Zhao Kai said, "Father, rumors are spreading in the capital that Zhang Shixun is the true Heavenly Master. He came here because a disaster is about to befall the Song Dynasty."
Liang Shicheng said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Shixun is impersonating the Heavenly Master, and his intentions are sinister. The day before yesterday, Wang Fu came to me and warned me that Zhang Shixun's background is unknown, and his actions are suspicious. We should be more cautious of him... Your Majesty, Wang Fu's concerns are not unfounded. It's better to be safe than sorry..."
He had long wanted to take revenge on Zhang Shixun, but he had never found the right opportunity.
Since Zhang Shixun was being discussed today, Liang Shicheng took the opportunity to insert a thorn.
Liang Shicheng knew his master's personality too well: he was frivolous by nature and had no backbone.
As for Zhang Shixun, he scoffed at the theory of the Heavenly Master. Since entering the palace, he has seen all kinds of liars, including Zhang Xubai, Wang Laozhi, Lin Lingsu, Liu Hunkang, Wang Zhicheng, Wen Taibao... In order to flatter the emperor, these Taoists said things like "prosperity and greatness", "if you have great power and can combine both, you will definitely have peace", and also lied about auspicious signs, such as "the Yellow River is clear", "birds give birth to phoenixes", "cows give birth to unicorns", etc.
There were also many Taoists who claimed that the emperor was a god in heaven. In the end, even the emperor believed that he was the son of the Lord of Heaven and the Emperor of Daxiao.
However, although these people had a great time, they all played too hard in the end, and their true colors were exposed one after another, and they were kicked out.
For this reason, the officials complained privately: There are no real Taoist masters in this dynasty.
Zhao Kai seemed to disagree with Liang Shicheng's words. He glanced at him quietly and said to Zhao Ji, "Father, Zhang Shixun seems to be very sensible. He doesn't admit that he is the Heavenly Master. Gao Chengzong once asked him about this matter, and he flatly denied it, saying that he was just an ordinary citizen of the Great Song Dynasty."
Zhao Ji heard this and asked him, "Third brother, there are no outsiders here. Look at Zhang Shixun and see if he has any hidden intentions."
Since there were no outsiders present, Zhao Ji asked the question very bluntly without any concealment.
"Your Majesty, I see this man as a man of righteous integrity, definitely not one of evil." Zhao Kai thought for a long time before answering, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I have planted three men from the Imperial City Bureau within the First Army. I have full control over Zhang Shixun's every move. If anything seems amiss, I will report it immediately to Your Majesty."
Zhao Ji nodded: "Third brother, please take care of this matter."
Zhao Kai obeyed the order without hesitation.
"Zhang Shixun promised me that he would let me see the Heavenly Book every few days. Send someone to ask him tomorrow. This promise counts."
Zhao Kai said, "I will send someone to ask him tomorrow."
Zhao Ji frowned, and said worriedly, "I saw the heavenly book at Shoudao's house that day. It was so vivid, as if it were happening right before my eyes. The horror of its contents was truly horrifying. In the past few days, I have been feeling uneasy and terrified."
"Father, I want to ask you, what exactly did you see in the heavenly book that made you so... so uneasy?" Zhao Kai asked with concern.
"The Heavenly Book showed me the wars of the Western world, not the Middle-earth world." Zhao Ji recalled the scenes in the Heavenly Book and gripped the armrests of his chair tightly with both hands. He said, "Zhang Shixun said that the Song Dynasty will face a war in a few years..."
Liang Shicheng hurriedly said, "Sir, don't listen to his nonsense. He is spreading rumors and misleading the people."
Zhao Ji shook his head and said, "Shoudao, even if you don't believe Zhang Shixun, the heavenly book in his hand is absolutely true. There is no room for doubt on this point."
"Your Majesty..." Liang Shicheng was about to say something, but was stopped by Zhao Ji. "I have no doubt about the heavenly book in his hand. There is absolutely no possibility of forgery."
Zhao Ji believed his own eyes, or rather, he would rather believe it than not.
Liang Shicheng coughed lightly and said, "The Tianwu Army is one of the four upper armies. For the sake of prudence, Your Majesty must not give him too much military power to prevent any unexpected events."
"I have already told Gao Qiu that Zhang Shixun's authority is limited to the First Army... Shoudao, you seem to have a prejudice against him."
Except in formal occasions, Zhao Ji generally would not call himself "I" in front of Liang Shicheng. Now that he called himself like this, it was already a serious matter.
Liang Shicheng quickly bent down and answered carefully, "Your Majesty, I have never met Zhang Shixun before, and I have no prejudice against him. I just feel that he is a martial arts expert, his behavior is unconventional, and he also possesses the Heavenly Book. This makes me feel a little uneasy."
"So, Wang Fu also thinks the same as you?"
"Wang Fu seems to be more worried than I am."
"I know that Wang Fu and Zhang Shixun have a personal grudge."
"This... I don't know."
Liang Shicheng pretended to be confused.
Zhao Kai smiled and interrupted, "I have heard a little about their affair."
Zhao Ji was very interested and was always optimistic about the conflicts among his ministers.
"Zhang Shixun also mentioned his feud with Wang Fu, but I didn't believe what he said. If you know, please tell me in detail."
"Zhang Shixun and Gao Chengzong were watching a play in the Lotus Pavilion when an argument ensued between them and Wang Fu's son. They were subsequently arrested by Nie Shan of Kaifeng Prefecture and thrown into the Kaifeng jail. Wang Fu remained calm and unresponsive, as if nothing had happened."
Liang Shicheng said, "This is because Lord Wang is so generous that he doesn't bother with children."
Zhao Kai smiled and didn't respond, continuing, "Later, Wang Fu fell in love with a head of the peony shed..."
Zhao Ji asked with a smile, "I have heard a little about this matter. Is this leader called Sun Sansi?"
"It's Sun Sansi. It turns out that the emperor also knows about this matter."
"I've heard Li... I've heard others say it."
Zhao Ji almost said Li Shishi's name, but suddenly realized that it was inappropriate to mention her name in front of his son, so he remained vague.
Zhao Kai knew of Li Shishi and his father's flaws, but he remained oblivious. He continued, "As Prime Minister, Wang Fu couldn't just take Sun Xingshou home. So he sent people to disrupt the peony shed, hoping to force Sun Sansi out of his job. Unexpectedly, Zhang Shixun intervened and, along with Gao Chengzong, dealt with the troublemakers."
Liang Shicheng said, "I remember now. They did something very wrong in this matter. They actually gathered the ruffians from the Tianwu Army and went to the Peony Pavilion... Your Majesty, the imperial court will never tolerate the unauthorized mobilization of troops."
"Grandmaster Liang is overthinking it," Zhao Kai said, shaking his head. "These two are very cautious. They know the court's laws and didn't directly mobilize the soldiers of the Tianwu Army. Instead, they asked Chief Sun for some tickets to watch the play and gave them to the ruffians."
Liang Shicheng said: "Although it does not appear to violate the imperial law, it has in fact violated it in disguise."
Zhao Ji waved his hand and said with a smile, "Zhang Shixun was still a commoner at that time and had no connection with the Tianwu Army. This must have been the idea of Gao Qiu's son."
"Your Majesty is wise, it was Gao Chengzong who did it, haha!"
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