"Rest assured," Li Changzhou said confidently, "There's a temple in the palace. Melting down the Buddha Golden Body inside will be enough, there's no need to kill anyone."
For the sake of becoming an Immortal, Li Changzhou indeed had done a great deal, not to mention those factual boasts he made to the Jiajing Emperor, and now he was even planning to melt down the Buddha Golden Body.
On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the weather was clear, and the vast blue sky was dotted with thin white clouds.
After returning from the moon, Li Changzhou and the Jiajing Emperor sat opposite each other, discussing the matter of separating the Dragon Vein.
"The Dragon Vein is the Emperor's Qi as well as the Qi of all living beings. Your Majesty could construct a Five-Colored Turtle Mountain Lantern Pavilion within the Capital, thirty zhang in height, corresponding to the four cardinal directions, and hang Five-Colored Lanterns. On the Lantern Festival, Your Majesty himself should hang the Bright Lamp at the very top," Li Changzhou suggested.
"Will this separate me from the Dragon Vein?" the Emperor asked.
"I will also need to apply some techniques. After the separation, I will guide a portion of the Dragon Vein into the Golden Crown. Your Majesty only needs to wear the Golden Crown to remain the Emperor of Heavenly Destiny," Li Changzhou explained.
The Jiajing Emperor nodded slowly.
"Regarding the Golden Crown, I have some matters to report to Your Majesty," Li Changzhou said.
"Please speak, Master," the Emperor prompted.
"The Golden Crown that can harbor the Dragon Vein cannot be made of ordinary materials; we need Your Majesty's Golden Seal and the Buddha Golden Body from within the palace," Li Changzhou elucidated.
"Granted," the Jiajing Emperor responded without much hesitation.
To him, the Golden Seal could simply be remade if lost; as for the Buddha Golden Body, as a believer in Daoism, he had long since found it displeasing to his eye, desiring to scrape off its gold leaf to repair the palace.
"Additionally, I wish to ask Your Majesty to collect all Daoist Books in the world. On the Lantern Festival, I will integrate all these scriptures into the Golden Crown, allowing Your Majesty to consult the Daoist Books of the world at any time," said Li Changzhou.
The Jiajing Emperor glanced at Li Changzhou.
Emperor Pu Yi, the last sovereign, said in "My First Half of Life" that Emperor Chongzhen would have killed himself not just because the Great Ming collapsed but also because he was left with only a eunuch by his side.
As an Emperor, being flattered and surrounded by servants was the norm.
The Jiajing Emperor would normally accept without question anyone striving to flatter him. He would find it odd and unacceptable if they did not do so.
However, he was very cautious when dealing with Li Changzhou.
The future that the latter painted seemed too good to be true, taking everything so to heart.
But apart from Li Changzhou, he had no other choices; only he could lead him to the Daoist Sect and grasp immortality.
"Yesterday I heard," the Jiajing Emperor said slowly, "that upon entering Daoism, I will face a great trial of life and death; 104 years later, the Great Ming Dynasty would be thrown into chaos by someone sharing the same surname as you, Master."
Li Changzhou smiled.
He said:
"Laozi once said: 'The way of heaven is to diminish the excess and supplement the deficiency.' Your Majesty's entry into Daoism represents 'excess.' Since my pursuit of immortality, I have been 'excess,' but with each ordeal, my mana greatly increases. To survive one in ten deaths has led to my current ability to ascend to heaven and enter earth. If Your Majesty hesitates, the pursuit of eternal life will remain but an empty talk."
The Jiajing Emperor remained silent, his face as somber as still water.
After a long while, he murmured as if talking to himself, "Is it worth it?"
"I own nothing of value; my entire mana was fought for, there's nothing about worth or not. Besides, without attaining immortality, everything else is but an illusionary dream," Li Changzhou replied.
"To enter Daoism, to face the great trial of life and death, to risk the heritage of ancestors, is it worth it?" the Emperor asked again.
Li Changzhou fixed his gaze on the Jiajing Emperor.
"Have you ever read Su Shi's 'Ode to the Red Cliff'? 'Under the bright moonlight and sparse stars, as the crows fly south, Cao Mengde conquered Jingzhou and descended on Jiangling with boats stretching for a thousand li, banners obscuring the sky, he drank wine by the river and composed poetry on his lance. A hero of his lifetime, where is he now?' " Li Changzhou stated, then added with a smile:
"If Your Majesty refuses Daoism, will the Great Ming kingdom last forever? Since ancient times, Emperors have sought immortality. After Your Majesty's reign, successors will follow this path, wagering the Great Ming kingdom for the everlasting life, to share the same longevity as heaven and earth."
The Jiajing Emperor's hands tightly gripped the sandalwood chair's armrests, gradually emitting a fierce aura.
Staring into the void, it took a long time before he spoke slowly, "Since this ordeal is inevitable, let me face it. If successful, the Great Ming Dynasty will last for thousands of generations; if defeated, let me alone be branded a dazed sovereign!"