That day, Wu Tao did not go to the imperial palace, and stayed in the State Preceptor's mansion overnight.
However, the next day, he was still chatting and bragging with others in the State Preceptor's mansion, not in a hurry to visit the emperor in the palace.
But before noon, an imperial edict descended from the sky.
It was likely that the founding emperor was getting impatient waiting in the palace, hence he sent someone to deliver the decree.
"Imperial Decree: Yesterday, His Majesty, upon hearing of the return of the True Man Qingyunzi to the capital, was overjoyed and has specially ordered me to invite the True Man to the palace for a discussion as soon as possible."
The eunuch who delivered the decree was an old man named Zheng Zhong.
After speaking, he handed a yellow silk scroll with both hands to Wu Tao.
Seeing this, Wu Tao casually accepted the so-called imperial edict.
...
Regarding Wu Tao's refusal to kneel and his casual, disrespectful attitude, Zheng Zhong turned a blind eye, pretending not to see anything.
If it were anyone else committing such a grave offense, without Zheng Zhong's command, the guards beside him would have already acted.
But Wu Tao's current body was that of a Taoist, an otherworldly being.
And not just any Taoist, but the State Preceptor of the Great Ming Empire, one who stood alongside the nation, a figure almost akin to an immortal.
For such a person, as long as they did not commit treason, they would generally not face imprisonment.
In fact, in the truest sense, imperial edicts would not typically be delivered by ordinary eunuchs.
After all, those who became eunuchs mostly came from poor families, were uneducated, and could not read; delivering decrees would be rather absurd.
Eunuchs who delivered decrees generally possessed a certain level of literary knowledge!
Wu Tao took the imperial edict and saw that it was filled with dense, meaningless drivel.
Standing still, he pondered for a moment, deliberately pretending to calculate with his fingers, and then Wu Tao's brow began to furrow.
"Esteemed Eunuch, today, the fortune of Taoism clashes with the fortune of the imperial family. It is not suitable for this humble Taoist to enter the palace to see His Majesty..."
Wu Tao said this after taking the imperial edict.
Hearing this, Zheng Zhong's face showed a bitter smile. He repeatedly bowed, almost pleadingly, saying, "True Man, please do not make things difficult for this humble servant. When I left, His Majesty's face was filled with anticipation..."
"His Majesty repeatedly instructed that the True Man must be invited today. If I fail, I fear I will incur His Majesty's displeasure, and may even lose my own life..."
"True Man, please do not play jokes with me. If there is anything you need me to do, I will do my best. I beg for the True Man's compassion, to pity this humble servant!"
At this point, Zheng Zhong paused slightly and spoke again, "Although I am merely a humble fifth-rank eunuch, I still possess some authority. Within the scope of my power, as long as the True Man has needs, I guarantee I will fulfill them."
Hearing Zheng Zhong say this, Wu Tao nodded with satisfaction, then extended his left hand and pinched his fingers casually, his meaning clearly indicating he wanted money.
Zheng Zhong was a little bewildered by this. Since ancient times, it had always been others giving money to eunuchs; no one had ever dared to ask a eunuch for money?
Especially now, the person asking for money was a Taoist, and not just any Taoist, but a State Preceptor-level Taoist.
Shaking his head, Zheng Zhong reluctantly took out a thousand tael silver note from his sleeve and handed it to Wu Tao.
After receiving the thousand tael silver note, Wu Tao spread his hands, indicating that this amount was far from enough.
Seeing Wu Tao like this, Zheng Zhong's face instantly darkened. Pinching his nose, he took out nine identical thousand tael silver notes. Along with the previous one, he had now given ten thousand taels.
After tucking these silver notes into his Taoist robe, Wu Tao nodded with satisfaction. He then pretended to calculate with his fingers again and said to Zheng Zhong.
"Tsk, I calculated incorrectly just now. Oh dear, I'm so sorry, but actually, today the fortune of Taoism and the imperial family do not clash..."
Before Zheng Zhong could even express his joy, Wu Tao's tone shifted, almost making Zheng Zhong want to die of anger.
...
"However, I have important matters to attend to today, so I will not be going. I will not be going."
Wu Tao waved his hand and threw the imperial edict back to Zheng Zhong, who had come to deliver it.
"Esteemed Eunuch, this humble Taoist has matters to attend to and must leave first. Please convey a message to His Majesty, telling him that this humble Taoist is busy today and will come another day?"
Zheng Zhong's forehead was covered in black lines. Busy? Busy with what! Can't you be less fake? After taking so much money from me, you still won't do anything? You are such a scammer of a State Preceptor!
Zheng Zhong was so angry at this moment that the corners of his mouth twitched. He gritted his teeth and said, "True Man, please do not joke. Even if the True Man does not consider this humble servant's life, think of His Majesty's dignity..."
"There are so many people watching here. If the True Man really insists on refusing, do you think your days ahead will be easy?"
"This humble servant knows the True Man is compassionate. Please do not make things difficult for me, and do not make things difficult for everyone else. It will not be good for anyone if we end up falling out!"
...
"If I don't pluck a few more layers from this fatted pig that has delivered itself to my doorstep, wouldn't that be a disservice to myself?"
"You don't want me to make things difficult for you, but have you never made things difficult for others? This is all retribution..."
"The wind blows where it will, today it's your house, tomorrow it's his. All things in the world are like this."
This was what Wu Tao thought in his heart, but of course, he did not show it on the surface.
Facing Zheng Zhong's threat, Wu Tao rolled his eyes and simply stated his intentions plainly.
"Alas, this old man's time is running out. My Qingyun Temple, and my disciples, after this humble immortal departs, what will become of them? Da Feng Novel Network.
Zheng Zhong smiled bitterly again and again, hurriedly bowed and saluted Wu Tao, adopting an extremely humble attitude, and agreed to Wu Tao's series of unequal conditions.
Looking at Zheng Zhong with a crestfallen face, Wu Tao stroked his snow-white beard and actually felt a little embarrassed, even though he was the culprit behind all this.
A carriage had already been prepared outside, two in total.
Just as Wu Tao got into the carriage, a strong wind suddenly rose, the sky was filled with dark clouds, and occasionally there were flashes of lightning. Zheng Zhong, fearing unforeseen circumstances, urged the coachman to hurry.
But when they reached the vicinity of the imperial palace, a heavy rain began to fall.
The rain was so heavy, it was as if the entire waters of Dongting Lake had fallen from the sky.
. Stepping into the hall, before he could even get a clear view of the hall's furnishings, he heard a hearty laugh.
As soon as Wu Tao got out of the carriage, several eunuchs immediately held umbrellas for him. As he strode into the imperial palace, memories of the original Qingyunzi flooded his mind, and he heard a booming laugh.
"Haha! True Man, you've finally arrived. It's been decades since we last met, and I never thought your appearance would remain unchanged, your grace even surpassing that of yesteryear..."
"During these decades, True Man, you've made me miss you terribly!"
As he spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang stood in the imperial palace corridor, walking towards Wu Tao. His attitude was extremely warm, perhaps even a little eager.
This scene startled Wu Tao so much that he almost turned and ran.
If he hadn't known through memory that Zhu Yuanzhang, while a smiling tiger, was different from other emperors and didn't have such peculiar hobbies, he would have done something at that very moment.
After struggling twice and failing to pull his hands free, Wu Tao's mouth began to twitch.
It took quite some time for Wu Tao to break free from Zhu Yuanzhang's entanglement. He managed to force a smile onto his face.
He said, "Your Majesty is truly too complimentary of this humble immortal. In comparison, Your Majesty's grace has also not changed from those years..."
Flattery, when well-placed, is irresistible, especially from a Taoist of Wu Tao's caliber. If he were to flatter without regard for his reputation, even the current emperor would be extremely pleased.
Indeed, even Emperor Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang, hearing this, was filled with immense joy at this moment.
After laughing heartily twice more, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "We haven't seen each other for many years, and now True Man is also speaking flattering words? This truly makes Yuanzhang not know what to say."
"Your Majesty, this humble immortal is an otherworldly being. Every word I speak is the truth. Why should I act like others and try to curry favor?"
Facing Zhu Yuanzhang's remark, Wu Tao appeared very calm. Even when facing the current emperor, his demeanor was measured, and he showed no sign of fluster.
Zhu Yuanzhang was also very pleased with Wu Tao's "respectful" behavior. He held Wu Tao's hand and walked forward, chatting and laughing all the way to the hall designated for rest.
When Wu Tao arrived at the hall, he found that someone had already been waiting there for a long time, someone very familiar to the original Qingyunzi.
Of course, it wasn't some damned eunuch or palace maid. They were the most abundant in the imperial palace, and it would be strange if they weren't present in the emperor's private resting hall.
It was a woman, and a very old woman. She wore a phoenix coronet and a phoenix robe. She was Empress Xiaoci Gao, whose given name was "Ma Lianying."
Before Zhu Yuanzhang and Wu Tao could finish their reunion, this famous "Big Foot" Empress Ma pushed aside the excited Zhu Yuanzhang.
She grabbed Wu Tao's hand and said joyfully, "This empress has met the True Man. Yuanzhang truly did not deceive me; he actually managed to invite you!"
Wu Tao's pupils contracted slightly. He wondered what the Empress had in mind.
Since it was impossible to fathom, he could only reply vaguely, "Your Majesty the Empress, it has indeed been many years since we last met!"
"Hahahahahahahaha! Empress, haven't you always been clamoring to meet the True Man Qingyunzi? I have now brought him to you?"
Since meeting Wu Tao, Zhu Yuanzhang's face had been beaming with smiles, completely unlike the ruthless tyrant described in rumors, who could change his mood as quickly as flipping a book.
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