Chapter 1125
Chapter 1125
Yu Qian's safe retreat reassured the veteran officials, making them feel that the Zhu family was not as cruel and ungrateful as rumored, and that this emperor was someone they could follow.
Then, the imperial court launched a new round of rectification of officialdom. All the civil and military officials who had once been under Yu Qian's protection were investigated after losing Yu Qian's protection.
Pan Yun had always doubted Yu Qian's ability to judge people. However, once a force is formed due to power and interests, regardless of whether its starting point is good or bad, it will inevitably become a faction. Once a faction is formed, there will inevitably be the transfer and struggle for interests.
Even though they were known as the "pure stream," they were not considered good people by the emperor, some court officials, or even the common people.
Without Yu Qian's protection, many people fell from grace. Of course, many others took the opportunity to switch sides, either becoming completely subservient to the emperor or joining Xue Shao's faction.
Xue Shao replaced Yu Qian as the Grand Secretary, giving the emperor greater control over the court. Only then did he approach Pan Yun to ask for his help.
Pan Yun: "What do you want me to help you with?"
Zhu Jianji: "My teacher once said that the population of the Ming Dynasty is growing rapidly. To feed them, we must develop the economy and technology, and create the things they need to survive with fewer resources and people. We can handle the economy ourselves, but we will have to ask you for help with technology."
Pan Yun: "The development of science and technology can never be supported by one person alone. The Ministry of Works, the Imperial Academy's Institute of Engineering, the Celestial Master's Mansion, and the Academy have all contributed a lot to the development of science and technology in the Ming Dynasty over the years. If Your Majesty gives them enough respect and support, I think more and more talented people will emerge."
Zhu Jianji: "But none of them are teachers. A single teacher is worth a thousand troops."
Zhu Jianji lowered his head, looking sad: "Is the teacher angry? Is it because I haven't been as close to you as I used to be these past few years?"
Pan Yun watched him quietly.
Zhu Jianji quickly explained, "Teacher, I am the emperor. All the distancing is superficial, for the sake of maintaining balance in the court..."
“I know,” Pan Jun said, a smile gradually appearing in his eyes. He nodded and said, “I taught you, how could I not know?”
Zhu Jianji breathed a sigh of relief.
Pan Jun's lips curled up slightly as he said gently, "You did very well. There's nothing more I can teach you. As for technology, I'll visit the Ministry of Works from time to time."
Zhu Jianji was even more delighted and poured tea for Pan Yun with great enthusiasm: "Teacher, where are Senior Sister Miaohe and Senior Brother Tao now? Could you please ask them to return to the capital to take up their posts? The position of Director of the Imperial Medical Academy is currently vacant."
Pan Yun: "They are at the stage where they are honing their medical skills. It's best not to disturb them during their training. Once they have completed their studies, you can hire them if there are still official positions available in the Imperial Medical Academy."
Zhu Jianji blinked and looked at Pan Yun inquiringly: "Is Master still angry with his students, so he doesn't want his senior brothers and sisters to enter the palace?"
Pan Yun flicked her whisk and slapped it directly on his forehead: "If you dare to make wild guesses about me again, you don't need to come here anymore."
Zhu Jianji immediately beamed with joy and readily agreed.
He stayed to have dinner with Pan Yun before leaving.
As soon as he left, Pan Xiaohei jumped down from the roof beam, glared at Pan Jun, and said, "Is this the student you painstakingly taught?"
Pan Yun: "Just tell me if he's a good emperor or not?"
“I still prefer his father. His father respects you so much. If you say east, he never goes west, and he never doubts you.”
Pan Yun: "So he was a wise ruler, but not a great emperor of all time."
Pan Xiaohei sneered, "Could it be Zhu Jianji?"
Pan Yun said with certainty, "He is!"
"Then why don't you send Miaohe and the others to the capital to work for him?"
“They are not suited for the court,” Pan Yun said. “When the late emperor was alive, they had me to protect them, and no one could harm them. But now, even I am fading out of the court, so it is best for them to stay among the common people.”
She said, "The common people can also achieve great things, no less than those in the imperial court."
Pan Yun quickly proved this point.
She rejoined the Ministry of Works, but her main role was teaching. As a result, the use of array formations and talismans increased, and these items were applied not only to people's daily lives but also to military applications.
Pan Yun's fame soared once again, but this time, it wasn't for his status as the Imperial Advisor, but for the various things that made life easier for the people and the formidable reputation of the Ming army.
Pan Yun receives a massive amount of merit every day.
In folklore, a mother brought her newly adult child to worship the statue of the National Preceptor and then handed him a key, saying, "From now on, you are a person with a bicycle. Now that you are an adult, you must learn to support yourself."
The young man, who had just turned eighteen, excitedly replied, "Mother, don't worry. I swear to the Imperial Advisor that I will work hard, not only to support myself, but also to buy you land so that you can enjoy your old age in peace."
His mother glared at him and said, "I'm only thirty-eight. I don't need you to support me. I work as a weaver now, and my monthly salary is much higher than yours. I don't expect you to buy me land. As long as you can support yourself, that's enough."
Fly bikes are a type of bicycle developed in recent years. The frame is engraved with wind patterns and contains a battery that can store energy. With just a light step, the bike can move forward quickly. Excess force can be stored in the battery and used when going uphill or when you don't want to exert any force. It is much less strenuous than pedaling a bicycle.
Furthermore, scooters can carry cargo boxes, which can carry not only passengers but also goods.
This car was immediately loved by everyone upon its release.
After all, cattle and horses are valuable and difficult to raise, while human leg strength is much more convenient.
After its invention, this vehicle quickly replaced horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts, becoming an extremely important tool in the daily lives and work of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty.
For example, in the South China Sea navy, the commanders would give the soldiers a moral lesson on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month. This usually involved taking them to the statue of the Imperial Advisor to pray for her daily protection. It was also a way to educate the soldiers about the various technologies on board the ships, such as:
"This cannon was built by Minister Hu and his team. Its range has been increased by 398 meters. The biggest secret lies in the wind array that integrates the cannon barrel and the cannonball. It's a pity that the wind array on the cannonball cannot be added to the spirit gathering array, otherwise the range of the cannonball could be increased even further."
They then introduced their large ship.
"Last year, our ship survived a storm at sea because it was equipped with the shield array and wind array designed by the national master craftsman..."
The ships designed by Pan Yun, especially the warships, were about five times larger than the original ships. They were stable, fast, and durable, making them the dream ships of every navy.
Originally, Pan Yun had a very high reputation in the army, but after the ships she designed were deployed to the navy, her reputation in the navy never declined.
At its peak, the navy and army even competed for the position of the Grand Tutor, vying to see who he was closest to.
Of course, no one dared to make a big fuss about it, since the emperor was there to keep things under control.
But people's hearts cannot be stopped.
Therefore, less than ten years after Pan Yun re-emerged from seclusion, her reputation in the Ming Dynasty became unparalleled.
From top to bottom, almost every household has a stone or wooden statue of Pan Yun.
A massive wave of public opinion swept over Pan Yun, accusing her of both the merits of improving people's livelihoods and the sins of environmental damage caused by rapid human progress.
Pan Yun had no choice but to improve her cultivation while simultaneously reconstructing the relationship between humanity and nature.
As the ancient sages have said, humans are also a part of nature, and humans should live in harmony with nature. Whether it is birds and beasts or plants and trees, we should not drive them to extinction.
But this is far from enough.
Before coal and oil were widely used, humans relied entirely on firewood for heating, so firewood was ranked first among the essential necessities of life, demonstrating its importance.
Therefore, in the north where firewood is in high demand, a large number of trees had to be cut down every winter, resulting in yellow sand covering the sky and desolation everywhere, unlike the lush greenery of later generations.
Especially in the Yellow River area, even grass roots can hardly hold onto the soil, and the loess is always swept into the river, turning into yellow muddy water. Therefore, the Yellow River is a truly yellow river.
Pan Yun simply said, "Heaven advocates harmony; planting more plants is doing good deeds, and one can gain longevity through good deeds."
Then, from the imperial court to the common people, a vigorous campaign of planting trees and grass to stabilize the soil was launched.
The imperial court began to allocate funds annually to improve the ecology and enacted legislation to ensure ecological security;
In rural areas, people spontaneously plant trees every spring, and have developed the habit of planting one tree for every tree they cut down.
Wealthy merchants and gentry were particularly fond of philanthropy, and every year they would spend a sum of money to hire people to plant trees, especially along the Yellow River. First, they would plant large amounts of grass on both sides, then plant shrubs, and finally plant trees to create forests...
It's an age-old tradition for wealthy people to enjoy doing good deeds; otherwise, why would temples' animal release activities be so popular?
Now that the Imperial Preceptor has imparted such a wonderful method for accumulating merit and seeking longevity, how can they give it up?
They never doubted Pan Yun's words.
After the tree planting, the overall life expectancy of Chinese people did indeed increase, and with the data coming out, people believed Pan Yun even more.
In this way, the golden light of merit from countless living beings flew towards Pan Yun.
At this time, Pan Yun was no longer young, but she still looked like a teenager. With the blessing of merit, her cultivation had reached the critical point.
In June of the twenty-third year of the Shengjia era, it was a time of increased summer rains, with occasional thunderclaps.
Pan Yun sensed that the seal on the spiritual realm was loosening.
Sure enough, at the end of June, there was torrential rain in the Yellow River area. However, due to afforestation, the Yellow River has less sediment, and with years of efforts to manage the Yellow River, although the river overflowed this time, it did not cause a major disaster such as the breaching of the dikes.
However, the heavy rainfall still caused the emperor and his officials great anxiety. Pan Yun even went to the Yellow River and, together with his disciples from the Celestial Master's Mansion, used magic to help the Ministry of Works dredge the Yellow River.
Amid the torrential rain, soldiers and civilians alike carried sandbags. This rare natural disaster could not be solved by one person alone; everyone contributed what they could.
They felt both respect and heartache for Pan Yun, who stood in mid-air in the rain.
Amidst their distressed gazes, Pan Jun endured the relentless lightning strikes from the sky, using the wind to propel the dark clouds away from the area, drifting south towards the capital and southeast of Henan…
Both places have been experiencing drought for the past two months, as if all the rainwater has flowed to this area.
It's really a drought, a drought, and a flood.
Pan Jun almost exhausted his energy, but he actually managed to move the cumulus clouds in the sky to a water-scarce area.
She was also struck hard; lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and her whole body was charred black.
Many people witnessed this, and in an instant, the praise for Pan Yun reached its peak, with people kneeling and worshipping wherever he went.
The merit bar in the spiritual realm surged rapidly. With a cry of surprise from Pan Xiaohei, the spiritual realm "popped" as the accumulated merit on Pan Yun's body finally helped her spiritual realm break through the seal, burst out of her Niwan Palace, and regain its former glory...
The three petals unfolded layer by layer before her, flowing with light, and Pan Yun's consciousness instantly pierced through the spiritual realm and entered its world. The seal was broken, and the inner world underwent a great change. Pan Yun then realized that the world she had thought had been opened up was actually only the tip of the iceberg.
The three petals represent three worlds, each one completely renewed. Things that were once piled up in the spiritual realm are now scattered all over the world, as insignificant as a grain of rice in the vast ocean.
The Three Realms, each with a name.
"The Desire Realm, the Form Realm, the Formless Realm?" Pan Yun grasped the spiritual realm suspended before her and asked in a low voice, "Weren't you created by the Taoists? Why are you named after the Buddhist Three Realms?"
Pan Xiaohei entered the Spirit Realm the instant the seal was broken. Its spirit and body merged, and now no one in the Spirit Realm can rival it.
It proudly proclaimed, "My creator practices both Buddhism and Taoism."
Pan Yun: "No wonder you were able to reincarnate with me without losing your memories. Did you use the Buddhist concept of reincarnation?"
Pan Xiaohei said proudly, "Reincarnation is not difficult for me. Now that my seal has been removed, if you wish, I can take you to the next realm. Although the spiritual energy of the Ming Dynasty has not been cut off, it is difficult to support your cultivation to the level of Earth Immortal. It is better to leave sooner rather than later."
Pan Yun looked up at the sky and murmured, "You don't need to take me, I can manage on my own."
Pan Xiaohei also looked up at the sky, and the entire spiritual realm trembled, feeling that the whole spiritual realm was in trouble.
It shouted, "How did you get here so fast? You, you, you, can you hold on?"
Pan Yun, surrounded by golden light, smiled faintly: "If you don't advance, you retreat, and I have no way to retreat."
Since there's no way out, let's fight with all our might and go all out!
She refused to believe that this was a certain death!
A thunderous roar erupted overhead, startling Zhu Jianji, who led his officials to the palace entrance to look up. He had a bad feeling about this.
He hurriedly looked at the ministers, but did not find any familiar figures in the crowd. Only then did he remember that Xue Shao had been demoted repeatedly in the past five years and had only been transferred back to the Ministry of Revenue in the capital half a year ago to handle matters related to the overseas Ming Dynasty banks.
Last month, he finally sorted out the affairs of the overseas Ming Dynasty banks and even set a very strict set of rules.
Because these rules were difficult to enforce and offended many people, Xue Shao was finally dismissed from office in the first ten days of the month for stepping forward with his left foot first when attending the morning court session, amidst a massive flood of impeachment petitions.
But among all the officials, he was the only one who had personally witnessed Pan Yun's last tribulation.
The emperor immediately sent someone to invite Xue Shao, and at the same time sent someone to the Imperial Observatory to check the situation.
But at that moment, who would dare approach the Imperial Observatory?
With dark clouds looming overhead and lightning flashing, walking underneath felt like your hair was standing on end.
Didn't you see the people in the Imperial Observatory slowly moving out?
At this moment, Xue Shao, who was in the rented room, also stepped out of the door and looked up at the slowly gathering dark clouds.
happy Jin, holding a hoe, stood in the courtyard and looked up. When he saw his master come out, he grinned and said, "Young Master, the Imperial Advisor is about to undergo another tribulation."
Xue Shao's face showed no signs of aging, but as an official in the court, he could not remain young like Pan Yun. Therefore, he began to grow a beard as early as the year he entered the cabinet. Now his beard reaches his chest, which is why he is jokingly called the "Beautiful Beard Lord".
Only happy Jin, whose hair had turned completely white, still refused to change his form of address and continued to call him Young Master.
Looking at the oppressive dark clouds that made it almost impossible to breathe, Xue Shao seemed to sense something, turned around and went into the house. After a while, he took out a box and gave it to him: "Xi Jin, this is your indenture and household registration. There is also a small estate of eighty acres in Miyun. It is a bit far away, but the fields are good. The house is built with blue bricks. I don't have many belongings after I die. You can ask Wen Dao to keep the books and notes you want. Send the rest back to the Xue family."
happy Jin was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and tears rolled down her cheeks: "Young Master, where are you going?"
Xue Shao chuckled and said, "In my life, I have experienced the highest level of power, serving as prime minister and wielding immense influence in the court. At the lowest point, I was a wandering swordsman and even begged for money. I can say that I have tasted ninety-nine flavors of life, and I have no regrets in this life."
"Whether I perish or ascend to heaven, Shao's life has not been in vain. You should be happy for me."
"Young Master—"
Xue Shao looked up at the sky and murmured, "I have to go. I have to get there before her. There are too many people in the capital. She definitely won't undergo her tribulation here."
happy Jin looked up, his heart pounding, and asked, "Young Master, your cultivation is far inferior to Master Pan's. What can you do?"
Xue Shao chuckled softly and said, "You don't know yet, do you? The Dao Body is also a magical artifact."
happy Jin was stunned.
Xue Shao handed the box to him, turned and went into the house, and soon came out with his sword in hand.
happy Jin's son called out. He was only fifteen years old. The boy ran back from outside and shouted as soon as he entered the door, "Father, Master—it's going to rain heavily in the capital!"
As soon as he entered, he saw the master looking like he was about to go out. He glared at him and said, "Master, you'll get caught in the rain if you go out at this time."
Xue Shao chuckled and patted his head, saying, "It's alright, the capital will soon be sunny again."
After saying that, he slung his sword over his shoulder and went out, arriving at the alley entrance in the blink of an eye.
happy Jin chased after him, following him all the way, but he couldn't catch up no matter what he did. He could only watch helplessly as the young master disappeared before his eyes, and finally went home crying with tears in his eyes.
Xue Wen looked bewildered and asked, "Father, why are you crying?"
happy Jin remained silent, only wiping away tears.
Xue Wendao was moved to tears by his crying and could only keep asking him, "Father, why are you crying? Where did Master go?"
Xi Jin found him annoying. Sure enough, the young master was so smart that he didn't get married and have children. Why did he think it was a good thing? Back then, he got married so eagerly and had such an annoying son.
Unable to concentrate on her crying due to the noise, Xi Jin turned around and yelled at him, "Shut up! Get out of here!"
Xue Wendao didn't mind at all, and even pulled his sleeve to wipe his father's tears: "Father, don't be like Mother, why are you so clingy to Master? It's going to rain soon, Master will come back."
happy Jin cried even louder: "Young Master won't come back, he won't come back!"
Xue Shao left the city, looked up at the sky, and saw a colorful world with various air masses swirling and intertwining. He finally chose a large air mass and headed towards that distant direction.
Xue Shao was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was four or five miles away. If there were any Taoist disciples here, they would be able to tell that he was using the "shrinking the earth to an inch" technique.
Just as Xue Shao left the capital region and headed west to Ningxia Guard, Pan Yun from the palace also walked out of the gates of the Imperial Observatory.
Ignoring the rumbling clouds, she ascended directly into the air, looking down at the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.
The master and apprentice exchanged a glance, and Zhu Jianji's expression changed drastically as he staggered forward.
"His Majesty--"
Zhu Jianji pushed away the person next to him, his eyes filled with tears as he looked up at the person in mid-air: "Teacher—"
Pan Yun smiled gently at him and nodded, saying, "I've said it before, we will be the most perfect master and disciple in all of history, without exception."
She knows when to stay hidden, when to emerge from seclusion, and when to disappear altogether. Is there anyone more considerate than her as a teacher?
Zhu Jianji's lips trembled slightly as he slowly shook his head. He felt that his teacher's prestige among the people was too great, but he never thought that his teacher would leave.
Pan Yun nodded to him and said gently, "Take care."
After saying that, she carried Pan Xiaohei and flew westward without looking back.
Pan Xiaohei, who has lost its soul, is a plant cat. Pan Jun puts it in the spirit realm and it keeps on its way.
She flew westward until she reached the endless desert before stopping.
She landed on the ground and looked up at the sky.
The clouds couldn't move as fast as she did; at this moment, the desert was cloudless and sunny.
A gust of wind blew, causing her clothes to flutter. She looked towards where the wind was coming from, and sure enough, a dark cloud rolled in from afar. Meanwhile, many white clouds appeared out of nowhere in the previously cloudless sky. As the white clouds collided, their color turned gray, and they slowly gathered into dark clouds. The humidity in the air also began to increase...
Thick, dark clouds gathered overhead, layer upon layer, almost pressing down on her head.
When Xue Shao arrived, he saw Pan Jun standing alone between heaven and earth on the boundless yellow sand. In front of him, behind him, and above his head, there was a dark cloud covering the sky, as if the end of the world had come.
A lotus-shaped magical artifact floated in front of her, absorbing the tiny electric currents floating in the air into her body.
Xue Shao slowly stopped and found a slightly higher hill to look around.
Pan Yun, with her keen senses, seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her head to look over.
Despite being several miles away, Pan Jun could still see that tiny figure standing on the sand dune.
The two looked at each other from a distance, neither of them speaking, but simultaneously raised their heads to look at the sky.
Pan Yun was experiencing the tribulation of ascension for the first time and had no experience. Xue Shao was even less so. He had read through all the ancient books and found that all those who claimed to have become immortals after undergoing tribulations had ultimately failed to preserve their physical bodies, and none of them had ever been ranked among the immortals.
However, some people who did not have any recorded tribulations attained enlightenment in a single day, or were worshipped by the people for their merits, and silently joined the ranks of immortals.
But those are all wandering immortals, and only a small number of them are worshipped among the common people.
Whether it was because Pan Yun was too orthodox or because she had too many followers, she should have taken a step further long ago, but she was not summoned by the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, she could only ascend to the upper realm through the normal tribulation process.
Xue Shao stood on the sand dune with his hands behind his back. When he noticed someone, he immediately looked to his right and saw a few people flying low overhead.
It is Xuanmiao and Taoji.
Xue Shao immediately put down his hands and bowed to the two men.
Xuanmiao and Tao Jichong nodded slightly to him and stood on the other side of the sand dune.
Others also stopped in twos and threes around them; they were all Taoist practitioners who had come to witness the miracle.
Xue Shao also saw several monks and demonic figures. (End of Chapter)