Chapter 23: Glass Egg

On March 28th of that year, Feixuan Zhenjun and Qingmiao Emperor, who had stayed at the Western Garden for most of the year, finally moved their noble buttocks and went to the Imperial Garden outside the capital to relax and enjoy the spring scenery. They also summoned their close poets, scholars, Taoist priests and sages to accompany them. While enjoying the scenery, they listened to people reciting poems, flattering, singing and dancing, and felt very comfortable.

Such a leisurely and relaxed time is the best time to spread some vague rumors. Liu Mengjing, a Hanlin scholar who served the emperor privately, saw that the emperor was in a very good mood. While flattering the emperor, he mentioned recent political affairs. In his conversation, he began to intentionally or unintentionally criticize Yan Donglou and the Prince of Mu for their presumptuousness and rudeness. They dared to collude with the eunuchs of the Imperial Household Department to deceive their superiors and subordinates, and to beat the censors in the court without authorization. It is said that the beatings were quite severe, and Zhou Jishizhong, who was beaten with the stick, can't even get up now.

The noble and prominent Hanlin academician would not care about a small Jieshi Zhong. But Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was intended to seize power. If he could use the Zhouzhi case to throw a basin of dirty water on his opponent, he might be able to get involved in tribute affairs and greatly expand the authority of the Hanlin Academy. The power struggle in officialdom never ends, and this is the mystery.

According to the old system of Emperor Gaozu, all punishments and rewards of officials in the capital had to be reviewed by the emperor himself, to show that power was in the upper hand and would never be transferred downwards. But descendants did not have the energy of their ancestors, so they had to let go of many small matters; the Silijian often made decisions on their own and reported to the authorities afterwards. In order to fight fast and prevent a counterattack from the clean forces, Yan Donglou borrowed this old example. But no matter what, the unspoken rules cannot be made public. If we really want to put a label on someone, the label of "domineering" is inevitable.

At such a critical moment, it became clear how good Jian was in the emperor's favor. If the matter involved an ordinary minor official, the emperor would probably not care to deal with it and would just say "I know" and that would be the end of it; then Master Liu would take the chicken feather as a token of authority and make a big fuss and try his best to bully people after leaving the court. But now that the Prince of Duke Mu, a famous figure both at home and abroad, has been brought in, the True Lord cannot help but ask a few more detailed questions to demonstrate his infinite tolerance for the man who has made great contributions.

However, perhaps because he was in a good mood and full of energy, and wanted to relieve his boredom by watching the ministers quarreling, Master Feixuan deliberately made the scene a bit grand. In addition to summoning the parties involved to answer questions in front of the emperor, he also specially called together the cabinet ministers, the eunuchs, the scribes, and even the accompanying Hanlin scholars. He selected a bright and spacious stage in the imperial garden and prepared to watch the show comfortably.

There are no rules in the wild, everyone just bows and stands in their proper positions. Master Feixuan shook his sleeves and sat down cross-legged, motioning Liu Mengjing to step forward and speak. Just as Master Liu finished expressing his gratitude, Zhenjun heard a ding-dong sound in his ears, a long-lost mechanical sound:

[Fuck, a glass egg!] 】

Zhenjun's raised hand froze slightly. Under the swaying flowers and willows on the stone platform, two pairs of eyes hesitated for a moment, and then stared straight at the shiny big head under the official hat of Mr. Liu!

That’s right, among the five scholars of the Hanlin Academy, Scholar Liu was able to stand out and enjoy a great reputation, not only because of his writing skills, but also because of his unusual and exceptionally smooth mind. Hanlin scholars had to draft imperial edicts and work hard, and occasionally had to support Zhenjun's heavy metal disco parties, so it was common for their hairline to be in jeopardy. But it is quite rare to see someone like Master Liu, who has no hair left and is completely naked.

What's more, it's not just the hair problem for Grand Secretary Liu - it is said that Grand Secretary Liu is from a wealthy family and is quite good at keeping in good health; he has persisted in doing so until now, and although other effects are not yet obvious, his skin has indeed become shiny and smooth, without any blemishes; his round head actually sparkles brightly in the sunlight like a rare treasure; the three words "glass egg" are really appropriate!

Zhenjun took a deep breath and finally suppressed the movement in his throat into a choking cough, without spitting out saliva in public.

However, the Book of Heaven is not so low as to make personal attacks. After the second ding-dong sound, Zhenjun heard the rest of the complaints:

[Glass egg, glass egg, not slippery and not sticky! Alas, it is said that this Liu was trained in Tai Chi, and was known as the spirit of non-stick pans and the incarnation of the loach fairy. He could not do anything else in his life, but he was an expert in the skill of throwing pans, and no one could resist him. I really don't know what this guy is going to blame after making a prelude? 】

Liuli - Master Liu obviously could not hear such vicious slander; he straightened his clothes, walked forward slowly, and began to quote from classics slowly and elegantly, but every word and sentence was clearly referring to Yan Donglou and Mu Qi.

The young cabinet minister was very smart. He stood behind and listened to a few words, and immediately realized the danger. Hanlin scholars are in a high position of power and authority, and once they take action, they never miss their target. However, when masters fight, undercurrents are turbulent. At such a critical juncture where the words and sharp words are exchanged, the cultural level of the Prince of Mu can hardly be relied upon, and he has to act himself to turn the tide. He suppressed his anger and listened carefully, trying to find loopholes in the refutation, but the more he listened, the more frightened he became - the man surnamed Liu said a lot of gibberish, but apart from reprimanding them for violating the law and acting presumptuously, he did not mention any actual content!

Being able to quote from classics eloquently and write thousands of words without containing any useful information is probably the unique skill of Hanlin scholars. But after experiencing the skill in person today, the young cabinet minister deeply realized the power of this skill - in fact, he had investigated Zhou Zhicheng's case again and again, and the evidence was solid whether he had secretly colluded with the Japanese pirates or his words implicated the remnants of Jianwen. No matter where Liu Mengjing started, the young cabinet minister could always speak righteously and criticize him so badly that he would have no chance of turning over.

——But you didn’t expect that, after making a lot of impeachments, Master Liu didn’t even mention the actual situation of the case!

If you don’t mention it, there will be no flaws; if you don’t answer it, there will be no harm. It was a bunch of empty talk, just accusing them of being arrogant and out of line, and didn't involve Zhou Zhicheng at all. To sum it up in a nutshell, focus on one point and ignore the rest; I don’t care whether Zhou Zhicheng is guilty or not, but you dare to act without the emperor’s order, which means that your attitude towards the emperor is problematic!

The attitude towards the emperor is a matter of right and wrong. In the face of such a matter, how dare you talk to me about the facts of the crime? !

The young minister quickly understood this fighting style, but as soon as he understood it, a feeling of sourness immediately welled up in his stomach!

Damn it, I stood on the dry shore and watched the boat capsize, standing by and doing nothing without getting involved in the mud. There are people in the world who are more shameless than me!

But no matter how shameless Mr. Liu was, the young minister could do nothing about it. The glazed egg can go down in history, so of course his skill in not sticking to the pan is unmatched in the world; today, he made the impeachment as a Hanlin scholar, and he had already prepared all the escape routes - Hanlin scholars do not get involved in external affairs, so it is normal that they do not understand the case, and he can justifiably bypass the specific details; and the scholars are close ministers of the court, so what's wrong with them caring about the attitude of officials towards the emperor?

He was calculating and shrewd in everything, and the young cabinet minister was so choked that he couldn't say anything. When Master Liu finished his long but empty speech, the young minister could only force himself to say:

"Zhou Zhicheng is a traitor. We are angry with our king and father. We are not like you who nitpick!"

"Can anger at one's father and emperor overstep the boundaries of the laws of Emperor Gaozu?" Scholar Liu said softly, "Your Majesty governs the world with benevolence and filial piety, and everything he thinks about must be to promote the virtues of Emperor Gaozu. The young minister is acting on his own, and I dare not agree with him."

After saying this, he smiled slightly and bowed to Master Feixuan who was sitting on the throne from afar. Although his words were extremely vicious and harsh, his appearance was still gentle and elegant, with a spring breeze on his face. Zhenjun was sitting cross-legged watching the show, and at this moment he couldn't help but smile, feeling very happy - of course he could see through Liulidan's sinister and cruel thoughts, but since he was not involved, of course the more skillful the pulling of hair flowers below was, the more excited he would be to watch from above.

Well torn, well torn, you can tear it louder!

Unfortunately, he was not the only one watching the show. That damn ding-dong sound came again:

[The old guy really doesn't know his place, he's still grinning. 】

Zhenjun's smile froze a little.

[However, the Glazed Egg really lived up to its reputation. It was able to make Yan Donglou lose face. It was a unique skill in the world. Hehe, it's either the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period or the laws of the ancestors. He always carries the big sign of an old Taoist priest to suppress his political enemies. He can both lick people and bully people, and his hands are not stained with any mud. With such a loach-like figure, it's no wonder that he will be able to be in the cabinet in the future. If he had not been skinned by the divine sword of our dynasty, he would have been remembered in history for his skill in not sticking to cooking.

This kind of villain is of course very useful. The old Taoist priest later chose him to join the cabinet, perhaps with the intention of using him to make trouble for others. But, Lao Deng underestimated Liulidan's non-stick pan skills - Liulidan had been in the cabinet for a few years, and his basic policy was to do all the evil things to the emperor, and his moral bottom line was lower than that of the humanoid creatures of Yan Party; other than that, he honed his writing skills and revised his diary repeatedly. As soon as Lao Deng passed away and Liuliden returned to his hometown, he directly printed and published all his carefully written diaries, encouraged his disciples to publicize it widely, put all the blame on Master Feixuan, easily cleared himself, and then turned around to build a memorial archway for himself.

——Sister, did you think about it? Lao Deng pretended to be a sage and benevolent ruler all his life, making Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu bear the blame all his life, but in the end he was actually tricked into the ditch by this pitiful old white lotus of the prosperous age. After hunting eagles all my life, I got my eyes pecked by a sparrow!

So, who would bother to write a diary every day? It's so shameful. 】

The blow pierced his heart and tore out his bones. Master Feixuan... Master Feixuan was almost unable to hold his nerve at that time!

His face was distorted and he was breathing heavily, as if he had a huge stomach ache in his throat. However, he couldn't vent it in public, so he could only grit his teeth and remain silent. But my heart was filled with rage, and I wished I could grab the hammer at hand and smash it on my head!

——Damn it, this is insulting God!

Although there was a heated debate among the people below, their eyes were always fixed on the final referee on the stage. Seeing the emperor's strange expression as if he was constipated, both sides immediately felt uneasy. Especially since the young minister was at a disadvantage, he was even more nervous - in order to avoid suspicion, Minister Yan and Minister Xu both took leave and stayed at home, and did not participate in this court meeting; if he was accused of usurping the throne by the man named Liu, it would be difficult for him to fight back!

In such a predicament, the young cabinet minister could only insist on "nitpicking" and refute loudly to strengthen his momentum:

"We work for the Emperor and the court, and we can endure any hardship. But I just don't understand why the more someone does, the more grievances they suffer! Mr. Liu, if you keep stirring things up like this, you will ruin the overall situation of the tribute. I'm afraid you can't bear it!"

Such righteous words really seem like the style of an ancient gentleman. But Master Liu remained calm and easily cracked the young elder's bluffing move:

"'Stirring things up'? Young Lord, there is a saying that goes 'Respect Heaven and follow the ancestors', and there is another saying that goes 'The world belongs to our ancestors, and everything should be done according to the rules of our ancestors'; one of these sayings was said by a saint, and the other was said by the present emperor. If I ask questions based on these two sayings, is that 'stirring things up'? Please enlighten me, young Lord."

The young minister was speechless for a moment, but Master Liu did not relax:

"What do you mean by 'ruining the overall situation'? From what the young minister said, if we don't follow your way of acting first and reporting later, which is overstepping your authority, the overall situation of the court will be in chaos and the country will be destroyed?!"

There was a beeping sound, and the Heavenly Book immediately spoke:

[It’s hard to say.] 】

Master Fei Xuan: …………

The words were so aggressive and powerful that the young cabinet minister could no longer resist. Seeing the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, the Prince of Mu, who had been watching for a long time, finally took a step forward:

"I have some doubts about what Master Liu said."

Master Liu smiled and turned around calmly. His bald head shone in the sunlight, showing his elegance and composure - even a cunning man like Yan Donglou could not withstand a few words from him, let alone a mere dandy! He spoke confidently, determined to kill this man within five sentences:

"Please speak, my lord."

"I think that there are times when we should follow the rules and times when we should follow the rules. We shouldn't be too demanding." Mu Qi said, "People are always careless. As long as they don't violate the big principles, why should we be so hard-pressed and make a big fuss?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Donglou's face changed drastically, and for a moment he was almost twisted in pain, unable to control himself - he knew that the Prince of Duke Mu did not understand court battles, but he never expected that he would be so incompetent! What does “there are always times of negligence” mean? Isn't this just admitting that you made a mistake? I have already admitted it, how can I defend myself? !

One word can ruin a country, one word can ruin a country. Just this one sentence and they are doomed to failure!

Master Liu was stunned for a moment, his expression slightly blank, as if he couldn't believe that the victory came so suddenly. But a moment later, his smile became even wider, and he mercilessly hammered the final nail into his opponent:

"I don't agree with what the prince said! When it comes to the emperor, there are no small matters, only big matters. What do you mean by 'negligence'? Why didn't you neglect it earlier or later, but neglected the emperor's affairs? This is really unquestionable. If you can let this go, then I dare not say anything more!"

Having said this, he was full of righteousness and bowed to the throne to express his sincere loyalty to the emperor. The old Taoist priest sitting on the seat had a gloomy face and fierce eyes. He seemed to be angered by the words of the Prince of Mu, and was about to make the final judgment.

Seeing that the situation was extremely bad, the prince's expression remained unchanged. He spoke calmly:

"Does the maester really think so?"

Scholar Liu glanced at him and suddenly remembered some rumors about the Prince of Mu. So he quietly moved a step towards the guards, and then spoke resolutely:

"Of course. As long as you are loyal to His Majesty and work sincerely, how can you be careless?"

Mu Qi sighed.

"Okay... I heard that the bachelor is the editor of the National History Museum, responsible for correcting and reviewing past historical materials." He said quietly: "Coincidentally, when I was reading the "History of Yuan Dynasty" compiled by the National History Museum, there was a puzzle, and I wanted to ask the bachelor - the official "History of Yuan Dynasty" records the situation in the 15th year of the last emperor, saying that the prime minister led the army to suppress the bandits, and there was something like "reaching Gaoyou, winning every battle. The bandit army was defeated." There was also something about "the bandit monks committed rebellion and evil in the south of the Yangtze River"... Which situation is this talking about?"

Master Liu snorted and let down his last bit of vigilance. He thought that Prince Mu had some expert advice in private, trying to make trouble for him in terms of etiquette and ethics. What's the difference between just mentioning the history of the Mongols and making a fool of oneself? The Hanlin scholar was well-read and could easily come up with such historical facts:

"Emperor Gaozu rose from obscurity and conquered the world with a three-foot sword. In the fifteenth year of Emperor Yuan's reign, Emperor Gaozu rose from the south of the Yangtze River and was stationed in Gaoyou..."

Before he could finish his words, Master Liu suddenly choked.

——Not only he choked, but hundreds of important ministers, guards, scholars, eunuchs, and even Master Feixuan who was sitting cross-legged on a high place, all choked at the same moment.

Emperor Gaozu happened to be stationed in Gaoyou in Jiangnan during the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Modi of the Yuan Dynasty. Could it be that the "bandit soldiers" who were suppressed by government soldiers and the "evil monk" who caused chaos in Jiangnan in the "History of Yuan Dynasty" were referring to Emperor Gaozu?

The "History of Yuan Dynasty" revised by the imperial court itself actually called the founding emperor of this dynasty a "thief monk" and a "bandit"... What the hell is this?

No one knew, and no one dared to know, that in that horrific minute, there was only terrible and heavy silence on the huge balcony, and not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Everyone had a blank expression, and they just stared blankly at Master Liu who was standing in the middle like a wooden stick.

No...that's impossible?

After a moment of silence, a sharp roar finally rang out from the platform:

"——Fool, bastard, idiot! If you hesitate and stand there for a while, I will exterminate all nine generations of your clan! Go get the fast horses, go get the Kankou, and bring Yuanshi to me immediately!"

·

The three quarters of an hour of waiting for "History of Yuan Dynasty" were probably the most painful three quarters of an hour in the lives of the important officials present. Master Feixuan was sitting cross-legged with a sullen face, the eunuchs and guards lowered their heads and hunched their shoulders without saying a word, and the scholars standing below were trembling with fear and sweating profusely. At the same time, they exhausted all their wisdom and brainpower in their lives, desperately recalling the contents of the "History of Yuan Dynasty" that they had revised.

——Then they discovered sadly that they couldn’t remember a single word!

Actually, this cannot be blamed on the Hanlin scholars. "History of Yuan Dynasty" was ordered to be compiled during the reign of Emperor Gaozu. In order to demonstrate orthodoxy and fight against Mongolia, the progress was extremely fast. It took only one and a half years to complete a total of 210 volumes of history covering ninety years. But in a hurry, they didn't clean the radish, and much of the content was simply ripped off from the original archives, and there might even be remnants of the Mongols and Yuan Dynasty among the editors; it is perfectly normal for the book to be mixed with personal opinions and errors.

Logically speaking, after compilation, scholars of successive generations should have revised it on time, but the Mongols had already been destroyed, so who would bother to investigate the previous dynasty? Not to mention that the History of Yuan Dynasty was of poor quality and difficult to understand, with inexplicable names like "Abulige", "Badulu", "Timur" everywhere, and often nonsense vernacular like "qilili" and "yemohe". The emperor was too lazy to read it, and the Hanlin Academy was too lazy to revise it; apart from recording the number of people on time, it was basically left in the warehouse to gather dust.

So this damn "thief" sneaked in quietly and stayed here safely for hundreds of years!

Damn it, you’ve caused us so much trouble!

The Hanlin scholars were on the verge of collapse, cursing their slacking predecessors in their hearts, and at the same time hoping that it was just that the prince was unlearned and had misread the words for a moment, and that there was really a hole in the sky that could trap everyone!

As for Master Liu... it was probably hard to believe that he was still conscious; although the truth was unclear and no one moved him for the time being, Master Liu stood there motionless, and even his forehead was no longer shining.

The three quarters of an hour passed quickly. The sweaty guard jumped off his horse, climbed up the platform madly, and held up a box of thick books in his hands. The emperor snatched it away, flipped through a few pages, then suddenly stood up and threw the several-pound thick book on his head:

"You're studying a fucking history book!"