Chapter 41: The Spirit Turtle Carries the Golden Buddha

  "Just then, however, a divine turtle appeared." Shang Buqi continued.

  "Linggui?" Gao Changgong looked at Shang Buqi in confusion, the latter nodded and said: "It's a Linggui, its body is very large, with a golden Buddha on its back, rising from the bottom of the water. This is naturally an auspicious sign for my Great Qi."

  A thousand-year-old turtle, an eight-thousand-year-old tortoise, the tortoise is a symbol of longevity. If what you said is not abandoned, the tortoise carries the golden Buddha out of the water, which naturally has deep meaning. In this era where people still have extraordinary faith in ghosts and gods, this is absolutely a miracle, perhaps it is the will of heaven.

  Gao Changgong looked at Gao Xing with a smile and said: "Father, why don't we go together to take a look and see what kind of auspicious sign it is?"

  Gao Changgong nodded and turned to look at Han Zhangyu: "Your Highness, don't you think it would be better if we went together?"

  Han Changyuan's face still looked a bit unsightly, and he snorted: "Let's go together and see what kind of auspicious sign it is!"

  "Don't abandon, lead the way!" Gao Chang ordered.

  He didn't refuse and quickly got up from the ground, looked at him with a smile, then turned around and walked towards Xuyi City.

  "Your Highness, please!" Gao Zhang bowed and made a gesture of invitation.

  Han Changyuan shook his sleeves, put his hands behind his back, slightly raised his head, and walked towards Xuyi City with a majestic gait. Gao Zhanggong didn't dare to slack off, quickly followed up, and trailed behind Han Changyuan, half a step behind.

  Delighted to see Han Changyuan's back, a brighter smile appeared on his face, but his eyes were exceptionally cold and ruthless. Shang Buqi's eyes had already told him that everything was going according to plan.

  Under the leadership of Shang Buqi, the crowd quickly approached the central square of Xuyi City. At this time, tens of thousands of people had gathered here, curiously and astonishingly discussing.

  "I asked this young man if he knew what had happened here?"

  "Of course, I've been here all along, how would I not know?"

  "Also, I'd like to inform you that earlier I went to the North City Gate and unexpectedly something strange happened there!"

  "The Great Buddha, which was built by the order of Neishi, was just completed. Suddenly, the entire city experienced an earthquake, and then a giant turtle appeared in the lotus pond, carrying a golden Buddha statue on its back that was as tall as a person. The brilliant light emanating from it was so dazzling that people's eyes couldn't open!"

  "Ah, such a golden Buddha, this turtle must be huge!"

  "The spirit turtle's strength is great, it's only as big as a wooden basin."

  "Where is that divine turtle now?"

  Just as he was about to answer, someone nearby suddenly exclaimed: "Look quickly, Master Hou has arrived! Master Hou has arrived!"

  The crowd turned around and saw Gao Changgong and his party quickly walking towards this place. The murmurs of the crowd gradually subsided, and they spontaneously made way for them.

  "Who is that person? Could it be an envoy from the Imperial Capital?"

  "That's probably right."

  "Who is he, and why does he have such an arrogant attitude? Why is Master Hou walking behind him?"

  "Hum, he is the red man beside the carefree Son of Heaven, King of ChangLei, Han ChangLing."

  "Is it him? This corrupt official, what's he doing here, nothing good will come of this!"

  "Sycophantic and shameless, a despicable person who only knows how to harm the loyal and virtuous. He has done all sorts of evil deeds and will surely not die a good death!"

  "Shut up! Don't you want to live? Let him hear that and he'll exterminate your entire clan!"

  Looking at the densely packed commoners, Han Changyun couldn't help but furrow his brow. Especially their curious gazes towards him made him feel extremely displeased in his heart. These lowly people, how dare they look directly at this king, truly deserving of death!

  In the distance, Han Changyuan saw a golden Buddha standing in the center of the square, about 10 meters high and nearly 4 meters wide. Under the sunlight, it emitted a dazzling golden light, casting a hazy color on it. The golden Buddha gazed down at the crowd with a faintly sorrowful smile, as if benevolent yet awe-inspiring. Han Changyuan suddenly furrowed his brow, for he saw a person's shadow on the statue. Feeling strange, he didn't even bother to show disdain towards the common people in front of him and quickened his pace by two steps.

  Han Changyuan saw the huge golden Buddha, and Gao Zhangong and the officials behind him naturally also saw it. Their faces involuntarily revealed a look of astonishment.

  This golden Buddha is the first time they have seen it, and in their hearts, they can't help but think of Shang's words. This one golden Buddha alone must weigh no less than ten thousand catties. What a huge turtle would be needed to carry it? Is it really some kind of auspicious sign, a decree from heaven?

  A joyful procession passed through the crowd, and the previous congestion disappeared instantly. The space suddenly became spacious. Shang Buqi had already ordered a battalion of soldiers to guard this place, keeping the onlookers at a distance outside.

  In front of the Golden Buddha, five meters away, is a lotus pond with a diameter of thirty meters. At this time, under the dense green lotus leaves, the blooming lotus flowers are extremely beautiful and charming, making people feel delighted. As the saying goes: "The lotus leaves that touch the sky are infinitely green, and the lotus flowers that reflect the sun are exceptionally red."

  Unfortunately, no one was in the mood to appreciate it at this time. Everyone's attention was focused on the tall Buddha statue, especially Han Changlian and Gao Changgong, who were both stunned.

  "Long live our Emperor, long live, long long live!" Just then, a clear voice echoed throughout the hall.

  This golden Buddha has a striking resemblance to Gao Wei's face, with about 80% similarity, except that his face has more kindness and less violence.

  Han Changlian and Gao Changgong's bodies trembled simultaneously, and they involuntarily looked back to see Gao Xing already kneeling down in front of the golden Buddha, shouting "Long live..."

  The next moment, Gao Changgong and Han Changlian both knelt down to the ground, repeating the joyful words. The people around them saw them kneel down, who dared to stand still, all hastily knelt down, shouting "Long live", their voices echoing through the sky, making some ignorant citizens wonder what was happening, thinking that Emperor Gao Wei had arrived in Xuyi, feeling both happy and worried in their hearts.

  Got a glimpse of Tian Rong's appearance, it was naturally a fortunate and happy event, but the foolishness and absurdity of the Crown Prince of Wu You were also long known throughout the Northern Qi.

  After the crowd finished paying homage to the Buddha statue, Han Changyuan finally stood up from the ground, looked at Gao Zhanggong, and respectfully reported with a fist in his hand. He asked hesitantly: "Zheng Neishi, is this really...?"

  Gao Chang Gong was also puzzled in his heart, and this golden Buddha was also seen for the first time. Just as he didn't know how to answer, Gao Xing took two steps forward, bowed respectfully to Han Zhangyuan, and replied: "Your Highness, this golden Buddha is supervised by my subordinate, let me explain."

  Han Changyuan looked at Gao Xing with a faint smile, waiting for him to continue speaking.

  "Next month on the ninth day, it is the Holy One's birthday. This thing is one of the gifts that my father respectfully gave to the Holy One. The Holy One has always believed in Buddhism and is revered as a dignitary of the highest order, receiving heavenly orders and divine decrees, existing like the Buddha and Bodhisattva, deserving of reverence and worship from all people."

  "However, the distance from the imperial capital is far away, and the common people are also rough and poor, not knowing that our great Qi Emperor is majestic and wise. It's hard to see the sacred face, so my father ordered his subordinates to cast this golden Buddha with the sacred face of the emperor as a model, in order to make all the people revere and obey the teachings of the emperor."

  "Oh? Rarely does Zheng Neishi have a single-minded devotion to Your Majesty!" Han Changyuan said with a smile.

  Gao Zhang hurriedly cupped his hands and said firmly: "As a subject of the Emperor, I dare not forget my duty for a moment. I should be loyal to the Emperor until death!"

  "Since this golden Buddha was cast by you for the emperor, how can we talk about the divine turtle carrying the golden Buddha?" Han Changyun looked at Gao Zhanggong with doubt.

  Gao Zhang Gong cast his gaze towards Shang Bu Qi, who hastily replied: "Your Highness, look over there!"

  Everyone followed the direction of Shang's pointing finger and saw a golden Buddha the size of a person floating in the center of the lotus pond.

  The golden Buddha has a kind face with warm and gentle smile, his eyes are the most divine, not high and mighty, but seemingly able to penetrate the universe, deep and calm like the ocean, soft and peaceful like water, able to soothe the pain and turmoil in your heart. Everyone who sees the golden Buddha at that time will be involuntarily attracted by his gaze, wanting to surrender to him, all troubles and worries seem to melt away under his gaze, making people want to throw themselves into his arms.

  "Your Highness, please take a look at what's in the Golden Buddha's hand." A voice that was almost discarded sounded.

  Everyone followed the sound and looked over, only to find that the golden Buddha was holding a small wooden box in one hand. The wooden box was deep purple-red in color, with faint floral patterns on it, and the mottled marks on its surface seemed to be proving its age.

  "What is that?" Han Changyuan asked in surprise. Gao Zhanggong waved his hand, and Shang Qibuli immediately stepped forward, first making a Buddhist salute, then carefully taking the box from the golden Buddha's hand and presenting it to Gao Zhanggong.

  Gao Chang received it, glanced at Gao Xing behind him, took a deep breath, and slowly opened it.