Chapter 53 Opponent

While the prince of Duke Mu was living in a small house, planning to work hard for three months to come up with a big move to astonish Lao Deng, Master Fei Xuan, who was about to be pleased, was still unaware of it, and was still conscientiously taking the prescription he wrote for himself: five pounds of milk and five pounds of soy milk every day, and taking a bath with milk and rose water every few days, which would be more effective if taken internally or applied externally. Apart from the fact that he had to spray on the toilet for half an hour occasionally, everything was going very well; the bright red rashes on his legs were gradually fading, the chapped skin was healing quickly, the frequency of nosebleeds was decreasing, and even his old constipation problem had improved significantly.

If this isn’t effective detoxification and a magical method, then what is it?

Whether Lao Deng was ordinary or not was another matter, but at least he was very confident. Although the golden elixir business he had worked so hard to build had encountered a minor setback, he soon gained enough confidence from his current success. He believed that the reason why the Heavenly Book had sent down such a profound and mysterious detoxification secret recipe was because he was born with virtue and was different from others, so he was blessed with a unique grace from Heaven and was exceptionally different from others. This not only proved that he had profound moral character and was good at governing the country, it also proved that his path to becoming an immortal was smooth and that he would surely have hope of immortality in the future - otherwise why would the banished immortal send down the heavenly book?

Of course, as for Lord Yan and Lord Xu, who also obtained copies of the Heavenly Book, they were forgotten by Lao Deng and basically regarded as nothing.

After tasting this subtle sweetness, Master Feixuan's enthusiasm for the Heavenly Book became even more sincere and intense. He even specially changed his daily work process for this purpose, canceling the large amount of time that was usually occupied by refining pills, testing medicines, taking medicines and exercising, and instead switched it all to reading, appreciating and worshipping the Heavenly Book. He would often perform sacrificial dances in front of the Heavenly Book, trying to activate one more "live video".

In order to show his respect for the Heavenly Book, Master Feixuan also deliberately kept the so-called "loyalty test" in mind and sent people to inquire about nearby officials with the surname Hai every now and then. Unfortunately, the capital is densely populated and has frequent traffic, so even the Imperial Guards cannot sort out all the connections one by one. Most of the many names listed on the list have no trace.

However, when the chief examiner finally finished marking the examination papers and respectfully submitted the list of candidates, the emperor keenly discovered something unusual among the vast number of names:

"Haigangfeng?"

He used a red pen to write on the small name, and his tone changed slightly:

"Is this person a candidate for this year's imperial examination?"

Li Zaifang, who was serving beside him, quickly replied: "Your Majesty is right. This person came from Qiongshan, Guangdong to take the exam."

Are you coming from Qiongshan, Guangdong to take the exam? No wonder the Jinyiwei had searched the capital's yellow book several times but couldn't find even a person with the surname Hai!

Master Fei Xuan's heart was slightly moved, but his expression remained calm:

"I see this person's name, it seems he didn't win the first place."

Li Zaifang was slightly surprised. Although the imperial examination was a national ceremony for selecting talents, what the emperor really cared about was the fierce competition in the palace examination; the metropolitan examination was just an examination presided over by the Ministry of Rites and was naturally inferior; even if the admission results of the metropolitan examination were presented to the emperor, they would most likely be glanced over and simply go through the process. How come Master Feixuan's temperament has changed so much now that he not only carefully read the list but also paid special attention to this little-known scholar?

I haven't heard that there is anything special about Haigang Peak?

No matter how surprised he was, the quality of the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Court was not something that could be achieved by chance. Eunuch Li's thoughts raced, and he immediately remembered the bits of good news that Jinyiwei and Dongchang had mentioned in the scraps of intelligence, and he answered respectfully:

"To reply to your Majesty, this person's writing style is not in line with current preferences, and he has always had a hard time passing the imperial examinations. Even this title of Juren was finally obtained after he took the exam three or five times in his hometown."

The emperor raised his eyebrows and said, "Your writing style is out of tune with the times, but you don't even know how to change it? This person is really weird. It's hard to say whether he is stubborn or stupid."

Considering the sarcastic and suspicious personality of the current emperor, "stupid and straightforward" is definitely a very good evaluation. Li Zaifang felt relieved and quickly agreed:

"That's exactly what the emperor said. Although Hai Gangfeng has the title of a juren, he should be able to earn a fortune by taking on lawsuits and collecting donations. However, he came to the capital with very shabby food, clothing, housing and transportation. He really looks like he doesn't want to take a penny. If he hadn't found a job with the prince of Duke Mu, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to live in the capital."

A glimmer of light flashed in Master Feixuan's eyes. He turned around with a strange look on his face:

"Is this Hai working for Duke Mu's Mansion?"

"How dare I lie to the emperor? Duke Mu's Mansion has been recruiting scholars to do the trivial work of copying and proofreading. Hai Gangfeng was recommended by his friend Gui Zhenchuan to work as a sinecure in the Duke's Mansion."

That’s right, no matter how many people the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have, they are not so idle as to monitor an unknown candidate. The reason why Hai Gangfeng's reputation reached Eunuch Li's ears was all thanks to the tips his subordinates brought to him when they were monitoring the Duke's Mansion. Of course, the efficiency of the East Factory and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was just so-so. Apart from punching in and monitoring according to the routine, they didn't worry about the details of the Duke's Mansion at all. Therefore, they still didn't understand Hai Gangfeng's status and thought it was just a "sinecchy".

But even such an insignificant description managed to pluck the heartstrings of Master Fei Xuan. All of a sudden, it was as if something had suddenly dawned on him, and a flash of inspiration passed through his head, instantly splitting the fog that had been entangled for several days - it turned out that the so-called "loyalty value" was a hint of today!

No wonder Mu Qi and Hai Gangfeng are on the same list. It turns out that there is such an unspeakable fate between loyal ministers and righteous men!

——No, it should not be considered "unspeakable"; the Heavenly Book specially bestowed that list of loyal ministers, and linked them together with all these coincidences. Isn't it just to prepare available talents for him, Feixuan Zhenjun Wanshou Emperor, in advance? What our predecessors called "expelling you by the Holy Emperor" is probably just this!

What's this? Isn’t this the mysterious fate that came from nowhere and has no destination, isn’t this the wonderful state of mind that was created by nature when the wind and clouds came together, isn’t this the sage ruler and loyal ministers, and the harmonious governance between the ruler and his ministers that he had been pursuing for many years? In an instant, it seemed as if some kind of nameless reward really fell from the sky and descended into the mysterious spiritual platform of Master Feixuan!

After reading it again, Master Feixuan was even more certain of his mysterious inspiration: the line below Hai Gangfeng's name was exactly Wu Chengen's honorable name.

——That’s right, Sheyangshanren’s writing style was not suitable for the imperial examination, and he was not selected by the chief examiner.

One can be a coincidence, but if two appear at the same time, it is inevitable in fate. As the emperor chosen by fate, Master Feixuan's heart was filled with indescribable joy and pride. He calmed himself down, finally picked up the brush, and wrote the names of Hai Gangfeng and Wu Chengen on the imperial paper next to him.

Perhaps seeing the emperor's unconcealable joy, Li Zaifang said tentatively:

"It is all thanks to the master's blessing that there are so many talented people. But I would like to ask for your permission. Do you want to make some other arrangements?"

The imperial examination was to select officials for the royal family, and those selected were all disciples of the emperor. Since it is a selection of disciples for the emperor, theoretically the emperor can intervene at any time and change the rankings and standards at will. But this "theory" is ultimately just a possibility on paper - in reality, in this kind of exam where thousands of people are truly competing for a single spot, the imperial power's arbitrary changes in rankings and levels will inevitably lead to the most violent and angry responses from countless small town test takers, and the waves it will stir up are unimaginable. If that time really comes, not only will the imperial power be unable to face the high pressure of public opinion, but even the officials who are lucky enough to be elected by taking this shortcut will inevitably face the eternal contempt and bullying of the literati, and it will be difficult for them to turn things around for a long time.

To be honest, this kind of "arrangement" is more like harming people to death than promoting talents. No rational monarch would act rashly. But Master Feixuan is certainly not a rational monarch, and he might even have some yandere and possessive personality in him - if these specially "favored" officials are bullied to the point where they cannot form a clique, can't they only rely on the most holy and wise emperor?

The mind of such an emperor was sinister and vicious, but difficult to guess. Li Zaifang had to ask more questions, for fear that the emperor had specially noted down these two names to prepare a few disposable tools for himself.

At times like this, it becomes clear how good Jian is in the emperor's heart. If he were an ordinary scholar, he would have long been favored by the emperor with unknown consequences. But now... now, perhaps because of the consideration of the Heavenly Book, or perhaps because of the feelings of the Prince of Mu, the Emperor pondered for a moment and touched the book in his sleeve:

"Why are you talking so much? Let me think about it again."

·

After sending away his confidants, the emperor took out the heavenly book with great reverence, and burned incense, washed his hands, prayed, and danced. After a series of smooth little moves, he opened the heavenly book, fumbled around to find some "input method", and began to write with his fingers raised.

This was the reward the emperor got for his last dance. The Heavenly Book gave him a "search function" that allowed him to retrieve some information by inputting by hand. Most of the emperor's recent decisions depend on these search results.

Of course, the system does not offer free lunch. Even if the information is found, only a brief summary will be displayed. To view the original text, you still need to be a "VIP". Of course the emperor didn't have VIP, so he typed for a long time with his fingers raised, and only saw one sentence:

[As a famous "non-partisan and selfless" person, Hai Gangfeng...]

I can’t see it anymore below. But four words are already settled. The emperor nodded with satisfaction and entered "Wu Cheng'en" again.

This time there is only one title:

[A Study on the Relationship between Wu Chengen and "A Mortal's Journey to Immortality"]

Master Feixuan:?

After working hard for several days, Mu Qi and his luxurious writing team finally finished the first twelve chapters of "A Mortal's Journey to Immortality", totaling more than 80,000 words. He quickly arranged for craftsmen in his mansion to print it, and specially changed the template, enlarging the font and adjusting the spacing, printing it into a thin booklet that can be easily held in one hand, making it convenient to carry and read at any time.

If you want to pursue excitement, then of course you have to carry it through to the end. Who likes to read a big book carefully when reading a good novel? The idea is to cut the whole book into small sections that are both relatively independent and closely connected, so that you can read them at any time on the toilet, on the table, or even on the bed. Even if you carry two or three books with you, it will not be too heavy. You can open the book anytime and anywhere and immerse yourself in it, making good use of every fragmented time.

This can be regarded as the prince of Duke Mu not forgetting his original intention. If it is toilet paper literature, it is toilet paper literature. He is determined not to add any reading burden to the readers. It is so simple and crude that it is speechless.

In order to respect the customer's experience, Mu Qi went out to attend the banquet invited by Xu Junbo's mansion that night. He also stuffed a few booklets into his sleeves to personally test the portability and readability of this thing, so that he could provide technical workers with suggestions for improvement later. Yes, simple and crude methods also require technical content. The ability to print such a light, thin and clear booklet is all thanks to the craftsmen in the mansion who transformed the printing materials and papermaking technology, and under the guidance of the prince, they worked out a complete set of stable and reliable printing processes, which are very different from the shoddy products on the market.

Science and technology are the primary productive forces, and the mountains of gold and silver in Duke Mu’s Mansion are not spent in vain.

These booklets are indeed printed exquisitely and are not cumbersome to use while riding or walking. Mu Qi was very pleased and was thinking about adding an illustration to increase the sense of immersion. But once he entered the Earl's Palace and looked around, his good mood for the day was immediately ruined:

Damn it, Lord Xu actually invited several members of the royal family from other vassal states to the banquet!

Although after the Jingnan Campaign the imperial court was on high alert against the vassal kings and did not allow them to leave their fiefdoms easily, it would not be good for Lao Deng to celebrate his birthday alone, so the court had to invite a few members of the royal family who posed no threat to come to Beijing to celebrate. When members of the royal family came to Beijing, there were naturally etiquettes for welcoming and receiving them. Some of them even had extensive social connections and were able to create a lively scene in the capital. But no matter how the nobles and civil servants below tried to join in the fun and flatter him, Mu Qi basically kept his distance and had no contact with the royal family except for necessary ceremonies.

This was not purely a matter of avoiding suspicion, but more because of Mu Qi's instinctive fear - let's put it this way, in terms of moral standards, the current Master Fei Xuan could be ranked in the upper middle class among the royal family. As for the average level...it's the kind that could make Emperor Gaozu angry.

Of course, there were also people with excellent character and talents among the royal family, but people could not compete with the system after all. Since Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, the imperial family had been nurtured for hundreds of years, and most of the good royal children had been trained to be gluttons, freaks, and manure-producing machines; the civil officials still had to be tempered by political struggles; the military officers had to go into battle and kill the Japanese pirates, but the royal family was the only one who was lazy and did not know how to distinguish between grains, and did not have to bear any responsibility. Such pig-raising treatment will certainly produce a group of unreasonable and weird characters.

It would be fine if they were scattered all over the place on normal days, but now dozens and hundreds of weird characters have gathered in the capital, colluding with each other and instigating each other to stimulate emotions, so it is inevitable that something will happen; what's more, Master Feixuan himself is a vassal state with insufficient authority, and it is even more difficult for him to suppress these incredible crazies - if Mu Qi remembers correctly, during the old man's birthday ceremony in recent years, the royal family from other places have made a lot of embarrassing jokes!

A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous city. Mu Qi certainly does not want to have anything to do with such a difficult character, so he always keeps his distance and turns a blind eye to him. But now that he had stepped into the gate of the Earl's house, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and take his seat.

As expected, as soon as Lord Xu came out to greet everyone, the initiative of the entire banquet was completely snatched away by several clan members. Among them, the most elderly and immoral was General Zhu Chongzhuo, who relied on his seniority and experience (almost like the uncle of Master Feixuan) to shout and act arrogantly at the banquet, completely disregarding the host. He even pulled nearby guests and forced them to drink, causing the banquet to be in a mess.

But in a short while, most of the civil and military ministers and sons of nobles who came to visit had been tossed around. Everyone present was angry, but dared not speak out. They could only sit in silence at the banquet, and did not even dare to get up and leave. In order to show his orthodoxy, Lao Deng had made great efforts to buy off the royal family and vassal states, and would not easily punish them. As long as they did not cause any major treason, it would be useless for these people to make a fuss, so they could only be appeased and not be bothered. With this invincible amulet, the royal family will of course make a big fuss.

Perhaps because they saw that no one dared to resist, several younger generals also started to act unbridled. They took advantage of the alcohol and acted wildly at the table, shouting for the host to send dice for gambling and playing, and ordered people to go to brothels to hire prostitutes to accompany their husbands in drinking. Their words were truly vulgar and unbearable to listen to, and everyone present frowned.

——To be honest, no matter how much everyone in the capital fights, there is at least some decorum among each other. In fact, because the political situation has not yet been completely corrupted, there is still a bottom line in the struggle. They have had a tacit understanding with each other for so many years, and the most undignified person they have ever seen is probably a madman like the Prince of Duke Mu. How could they have known that the relatives from the outer vassal states would be so shameless and vulgar!

After all, there are still many forces intertwined in the capital, and with the old men watching over them all the time, no one dares to act recklessly; but after the royal family is released to the local areas, they can do whatever they want and no one can control them. The terrible tempers developed from decades of extravagance and debauchery are beyond the imagination of these greenhouse flowers in the capital. Now that they have only realized a little bit, everyone's scalp is about to explode!

However, thinking of the Prince of Duke Mu, the spirits of the guests perked up again, and they subconsciously shifted their gazes over there: as the saying goes, there is always someone to conquer, and these respectable people like them cannot handle these tough relatives, but the hooligans from other places may not be able to defeat the local psychopaths. Considering the unreasonableness and madness of the Prince of Duke Mu, is there any way out?

Everyone stared quietly at a corner of the banquet, with a hint of anticipation in their eyes.

Unfortunately, they were greatly disappointed with how things turned out. The prince of Duke Mu was neither mad nor crazy. He just sat there quietly eating his food. Even when a few members of the royal family were half crazy and half crazy forcing everyone to drink and play drinking games, he honestly drank a few cups with them. He didn't have any special behavior. He was so well-behaved that it was surprising, and even more disappointing.

Sure enough, the so-called madness and unreasonableness are nothing more than relying on power to do whatever one wants. When encountering a tough guy, one can only behave honestly and pretend to be obedient. What a "mad man", he is nothing but a mean person who takes advantage of others to his advantage!

I haven't seen you for a few days, and you've started to flatter the nobles!

The prince just lowered his head silently, not paying attention to the contemptuous or surprised looks from all around him. After a round of drinking, the two most frantic generals Zhu Qilin and Zhu Qiqian suddenly fell to the left and right and burped a long, smelly burp, which made the nobles nearby cover their noses.

"No more drinking, no more drinking!" The two men shouted loudly, waving their arms and knocking over the cups and bowls. "I'm getting drunk! Where are the husbands and wives you called? What's the point of drinking like this!"

If he keeps going on like this, he might even get drunk and act crazy. The host frowned repeatedly, feeling extremely embarrassed, but his status as an earl was not enough to suppress these lawless descendants of the dragon, so he could only remain motionless. Seeing that the Auxiliary General was making more and more trouble and everyone was in fear and anxiety, the Prince of Duke Mu finally stood up.

However, the prince did not shout to stop the royal family members. He just asked the servant to bring a cup of warm water, took out a brocade box from his arms and opened it carefully. He picked out a few huge golden pills engraved with dragon patterns, stirred them in the warm water, and then handed them over personally.

To be honest, Shui was so cautious and attentive, even the eunuchs on duty in the palace were no more than her. It is really despicable that a prince can only serve tea and water like this. Everyone present looked at each other with strange expressions.

However, even with such careful and cautious service, he did not even receive a word of thanks. The general only gave him a drunken look:

"What is this?"

The prince smiled and said, "General, don't you see the dragon pattern on it? This is of course a good medicine bestowed by the emperor. It can sober you up and nourish your body. Drunkenness is the most harmful to the body, so it is necessary to nourish it."

The word "Imperial Grant" is very prestigious. Even if Zhu Qilin acted arrogantly and crazy, he still struggled to sit up straight to show his respect. He took the cup of precious hot water with both hands and tasted it carefully - no matter how arrogant and brutal he was in the local area, he was just a bumpkin who had never seen the world in the capital; how many opportunities could a general who assisted the country have to see the emperor in his life? Not to mention being able to enjoy this rare gift from the emperor. Now that I am lucky enough to see it, of course I have to savor it carefully and remember it for a long time.

So he sipped it carefully, took another sip, and then another sip.

…However, after tasting such a precious imperial elixir, General Zhu did not show any leisurely and fascinated expression; on the contrary, he smacked his lips woodenly, and finally spoke slowly:

"Why does this taste a bit..."

The prince said in a gentle tone: "What is it?"

Zhu Qilin stammered: "Why is it a bit, a bit salty..."

"This is the secret recipe of the Hundred Medicinal Herbs Pill that His Majesty ordered the palace to make. It uses precious medicinal herbs from various places." The prince smiled and said, "It is not uncommon for medicinal herbs to have strange flavors."

This explanation was very reasonable. Zhu Qilin nodded unconsciously and took another sip.

Perhaps the hot water restored his sense of smell that had been numbed by alcohol, and Zhu Qilin was able to taste a more accurate and subtle taste - it was still that strange salty taste, but there seemed to be a lingering... smell in the salty taste?

He sniffed carefully and felt that the elixir was a little hard to swallow.

"...Excuse me, my lord, what medicinal ingredients are added to this?"

The clan member actually knew how to say "please", which surprised Mu Qi so much that he raised his eyebrows slightly, and then explained with a smile:

"I am not an imperial physician, so how can I know the prescription? But I have also heard from the eunuchs in the palace that in addition to the common ginseng and deer antlers, these pills also contain autumn stones refined by the secret art of medicine to strengthen the body and increase the efficacy of the medicine."

Although Lao Deng never showed his secret recipe for the elixir to anyone, as long as you have close enough connections and enough money, you can still find out some of the ingredients. The relationship with the Duke Mu’s Mansion is, of course, much closer than that with a relative from another place.

Zhu Qilin asked blankly: "Qiu Shi?"

"Generally speaking, it should be the essence of boy's urine. Two buckets can produce five cents!" The prince smiled slightly: "Of course, the pills awarded to ministers must try to remove the color of autumn stone, but I specially asked Eunuch Huang from the Imperial Household Department to retain a little bit of the taste. I think that only by retaining some of the taste can you know that you are eating autumn stone..."

He probably wanted to introduce the efficacy of Qiushi, but it was no longer necessary. General Zhu's face turned pale, he tilted his face to the side, and vomited all over the place!

The prince calmly took a step back and smiled at everyone:

"See, I told you this pill is especially good for sobering you up, right?"

·

After saying that, the prince smiled and looked at the other general who was also drunk just now:

"The general seemed a little drunk just now, would you like to drink something?"

General Fuguo shook his head repeatedly, his tone fierce:

"I'm not drunk, I'm not drunk! Why should I eat this disgusting thing? Why the hell don't you eat it?"

"Not drunk?" The prince's expression suddenly became stern. "Didn't the general admit that he was drunk just now? Besides, if he really wasn't drunk, then how do you explain 'this thing'? Can the elixir bestowed by the emperor be called a 'disgusting thing'?!"

Zhu Qiquan's expression suddenly changed - obviously, he was too upset by the tragic situation of his relative and even spoke inappropriately!

You can offend anyone in the royal family except the emperor, and especially you cannot offend the current Master Feixuan. To despise Master Feixuan's elixir is tantamount to despising the imperial power, and to despise the imperial power is tantamount to harboring treason. Master Feixuan's imagination can only make such a leap to this level - if the emperor really has something in his mind, they will be skinned alive when they return!

"If it's just a casual remark after getting drunk, then no one should make a fuss about it. The emperor will surely be tolerant." Seeing that the other members of the royal family were about to stand up to explain for their relatives, the prince spoke calmly: "But if he really wasn't drunk..."

He turned his head slightly and smiled at Zhu Qiqian:

"I'll ask you again, General, are you drunk?"

Zhu Qiqian: …………

Zhu Qiquan trembled for a moment, and finally could only nod slowly with a pale face.