Chapter 1536 - 824: Immortal Touches the Crown (Double Chapter)

The portly, refined middle-aged man behind shook his head.

Thus, the words "Your Majesty" were mouthed but silent.

Mr. Wang's expression changed, first showing reverence, then realization, and finally a mixture of respect and apprehension within a mere moment. It felt like he was desperately trying not to let Chen Yi recognize the identity of the man who borrowed the road, but more like he was letting that man see that he was trying not to let Chen Yi recognize the identity of the Emperor.

Where the imperial entourage is, there are imperial gates everywhere, Chen Yi suddenly understood this meaning.

"For Mr. Cheng's sake, I'll let you go worship Buddha, but quick there and back, don't disturb my old madam along the way." Mr. Wang snorted, shaking his obese body to make way.

Chen Yi turned back to glance, and the man behind nodded at him.

Without need for words, Chen Yi led the two women into the dilapidated Golden Immortal Temple.

Though the temple seemed rundown, there were not many broken walls or collapsed roofs, and now it wasn't dusty, there weren't scattered tiles on the road either, having been tidied up by palace people, it was seven or eight tenths new, with no leaking roof tiles visible. After walking just a few steps, Miss Donggong whispered a secret transmission:

"Just now, was that... our Jin dynasty Emperor?"

"You don't know?" She sounded even more surprised than herself.

"I've never seen him, I've only seen the Empress." Donggong Ruoshu glanced around once more, "What are they doing here, goodness, I'm really scared to death."

Chen Yi glanced at the palace folks coming and going, just from their busyness nothing could be discerned. To be honest, he had never seen a living Emperor before; previously in the Capital City as a Jinyi Guard Battalion Commander, he had no qualification to attend court to discuss politics. And now Great Yu's young ruler stands alone, the female master governs; that little Emperor only stayed in impressions passed by word of mouth. Now, at last, he sees the legendary Emperor, called Emperor today, once King in Shang, and Son of Heaven in Zhou; the book wherein before the Emperor of Heaven they self-claim "I, alone."

It's untruthful to say he was not stunned, that's a lie; indeed, Chen Yi was inwardly shaken, but contrary to him, in his home, Great Yin was steady enough, though for her it might not be much to glimpse the Holy Face.

Passing the Three Pure Ones Hall, the elder woman known as "Empress Dowager" was fiddling with Buddha Beads, her slightly closed eyes very cloudy; she didn't even glance at the three, instead the accompanying palace maids and eunuchs looked at them cautiously, as they walked past the Three Pure Ones Hall to the mountain path beside it, crossing the Moon Cave Gate, the path directly led in front of the holy statue.

The towering statue rose on the mountain top, shrouded in thin mist appearing sacred and ethereal; by now they were deep into the early spring's indigo mist at Zhongnan Mountain opening winter. The colossal object afar appeared very holy, viewing the statue from afar displayed blessing and solemn dignity; seeing closely revealed it was mere pieces of fitted stones, wide apertures enough to fit an arm within, Miss Donggong stood beside, Chen Yi recollected her bizarre analogy that the image resembled a nipple. He couldn't help but wonder, are there stones this large?

This whimsical thought momentarily made Chen Yi suspect he was being influenced by Miss Donggong; if Little Fox heard, she'd certainly want a knock.

Though, Little Fox might knock people... perhaps she did before, Chen Yi heard her say, occasionally when maids upset her, she'd knock heads with her knuckles, softly.

But after being forced to concubinage, she stopped; sometimes Chen Yi actually hoped Little Fox would occasionally knock him lightly, say when he cracked dirty jokes she'd knock gently, seriously advising him not to jest... thus once more bringing reason to tease her.

She'd knock lightly, he'd tease thoroughly.

Beside him, Miss Donggong was solemnly joining her hands in worship before the statue. Seeing this scene, it stirred something in him; at the sight of Buddhist things, he easily thought of Little Fox, just like seeing Taoist Immortal Law somewhat reminded him of Great Yin homes. He again glanced at Great Yin at home, the latter casually bowing slightly before the statue.

"We're not truly here to worship Buddha, are we?" Yin Weiyin whispered.

Chen Yi nodded slightly, gazing down at the palace members busy within Golden Immortal Temple.

There was a slight deviation in plans, intending to seek clues at the temple, unexpectedly they encountered the main actor, the current Jin dynasty Emperor Jianji was in the Golden Immortal Temple.

Presumably, he would soon officially return to Chang'an, Chen Yi suddenly recalled the Han King Yu Wen Yuan's plot to assassinate the Crown Prince.

Standing at the mountain ridge shrine, Chen Yi's eyes never truly left the peaceful-seeming Golden Immortal Temple below.

Emperor Jianji... the Emperor of Western Jin. Why is he here? Merely to accompany the Empress Dowager in her prayers?

The mountain breeze swooped by, bringing the early spring chill, also carrying intermittent murmurs and indistinct sounds from the temple. Chen Yi saw Emperor Jianji and the old woman standing a while under ancient cypress; the Emperor slightly bending as if listening, or whispering. Being too distanced, Chen Yi couldn't hear the contents, only feeling a posture of respect amidst alienation, unlikely for average mother and son, perhaps this was the Heavenly Family.

Finally, Emperor Jianji turned around, entering solo into the broken yet roughly tidied Three Pure Ones Hall, its deep doors receiving his figure, after then there was no sound, only silent standing eunuchs and palace maids outside the door, motionless like clay sculptures.

Chen Yi's gaze tightly locked onto that door.

In Dream Sea, the image of Dragon Vein pierced with countless peach branches, twisting in struggle, suddenly flashed through his mind. Those branches, chillingly oppressive, originated from this Golden Immortal Temple.