“Marquis Yun, I didn’t expect you’d also enter the palace. It truly is ‘life brings encounters everywhere!'” Yuan Tiangang immediately beamed with joy. The last trace of worry in his heart vanished. Another scapegoat had been found! If successful, he would definitely share in the credit. If it failed, Yun Ye would shoulder everything, having nothing to do with him.

Yun Ye didn’t speak, just stretched his hand out even longer, almost reaching Yuan Tiangang’s nose.

“What does Marquis Yun mean? What are you trying to get? This poor Daoist has no possessions—I can’t compare to your Yun family’s extravagance.”

Seeing Yuan Tiangang play dumb, Yun Ye removed the chicken wing, ate it in a few bites, and said to him: “Old Yuan, you’re really too unscrupulous. Why drag me into things you can’t handle? Looks like I’m definitely stuck with this mess, cleaning up after you. Won’t you bleed a little? We’re all sensible people, so don’t play confused. Hurry up—His Majesty is still waiting for me.”

“This poor Daoist’s magical power is feeble. I’m truly powerless. Only someone of great ability like Marquis Yun can cure His Majesty’s insomnia and expel the ghosts and demons, returning the palace to peace and tranquility.”

“Old Yuan, if you don’t give me something good, I’ll shout out loud that you smeared sulfur powder and phosphorus powder on the yellow talismans. I’ll let all of Chang’an know about your tricks.”

Yuan Tiangang’s face turned green. Through gritted teeth he said: “Yun Ye, cutting off someone’s livelihood is like killing their parents. You and I both come from the Daoist tradition. I don’t believe you’d spread our sect’s secret methods everywhere.”

“If you give me something good, of course I won’t. You don’t need to worry about this matter—I’ll naturally handle it well. Maybe you’ll even get a share of the credit. For your Green Ox Monastery’s incense offerings to flourish, you must give me something good to shut my mouth.”

“Money—you don’t care about that. You tell me, what do you want?”

They were all acquaintances who had crossed swords countless times. They understood each other very well. Yuan Tiangang knew that if he didn’t give Yun Ye sufficient benefits, this matter might still have other complications. To eliminate future troubles, he prepared to be fleeced.

“That peachwood sword on your back is quite nice. Looks like it has some years on it. I’ll take that—I’ll put it at home to ward off evil.”

“Damn it! This is this old Daoist’s livelihood tool. Even this you won’t spare? It’s been passed down through my lineage to my generation for two hundred years. No way—choose something else.”

“Then the ‘Huangting Jing.’ I can’t give in any more. If I give in more, I won’t do it. I’ll lie down on the ground right now and get sick. You should understand my methods—when I say get sick, I get sick without delay.”

Yuan Tiangang’s heart was bleeding. He couldn’t give the peachwood sword in his hand—it was the symbol of his lineage, to be passed to Li Chunfeng in the future. It absolutely couldn’t fall into others’ hands. The “Huangting Jing” was calligraphy by Wang Xizhi, small regular script, one hundred lines, on yellow silk. The technique was extremely rigorous, the spirit also free, with an elegant and open manner. Because a Daoist had traded it for a cage of fat geese, it was also called the “Goose Exchange Post,” priceless, the treasure that stabilized the Green Ox Monastery.

After thinking for a moment, Yuan Tiangang still agreed to give the “Huangting Jing” to Yun Ye, demanding that Yun Ye swear never to expose his methods for his entire life.

With the “Huangting Jing,” only a fool would do such a thing—drawing hatred with no benefit was something to do less of.

Smiling, he told Yuan Tiangang he would send his steward to the Green Ox Monastery tomorrow to collect the “Huangting Jing.” Yuan Tiangang, his nose twisted with anger, flicked his robe sleeves and strode away with great strides, no longer showing any sign of weariness.

Half the fat chicken remained. He prepared to continue destroying it, but when he turned around, couldn’t find it. Just now it had clearly been placed on the railing, wrapped in lotus leaves.

Behind a pillar came the sound of someone smacking their lips while eating. Turning to look, Li Tai was clutching the fat chicken, eating with great relish. Too late to get it back—anything in Li Tai’s hands couldn’t be retrieved. This was an iron law.

“Weren’t you just holding the incense burner as an acolyte? How did you slip out? Your father and grandfather can’t sleep. Aren’t you worried?”

Yun Ye could act like he didn’t care. Li Tai couldn’t. Once people knew about his behavior, he would definitely be criticized.

“You came, and with that completely unconcerned attitude, so you must have a way to solve it. I haven’t had a drop of water since this morning. Can’t I rest a bit? Hurry in—Mother Empress has been waiting anxiously for you.” After speaking, he continued eating his chicken with his head down.

The atmosphere in the great hall had relaxed considerably. Li Yuan still sat on the low couch, his spirit dispirited. Beside him, Li’er was serving him tea. Seeing Yun Ye enter, Zhangsun immediately walked over asking: “Yun Ye, do you have any good solutions? The Grand Emperor and His Majesty haven’t rested properly for two days. How can this go on?”

In front of Yun Ye, Zhangsun never had the bearing of an empress. Right now, she was just a woman worried about her father-in-law and husband.

“Of course I have one. Small problem! I just saw His Majesty the day before yesterday. His Majesty didn’t say anything—if he had, it would’ve been fixed the day before yesterday. No need to make the palace so chaotic.”

Li’er snorted and said: “You’re complaining about me? I can’t sleep soundly and you don’t proactively inquire—must I open my mouth? Marquis Yun has such a grand manner.”

This type of person was best at shirking responsibility. I’m the emperor, so you should guard me day and night. If something goes wrong, it’s also the subject’s fault, nothing to do with His Majesty the Emperor.

“Why talk about this? Boy, if you have methods, use them. This old man hasn’t slept properly for many days.”

Li Yuan said weakly, seemingly wanting to sleep very much but not daring to. In his dreams, those bloody scenes would ceaselessly torment him.

“Grand Emperor, tonight the moon is bright and stars are few—it’s a perfect day for us to gamble. Why would you want to sleep? This boy brought gold. There definitely won’t be any more incidents of owing debts.”

Li Yuan suddenly sat up. After looking at Yun Ye for a while and seeing he seemed quite serious, actually pulling out a bag of gold from his bosom without any hint of joking.

“Boy, you’re certain we’re not going to sleep but are going to start gambling?” Li Yuan asked again.

“Gamble until you’re tired and naturally you’ll sleep. And you’ll sleep until dawn, won’t even have dreams. This boy is precisely taking advantage of your poor spirits to take advantage and win some money for a prosperous new year.”

Li Yuan was slightly stunned, then immediately burst into laughter. To Li’er he said: “This boy can’t forget about losing so much gold to me. He wants to win it back. Shall we give him this opportunity?”

“If Father wishes to teach him a lesson, your son will accompany.” Li’er glanced at Yun Ye sideways, then helped Li Yuan up. Father and son took the lead walking into the side hall.

The small side hall was very warm. The underfloor heating burned hot. Under Li Chengqian’s arrangements, all the room’s windows were covered tightly with blankets. In the middle of the room sat a table with a set of mahjong tiles already laid out.

Li’er helped Li Yuan to the main seat and sat at the side himself, pointing Yun Ye to the lower seat. Originally Li Chengqian was going to play, but was stopped by Zhangsun, who sat down herself.

Yun Ye and Li Yuan were opposite partners; Li’er and his wife were opposite partners. The four sat down and began playing. Li Chengqian stood behind Li Yuan watching. Li Tai stood behind Zhangsun. Li Ke naturally stood behind his father cheering.

Very strangely, after everyone entered the room, a large yellow paper dropped down from above the door frame. Li’er didn’t ask, pretended not to see it, and sat steadily in his seat preparing to play mahjong.

After three rounds, Li Yuan clearly couldn’t hold on anymore. He yawned continuously, rubbing his temples and forcing himself to persevere.

Li’er glanced at Yun Ye, his eyes full of inquiry. Wind drilled in through the door crack, making the yellow paper rustle loudly. Yun Ye impatiently threw a mahjong tile at it, shouting: “Annoying or not? Coming out every day!”

Very strangely, when the mahjong tile hit the yellow paper, a bloody mark appeared. Li Yuan’s sleepiness immediately dissipated. He stared wide-eyed at that still rustling yellow paper.

Li’er was as stable as Mount Tai, sitting there pinching a tile, as if trying to squeeze flowers out of it. Though Zhangsun was composed, she had made wrong plays twice in a row. After Yun Ye played a five circles tile, Li’er asked in a deep voice: “Can you explain to me why five five circles tiles have appeared?”

Yun Ye didn’t speak but pushed over Li Yuan’s tiles. Li Yuan’s tiles actually contained three more five circles. Zhangsun took out two five circles from her own tiles. Yun Ye took out another. And Li’er’s hand held a full four five circles.

“Your Majesty, now there aren’t just five—there are ten five circles. Damned thing, disturbing us so we can’t even play properly.”

Li’er seemed to smile but didn’t. This man had never feared anything. Although whenever he fell asleep, those bloody past events would follow, making him sad, guilty, and regretful, he would never have even half a bit of fear.

These years of comfortable days had completely destroyed Li Yuan’s will. The veins on his forehead throbbed. He forcibly endured, not letting himself jump up.

Zhangsun, however, calmed down, staring at Yun Ye’s face trying to detect clues.

“Grand Emperor, this boy boldly requests that you spray a mouthful of wine on that yellow paper.”

Li Yuan’s throat made gurgling sounds. The courage accumulated over the years still gave him strength. He poured a cup of wine from the wine pot, held it in his mouth, and sprayed it toward the yellow paper.

The wine mist splashed on the yellow paper, and a blood-red beauty in palace dress appeared on it.

Zhangsun covered her mouth, pointing at the portrait but couldn’t speak. She recognized that woman, especially the flying phoenix hairpin on her head.

Li’er whispered in Yun Ye’s ear: “End this quickly, or the Grand Emperor’s mind won’t hold up.”

Li Yuan sat on the floor, looking at the portrait with tears in his eyes. He wanted to touch it but withdrew his hand, repeatedly saying: “I didn’t want to either, I didn’t want to either…”

Yun Ye didn’t dare hear the imperial family’s secrets, nor did he want to. He said to Li Yuan: “Grand Emperor, she’s already dead. Now not going to the netherworld but wandering the mortal realm—this is wrong. Dust to dust, earth to earth. You should send her to reincarnate. What’s wrong with being reborn as a new person? Especially being born in a prosperous age—that’s her good fortune.”

Li Chengqian had told Yun Ye that the Grand Emperor was actually being confused by the ghost of a former consort who came every night to demand his life from the Grand Emperor. It was such a simple reason that caused Li Yuan to not even dare sleep, because as soon as he closed his eyes, that consort would appear before him.

Actually, this kind of illness could be resolved just by letting Li Yuan see that consort’s appearance. So Yun Ye had an artist use turmeric on yellow talisman paper to paint a simple court lady picture. Just painting the representative decorations was enough to pass—for example, that flying phoenix hairpin. Even Zhangsun believed it was real.

Li Yuan steadied his mind and asked Yun Ye: “How do I send her away? You send her off for me. I destroyed her once—I don’t want to destroy her a second time.”

Yun Ye smiled and said: “Everyone says death is terrifying, but no one has died and run back to tell you. We don’t understand ourselves. Things we don’t know always fill us with awe. Death isn’t necessarily all bad—perhaps it’s a new journey, a new beginning.”

“Really?” Li Yuan was like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.

“My master said that what lives in us isn’t just the body, but also the soul. When the body dies, where does the soul go? What you just saw was the soul. She has no consciousness, just relying on instinct, unwilling to leave the place she was familiar with before. So isn’t it good for us to send her away? Let her restart her life’s journey.” As Yun Ye spoke, he flicked the yellow paper with his finger. Immediately, a blue flame appeared out of nowhere and devoured that yellow paper.

Li Yuan painfully closed his eyes, as if seeing off that consort.