As soon as the emperor left, some people couldn't help but come forward to test him.
But Ning Zhuo still didn't know the emperor's specific arrangements, so he didn't dare to approach these people easily. No matter how enthusiastic they were, he just said, "How dare I, an old country bumpkin, be honored by your majesty? I'm ashamed."
On the contrary, Cao Xiong had already received instructions from Zhao Xin, and he was flattering him with all his might.
"We don't know who this Mr. Ning Zhuoning is.
I only occasionally hear His Majesty sigh that the greatest gain from this trip to the Great Wilderness was not the treasure of Emperor Yu, nor the thwarting of the false Qi King's conspiracy, but the ability to persuade Mr. Ning to come out of retirement."
As soon as these words were spoken, the officials in front of the Suzaku Gate couldn't help but stir, and even Liu Muzhi and others were secretly surprised.
I don’t know where this Mr. Ning comes from.
However, when everyone asked about the details, Cao Xiong refused to say more.
I just said that Mr. Ning was tired from traveling all the way. If you want to discuss academic matters with Mr. Ning, you must let him rest for two days.
After hearing what he said, everyone naturally decided not to get involved.
But they couldn't help but become more suspicious in their hearts.
After Cao Xiong took Ning Zhuo away, everyone couldn't help but start talking.
"What is the background of this Mr. Ning, and how could he deserve such high praise from the Emperor?"
"My Lord, you are well-informed and well-connected. Have you ever heard of a great scholar named Ning in Bingzhou?"
"There are no great scholars in Bingzhou. I've never heard of anyone with the surname Ning, let alone any other surname..."
The minister known as the prince said with disdain.
Obviously, he was very suspicious of Mr. Ning.
The others couldn't help but nod secretly, and they were also secretly suspicious in their hearts.
It would be fine if Mr. Ning came from somewhere else, but Bingzhou is basically the same as border states like Youzhou and Yanzhou, or even worse.
At least there are military nobles in this border area.
Even wealthy families are scarce in Bingzhou, let alone aristocratic families who have never intervened. In their eyes, it is almost like a cultural wasteland.
How could there be any great scholars in a place like that?
But some people were not so sure and said: "That's not necessarily the case. There may be some sages left in the mountains."
Soon, speculation about Ning Zhuo's identity spread throughout the capital along with the news of the emperor's return.
So there was a new topic of discussion in the capital.
In the blink of an eye, two days passed. It had been two days since the emperor returned to Beijing, but this kind of discussion not only did not disappear, but became even more rampant.
Some people said that the emperor brought back an old immortal from Bingzhou who was able to predict the future five hundred years ahead and five hundred years into the future.
Some people said that the emperor was deceived and that Mr. Ning was a swindler.
The former of these two kinds of rumors is generally circulated among ordinary people, while the latter is mostly spread among scholars.
But the emperor did not respond at all.
Instead, news came from the palace that the emperor only met with the empress, concubines and other harem concubines on the night he returned to Beijing, and then went into seclusion in the Southern Study.
Two days passed, but no news came out.
Gradually, even the wealthy families in Beijing began to become suspicious.
"Mr. Han, what do you think the emperor is planning to do? Is he really deceived, or does he have some other purpose?
Moreover, he has been back in Beijing for two days, but he hasn't made any moves at all. Is he in seclusion at this time..."
Nangong family, Nangong Shang couldn't help but sneer.
After hearing the news, he also became suspicious.
And he was undoubtedly more anxious than others.
He was still making preparations. When the emperor started to provide disaster relief or take other actions, he would interfere and instigate a fight between the emperor and other wealthy families.
Then he could take advantage of the situation and convince the elders of the Nangong family to agree to the strategy that Han Zhuowu had set for him.
But the emperor did not take any action for a long time. He went into seclusion as soon as he returned to the capital, and stayed there for two days.
What is this operation? I don't understand it at all.
As the Son of Heaven, is he really going to turn a blind eye to the disaster in the capital and other prefectures and counties?
"The tyrant is truly a tyrant!
As the Son of Heaven, he actually ignored the disaster before him and the affairs of state, and instead hid away in seclusion in the deep palace. Could it be that he still wanted to live forever?"
The more Nangong Shang thought about it, the angrier he became, and he couldn't help but curse. If outsiders saw him at this moment, they might think he was a loyal minister who cared about the country and the people.
Of course, Han Zhuowu must have known that he was neither a concerned person for the country and the people, nor a loyal minister. It was just because the emperor did not take the actions they expected, so they felt they had no idea where to start.
However, the emperor's recent actions have indeed shown the style of a tyrant.
First, he adopted a group of young refugees as his adopted sons and had the empress raise them. He also renovated the Duanhua Palace, which had been abandoned during the previous emperor's reign, into a school and had the empress and other concubines, including Consort Ming, teach them personally.
Now, some great scholar has been found from nowhere, and it is said that he is going to be hired as the emperor's teacher.
The former is not so bad, at least there is a fig leaf, it can be said that the mother is teaching the son, and for the Qingliu gentry, although it is ridiculous for the queen to teach refugees, it has nothing to do with them.
It won't hinder them.
But the latter is different.
Because for the gentry and scholars, in addition to interests, there is also a struggle for cultural heritage.
Starting from the Hundred Schools of Thought, to Huang-Lao and Confucianism, and then to the dispute between the ancient and modern literary schools within Confucianism.
It can be said that this kind of struggle has never stopped until now.
Sometimes such struggles are more brutal and life-and-death than simple struggles for interests.
And many times, these people were arguing about what kind of ideology the emperor or the ruler believed in.
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