Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Gao Yang's desire for beauty cooled down Yu Bianji's face, and he ran back to the princess's mansion. It took him a long time to get rid of the eye-catching scene from his mind. Recalling Yu Bianji's cold and elegant appearance, he felt reluctant to let go.

"They are just some boils, they are not bad. Maybe they will go away after some time. If they still don't go away, find a good doctor to take a good look at him. What if he can be saved? It would be a pity to die like this." Princess Gaoyang was making a plan. When she estimated the time and found a good imperial physician, she wanted to rush to Jingye Temple to see if Bian Ji's face could be saved, but then something big happened in the palace.

The Empress Changsun, whose compassion was as vast as Mount Sumeru, fell ill.

The queen mother was seriously ill, so how could she have the time to continue to pester a monk? Gao Yang had no choice but to take turns with her sisters to take care of the sick. She was so busy all day that she had no time to care about a disfigured bald man.

When Empress Changsun was seriously ill, the person who was most confused was undoubtedly Li Shimin, who had married him since childhood. He not only sought famous doctors, but also summoned famous monks to pray for the empress. Wen Jiao stayed in Chang'an for three days to deal with the backlog of Taoist affairs, and was ordered by him to be brought into the palace to pray for Empress Changsun.

Ninety-nine percent of Wen Jiao's abilities were spent on slaying demons and eliminating evil, and the remaining one percent was spent on maintaining health. She could help the menopausal Princess Xiangyang take care of herself, and help Yin Kaishan and his wife maintain their health, but she really didn't have the ability to save the life of a person whose life span had ended.

Following the example of Li Shimin's entry into the underworld and using the relationship with Judge Cui, could he extend Empress Changsun's life by twenty years?

This method is not impossible.

In fact, after returning to the world of the living, Wen Jiao kept in touch with Judge Cui. Knowing that Judge Cui's grandson was not living a happy life, she sent money and gifts to his family every year in the name of a family friend. As for Judge Cui himself, she also went to the underworld to burn the treasures suitable for use in the underworld. It is impossible to verify whether Judge Cui and Yin Kaishan were close friends, but Wen Jiao did establish a friendship with Judge Cui since the cheating in the Book of Life and Death. Using this friendship as a bond, it is not impossible to secretly ask him to add one or two more strokes to Empress Changsun's name.

But life and death are the most important things in the world, and they are related to the laws of countless lives, so they must not be changed lightly. Although the extension of Li Shimin's life was done privately by Judge Cui, it was in line with the intention of the underworld to win over the emperor on earth, so it was justified. Even if it was exposed one day, it would most likely be tacitly approved by the Ten Kings of Hell.

As for secretly altering the Book of Life and Death for Empress Zhangsun, it was nothing more than continuing to do a favor in front of the Emperor and Empress on the original basis. This would certainly make the already prosperous Taoist sect even more unstoppable, but it might also backfire.

After all, Empress Changsun's weight in front of the Ten Kings of Hell is not as important as that of Li Shimin.

Even so, Wen Jiao was not someone who was afraid of difficulties. Besides, there were simpler methods, such as asking Wukong to get some waste pills from the immortals or unripe spiritual fruits. It didn't have to be as exaggerated as ginseng fruit or peaches, as long as it could extend life for more than ten years.

After receiving the summons, Wen Jiao began to think, and suddenly found that Wu Meiniang's face looked a little strange, so she dismissed others. Sure enough, Wu Meiniang said: "Master, if someone asks you to use your magical powers to extend the life of the Queen tomorrow, no matter who that person is, even if it is the Emperor, you must not agree to him."

Wen Jiao was startled, and stared at her face full of anxiety: "Mingcheng, you are not that narrow-minded woman who is jealous. Moreover, now that you have jumped out of the palace, there is no need to act like this. There must be a reason for you to say this."

Before Wu Meiniang spoke, she was worried that Wen Jiao would misunderstand that she was jealous of the queen who had always been in great favor because of her fall from favor in the past. She didn't want Wen Jiao to say that, and she couldn't help but be moved: "Master understands me."

After a pause, he said, "Master, you may not know that although Mingcheng has left the palace, he has not lost contact with the palace servants he knew in the past, and has a rough idea of ​​what is going on in the palace. The day before yesterday, when the Crown Prince was attending to the Queen, he saw that she was so ill that she was unrecognizable. The Emperor was heartbroken and shed tears, so he asked the Emperor to grant amnesty to the whole country and convert people to Taoism so that he could pray for the Queen's blessing."

A general amnesty is a benevolent measure often used by emperors. But to help people enter Taoism...

Meeting Wu Meiniang's worried look, Wen Jiao suddenly realized something and her heart sank.

If it is ineffective, and Empress Changsun still dies, wouldn't that mean that the Dao Sect is incompetent? If it is effective, I'm afraid it will cause more trouble than if it is ineffective.

Even though she was highly respected by Li Shimin, Wen Jiao had a clear mind. Taoism seems to be highly respected nowadays, but in fact, it was just a means for the Li Tang royal family to gild the mysterious power of the Li family. After Li Shimin visited the underworld, he was helped by this genius monarch to fight against the Buddhist sect that was destined to flourish in the East.

A wise monarch would be happy to see longevity, but he would not necessarily like his life span to be controlled by monks and Taoists. Once the people believe in gods and Buddhas more than in the court, the country will no longer be a country in the long run.

Wen Jiao's expression became serious: "The emperor rejected it?"

Wu Meiniang looked worried: "The emperor hesitated for a long time and did not reply. But the queen suddenly struggled to sit up from the sickbed and said resolutely, 'If doing good deeds can be repaid, I have never done evil; if doing good deeds is ineffective, what blessings can I ask for? Pardon is a major event for the country, and Buddhism and Taoism are also foreign teachings. Not only will the political system be in good shape, but it is also something that the emperor would not do. How can I, a woman, disrupt the laws of the world?'"

The extraordinary event of Li Shimin's resurrection from the dead has made countless people obsessed with the theory of karma. Fortunately, the general trend is good, and the court is happy to see it happen. But what if another story about "the current queen was saved by a monk and Taoist priest to prolong her life" comes out?

Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism are the three schools of thought that always put Confucianism first, and the slightest wavering will lead to chaos in the country. The far-sighted Empress Changsun would never allow such a consequence to happen, even at the cost of her own life.

Wen Jiao stared at the orchid that was about to wither beside the table in a daze, and sighed for a long time: "Mingcheng, you guessed right, I have a way to extend the queen's life."

"But now, it is absolutely impossible to show it."

She was lost in thought for a while. "After the ritual tomorrow, I will leave for Wuliang Plateau. The affairs of the Daolu Division will be left to you, Mingcheng, and I will leave the seal to you."

At the moment, she is more suitable to be the seal holder than himself.

Wu Meiniang was not expecting this development. She was stunned, but the corners of her mouth could not help but rise. She probably realized that she was too straightforward in her happiness, so she wiped her face and forced herself to show an innocent and flustered look like a frightened deer: "How can this be? The Taoist Scrolls Department cannot do without you, Master. I am young, inexperienced, and incompetent..."

Wen Jiao met her twinkling watery eyes, held her forehead and said, "If you keep pretending, I won't give you this seal."

Wu Meiniang said quickly: "I will definitely live up to Master's cultivation!"

This future queen, or even empress, looked up with ambition flickering in her eyes.