I inherited my grandfather's Tang Dynasty assets.

Chapter 24 Playing Mahjong with Li Chengqian and Du He

Li Chengqian and Du He exchanged glances. There were gambling dens in the Tang Dynasty, and quite a few at that. Although they were not good at gambling, they had played quite a bit of it in their spare time.

But this was the first time I had ever seen gambling equipment from Penglai.

"Shennong Envoy, how do you play mahjong? Could you please teach me a thing or two?"

Li Chengqian loved to play, and immediately became quite interested.

Chen Yue didn't know why they had come, but judging from the current situation, they didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards him.

I immediately explained the rules of the game to them, and with their intelligence, they understood after listening to it twice.

Li Chengqian suggested that the three of them play a game, and Chen Yue had no objection, so the three of them started playing.

Playing mahjong can be very mentally taxing, especially the way you keep your tiles and get the exact same tiles you discard, which can easily drive you crazy.

But there are also times when you're lucky. Even if you have a terrible starting hand, you can draw cards that are good for you, without a single useless card.

Seventh Sister had been very lucky just now, and now that luck has transferred to Du He. Before they knew it, they had played ten rounds.

Chen Yue only played one hand, Li Chengqian played three hands, and Du He played six hands, including one hand where he won by winning on the same tile.

"Haha, this mahjong is really interesting. There are many intricacies in discarding and keeping tiles, and there's also a element of luck and calculation. It's really fun."

Li Chengqian was also somewhat addicted, and rarely showed a smile.

"Indeed, the art of keeping and discarding tiles in mahjong is truly ingenious. I made two mistakes just now, and the joy of drawing crucial tiles is indescribable!"

Of the three tiles Li Chengqian dealt, one was a self-drawn single eight of bamboo, which Chen Yue happened to have three of. Chen Yue drew the last one, and Li Chengqian laughed wildly with excitement as the tile fell to the ground.

"Sir, are there many people in Penglai who play mahjong?"

After a few rounds of cards, they all changed how they addressed Chen Yue, which was at Chen Yue's request. It was really awkward to keep calling him Shennongshi.

These two have already experienced the joy of mahjong and have even made many connections to other things through it.

Chen Yue nodded and smiled.

"In Penglai, mahjong is very popular, and some people have even set up shops called 'mahjong rooms' to provide places for people to play mahjong."

Furthermore, the different customs in various parts of Penglai have led to the development of various ways to play mahjong.

"Life in Penglai is truly colorful; I wish I could visit it at least once in my lifetime."

A look of longing appeared on Li Chengqian's face.

"Your Highness, I cannot do that. To go to Penglai, one needs the connection between heaven and man, as you have probably already heard."

Li Chengqian knew this, of course, but he was still somewhat unwilling to accept it, and suddenly asked.

"When I was young, I heard about Shennong's mission. In the second year of Zhenguan, the old Shennong appeared in my father's dream and took him to Penglai, where he saw many new things."

"Since you are the grandson of Shennong, you should know what those things are. Could you please tell me?"

Du He looked up at Chen Yue and slowly played a 20,000 card.

Chen Shan had told him about this dream long ago, and Chen Yue knew it all too well. He also understood the meaning behind Li Chengqian's question.

Li Shimin must have mentioned the contents of that dream to Li Chengqian, so he was testing him.

If he couldn't say anything, he would be a fake and would suffer a terrible fate. But if he did say something, he would confirm his identity as Shennong's envoy.

After all, very few people know about Li Shimin's dream, and Chen Yue would certainly not have been able to tell it if he hadn't actually come from Penglai.

"My grandfather did indeed use his powers to enter His Majesty's dream and take his soul to Penglai."

Your Majesty must have seen a strange, large bird that can fly in the sky. This thing is called an airplane, which can travel thousands of miles a day and carry hundreds of people at a time.

If you start from Chang'an, you can reach any place in the Tang Dynasty within one or two hours.

There were also strange vehicles on the ground that moved very fast; those were called "cars," just like the carriages and horses of the Tang Dynasty, and they were the means of transportation for the people of Penglai.

There are also many brightly lit, bustling skyscrapers…

While Chen Yue was speaking, he was observing Li Chengqian's expression out of the corner of his eye. From his constantly changing expressions, he could tell that everything he said was correct.

"Sir, you truly are from Penglai!"

Li Chengqian stood up and bowed to Chen Yue, and Du He immediately followed suit.

Li Chengqian's words and actions have been normal since he came in, so Du He hasn't interrupted.

Li Chengqian looked at Chen Yue with utmost seriousness and finally revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Sir, to be honest, I have come here on the orders of the Emperor. My father had learned that the Shennong envoy would return ten years later and wanted to come in person."

However, considering the instructions given by the old Shennong, I have decided to go ahead. Now that you are willing to see me, may you also see my father, the Emperor?

"So it was Li Shimin who wanted to see me."

Chen Yue finally understood why Li Chengqian had suddenly come to visit.

Li Shimin, the pioneer and founder of the Tang Dynasty, and a model of a wise ruler for later emperors, is undoubtedly one of the top three emperors in all aspects of China's more than two thousand years of feudal history.

Chen Yue was also very curious about him, but now was not the time to meet him, so after thinking it over, he politely declined.

"Your Highness, I am not yet able to see the Emperor, and I cannot explain the reason in detail."

Chen Yue didn't know how to explain it, so he simply gave an ambiguous answer and let them fill in the blanks themselves.

Li Chengqian frowned, not satisfied with the answer.

This was Li Shimin's order. If he did this well, he would definitely gain favor with his father. Now that Chen Yue had directly refused, how would he explain it when he returned to the palace?

Before they arrived, Li Shimin specifically instructed them not to be rude.

Seeing that Li Chengqian's expression was a bit off, Du He smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"Your Highness, since the gentleman has his own difficulties, please don't force him. His Majesty will surely understand."

After saying that, he gave Li Chengqian a wink.

These words were like a wake-up call, causing Li Chengqian to suddenly realize what was happening.

Yes, anyway, I've already conveyed the message, so what can I do if they're unwilling?

Besides, this is only one of the objectives. The most important thing on this trip is to extract some information from Shennong's envoy, especially regarding himself, the King of Wei, and the Great Tong.

So he waved his hand and smiled, and said.

"Since it's inconvenient for you, sir, then so be it. Sir, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you, and I hope you won't hesitate to enlighten me."

"Your Highness, please speak freely. If I can answer your question, I will answer it to the best of my knowledge."

As long as he doesn't have to treat his leg, he's fine. Now that he has the upper hand, the danger is basically over.

"Sir, is there truly no secret to immortality? Penglai is one of the three legendary immortal mountains, and it possesses so many incredible wonders. Could it be that even your grandfather, Shennong, will one day pass away?"

This was a question specifically given by Li Shimin, and Li Chengqian himself was also very curious about it.

Without hesitation, Chen Yue shook his head.

"There is no such thing as immortality in the world, and it is absolutely impossible even in Penglai."

In the past, Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu to search for the elixir of immortality, and Emperor Wu of Han refined cinnabar, yet both ultimately returned to a mound in Mangshan. Even heaven and earth cannot last forever, let alone man. What man seeks should not be endless lifespan, but immortal virtue and deeds. I can clearly answer Your Highness that there is no elixir of immortality in this world.

There is no essential difference between Penglai and the Tang Dynasty, only the way of life is different. However, it is true that people live longer. You say that seventy is rare in ancient times, but in Penglai, there are many seventy-year-olds.

However, very few lived past one hundred years old; overall, they only lived about ten or twenty years longer than the average person in the Tang Dynasty.