Chapter 83: Oracle

That night, the spring breeze in the capital of the Great Ming was gentle, with a bright moon and sparse stars.

His Majesty the Emperor Zhengde of Great Ming, having grown tired from playing, was resting inside the Leopard House. Grand Eunuch Liu Jin was busy with his own "great affairs of state." Zhang Yong had not yet returned from Guizhou. Therefore, even though he had already attained the prestigious position of Director of the Eastern Depot and was one of the "Eight Tigers" of the Zhengde era, Gu Dayong could finally spare no effort to keep vigil for his master, His Majesty the Emperor Zhengde.

For no other reason than that the Emperor was tied to the honor, disgrace, wealth, and destiny of Gu Dayong as his personal domestic servant!

A gentle night breeze blew. Outside the palace, save for the occasional cry of a night bird, everything seemed profoundly still. The night was growing deep, and Gu Dayong was no longer young; he lacked the boundless energy of his youth. Alone and quietly keeping watch inside the hall, he dozed off in a half-dream, half-waking state amidst the flickering candlelight.

In his drowsy haze, Gu Dayong seemed to hear a neat sequence of footsteps approaching slowly, accompanied by the clanking sound of armor plates. Gu Dayong jolted wide awake instantly. In the deep of the night within the inner palace, where would armored soldiers come from? Unless it was a military mutiny.

Gu Dayong had never encountered a mutiny before, but he had heard plenty of stories about them. In the speckled pages of history books, such events were hardly rare.

Gu Dayong hurriedly opened his eyes and sprang up as if struck by lightning, preparing to shout for guards to protect the Emperor, when he suddenly clapped a hand over his own mouth.

Inside the bedchamber, an inexplicable golden light had somehow appeared. The entire hall seemed sprinkled with a layer of golden powder, looking dreamlike and illusory under the sway of the flickering candlelight.

Gu Dayong had no idea where the golden light came from. Everything was far too bizarre; Gu Dayong had not only never encountered such a thing, he had never even heard of it. For a moment, he was at a complete loss.

It was not until the sound of armor grew closer and the golden light became increasingly dazzling that His Majesty the Emperor Zhengde was also startled awake.

Emperor Zhengde usually slept quite soundly, yet for some unknown reason, he had been jolted awake by the clanking of armor today. With a shock in his heart, he sat bolt upright, opened his eyes, and was greeted by a room full of golden light and a dumbfounded, frozen Gu Dayong.

"What is the meaning of this golden light and the sound of armor? Where is everyone else? Why are you the only one here, Gu Dayong?" Emperor Zhengde demanded sternly. Just as Gu Dayong was about to speak, the golden light in the bedchamber of the Leopard House suddenly flared brilliantly, forcing Emperor Zhengde to squint his eyes. When the golden light subsided slightly, he saw that a squad of golden-armored warriors had somehow materialized inside the hall.

"Celestial soldiers?" Emperor Zhengde asked tentatively. This was because the golden-armored warriors were not standing on the floor of the great hall at all, but rather upon a bank of clouds. Faint divine radiance emanated from their entire bodies. This was certainly something mortal soldiers could never achieve; otherwise, how could the Great Ming still rule the realm?

"This humble deity pays respects to Your Majesty!" The lead golden-armored warrior actually executed a military salute toward Emperor Zhengde. This instantly dispelled all the lingering apprehension in Emperor Zhengde's heart. In fact, not only the Emperor felt this way, but Gu Dayong beside him did as well. If this squad of golden-armored warriors harbored ill intentions, they certainly would not be saluting the Emperor, but rather drawing their swords against him. Even though the golden-armored warriors had only offered a military salute instead of the traditional three kneelings and nine kowtows, Emperor Zhengde and Gu Dayong cared little for such protocol. After all, the visitors might truly be celestial soldiers!

"I wonder why you generals have sought me out in the middle of the night?" Although Emperor Zhengde was usually unconventional and deeply intrigued by the suspected celestial soldiers before him, basic decorum still had to be maintained. Therefore, he suppressed his surging curiosity and decided to clarify their purpose first.

"We dare not accept the title of generals. We humble deities are merely carrying out the divine decree of the Divine Lord to deliver an oracle. We beg Your Majesty to inspect it!" With that, the golden-armored warrior presented a roll of silk with white jade rollers and cloud-thread fabric.

"Oh!" At this, Zhengde was truly intrigued. With a single glance, Gu Dayong immediately understood. He hurried forward to receive the oracle silk scroll and respectfully handed it to His Majesty the Emperor Zhengde.

Zhengde carefully examined the silk scroll. Even as an emperor who had witnessed countless rare treasures of the mortal world, he could not help but emit a sound of sincere admiration. The white jade rollers and snow-white cloud threads were simply too luxurious and exquisite; such supreme wonders could only exist in the heavenly palace!

Zhengde carefully unrolled the silk scroll, and after a long moment, raised his head to ask, "The Hall of Loyal Martyrs Through the Ages?"

The lead golden-armored warrior immediately replied, "Yes!"

Zhengde pondered for a moment and said, "The scroll states that this hall is meant to guide the souls of our Great Ming soldiers who died in battle back to their homeland, ascending into the heavenly realm. Those who have rendered great service to the state may tread upon the seven-colored rainbow bridge to enter the Eastern Pure Land of Ultimate Joy?"

The lead golden-armored warrior nodded again in response, "Reporting to Your Majesty, yes!"

"May I ask which deity your Divine Lord is?" Zhengde pursued the inquiry.

"This humble deity dares not speak the Divine Lord's sacred name. The Divine Lord stated that once the Daoist palace is completed, He will simply issue a talismanic decree to summon the heroic spirits of all directions into the hall. Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The Divine Lord's mandate is fulfilled, and this humble deity takes his leave." Having spoken, the golden-armored divine soldiers turned as one. Amidst a burst of intense golden light, the squad of golden-armored warriors vanished without a trace.

As the golden-armored warriors departed, the golden light within the palace gradually faded, and everything returned to normal. Emperor Zhengde and Gu Dayong remained frozen in the bedchamber, speechless for a long time, clearly still unable to recover from what had just transpired.

"Dayong, tell me, are we dreaming right now?" Emperor Zhengde asked his personal attendant with deep uncertainty.

"Your Majesty, the silk scroll is still in your hands!" Gu Dayong reminded him.

"Idiot! If this were a dream, the silk scroll would definitely be something from a dream too! When I wake up, it would surely be gone!" Zhengde retorted irritably.

"Uh!" At this, Gu Dayong was no longer certain whether he was dreaming either. Yet this dream was far too vivid, wasn't it? Even the Emperor's tone matched his own thoughts precisely.

"Sigh... If this is a dream, then you must simply be Gu Dayong in the dream, not the real one. What use is it for me to ask you? Better to just go to sleep first; when I wake up tomorrow, I'll know whether the oracle silk scroll is still here or not." Emperor Zhengde muttered to himself. Having said that, he no longer looked at Gu Dayong. A wave of sleepiness washed over him, and he drifted back into a deep sleep.

Not long after, Gu Dayong once again slipped into a half-dream, half-waking state. It was not until he felt a presence beside him that he jolted awake and stood up, only to find that dawn was breaking. The palace maids and eunuchs inside the palace were also beginning their shift change.

Gu Dayong hurried over to check on Zhengde, and lo and behold, the silk scroll was still there. Gu Dayong had no choice but to pinch himself hard until he nearly squeezed tears out, finally confirming that this was no dream. Last night's events had genuinely happened!

When Emperor Zhengde woke up, the sun was already three poles high. Finding the silk scroll still present and remembering the events of the previous night with crystal clarity, he realized it truly had not been a dream. Overwhelming joy instantly washed over him. If this wasn't divine protection, what was it? Otherwise, why would divine soldiers appear in the middle of the night, convey an oracle, and present a silk scroll?

Emperor Zhengde paced back and forth, holding the silk scroll like a precious treasure, only to suddenly realize, "To fulfill the oracle is truly no easy task. Without the approval of the Cabinet, even as the ruler of a nation, it won't be easy to accomplish!"

Emperor Zhengde was greatly troubled!

"Dayong, go help me summon the Grand Secretaries to the Leopard House for a discussion!" Emperor Zhengde instructed Gu Dayong directly.