Conferred Gods: Start with a Phoenix clone

Chapter 1754 Leave some room for novelists to survive!

Zhu Taishi of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom had previously conducted a trial run on a small scale, but now he hopes that the Queen will issue a formal decree to promote "love" throughout the country, freeing up manpower from tedious daily work and taking the opportunity to completely elevate the country's strength to a new level.

The women couldn't understand this bizarre thing at all. They insisted that this so-called "love" was a monster that would make them lose their jobs today and bring about the downfall of the country tomorrow. They believed that this thing was here to bring disaster to the Liang Dynasty.

Sun Wukong was unaware of the situation in the Western Liang Women's Kingdom and had no interest in governing it. He treated the matter as a joke and recounted it to Tang Sanzang.

These days, most Taoist priests are highly educated, and a large portion of them are from noble families. If they weren't nobles, they wouldn't have access to those rare materials and heavy metals, let alone the ability to smelt them.

Monks are a little less qualified, but those who can be called eminent monks are far more cultured than ordinary officials.

Tang Sanzang frowned, feeling that the policies of the Grand Tutor Zhu of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom were a bit too radical. If the Tang Dynasty were to follow this approach, there might be a popular uprising. Fortunately, the Western Liang Women's Kingdom had a small territory and a small population, so even if problems arose, the government should be able to change its policies in time.

After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Bai Xing finally brought a message: the Queen of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom is old and frail and is unwell today. She requests that the Great Tang Holy Monk come to the palace for an audience the next day.

Tang Sanzang readily agreed and led Sun Wukong and the others back to the inn to rest for the night. There were no monsters or mosquitoes, and the rooms smelled wonderful, so they had a good rest.

The next morning, the four travelers were refreshed and energetic. Tang Sanzang first presented the official letter, and then they came to pay their respects to the emperor according to proper etiquette.

The old queen was indeed ill; even though she tried to conceal it, her dying appearance was still evident.

Its lifespan has come to an end; this is beyond human control.

The four of them also saw the legendary Grand Tutor Zhu.

"Brother Yingtai?"

"monkey?"

Zhu Yingtai was extremely surprised, never expecting to meet an old friend in a foreign land more than 500 years later.

The monkey saw no difference between men and women. Even though he led the horse and Zhu Yingtai rode it, and the two traveled together for a long time, there was still no affection between them.

What he cared about was Zhu Yingtai's cultivation level. At first glance, it seemed unfathomable. Upon closer inspection, he realized she had attained the Taiyi Dao Fruit? Was she that powerful?
He always knew Zhu Yingtai was highly talented, but not to this extent, was it? She's almost as talented as me, Old Sun!
Old Pig covered his mouth and chuckled. This monkey is really stupid. What's wrong with your eyes? Such a beautiful woman, and you call her "brother"?
Little did they know, this was a title inherited from Liang Shanbo, who always called her "Brother Yingtai." When the monkey came to him, he didn't change his way of addressing her either; it was just a title, after all.

It's called the same way it was back then.

The old king was somewhat surprised: "Does the Grand Tutor know these holy monks from the East?"

"We have some acquaintance."

"Oh."

These days, it's a formal dialogue between nations; personal relationships have to be set aside.

Despite his ailing health, the old king inquired about the culture and geography of the Tang Dynasty in the East, and also about the Tang Emperor's health. These were all polite inquiries. As the chief monk of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Sanzang handled such situations with ease. The Western Liang Women's Kingdom was a tiny place, and any county of the Tang Dynasty could easily crush them.

The old king ordered his men to present the travel documents and stamp them with his own seal, signifying that the four travelers could continue their journey westward. Bai Xing whispered a few words in the old king's ear, and the old king nodded, mustered his strength, and wrote the names of Sun Wukong, Zhu Wuneng, and Mao Wufan on the travel documents.

Previously, all three of them were unregistered residents. In the 86 TV series Journey to the West, in the last episode, they stood on a cloud with Tang Sanzang and shouted down to the people below, "We're back!" Actually, that scene was incredibly awkward, because the people of Tang didn't even know the three of them.

The monkey always claimed to be from the Water Curtain Cave of Flower and Fruit Mountain, the pig came from Gao Village, and the sand monk in that time was born and raised in the Flowing Sand River. None of the three of them had anything to do with the Tang Dynasty.

Now the Queen of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom has helped them complete their identities. From now on, they are officially recognized as pilgrims on the pilgrimage, a fact that even the Tang Dynasty must acknowledge.

Sun Wukong and his companions cared about the opinions of the gods and Buddhas in heaven. The Tang Dynasty? How many years did the Tang Dynasty last? Was it even a fraction of my lifespan? However, they still respectfully bowed and thanked the Queen for her kindness.

The old king coughed lightly and said, "Holy monk, you come from the East. You are knowledgeable and wise. Today, I have a difficult matter concerning the state of the nation that I wish to consult. How about we ask you to postpone your westward journey and stay for another day?"

It's unreasonable to bluntly say "no" when someone is being so polite.

Tang Sanzang didn't want to get involved in the internal affairs of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, but he really couldn't refuse in this situation. In addition, Bai Xing kept looking at him with an expectant look, so he finally gritted his teeth and nodded.

That afternoon.

Bai Xing once again invited the master and his apprentice to the palace.

As expected, the discussion this time focused on promoting "love" in a comprehensive way.

When the four of them entered the hall, a thin young woman was crying and pleading.

"Your Majesty, I make a living by writing novels. Although my writing is rudimentary, I can write a thousand or so words a day, which is enough to cover the daily expenses of my family. However, since the Grand Tutor's 'love' has entered the common people's lives, he writes thousands or tens of thousands of words a day as if it were nothing. I cannot keep up with him, so I have to stop writing. Now my family of five is living paycheck to paycheck, and we are about to starve to death in our home!"

Another woman chimed in with a complaint: "Your Majesty, I am a painter, apprenticed under Master Li. I have diligently studied for twenty years, through scorching summers and freezing winters, and have only achieved some minor success. But since the Grand Tutor's 'love' has spread, no merchants have come to buy my paintings anymore, and my family has no surplus grain."

One thing after another, each and every one of them was against Grand Tutor Zhu.

Everyone thought this "love" was too sinister. If it were promoted nationwide, wouldn't ordinary people all be out of work?
Zhu Yingtai took a step forward and faced the crowd.

She did not rely on her Taiyi Golden Immortal realm to suppress the crowd, but instead prepared to reason with them.

She first refuted everyone's opinions: "These are just family members' opinions."

This "family" doesn't refer to the family members seen during the live broadcast, but rather to those who are only focused on their own petty calculations and fail to see the national crisis.

Zhu Yingtai said, "I cultivate at Mount Li. My senior sister has a comprehensive discourse on 'love.' Do you know what her first sentence was?"

The novelist scoffed, "Your senior sister? Who's your senior sister? What does she have to do with me? Lishan? Never heard of her!"
Her expression was relatively composed, but the others looked impatient. They wanted to get straight to the point instead of rambling on.

(End of this chapter)