Chapter 259 — The Human Emperor, the Dao Sovereign, and the Tathagata

Yanfeng glanced at the big monk, served him a bowl of rice, two steamed buns, and another spoonful of vegetables, and said: "I do not only speak well; I do better. Great monk, eat slowly, and do not disturb the people of the world."

The big monk assented and went off with his golden bowl.

"Tathagata!" The people behind Yanfeng, seeing this monk, were shaken inwardly.

After the big monk left, an old Daoist came up behind, his robes and cap untidy, his hair somewhat disheveled, holding a bowl and basin, and said with a smile: "Has Your Majesty eaten?"

Yanfeng's face grew grave; he served him food and shook his head: "Not yet."

"Your Majesty should eat something. Only when one is full is one fit to set out on the road."

Yanfeng nodded, took two steamed buns and a bowl of gruel, and said to the assembled ministers: "Come, eat something too. Trouble is upon us."

The ministers watched the monk and the Daoist as though facing a great enemy; the two of them, one with a golden bowl and one with a bowl and basin, squatted in the corner by the street wall, drinking gruel and eating steamed buns with dried vegetables, as content as could be.

The ministers came forward, each took a portion of food, and each squatted in the corner by the street wall; Yanfeng squatted there too, eating in silence.

When they had finished, Yanfeng went to the hand-pump well to draw water and wash his bowl, and the ministers queued behind him. Tathagata and the Dao Sovereign also came up to wash their bowls and chopsticks, saying: "It has been a long time since we tasted the food of the mortal world; it has a flavor all its own."

"I and these ministers have eaten it for several months now."

Yanfeng said earnestly: "You two Daoist brothers should eat it often. Do not let yourselves dwell too high and too far."

"To be high and far is to be free of the vulgar."

The old Dao Sovereign said with a smile: "You are the emperor of the mortal world; what you govern is vulgar men. But to cultivate the Dao or the Buddha is to keep far from the dust and turmoil of the world; once tainted by it, one cannot easily escape."

Yanfeng asked with a smile: "Dao Sovereign, can you become a true god?"

The Dao Sovereign shook his head.

Yanfeng asked Tathagata: "Tathagata, can you become a true Buddha?"

Tathagata shook his head: "The Divine Bridge is broken. Who can become a true god or Buddha?"

"Then what nonsense are you talking? Keeping far from the dust of the world, as though you were something remarkable — Historian, I have used coarse words again. Do not record them; I know. You may withdraw. You are not needed here."

Having said this, Yanfeng walked toward the city gate, the civil and military ministers following. Yanfeng stopped, turned his head, and said with a smile: "Though we go by the rules of the court and not the rules of the jianghu, we still do not need so many people. Those at the Divine Bridge realm, stay. The rest, withdraw."

Many of the ministers halted. Seven followed at Yanfeng's side: Grand Commandant Yuan Kong the monk, Minister over the Masses Xiu Leqing, Minister of Works Wei Pingbo, Grand General of Heavenly Strategy Shen Baoyue, Prince of Mount Tai Ling Xuhua, General of Agile Cavalry Quan Dingwu, and Supreme Minister Su Yunzhi, honored with the ceremonial rank of the Three Excellencies — with the emperor, eight in all.

Tathagata and the Dao Sovereign did not mind, and walked on ahead.

Yanfeng led the others after them; they came out of the city and still did not stop. When they reached the fields outside the city, Yanfeng halted to look at the young crops and asked an old farmer: "Will there be a good harvest?"

"There will!" The old farmer's voice was loud.

Yanfeng smiled and turned to the ministers behind him: "There will be a good harvest!"

The Dao Sovereign said: "Your Majesty, this year there will be; next year, perhaps not. This old Daoist has brought a scroll recording the tales of the Wasteland, called the Kaihuang Kalpa Sutra. Your Majesty may read it slowly, and we shall walk slowly. If, when Your Majesty has finished it, you still insist on the reforms, then these sun and moon shall be exchanged for a new heaven."

Tathagata sighed: "The Dao Sovereign is compassionate."

The Dao Sovereign shook his head: "He does not know the peril here. If he knew, he would be as we are." With that, he placed the Kaihuang Kalpa Sutra in Yanfeng's hands.

"Your Majesty, beware of treachery!" warned Supreme Minister Su Yunzhi.

Yanfeng said with a smile: "It does not matter."

He took the Kaihuang Kalpa Sutra from the Dao Sovereign's hand, opened it, and read carefully.

They walked on unhurriedly; Yanfeng turned page after page, reading the Kaihuang Kalpa Sutra from beginning to end. The Dao Sovereign and Tathagata never urged him, but walked on quietly.

When they had gone a hundred li or more, Yanfeng finished the Kaihuang Kalpa Sutra, steadied himself, looked up at the sky, and said nothing.

The old Dao Sovereign said: "Your Majesty, with all living beings in your heart, you must know what to do now."

Yanfeng stared blankly, lost in thought, then suddenly said: "When I was small, the State of Jingping had not yet so great a territory, and the emperor was not yet so honored. In those days sect after sect and clan after clan still lorded it over all. Once I went abroad with an embassy, on a visit to a place called the Kingdom of Yuanqi — what is now Yuanzhou. A thunder calamity was raging there; dark clouds covered the whole of the Kingdom of Yuanqi, and thunder cracked and crashed without cease, striking dead countless oxen, sheep, and beasts, and countless common people too."

"The Emperor of Yuanqi knelt with his civil and military officials in the thunder calamity, praying and confessing his guilt, and the people of the kingdom knelt on the ground as well, begging Heaven to calm its wrath. In that thunder calamity, the emperor was struck dead. Only later did I learn that the Heaven they spoke of was no god of Heaven, but the Thunder Hidden Sect — a sect. Most likely the harvest had been poor and the tribute of fine things to the Thunder Hidden Sect had been too little, and so the Thunder Hidden Sect sent down the tribulation. What wrought the thunder calamity was the Thunder Hidden Sect's guardian spirit-treasure, the Nine Heavens Thunder-Luring Canopy. The emperor took the guilt upon himself, and so the Thunder Hidden Sect struck him dead and replaced him with another emperor. It was then that I thought..."

He looked at the Dao Sovereign and Tathagata and said, word by word: "I will overturn you! And now, I have done it. Only what I and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping have done is not yet enough, and so there is this snow disaster. Is it not a god? Then I will overturn the god!"

The Dao Sovereign could not help saying: "Does Your Majesty not have all living beings in your heart? Do you wish to turn Jingping into a wasteland like that? You and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping carried out the reforms; you and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping struck down those sects and unified so vast a realm — this old Daoist never stopped you, did he? But if you reform again, then Heaven will be angered, and all living beings will be endangered!"

The old Tathagata said: "Your Majesty, think thrice."

Yanfeng said: "You have your faith, and I have mine."

The old Tathagata sighed and said to the Dao Sovereign: "Old friend of the Dao, let us change emperors."

The Dao Sovereign fetched his Dao sword and nodded: "So be it. Kind words have all been spoken, but His Majesty will not be awakened; we can only change emperors."

Yanfeng looked around and saw old Daoists, white-browed monks, and poor scholars coming from every direction, surrounding them in the middle — far more numerous than the eight of them.

The Grand General of Heavenly Strategy and the others turned pale.