temples. There are also officials of the dynasty who are virtuous and talented and are posthumously enthroned. In the past, my ancestor Emperor Zhengyuan also issued an edict to order the city god to appear. However, the temples are just clay sculptures. There is no real god who will appear."
The storyteller had no idea how to answer. He had traveled around collecting stories and had some special knowledge. At this moment, he dared not judge the emperor's words or comment on the City God.
The emperor also asked whether there were real immortals in those famous fairy mountains, whether there were really dragon palaces in the rivers and seas, and whether there was any way to summon some gods and immortals to see them. However, no matter how knowledgeable the storyteller was and how vivid his story was, he was still a mortal after all, and the emperor was not very satisfied with the subsequent conversation.
After a while, the emperor finally let the storyteller go and ordered the screen to be moved back to its original position so that the storyteller could continue telling the story.
Ji Yuan and Lao Long had already walked from the round table to behind the screen and looked at the storyteller's back. Although it was a cold day, it was already wet with sweat.
The old dragon laughed and said:
"Among mortals, this person is considered to be well-informed. He answered questions about certain matters concerning ghosts, gods, spirits, and monsters to the point."
The old emperor was not satisfied with the storyteller's ambiguous answers, but Ji Yuan and Lao Long looked at the storyteller differently. For example, in one scene where a "wild ghost" was pestering people for "porridge", the storyteller used a traditional method of "standing chopsticks on porridge" and throwing it out of the house with the back turned, which was quite interesting.
Ji Yuan also smiled.
"It's a pity that the emperor doesn't want to know about this folk secret. He wants to become an immortal and live forever!"
"Hehe, he has obtained all the benefits in the world, but he is still not satisfied. This is the king of the world!"
Lao Long said this, but there was no sarcasm in what he said, he was just stating the fact.
The emperor returned to his seat to eat and drink, and new hot dishes were continuously served from the kitchen.
Dazhen has always had the habit of staying up all night to celebrate the New Year. For example, in the Prince of Jin's Mansion, there are wine, food and programs. The banquet needs to last until midnight, and the kitchen will also be busy after midnight. Anyway, the prince and the emperor must eat hot dishes when they pick up their chopsticks.
By the end of the hour of Hai, Ji Yuan had already felt the aura between heaven and earth churning. It was obvious that there were indeed different changes when the old year was replaced by the new year.
"The time has come, let's be quiet and respectful!"
A servant shouted loudly at the door. Upon hearing the voice, even the emperor put down his chopsticks, and the zithers, harps and pipa in the house stopped playing, waiting for the arrival of the New Year.
Ji Yuan and Lao Long had already left the house. The former opened his eyes wide and looked up at the sky and earth. In the gray mist, clear air was accumulating and rising, while turbid air was dissipating as it descended, as if a new space was torn open between heaven and earth, and as if the curtain was opened for clear air hanging on the clouds and ascending to the sky.
The human atmosphere of the entire Gyeonggi Province continued to rise, as if it was impacting the grayness in the air, causing the clear and turbid to rise and roll.
“So this is how we bid farewell to the old and usher in the new!”
Ji Yuan's sigh was full of emotion.
Lao Long also opened his eyes wide and looked up at the sky and the earth, but at most he could feel a special throbbing. He clearly felt that what Ji Yuan saw was absolutely different from what he saw, but he didn't dare to ask him what he saw.
"Crackle, crackle, crackle..."
The sound of firecrackers began to be heard in the capital city, and became more and more frequent. Even at the gate of Prince Jin's mansion, servants lit long firecrackers.
Perhaps there were no fireworks in this era, otherwise the sky above Gyeonggi Province would have been extremely bright and dazzling.
Watching the changes in heaven and earth that occur once a year, the five elements in Ji Yuan's body became more active, and even five colors appeared in his eyes, ears, mouth, nose and other orifices during his breathing. The Samadhi True Fire in the artistic conception alchemy furnace also overflowed with heat, making the courtyard of King Jin as warm as spring.
Lao Long took two steps away with a strange expression on his face.
No wonder Ji Yuan was so unwilling to go to the Water Palace. It turned out that the changes that occurred during the year could also be used for cultivation. It was indeed a miraculous method that I had never heard of before.
And although this burst of heat was merely warmth, it contained a certain feeling that even a real dragon would be afraid of, as if it were some kind of powerful magical skill.
A green vine sword had already flown into the sky on its own, and it seemed as if it could see what Ji Yuan saw, as it was in tune with his mind. It flew back and forth in the sky, capturing fresh air for Ji Yuan. As the sword stirred the sky, a cloud of gas swept down immediately.
Although it is insignificant in the entire world, its unique breath and rhythm are rolling through it.
Several chess pieces had already emerged, and the clouds were attracted by them and quickly guided into Ji Yuan's body and directly poured into the mountains and rivers in his artistic conception, being pulled by the alchemy furnace.
The Samadhi True Fire in the furnace is like an ordinary fire furnace that is infused with nourishing Qi, and with a bang, it overflows from the star eyes of the furnace body.
At this moment, Ji Yuan's body was even hotter, and even Lao Long subconsciously took another half step back. The ice and snow in the garden of Prince Jin's mansion melted away...
"The Spring Festival is the beginning of spring. The fresh air leads to the new year and everything comes to life!"
Lao Long was still in shock when he heard Ji Yuan say this out of nowhere.
As if realizing something, Lao Long looked down at his surroundings and discovered that in the palace's central garden, some vegetation had sprouted and grown in a short period of time, and some had even produced buds at a speed visible to the naked eye, ready to bloom.
"Mr. Ji, you..."
Before Lao Long could finish his astonished words, a servant who was passing by the palace delivering food suddenly screamed.
"Ah...! The flowers in the garden are blooming! The flowers in the garden are blooming, the garden, really... ah!"
The woman was talking incoherently, and then a servant came with a lantern to take a closer look. Sure enough, she saw that the garden was full of green and even had red flowers.
“Really!” “It’s really blooming!”
"Auspicious signs from heaven, auspicious signs from heaven!"
The servants' screams could be heard faintly in the banquet hall, but it was too noisy for the people inside to hear clearly.
The people in his own house were shouting and yelling on such a day, which made Prince Jin frown, fearing that his father would be unhappy.
However, before they could question him, a steward from the mansion came trotting into the banquet hall and explained the reasons for the servants' excitement.
Emperor Yuande was the first to stand up.
"Is there such a thing?"
The others also looked incredulous, but the manager was full of assurances.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, this is absolutely true. Just open the door and take a look. If it's false, you'll have my head taken away!"
"Okay! Let's go check it out!"
Both the emperor and the guests stood up impatiently.
"Your Majesty, put it on quickly!"
The queen took the emperor's cloak from the servant, who hurriedly put it on and ran straight to the door of the banquet hall. Naturally, no one else dared to walk in front of the emperor.
The servants of the palace held lanterns and led the way, while the guests followed behind. In just seven or eight breaths, they had stepped into the courtyard garden.
Looking around, I saw that the ice and snow in the courtyard had melted and turned green, with red flowers blooming and exuding fragrance.
"It's true, it's true!"
The emperor murmured excitedly in astonishment, and the other guests could not suppress their shock.
"Your Majesty, this is a sign of good fortune from heaven!" "It is indeed a sign of good fortune!"
"Today's banquet is really worth coming to!"
"Congratulations to His Majesty, congratulations to His Royal Highness Prince Jin!"
"God bless me Dazhen!"
…
Amid the compliments, the emperor seemed to have thought of something. He looked around and suddenly shouted loudly.
"I am the Great Zhenyuande Emperor. If there is a god here, I hope you will show yourself. I will build a temple for you and grant you eternal worship!"
Ji Yuan and Lao Long, who were almost very close to Emperor Yuande, were also stunned when they heard it. The latter looked at Ji Yuan with a smile, while the former shook his head helplessly.
"Let's go, there's nothing to see here."
After Ji Yuan said this, he walked towards Yin Zhaoxian who had also come out with the crowd. He flicked his fingers, and a small remaining pure air poured into his forehead, and his righteous spirit shone brightly.
Yin Zhaoxian was originally shocked by the changes in the garden, but suddenly he felt as if he was watered by a clear spring but not cold, and he felt refreshed.
Inspired by his righteous spirit, his vision blurred for a moment, and he vaguely saw two people walking away. Their backs seemed familiar.
When I looked again, the blurriness was gone, and the palace buildings were still in front of me, with no figure behind me.
"Is it Mr. Ji?"
Li Mushu, who was nearby, heard the murmurs and turned his head to look at Yin Zhaoxian. He felt that he was clearly an upright and extraordinary person.
As for the emperor's repeated shouts, naturally no god or man responded.