webnovelfull Chapter 375 Tianshuyuan
Chapter 375 Tianshuyuan
Last time, we talked about how Li Yi used the geomagnetic field and the Seven Star Lamp to fool the King of Chu Xiong Zhen and the Jiuli priest Tu Xiu. So how will the story develop next? Let's read on.
When the King of Chu heard that the Seven Star Lamp Array could extend his life by one century, that is, twelve years, how could he sit still? He immediately stood up and asked, "Xiang Ying said before that you went to Qinglong Mountain to find a sacrificial instrument for me, but was it for this Seven Star Lamp?"
"Exactly!"
"Have you found your beloved?"
Li Yi reached out and took out a handful of wicks from the sack and said, "Your Majesty, you are blessed with great fortune. Wei Le has indeed been found."
Tu Xiu asked in confusion: "Wick? What kind of magical tool is this?"
Li Yi stretched out his hand and swept across the hall, saying, "Master Tu, look at how many lamps there are in this hall. Let me ask you, do you think that if you use these lamps to set up the Seven Star Lamp, will the heavens bless you and prolong your life?"
Tu Xiu had no idea what Li Yi was up to, so he naturally didn't dare to answer casually.
Li Yi smiled and said, "In addition to the lamp array, the most important thing about this Seven Star Lamp is the wick, lamp oil and flame. Eunuch Hou, please ask someone to prepare two lamps. I will demonstrate to the king and Lord Tu."
Hou Zhen naturally knew that the King of Chu was now impatient, and immediately waved his hand to signal the eunuch to bring the lamps. The latter took quick steps and in a few moments brought two tortoise and phoenix bronze lamps, in which the tortoise carried the phoenix, and the phoenix held the lamp base.
Li Yi took the two copper lamps and said, "Go get me some more lamp oil. One needs ordinary lamp oil, and the other needs mermaid cream."
When the young eunuch heard this, he looked up at Hou Zhen. You know, this mermaid cream is a rare thing, especially for the Chu State, which is not close to the sea. It can be said to be a "panacea"! Except for the royal mausoleum, it can't be used anywhere else, so the young eunuch cast a questioning look at Hou Zhen.
But Hou Zhen's words didn't count. He looked at the King of Chu with embarrassment. The King of Chu said sternly, "What are you standing there for? Didn't you hear what Doctor Wei wanted? Go get it!"
The young eunuch bowed and said yes, then stepped out of Chuxing Hall. This time the waiting time was a little longer, after all, it was a rare item, so it was understandable. The young eunuch had just carefully poured the lamp oil into the two lamps when Li Yi said, "Go get two more ordinary wicks."
The young eunuch's eyes changed when he saw Li Yi, thinking: Wei Le, are you really playing with me? What do you want? Can't you just tell me all at once? Do you have to torment me like this?
Li Yi gave the eunuch a playful look, which meant: I'm just playing with you, what can you do? If you have the guts, don't try to take it!
Of course, the young eunuch didn't have the ability to do that, so he obediently went to get the wick. The reason why Li Yi deliberately teased the young eunuch was to be mysterious, which is the principle of "the true scriptures should not be passed on lightly". If things are made too easy, wouldn't it seem unsafe?
After bringing the wick, the eunuch looked at Li Yi with resentment, feeling that his legs were about to break from running. Li Yi just laughed, turned around and waved to Tu Xiu, saying, "Master Tu, please come down and help me, so that we can determine whether my Seven Star Lamp Array can really reach the sky and pray for blessings, so that you won't accuse me of deceiving the emperor in the future."
The King of Chu said sternly: "Wei Le, why do you have to make things difficult for Chou'er? He is also loyal and has no ill intentions." But he turned around and said to Tu Xiu: "Chou'er, go help Wei Le and see what's going on."
Tu Xiu bowed and said he was walking down the dragon platform and stood opposite Li Yi. The latter pointed at the lamp in the hall with his chin and said, "Master Tu, please bring that lamp over." Tu Xiu brought the lamp over as he asked.
"Now put these two ordinary wicks into the lamp and light it."
Tu Xiu did as he was told again.
"My lord, the lights are on!"
Xiong Zhen was about to be pissed off by Li Yi. Isn't he talking nonsense? What's the point of lighting a lamp if it doesn't light up? Li Yi naturally saw the displeasure of the King of Chu, and chuckled, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. This is all to prove to you that the Seven Star Lamp Array is indeed effective. Now please blow out the two lamps, Master Tu."
Tu Xiu impatiently fanned out the two lights. Li Yi smiled and said, "Look, my king, the lights are out!"
Xiong Zhen slapped the imperial desk and said unhappily: "Wei Le, you are teasing me, right?"
Li Yi chuckled, took out two ordinary wicks, replaced his wick, stretched out his left hand to cover the lamp, the red lotus fire seal on his palm lit up, and lit the two lamps one by one. He smiled at Tu Xiu and said, "Come on, Master Tu, try to blow out these two lamps again."
Tu Xiu waved his hand and both lights remained on.
"Master Tu, please try your witchcraft again."
Tu Xiu frowned and fired two water bullets with his hands. As a result, the lamp using ordinary lamp oil was extinguished, while the one using mermaid cream was still burning. The King of Chu immediately stepped down from the dragon platform and personally waved his hand to try to extinguish the last lamp, but failed after many attempts.
"Master Tu, can you feel the spiritual power of this flame?"
Tu Xiu touched his chin and said, "This is indeed not ordinary fire, but it has no spiritual power. What's going on?"
"The secret cannot be revealed! Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, you must also find a few kind and clever palace maids to look after the lamp array and add fuel to the fire."
The King of Chu asked: "Since this fire cannot be extinguished even with a fan, why do we need people to guard it?"
"Your Majesty, you can regard this lamp as a touchstone. If your Majesty is sincere and respectful to heaven, the fire will not go out. But if your Majesty is even slightly shaken, the fire will be in danger."
Li Yi took out a burnt Gu worm from the sack and slowly approached the lamp. The flame began to flicker. When he placed the Gu worm right above the lamp, the flame suddenly went out. In fact, it was not up to Li Yi to decide whether the fire would go out or not. He did all this to make the King of Chu determined to deal with the Wu Gu Cult.
The King of Chu naturally understood Li Yi's intention. He said solemnly: "Since the heaven has made it clear, I will naturally follow the will of heaven."
Li Yi bowed and said, "Then please ask the king to send people to cast thirty-six small lamps and seven large lamps. They should be round on the top and square on the bottom. The large lamps should be three feet six inches and the small lamps should be two feet four inches. When everything is ready, Wei Le will pray for the king's blessing and longevity."
Xiong Zhen nodded, turned to Tu Xiu and said, "The Washing Women Department is under your jurisdiction, and you will be the one to select the palace maids."
Tu Xiu nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, Chou'er will do his best..."
"Your Majesty, in addition to the palace maids, you must also send guards to guard outside the palace to prevent demons and monsters from stealing the secrets of heaven."
Tu Xiu asked in confusion, "Demons and ghosts, what does Doctor Wei mean by this?"
"Before the ceremony is completed, the blessings are stored in the formation. There is no guarantee that demons and monsters will target it. This Seven Star Lamp can only be used once by one person. If it is stolen, all the previous efforts will be wasted."
Hearing this, Xiong Zhen said nervously: "Since there may be demons coming to steal the secrets of heaven, wouldn't it be better for Wei Le to guard the formation yourself? Is there anyone stronger than you in my Great Chu right now?"
Li Yi waved his hands and said, "It's not that I don't want to defend the formation for the king, but I am the one who holds the formation. If you want me to fight against the demons and monsters, then this formation will..."
The King of Chu pointed out, "Yes, how could I have forgotten this! Alas, Xiang Xiong, where is Xiang Xiong? It would be fine to ask him to guard the formation."
"Your Majesty, Xiang Xiong and Xiang Ying have gone out to practice."
"Why do you want to practice at this time?"
"It's been a while since I left."
Tu Xiu interrupted, "Your Majesty, I do have someone to recommend."
"Who?"
"Liao Fan, practicing both Confucianism and martial arts."
"Yes, he is just right! Hou Zhen, go and tell Liao Fan to prepare to guard the Seven Star Lamp. Also, order someone to cast the lamp according to Wei Le's instructions. This is the top priority!"
Hou Zhen took the order and left.
The King of Chu looked at Li Yi with an excited look on his face. He patted Li Yi on the shoulder and said, "You haven't been to Tianshuyuan yet. It's unreasonable to appoint you as the Moon Worshiping Doctor and you haven't been to Tianshuyuan for such a long time without getting acquainted with the temple! Come on, I will take you there myself today!"
Xiong Zhu took Li Yi and Tu Xiu to Tianshuyuan by car. The three of them were riding together. Do you know what this means? This is the highest standard of treatment and the most trusted performance.
Tianshuyuan is located outside the palace, north of the East Palace. It has another name, Tianshuyuan, which is the National Library of Western Chu, and the real core is underground. Tianshuyuan has two underground floors. The first floor is the office space, where most of the major decisions of Western Chu are discussed and decided. The second floor is the confidential room where various secret information is stored.
There was a secret passage in the northeast of the palace. The guard of King Chu injected the Qi into a bronze palace lantern and activated the mechanism. The door of the secret passage slowly opened. The guard walked into the secret passage first, and came out after a moment and made a gesture of invitation.
The King of Chu asked, "Are they all here?"
"We are all here, waiting for the king."
The King of Chu nodded and said, "Wei Le, come on, follow me in." The King of Chu took Li Yi into the secret passage. After walking for about an incense stick of time, they saw a stone door with two large golden characters "Tianshu" engraved on it.
The stone gate opened, and the King of Chu stepped inside, followed by Li Yi. This time, he truly entered the center of Western Chu, the highest decision-making body. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw a large sand table, which looked like real mountains and real waters, and also marked the situation of the army in each city gate. At a glance, he knew that this was a simulation of the attack and defense of the Northern Expedition.
Li Yi stopped in front of the sand table and watched. At this time, five people came over. In addition to Subu, Li Yi knew another one, who was Cheng Zhiyuan, the legal advisor of the Prince's Mansion. The five of them saluted the King of Chu together.
Xiong Zhen raised his hand and said, "Okay, let's go and discuss business first."
The King of Chu walked in front and entered a confidential room, which had a large round table. The main seat was naturally a dragon chair, and the other eight chairs were arranged in a circle. After the King of Chu took his seat, the others took their seats one after another, except Li Yi, who didn't know where to sit.
It was obvious that there was a seating order, because the two chairs closest to the King of Chu were empty, so one of them should be the seat of the Crown Prince Xiong Zhu, and Li Yi guessed that the other one was the seat of Kan Jin, the chief elder of the Wu Gu Cult. After the five people sat down, Li Yi still stood aside.
The King of Chu pointed at Li Yi and said, "This is Wei Le. I have already told you that he is a rising star in our Great Chu. From today on, he will replace Kan Jin and take up a position in the Tianshu Academy. Wei Le, you can sit there."
Li Yi bowed and took his seat. The King of Chu smiled and said, "Except for Prime Minister Su and Master Cheng, you haven't met the others yet, so let's get to know each other first."
Starting with the person next to Li Yi, that person saluted and said, "I admire the young and promising Wei official. I am Wang Bei Gong Xiong Zhui, the king's younger brother. I am in charge of royal clan affairs and Taimiao rituals." Li Yi returned the salute.
The next person bowed and said, "I have heard that Doctor Wei is a man of outstanding ability in both civil and military affairs. Today is indeed an extraordinary day. I am Xu Xin, the Political Commentator of the Book of Rites." It was obvious at first glance that this person was a great scholar.
The next one was Tu Xiu. He said, "Tu Xiu is not like them, saying polite words to Doctor Wei. I am responsible for doing the dirty work and collecting intelligence. In short, I am the one who does everything that these gentlemen are unwilling to do! The Lan Ze that Doctor Wei is interested in is my subordinate. I wonder if Doctor Wei has eaten it?"
Tu Xiu was setting an example for the people behind him, showing that the King of Chu recognized Wei Le. Since they were going to work together in the future, there was no need to be pretentious.
The next person was Master Cheng, who simply bowed and said, "I never thought that Doctor Wei would be able to take this position so quickly. The young are truly formidable. I don't need to say much about this old man, I am just a military and political advisor."
A warrior from an ethnic minority clasped his fists and said, "Greetings, Doctor Wei. I am a rough man, so I won't be polite with you. My name is Zhu Tie, and I help the king coordinate the various ethnic groups in the southwest and manage border affairs."
As soon as he heard it, he knew that this rough man must be very influential in Dianzhou, so Li Yi bowed and asked, "Brother Zhu, what is your relationship with Zhu Rong?"