In the most hidden underground palace of the Palace of Great Brightness, Lan Ting made a deal with Empress Wu.
He would give Empress Wu the answer she desired the most, on the condition that a certain wine vessel be sunk intact under the lotus pond in Cuiwei Mountain, and for the next thirty years, it must not be disturbed in the slightest. Monk Sanjie, in particular, was strictly forbidden from setting foot in Cuiwei Mountain.
Empress Wu agreed. This condition was child's play.
"Actually, Your Majesty's question has already been answered by yourself long ago." These were the last words Lan Ting said to her. The Book of Three Lives Awakening Dreams burned for the last time. The blaze was exceptionally contemplative, like a solemn farewell.
In the ashes that fell to the ground, a few lines appeared—
Bright moon in the sky, reigning over the world. Originating from emptiness, returning to emptiness.[1]
A gust of hidden wind swept in from nowhere, and the ashes on the ground scattered and disappeared. Only a scroll of "Lan Ting Collection: Preface" remained on the ground. Empress Wu took a long breath, as if she had never breathed in her entire life.
The next day, two imperial bodyguards in plain clothes took a brocade box and went to the lotus pond on Cuiwei Mountain…
[1] 明月当空，君临天下。本自空来，当回空去. This line can also be translated as "The bright moon in the sky rules over the whole world. It comes from the sky, and returns to the sky." The bright moon symbolizes a ruler or a powerful figure who holds sway over the entire world. The idea that it originates from emptiness and returns to emptiness suggests the transient and ephemeral nature of power and authority.
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