Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Time flows like a mighty river flowing eastward.

Through countless twists and turns, the floating sand along the way was quietly washed away.

In the blink of an eye, eight years have passed since the completion of Zhenhai Fort in Tianjin and the departure of the Ming Dynasty navy.

Midsummer of the fifteenth year of the Chenghua reign.

The capital city, the Grand Tutor's mansion.

This sprawling mansion, once the residence of a prince of the previous dynasty, has now become a symbol of the most powerful place in the Ming Dynasty.

The two tall and imposing white marble lions in front of the gate gleamed with a cold, hard white light under the blazing sun.

The steps were polished to a shine by the constant footsteps of visiting officials, yet no one dared to make a sound.

They all held their breath and remained silent, respectfully awaiting the message.

In a shady pavilion in the backyard.

The wisteria trellis casts countless strands of green shade, completely blocking out the scorching sun.

Pei Yuan changed into a loose and soft moon-white summer robe and leaned against a bamboo couch covered with a cool jade mat.

His long, jet-black hair was simply tied up with an old-fashioned wooden hairpin.

He held an old, rare Taoist book in his hand, reading it casually.

Eight years is enough time to etch wrinkles and turn gray hairs on the face of this ordinary person.

However, time seemed to have completely stopped for this immortal being.

He still possessed that handsome and refined demeanor, exuding a sense of nonchalance and unfathomable depth.

However, the vicissitudes and depth in his eyes were even more pronounced than they had been eight years ago.

To avoid attracting attention, he would occasionally apply some dark powder to his face or deliberately appear tired in court.

That eternally youthful and enchanting aura was forcibly suppressed into the unique accumulated power and profundity of a powerful minister.

Today, he is no longer just the Right Vice-Governor.

Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Grand Master of the Palace, Left Pillar of State, Grand Preceptor.

These titles, enough to make any civil or military official green with envy, are like heavy laurel wreaths.

All of this was imposed upon him alone.

Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, apart from the emperor sitting on the dragon throne in the Forbidden City...

Pei Yuan was now truly second only to the emperor, above all others.

"Grand Tutor."

Outside the waterside pavilion, a series of steady footsteps came to a halt.

Lu Zheng, who has now been promoted to the position of Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has shed some of his former impetuousness, grown a short beard on his chin, and has a resolute expression.

He bowed his head respectfully and presented a thick, gold-embossed folded paper with both hands.

"What Minister Song sent is the first half-year's general account of the Royal Merchants Bureau and the Maritime Trade Office. Please review it, Grand Tutor."

Pei Yuan did not get up, but casually extended two fingers to take the folding book.

Song Yin, who failed the imperial examination back then, is now the most sought-after Minister of Revenue in the Ming Dynasty, and also the Director-General of the Royal Commerce Bureau.

Throughout the court, everyone knew that Minister Song was a trusted confidant whom Grand Tutor Pei had personally promoted.

Those officials who were promoted from clerks and clerks, after eight years of experience and personnel changes, had already established themselves firmly in the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers.

This pragmatic faction firmly grasped control over the entire Ming Dynasty's finances, water conservancy, and military power.

Pei Yuan opened the account book and scanned it quickly, reading ten lines at a glance.

"Twelve million taels of silver... six hundred ships carrying spices from the South Seas... Western self-ringing clocks, and several firearms manuals..."

Pei Yuan closed his folding fan, chuckled softly, and casually placed the account book on the table.

"Song Yin's calculations are becoming increasingly meticulous. The Ming Dynasty's annual revenue in this year is equivalent to the annual revenue of Emperor Taizu in ten years."

Lu Zheng grinned from the side and said:

"Grand Tutor, you have a keen eye for the future. Now, not only in Jiangnan, but even in the border trade markets, merchants are eager to send us silver. The treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty sail freely on the seas, and those foreign countries and small nations, upon seeing our naval flags, are all obedient."

"This unprecedented golden age was entirely created by the Grand Tutor."

"A golden age?"

Pei Yuan picked up the chilled plum juice from the side and took a small sip.

His gaze drifted to the distant horizon beyond the waterside pavilion, a meaningful, mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Having more money can indeed cover up many unsavory things. But the rule of this world is often that when people are well-fed and clothed, they think of lust. With the national treasury piled up like a mountain of silver, the one in the Forbidden City will no longer have his mind on the mortal world."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng's expression hardened.

He subconsciously lowered his voice, glanced around, and then leaned closer to say:

"Grand Tutor, are you referring to... those alchemy furnaces in the West Garden?"

Pei Yuan nodded slightly, put down the jade cup, and stood up.

Over the past eight years, the territory of the Ming Dynasty has continued to expand overseas under the firepower of the navy, and the national treasury has become outrageously full.

Emperor Chenghua, Zhu Jianji, who once argued with the cabinet over a few tens of thousands of taels of silver, is now the richest monarch in the world.

But once people possess countless riches and supreme power, they will give rise to the most greedy and vain delusions in the world.

He wanted to have it all forever.

He doesn't want to die.

Therefore, this emperor was no longer satisfied with building palaces and gardens.

They were no longer satisfied with just looking at the numbers in the ledger.

He became fascinated by the ethereal path of immortality, and by the Taoist arts that claimed to grant immortality and the ability to ascend to heaven in broad daylight.

"Prepare the sedan chair."

Pei Yuan dusted off the sleeves of his Taoist robe, his expression returning to its unfathomable composure.

"Yesterday, His Majesty sent three eunuchs to deliver a royal decree, saying that the True Immortal Zixu had just refined a new batch of Nine-Turn Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir, and summoned me to the palace to observe the elixir together."

"If I were to refuse such imperial favor, I would appear ungrateful."

Half an hour later.

The sedan chair carried by eight men came to a steady stop outside the gate of the West Garden.

Pei Yuan changed into a purple python robe, a symbol of his status as a high-ranking official, with a white jade leather belt around his waist.

We were greeted by a group of eunuchs and entered this former royal garden.

Today, Xiyuan is completely unrecognizable.

Those rare and precious flowers and plants were uprooted.

In its place were three enormous bronze alchemy furnaces arranged according to the eight trigrams.

Beneath the bronze furnace, the fire burns day and night.

Several shirtless Taoist priests were sweating profusely as they worked the bellows, feeding precious fragrant wood and coal into the furnace.

A pungent smell of sulfur, lead, and mercury mixed with the aroma of expensive spices.

A persistent bluish-gray haze formed in mid-air.

This has transformed the royal courtyard into a sinister, eerie place.

Pei Yuan walked through the smoke-filled corridor and arrived at a magnificent, warm pavilion overlooking the water.

"The Grand Tutor has arrived!"

Wang Zhi's high-pitched voice rang out from outside the door.

Wang Zhi is now quite old, but he still bows very low in front of Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan stepped into the warm pavilion.

Inside the warm pavilion, the doors and windows were tightly closed to prevent the so-called "celestial energy" from leaking out.

Emperor Chenghua, Zhu Jianji, sat cross-legged on a large futon.

This once spirited emperor, now only in his early fifties, appears unusually old and strange.

His cheeks were flushed with a sickly redness, and his eyes were sunken.

His eyes, however, revealed an unusual excitement and fervor.

Those are symptoms caused by long-term use of pills containing heavy metals, resulting in toxins accumulating in the internal organs.

Beside Zhu Jianji sat an old Taoist priest dressed in a Bagua robe and holding a whisk.

This old Taoist priest had white hair but a youthful face, and three long strands of beard.

He has a rather otherworldly and ethereal appearance.

This person is none other than the demonic Taoist, Master Zixu, who is currently deeply favored by the emperor.