stonecrandall Chapter 47 Should the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother divorce?
Chapter 47 Should the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother divorce?
Above the Lingxiao Palace, celestial music filled the air, and auspicious clouds drifted in.
The immortals lined up on both sides, their gazes all fixed on the golden sphere that floated in the center of the hall and slowly rotated.
The runes engraved on the surface of the sphere glowed faintly, and on the projected light screen, the streets, houses, pedestrians, and carriages of a small town in the mortal world were displayed in exquisite detail.
"This thing can actually observe all phenomena in the mortal world?"
Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, stroked his beard in amazement, "If used to monitor demons and evil spirits in all directions, it would truly be a powerful tool for the Heavenly Court."
"More than just monitoring."
Shen Yi smiled slightly, tapped his finger, and the scene suddenly changed—in a remote mountain village, several ragged mortals were bowing before a broken statue of a god, the incense burning so sparsely that it was almost invisible: "With the Listening Satellite, the Heavenly Court can proactively discover which mortals truly need help and accurately send down miracles. The efficiency of collecting incense has increased by more than a hundred times."
These words moved all the immortals.
What is incense?
That is the lifeblood of immortals, the source of their cultivation, and the ladder to advancement in rank.
But ordinary people burn incense and make wishes at temples on ordinary days, bringing up all sorts of trivial matters, such as asking the gods to bless my hen to lay more eggs, asking the gods to bless my son to marry a beautiful wife, asking the gods to bless me to pass the imperial examination...
Whether the gods have time to listen to each case is another matter, but even if they do hear them, they would have to choose those who truly need help and deserve it.
Now that we have this listening satellite, it's like giving the Heavenly Court a pair of all-seeing eyes. Wherever there are natural disasters or man-made calamities, wherever there are injustices or grievances, they can see it all at a glance. When the time comes, heavenly soldiers and generals can directly descend to earth to deal with them. With increased efficiency, incense offerings will naturally flow in.
"Brilliant!"
Venus clapped his hands and laughed, "If this thing can be put into operation, the Heavenly Court will be able to govern the mortal world with twice the result with half the effort."
"Not bad, not bad."
"Shen Yi's offering of this precious treasure deserves great recognition."
In an instant, voices of praise rose and fell in the hall. Zi'er stood at the back of the crowd, nervously twisting her fingers. Hearing these words, hope gradually shone in her eyes. Cheng'er stood beside her with her arms crossed, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, with a proud look on her face.
"In that case, do you all think it's appropriate for Shen Yi to use this as a betrothal gift to marry Zi'er?"
The Queen Mother smiled, indicating that everyone was happy.
"We have no objections."
"This is truly excellent."
"Indeed, I think Shen Yi and the Seventh Princess are a match made in heaven."
However, amidst this joyous atmosphere, a booming voice resounded like thunder in the hall: "Queen Mother, this is absolutely forbidden!"
The immortals turned to look at the source of the voice and saw the Barefoot Immortal stride forward, his feet planted firmly on the white jade floor tiles of the Lingxiao Palace. His face was ashen, his gaze sharp as lightning as he stared directly at Shen Yi: "The distinction between immortals and mortals is an ironclad law of Heaven! How can it be easily changed because of a mere treasure? If an exception is made today for a treasure, will anyone who presents a divine artifact tomorrow be able to have the Heavenly Law make way for them?"
Upon hearing this, the previously lively atmosphere immediately cooled down. The immortals exchanged glances, and although they all felt that the Barefoot Immortal was too pedantic, the words "Heavenly Laws" weighed heavily on them, and no one dared to easily refute him.
The Queen Mother sat upright on her phoenix throne, her brows slightly furrowed, but she did not speak. She had long expected this stubborn old man to jump out, and she wanted to see how Shen Yi would deal with it.
In the original storyline, only Black Hawk was praised by the Queen Mother as "daring, upright and kind" - this was certainly due to the fact that the Queen Mother was rescued by Black Hawk when she was in trouble, but it also shows that the Queen Mother had very high requirements for her son-in-law.
Shen Yi was naturally prepared. He calmly turned around, met the Barefoot Immortal's gaze directly, and spoke in a calm but clear tone: "Barefoot Immortal, may I ask what the rules of Heaven are?"
The Barefoot Immortal, thinking Shen Yi was ignorant of the will of Heaven, arrogantly declared, "Immortals must not have mortal desires!"
"Alright then."
Shen Yi nodded, then suddenly changed the subject, "Then may I ask you, Great Immortal, what is the relationship between the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West?"
All the immortals: ...
Queen Mother: ...
No, the barefoot immortal was picking a fight with you, so why are you picking a fight with me instead?
Throughout history and across cultures, myths have been constantly evolving and being passed down through generations.
According to the original Taoist setting, the Queen Mother (west Wangmu) is the head of female immortals, and the corresponding head of male immortals is the Eastern King Duke. Together, they manage the registers of all the immortals who have attained Tao in the Three Realms and Ten Directions, and maintain the balance of Yin and Yang in Heaven and Earth.
But as time went by, folk interpretations continued to evolve. The Eastern King Duke was pushed aside, and the Western Queen Mother became the Queen Mother of Heaven, with the Jade Emperor becoming her husband. The two jointly ruled the Three Realms.
The Barefoot Immortal opened his mouth, his expression as if he had been struck on the head with a stick. He subconsciously turned his head to look at the Queen Mother on the phoenix throne, then quickly turned back. His lips moved for a long time, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Of course he could say that at that time, the Heavenly Court had not yet been established and the immortals had not yet returned to their positions, so what if the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother were husband and wife?
The problem is, even so, the Heavenly Court has been operating for millions of years now, shouldn't the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother get divorced?
But even though he thought that, he didn't dare say it. If he really said it, it was hard to say whether the Queen Mother would beat him to death. All the immortals would definitely rush up and beat him to death right here in the Lingxiao Palace.
Shen Yi persisted, saying loudly, "The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother are husband and wife, and have seven princesses. This is known throughout the Three Realms. If the Heavenly Laws truly forbid immortals from marrying, then wouldn't the Jade Emperor himself have broken the very first rule of the Heavenly Laws? If that's the case, can the Heavenly Laws still be considered ironclad rules?"
"This...this..."
The Barefoot Immortal, sweat beading on his forehead, hurriedly said, "The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother are the rulers of Heaven and Earth, naturally they are different!"
"What's the difference?"
Shen Yi pressed further, "Among the Heavenly Laws, is there a provision stating 'The Lord of Heaven and Earth is an exception'?"
The Barefoot Immortal was so choked up that his face turned red, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Although the saying "the emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people" is a profound truth, it has never been truly realized since its inception. In fact, it has become a matter of sharing joy with the common people, but on the surface, everyone has to agree with this saying.
Although the immortals around dared not utter a sound, they exchanged glances. They hadn't realized it before, but now that they thought about it carefully, they realized, "That's right, why can the Jade Emperor get married and have a wife, but we can't?"
The Queen Mother sat on the high platform, her expression unchanged, but she felt somewhat helpless. This boy was quite eloquent, managing to drag her and the Jade Emperor into the mess.
In truth, although she was somewhat in the wrong, she could still explain it if she wanted to. However, the birth of the Seven Fairies involved the great secret of the Yin Shi King's seal, so it was naturally inconvenient to discuss it in court.
But she didn’t interrupt, because although Shen Yi’s words sounded like he was cursing her, they did give the Barefoot Immortal a way out: even the Jade Emperor himself had made an exception, so why are you making such a fuss?
Seeing that the Barefoot Immortal was speechless, Shen Yi didn't press the matter further, but instead softened his tone.
He then brought out the explanation from "The Lotus Lantern" regarding the revision of the Heavenly Laws, and bowed to the surrounding immortals: "Fellow immortals, all things in the world are in constant flux. The Way of Heaven has its constants, but also its impermanences. In ancient times, when the Heavenly Laws were first established, they certainly had their reasons. But times have changed, and the mortal realm has undergone countless transformations, with dynasties rising and falling. If the Heavenly Laws remained unchanged, wouldn't that contradict the Way of Heaven?"