Cai Jing was very efficient. He entered the palace the day before, and early the next morning, eunuchs came to invite Zhang Shixun into the palace.
Following the eunuch into Xuande Gate, Zhang Shixun took out a PDA from his pocket and took pictures as he walked. When he was about to reach Yanfu Palace, he simply switched to video mode and continued walking and taking pictures until he arrived in front of a side hall.
Inside the hall, Zhao Ji sat in the middle, with Cai Jing sitting next to him, and Liang Shicheng, Wang Fu, Li Bangyan and others standing by.
Zhang Shixun entered the hall without any greeting. He took a lot of photos of Zhao Ji, constantly changing the angles.
Wang Fu saw this and shouted, "Your Majesty is here, why don't you come forward and pay your respects?"
Zhang Shixun quickly turned the camera towards him.
Wang Fu saw that he was acting as if he was alone and scolded him, "How rude of you!"
Zhang Shixun sighed, stopped filming, and shook his head, saying, "Shut up!"
"you!"
Zhang Shixun ignored him and bowed to Zhao Ji, saying, "Your Majesty, I was just filming you and the other ministers present here, but was interrupted by Wang Fu... It's a pity that the grace of Your Majesty and the ministers cannot be fully captured in the Heavenly Book. What a pity."
Zhao Ji was quite annoyed when he heard this and glared at Wang Fu fiercely.
"Look, Your Majesty." Zhang Shixun turned on the video and waved it towards them. "This is you, and this is Prime Minister Cai and the others."
"Shixun, come closer, I can't see clearly." Zhao Ji was nearly fifty years old and his eyesight was not very good.
Zhang Shixun approached Zhao Ji and said with a smile, "Your Majesty is an emperor, with an elegant temperament and a radiant spirit... Take a look for yourself."
Zhang Shixun handed him the PDA.
Zhao Ji took the computer with trembling hands and stared at the images in the video.
"This is me, haha! This is really me." He pointed at himself on the screen, grinning from ear to ear, "Oh my! This is Yuanchang, this is Shoudao, this is Shimei..."
When he saw Wang Fu's face scolding Zhang Shixun in the video, he frowned in disgust.
Wang Fu's face turned pale, and he shrank his neck and said nothing.
Zhang Shixun is his nemesis. Whenever he is around, he is always the one who is unlucky.
Cai Jing and others watched the video and couldn't stop laughing.
Zhao Ji pointed at himself in the video and asked, "Shixun, is my image already in the Heavenly Book?"
Zhang Shixun said nonsensically, "Your Majesty, this is just a temporary image. It will disappear soon. Only by officially uploading it to the Heavenly Palace can it be preserved permanently."
Hearing that it could be preserved forever, Zhao Ji's breathing became heavy: "You mean, a hundred years later, my descendants will be able to see my portrait?"
"Not just a hundred years later, but even thousands or even tens of thousands of years from now, it can be seen. And with this instant audio and video, it feels as if it's right in front of you, so vivid and lifelike."
"It's a magical weapon." Zhao Ji took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the fingerprints on the screen.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Cai has undoubtedly informed you. I wish to project your glorious image before the many ministers, princes, and hundreds of thousands of citizens of the capital on the Lantern Festival."
"Yes! I agree." Zhao Ji's face flushed with excitement.
"At the same time, I also want to show the envoys from various countries the mighty military of the Song Dynasty."
"I agree."
"If possible, I will invite fairies from heaven to sing and dance for the soldiers and people of the Song Dynasty."
"Fairy...fairy?" When Zhao Ji heard this, his throat rolled and he swallowed his saliva.
Everyone present looked at each other, half believing and half doubting.
Cai Jing spoke up, "Scholars, be careful with your words! How can you speak without hesitation in front of the emperor?"
Zhao Ji asked in a trembling voice, "Can Shixun really invite fairies to descend to the mortal world?"
"I can only say that we should give it a try. Whether it will succeed depends on whether Your Majesty is sincere."
"What should I do?"
"Your Majesty needs to take a bath, change clothes, burn incense and pray..." Zhang Shixun was interrupted by Cai Jing after he said two sentences.
"Shixun, if you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. The Lantern Festival is a day of celebration. Your Majesty prayed to the heavens and performed auspicious ceremonies. The court has its own rules for etiquette, so don't worry about it."
Zhang Shixun bowed and said, "Prime Minister Cai is right. It is your humble servant Meng who has been reckless."
"What else do you need? Tell us everything you want in front of the officials."
"It requires a luxurious stage."
Cai Jing said, "It's just a small matter."
"I need to gather relevant artists in the capital."
"His Majesty has appointed you as the Deputy Director of the Imperial Music Bureau. You can command all the artists in the capital at will."
"I need a place to rehearse."
"The backyard of Fanlou is very large, and the government has promised you that you can use it at any time."
"I need the First Army of the Right Wing of the Tianwu Army to have new uniforms and be equipped with weapons."
"Cai Jing reported this to me yesterday. You want to send the military's appearance to Heaven, right?" Zhao Ji took over the topic. Seeing Zhang Shixun nod, he said, "My imperial guards are much more powerful than your First Army. If you..."
"Your Majesty," Zhang Shixun interrupted him, explaining, "Your Imperial Guards are certainly mighty and majestic, but I want a disciplined military appearance and a uniform formation. The First Army has undergone many days of training, and their military posture is undoubtedly superior to the other guards..."
Wang Fu couldn't help himself and muttered softly, "What nonsense!"
Zhang Shixun glanced at him, ignored him, and continued, "When recording the military formations and appearances in the heavenly book, Your Majesty must come forward. You are the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty and the Commander-in-Chief of the Great Song Dynasty Army..."
He almost said the title of Commander-in-Chief. In that era, there was no such title as Commander.
"Shixun wants Your Majesty to stand in front of the army to boost morale? To record Your Majesty's heroic image in the heavenly book?" Cai Jing was very smart and understood what Zhang Shixun meant before he finished speaking.
"That's exactly what I mean. Just imagine: Your Majesty in military uniform, riding on a majestic warhorse, facing the strict formation of the First Army, with a wave of his hand, how... this and that... agile, mighty, and heroic." Zhang Shixun struggled to find the words in his mind, trying his best to flatter Zhao Ji.
Only by making this old man dizzy can we get things done.
Zhao Ji was really dizzy.
He considered himself a genius, but never thought of becoming "powerful".
Civil and military achievements have always been the dream of all emperors. Today, Zhang Shixun's instigation hit Zhao Ji's sore spot, and his mind suddenly became active.
In his mind, he imagined himself riding a warhorse, raising his arms and shouting, and behind him, thousands of brave soldiers responded in unison, the shouts shaking the sky...
So tempting! So shocking!
Liang Shicheng asked, "Shixun, do you want the images of His Majesty and the soldiers to appear in the Heavenly Book at the same time?"
"Of course. Your Majesty is the commander-in-chief of the three armies. Why can't you appear in front of the soldiers? Back then, Emperor Taizu not only personally attended the battle, but also led the soldiers into battle many times."
"Good!" Zhao Ji clapped his hands and laughed, "Shixun's words are very good. I approve!"
He stood up, walked excitedly to Zhang Shixun, patted Zhang Shixun on the shoulder, and praised him: "Shixun is my thousand-mile horse."
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