The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 708 Rejecting the supervisor sent by the Prince of Qin's mansion? —Don't you know who that is!
silence.

There was a long silence.

In the dimly lit main hall, Li Shimin gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, then released it, then gripped it tightly again, then released it again.

Chai Shao stared blankly at the swaying curtains in the inner hall, his lips pressed together until they were white. He would look for a while, then close his eyes, his chest heaving heavily.
He watched for a while longer, then closed his eyes again, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. If there weren't other people around, if there weren't outsiders, Shen Le truly suspected that he could have burst into tears.

The young couple, after all, still had some genuine feelings for each other.

However, neither of the two men cried. The only sounds in the entire hall were Ah Qing's sobs, choked cries, and muffled sobs.

On the contrary, the suppressed sobs of Princess Pingyang's personal guards could be heard from below the hall and outside the courtyard, rising and falling incessantly.

After a long, long silence, Li Shimin sighed deeply and released his grip on the sword hilt. He strode forward, pressed hard on Chai Shao's shoulder, nodded to Shen Le, and raised his voice:

"Somebody come!"

"exist!"

A resounding reply came from the guards outside the door. Li Shimin opened his mouth to speak, then paused, and sighed softly:

"Please invite Lord Li of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to come over and have him bring a few scholars from the Imperial Divination Bureau... to offer sacrifices and consult oracles before the spirit tablet of Third Sister and ask for her wishes."

Li Shaoqing, the Grand Master of Ceremonies in charge of rites, music, sacrifices, and imperial tombs, also accompanied the group out of the city. Li Shimin sent someone to invite him, and soon he arrived in a hurry with a large group of people.

The diviners from the Imperial Divination Bureau, subordinates of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, rushed in carrying yarrow stalks and tortoise shells, only to hear His Highness the Prince of Qin say:
“I will offer my prayers, and you will perform the divination. You only need to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to determine whether the princess is willing or not. There is no need to say anything else.”

After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and strode into the inner hall. Shen Le wanted to follow, but was stopped outside by two guards who remained silent, perhaps worried that he might use magic and disrupt the divination.

Helpless, Shen Le could only stop and strain his ears to listen:
There's no sound!

No sound at all!

Are you praying silently?!

The diviner was on the verge of tears. His Highness the King of Qin and his consort both looked extremely grim, yet they didn't exchange a single word, nor did they offer him a single hint.

Ask him to do divination? What does he need to divine? Divination, whether it's about the year, month, day, and hour, or good or bad fortune, is all based on the wishes of the person in charge. Who would bother with it for fun?

Also, Your Highness, you must tell me what you want to divine! Otherwise, I can't carve anything on the tortoise shell! Am I supposed to carve "Does the Princess wish?" on it?

However, no one cared what a lowly official of less than the ninth rank thought. Before the princess's memorial tablet, the Prince of Qin bowed his head and silently offered a prayer, but not a single word could be heard clearly.
The prince consort stared at the coffin, as if he wanted to take one last look at his beloved wife through it, completely ignoring everyone else.

On the straw mat beside the coffin, two little boys sat on either side, both held in the arms of their wet nurse, who had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

There were also maids dressed in mourning clothes sobbing and weeping beside them, but because the noble person was above them, they dared not even cry out loudly...

He wept bitterly, burned incense, lit a fire, and scorched the tortoise shell, repeatedly turning the yarrow stalks back and forth. After a long while, he finally, trembling with fear, presented the tortoise shell and yarrow stalks to the nobleman.

"The divination yielded the 'Increase' hexagram... Wind and Thunder Increase, it is advantageous to have a destination, advantageous to cross great rivers... Going in the middle, informing the duke and following, it is advantageous to rely on it to move the country... According to the hexagram, the princess agrees..."

Using yarrow stalks, I obtained the Yi hexagram.

The burning of the tortoise shell, with its branches growing long and upward, resembling a flying bird, is a clear auspicious sign.
She tossed the divination blocks three times and received a positive result each time. To say that Princess Pingyang was unwilling, refused, or did not agree to this outcome is simply illogical…

Li Shimin and Chai Shao looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, Li Shimin finally bent down, picked up the two still-warm tortoise shells, and held them in his hands:

"I will immediately submit a memorial to my father. The journey will be swift, and I should have the result by tomorrow. The funeral procession will continue forward without interruption, so there shouldn't be any delay."

"—Just some personal weapons and armor, some burial items, that's all..."

He closed his eyes briefly, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
"Let it be as Third Sister wishes..."

Shen Le had no idea how Li Shimin had managed to win over his father.

In short, he received the notification late at night on the third day. Li Shimin personally carried a box and placed it on the small table in front of him.

"Take these things back with you." Even as he said this, his hand remained on the box, gently stroking it with lingering affection.

"If you cannot suppress the strange changes in heaven and earth, and evil spirits continue to circulate and disturb Chang'an, you will be unworthy of the princess's reputation. I will exterminate your entire sect!"

"Your Highness, rest assured!" Shen Le didn't hesitate, cupped his hands, and met his gaze, promising loudly:

"If peace cannot be restored to Zhongnan Mountain, I would rather throw myself onto the altar and protect heaven and earth, and I would never trouble Your Highness to take action!"

He personally carried the box as he set off into the mountains, refusing to put it down even for a moment.

Behind them trailed a small procession, half of which was led by Aqing and consisted of guards from Princess Pingyang's residence, escorting the armor and weapons the princess had used during her lifetime.
The other half consisted of Li Shimin's personal guards in black armor, who escorted the ceremonial swords, drums, and other regalia bestowed by Li Shimin.

It seems that Li Shimin did not completely win over his father, and those burial items could not be used.

The result of the mediation was that Li Shimin filled the princess's tomb with his own set of ceremonial regalia and replaced it with the princess's set...

This group of guards was led by a young scholar, barely in his early twenties. Shen Le walked along, constantly glancing at the man, her eyes never leaving him:
"This is Li Chunfeng, the military advisor and secretary of the household," Du Ruhui, sent by Li Shimin to meet them, introduced the newcomer.

"This man is quite knowledgeable in astronomy, calendrical calculations, and the study of Yin and Yang. Let him go with you; perhaps he can be of some help."

Lou Yun was standing nearby at the time. Hearing this, he was taken aback and quietly tugged at Shen Le's sleeve: Why did they send a supervisor?
Surely His Highness the King of Qin doesn't distrust us anymore?
Should we try to find a way to decline?
Shen Le, however, showed no intention of refusing. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Du Ruhui, said "I respectfully obey," and immediately turned to Li Chunfeng, his eyes gleaming.

"We have long admired your name, sir! With you here, our efforts to construct the formation and seal the evil spirits will surely be twice as effective! Please, sir!!!"

This is Li Chunfeng!
Even disregarding supernatural factors, this man was a great astronomer and mathematician of the early Tang Dynasty, and was as famous as Yuan Tiangang!
Taking supernatural factors into account, it becomes even more extraordinary. This person can basically be regarded as half an immortal, and even in his incomplete form, he can still be used as a quarter of an immortal.

With someone as big as Li Chunfeng helping to calculate formations and seals, even if he were used as a laborer, it would greatly speed up the work efficiency!
Such a master is someone you can't normally invite; anyone who doesn't agree is a fool!
The group continued their journey, and before long, they had penetrated deep into Zhongnan Mountain, heading straight for the chasm in the sky. Even before the protective object arrived, the mountain gate was already a scene of bustling activity and vibrant activity:
"Is the earth vein survey complete yet?!" Uncle-Master Xuankun was covered in sweat, wishing he could whip his disciples and make them run all over the mountain.

"Hurry! Hurry! Even faster! The place where the talisman lands must have enough earth energy to withstand the changes in the heavens!"

"Jade talismans! Keep carving! We need to finish two hundred jade talismans today!" Senior Brother Mingxin's hands were trembling, and his fingers gripping the chisel had blisters, but he didn't care; he just kept shouting:

"The more jade talismans the better! No matter how powerful the talisman is, it still needs jade talismans to guide and connect it in order to form a magic array!" "Where's the cinnabar? The realgar? The crystal? How much is left in stock? Hurry up and move it, don't be lazy!"

"Get to the altar! Get to the altar! The longer we hold out, the longer the Twelve Yuan Chen Formation can last—one more day, one more month! Once Mingde has finished requesting reinforcements and brought in the talisman, we can solve the problem once and for all!"

"But when will the talisman arrive?"

"It's here! The talisman has arrived!!!" Shen Le held the treasure box high above his head with both hands, gathered his energy, and leaped upwards.

As soon as he stepped onto the altar, a clear and melodious sound rang out from the treasure box, and a white light shot into the sky, transforming into a white tiger that leaped into the heavens.

With a roar and a bite, a pounce and a slash, it tore a huge hole in the dark clouds in the sky in no time!
"So strong!"

"What kind of protective artifact is this! It's so powerful!"

"The only one I've ever seen..."

The disciples of the immortal sect, who were performing rituals, carving jade talismans, mixing cinnabar and realgar, and waving fans to heat mercury, all stopped what they were doing and stared in disbelief.

Among the crowd, only Ah Qing, panting as she climbed up, looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with tears:
"This is the military tally... the princess's military tally... the women's army's military tally... ever since the princess was granted her title and stopped leading troops, this pair of military tallies has been lonely for far too long..."

Shen Le lowered his head in disappointment. Military tallies are held by the general on the left and the emperor on the right; they are never combined unless troops are deployed for verification.

The fact that the two military tallies of the Women's Army could be kept together probably means that after Princess Pingyang was granted her title and relinquished her military power, these two tallies were no longer of use and could only become lonely collectibles...

"Since you're here, let's hurry up." A gentle voice beside him pulled him out of his sadness.

Li Chunfeng, dressed in a clean and upright blue robe, walked with a graceful gait, and stood beside him:
"The sooner we set up the magic array and place the protective object, the sooner... the princess's wish can be fulfilled?"

Shen Le nodded silently. Of course, when it came to determining the formation, he really couldn't help. He could only watch as Li Chunfeng plunged headlong into the debates among his fellow disciples, uncles, and senior brothers.
First, they talked animatedly, then they did endless calculations, and then papers and crumpled pieces of paper flew everywhere on the stone table and benches.

Shen Le squatted down beside them, getting a full earful of "the celestial sphere's dimensions," "the waxing and waning of the five phases," "the combined analysis of the three plates," and "the foundation of the Taiyi system," but he had no idea what they were talking about.

With no other option, he squatted down to the side, tidying up the kiln, reapplying mud, and repairing the damaged bricks in preparation for the possible firing of the porcelain tower in the future.

After seven days of intense discussions, the sect leader and Li Chunfeng finally reached a preliminary agreement. The next step is preparation.
"Master Mingde!"

Li Chunfeng naturally pulled Shen Le over:

"Could you help build this altar?"

Shen Le looked through the blueprints in his hand from beginning to end, completely bewildered—it wasn't that he couldn't read architectural blueprints, but architectural blueprints drawn according to the "Yingzao Fashi" (Building Standards) were too difficult for him.

Not to mention, the blueprints in Li Chunfeng's hands were even simpler and more irregular than those drawn according to the architectural standards, and were piled with all sorts of strange talismans and array patterns—

He looked up at Li Chunfeng, giving him a "figure it out yourself" look. Li Chunfeng sighed and had no choice but to pull out the bottom card:
"We need to fire terracotta warriors and warhorse terracotta warriors..."

"Leave this to me!"

Shen Le's spirits lifted, and he patted his chest confidently. This was his specialty! He could even fire porcelain towers; mere armored warriors and warhorse terracotta warriors would be a piece of cake!
"Give me everything: what formations to set up inside, what talismans to inscribe!"

"That's not necessary..."

It would be even more convenient if we didn't need to. Shen Le threw himself into his work, scooping out clay, kneading it, shaping it, and glazing it.

Over seven days, the disciples of the immortal sect respectfully placed Princess Pingyang's military tally, armor, and troop allocation into a jade coffin, and then refined the coffin into a small coffin about a foot long.

Racing against time, they set up altars and even carved countless talismans and buried countless jade talismans throughout the entire mountain wall, forming a network.
On the seventh night, Shen Le extinguished the kiln fire, watching the red glow inside slowly fade. Two days later, he opened the kiln door and dragged out the terracotta figures one by one.
"It's not broken!"

"It's not broken!"

"This one didn't break either!"

"This one is perfectly intact! The yellow glaze on the horse's body, the white glaze on its mane, and the green glaze on the saddle and bridle are all richly colored, without any cracks or haphazard flow in the glaze!"

Shen Le stood tall and handed over a sufficient number of terracotta figurines, even a few extra as spares.

With all preparations complete, at the moment when the sun rises and the purple aura descends, the sect leader, holding the small coffin in both hands, respectfully stepped onto the cliff top:

"Get into formation!"

A fierce wind howled. On the mountaintop, Li Chunfeng's blue robes billowed, his compass needle spun wildly in his hand, and he stepped out in the Big Dipper formation.

With each step, seven jade talismans shot out, accurately embedding themselves in the cracks of the mountain rocks, emitting a clear and melodious sound.

The last jade talisman embedded itself in the rock crevice, causing the earth to shake and the mountains to tremble. A brilliant light shone forth, rising straight into the sky.

"Three hundred and sixty-five jade talismans, matching the number of the Zhou Tian cycle—all!"

Uncle-Master Xuanlin shouted at the top of his lungs. The Sect Leader used his magic, and his body slowly sank down, disappearing into the stone wall.

Senior Brother Mingli took a deep breath, his magic sword flashing like the wind as he slashed at the pool. The water parted, revealing a path:

Shen Le, Senior Brother Lou Yun, Princess Pingyang's personal guard, and Prince Qin's personal guard, carried, lifted, and moved those terracotta figurines, weapons, and ceremonial items, quickening his pace and rushing in.

Everything was in place when a deafening roar, as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, erupted overhead. Immediately following, drums and gongs sounded in unison, their grandeur and magnificence resounding, and forty swords were simultaneously drawn from their sheaths, their sounds ringing out.

Warhorses reared up, terracotta warriors gripped their spears, and stepped forward in unison. The long spears struck the ground, military banners fluttered fiercely, and from the rocky cliff, a white tiger leaped up:

"Roar--"

In the sky, the resentful roar faded into the distance. The dark clouds gradually dispersed, and the surging strange energy receded back into the unknown void.

Along the hundred-mile stretch of Zhongnan Mountain, the mountain spirits and water monsters at its foot, which had been corrupted by the strange energy, all bowed their heads and dared not utter another sound!
"It's done!"

Li Chunfeng flicked his sleeve, and six copper coins tumbled to the ground. He flicked his wrist again, and six more fell to the ground. The hexagram "Earth over Fire" signifies the transition to "Heaven and Earth in Harmony," a propitious omen!

(End of this chapter)