Chapter 332: Swallow Egg Fragrance, Unrest in the World First, not far to the right, someone whispered: "It is said that this time, the Gray-robed Dazu brought several warriors who are good at martial arts, as well as a strange wizard who can perform magic to the capital. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince invited the great masters of heaven, such as Lin Zhenren, Fan Tianshi, and Nan Tianshi, to come here, and also specially invited the Taoist priests from Yushan from outside the city. I'm afraid he is on guard against them, right?" "Be on guard against them? Why? Even if my Great Jiang is unstable now, this is the capital. Do they dare to...hiss! Do they want to prove that my Great Jiang is weak and incompetent?" "..." Then, from the other side of the hall, a muffled voice with a foreign accent came from the front: "Who are those people? Why are you all looking at them?" "Looks like a mage from the Central Plains Dynasty." "..." Then, not far to the left, it seemed that there were only a few tables between them: "The two people beside Tianshi Fan must be Lord Pan and Master Lin, right? It was thanks to them that we won the great victory last time. Unfortunately, we are not destined to meet them, and we have not seen Master Lin's true appearance until now." "Haha!" A gentle and familiar voice sounded, with a hearty laugh, "That is none other than Master Lin! I have the good fortune to have seen him in Langfeng County!"
"..." Finally, two deep voices were heard: "That's the famous Tianshi Fan in the capital? He can't be a fraud, right? But that fellow Daoist Lin went to Jinping County alone and returned with the head of the demon general. He must be really capable." “You look very young.” "Ran Ye... Hmm? Why does he look familiar to me?" "..." These voices all come from different people. In fact, the hall was very noisy at this time, no worse than the busy streets of the East and West Markets. There were more than just these people chatting and laughing, but what these people were talking about was related to Lin Jue. With a swish, Lin Jue opened his eyes suddenly. He slowly turned his head and glanced in the direction of the sound. First, several officials who were sitting together, looking at his side and talking, when their eyes met his, were suddenly startled, exchanged glances, and dared not speak. Nowadays, the name "Master Lin" still has a certain deterrent effect in the capital. They also think that the "Master" is indeed extraordinary. In such a noisy environment, they just mentioned the name of Master Lin accidentally during the conversation, but it was heard by the Master. It seems that it really cannot be mentioned casually. There were several foreign envoys dressed in exotic costumes. Different from those envoys from the Western Regions who were wearing gold and silver, they wore gray clothes, with bones as decorations on their bodies, and they looked quite strong. The two sides looked at each other, and when they realized that what they said had been heard, they immediately shut up. Now the seats in the hall are divided into left and right sides. On the left side are the court civil and military officials and strange people, and on the right side are the foreign envoys. These few people are the largest in number. There are several people attending the banquet at the same time. In addition, the seats they sit in are also the most front and center among the envoys of various countries. And the color of their clothes, it is not difficult to guess that these people should be from the big country in the north of the Central Plains Dynasty, called Dazu. Because he often wears gray clothes, he is also called Gray-clothed Dazu. Lin Jue continued to scan the area and soon saw a slightly plump monk with a smile on his face. It was Master Yunchan whom I had met in Langfeng County. Master Yunchan clasped his hands together and nodded to him. Lin Jue also raised his hand and saluted.
The last thing he saw was two middle-aged Taoists who were also wearing Taoist robes. They were staring at him, frowning and thinking hard. Lin Jue also frowned. They also looked familiar. After thinking about it carefully, it suddenly dawned on me—— It was the Mingzhao Mountain Grand Ceremony many years ago. When it was over and they were leaving, they watched themselves, the younger sister and the third brother leave. When they turned around, they caught a glimpse of them. He is a Taoist from Yushan in the capital. There are so many people here today. Just as I was thinking about it, I heard a sharp shout: "Your Majesty is here! The Concubine is here! "His Royal Highness is here!" The previously noisy hall suddenly became quiet. Even the gray-clad Dazu maintained their awe and due courtesy towards the Central Plains Dynasty, looking forward with solemn expressions. The graceful and delicate maid held a screen fan, the imperial concubine supported the old man in dragon robe, the eunuchs followed on both sides, and the prince, whom Lin Jue had met once, followed behind and slowly walked towards the dragon throne. Civil and military officials in the court, as well as envoys from hundreds of countries, all stood up. Lin Jue and others also stood up. He leaned forward slightly, found a gap, and looked at the old emperor and the imperial concubine. This emperor was over seventy years old and looked very old, but he still had a certain spirit. It was rare to see an emperor live to such an old age, and it was even rarer to see one who could walk steadily at such an age. The concubine beside him was already over fifty years old, but still maintained her figure and appearance. She looked to be around thirty years old. She seemed to be two generations older than the prince of the same age behind him. But for some reason, her skin had become a little saggy, which looked a bit strange. Lin Jue looked at them carefully. As soon as the emperor took his seat, civil and military envoys bowed and wished the emperor good health and happiness. "No gift." The old emperor sat calmly and laughed. Then many civil and military officials and envoys went to present gifts. The gifts are varied. Some tried every possible means to search for treasures from the world, some catered to the wishes of the people and brought elixirs that were said to prolong life, some were ingenious and brought handfuls of rice from the northern harvest this year, and some were extremely flattering and brought the blessings of the people in their own land. Foreign envoys were no exception. Although the Central Plains Dynasty was already in turmoil, it was still an unimaginable Celestial Empire to many small countries in the Western Regions. Even if it really fell, the wind that blew would still affect them, so most of them still respectfully sent gifts and brought greetings from the king. "The Jade Kingdom sent a pair of five-color jades, which are the best jades produced in our country this year. My king specifically instructed that they be presented to Emperor Dajiang. May Emperor Dajiang live in peace and health forever." "Hahaha, great! Thank your king for me..." "Da Ran sent a pair of lions..." Someone else brought in a huge box from outside and uncovered the red cloth. Two lions roared inside, shocking the civil and military officials in the hall.
Lin Jue watched silently without saying much. Until a moment later—— An envoy wearing a white and yellow robe and a turban came up, holding only a small box, and knelt respectfully in front of the emperor in the hall: "The Kingdom of Changchun presents Your Majesty with a piece of 'Swallow Egg Incense'. This item is a treasure that has been recorded in both the Central Plains and my Kingdom of Changchun. It has the effect of prolonging life. After hundreds of years, another one has finally appeared. My king said that this symbolizes auspicious things and only gods are worthy of it. Therefore, I present it to Your Majesty. May Dajiang and Your Majesty be immortal for thousands of years." "Swallow egg incense?" A series of slight noises were heard in the hall, some expressing surprise, some expressing doubt, all coming together. "Emperor Taizong of Dayou once got one of these items. Burning it can dispel the plague. The emperor of the previous dynasty also got one. The third time is now. The Changchun Kingdom sent such a precious treasure. It must have a request to our Dajiang or Your Majesty. It should be that they want the court to help mediate the war with the Jade Kingdom, otherwise the country will be destroyed." "It can dispel the plague, which is a good thing for marching and fighting! Humph, if Changchun wants to save the country, why don't you give me Dazu? What's the point of giving it to Emperor Dajiang?" "This thing..." A whisper reached the ears of the people in the forest. Lin Jue stared at the treasure box in the envoy's hand. With a glance, he noticed that the envoys in gray clothes and big feet sitting in the seats opposite him were also staring at the envoy from Changchun. The envoy handed over the treasure box and quickly returned to his seat. The tributes continue. I don't know how many countries came to pay tribute with respect. In a trance, I really felt a sense of pride that the imperial court was still prosperous and that all nations came to pay tribute. Looking at the old emperor's smiling expression, the satisfaction on the old prince's face, and even the civil and military officials sitting on his side feeling elated, Lin Jue realized that they were still using this to numb themselves. Whenever a court is in its last years, there are always many slow-witted people. Occasionally, some bold envoys took the opportunity to make some requests, but these requests, which should have been regarded as rude, were ignored by them. Soon, there was singing and dancing in the palace. Various delicious delicacies were also served. Lin Jue lowered his head and savored it carefully. Another white fox, as big as a fingernail, came out from his sleeve. It looked up at him, glanced around the hall, and then took small steps and ran to his plate as if no one was around. It seemed like it ran as far as a yard. The little creature wasn't polite either. It aimed at a piece of meat that was bigger than itself and bit it. Lin Jue and the other two sat on the left side of the hall, near the door and at the back. They were farthest from the dragon throne and there were several rows of tables in front of them, blocking their way. Only Tianshi Fan and Mr. Pan looked at it with sidelong glances, both finding it strange and interesting, but neither said a word. Lin Jue stretched out his finger and tapped it. The extremely small fox actually turned around, stretched out an even smaller paw, and flapped it wildly in the air, as if to confront him. "Ah……"
Lin Jue withdrew his hand and ignored it. Instead, he looked up and looked at the singing and dancing in the hall. The dance performed at this time was the Shi Ning Dance—— A group of women with graceful figures and good looks, wearing thin and transparent clothes, held plates in their hands with cups and bowls on the plates. They danced to the songs and turned the plates over. The cups and plates were in a dangerous situation several times, but they just wouldn't fall to the ground. This is the Shi Ning Dance, which symbolizes peace in the world. However, they never expected that when a dancer approached the Dazu envoy in the middle of the dance, the envoy looked up and stared at her, and when she turned over the cups and plates again and was in danger, he suddenly coughed loudly. "cough!" The dancer was suddenly startled and her hands became unsteady. Just a little mistake and the cup and plate fell to the ground. "Snapped!" The music in the hall stopped suddenly, the dancers stopped dancing one after another, and even the civil and military officials and envoys stopped their movements and words. The hall suddenly became quiet. The dancer turned pale and knelt down quickly. Only the envoy from Dazu felt comfortable and ate and drank at ease. "Father, please don't be surprised. This is the meaning of peace every year. It should be the blessing sent by the gods through the dancer. But now, this song and dance should stop." The prince's voice came from the front. He did not mention that the dance was actually called Shi Ning Dance, but just said: "Today is my father's birthday, and it is a very happy day. I have listened to these tunes and watched these dances for too long, and they are boring. Now in my Great Jiang territory, the air is full of immortals, and many masters are appearing. I have invited some masters who are good at immortal arts to perform immortal arts for my father, and also let the ministers and envoys see a different performance." The emperor waved his hand, as if to agree. Only then did all the civil and military officials and envoys relax. The prince first asked the singing girls and dancers to leave, then waved his hand, and the strange man from Juxian Mansion entered the hall. (End of this chapter)