Chapter 72 Just come back
The capital, Shuntian Prefecture.

The streets were crowded with people, and although it was just dawn, it couldn't stop the enthusiasm of the people who came to the market.

Since foreigners came to Beijing, there have been more and more foreign things on the streets of Shuntian Prefecture.

The small vendors drank tea and ate, and talked about various gossips in Shuntian Prefecture. What did the old Buddha in the palace do, what foreigners sent gifts, and what barbarians were so ugly that their women did not bind their feet.

In short, despite all the hustle and bustle, there is a peaceful atmosphere.

On the street market near the Forbidden City, a group of people in official robes rode past in a hurry. The Qing soldiers responded in front and behind, pushing aside all those who were blocking the way.

The horse galloped quickly, passing the ditches full of sewage, passing the opium dens full of addicts, passing the various mansions with white walls in Western style. It galloped along the avenue all the way to the palace, and the elderly official on the horse was already sweating profusely.

He dismounted in front of the Meridian Gate and, after a routine inspection, hurriedly trotted into the palace through the east gate.

There are four gates in the Forbidden City, namely Wumen, Shenwumen, Donghuamen and Xihuamen. There is a "dismounting monument" in front of the gate. Except for the people who are allowed to ride horses in the Forbidden City and those who are "awarded with court horses" by the emperor, all other officials, big and small, have to dismount from their horses or sedan chairs when they reach these four gates, otherwise they will be dealt with by the Lifanyuan or the Ministry of Justice.

"Why haven't the people from the Imperial Observatory arrived yet? Both ancestors are so anxious." At the gate of the Forbidden City, the bright red pillars were filled with ministers. Everyone looked inside the palace, all with panicked expressions.

Early in the morning, the roar of a dragon was heard over the imperial city.

This is not a trivial matter, but a major event concerning the Qing Dynasty. Who wouldn't know this?

You see, the Empress Dowager Cixi's close servant, Li Yinglian, came out and scolded the eunuch who was guarding the palace. The Taoist priests from the Baiyun Temple in the capital and the monks from the Juesheng Temple were summoned to the palace, and they beat the wooden fish for a long time before the anger of the two Empress Dowagers was calmed down.

"Reporting to Eunuch Li, several officials from the Imperial Observatory have arrived."

When the young eunuch came up to deliver the message, Li Yinglian's serious face showed joy and she waved to the person.

"What are you waiting for? Please come in."

Hearing Eunuch Li's urging, the eunuchs did not dare to neglect it. Soon, several old men in official robes came in, including a Western missionary.

"My Lords, please wait for us. Our two ancestors are waiting inside." Li Yinglian pushed open the door and invited them in. Several ministers from the Imperial Observatory quickly straightened their hat collars, walked into the hall tremblingly, patted their sleeves and knelt down.

"Your Highness, we present our petition to the Queen Mother, the Holy Mother Queen Mother."

"Get up." Inside the palace, the golden curtains were dazzling, and the carved railings and painted buildings were shining. A woman called out from behind the pearl curtains.

"You should know why I called you here. Tell me quickly."

"Yes, Queen Mother."

"According to our observation of the stars, the Ziwei star has appeared, and a real dragon has also appeared. This is indeed a very auspicious sign. It means that the heavens will protect the Qing Dynasty and extend its rule for thousands of years. Please don't worry, my two thousand princes." As the ministers of the Imperial Observatory spoke, a sigh of uneasiness was heard from behind the pearl curtain.

"If that's the case, why would a real dragon fly out of the palace? I heard the dragon's roar with my own ears. The portraits of our ancestors in the Fengxian Hall are all out of water, why is that? Can you please explain?"

"This this"

The kneeling people did not dare to raise their heads, all of them were speechless. They glanced at their colleagues who were also kneeling beside them, and they all knew that they had nowhere to turn to, but they did not dare to look at each other.

"It is useful for the court to support you. Don't let the court's money support a group of freeloaders."

Listening to the Queen Mother's words, the ministers kneeling on the ground wiped their foreheads tremblingly. The foreign official looked calm. After listening to the words, he spoke fluent Chinese and said, "In our country, this kind of phenomenon usually means something strange will happen. If you want to find out, you might as well follow the direction where the real dragon flew out. Maybe you will get something."

"That's good. We need to find out the reason as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will not be at ease, and our ancestors will not be at ease either." The Queen Mother said, waving to everyone across the curtain.

"Go down, I am tired."

"Hmm!" Several ministers withdrew, and the palace fell into silence again. Li Yinglian, who was waiting on the side, bowed her head and thought, then stood up and bowed to the curtain and said: "Empress Dowager, I know a master who may be able to relieve your worries."

"Oh? How can a servant like you know such a great master?" The empresses dowagers became interested.

"It is thanks to my thousand-year-old good fortune that I was able to meet such a great man." Li Yinglian said with a smile.

"That man is a high-ranking Taoist priest from Mount Mao, with the name Changming Zhenren. It is said that when Li Zhitai was studying at Luzhou Prefecture, he met this man on his way north. The Zhenren calculated for him and predicted that Li Zhitai would be promoted to a high position in the future. Mount Mao is known as the 'home of immortals in the Qin and Han dynasties, and the home of prime ministers in the Liang and Tang dynasties.' The empress dowager ordered the Zhenren Changming to come to the palace and have him perform the fasting ceremony to protect the fortune of our Qing Dynasty."

After Li Yinglian finished speaking, the Queen Mother behind the curtain thought for a moment. Then she hummed and ordered, "In that case, then draw up an order to invite the Immortal here."

"Whoo!"

Li Yinglian withdrew and the palace fell into silence.

Outside the palace, the sun was shining, and the glazed tiles were gleaming. However, the shadows reflected under the heavy walls and palaces seemed a bit duller.

The imperial city remained calm, and the capital remained peaceful. Going south along the capital, cracks gradually appeared on the ground. The dry riverbed became wider and thicker, and cracks as wide as a palm appeared in the fields. Farmers in the fields tried hard to draw water, but only muddy water was left.

"Oh, when will the rain fall?" The ragged old man sat on the door railing and looked up at the sky.

People kept showing up with their families, carrying their bags and heading in all directions.

The drought has become increasingly serious. It has not rained in Henan and Shanxi for half a year.

Between heaven and earth, the withered and yellow earth is like a person lacking water, and cracked land can be seen everywhere.

Then go south along the Henan official road, crossing the endless loess dry land, gradually you will see greenery, small bridges, flowing water and houses.

Walking alone on the road, bypassing the noisy Qinhuai River in Jinling, Li Daoxuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled at Lijia Village not far away.

"Finally, we are almost there." Thinking of the hardships he had gone through along the way, Li Daoxuan felt like crying but couldn't. He thought the journey would be long, but he didn't expect it to be this far.

Fortunately, he had good physical strength. Although his feet were sore from walking, he was almost home.

Now he was covered in blood, his clothes were torn and his hair was messy. Even though this look was still a sign of his identity, passers-by would still mistake him for a beggar.

Holding a wooden stick in his hand, he walked towards Lijia Village.

"Another refugee?" The soldier was questioned as soon as he entered Lijia Village. He learned that he was the child of the wealthy businessman Li from Jinling. The village soldier who asked the question was stunned for a long time. After all, no one had ever thought that the son of the wealthy businessman Li could be so miserable.

After sending Li Daoxuan to the front door of the Li family, he knocked on the door and shouted a few times. Then he saw the door open. The servant who opened the door saw him, looked at him for a few seconds, and then ran into the house.

"Master! Madam! The Master is back!!"

There was a sudden crackling sound in the room, and the first person to run out was Mr. Li, who looked haggard.

Master Li's eyes were filled with tears. He looked at Li Daoxuan and hugged him in his arms: "Son! You are finally back safely!"

Mr. Li's crying was so loud that it attracted more people.

For a moment, Mrs. Li, the eldest brother, the second sister, etc., all wiped their tears with smiles on their faces.

"It'll be good to come back, it'll be good to come back."

(End of this chapter)