Chapter 241 - 240: The Test of the Old Human Emperor
Ji Zhi and Yu Yin were both feeling rather troubled recently.
Yu Yin invited Ji Zhi to visit the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty, and Ji Zhi accepted happily.
The two of them had a very pleasant conversation in front of the Minister of Rites from the Zhou Dynasty and the Accompanying Minister from the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty, and they reached several agreements. From establishing trade cities on the border to signing a peace treaty concerning military matters, these agreements were of great benefit to both sides.
The ministers from both sides were all smiles at the sight.
The Zhou Dynasty and the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty were neighboring empires. During the previous rule of the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty, relations had not been very good. The Zhou Dynasty saw the other as a group of barbarians who knew only how to rule by force, while the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty dismissed the other as hypocritical, claiming to uphold justice and fairness, but in reality, trumpeting empty morality.
The principles of ruling the country for the two sides were fundamentally different.
The relationship between the two countries only began to improve during Yu Yin’s reign.
The legal system of the Zhou Dynasty was unique among the Nine Provinces, and did not fit in with the general atmosphere.
People couldn’t comprehend the reason why the law and the fate of the nation would be linked together, as this did not match with the belief that one should pursue their own path of cultivation, regardless of the catastrophic consequences that may follow.
This was the keynote set by the former Zhou Emperor, Emperor Shun. Even the
Zhou Dynasty itself did not understand why.
People said that Emperor Shun saw into the future, saw that such a fate would be most beneficial to the Zhou Dynasty, and as a result linked law and national fate together.
Judging by the results, the Zhou Dynasty is indeed strong.
With the long history of the Nine Provinces, empires rise and fall. Some thrive, some decline, and some withdraw altogether. Only the Zhou Dynasty has consistently been among the top three in terms of national strength, never wavering.
The strength of other empires depends on whether the emperor is a wise ruler or a foolish one. If a series of incompetent rulers appear, causing national unrest, then that empire is in danger.
The emperors of the Zhou Dynasty, whether wise or foolish, have always maintained order within their country, never allowing anything that could shake the foundations of their rule.
Moreover, now there is Jiang Li, the Human Emperor who loves order, who has set an example for all cultivators in the Nine Provinces. Various forces have gradually changed their ways, making the Zhou Dynasty not too conspicuous.
The strongest individuals all act in accordance with the rules. What right do they, the Nascent Soul Cultivators of the Body Integration Realm and Divinity Transformation stage, have to bully the weak?
With the departure of the ministers from both sides, the two looked at each other, their faces collapsed, and sighed in unison.
“How do we resolve the issue of the Luban Sect?”
“Who knows.”
“They voluntarily went to your Zhou Dynasty. They are four Body Integration Realm cultivators plus countless Divinity Transformation Nascent Souls. What’s there to be unhappy about?”
“Their intentions are not pure, Comrade Yu Yin!”
“Comrade?”
“It’s a term that Jiang Li taught me. That’s right, why don’t we ask Jiang Li about this matter. He has the most tricks up his sleeve.”
“That seems like a good idea, but don’t call Bai Hongtu. These two people can’t be together, otherwise, they will definitely cause a big mess.” Yu Yin specifically warned, deep memories of the things these two had done together.
The Old Human Emperor tested the thinking agility and eloquence of the candidates for Human Emperor by setting a question: sell combs to monks, and whoever sold the most would win.
Upon learning of this test, the Human Emperor candidates lamented and all felt it was an impossible task.
One person made a great effort, running to three temples, receiving countless scoldings from monks, and getting chased and beaten. But his perseverance finally moved a young monk and he sold one comb.
One person went to aTreasure Shrine deep in the mountains. Due to the high place and strong wind, it messed up the hair of both men and women who visited the shrine. He said to the abbot: “It is disrespectful to Buddha to appear untidy. We should place a wooden comb in front of each incense table for visitors to comb their hair.”
The abbot agreed and bought ten combs.
Yu Yin calmly analyzed that he could sell combs as gifts in the temple. He then came to a popular temple and told the abbot: “Anyone who comes to offer incense usually has a devout heart. The temple should have a return gift to ensure safety and auspiciousness, and encourage more good deeds. I have a batch of combs with carvings on them. Your calligraphy is superb. You can carve ‘Good Deeds Comb’ or similar words on it and give it to visitors as a gift.” The abbot found it reasonable and bought a thousand of them.
A thousand combs. This was a horrifying number. Yu Yin did not think anyone could surpass him.
The fact proved that he was less experienced.
Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu prepared ten thousand combs, brought them to Mount Sumeru and gave them to the Old Buddha of Mount Sumeru. The old Buddha was puzzled and asked what the combs were for.
Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu answered in unison: “The Old Human Emperor saw your leg hair is too long, specially let us bring some combs to comb your leg hair.”
The old Buddha of Mount Sumeru was furious, and smashed all the combs, going to settle the score with the Old Human Emperor.
The Old Human Emperor was stunned by the dispute. The two great powers fought before misunderstandings were resolved. It turned out that it was the two scoundrels, Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu, who were playing pranks. Hence, they were strung up and beaten in anger.
After venting his anger, the Old Buddha of Mount Sumeru felt a lot more relaxed. Seeing that the combs were all broken, he thought that he was not cultivating enough and easily got angry. As a lesson, he bought all the combs as a warning to himself.
Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu sold ten thousand combs, and jointly ranked first.
They proved their thinking abilities. Their method of selling combs was unique. They also demonstrated their eloquence, disturbing the Old Buddha of Mount Sumeru with just one sentence.
The Old Human Emperor once thought the Nine Provinces Earth Veins was blind, letting these two become candidates for Human Emperor.
“Is Jiang Li there?” Ji Zhi contacted Jiang Li with a Remote Communication Talisman. Now, the emperors of all the Nine Great Dynasties have commonly used the Remote Communication Talisman.
“What is it?”
“The Luban Sect wants to move to our Zhou Dynasty.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“The Luban Sect thinks that the Zhou Dynasty’s law has the highest effect, so they want to come to the Zhou Dynasty and marry puppets, get approval from the Zhou Dynasty. And according to the Zhou Dynasty’s marriage law, people can marry puppets.”
“…There’s never a day when I can have some peace and quite, where are you now, I’ll come and find you.”
This was no small matter. For a spiritual treasure to marry a human could lead to ethical issues and endless troubles.
“I’m in the palace of the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty.”
“I’ll be right there.”
“Bai Hongtu is not with you, is he?”
Jiang Li was confused: “Why would he be here with me?”
“That’s good.”
While waiting for Jiang Li, Yu Yin chatted with Ji Zhi: “I didn’t expect that you would withdraw from the position of Human Emperor candidate so soon. You ascended to the throne too early. Otherwise, your current level of cultivation would definitely be beyond the Divinity Transformation Stage. Your talent in the Dao of Time is a waste.”
Ji Zhi was helpless: “What can I do? My father had an accident all of a sudden. My brothers were not promising. I had to become the emperor. I thought you would sincerely be the Crown Princess Consort after losing to Jiang Li. I never thought you would become the Emperor of the Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty.”
“Who could foresee that the Crown Prince would be so fragile and get killed after just two strikes? The old emperor wanted to kill me. I couldn’t just wait to be slaughtered, so I had to counter-kill. The Tianyuan Emperor Dynasty was without a leader. If I didn’t become the emperor, a bunch of incompetent people would fight for the throne, causing suffering for the people. Even if one of them were to ascend to the throne, they wouldn’t be able to manage the country. So I reluctantly had to become an emperor.”
“Fortunately, there are some benefits to being an emperor. You can use the fate of the nation to compete with other old Transformation Tribulation Stage cultivators.”
Both of them were quite reluctant to be emperors..