Chapter 36: My Dear Brother, Give Him a Show!

Chapter 36: Dear Brother, Show Him What You've Got!

Cheng Yaojin certainly could not fulfill the request to prove the existence of immortals, but the problem was that he never imagined the young man standing before him was not just blowing smoke.

After the initial shock, the officials gradually regained their composure. Wei Zheng immediately stepped out of the ranks, holding his tablet high, and loudly remonstrated: "Your Majesty, since Emperor Gaozu of Han swore the oath of the white horse, it has never been heard that one not of royal blood could be enfeoffed as a king. Furthermore, Li Qing has rendered no service to the court. To suddenly grant him the title of King will surely lead to unrest among the people. I beseech Your Majesty to retract this order!"

Li Shimin had clearly anticipated Wei Zheng's opposition and replied immediately: "Master Wei, you do not understand. Li Qing is an immortal who has descended to the mortal realm..."

"Your Majesty! The catastrophes caused by Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han favoring alchemists are not far behind us!" Wei Zheng’s expression was one of profound distress. "The likes of Xu Fu and Luan Da were the ruin of the court. I beg Your Majesty to reflect on this!"

Xu Fu was the alchemist favored by Qin Shi Huang, who was entrusted by the Emperor to lead three thousand boys and girls across the sea in search of the elixir of immortality, only to never return.

Luan Da, active during the reign of Emperor Wu, was granted the title of General of the Five Profits and married the Princess Wei Chang, enjoying immense favor. However, it was eventually exposed that his alchemy was nothing but trickery; he had no power to communicate with spirits, and Emperor Wu ordered his execution. Not only did he disgrace the Princess, but he also made a complete mockery of the Emperor.

By citing these two, Wei Zheng was genuinely afraid that Li Shimin would follow in the footsteps of the Qin and Han emperors.

Could this be a trait of enlightened rulers? Wei Zheng pondered silently. Could it be that all the great emperors in history shared this weakness? No, he had to nip this notion of the Emperor's in the bud.

"Master Wei's words are indeed reasonable," Li Shimin began, affirming Wei Zheng's remonstrance before shifting his tone. "But the Prince of Qin is truly an immortal descended to earth. Of this, there is no doubt."

"I still cannot believe it. The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, feats of strength, or spirits. If there truly were immortals, why have they not revealed themselves for thousands of years?" Wei Zheng’s expression clearly said, *It is not that I do not want to believe, it is just that we all wish to see for ourselves.*

Li Shimin took a deep breath. He looked toward the officials and asked in a low, steady voice: "Where is the Prince of Qin?"

Li Qing had been busy eating a *jianbing guozi* and had not noticed Li Shimin calling him. Cheng Yaojin hurriedly nudged him and whispered: "Little bro... Your Highness the Prince of Qin, His Majesty is calling you." Realizing halfway through that this young man was actually the Prince of Qin, Cheng Yaojin quickly changed his address.

Li Qing shoved the half-eaten crepe into Old Cheng’s arms, stepped out of the ranks, and bowed. "I'm here."

"Dear brother, since Master Wei does not believe, I ask that you display your immortal techniques."

Li Qing finally understood what Li Shimin meant. His message was clearly: *Dear brother, show him what you've got!*

Wei Zheng stood with his tablet, staring expressionlessly at Li Qing. He had already decided that if Li Qing were truly a charlatan, he would make him taste the weight of his tablet.

Li Qing saw through Wei Zheng’s malice. He raised an eyebrow and asked: "What advice does the Secretariat Director have?" He used the title "Secretariat Director" because he bore no ill will toward Wei Zheng, and it was the rank Wei Zheng held in the seventh year of the Zhenguan era. In the Tang Dynasty, calling someone "Daren" (the common term for "sir" or "my lord") was essentially calling them "father," so calling an official that would be a laughable mistake.

"Wei Zheng is dull-witted. I merely request that the Prince of Qin show us evidence of the divine." Although Wei Zheng had no fondness for this "opportunistic charlatan," his etiquette was impeccable.

"You don't even make a request; you're making this very difficult for me..." Li Qing scratched his face, a gesture so devoid of immortal grace that it only deepened Wei Zheng’s skepticism.

"Is the Prince of Qin at his wit’s end?" Wei Zheng lowered his tablet, gathering his resolve. "Or is it that you are not an immortal at all?" His expression practically spelled out "fraud" on his face.

Li Qing chuckled. *With my short temper, how could I endure such passive-aggression?* He suddenly understood Li Shimin, and even felt a twinge of sympathy for him. Anyone would find it unbearable to deal with an old man who was constantly being sarcastic and picking fights.

Li Qing waved his hand, and a holographic projection of the Earth appeared in the center of the hall. He reached out to rotate it, zooming in until it focused on the city of Chang'an.

"Is... is this Chang'an?" Cheng Yaojin asked.

"Yes," Li Qing replied. He reached out again, and the image magnified further. "I can let everyone clearly see any movement within the Tang borders. For example... look, this is the Liangyi Hall."

The image shifted to reveal the interior of the Liangyi Hall. The officials could clearly see themselves in the image, their expressions rendered in vivid detail.

"This... this is truly miraculous..." Cheng Yaojin stammered. He wasn't just playing along; he was genuinely stunned.

"Does the Secretariat Director wish to see anything else?" Li Qing swiped through the hologram and turned the volume up to the maximum.

Wei Zheng was starting to believe, but sticking to his role as the "human mirror," he insisted: "Even if this is but a mirage..." As he spoke, he was horrified to hear his own voice echoing from the projection. He was truly shaken.

"Just watching ourselves is boring. Why don't we see what the Secretariat Director's son is doing?"

Li Qing gestured, and the image rotated to a place of song and dance.

"Yo, isn't that Wei Shuyu?" Cheng Yaojin pointed at a young dandy holding a beauty while drinking, laughing heartily.

Wei Zheng’s face turned bright red. He was also puzzled; he was known for his integrity, so where did his son get the money to revel in a brothel?

"Hey, there's the second son of Minister Fang, the second son of the Changsun family, and oh..." Cheng Yaojin gloated for a moment, but when he saw the person beside Changsun Huan, his face turned the color of a bruised eggplant.

"Why stop talking? Aha, isn't that your second son, Cheng Chuliang?" Yuchi Gong, standing in front of Cheng Yaojin, was delighted.

"Oh, Brother Li, it’s not just them. Isn't that your third son over there?" Li Qing pointed out Prince Wu, Li Ke, who was striking a dashing pose.

Li Shimin took a deep breath.

In the image, Cheng Chuliang stood up and shouted: "All expenses at the Yichun Pavilion are on His Highness Prince Wu! I propose we all raise our cups to wish His Highness Prince Wu health and long-lasting success!"

The faces of the fathers of the young men involved turned dark. These scoundrels were out drinking at a brothel in the early morning? And wishing for Prince Wu’s "long-lasting success"? What were they thinking?

Seeing the "emotional value" points rising rapidly above Li Shimin’s head, Li Qing felt satisfied. He had displayed immortal methods, exposed a group of wastrels, and dealt a blow to the troublesome Wei Zheng—this was a triple win!

"Guards!" Li Shimin roared.

"Present!"

"Bring these bastards from the Yichun Pavilion to the Liangyi Hall at once!"

"As you command!"