Chapter 372 Inspection Place
Hearing what Grandpa said, Dongfang Qing widened her eyes and looked incredulous: "Really?"
The fortune teller touched her head and said with a smile, "Don't you like going to their house the most?"
Dongfang Qing asked again: "Grandpa, are you going with me?"
The fortune-teller shook his head and said, "After the Lantern Festival, Grandpa will leave Chang'an for a while. During this time, you will stay at Big Brother's house. When Grandpa is away, you can't play too much. You must remember to practice every day..."
Li Nuo clasped his fists and said, "Thank you, senior."
Although he decided to go out for training, he was not arrogant enough to think that he could run rampant in Da Xia with his current strength.
If there is someone in the sixth realm by your side, there will be nothing to worry about.
Li Nuo only knows two people in the sixth realm. His master is practicing in Sanqing Mountain, so he would not want to trouble her with these matters. This senior from the East often travels around, so he is the most suitable person to travel with.
Even though the Yin-Yang Family is not known for its absolute strength, it is definitely the one that people of the same level are most reluctant to provoke.
As expected of a Yin-Yang master of the sixth realm, he knew his purpose before Li Nuo even opened his mouth.
Dongfang Xuan waved his hand and said, "I'm free anyway, so it's good to go out for a walk. However, you have to remember that you owe me a favor, and you have to pay it back in the future..."
Li Nuo said: "This is natural."
Watching his granddaughter and Li Nuo leave, the fortune teller sighed.
The Yin-Yangists can guess too many secrets of heaven. Although they are better off than emperors who have great fortune for the country, it is difficult for them to live long.
He was not afraid of death, but the only thing he was worried about was the last bloodline of the Dongfang family.
The Dongfang family has fallen, while their old enemy is at the peak of his power. Before he dies, Qing'er must find a strong supporter...
Ningxin Garden.
Dongfang Qing was holding a huge peach and eating it. Yiren was beside her, asking her about Yin-Yang magic.
After becoming a Grandmaster, except for the beginning when she wanted to compete with An Ning for victory, she also practiced hard for a few days. However, after realizing that it was impossible to defeat An Ning who was at the same level, she gave up on her own initiative.
In fact, most warriors, even those with natural talent, can only reach the level of a grandmaster in their entire lives.
The difference in talent lies simply in how far one can go on the road to becoming a Grandmaster.
The strongest master is only slightly stronger than the weakest master, so spending a lot of energy on practicing becomes uneconomical.
Warriors who can advance to the sixth realm all have top-notch talent and perseverance, and only with the accumulation of years can they complete the transformation.
Yiren's way of practicing every day now is to be Jiaren's sparring partner.
Although the two sisters still don't seem to be close to each other on the surface, Li Nuo knows very well that they still care about each other in their hearts.
Li Nuo did not plan to take them with him on this trip out for inspection and practice.
There is no way to take them with me.
The three children are still young and cannot leave their mother. Jiahe and An Ning cannot leave home. Fenghuang not only has to run several music halls such as Yuyin Pavilion, but the family business also cannot do without her. Once she leaves, the family finances will be in chaos.
Yiren is the only one who could go with him, but when they were in Zhao State, she was the only one who stayed with Li Nuo for half a year. This time he will be away from home for a long time. I'm afraid he will not be away from home for a short time. I wonder what Jiaren and An Ning will think if he takes her with him.
Yiren herself could think of this and decided to stay at home and wait for him to come back.
Before the Lantern Festival, Li Nuo stayed at home with them.
Since Li Nuo came into this world, there have been different changes in the family every Chinese New Year.
From the beginning when there were only two of us, father and son, to now a large family, the home is becoming more and more lively, and there are more and more concerns...
As the Lantern Festival passed, everything began to get back on track.
The government offices were open, the markets were opened, and unlike in the past, in the 36th year of the Holy Emperor, there were many more smiles on the faces of the people of Chang'an.
In the past year, the court reduced taxes for the lower-class people and stipulated a monthly minimum wage in the form of law. The living standards of the people in Chang'an have improved significantly. The whole Chang'an presents a vibrant scene with all things competing to flourish.
Just as the various ministries opened their doors, a piece of news came out from the Secretariat.
Li Nuo, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and Inspector Censor, has left Chang'an and went to various states for inspection.
Upon hearing the news, many officials in Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Li Nuo is not as bloodthirsty as his father, he is still carrying the Imperial Sword, which can kill unruly people and corrupt officials. Who knows if he will get the urge to test the power of the Imperial Sword one day...
Now that he is finally gone, it is the local officials' turn to be nervous.
Li Nuo's departure was very low-key and did not cause much waves.
In the past two days, people in Chang'an, from the common people to the imperial court, have been hotly discussing another matter.
After the two prime ministers, Daxia finally had its third great scholar.
Only when one reaches the fifth level of Confucianism can one be called a great Confucian scholar.
Such people, without exception, are all upright people who are dedicated to serving the country and the people, and Su Daru is especially so.
In terms of seniority, he is even above the left and right prime ministers.
However, unlike the two prime ministers, decades ago, although Su Daru also passed the imperial examination, he did not choose to enter the officialdom, but instead took "establishing words" as his life creed.
Su Daru believed that although the imperial examination could select talents for the country, it made Confucian disciples extremely utilitarian and forget the original intention of studying.
Therefore, he refused the court's appointment and chose to teach. For decades, he traveled around Daxia to give lectures and spread the ideas of Confucian predecessors to more students.
In fact, most officials in the court had to call him "Sir".
With two prime ministers in the court, a single decree could influence millions of people in Daxia, and they were promoted to great scholars at an early age.
Mr. Su stayed away from the court and traveled all over Daxia on foot, teaching the Six Arts to students in areas with poor educational resources and teaching children in the mountains to read and write. He promoted Confucianism with his own actions and finally, a few days ago, he successfully advanced to the fifth realm.
During the two days he returned to Chang'an, the gate of Su's mansion was filled with carriages and sedan chairs, and countless officials from the court came to visit and congratulate him.
Inside a high gate in Chang'an, an elegant old man with white hair and beard was stroking his beard and frowning.
"What? Your Majesty, in order to achieve immortality, slaughtered all the powerful people in Daxia?"
"I haven't been back to Chang'an for several years, but he has trusted Li Xuanjing to such an extent."
"The country is facing internal and external troubles, but he not only did not appoint a crown prince earlier, but he became even more obsessed with pursuing immortality. This is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!"
"Since he doesn't want to be involved in government affairs, why does he have to occupy the throne? If he passes the throne early, wouldn't it be possible to increase his lifespan by a few years?"
…
After learning what happened in Chang'an in the past two years, his brows furrowed even deeper.
In the past two years, he had been meditating in a remote mountain village, isolated from the world and unaware of news from the outside world. After he broke through and came back, he realized that the world outside had changed a lot.
Daxia is facing a crisis not seen in hundreds of years. As the emperor, he is still in seclusion pursuing the illusory immortality. How foolish!
After thinking for a while, he wrote two invitations by hand and instructed: "Send these two invitations to Cui Jian and Pei Hao's residence."
A servant took the invitation and bowed.
Cui Jian and Pei Hao are the names of the left and right prime ministers.
In Daxia, the only person who could call the two prime ministers by their names was probably Mr. Su.
Half a day later, in front of the Su Mansion.
Two sedan chairs stopped at the gate of Su Mansion almost at the same time.
The two ministers on the left and right each walked out of a sedan chair, looked at each other, nodded slightly, and walked into the Su Mansion side by side without saying much.
A moment later, in the main hall of the Su Mansion.
After the Right Prime Minister came in, he was the first to bow to an old man and said, "Congratulations, Brother Su."
Zuo Xiang also smiled and said, "It's been many years since we last met..."
The two men sat down separately. The old man looked calm and said, "You two, as prime ministers, have the responsibility to advise the emperor, but you have watched his majesty act recklessly for more than ten years. Are you worthy of the people of the world and the official uniforms you wear?"
Upon hearing this, the Left Prime Minister lowered his head slightly and was speechless for a moment.
The right prime minister looked normal and sipped a cup of tea.
However, the old man did not continue to question them, but said: "Daxia needs a Son of Heaven who works hard to govern the country, not an emperor who only wants to live forever and ignores state affairs. Your Majesty has been in this position for too long. He is obsessed with immortality and imperial power and cannot lead Daxia to cope with the upcoming changes..."
He was silent for a moment, then said, "Daxia...it's time to change the reign title."
The right prime minister put down his teacup and asked, "Do you want to force the emperor to abdicate?"
The old man said: "The emperor's greed for power is harmful to the country and the people. Daxia does not need an emperor who does not attend court."
The right prime minister asked, "Who do you want Your Majesty to pass the throne to?"
The old man said, "King Han and King You are both traitors, and King Rui, King Xuan, King Ji are still young. The only choices are King Chun, King Gong, and King Rui. King Chun is almost forty, but he still loves pleasure and spends all day fishing and cooking. He does not have the ability to be an emperor. King Gong is calm and steady, and has made many achievements as regent. Although King Rui used to indulge in sensual pleasures, I heard that he has changed in recent years. He is diligent in study and never puts down his books. He may be able to take on important responsibilities. Your Majesty can choose one of the two to be the crown prince. What do you think?"
The right prime minister shook his head and said, "Whether to appoint a crown prince or not, and who to appoint as the crown prince, is your majesty's family affair. As a minister, we should not interfere in the affairs of the royal family."
The old man looked at him and asked in disbelief: "You, Pei Hao, contradicted His Majesty countless times in the past. Now, facing the important matter of appointing a crown prince, you have become hesitant. Are you reluctant to give up your position as prime minister?"
The Right Prime Minister slowly stood up and said, "Since we are not on the same page, I will take my leave."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Watching him leave, the old man leaned back in his chair and said in disappointment, "I never thought that Pei Hao, who was so tough back then, would become what he is today."
The left prime minister also stood up and said, "It is the most taboo thing for a minister to interfere in the selection of a crown prince. I advise Brother Su to think twice before acting. Over the years, many Confucian officials have died because of this..."
The old man just smiled faintly upon hearing this and said, "These past two days, I have heard the students in the academy say that everyone has to die, some are heavier than Mount Tai, some are lighter than a feather. If I die because of advising the tyrant emperor to appoint a crown prince, it can be said that my death is heavier than Mount Tai..."
…
In the thirty-sixth year of the Holy Emperor's reign, just after the Lantern Festival, some disturbances arose in Chang'an.
When Mr. Su returned as a great scholar, the first thing he did was to write a letter to suggest that Your Majesty should appoint a crown prince to pass on the throne.
All officials in Chang'an knew that this was a taboo for His Majesty.
Since the death of the Crown Prince, countless people have suggested that Your Majesty appoint a crown prince, but Your Majesty ignored them all.
Some Confucian officials could not stand the fact that Your Majesty was pursuing immortality and ignoring state affairs. When their advice failed, they wrote poems and books, secretly criticizing Your Majesty for being greedy for power and incompetent, and misleading the country and the people. However, they were eventually arrested and taken to the Dali Temple or the Mingjing Division, where they were tortured, which was considered the lightest punishment. Some even lost their lives.
Among them, there were even disciples of the Right Prime Minister.
Even the Right Prime Minister, who was the prime minister of the dynasty, was unable to protect them.
The only person who was suspected of secretly criticizing Your Majesty and finally escaped was the current Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and Secretary of the Central Secretariat Li Nuo.
His poem "Feng Qiu Huang" is generally believed to be an allusion to the fact that Your Majesty is not a wise ruler, but because it was his father who was in charge of such matters, he was not blamed.
This time, Su Daru did more than just suggest that His Majesty choose a crown prince.
What he meant was that Your Majesty should abdicate immediately.
If it were someone else, he would probably be in the Mingjing Division’s prison.
But the fifth-level great scholar has a special status. There are only three such people in the whole Daxia, and there are no more than ten in the whole mainland. He is a highly respected figure in every country. If Your Majesty kills the great scholar Su, he will be infamous for thousands of years.
Just as the storm was brewing in Chang'an.
Qinzhou.
Although Qinzhou is not far from Chang'an, it is no longer under the jurisdiction of Gyeonggi Province.
Because it is close to the center, it is difficult for aristocratic families to interfere here; and because it is not in the capital, the court will not pay special attention to it. There is no one above the governor of a state to manage it, which makes the local officials of Qinzhou have absolute power and feel more comfortable than most local officials.
Somewhere on the streets of Qinzhou, many people gathered together and talked about something.
“It’s so unfair!”
"Those girls are just normal street performers, how can it be considered immoral?"
"It's because they offended the daughter of the other driver. With just one word from the young lady, they can no longer perform here. Alas, isn't this destroying their livelihood? If they had other ways to make a living, they would not choose this way..."
"But this reason is too bullying. The brothel is opened by Lord Beijia himself, and those women are soliciting customers on the street with their breasts and thighs exposed. Why don't they say it is immoral? Why do they bully these little girls? The tips they get from performing arts will be used to help homeless orphans..."
"It is said that she is the daughter of the Biejia family, and she is jealous of their beauty. Tsk, the Biejia family's daughter is short, strong and ugly. If that is the case, all the women in the city must be jealous of her..."
"You know what, there was a beautiful woman who had her face scratched by someone she hired..."
"Shh, stop talking, stop talking. If you keep talking we will be in trouble too."
Just as everyone was discussing, a voice came from the side.
"Everyone, what were you talking about just now?"
Someone looked back and saw an old man and a young man standing behind them. The old man had white hair and beard and a lazy expression, while the young man had a handsome face and a tall and strong figure. He also carried a long sword wrapped in a white cloth behind him...
(End of this chapter)
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