Chapter 134 The Shadow of the Candle and the Sound of the Axe: Eunuch, please don't do this.

Zhao Kuangyin truly lived up to his reputation as a great ruler; he grasped the key point immediately.

This world is probably just a testing ground for immortals.

Its purpose is not simply the rise and fall of dynasties or the struggle for supremacy among heroes, but to forge a completely new world here, a template that conforms to the supreme ideal of the immortals: everyone has food, every household has surplus grain, children all recite poetry and books, workshops operate without rest, there is no suffering from hunger and displacement, and there is a rule of public order and good customs.

This idea is so pure it's almost naive; it's a grand aspiration that only a sage, unaware of human suffering yet filled with compassion, would hold.

Zhao Kuangyin is now the emperor, carrying a heavy burden of the country on his shoulders. He is well aware of how difficult it is to ensure that the people of a country are well-fed and clothed; it is almost impossible.

If it is a trial, there must be rules; if it is a scheme devised by immortals, there must be profound meaning. If one can glimpse a sliver of heavenly secrets, seize a few "divine skills," or even borrow the fortune of this "trial"... then why can't Zhao Kuangyin become the biggest winner in this game?

As long as it benefits the Song Dynasty and brings tangible benefits to the people, what kind of play can't he perform? What kind of role can't he play?

So Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Song Dynasty, dressed in the uniform of a yamen runner, really began to walk the streets and alleys to understand the situation. He really was like an ordinary yamen runner, calm and collected.

Only then did they realize that the curtain had already been raised on this drama in Songyang County, and the climax was about to arrive.

Now we're just missing one character.

The key to success is finding your role; only then can you play your part well.

——

At lunchtime, Zhao Kuangyin paid no attention to the novel food; his entire mind was captivated by a scene not far away.

The dashing and decisive young general Huo Qubing, carrying his own tray, strode quickly to the side of an elderly man with white hair and beard, dressed simply. His familiar voice clearly reached Zhao Kuangyin's ears:

"Prime Minister Zhuge, try this roasted sweet potato."

Zhuge?

The Prime Minister?!

These two words struck Zhao Kuangyin's mind like thunderbolts, making his ears ring!

His gaze, like iron meeting a magnet, instantly locked onto the kind-faced old man with an air of profound and dignified composure. His heart clenched, almost stopping.

Zhuge...Kongming? Zhuge Liang, the Prime Minister of Shu Han and Marquis of Wuxiang?!

How is that possible?!

He suddenly recalled what he had heard in the streets and alleys: the people were praising an "old gentleman" in the county government who was benevolent, wise, and extremely fair in handling affairs, and who managed government affairs in an orderly manner. At the time, he only thought that a local sage who had retired had been appointed, and did not pay much attention to it—in Songyang County, which could produce the "Records of the People" and "seeds of immortality," it did not seem unusual for one or two capable officials to emerge.

He completely ignored it!

How could he have overlooked such important information!

How could he have imagined that the man whom the common people casually referred to as "Old Gentleman," who spent his days buried in his documents and seemed to be just a high-ranking clerk in the county government... would actually be the almost supernaturally wise Zhuge Liang?

This is not some local luminary.

This is Zhuge Liang.

He was Zhuge Liang, who had already decided to divide the world into three kingdoms while living in a thatched cottage, and he was the Prime Minister of Shu Han who devoted himself to the cause until his death!

Zhao Kuangyin couldn't help but wonder, in terms of intelligence, how big was the gap between him and Zhuge Liang?

Will he still be able to sing well in this scene?

Zhao Kuangyin, holding a bowl of ramen, lingered and sat down opposite Zhuge Liang. He slurped up a mouthful of noodles and glanced at the prime minister, who looked much like his portrait. Even in his old age, he was still quite handsome.

He admitted this.

Looking down at his slightly protruding belly, Zhao Kuangyin thought to himself, "But I don't rely on my looks for a living, do I?" His mind wandered, but his mouth didn't stop talking.

He ate seven bowls of ramen.

This surprised Yuchi Jingde, who was standing to the side; this guy had some of his style. He looked just like this when he first started eating instant noodles.

Others were also watching Zhao Kuangyin, but not because he ate a lot, because he was new and they didn't know him yet.

Bai Qi glanced at Zhao Kuangyin once before looking away; this man's martial prowess was probably no less than his own.

Just as everyone was curious, Jiang Ge invited Zhao Kuangyin to introduce himself, as he hadn't had a chance that morning.

Zhao Kuangyin put down the enormous bowl, which was almost the size of a small basin; the eighth bowl of noodles inside was already empty. He slowly stood up, his posture as upright as a pine tree. Even in his simple indigo-blue yamen uniform, the imposing aura of someone accustomed to being in a superior position was still undeniable.

He calmly swept his gaze over the crowd, pausing almost imperceptibly as he passed Wei Zhongxian. Just this morning, while patrolling the streets, he had spotted a figure in a county government uniform strolling leisurely in the distance.

Zhao Kuangyin, newly arrived in this place, was eager to build connections. Although he found the man unfamiliar and his demeanor effeminate, unlike that of an ordinary military or civil official, he didn't dwell on it. He quickened his pace, caught up with the man, and raised his hand with a strong voice to pat him on the shoulder, simultaneously speaking in a booming voice:

"Good morning, colleague! You look unfamiliar, I wonder who you are..."

Before he could finish speaking, the man turned around at the sound.

As soon as he turned around, Zhao Kuangyin's hand froze in mid-air. He could see clearly that the man in front of him was fair-skinned and beardless, with skin smoother than ordinary people. His Adam's apple was flat, and although he was wearing an official robe, his slightly high-pitched voice and the deliberately ingratiating expression between his brows were clearly those of a palace eunuch!

He was actually... a eunuch?

Zhao Kuangyin was a soldier by birth, and was straightforward and honest. He had the utmost contempt for eunuchs with crippled bodies who only knew how to serve others in the palace and play mind games.

The thought that she had just mistaken him for a fellow official in the same court, someone she could befriend, and that she had even almost put her arm around him, filled her with intense disgust and contempt.

The warm smile on his face instantly turned cold, and he quickly withdrew his raised hand in disgust, as if afraid of getting it tainted by something unclean.

He swept Wei Zhongxian up and down, his eyes sharp as knives, making no attempt to hide his contempt. His previously polite greeting abruptly turned into a cold, blunt statement, delivered with an utterly uncompromising tone:

"So he was an official in the inner court."

After speaking, without waiting for a response, as if he couldn't bear to stay any longer, Zhao Kuangyin snorted coldly, turned around with a flick of his sleeve, and strode away, leaving Wei Zhongxian standing there, his usual fawning smile, which had just begun to form on his face, completely frozen in place.

Unexpectedly, this person was also recruited, and a grudge was formed.

His gaze swept from Zhuge Liang's deep eyes to Zhou Yu's smile, then to Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao's probing eyes, finally passing over Huo Qubing's undisguised scrutiny and Bai Qi's eternally unchanging cold and stern face.

He cleared his throat, his voice steady and powerful, carrying a unique rhythm, as if he were attending court:

"I am honored by Lord Jiang's inquiry and the kindness of my colleagues." He first clasped his hands in greeting to Jiang Ge, then turned to the crowd. "My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Kuangyin."

When the name "Zhao Kuangyin" was uttered, there seemed to be little reaction in the room. Although the name was grand, it didn't seem particularly special in this setting.

Their names aren't bad either, Jingde and Shubao.

However, his next words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake:

"My ancestral home is Zhuojun, but I was born in Jiamaying, Luoyang." He spoke calmly, as if recounting an ordinary event. "Thanks to the kindness of my soldiers, I was enthroned at Chenqiao Post Station. By the mandate of heaven, I ascended the throne and founded the Great Song Dynasty. During my reign, the country was relatively peaceful."

...

Dead silence.

Absolute silence.

It was as if even the wind blowing through the cafeteria window had frozen.

With a loud crash, someone's chopsticks fell onto the table.

Zhuge Liang's gently waving feather fan stopped in mid-air. For the first time, a clear and undisguised look of astonishment appeared on his usually calm face, and his gaze sharpened as he re-examined Zhao Kuangyin.

This is the first time an emperor has ever visited Songyang County.

The playful smile on Zhou Yu's face froze instantly, slowly transforming into extreme shock and disbelief. He subconsciously straightened his back.

"Pfft—!" Yuchi Jingde spat out a mouthful of soup, choking and coughing repeatedly. His dark face turned purple, and he pointed at Zhao Kuangyin, his eyes wide open as if he had seen a ghost: "You...you...Song...Emperor Taizu of Song?! The Emperor?!"

How could that be?

He looks like a military general.

Even Bai Qi, who had been expressionless, turned his gaze over again, a rare ripple appearing in his cold eyes.

The entire canteen was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only the heavy breathing of the crowd and Yuchi Jingde's barely suppressed coughing.

However, amidst this extreme shock, a sinister voice, carrying a unique detachment across dynasties and a tone that seemed to relish the drama, slowly drifted over:

"Oh ho ho! Who is our master? It's none other than Emperor Taizu of Song..."

Wei Zhongxian had already put down his chopsticks at some point, and leisurely wiped the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, a forced smile on his face. As the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he had no need to flatter a former emperor (or even one from several dynasties), and instead felt a sense of superiority as a historical observer.

Besides, he hadn't forgotten what happened this morning.

He looked Zhao Kuangyin up and down, his eyes holding a hint of amusement as if examining an antique, and continued in a drawn-out, sarcastic tone:

"To be honest, you were truly remarkable. You ended the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and established the Song Dynasty's three-hundred-year foundation... You relieved the meritorious official of his military power with just a cup of wine. That was a brilliant move! Absolutely brilliant!"

After the praise.

His tone suddenly shifted, as if he had just remembered something extremely amusing. He abruptly covered his mouth with a handkerchief and let out a suppressed, gloating sneer:

"Oh dear~ Look at my memory! I suddenly remembered... I heard that you later... ah... what... you slept quite soundly during the Candle Shadow and Axe Sound incident? And this great empire... tsk tsk tsk... it all benefited your good younger brother, Emperor Taizong?"

The four words "Candle Shadow and Axe Sound" were like poisoned needles tempered with ice, and when he recited them in that flippant yet sinister tone, they were particularly jarring.

This bloody unsolved case, which occurred hundreds of years ago and is full of intrigue, was reopened in such a playful way by a Ming Dynasty eunuch in this setting!

The air inside the dining hall instantly dropped to freezing point.

Moreover, the person involved is currently unaware of this.

All eyes suddenly shifted from Zhao Kuangyin to Wei Zhongxian's gloating face, and then abruptly returned to Zhao Kuangyin.

Zhao Kuangyin's facial muscles suddenly tensed, his fingers gripping the large bowl turned slightly white from the force, and the veins on the back of his hand became visible. A chilling glint flashed in his deep eyes, like a blade suddenly appearing on an icy plain, piercing towards Wei Zhongxian.

Dead eunuch.

Wei Zhongxian felt a chill run down his spine from that look and instinctively shrank back. But then he remembered that the other party was helpless against him and that they were now colleagues in the same place, so he forced himself to straighten his back, though the fake smile on his face became somewhat stiff.

A deathly silence enveloped the cafeteria.

Zhao Kuangyin's chest rose and fell slightly, then he slowly loosened his clenched hands. The terrifying fierceness on his face receded like the tide, replaced by a deep, almost frightening calm.

His gaze swept over Wei Zhongxian, and though his voice was not loud, it carried an immense weight as he asked, word by word:

"Father-in-law... you seem to know quite a lot about the old affairs of the Song Dynasty palace?"

"Where did you hear these things... hearsay from the streets and alleys, wild and unorthodox sayings?"

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Author's Note: Wei Zhongxian had just turned to Zhao Kuangyin when he was tragically rejected [frightened].