In the first few days of the New Year, guests often come.
The first is Miss Wanjiang from Hexian Tower.
In fact, after her autumn trip to the Yuqu River, she also visited several times, either bringing a bottle of wine and some snacks, or some fruits that were not easily available in the market, chatting with him about ghosts and gods, or sighing a few times. Princess Chu's affairs are, in short, things that are difficult to talk about with other people.
As expected, the powerful princess did not come to disturb Song You, but she asked Miss Wanjiang to bring a letter containing a lot of kind words.
Cui Nanxi is here, and so is General Chen.
Including the City God came again.
There were also some dignitaries with whom we didn't have much contact, and they all brought gifts, saying they were here to celebrate the New Year.
Song You said goodbye to them one by one.
As for gifts…
Some gifts are hard to accept, and some gifts are hard to refuse, but even if you accept the gifts, most of them cannot be taken away. There are some things that can be taken away, or even those that are given very cleverly and appropriately, but Song You doesn't want to take them away. I don't want to sell them for money, so I can only pile them up in this room.
A few days later, some people from Changjing who had helped him also came. They were grateful for his good deeds and often brought some small gifts. These gifts were very practical and most of them could be eaten.
Someone even brought preserved eggs bought by Dongcheng.
But it’s also a burden——
Song You has been deliberately cleaning up the things in his home since last month. He didn't even mention the bacon and pickles. If you can't finish eating them and take them away, you can leave them to the next door neighbor. Eggs, rice, noodles, sauce and vinegar need to be cleaned up, but the old ones haven't been cleaned yet. After eating, someone brought a new one, which was really helpless.
So much so that sometimes Song You felt dazed. It turned out that he had helped so many people after being so lazy for a year.
Until the seventh day of the first lunar month, Song You was still eating eggs sent by a woman.
However, another woman brought food.
"Thank you so much..."
Song You finally sent the woman away, but saw a lame middle-aged Taoist standing outside the door, followed by a Taoist boy, carrying a small bag of gifts.
The middle-aged Taoist priest looked at him, saluted immediately and said with a smile:
"Fellow Taoist, be compassionate."
"The Imperial Master is here too."
"It seems that fellow Taoist has been very busy recently." The Imperial Master walked in with a smile. After several conversations, the two parties became familiar with each other a lot. "I have been busy since the beginning of spring. It was not until today that I came to wish fellow Taoist the New Year and wish me well." Friends, please don’t think that this poor person is being neglectful.”
"The Imperial Master is joking." Song You smiled helplessly, "It's funny. I've been having a good time in Changjing, but I didn't expect that I've been very busy in recent days."
"Since I arrived in Changjing, my Taoist friend has often helped the people of the capital. It is reasonable for someone to come to celebrate the New Year. This shows that the people of Dayan have not forgotten the etiquette." The Imperial Master said and smiled, "I know this Fellow Taoist doesn't like these things, so he only brought a bag of spices. I think you will need it, and I hope you won't refuse."
"Thank you, Imperial Master."
"I am here. In addition to congratulatory gifts, I also bring something entrusted by His Majesty and a piece of news."
"oh?"
"Changjing had a good harvest last year, thanks to my Taoist friends. Your Majesty would like to invite you to be a guest in the palace. I would like to express my personal gratitude. I wonder if you are willing?"
"I have the best intentions, but I will be leaving Changjing soon. During the remaining time, I would like to walk around the capital, take a look, and make some preparations, so I will ask the Imperial Master to reply to Your Majesty for me."
"Then Your Majesty must blame the poor Taoist for his poor eloquence." The Imperial Master smiled and did not try to persuade him. He just said, "There is another piece of news, but it is good news."
"What good news?"
"Dayan now has a population of nearly 20 million. There are so many people but so little land. Many people can no longer afford to eat just relying on the harvests in the fields. A few days ago, news came from Xuzhou that Anqing Yanxian appeared and said that he was from Improved rice varieties with higher yields than the original Oriental rice were brought back from overseas, and they were to be planted by the people of Qing Dynasty. After the state officials learned about it, they reported it to the court. His Majesty was overjoyed after hearing it and issued an order to invite Yan Xian to Beijing." The Imperial Preceptor said. He said, "I heard that Yan Xian received the guidance of fellow Taoist, and he can be regarded as an old friend of fellow Taoist."
"I'm not talking about advice, just suggestions."
"This move is of great merit."
"It's all the work of Yanxian."
"Of course..." The Imperial Master listened thoughtfully, "But Yan Xian has agreed to come to Beijing. He should arrive in a few days. I must inform Yan Xian first and ask him to come and reminisce with his fellow Taoists."
Song You looked at the Imperial Preceptor and asked, "I wonder what your Majesty and the Imperial Preceptor think?"
"Since ancient times, the gods have achieved achievements based on merit and virtue. If the good seeds recovered by Yanxian can really solve the needs of the people of Dayan, they will naturally have immeasurable merit." The Imperial Master paused as he spoke, "Speaking of which, although Anqing Yanxian once committed an official crime The crime of stealing grain from the warehouse was for the purpose of relieving the victims and should not be punished. If the improved seeds are useful, it will be another miraculous achievement and he should be made a god."
The Imperial Master paused after speaking:
"As for this merit, haha, fellow Taoists, there is no need to worry. Gods who rely on stolen merits will not last long after all. If any god can do such a thing, it is worthy of being left behind."
"The national teacher is wise."
When the Imperial Master heard this, he just looked at Song You with a smile: "I wonder if this, fellow Taoist, is still satisfactory?"
Song You nodded and said calmly: "With the words of the Imperial Master, I feel relieved."
There is nothing to be embarrassed about. Although he promised Lao Yanxian this matter, it should be the case - if there is really someone in Changjing who dares to seize this merit and achieve the status of a god, or if there is really a god in the sky who can seize the merit. When it came to consolidating his position as a god, Song You could only say that it was troublesome for him to take care of human affairs, but away from the human world, that was what he was good at.
"The mortal world is not supposed to have much contact with gods, demons and ghosts. In the past, when the imperial court conferred gods, it would not really require heroic spirits and demons to carry out the decree. However, your Majesty has invited Yan Xian to come in person this time, which shows that your Majesty attaches great importance to it."
"Your Majesty is also a wise king."
"Yes." The Imperial Master nodded, "After that, we should do the same as the introduction of Oriental rice before. We should plant it in one place on a trial basis. If the harvest is good, we can implement it on a trial basis, and then slowly promote it across the country. It will take some time."
"This is not what I'm good at."
"Fellow Taoist, you are so humble..."
"Just telling the truth."
"I just heard that Taoist monks are leaving Changjing."
"That's right." Song You said, "Since you are traveling all over the world, naturally you cannot stay in one place forever. I have gained enough in Changjing. I can only wait to see you again next time."
"Which way are you going to go, fellow Taoist?"
"To be honest, I am a lazy person, but I haven't thought about it until now." Song You paused and looked up at the Imperial Master, "But for now, it really doesn't matter which way you go. Maybe wait until Once you leave Changjing City, you will naturally know which way to go. In this case, why worry about it in advance? It is better to just let nature take its course."
"Fellow Taoist's thoughts are indeed different from mine."
"Which way do you think the Imperial Master should go?"
"Since we are following fellow Taoist's wishes and letting nature take its course, it's not good for me to talk too much." The Imperial Master's expression was also very calm, and he continued, "It's just that fellow Taoist is on this trip, whether it's going north, south, or east. I will definitely come back to Changjing again, and when I come back, Changjing will probably have some changes."
"Let it be natural."
"Hahaha……"
The Imperial Master chatted with him for a while, drank a pot of tea, and then took his leave, dragging his lame legs away.
Song You stood up calmly and went to wash the teapot and cups. He didn't open the gift from the Imperial Master. He just put it on the pile of gifts beside him and ignored it.
In the next few days, fewer people would come.
Song You still went out for a stroll every day to see the various sights in Changjing, shopping in the east market, and shopping in the west market.
The quilt bag has been taken out and placed upstairs. He and Sanhua Empress put a little something in it every day, and only put a little something in it every day, never too much, and they did it in a leisurely manner. Preparation neither gives them a sense of rush nor prevents them from forgetting in their haste.
Song You wanted to wait for Lao Yanxian before leaving.
Before you know it, it’s the end of the first lunar month.
The people in Changjing were just like the Jianghu people at the Anqing Liujiang Conference. They all raised their heads and looked at the flock of birds flying overhead.
"What kind of bird is that?"
"It seems to be a swallow."
"Swallow? Where did the swallow come from so early?"
However, they were more surprised than the Jianghu warriors at the Liujiang Conference - the Jianghu warriors at that time were in Anqing, standing on the Yanxian platform, and knew that there was a Yanxian in Anqing, but the people in Changjing did not know it at this time. The existence of Yanxian only knows that there are no swallows in Changjing at this time of year.
Not so much about shock.
The people in the Jianghu had seen many gods, ghosts and monsters at the time, so they were not too surprised to know that the swallows in the sky were unusual. The people in Changjing had not seen many of them, but they did not think they were monsters or gods, they just thought it was a strange phenomenon.
But Changjing is more than just a mortal.
There is Tianhai Temple in the city. There are many monks in the temple, and there are also eminent monks from other places who hang out here. There is also the Juxian Mansion in the city, which was built by the Imperial Master, where people who practice Taoism from all over the country gather. There is also a City God and several priests in the City God's Temple, and there are countless demons and ghosts in the city.
When the swallows flew by, everyone who felt something looked up. Some were wary, some were amazed, some were timid, and some were sighing.
Lao Yanxian, who has practiced Taoism for thousands of years, came to Beijing.
…
That night, Song You sat at the table, while the calico cat squatted at the door, giving him only a back view and its tail wagging from side to side.
It was pitch dark outside, and I didn’t know what it was looking at.
Suddenly, the cat raised its head.
The night sky is quiet, without stars or moon.
The cat seemed to have seen something.
"Taoist priest."
The cat immediately turned his head and said to the Taoist behind him: "The swallow you have been waiting for is here!"
"come back."
The calico cat immediately turned around and ran back, sat next to him, raised his head and continued to look outside.
"Thank you, Miss Sanhua."
Song You lowered his head and said something to her.
When he raised his head again, there were several figures at the door.
The leader was an old man, tall and thin, with hair as silver as silk, and a face so wrinkled that it looked like he would be blown over by the wind. Behind him followed several young men and women, all of whom were also thin and tall, and each of them was extremely good-looking.
Mao'er glanced at several young men and women.
Song You also glanced at the juniors behind Yanxian, then looked at the old Yanxian and stood up to greet him:
"Yan Xian, long time no see."
"Sir..."
Old Yanxian hurriedly walked in, his face was full of emotion, he made a salute gesture as he walked, and said as soon as he opened his mouth: "How can I thank you sir?"
"I don't dare to accept such a great gift from Immortal Yan." Song You said to him, "Immortal Yan, please don't talk too much. Please take a seat quickly."
"Thank you sir!"
Old Yanxian sat down.
Several juniors stood behind him and quietly glanced at Song You.
"It's too late today, so I won't invite Yan Xian to tea. Please drink a glass of water." Song You poured a glass of water for the old Yan Xian, and his first words were, "Why haven't you seen Yan An? "
"Sir, don't worry. Yan'an is fine. It's just that they were scattered and searching, and it was difficult to communicate with each other. Some have come back, and some have not yet come back." Old Yanxian said, "I can feel it. At this time, Yanan is still During the overseas search, when he comes back, I will tell him to come see sir immediately."
"I see."
Song You breathed a sigh of relief and continued to look at Yan Xian.
It has been three years since we said goodbye to Anqing. It is also a bit sad to see each other again now.
This old Yanxian is a little older.
…
Asking for a monthly ticket~
(End of chapter)
