In the winter of the 20th year of Yongle, Yuanluo Village, Dishan County.
Dishan County in the Central Region was originally the fiefdom of Princess Zhennan. After the Ming Dynasty unified Shenzhou, abolished the third-level lords, and implemented reforms, Dishan County was no longer the fiefdom of Princess Zhennan.
Yuanluo Village was an out-and-out mortal village back then. The villagers were originally slaves of Princess Dishan (Princess Zhennan). After the political reform, they all became free citizens.
Now, they can practice cultivation and take part in the imperial examinations.
Although Yuanluo Village is a small place as big as a needle's nose, it is the most famous village in Dishan County.
Because, Her Royal Highness Princess Zhanshan Jiang Cai has been here.
Although Princess Yanshan just stopped by to take a look, she was looking at Deng Jiu and Wei Rong, the oldest people in the village.
Rumor has it that when Deng Jiu and Wei Rong were still monks, they had an affair with Princess Zhanshan.
…
The Deng family courtyard lies quietly in the heavy snow, with a few faint fluctuations of spiritual energy.
The villagers who knew about it knew clearly that this was the reason why a pair of sons and daughters of the Deng family practiced cultivation.
They, brother and sister, are the only two golden elixir monks in their hometown.
Although after the restoration of the Immortal World, more and more mortals are cultivating, Jindan monks are still extremely rare in the countryside, so the Deng family is also a well-known family of monks in the county.
In the east wing of Deng's courtyard, two old men over 100 years old were adding firewood to the fire while looking at the heavy snow outside the window.
"Old lady, your Majesty is exactly one hundred years old this year, right?" the old man suddenly asked.
The old woman shook her white head and said, "Your Majesty is ninety-nine this year and will turn one hundred next year. Have you forgotten? Your Majesty is born in the Year of the Rat."
"Of course I remember." The old man sighed, "When he was a child, I would tie a mouse lantern for him every birthday to keep him safe. How could he forget?"
The old woman nodded: "It's not bad to be a hundred years old. In a few days it will be the Year of the Rat."
When she said this, a voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard: "Are Mr. Deng and Mrs. Wei here?"
The two old men trembled and asked together: "Who is your Majesty?"
When I opened the door, I saw a man in black clothes standing in the heavy snow.
After all, Deng Jiu and Wei Rong were once monks, and they still had good eyesight. The man in black was tall and simple in appearance at first glance, but he also had a kind of slickness that was difficult to conceal.
Looking at his gorgeous attire, he looks like a well-established man. But upon closer inspection, he looks like a lazy scoundrel who hangs out in the city and countryside.
But it was obvious that the person who came had a high status and a high level of cultivation.
As soon as he saw Deng Jiu and Wei Rong, he clicked his tongue and shook his head, "Why are you so old? Alas, time is not forgiving."
The tone seemed to be a bit sad and sighing, just like the tone of an old friend, with a hint of respect.
"Your Majesty is..." Deng Jiu couldn't remember any interaction between this person and his wife.
The man in black cupped his hands, his expression suddenly became proud, and he said:
"Old sir, the Sa family is the Marquis of Yuan Zhong of the Ming Dynasty. He is the first-class canine guard in front of His Majesty the Immortal Emperor. He was given the surname Mastiff by His Majesty. He is known as Mastiff Shaobao."
Yuan Zhonghou, dog guard, mastiff Shaobao!
In the Ming Dynasty, Mastiff Shaobao was already a famous name.
His Majesty the Immortal Emperor’s earliest origin! A legendary figure who trained from an ordinary dog to a seventh-level demon!
"You are Xiaohei..."
Wei Rong couldn't help but blurt out, but after only saying four words, he quickly stopped with a drastic change in his expression, and changed his words: "It turns out to be Mastiff Shaobao, I'm disrespectful."
"Young man, I have seen Mastiff Shaobao!" Deng Jiu had to bow tremblingly and salute, "Shan's wife spoke without restraint and made no excuses. Please forgive Mastiff Shaobao."
He also didn't expect that the person who came was actually a wild dog cub that he picked up in the mountains more than ninety years ago.
At that time, Jiang Yao was only three or four years old. In order to keep Jiang Yao company, he took the wild dog cub that had just opened its eyes back to the small courtyard and raised it.
That's right, Xiao Hei was his family's guard dog at that time.
Who would have known that more than ninety years later, the original wild dog cub and the guard dog of the small courtyard would turn into a human-like dog-like Ao Shaobao!
Speaking of which, he and Wei Rong were also Xiao Hei's masters at that time.
Mastiff Shaobao waved his hand nonchalantly, "The Sa family and the two of us can be considered old friends. I think it was the old man who picked the Sa family back from the mountains back then. After all, he is kind to the Sa family."
"How dare you! How dare you!" Deng Jiu showed a look of fear, "The words of a noble man are ruining the old age."
"Master Shaobao, it's really wonderful to come to this humble abode, please!" Wei Rong quickly asked the dog guard to come in.
Mastiff Shaobao shook his head and entered the room, sat down and said straight to the point: "The Sa family came from Chang'an this time to talk about old friends. After hearing what the princess said, I couldn't help but come to visit."
"But when His Majesty learned that the Sa family was coming, he specifically asked the Sa family to send something."
Deng Jiu couldn't help but asked in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, do you still remember me? I feel sorry for you..."
"Okay." The dog guard said, "Your Majesty is the lord of the immortal world, and his heart is bigger than the stars and the sea. He can accommodate enemies like Li Wanqing and Concubine Canyao, but he can't tolerate you two mortals in the mountains?"
"Your Majesty said it. Even though the two of you had ulterior motives back then, the relationship between you and me over the past eighteen years cannot be wiped out in one stroke. One code will be the same."
"Your Majesty also said that one drink and one peck are predetermined. If it weren't for the two of them, he might not be where he is today."
"Well, your Majesty is a man who values friendship and loyalty."
After saying that, he took out three packages and said, "The things here are the life-prolonging medicine sent by His Majesty. The rare thing is that it can be taken by mortals and can extend life by eight hundred years."
"Your Majesty..." Wei Rong couldn't help but choked.
Deng Jiu also stood up in emotion and saluted in the direction of Chang'an.
The dog guard pointed to the second baggage, "This is a gift from the princess. The princess said that this is a resource for your children to practice and build the cave."
Then he pointed to the third baggage and said, "This is a gift from the Sa family. Even mortals can use it."
"One more thing. The imperial court has used troops to win consecutive victories this year, and His Majesty will be celebrating his 100th birthday next year, so he has opened the Enke exam and doubled the number of admissions."
"You two children can definitely take part in the imperial examination and try their luck..."
The dog guard talked for a while, then stood up and said: "The Sa family is leaving, don't send him away!"
He stood up, walked a few steps, and disappeared into the Deng family courtyard.
Deng Jiu and Wei Rong stood there for a long time, both excited beyond words and in a trance.
Soon, Deng Cai and Deng Yao came back.
"Father, mother, these resources..."
Deng Cai and Deng Yao, who were already Jindan (Wuzong) monks, looked at the resources on the table with surprise and joy, "Her Highness the Princess is here again?"
Deng Jiu shook his head: "No. She won't come again."
Wei Rong sighed: "It's Mastiff Shaobao."
Mastiff Shaobao?
The two siblings looked at each other. Isn't that the earliest Yuan Cong dog guard who is famous all over the world?
Deng Jiu didn't want his children to know too much, so he changed the topic and said, "When you went to the city today, what new news did you hear? Tell dad to know."
Deng Yao smiled and said, "I have a lot of important news, and I'm going to tell dad."
"The general who conquered the north and Pankang, the king of Zhennan, won a great victory in Beiming. The main force of Charming Tapir has been wiped out."
"His Majesty issued an edict, ordering Zhen Jiubing to serve as Minister of Construction to build seventy-two ice and snow cities in the far north snowfield to completely control the world in the north of the mountain."
"Ouyang Feng, the Duke of Zhen, won a great victory in Nanming, and the nine tribes of Hailiu were almost uprooted. Your Majesty ordered Li Xi, Duke of Yan, to be the governor of Nanming and build a teleportation array."
"Yang Jian, King of Zhenxi, has destroyed three small worlds of the Vampire Clan and killed millions of Vampire Clan."
"But Wei Shenxing, the Minister of Rites, who was on an envoy to the underground sea world, was detained by the rude Youyu clan. The Youyu people threatened that even if they continued to move to the deepest depths, they would not obey the imperial court's orders."
"His Majesty the Immortal Emperor is furious and has ordered Qin Xiangguo to be the commander-in-chief to conquer Youyou..."
Deng Cai, however, didn't care much about these military and state affairs. She interrupted and said: "Your Majesty and the Queen are no longer in Chang'an. I heard that they went to Luoyang, the eastern capital, to visit the Supreme Immortal Emperor."
"The Supreme Immortal Emperor has always stayed in Luoyang and never went to Chang'an. It is said that he does not want to meet the Queen Mother... No, it seems that the Queen Mother does not want to see him."
Wei Rong, who is also a woman, also became interested, "Why doesn't the Queen Mother want to see the Supreme Immortal Emperor?"
Deng Cai replied: "I just heard that Mrs. Can is the original wife of the Supreme Immortal Emperor, and the Supreme Immortal Emperor is henpecked, which caused the Queen Mother's dissatisfaction..."
Deng Jiu immediately frowned and waved his hand, "Okay, why are you talking about these private royal matters that have nothing to do with the overall situation?"
Deng Cai ignored him and continued to talk to Wei Rong: "There is another thing, which is also a rumor. It is said that Xuantian Imperial Master Li Xixia had a battle with Madam Can. Madam Can said that Li Xixia was shameless and got pregnant out of wedlock."
"But Madam Silkworm was no match for Li Xixia. Instead, she suffered a big loss. The Supreme Immortal Emperor came forward to persuade peace, but Madam Silkworm slapped her in the face..."
Deng Jiu stamped his feet and said: "Silence! This is a scandal for the royal family, and it's just based on rumors. If you talk nonsense, be careful of the disaster that comes from your mouth!"
Deng Cai smiled and said: "What are you afraid of? Your Majesty has already issued a special edict not to be punished for words. As long as it is not malicious slander or making something out of nothing, then it will be fine."
"Everyone in Luoyang knows about this matter, and the rumor is spreading. It is said that the Supreme Immortal Emperor has embarrassed His Majesty. The Princess of Zhennan who stayed in the east capital has not ordered the arrest, so how can she care about the opinions of our poor and remote place?"
Wei Rong said: "The Supreme Immortal Emperor and Li Xixia...doesn't Chang'an care about such things?"
Deng Caidao said: "Why don't you care? This time, Your Majesty and the Queen suddenly came to Luoyang, saying they were visiting the Supreme Immortal Emperor, but actually it was just for this matter."
"It is said that the Queen suggested that Li Xixia abort the fetus, but Li Xixia refused. His Majesty also lost his temper, and the Supreme Immortal Emperor also lost his face..."
"Your Majesty said that after the child is born, he will be included in the royal family tree. The surname is Jiang and cannot be surnamed Li. But Li Xixia doesn't agree, Concubine Canyao doesn't agree, and the Queen Mother doesn't agree either."
"Your Majesty has no choice but to give up..."
Deng Jiu frowned and said: "Cai'er, these things are secret history, why can you know it and still spread it?"
Deng Caidao said: "It is said that Madam Silkworm leaked it on purpose, in order to retaliate against the Supreme Immortal Emperor and to embarrass the Queen Mother and Your Majesty."
Wei Rong was puzzled: "How dare she leak the royal scandal? How can your Majesty and the Queen Mother tolerate her? Li Xixia will not swallow this breath."
Deng Cai shook his head: "I heard from the monks from Luoyang that the Supreme Immortal Emperor protects Madam Silkworm with all his heart, and would not hesitate to fall out with His Majesty for Madam Silkworm. The Queen can only mediate in order to make the big issue trivial."
"Princess Zhennan was reprimanded a few times by His Majesty as a stay-at-home guard in the Eastern Capital. But His Majesty truly trusted her and still allowed her to take on the important task of being a stay-at-large in the Eastern Capital."
Deng Yao said: "Okay, sister, don't talk about this anymore. Why should we care about the nonsense of the Supreme Immortal Emperor? We should care about next year's Enke exam!"
"Dad, Mom, I'm going to Chang'an to take the Enke exam! As long as I pass the exam, I can become an official and live up to my Taoist aspirations."
Deng Cai said: "I'll go too! I heard that today's Guanzhong and Chang'an are some of the best places in the world. They have extremely rich aura and are extremely prosperous."
Deng Jiu looked pleased and nodded: "Go, go to Chang'an! Your mother and I hope that not only will you pass the exam, but you will also be able to meet His Majesty..."
PS: I dare say that this episode is beyond everyone’s expectations.