After all, it’s the prime minister’s residence, how could there be such a person?
Even if there was, he would not admit it even if Cai Jing was beaten to death.
"Forget it! Just send someone to bring over a horse, or a mule, or a donkey, anything alive will do."
"What...what are you going to do?"
Cai Jing and Zhao Ji looked at each other, confused as to what was wrong with Zhang Shixun.
Zhang Shixun urged, "I'm going to summon heavenly thunder to transfer the punishment from heaven to the beasts... Prime Minister Cai, don't just stand there in a daze. Give the orders quickly. If you delay any longer, my life span will be greatly shortened."
Cai Jing hurriedly shouted outside, "Oh! I understand. I'll get someone to get him right away... Cai Xiu! Cai Xiu!"
Zhang Shixun tried hard to hold back his laughter and his face turned red.
you understand?
How come you understand something that even I don’t understand?
Zhao Ji stared at him with his mouth wide open, and it seemed that he would not be able to close it for a while.
A young man in gorgeous clothes came crawling in. He was one of Cai Jing's many sons - Cai Xiu.
Cai Jing's lips trembled as he ordered, "Xiu'er, go quickly! Tell someone to bring a mule over here, quickly!"
Cai Xiu was a young man who was completely confused and thought his father was old and senile.
Cai Jing paused with his cane and said, "Don't just stand there, go!"
"Oh! I'll go now."
Cai Xiu ran out in a daze, and then in a daze asked someone to bring a mule.
Zhang Shixun took out his pistol and loaded the bullet with a "click".
"Shixun! You're going to use it to summon thunder?"
Zhao Ji had heard from Zhao Kai that Zhang Shixun could summon thunder from the sky, and he had always been skeptical. Now that he heard that Zhang Shixun wanted to summon thunder from the sky, he certainly would not let go of the opportunity to see it easily.
"Your Majesty, if you want to see it, let's go outside together."
Zhang Shixun performed it for him and Cai Jing.
"Of course I want to see it." Zhao Ji walked out. When he reached the door, he turned around and said to Cai Jing, "Yuan Chang, come with us."
"Oh!" Cai Jing was still in a daze. He really couldn't figure out whether there was really a way to summon thunder from the sky?
Although he was a powerful official, he received Confucian education since childhood. Confucianism emphasizes the doctrine of the mean and takes humanity as the criterion for practice.
Confucianists throughout the ages have followed the principle of "the Master does not speak of strange things" and "respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance." Therefore, he was a little hesitant about whether he should watch Zhang Shixun summon the thunder.
"Father, let me help you out."
Although Cai Xiu was still confused, when he saw the official leave, he came over to support his father.
Zhang Shixun came outside excitedly with a gun in hand. There was already a servant standing outside leading a mule.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Cai, please cover your ears. I am about to summon heavenly thunder."
"Oh!" Zhao Ji agreed quickly, covering his ears with his hands. His expression was completely different from before, and there was even a hint of excitement.
Zhang Shixun shook his head secretly and thought to himself, artists' emotions change quickly.
Looking at Cai Jing again, he was being supported by Cai You, the crutch in his hand had been passed to his son, and he himself was trembling and covering his ears.
Zhang Shixun raised the mule's gun, pointed it at the mule's head, and pulled the trigger. With a "bang", the mule fell to the ground without even making a sound.
The servants and maids around screamed and looked at the mule's body on the ground with horror on their faces.
Although the mule was dead, its four hooves were still twitching.
Blood splattered all over the ground.
Zhao Ji fainted; his nerves could not withstand the continuous shocks.
"Official! Official!"
One imperial physician squatted beside him and shouted loudly, while another took his pulse.
Cai Jing ignored the people around him and stared at the dead mule on the ground.
Zhao Ji woke up with a groan, his eyes blank.
"Your Majesty!" Zhang Shixun walked over and helped him up.
Zhao Ji muttered to himself: "Heaven and Earth! I... respect Heaven, Earth, and my ancestors! I am worthy... worthy of..."
He wanted to say that he had a clear conscience, but he couldn't say the last word "heart" no matter how hard he tried.
"Your Majesty, let's go back to the house."
Zhao Ji was at a loss. When he saw the mule's corpse and the flowing blood on the ground, he shuddered and quickly turned his head away.
Zhang Shixun helped him back to the study, sat him down on a chair, and poured him another glass of water.
Cai Jing, also supported by his son, entered the room. He pointed a withered finger at Zhang Shixun and shouted, "Zhang Shixun, how dare you use sorcery to deceive the emperor!"
"Prime Minister Cai, you are a wise man. Let me ask you: In this bright and clear world, with the sun and moon shining, where does this sorcery come from?" Zhang Shixun patted his chest and spoke righteously, "Since returning to the Great Song, everything I, Zhang Shixun, have done has been entirely for the Great Song. My sincere heart is evident to all. As for summoning the thunderbolt, it was truly a helpless act. I was so concerned about my country and its people that I unknowingly revealed the secrets of Heaven. Even if I summoned the thunderbolt to shift the blame for revealing the secrets onto the beast, my own life span would inevitably be shortened... Prime Minister Cai, everything I do is for the Great Song, for Your Majesty and you."
Cai Jing was speechless, his mind was in a mess.
What happened in the study today was far beyond his understanding. Scolding Zhang Shixun was completely a habit of those who had been in a high position for a long time.
"Shixun, I now believe you are the Heavenly Master." This was Zhao Ji's first words after he regained consciousness. "Therefore..."
"Your Majesty! Please be careful with your words!" Cai Jing hurriedly stopped him from speaking any further.
Zhang Shixun straightened his clothes and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there are no gods or heavenly masters in this world. I am just an ordinary citizen of the Great Song Dynasty."
At this point, who would believe you if you still pretend to be an ordinary person?
Cai Xiu was very perceptive. He quickly changed the tea and poured a new cup for Zhao Ji.
Zhao Ji's hands were still shaking a little, and when the teacup was close to his lips, the tea spilled out and wet his chest.
"Sir, a person's destiny is not set in stone."
Zhang Shixun felt that the time was right and began to give Zhao Ji hope.
Zhao Ji's eyes lit up: "Shixun, are you saying that God's will can be changed?"
"There's a good saying, have you heard it?"
"You tell me!"
"Man can conquer nature!"
Zhao Ji was stunned. He couldn't remember the origin of this sentence, so he looked at Cai Jing inquiringly. Unexpectedly, Cai Jing didn't know either. He only heard Cai Jing ask: "Shixun, where did this sentence come from?"
"From..." Zhang Shixun immediately realized that this sentence came from later times. His mind was in a mess, and he blurted out, "I heard it from a wise man. He also said: 'For there is sacrifice, there is ambition, and we dare to change the sun and the moon into a new sky.'"
As soon as the words came out, I felt something was wrong. Talking about "a new world" in front of the emperor, wasn't that awkward?
However, Zhao Ji did not show any displeasure, but just repeated the last sentence in his mouth.
Cai Jing pondered for a moment, then once again addressed Zhang Shixun's comments: "Your Majesty, the saying 'man can conquer nature' is worth pondering. The saying 'man can conquer nature' means that man can conquer nature, not that man can conquer nature."
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