The struggle for the throne during the Jiajing reign

Chapter 112 Sacrifice

Today is both the Emperor's birthday and the anniversary of the death of Empress Xiaoci Gao. According to custom, the Empress Dowager of the founding emperor is worshipped at both the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Fengxian Hall.

Zhu Zaizhen got up early and changed into a plain blue robe, tied with a black horn belt, and wore a winged crown. He had no gold ornaments or colorful embroidery on his body.

As per the imperial decree, Duke Zhu Xizhong of Chengguo and two horses were to offer sacrifices at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, while the two princes were to offer sacrifices at the Fengxian Hall.

After Zhu Zaizhen met with Prince Yu, the group went straight to Fengxian Hall. Guanglu Temple had already prepared regular food, wine, fruit, incense and candles. The eunuchs set up the spirit tablet of Empress Xiaoci Gao, and the prayer text was written by the filial son of Emperor Zhu Houxi, who sent his son to perform the sacrifice on his behalf.

Once outside the palace, the atmosphere was solemn and respectful; no one was allowed to speak or laugh, especially the two kings.

Therefore, it was very dull. Like a puppet, one was directed by the master of ceremonies and entered through the left gate of Fengxian Hall. The hall was quiet and silent, with no music or dance, and the candlelight was dim. The spirit tablets of Emperor Taizu Gao and Empress Xiaoci Gao stood side by side in the center.

He walked to the inner hall and stood facing north at the designated worship position. Prince Yu followed closely behind, standing slightly behind him on the east side. The two bowed four times in unison. Prince Yu then moved to the washroom to cleanse his hands and wipe the wine cup. He then went to the incense table to offer incense three times, knelt down and prostrated himself, and then rose to personally take the wine cup for the first offering. An attendant read the prayer in court.

After the vegetarian sacrifice was completed, the two left the Fengxian Hall, quickly changed into red silk robes, tied a jade belt around their waists, and wore winged crowns. They changed out of their plain clothes and became solemn in appearance.

They rushed to Fengtian Gate, where civil and military officials were already lined up in their respective ranks. Since the emperor was staying in the West Garden and not in the main hall, the birthday celebration ended at Fengtian Gate.

As the master of ceremonies began to chant, all the princes and officials bowed together, performed the grand ceremony of five bows and three kowtows, presented congratulatory memorials, and recited eulogies, wishing the emperor a long and prosperous life.

The Grand Eunuch Mai Fu, acting on behalf of the Emperor, presided over the banquet. The imperial meal consisted mostly of vegetarian dishes with little meat, so naturally no one dared to drink heartily. The Emperor's birthday celebration passed by uneventfully.

At night, Zhu Zaizhen returned to his bedroom. He wearily spread his arms, and immediately palace servants helped him remove his clothes, hat, belt, and boots. However, these servants all looked rather plain.

After that day, the wet nurse and the head maid deliberately replaced the palace servants who served him in the palace with those who were even less attractive, for fear of arousing him to prematurely lose his virginity. Zhu Zaizhen could not say that they were overthinking it.

The looks of the previous few were enough to keep him in line, but these new ones are even more formidable; they don't have any extra thoughts at all.

It's truly not easy to find someone like that in the palace.

Zhu Zaizhen lay on the couch and suddenly remembered the congratulatory memorial presented today. Then he naturally thought of Hai Rui and wondered what would have happened if the book on maintaining order had been presented today.

He would die quickly. With Yan Song and Lu Bing around, the emperor wouldn't even need to say a word. The instruments of torture in the Imperial Guard's prison would make him sign and confess his entire accomplice within a day—even if he had no accomplices at all.

Then, out of fear of punishment, he committed suicide, leaving not even a splash. That memorial became a taboo subject, and no one dared to mention it again.

This illustrates the importance of keeping dogs. Hai Rui's ability to shake up the court was not due to his memorial, but rather because the upright officials behind him, no longer suppressed by the Yan faction, wanted to shake up the court.

Of course, the most important reason was that Father Emperor was old at that time.

"Osama."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Ma Dezhao replied.

"Any news from Xiyuan?"

"His Majesty went into seclusion this morning. Only congratulatory messages were sent in, and no imperial decree was issued."

As for Tao Zhongwen, he is said to have gone into seclusion, and there are rumors that he is about to ascend to immortality.

As he finished speaking, Ma Dezhao hesitated. How could such a thing be possible? And how could he dare to become an immortal before His Majesty?

Zhu Zaizhen raised an eyebrow, his drowsiness instantly vanishing: "Ascension to immortality? Don't tell me you're trying to fake your death."

He thought about it for a moment, then dismissed the idea. "No, he can't escape. His family is all in the capital, and he has a whole bunch of disciples and followers. He can run away, but he can't hide. He can only die."

There was a hint of surprise in his voice, "That old bastard is quite decisive."

"Does Your Highness mean that Tao Zhongwen intends to commit suicide, seeking life through death?"

Zhu Zaizhen laughed and said, "Most likely. He made a wrong step and it could implicate many people. He may not consider his disciples and followers, but he should at least think about his own children and grandchildren. Besides, he's already old and doesn't have many days left."

"Master, if Tao Zhongwen is really dead, tell Yan Shifan not to act rashly, and especially not to rush to harm his children and grandchildren."

"Yes, I will send someone to deliver the message tomorrow."

Since the intention is to create the appearance of ascension to immortality, then one must be polite to the descendants of immortals. This is not about respecting Tao Zhongwen, but about respecting the Emperor.

But how long can this old life protect his children and grandchildren? What if he can no longer manifest his spiritual power, and what if a new immortal master appears in the Western Garden—

Zhu Zaizhen was no saint. That old bastard tricked him. He didn't expect his whole family to be executed, but he could never dream of living a life of luxury. At the very least, he would be exiled to the frontier to reclaim wasteland.

This isn't unfair to his children and grandchildren; they shared both wealth and hardship, so it's fair and just.

A few days later, news came that Tao Zhongwen had died and become an immortal.

It is said that at noon that day, Tao Zhongwen, dressed in purple robes and wearing a golden crown, ascended a three-tiered platform, sat cross-legged facing south, with a sword across his knees. His disciples burned incense and recited the "Scripture of Salvation." He then loudly proclaimed his ascension petition, bowed three times, and burned the petition.

The attendant presented three pills of the "Soldier-Dispelling Pill" with clean water. He dipped his finger in cinnabar and wrote the "Soldier-Dispelling Talisman" on the sword, his palm, and his forehead. He then held the sword, closed his eyes, and the drums thundered nine times, the chimes rang out for a long time, and a strange fragrance filled the air.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

At noon, Tao Zhongwen, who was sitting on the high platform, suddenly stopped breathing and became completely still. When the crowd came closer to check, they saw that his eyes were slightly closed and his face was gentle and lifelike.

His robes were neat and tidy, he still clutched the Thunder Sword tightly in his arms, and a jade talisman that connected him to the heavens lay quietly beside him, giving him the appearance of someone who had achieved great success and transcended the mortal realm to become an immortal.

In the afternoon, the disciples prepared to place him in a coffin for burial, but his remains had vanished without a trace. They searched the entire West Garden but could not find them. Moreover, the fragrance was even stronger and the air was filled with smoke, leading them to believe that he had achieved immortality through the dissolution of his body.

In reality, it was his disciples who secretly used a potion to destroy the evidence, turning the flesh into yellow liquid, leaving no hair, and softening the bones like mud. The parts that were too difficult to handle were either thrown into an abandoned furnace or hidden in jars and smuggled out of the palace in batches.

A dozen or so people worked together to dispose of an old man's body without any problems.

But to outsiders, the performance was flawless, with the timing, elixirs, talismans, and magical artifacts all perfectly executed. It was a superior method of self-destruction. Tao Zhongwen had served in the Western Garden for ten years and knew all too well what the emperor wanted to see. His disciples wailed and knelt, calling for the immortal to ascend to heaven. Upon hearing the news, the emperor left the pass and posthumously conferred upon him the title of True Immortal of the Divine Firmament Purple Mansion, who expounded the laws, protected the country, spread the teachings, and promoted the Dharma. He also bestowed the title of True Immortal of Loyalty, Filial Piety, and Unity upon his descendants.

As Zhu Zaizhen had predicted, Tao Zhongwen's sacrifice of his life earned him the Emperor's mercy. After ten years of companionship, there was still some affection between them.

As for Lu Bing, he sensed something was amiss but said nothing, because there were some things the emperor might not really want to know; he only needed to ensure that things wouldn't endanger His Majesty's safety.

If His Majesty really wants to know, he will ask him, and he will naturally not hide anything.

Not long after, his disciple Guo Hongjing followed his dying wish and left the palace. He established the Qingxu Temple on Baiyun Mountain in the suburbs of Beijing and led a dozen disciples to cultivate Taoism in seclusion.

Fang Zheng then secluded himself in the West Garden, keeping the secret alchemical formulas of the Tao family sealed away.

When a position of power becomes vacant, someone will naturally fill it. The trend of recommending Taoist priests to the court and the public has resurfaced. Both the Yan faction and the Qingliu faction recommended Taoist priests to the capital, and the local officials recommended more than ten people at a time.

The monks could only watch enviously as the incense smoke wafted from Qingfu Hall. In the past, emperors valued both monks and Taoists, but now Taoists were valued more than monks.

The emperor didn't care about any empty blessings in the afterlife; he only wanted to live forever!

What should we do?

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