At the end of December, the emperor's guard of honor was about to leave Suidu and prepare to continue its tour south. As usual, Mu Sheng publicly encouraged the local officials in Suidu to govern the place well and take care of the people, and then boarded the royal chariot and left the city.
As the parade set off south, Prime Minister Wang Yi on the right and Prime Minister Gao Zhong on the left got in the car to report on the tour plan.
Right Prime Minister Wang Yi stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, the first stop on our journey south is to cross the sea to Donghai County and inspect Donglai City."
Mu Sheng nodded and said: "Well, Donglai City? Donghai County! Gu Peng Kingdom?"
Gao Zhong said: "Yes, Your Majesty, it is the hometown of the ancient country Peng. When the late emperor was in power, he visited Donghai County many times. It is said that there are often fairy palaces on the sea on the east coast of Donghai County. I remember that when I followed the late emperor on his fifth tour of the world, All the civil and military officials present and the late emperor had witnessed the advent of the Immortal Palace with their own eyes. The late Emperor was also very excited and ordered the construction of a viewing platform on the east bank of the Immortal Palace. For this purpose, the imperial court also specially sent people to watch the appearance of the Immortal Palace on the east bank to observe the pattern of the appearance of the Immortal Palace. People travel across oceans in search of immortality.”
When Mu Sheng heard Gao Zhong's description, his heart moved and he asked: "Gao Xiangguo, does this fairy palace appear every year?"
Gao Zhong said in surprise: "Your Majesty, the Immortal Palace does appear every year. It is usually more common from March to June. The late emperor saw the wonder of the Immortal Palace again on his seventh eastward tour."
When Mu Sheng heard this, he understood clearly that this fairy palace is just a mirage! It is estimated that the late emperor's aggressive war to cultivate immortality had a lot to do with seeing such a wonderful sight.
After the two men retreated, Mu Sheng turned around and ordered the inner court general: "Yang Jin, open the map."
Yang Jin promised, and hurried forward and carefully opened the map of the country with another eunuch, and hung it in the car for the emperor to read.
Mu Sheng stepped forward and looked at the location of Donghai County on the map. He was very interested in visiting this place and seeing Wangxiantai.
Donghai County is actually a huge island, very close to the Central Plains mainland. During the reign of King Wu of the Dayu Dynasty, the local kings came to the Central Plains to pay tribute and become ministers. King Wu was very happy and was canonized as an earl. Therefore, Peng State was officially granted the title of founding country and received great praise. With the influence of Central Plains culture for thousands of years, the humanities and etiquette here are the same as those in China.
The ancient Peng Kingdom was established for 1,217 years, and went through two dynasties and fifty-nine generations of kings. It was almost the same age as the Yu Dynasty, which was established for more than 1,400 years. Until the middle and late Warring States Period, Peng State was too weak to participate. The heroes of the Central Plains competed. They once became vassals of two powerful neighbors, Yu State and Chen State. Later, they were destroyed by Chen State and became a county of Chen State. More than a hundred years later, Chen State was destroyed. This place It became Donghai County in the Jin Dynasty again, and this was the first stop on our journey south.
On the fifth day of the first lunar month of the first year of Yongning, the emperor's guard of honor and tens of thousands of people marched to the tide watching pier. Yang Jin supported the emperor's royal chariot.
Hundreds of large and small boats were parked in front of the pier, as well as an honor guard of thousands of people to welcome the emperor and hundreds of civil and military officials for their inspection across the sea.
On the pier, flags were fluttering, gongs and drums were beating loudly, and it was very lively. Seeing the emperor and all the civil and military officials get off the bus, Shi Wei, the governor of Donghai County, hurriedly led the local officials to come and bow down to pay homage to the emperor. Long live the emperor, long live the emperor."
Mu Sheng said: "Excuse me, are you Shi Aiqing, the commander of Donglai?"
Shi Ping stepped forward and cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, it is Wei Chen who will accompany your Majesty on a tour of Donghai County."
Mu Sheng nodded and said: "Okay!"
Shi Wei waited carefully and guided all the ministers and emperors present to board the building boat.
Mu Sheng went directly to the east side of the ship and looked at Donghai County on the opposite side. The coastline of Donghai County was almost visible to the naked eye in the distance. It seemed that it was only about twelve or thirteen nautical miles away. Mu Sheng knew clearly that with today's navigation technology, he wanted to Fighting for land across the sea is as difficult as climbing to the sky, but I didn't expect that Donghai County is so close to the mainland? No wonder during the Warring States Period, the Chen State easily wiped out the Gu Peng State. If Wanwan was so close to the mainland in later generations, even if there were no boats, tens of thousands of soldiers would be able to successfully liberate Ya by swimming there with swimming rings.
After boarding the high-rise boat, facing the gentle sea breeze, in less than half an hour, the fleet docked smoothly. Hundreds of vehicles, thousands of soldiers, and hundreds of civil and military officials were already prepared on the other side. They boarded the vehicles and headed east. Lae.
In Donglai City, its buildings have retained some of the architectural styles of the ancient Peng Kingdom, and they still have a more or less exotic feel. After the emperor's ceremonial guard entered the city, they passed directly through the city without stopping. The procession went straight to the legendary place where you can see The Immortal Watching Platform is the wonderland of the Immortal Palace.
The parade team kept going until early morning on the third day before they finally crossed the entire island and finally arrived at Wangxiandai on the east coast of Donghai County. From the literal meaning of Wangxiandai, I thought it was just a building for convenient observation. The high platform of the Immortal Palace is actually a temporary palace for the emperor to rest.
Several palaces in Wangxiantai are crisscrossed with corridors and courtyards, and all have the same specifications as a royal palace. In the square in the middle of Wangxiantai is a tower-shaped building with a height of more than ten feet, like a watchtower. However, the scale of this watchtower is It is much larger than the ordinary watchtower, and it has the meaning of an astronomical observatory.
Shi Wei, the governor of Donghai County, led a group of civil and military officials to climb up to the high tower, stepped forward and spoke to the emperor: "Your Majesty, this is the real platform to watch the immortals. Standing on this platform and looking far into the distance is the best way to watch the immortal palace approaching." The best place in the world.”
Shi Wei paused and then said: "Your Majesty, it may be difficult to see the wonders of the Immortal Palace in this month now. At least we have to wait until the weather gets warmer, in February or March."
Mu Sheng nodded and said: "Well, I am here just to revisit the path that the late emperor used to patrol the world. As for whether I can see the Immortal Palace come to this world, it depends on fate."
Shi Wei breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. It seemed that the emperor didn't want to stay here for too long.
The weather is clear. From Wangxiandai, you can see the blue sea as far as the eye can see. Dozens of fishing boats are floating on the sea. Donghai County is mountainous and there is not much arable land. Compared with the mainland, The population is relatively sparse, and the locals mainly make a living by fishing.
In fact, Mu Sheng himself is not that interested in the so-called Immortal Palace. Isn't it just a mirage? It doesn't matter whether you can see it or not, the principle is just the image presented by the refraction of the atmosphere.
At this time, Right Prime Minister Wang Yi stepped forward and asked for instructions: "Your Majesty, when will we hold the Yuan Yuan sacrificial ceremony?"
Mu Sheng looked at the blue ocean in front of him, turned around and said: "The day after tomorrow, after the sacrifice is over, we will set off and continue south."
Three days later, the emperor and all the civil and military officials gathered in front of Wangxiantai Square and set up an altar to worship heaven and earth. Mu Sheng, dressed in grand ceremonial robes, climbed onto the high platform to worship heaven and earth under the guidance of the salute officer. It was already the turn of the past year, and this year the whole world has to pray. His reign name Yongning was used to commemorate the year, because it was impossible to hold a ceremony back to the capital Qingyang during the parade, so he had to make do with simplicity and set up an altar in the palace of Wangxiantai to worship heaven and earth, and then announced a general amnesty to the world.
After the salute officer finished reading the edict of amnesty for the whole country, Mu Sheng added a temporary sentence: "In accordance with my decree, in addition to reducing half of the taxes in all counties in the world, all men in the country will be given a rank of nobility to see the new atmosphere of the new dynasty."
When the right prime minister Wang Yi heard this, his expression changed slightly, and he tried to dissuade him from the throne: "Your Majesty, you must not do it. Since the founding of our country, there has never been a precedent for granting titles to everyone. When people get titles, they must go to the battlefield to kill the enemy."
Acting Prime Minister Zuo Gao Zhong was moved in his mind. He probably guessed that the emperor wanted to use the ritual of worshiping Yuan to worship heaven to grant titles to people all over the world. Although he did not agree with the emperor's move, when he thought that he had not officially corrected Prime Minister Zuo, he stepped forward to agree. The emperor meant it and said: "Your Majesty's move is a sign of great grace. All people in the world will be grateful for your grace."
Right Prime Minister Wang Yi stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, by granting titles so generously, the people of the world will be grateful to Your Majesty for your kindness. However, acting in this way will make the military officials who already have titles resentful. After all, they will kill the enemy on the battlefield. It’s not easy to get a title.”
Mu Sheng said: "Let's do it this way. On the basis of this, a military officer's son can be promoted to another level of title. Who in the world would refuse a free benefit? This is what I want, no need to say more."
Hearing this, the left and right prime ministers looked at each other in shock, and had no choice but to draft an edict to carry out this gift package of benefiting the people from the young emperor.
Of course Mu Sheng knew the consequences of doing this. The titles in this era were very valuable. If he did this, the actual value of the titles would shrink. When the Jin Dynasty reformed the law, in order to reward military merit, a fifteenth-class title system was established to divide the army. There are fifteen levels of nobility and nobility each, and the title is directly linked to the treatment. With the title, in addition to treason, you can be exempted from one crime.
The reason why Mu Sheng was anxious to distribute gift packages to all the people was because he was trying to win over the people. He still remembered Wu Xie's analysis of the world situation at that time. Now that he has become emperor, he obviously does not want the world to be in chaos. He not only wants to borrow the money from Yuan Dynasty To do things, reduce taxes, and spread the title of nobility to win the hearts of the world.
Although Mu Sheng came from a later generation, he was no better than other time travellers. He knew the history books by heart. No matter what era he went to, he could step on the historical nodes and make great achievements. In the history of this other world, he only knew what happened in the past, but He has no idea what will happen in the future, he cannot open his eyes, and he has no idea whether there will be chaos in the world? Because he himself is part of the history of this other world, he cannot be alone.
Mu Sheng thought more than once in his mind that it would be great if he knew what would happen in the future. Just like what some time travelers do, finding a key historical figure to win over or getting rid of this key figure at a targeted location would be enough to change the future. In the historical context, as the emperor now, he has this ability, but now his eyes are darkened and he really doesn't know what to do.
The chaos in the world may be Wu Xie's guess, or he may be exaggerating. The world may not really develop in the historical direction of the Qin Empire in later generations. History itself has many accidental factors.
But he still has to prepare for a rainy day, and it is best to avoid the seeds of disaster in time. If he does not become the emperor, it will not matter if the floods in the Central Plains are raging. His own words and words will not change anything. It is different now. This heavy family fortune If it falls from the sky and hits you on the head, you have to be careful not to make any mistakes. The butt determines the head. Now that he has become the master of the dynasty, he does not want the good country to fall into chaos.
After a whole morning of tossing, the ceremony of worshiping the heaven and changing the yuan was coming to an end. Just as everyone was about to exit the square, they suddenly heard a bell ringing from the high platform.
Donghai County Governor Shi Wei's face changed slightly, and he ran over to report to the emperor: "Your Majesty, the Immortal Palace has come to this world, please come to the stage to observe the ceremony."
Mu Shengxin said it was such a coincidence? The food was served just after the sacrifice? God is so generous. In fact, he guessed that it might have rained last night and the high air humidity caused the mirage to reappear on the sea.
Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials also looked happy and stepped forward one after another and said: "Congratulations to Your Majesty, this is auspicious arrival in this world..."
Mu Sheng curled his lips and said yes repeatedly, but he disagreed in his heart. Surrounded by all the civil and military officials, he Shi Shiran climbed up to the high platform to watch the ceremony.
I saw that the sea in the distance was filled with mist, and the visibility was obviously not as clear as the previous few days. At this time, a brilliant ancient city gradually emerged in the sky, with its towering towers, exquisite stone carvings, and row upon row of luxurious palaces. It was just like heaven and earth. The Immortal Palace was like a fairyland, and all the ministers were amazed after watching the ceremony. Although this wonder appeared every year, it was not always possible to see it, and it was really incredible to appear in this month.
Shi Wei had obviously seen him many times, and his expression was as usual. Seeing that the emperor and the ministers were fascinated, Shi Wei stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, now this month, there are such wonders as the Immortal Palace coming to the world. Wei Chen saw this for the first time, and he thought that it was His Majesty's ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven that united heaven and earth, and God would send down auspicious auspiciousness at this time, which would herald peace for our country and the people."
After Shi Wei finished shooting a bucket of rainbow farts, all the civil and military officials also reacted and came forward to congratulate him on the auspiciousness. The dragon farts kept coming.
The ministers were doing all kinds of tricks, but there was no reaction from the emperor. Confused, Shi Wei raised his head and saw that the emperor's face was solemn, and his expression seemed to be shocked.
At this moment, when Mu Sheng saw the wonders of the Immortal Palace, his heart felt like a stormy sea. In the middle of this ancient city stood this majestic giant tower rising straight into the sky. The familiar stone carvings and the magnificent stone palace were what he saw when he passed the customs at Tianque. The ruins of the ancient city of Kunwu Divine Kingdom that you visited in the ancient times?
Mu Sheng knew that time was running out, and a mirage usually only lasted for ten minutes. It was just atmospheric refraction under certain meteorological conditions. Since this ancient city could appear in a mirage, then this wonder must be real. It's just thousands of miles away from the real destination.
He immediately turned to call the chief steward of the inner court and said: "Yang Jin, hurry up and get my telescope, and call Ajiu for me, right away..."
Seeing the emperor's serious tone, Yang Jin was a little surprised and hurriedly ran to deliver the order.
The officials on the high platform also looked at each other in shock, thinking that it was the first time for the little emperor to see this strange scene and he was just a little out of sorts.
After a short while, Ajiu flew to the emperor's side. At this moment, she had recovered from her injuries. Everyone saw a silver-haired beauty coming to the emperor's side, and they all secretly guessed the identity of the visitor. Among the courtiers, except for Gao Zhong, None of the ministers in charge of the Taiji Palace had ever seen the great patriarch Ahrami who once lived in the inner palace and helped the late emperor make elixirs.
At this time, Yang Jin also grabbed the telescope from an eunuch who had just ran up to the high platform, and trotted all the way to offer it with both hands.
Without saying a word, Mu Sheng took the telescope and looked at the ancient city of the Kingdom of God in the distance. With the help of the telescope, he could see more details of the ancient city.
I saw that the ancient city of the Kingdom of God seemed to have been abandoned for a long time, and the towering towers had not seen the original divine light. Some of the statues in the city had become pitted due to long-term erosion, and some had even collapsed. The roofs of palaces and temples are already covered with various low plants blowing in the wind.
Nowadays, only the once magnificent buildings left in this ancient city seem to tell the story of the long past, the traces of the once glorious civilization.
Mu Sheng sighed and silently handed the telescope to Ahrami, asking her to take a good look at it. She had also been to the Tianque Ancient Treasure World and seen these relics of the Kingdom of God, but she did not expect that this legendary myth , actually exists in the real world.
