I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 162 Doesn’t this make the emperor seem stupid?
……

"Why?"

When the ink and needles for tattooing were placed before him, Gongsun Qing still felt it was unreal.

"Why does Your Highness treat me the same as those alchemists and wizards?"

"I am the divine alchemist appointed by His Majesty. Your Highness has helped me exorcise evil spirits before. I have even treated Your Highness to dog meat... Your Highness should not treat me like this!"

"Oh, I am also an alchemist?"

"In order not to go to the sea sacrifice, I also wrote a confession and signed it with my own hand?"

"That's okay..."

"But this may be the best ending for me. I wrote that confession, admitting that the letter and the big footprints that claimed to be from the emperor were all scams. That is the crime of deceiving the emperor."

"Your Highness did not pursue this crime, but simply avoided the main issue and tattooed me like those sorcerers and wizards. Is this...letting me off?"

"I see!"

"In your Highness's mind, I am different from those alchemists and wizards!"

"Now that His Highness has become an immortal, from now on I only need to serve His Highness sincerely and become His Highness's most loyal believer. His Highness will definitely be very pleased and will teach me immortal arts one day. Even if it is the tattoo on my face, if His Highness wants to remove it for me, it will be easy for him to do it with his immortal arts!"

"I understand your highness's painstaking efforts!"

Thinking of this, Gongsun Qing, who was nervous and depressed a second ago, instantly perked up and even straightened his back.

Facing the ink, the needle and the torturer in front of him, Gongsun Qing smiled calmly:
"Come on, if I frown I'm not Gongsun Qing!"

"?"

The executioner holding the needle looked at him in confusion.

He had tattooed many people before, and all the alchemists and wizards were heartbroken. Gongsun Qing was the first one to be so righteous.

But the executioner didn't understand, what was the point of this rumormonger being righteous?
Isn’t it just tattooing? If you don’t know, you might think it’s beheading.

So the executioner hesitated for a moment.

The needle that was about to fall on Gongsun Qing's right cheek was retracted and stirred in the ink a few more times to ensure that the ink on the needle tip was full and dripping, and then he began to tattoo formally.

He decided to help Gongsun Qing.

Next, he had to tattoo deeper than others. After tattooing the words, he had to dip the brush in ink and carefully trace the wound several times to ensure that Gongsun Qing had enough respect for his execution technique and Han laws.

"..."

It took him twice as long as other alchemists and wizards to complete the tattooing.

Gongsun Qing was puzzled as to why the executioner treated him differently. After glaring at the executioner many times with a look that said "Do we have a grudge against you?", he finally stood up and strode out.

He was going to meet Liu Ju now to express his loyalty and determination to Liu Ju...

Finally I reached the door.

"Gongsun Qing?"

Several Qimen warriors who were guarding the door suddenly reached out to stop him.

"That's right, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to summon me?"

Gongsun Qing was delighted.

I knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not forget him!

Otherwise, those other alchemists and wizards could leave on their own after performing the tattooing, and these Qimen warriors never tried to stop them, but they stopped him?

Then he heard one of the Qimen warriors jokingly say:
"Your Highness has ordered that others can leave, but you, the traitor who deceives the emperor, cannot leave."

"Eh?"

Gongsun Qing was stunned.

I have already suffered the punishment of tattooing, should I be charged with another crime for deceiving the emperor?
"Capture him and escort him back to the capital for your Majesty to deal with personally!"

……

Donglai, the prefectural government.

"How can this be good..."

The governor Chen Tao has summoned a group of officials to discuss countermeasures.

This incident also gave them a great shock.

After all, the industry of alchemists and wizards in Donglai County and even Qi was far ahead in the entire Han Dynasty. Now, almost all of the well-known ones have been exposed by the prince as liars.

These local officials cannot escape blame.

If the higher-ups wanted to investigate, at least they could be charged with dereliction of duty.

Although Emperor Liu Che had not yet promulgated the "Sinning Law" to target officials who had committed dereliction of duty, the emperor had always believed that "having talent but not making full use of it is the same as having no talent at all," and he would often execute officials who were incompetent or deceived him.

How can they not be afraid?
The only thing to be thankful for now is that Crown Prince Liu Ju has no intention of holding them accountable.

"Sir, I think we can still make up for this matter."

A junior officer stood up and said,
"After all, these alchemists and wizards have many methods. Except for the prince who has already become an immortal, it is difficult for ordinary people to see their true nature. Even the emperor is often deceived and blinded, let alone local officials like us?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince has punished those alchemists and wizards, but has not held us accountable. I think he understands this truth."

"So I think that now we just need to obey the prince and immediately start sweeping and eliminating witches in the area under our jurisdiction to eliminate those fish that slipped through the net." "This will not only win the prince's favor, but also be considered as timely compensation if he is held accountable by the higher-ups, and will not be considered dereliction of duty."

"In addition, the prince has now become an immortal. As long as we win his favor and he is willing to speak for us, even the emperor will have to consider it carefully..."

Unconsciously, these local officials have also begun to consider the issue of "taking sides".

Moreover, between the mortal emperor and the immortal prince, they obviously favored Liu Ju, the "immortal prince" who could be resurrected even after being cut in half...

If Liu Ju heard what they said, he would probably realize the seriousness of the problem immediately.

This is no longer a question for alchemists and wizards, nor is it a question of seeking immortals or asking ghosts.

Instead, he is now being forced to the opposite side of Liu Che by a group of people who think they are smart. Whether he likes it or not, and whether he has this intention or not, the situation will inevitably move uncontrollably towards a confrontation between imperial power and immortal power, and will surely escalate until it evolves into a tragedy between him and Liu Che where it is either you or I.

Even in this tragedy.

Liu Ju and Liu Che, who seem to be the protagonists, are actually just pawns of the imperial power, the immortal power, and various interest groups. They are helpless in many things...

So what if he is the emperor?
What about the prince?
Isn’t what is happening now just another replica of the “Witchcraft Disaster”?

Whether it was Emperor Liu Che or Crown Prince Liu Ju, they seemed to be drawn into a huge vortex that was invisible and intangible and was slipping away from their control...

"What do you think?"

After hearing this, Chen Tao pondered for a moment and finally looked at other local officials.

"For us, this is probably the safest way right now..."

"The lower official seconded the proposal."

"Seconded……"

……

at the same time.

"Your Highness, this 'rural tour' means..."

It was the first time in Li Guangli's life that he heard this combination of nouns.

However, the meaning of these four words was not difficult to understand. After he reacted for a while, he already understood most of it. However, he was still not quite clear about what Liu Ju's specific arrangements were and what his purpose was.
"Don't you understand this?"

Liu Ju looked at him with a smile and said,

"There's a host who can control the rhythm of the show. It's you."

"We have the props for the performance, too. They are all in the warehouse. You know exactly how to use them."

"Assistants for the performance are also ready, and you are in charge of them all."

"Then find someone to replace me... Oh, let's let Fatty Yu'er's sister Jiujiu go. She's pretty and should look good after some dressing up. Actresses have a wider audience, too, and it can be considered a way to make a living for Fatty Yu'er and Jiujiu."

"Next, you will lead this team to tour the counties and towns of Qi, adding some fun to the lives of the people of Qi, which can be considered a good deed."

"But……"

After hearing this, Li Guangli not only did not understand, but became even more puzzled.
"But Your Highness, these are all your 'immortal arts'. If they are performed publicly like this, wouldn't it be..."

Li Guangli didn't dare to say what came next.

He knew that all of Liu Ju's "immortal arts" were fake, and that this was the absolute secret of Liu Ju's "becoming an immortal".

Before this, he had even considered whether Liu Ju would kill him and his assistants in order to keep the secret. Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Liu Ju asked him to lead the team for a public tour in Qi?

If this continues, the protagonist of "becoming an immortal" will be replaced by someone else.

Wouldn't that be equivalent to publicly telling people that his "immortal arts" are all fake and his "immortality" is also fake?

“So, the ‘going to the countryside tour’ is not a display of magic, but a performance of magic.”

Liu Ju still smiled.

"You must also post a notice in advance for each tour to declare that what you are performing is not magic, but ordinary sleight of hand. Its essence is just a trick for people's entertainment and should not be taken seriously."

"In addition, we must take this opportunity to remind the people."

"Alchemists and wizards often use tricks to deceive people. The purpose of your magic shows is to improve people's understanding of magic through entertainment, and teach people to open their eyes and carefully distinguish between alchemists and wizards in the future. Don't believe them blindly or completely. You should first be skeptical to avoid being deceived and losing money."

"..."

After hearing this, Li Guangli felt a little itchy in his head.

It seems like it is growing a brain, but it seems like it hasn't grown completely yet... like it has grown.

He already understood what Liu Ju asked him to do, but he still couldn't understand Liu Ju's motives...

Speaking of which, as long as this secret is kept, Liu Ju will be the "Immortal Prince" from then on. Wouldn't it be great to be an omnipotent "Immortal Prince"? In any case, it will be more stable than before, right?
So, Liu Ju spent so much effort to "become an immortal", and now he is going to hold a "next tour" to push himself off the altar in public.

What is the purpose of this?
If Liu Ju's unprecedented "magic arts" were publicly admitted to be just tricks, then who would believe in the tricks of those alchemists and wizards?

and many more!

At this moment Li Guangli suddenly remembered something.

It seems that the prince came here to wait for the gods on the order of the emperor, but is there anything he did related to waiting for the gods?
It has nothing to do with waiting for God.

After Liu Ju's actions, those alchemists and wizards who could assist the emperor in waiting for the gods have become rumormongers who are hated by everyone, and even their cooking pots will be smashed to pieces!
In this way, the emperor in Chang'an who was keen on seeking immortals and ghosts...

Doesn't it seem stupid?
(End of this chapter)