Sixth month, second year of Yuanfeng.
In my youth, I served His Majesty and watched him subdue the border tribes and expand our frontiers, knowing he was no ordinary sovereign. Yet as His Majesty grew old, dread of death took hold. He placed his faith in alchemists and sought immortals, exhausting the people and squandering the treasury, heedless of all counsel. The scholars of the Confucian court were consumed with despair, yet seeking guidance from Lord Dong brought no remedy.
Having roamed the far wilderness in my earlier days, I had seen strange herbs and wondrous flora, some perhaps holding the secret to long life. Thus, I visited Lord Dong by night, volunteering to travel once more. If I could procure a single immortal peach or half a cup of immortal wine to extend His Majesty's life by a century, it might ease his mind and restore him as a wise ruler.
Lord Dong was displeased, but ultimately consented.
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