Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

Before Zhuang Xing entered the palace, he handed the stone to Yunling. Xiao An was with him and couldn't go out for some fresh air, so it was better to let her stay with Yunling.

The road into the palace is still the same one.

Because of the heavy rain, the water level of the moat rose considerably. After the weather cleared up, the capital city, which had been sultry for three days, finally returned to its usual bustling state. The floodwaters on the streets could not dampen people's enthusiasm; even wading through the water, people from the capital still came out to stroll around.

Although the routes in the imperial city were complicated, Zhuang Xing had been there once before and remembered how to get around.

He recognized that this was still the way to the Imperial Study. After walking for a short while, he arrived at the huge study again. After being informed by Eunuch Li, he entered the study.

As soon as he entered, he saw the writing on the desk. The ink was not yet dry, and there were slight water stains. The faint scent of ink wafted over with the damp smell of the rain.

Clearly, this was a character written by the emperor.

It's not some poem that requires a high level of literary knowledge to understand; it's just three simple words.

The emperor used three sheets of paper to write these six characters: “wheat,” “cotton,” and “coal.”

These three simple words allowed Zhuang Xing to see even more clearly this man's patriotism and love for the people.

"What do you think of this calligraphy, sir?" the emperor asked.

"Your Majesty's calligraphy is excellent," Zhuang Xing said.

"I heard from Eunuch Li that one of your senior brothers boarded the treasure ship. I have heard the details from Eunuch Li." The emperor lowered his voice. "There are a few hidden details about that treasure ship. After it set sail, it was not completely lost. Perhaps your senior brother is still alive."

"Oh?" Zhuang Xing's interest was piqued. "What did His Majesty say?"

He followed up with the question, and since the emperor had invited him to the imperial study, he must have been prepared to tell him the matter.

He had assumed the treasure ship had sunk to the bottom of the sea, but little did he know there was more to it than met the eye.

"Before the treasure ship set sail, I was still the crown prince. My father was already old at the time, and he only sought immortality. He neglected state affairs and used the national treasury to build the ship, which was a waste of the people and the country." The emperor said, "I originally intended to advise my father, but he not only did not listen, but also asked me to supervise the matter, intending to use this matter to demonstrate the filial piety of the eldest son."

"I had no choice but to handle it personally for my father, so I know a lot about the treasure ship."

"On that ship, there was a strange man who trained a strange bird. Over the past thirty years, that bird has brought back a letter." The emperor took out a long-sealed letter. "This letter was sent back about fifteen years ago. I ordered the officials not to reveal this matter, to pretend that the treasure ship is no longer there. However, that ship may still be drifting somewhere..."

Chapter 215 A Bird That Has Flyed for Over a Decade (Bonus Chapter)

It was an envelope wrapped in the hide of an unknown animal. Rather than an envelope, it was more like a small parcel, with several thin ropes sewn onto it, as if they were meant to be tied to a bird's leg, giving it the feel of a leather boot with lining.

Zhuang Xing couldn't help but reach out and touch the envelope.

It has a smooth feel and a soft texture.

The gray animal hide had a glossy sheen and a thin layer of grease on it. It didn't look like the hide of a hairy wild animal; it looked more like the skin of some kind of fish.

"Your Majesty, what's in this envelope?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"There's nothing special inside, just a few pages of yellow paper," the emperor said. "You'll understand once you see it."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xing opened the animal-skin envelope and took out a few thin sheets of paper.

This is the format of an official document, just like reporting military intelligence on the battlefield, recording some things.

The emperor said, "This envelope was only delivered to Haikou. When the treasure ships set sail, they left a ferry crossing on the south bank of the East China Sea. That strange bird only flew to the ferry crossing."

"It is said that the strange bird left an envelope and flew away. I only heard that the bird sent the letter back, but I did not see the bird. However, after receiving the letter, on the same day, a messenger was sent to deliver the envelope to the palace at full speed overnight."

"The letter was opened by my own hand, and when I opened it, it contained only these letters."

Zhuang Xing read the beginning; it was an official document reporting military intelligence, and naturally, the beginning would state the time and place.

It begins after the 22nd year of Zhengde's reign, because it was in the 22nd year of Zhengde's reign that the treasure ship left Dayu.

The paper stated that the treasure ship traveled westward from the East China Sea for two years. Along the way, they saw some small islands and encountered strange sea creatures, but they did not find land. Those islands were not the legendary fairy islands. It was not until the twenty-fourth year of Zhengde that they reached a continent and met people. So they entrusted a bird to send the letter back.

That's all I remember. Perhaps I was worried that the birds were too far away to fly back to Dayu, so I didn't dare let them carry too much. Most of the things were just briefly mentioned.

Everything seemed normal, but the strangest thing was the beginning.

The note said that they sent a letter back two years after leaving Dayu, but the emperor did not receive the letter until more than ten years after the treasure ship set sail.

"Did His Majesty receive any more letters afterward?" Zhuang Xing asked.

“No more.” The emperor shook his head. “This letter is an ordinary letter. However, as you have seen the file, you should know that the treasure ship set sail in the twenty-second year of Zhengde. But when the letter was received, the reign title had already changed for more than ten years, and my father had passed away many years ago.”

"I always found it strange, but so much time had passed and there was no further news, so I forgot about it. It was only after hearing about the master's senior brother that I remembered it."

"Sir, if that strange bird really sent the letter back in the twenty-fourth year of Zhengde's reign, wouldn't it have been flying at sea for more than ten years? Have you ever seen such a strange thing?"

"This is the first time I've heard of this," Zhuang Xing said. "If His Majesty hadn't told me himself, I probably would have just thought it was a story someone made up."

"The wonders of the world are truly countless," the emperor sighed. "Speaking of which, I have been on the throne for almost forty years. A year after the treasure ship left, my father abdicated in my favor. I became emperor at a young age and have been in politics for many years. In fact, a few years ago, I intended to pass the throne to the crown prince and retire from court. However, the snow disaster struck suddenly, and I was worried that the crown prince would not be able to shoulder the responsibility and would not be able to win over the ministers in the face of the disaster, thus ruining the country's fortune. So I had no choice but to hold on for a few more years."

"Thanks to your good fortune, sir, we have found three auspicious items: wheat, cotton, and coal. I am at peace now, and I plan to abdicate in favor of the Crown Prince next year."

The emperor remained calm. He was fifteen years old when he became emperor at a young age, and after thirty-nine years in politics, he was already fifty-four years old this year.

As an emperor, he was often presented with tonics and elixirs by his ministers. He had also witnessed how his father had damaged his health and died young, so he paid special attention to taking care of his health. Therefore, he looked like a young man, but in fact he was quite old and had lived longer than his deceased father.

The Crown Prince is over thirty years old this year. He already has grandchildren and is of grandfatherly age.

This inevitably reminded him of his father's arduous search for immortality, and he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, do you think it's truly possible to find immortality in this world?"

"Does Your Majesty also wish to seek immortality?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"I was just thinking of my father." The emperor sighed slightly. "Sir, you may not know this, but the treasure ship project caused great suffering among the people. My father increased the labor and taxes to build the ship and had many doubts about me. He tested me time and time again. It may sound unfilial, but when I was young, I lived in the East China Sea to oversee the treasure ship project. I witnessed the hardships of the people and developed a strong ambition to revitalize the country. I was very resistant to the treasure ship project. I had long ago vowed that as emperor, I must never lose my virtue or forget my roots, which is why I am where I am today."

“I am not seeking immortality. It is just that after talking with you a few times, I realized how vast the world is. I thought that things that seemed impossible back then are actually possible in this world.”

"Sometimes I wonder, what did that treasure ship see along the way? Has it finally found the elixir of immortality that my father has been searching for?"

"As I think about it, I get curious. Maybe in a few years, when I'm a bit older, I'll sail to the land on the other side of the sea to take a look. Of course, I won't build any treasure ships." The emperor smiled faintly. "There are people and land there too. If they could be incorporated into my Great Yu territory... Hahaha, sir, please don't laugh at my daydreaming."

"Your Majesty is joking. This is only human nature," Zhuang Xing said. "To be honest, I had the same thought as Your Majesty. My senior brother did not board the ship for the reward. When he went down the mountain, he left only a note for all the teachers. It only had one sentence written on it, saying that he had wanted to leave the village since he was a child."

"You wanted to leave the village when you were young..." the emperor repeated. "That Mr. Song Yu was also a remarkable person. It's a pity I didn't get to know him back then."

Zhuang Xing felt that the emperor and his senior brother Song Yu would get along well. This was just a feeling, but he felt that the emperor, himself, and his senior brother Song Yu were probably the same kind of people at heart.

After that, he spent another half a day with the emperor.

Although the two are quite different in age, they hit it off immediately.

The matter of the reward was settled during a casual conversation.

According to the reward for great merit, he should be granted an official title and a fiefdom, and be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and silver. However, since the Taoist does not participate in the government, he will not accept the official title or fiefdom. He will accept the gold and silver as he is entitled to. This matter will be announced to the world to encourage people to perform more meritorious service for the country.

That's what they said, but in reality, the gold and silver were still kept in the national treasury, and the Zhuang family did not take them away.

The emperor bestowed upon him a gold token, which served as an iron certificate, granting him immunity from death and punishment. Furthermore, he could obtain any gold or silver he desired with this token, and he could also exercise special privileges with it. Seeing the token was as if he were seeing a prince.

This treatment is comparable to that of an anonymous member of the royal family.

Chapter 216 Going Home

After the matter of receiving the reward was settled, Zhuang Xing and Yunling stayed in the capital for more than half a month.

Sometimes at night, the emperor would come to the courtyard to meet Zhuang Xing for a chat and tea, discussing strange and unusual matters.

Time flies, and the horse seemed to be getting tired of staying in the small courtyard. It often asked Zhuang Xing for his clothes so that he could lead the horse out of the city for a ride.

The horse was probably tired of eating radish leaves in the capital, or perhaps it missed Xiao Cui, whom it hadn't seen in a long time.

After staying for half a month, I've visited all the places I wanted to see.

Zhuang Xing took Yunling to the street to buy her rouge and a pearl-encrusted hair bun.

It's a pity I missed the most lively Lantern Festival. I heard from Grandpa Li that the whole city is brightly lit during the festival, but in recent years, the festival has become much quieter because it's been too cold.

With coal available this year, the lantern festival should regain its former liveliness.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling couldn't stay in the capital until the Lantern Festival; that was still a long way off. Seeing that it was about time, they prepared to go back.

I plan to go back before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and I'd like to take a detour through Zhuangxing to visit my family.

In early July, they packed their luggage.

The emperor came to see the Taoist priest off the night before, and since he had state affairs to attend to during the day, he couldn't come again.

The next day, Eunuch Li escorted the two of them all the way to the ferry.

Not far from the capital city is the Grand Canal. This time they were traveling on an official transport ship, which was quite luxurious compared to the small arched boat they had taken in Pingzhou.

It has separate cabins and a shed for feeding horses. In peacetime, this ship is a transport ship, but in wartime, it becomes a warship that can carry hundreds of soldiers.

Ordinary people could also buy boat tickets, but the tickets were not cheap; it cost fifteen taels of silver per person to travel from the capital to Yidu.

You can take a boat even if you don't have money, but you can't take the official transport boats. You can only take the merchant ships that carry goods. You don't sleep on the boat, but on the floor or on the haystacks. The price is much more affordable. If you can help with the work, it will be even cheaper.

However, you need to know your way around. If it's your first time on a merchant ship and you don't have any friends, you can easily get ripped off and lose your valuables without knowing why, with no one to vent your frustration on.

Zhuang Xing naturally didn't need to worry about such issues. They were sent up by people from the palace, and the officials on the ship didn't even dare to speak loudly in front of them, let alone do anything to bully them. In fact, the boatmen on the ship were all praying that their master wouldn't make things difficult for them.

Standing on the deck, Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling gazed at the distant capital city. The ship raised its sails and sailed away, and the black walls of the capital city grew ever more distant.

After watching for a while, the capital city gradually disappeared from their sight, and the canal carried the large ship towards Chenzhou.

The two returned to their cabin. There wasn't much to do on the boat, so besides meditating and cultivating, they taught Xiao An to read and do math.

"Actually, it's not just wood that can be used to build ships; iron can also be used."

"Brother Zhuangxing, you're talking nonsense. How can iron be used to build ships? The ships will sink."

Yunling was also puzzled. Zhuang Xing had taught her about peas and mathematics, but he had never told her that iron could be used to build ships.

But she didn't voice her doubts; in her mind, whatever Zhuang Xing said was right.

"How do you think the wood floats?" Zhuang Xing asked Xiao An.

“Wood is lighter than water, so of course it can float,” Xiao An said.

"Do you think the stone can float?"

“Definitely not,” Xiao An said.

Zhuang Xing remained silent, then brought over a basin of water and a ceramic bowl.

He turned the earthenware bowl upside down in the basin of water, and the bowl floated up. Even when he pressed it down hard, the bowl still emerged from the water.

Xiao An was speechless upon seeing this scene.

This seemed to have a huge impact on her young mind.