After Taixu left, Emperor Mingzheng wiped the incense ash off his hands with a handkerchief and said to Yu Qizhe, "Zhanxing, after Master Cheng went to Xianyang, I only have you in the former palace that I can rely on. With your talent, it would be a pity to stay in such a poor place as the Hanlin Academy. Do you have any interest in any of the six ministries?"
Yu Qizhe's eyes moved slightly, and he said calmly, "Your Majesty has shown great love to me, but I am still young and it is my blessing to be able to gain experience in the Hanlin Academy."
Emperor Mingzheng smiled slightly, "You are not greedy. It is a good thing that young people do not let power go to their heads easily. However, the Hanlin Academy is full of old scholars. If you really stay there for three to five years, your ambitions will be worn away. I chose you as the top scholar because I valued your youth and potential. You are different from Song Ziqian and Xiao Yantai. You are mine."
Emperor Mingzheng emphasized the second half of his sentence and patted Yu Qizhe's shoulder gently: "What I lack is useful people who can share my worries in the court. Zhanxing, please don't let me down."
Yu Qizhe said sternly, "Your Majesty has been very kind to me. If Your Majesty gives me any orders, I will not refuse even if my life is short."
Emperor Mingzheng showed admiration in his eyes. "There is no rush to promote you to the six ministries. Although I am the ruler of a country, I cannot do whatever I want. If I don't have a reason, it will appear that I am unfair and will inevitably be criticized."
After saying this, Emperor Mingzheng did not stay in Fengtianzhai for long. He could not wait to go to the Yangxin Palace to summon Cheng Ying and instruct him to go to Xianyang to build the Taihe Hall.
Yu Qizhe watched Emperor Mingzheng leave. He stood in the incense hall, staring at a pile of messy sand in the sand table for a while, then looked up at the statue of the Three Pure Ones standing in the hall. The statue was compassionate, with eyes drooping, as if overlooking all living beings.
A hint of sneer appeared on Yu Qizhe's lips. Although there was no flaw in the Taoist Taixu's performance of being possessed by an immortal, it was extremely ridiculous. He couldn't understand why Emperor Mingzheng, as an emperor, would believe in Taixu's so-called elixir of immortality. However, sitting on the supreme dragon throne, people's greed would be infinitely magnified. Even ordinary people would still be greedy for the world when they grow old, get sick and die, let alone the ruler of a country and the master of the world.
After leaving Fengtianzhai, Yu Qizhe did not return to the Hanlin Academy, but went to the Imperial Observatory.
The gate of the Imperial Observatory was deserted and had fallen into disrepair. The two shabby wooden doors were closed, as if no one was there, but there was no lock on the door. Through the ragged doorway, one could vaguely see people moving around in the courtyard. Yu Qizhe raised his hand and knocked on the door. The figures in the courtyard were startled, but no one made a sound.
Yu Qizhe pushed the door gently with his hand, and the wooden door made a creaking sound. An old man with half a head of silver hair in the courtyard seemed to be startled. He glanced at Yu Qizhe with his dim eyes, and saw his official uniform. He recognized Yu Qizhe's identity and hurriedly stepped forward respectfully, looking a little nervous, "Which tutor in the Hanlin Academy are you? Do you have any errands to tell me?"
Yu Qizhe glanced at the old man's well-worn official robe and bowed slightly, "Are you Deputy Supervisor Wang? I am Yu Qizhe from the Hanlin Academy." There has been no supervisor of the Imperial Observatory since the former Supervisor Li Si died together with Princess Huaiyang. The Ministry of Personnel also seemed to have forgotten where the Imperial Observatory was and had not sent officials to it in more than ten years. After Yu Qizhe noticed Li Si, he paid attention to inquiring about the current situation of the Imperial Observatory and learned that there was only a deputy supervisor named Wang in the Imperial Observatory.
The old man had obviously heard of Yu Qizhe's name, and hurriedly said respectfully, "So you are Yu Shidu, the top scholar in the imperial examination. I wonder what you want from me?"
"To be honest, I'm quite curious about calculating the yin and yang, destiny, and the solar terms calendar. I've also read a lot of books on spirit writing recently. However, the descriptions in the books are obscure and difficult to understand, so I came here to ask for your advice." Yu Qizhe said politely.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
