The rain clouds dispersed, revealing the last rays of sunset hanging over the city walls. On the muddy street, accumulated water splashed under the horses' hooves. The Imperial City Cavalrymen galloped on their horses and divided into two teams to escort Lu Liangsheng into the city gate. The red-painted palace walls extended to the palace, and raindrops fell along the eaves. Maids and eunuchs, waiting to be summoned at any time, waited quietly outside the palace.
"Goguryeo... this small country has become more and more daring in the past two years. They think that I won't start a war again after just a few years of fighting against Tuyuhun? And they say they know that I have no time to take care of other things because I am building a canal?"
The lights in Wen Zhao's side hall were on brightly. Yang Guang, who was reading a memorial at his desk, frowned slightly. Then he took a pen to make an annotation on it, writing two words - discuss it later!
He put it aside and continued to read the other memorials, occasionally raising his head to call the eunuch who was serving on the side below.
"How's it going out there?"
He was referring to the fight between the gangsters outside the city. As soon as Yu Wenzhi unbuttoned his trousers, he knew what was going on. He had heard from the people from the Imperial City Bureau that something had happened over there. It had been a long time now, and it was time for some news to come back.
The eunuch on the side below the dragon case bowed and took two steps forward, lowering his head: "Your Majesty, there should be news. I don't know what Yuwen Shaoqing is thinking, and he wants to hold something that is the best in the world..."
Realizing that he had talked too much, the eunuch quickly shut his mouth. Yang Guang stopped writing, chuckled twice, threw the memorial aside, stood up, stretched, exhaled heavily, and walked down the golden steps.
He didn't care about the words of the personal eunuch beside him, and grinned with his thick beard.
"What else can I do? For the sake of his precious son, I miss him for so long. I will just turn a blind eye to this matter and I will punish him after it is over."
Yang Guang walked into the hall and was just saying this when, outside the open door, a eunuch ran up the stone steps quickly, holding the hem of his robe and stood outside the hall, panting.
"Your Majesty, the people from the Imperial City Bureau have returned, and... and the Imperial Master has also returned."
"National Master?!"
The smiling emperor was stunned for a moment, then his smile became even wider. He suddenly became excited and walked out quickly. He stumbled over the edge of his robe and almost fell to the ground. The attendants hurried over to support him, but he was pushed away.
"Move aside, the Imperial Master is coming back to the court, I will personally welcome him!"
Yang Guang quickly stepped out of the side hall dragging his dragon robe. In the square below the stone steps in front, cavalrymen from the Imperial City were walking on horses. In the middle, on a brown warhorse, was an old man in a green and gray robe with wrinkles all over his face. He slowly got off the horse and bowed to the emperor standing in front of the stone steps.
"This... Is this the Imperial Master?"
The appearance and demeanor of the person in his impression were not like this now. Yang Guang hesitated for a moment, carefully observing the demeanor and movements of the old man who was walking over, and murmured, "It's really the national teacher... It's the master, it's the master who is back."
Then, his voice rose and he shouted excitedly.
“National Master!!”
He rushed down the stone steps and walked over to him. He held the old man's raised hand and looked at his head full of silver hair. His voice trembled slightly.
"Sir... where have you been all these years? I have been looking for you for a long time."
Looking at the emperor's appearance, Lu Liangsheng was also somewhat touched. He gently patted the emperor's hand with his wrinkled hands, as if he saw again the young Prince of Jin riding a horse to Mount Qixia. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am back now. Let's go back to the palace and talk in detail."
"Well, I also want to hear where the Imperial Master has been in the past few years."
Yang Guang nodded, and as he spoke, he took Lu Liangsheng's hand and walked back to Wen Zhao's side hall. On the way, Lu Liangsheng briefly talked about the Western world and what had just happened in the city.
"Did a deity really do something wrong? How could this be possible? I am the emperor on earth, and I am the one who caused trouble like this!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down for now."
Lu Liangsheng took the tea handed over by the eunuch, took a sip, and said with a smile: "Those who came here are just stars in the sky, and they are all Dharma images descended to the world, and their abilities are not even half of those of the real bodies in the lower world."
As he spoke, he took out a pitch-black book of laws from his sleeve and opened it. On it were lists of the names and birth records of the deceased. One of the pages was specially left by Ji Xin. It was filled with densely packed content, and images of people who were still alive in the world appeared on it, with faint divine light flashing on their bodies.
"The most urgent task is to find out where the person they came from is. Your Majesty, please take a look."
Over there, Yang Guang felt better after hearing that three of the gods had been repelled and one had escaped. He looked at the palm of the national teacher Kong Fei's hand and saw an open booklet appear. The words filled with content glowed and transformed into pictures of various people walking and talking, with even their names listed one by one.
"I don't know these people... but it's so easy to find them."
Yang Guang turned around and called for his attendants, his eyes stern: "Go and get all the painters in the palace to draw portraits of all the people listed here, and have the people from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Central Secretariat search with all their strength, but don't alert the enemy. Once they are found, send them back to the palace as soon as possible!"
"besides!"
The emperor paused, put his sleeves behind his back and walked around. He glanced at the book of law in Lu Liangsheng's hand, took a deep breath and said:
"Pass on my decree. In all states and counties, except for the City God Temple and the Earth God Temple, all other temples that enshrine various gods and immortals must be smashed to pieces and torn down. Not a single one shall remain!"
The eunuch didn't dare to breathe, and was about to accept the order and leave, but Lu Liangsheng, who was drinking tea over there, raised his hand to stop him, put down the teacup, stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, there is no need to tear down the temple. The clay sculptures in the temple are also a kind of sustenance for the people. Doing so will only arouse public resentment, which will not be worth the loss. If I succeed in my mission in the future, it will be difficult for them to come to the mortal world again."
"Then follow the Imperial Master's advice."
Yang Guang didn't know much about supernatural matters, so after hearing what the imperial teacher said, he could only agree. However, if he was forced into a corner, he could still destroy the temple.
After thinking for a moment, he looked at the afterglow of the sky after the rain outside, and asked people to prepare dinner and keep Lu Liangsheng in the palace for dinner. Over there, Lu Liangsheng waved his hand, took out a seal from his sleeve, with the portraits of the Five Heavenly Emperors and auspicious clouds and a golden dragon entwined below, which he held in his palm. There was colorful divine light shaking, which was very beautiful.
"Your Majesty, this is the Kongtong Seal. Put your hand on it."
The Kongtong Seal is also known as the Emperor's Seal, which is in charge of the power to confer gods on the world. When Yang Guang saw it for the first time, he raised his hand but did not dare to move. After hesitating for a while, he carefully stretched out his fingertips to touch it.
There was a cool feeling coming from my fingertips.
Nothing else happened, which made Lu Liangsheng frown slightly. He was puzzled as to why there was no reaction. Originally, the Kongtong Seal was obtained to see if Yang Guang could take over the power of the Human Emperor.
On the opposite side, Yang Guang was also a little stunned. Lu Liangsheng asked him to put his hand on it, and he naturally understood what he meant. However, after pressing his fingertips on it for a long time, there was no response.
"I... am not worthy of being the emperor?"
The lights cut out human shadows and cast them on the ground, with whispers of disappointment.