Chapter 40 Log
Qingliang Palace, secret room.
Master Feixuan sat cross-legged and had been meditating on the Bagua platform for a whole hour. There was a faint aroma in the air in front of the Bagua platform, and there were two huge gilded incense burners. The incense burners were burning top-grade ambergris, with green smoke curling up with a rich fragrance and milky white mist rising up, making this small secret room look like a fairyland. Instead, True Lord Fei Xuan was sitting cross-legged in the clouds and mist of the fairyland, his Taoist robe fluttering in the wind, making him look like an immortal from the upper realm.
It’s a pity that this fairy-like state is not perfect. From time to time, there was a breeze that blew away the white mist, revealing two old men kneeling upright in the mist. They were dressed in plain clothes and had wrinkled faces. They were none other than Lord Yan and Lord Xu, who had entered the palace for many days without any news.
Although they had been under house arrest for many days, the two ministers still looked quite good. Even after kneeling on the bluestone floor for half an hour, they were still able to lower their brows, concentrate and hold their breath, respectfully and carefully serving the emperor, without any signs of exhaustion. It seems that all the rumors about torture are just rumors after all.
Of course, the gracious hospitality shown by the palace over the past few days was not out of compassion from True Lord Feixuan and Emperor Qingmiao (you can hardly expect an old wall lamp that understands human nature to have such a luxurious thing). In fact, when the news was leaked and he was furious, the emperor ordered the arrest, and he did have some murderous intentions in mind - although he could only be helpless and furious, making a lovable and charming villain in front of the Book of Heaven, the awe-inspiring imperial power was not something that could be insulted by his subjects. As long as Master Feixuan is willing to make up his mind to pay the political price, no matter who the cabinet ministers or famous figures of the two dynasties are, he can be killed with a wave of his hand. Who else dares to say anything? !
Unfortunately, after barely suppressing his anger and analyzing the complicated rules of the release of the Heavenly Book copy, the True Lord could not help but wilt. According to the restrictions of the rules, once the copy is released, it is bound, and the voice file will be played even if the paper version is destroyed; if the bound object dies or loses the ability to read, the Heavenly Book will randomly select a lucky person from the names mentioned in the log to release it again...
Of course, Tianshu also provides unbinding services, but it only requires a PIN code.
The rules have been blocked to this point, what else can Master Feixuan say? Controlling the two old men would also allow them to grasp the channel for the leakage of the Heavenly Book. If they really lost control due to anger, they would immediately fall into the dilemma of eating chicken indefinitely - even with the mighty imperial power, they would not be able to delete all the hundreds of names of people from all over the world in the log, right?
Imperial power also has its limits. The longer one sits on the throne, the more one will discover this, unless one transcends the limitations of ordinary emperors and reaches the semi-god realm of Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong, whose words were followed by everyone... But can the emperor abandon his beloved elixirs, precious inner treasury, and the carefree daily life of cultivating immortals, and choose to be an inhuman king of scrolls?
That is of course impossible. So if you want to kill all nine or ten generations of a clan, just forget it and don't dream about it.
Of course, temporary helpless forgiveness does not mean that the anger has truly subsided. The True Lord would not torture his old ministers, but he certainly would not keep them around to eat nothing. During the seven or eight days of house arrest, the two ministers had been writing confessions except for eating, drinking, defecating and urinating. They had to recall every bit of their dealings with the Heavenly Book, trying to be precise and accurate, word for word, and cross-check everywhere, which fully tested the ministers' memory. In their spare time after writing the confessions, they would most likely be dragged into the secret room of the Qingliang Palace to kneel down, waiting to listen to the heartbeats that would come out at any time.
If it cannot be eliminated physiologically, then we can only make full use of existing resources. Since the True Lord often misses the key content of his inner voice due to his anger, it would be a good idea to choose two coolies to take notes.
I didn't have to keep them waiting for long today. Before the old cold legs of the ministers came back, they began to murmur in their hearts:
[As usual, I ask myself every day: How can Daan’s cabinet be such a makeshift team? 】
Here we come!
The two elders shuddered all over and carefully moved their gaze, staring at the rising and falling spells on the divination table.
——Perhaps in order to make amends, Yan and Xu have not been doing nothing and waiting to die since they were placed under house arrest; apart from being humble and begging for mercy, they still occasionally find opportunities to make suggestions and try to demonstrate the value of their existence. The selection list for expanding the cabinet in the past was based on their suggestions. Through the normal process of central reorganization, possible candidates for the exiled immortal will be selected into the cabinet one by one, and the thinking can be adjusted in time through the feedback of the voice of the heart, which can greatly reduce the scope of surveillance. This method is aboveboard and can be carried out openly and without suspicion from the hidden exiled immortal.
In recent days, there has indeed been a large increase in complaints about the cabinet in the content of the voices of the heart; from this perspective, their strategy is indeed effective. Although we were unable to alert the enemy and directly find out what was wrong with the crowd, we at least narrowed the scope of suspicion to less than ten people, which was a significant progress.
Moreover, after the cabinet schedule was specially adjusted, there was an additional unexpected effect - the exiled immortal seemed to be directly exhausted by the trivial central affairs. Now even the frequency of complaints has greatly decreased, and the firepower is more focused on the ministers in the cabinet who are not behaving properly. The focus shifted, which is equivalent to letting Master Feixuan off the hook without realizing it; the degree of his foul mouth also cannot but be greatly reduced. After all, human power is limited but time is endless. Faced with endless time, no matter how rich the metaphors are, they will eventually become exhausted.
This can probably be considered another level of great victory. The inhumanity of the court officials finally broke through the vocabulary of the Heavenly Book. Man can conquer nature, this is truly true.
Naturally, Master Feixuan doesn't care whether the court is a decent person or not. He only cares about his own reputation. No matter you are at a loss for words or you have nothing to say after your vocabulary has been exhausted, you can't keep talking about the Book of Heaven every day. The embarrassment and anger caused by this would certainly be eliminated a lot. As a result, the True Lord's mood improved and he was willing to reward the elders with some soft knee cushions.
Today was no surprise, and as usual, he started to curse non-stop after speaking, but the attack power was much weaker, lacking the passion of his early witty remarks. Today he simply named the six ministers one by one, accusing them of "raising the average age of the cabinet and lowering the intelligence of the cabinet" after joining the cabinet. The effect of the humiliation was only satisfactory. After insulting the level, he started pointing fingers at the cabinet as a whole and complaining about the supply level:
[Sometimes you have to doubt how such a messed-up political system as the cabinet can still function until now? My grandmother's father only recently found out that these old men in the cabinet are on duty but are actually slacking off. After reviewing dozens of memorials, they have to go out for a snack - yes, there are snacks for sale outside the cabinet wall, such as pork buns, glutinous rice, cold noodles, etc., which are specially provided for important ministers and eunuchs to satisfy their hunger when they go out. A group of big guys take a walk after eating to digest their food, leaving all the things to the little shrimps to worry about. The little shrimp rolled and struggled in the official documents, but couldn't even taste the meat.
That’s right, the cabinet does not provide meals!
The big boss has followers who bring him food, and he can go out for a walk by himself, but a small fry like me can only starve. What happened to the little shrimp? Don’t small shrimps have human rights? Should little shrimps starve?
I really don't know who made this rule. He is so stingy!
】
He spoke out his inner thoughts at length, all in one breath. It seemed that he was holding a grudge and was eager to vent it. But no matter how much he chattered, the three people in the secret room remained calm and composed, and were basically unmoved.
Of course, there was no need to touch anything. Anyway, the cabinet rules were not set by the three of them, and the one who greeted them was not their grandmother, so why are they in such a hurry?
Besides, can you add more to the court’s food whenever you want? Even though the meals may seem insignificant, the rules are the ancestral rules set during the time of Emperor Gaozu. Everyone knows Emperor Gaozu's temper. Would he prepare any snacks for his subordinates, or even hot soup in winter and cold drinks in summer, according to the rules he personally set? I'm going to blind your mind!
Do you think you are Empress Ma and the Emperor has to pay for it just because you ask for more money?
Our dynasty respects Heaven and follows the ancestors, and it is impossible to change the ancestral system. If we really want to prepare meals according to the ancestral system, even important officials of the second or third rank would only have a budget of half a tael of silver at most. Considering the extravagance and waste in the palace today, it is estimated that it is only enough to make a meal with sewage. Moreover, since this was the "great grace of the emperor", after receiving the reward, the important officials had to drink up the bucket of sewage completely without leaving any residue...
Even a mean and ungrateful creature like the emperor sometimes feels guilty about making his subordinates eat sewage and do hard labor. Therefore, starting from the time of Emperor Taizong, the imperial court granted special grace and withdrew the reward meals, and the practice has continued to this day.
This is all the emperor's heavenly kindness. The banished immortal should know how to appreciate it.
[…So, people are just different.] It is said that in history, Yan Laodeng was able to keep the cabinet tightly under control thanks to his attentiveness, thoughtfulness and carefulness. Regardless of anything else, he would get up early every day to bring breakfast and snacks to everyone in the cabinet. In winter, he would give them hot soup and hot rice, and in summer, he would give them chilled melon and white fungus soup. After more than ten years of greetings being the same day after day, with the other old man who is sarcastic and has a mouth full of pork buns as a contrast, how can the people at all levels not be loyal to them and consider the prime minister in everything?
Everyone knows that Lord Yan is a treacherous villain, but Lord Yan brought everyone iced Tremella soup!
The Zhu emperors deducted a lot of money from the salary every month, and a small half of it had to be converted into paper money that was too hard to even wipe one's butt; yet they were able to make everyone crazy about them, and the royal family's kindness will be repaid for generations to come. Lord Yan pays for everyone's food and drinks every day, so how can that not be considered a new kind of favor?
Apart from anything else, at least until the cabinet supplies hot meals and cold drinks, we will not recognize anyone except Lord Yan!
】
The weird tone of the Heavenly Book lingered in the air, and Master Feixuan and Master Qingmiao, who were sitting cross-legged on the hexagram platform, finally moved. Elder Yan, who had been holding his breath and watching for any movement at any time, reacted immediately, quickly prostrated himself on the ground, and said the lines he had prepared long ago in a mournful manner:
"I am a flatterer without bones, unable to govern with integrity, but obsessed with these small favors; my behavior is really damaging to the reputation of the holy dynasty, and my crime is the greatest!"
After saying this, he kowtowed repeatedly, his expression sad and frightened, showing that he was truly filled with remorse. Lord Xu, who was also kneeling beside him, glanced at him secretly, and was very alert in his heart - no wonder this old guy Yan Fenyi always manages to seize the initiative in the drafting of the bill! I originally thought that this old guy was gifted and was particularly good at licking the emperor's hook. But now it seems that he is just trying to buy people's hearts with little affection and friendship!
This old man Yan Fenyi will do anything to get ahead. Even if he told Qingliu about these methods, Qingliu would not do them... Well, Lord Xu actually wanted to imitate him; but Qingliu always had a noble and aloof personality, as indifferent as a chrysanthemum. Licking the emperor could be considered loyal, but what about licking him below? Lord Xu could only stare blankly.
Elder Yan apologized so cautiously and nervously, but True Lord Feixuan just grunted and did not make any other moves. Of course, he knew about his subordinates' little tricks to win people's hearts, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He knew Yan Fenyi's abilities. Not only was he daring enough to take bribes and seize power, but he was also very brave. But what about "We don't recognize anyone except Lord Yan"? It was probably just Tianshu's usual nonsense and mental disorder. He had been listening to these crazy talks for so long that he didn't take them seriously.
Of course, the necessary beatings must still be given. Master Fei Xuan spoke calmly:
"Thank you, Yan Fenyi, for helping me to calm down the people. Should I thank you for something?"
"I am so terrified!" Yan Fenyi's voice trembled as he knelt forward and kowtowed repeatedly: "I was just a little confused and had my mind clouded, so I did something so wrong!"
"How could you, Lord Yan, be so confused? That's really strange."
"I am confused!" Yan Fenyi said in panic, "I always think that the ruler is the ruler, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son, and the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues are natural and just; a minister serves the ruler just like a son serves his father and a wife serves her husband, and everything must be considered carefully. I also always think that I am honored to be in the cabinet, just like a wife presiding over household affairs. Not only should I respect and serve my husband, but I should also take good care of the concubines and maids. So sometimes I use my mind in the wrong way, and instead of taking care of the major affairs of the court, I care about these trivial matters. I deserve to die, and I have failed the grace of Your Majesty..."
These words were so corny and flattering that they made Lord Xu, who was standing beside him, feel nauseous. Although it is common to compare the monarch and his subjects to husband and wife, publicly declaring one's sincere and passionate love for the husband, even to the extent of loving all the concubines, is still a bit too much of a cross-border scholar's bottom line. What’s more, this corny metaphor clearly conceals something sinister and malicious—what is “the wife is in charge of the household affairs”? A wife is equal to you. As a second-in-command in the cabinet, are you worthy of comparing yourself to the monarch's wife? Prime Minister Xia Yan hasn't died yet! Even if you become the Prime Minister in the future, at best you will just be a concubine!
——Besides, if you, Lao Deng, are considered my “wife”, then what are I and Li Jurong? The concubine you sold at will?
Mr. Yan, don’t sleep too deeply at night!
Unfortunately, no matter how dissatisfied Lord Xu was, he couldn't say a word at this moment. Yan Fenyi might not be unaware of how disgusting this confession is. But the reason why he was so artificial, coy and unrestrained in fawning was precisely to clear himself of all ties with True Lord Feixuan with utmost caution and prudence - don't forget, the reason why he, Yan Fenyi, was involved in the hot potato of the Heavenly Book was all because of True Lord's trembling hands and misoperation, and it was not out of his own will; he himself had always been loyal to his emperor and father, and loyal to the court, and would never dare to overstep the line; the blame for the Heavenly Book could not be put on him in any case.
Because of this, the more disgusting, cautious, and fearful Yan Fenyi behaves, the more he can clear himself of any connection with the Heavenly Book. By the way, he can also set an example for Xu Shaohu, who had deliberately concealed the truth. He can both pull and step on others while showing his loyalty. There is no better shrewd calculation than this.
Fei Xuan Zhen Jun obviously understood what Elder Yan was up to, so his expression gradually softened:
"The Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues are the great principles of heaven. As long as we act in accordance with the Three Bonds, how can we be confused? The Three Bonds are one. A wife must respect and love her husband, and a husband must also love his wife. I love you, my ministers, just as I love my own wife..."
To be honest, given the miserable experiences of the previous queens, if they really loved their subjects as much as they loved their wives, I'm afraid everyone would be very cautious. However, before the remaining two important officials had time to realize this flaw, the voice of the Heavenly Book came in in time:
[It would be fine if they were not human beings, but the work attitude of these old men is also very suspicious. He could not review more than fifty memorials a day. After reading for a long time, he said his eyes hurt and handed all the tasks to the new laborers. But even though my eyes hurt, I was very happy to lie down and read the storybook.
But when it comes to storytelling, I have to admire the psychological qualities of these old men. You said that you can just read storybooks in the central government office, but you have to read something with color. It’s fine if it’s colored, but the ordinary "X Ping Mei" can’t satisfy them. I heard that what they are reading now is "The Western Garden is Deep in Spring and the Cabinet is Locked Up", which seems very exciting - oh, reading the rumor book about colleagues and the emperor in the cabinet, it’s a pity that they have the nerve to read it...
However, the private publishing industry in the Da'an Dynasty was incredibly developed. Judging from the last West Garden banquet, the two old men, Yan and Xu, have been under house arrest for only ten days, and yet there are already books with embroidered portraits on the market. They are exquisitely carved and carefully mounted, and can be called a work of art. In terms of efficiency alone, it is more than ten times higher than that of the imperial court. It is said that after the vacancy of the cabinet minister was removed, the cabinet is still slowly adjusting the duty roster of Yan Fenyi and Xu Shaohu. The contrast between the two is so tragic that we can only say that the free market is too great and the invisible hand is truly omnipotent.
Of course, considering the two old men’s faces that are as wrinkled as loofahs, I still have to feel a little sorry for Master Feixuan. Poor Emperor! 】
The voice log happily finished complaining about the folk masterpiece "The Western Garden is Locked Up in Spring", and the last word "了" was still echoing in the air; the quiet room, caught off guard, had fallen completely silent.
The wronged Master Fei Xuan: …………
Elder Yan and Elder Xu, who are like loofahs: …………
The terrifying and depressing stupor lasted for a moment, until someone's psychological defenses completely collapsed - Yan Fenyi, who had just been talking about the "Ways of Ruler, Minister, and Husband and Wife", rolled his eyes and finally collapsed.
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