Chapter 247: Time is not forgiving, the world is determined

The imperial palace of the Xia Dynasty.

When Gu Dan stepped into the palace again, he was surprised to find that it looked a bit shabby.

Yes, that’s right, shabby!

On the roofs and palaces that were originally majestic and solemn, with an air of immortality, many of the colors have fallen off and become dimmed by the carving of wind and rain. Although it is not a big deal, it is unsightly at a glance.

Even the mythical beasts hanging upside down on the eaves for decoration had some faint signs of damage, having lost the charm of their careful carving by the craftsmen. The wooden attic looked even more shabby, as if it was a house that had not been repaired in decades.

Gu Dan had seen many such houses before, but they should never appear in the imperial palace.

This was a scene that Gu Dan had never seen in the palace of any country.

The imperial palace is the best place to demonstrate a country's generosity. No matter whether it is Daqi, Dayong or any other country, as long as the emperor has the ability, he would wish to build the palace to perfection so as to demonstrate his own power, the country's wealth and his own respected status.

After all, the imperial palace is the true center of a country. Even if it is a bit extravagant, as long as it does not waste money and manpower to the extent of Emperor Zong Ming, no one seems to say much, and some ministers will even take the initiative to advise.

"Wang Mang has never repaired the palace until now, right?"

Gu Dan said to himself in surprise.

The site of the Xia Dynasty's imperial palace was the Wanshou Palace built during the reign of Emperor Zong Ming.

However, after the Wanshou Palace was built, Emperor Zong Ming was killed by Mo Qiu within a few years. At that time, the Wanshou Palace had not been built for too long and must have never been repaired.

Then Prince Yu ascended the throne and was called Emperor Kangjing.

But when Emperor Kang Jing ascended the throne, Dayue was in turmoil. It was somewhat unrealistic to say that smoke of war was everywhere. It would be more appropriate to describe it as rebels everywhere.

There were rebels everywhere and the four countries were attacking. Dayue was extremely poor and couldn't even pay the army enough. How could it get the money to repair the imperial palace?

Even if Emperor Kang Jing really had this idea, he didn't have to do it. Just by saying it, the angry people would tear him to pieces alive.

Naturally, Emperor Kang Jing's reign was far less prosperous and leisurely than that of his father, and it was even more impossible for him to spare money to repair the Wanshou Palace.

If you calculate carefully, Wanshou Palace is quite old.

The construction of Wanshou Palace began in the 27th year of Zongming. Up to now, a full 36 years have passed!

In the mortal world, if a baby born in the twenty-seventh year of Zong Ming had managed to survive the war, his life span would probably not be long by now - for most of the lower-class people in this era, it was not easy to live past the age of forty.

If people are like this, what about these palaces?

No matter how exquisite the craftsmanship of the original craftsmen was, or how expensive the materials were, thirty-six years of ups and downs were enough to wear away all the ingenuity, leaving only a few mottled marks on it.

When Wang Mang ascended the throne, it was still not obvious, but after another twenty years, everything was revealed.

"What is this kid thinking?"

Gu Dan was a little curious.

After all, Wang Mang had already used copper and iron to cast a statue of Mo Qiu that was several meters high. It seemed that the cost was not small at all. It was impossible that he could not even come up with the money to repair the imperial palace. Judging from the situation among the people, the Xia Dynasty had indeed become wealthy.

It is time to demonstrate our own strength and enhance national confidence.

Renovating the imperial palace under such circumstances had nothing to do with extravagance and luxury, and even the Mohists who advocated frugality could not say anything.

Walking all the way to the imperial study, the guards saw him this time and were about to draw their swords, but they were stunned when they saw his face.

Gu Dan made a gesture to keep quiet, gently pushed open the door of the imperial study and walked in.

Wang Mang was sitting there reviewing memorials from various places.

It was just like the last time Gu Dan came here, except that twenty years had passed.

But it's a little different.

Wang Mang shaved off the beard on both sides of his cheeks, leaving only a tuft of beard around his mouth and chin, which was trimmed very neatly. He was completely different from when he was the head of Hongyang Hall.

What really concerned Gu Dan was not this, but the white hair on Wang Mang's head.

As a grandmaster, his detection ability and eyesight are unquestionable. He can see dozens of white hairs hidden in Wang Mang's hair with just one glance.

For a moment, Gu Dan was a little dazed.

Wang Mang was still very young, but not that young anymore.

Calculating his age, Wang Mang was already fifty years old at this time.

Even though Wang Mang practiced martial arts, and was even a martial artist who had mastered the internal organs, he was still not a master after all. Even if he could compete with a master at the moment of sacrificing his life, his foundation was far from enough.

The lifespan of a martial artist who has mastered the internal organ training will be longer than that of an ordinary person, but not much longer.

If you don’t become a master, it will be extremely difficult to live over a hundred years.

But the master could not enter whenever he wanted. There was no doubt that Wang Mang, the emperor of the Xia Dynasty, was also blocked by the mysterious interaction of the five elements and could not advance an inch.

This is the bottleneck in spiritual practice. Once you encounter it, you will have to stop there forever if you cannot break through it.

It will not be eased by anyone or any identity.

It seems like only one step away, but this step is the difference between heaven and earth.

The master's power is also widely spread in the world, who is willing to pay more attention to the dirty warriors? Beside Wang Mang, there are piles of memorials sent from all over the country, one pile after another, like a small mountain, just seeing it makes people's scalp tingle.

But Wang Mang was already accustomed to all this. He held the brush and reviewed the documents at an extremely fast speed.

Most of the memorials would just be put aside with the word "read" written on them, and only a few would be examined carefully, and then their brows would be slightly frowned.

The courage and spirit developed over the past twenty years will naturally emerge, full of majesty.

Gu Dan watched silently for a long time, but he was afraid that it would be dark by the time Wang Mang finished reviewing all the memorials, so he coughed lightly.

Wang Mang raised his head when he heard the voice. His frown had not yet relaxed, and he was stunned when he saw Gu Dan.

Then came a huge surprise!

"Brother Gu, you're back?!"

Wang Mang stood up with great joy, and the desk was almost overturned by his violent movement. However, the memorials placed on the desk were not so lucky and fell to the ground in layers.

But Wang Mang didn't care at all. He walked quickly to Gu Dan and looked him up and down, as if he wanted to see if there were any parts missing after so many years.

"You are so old, why are you so excited?"

Gu Dan said with a smile, stretched out his hand, and gently patted Wang Mang's shoulder, "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard, it's not hard."

Wang Mang shook his head repeatedly, his frown relaxed, and a happy smile appeared on his face, "Isn't it going to be so many years this time?"

"Ha, doesn't it make any difference where I stay?"

Gu Dan said casually.

He does not interfere in state affairs and has made his attitude clear long ago.

There is no war now, so there is no need for him to take any action.

The responsibilities that should be fulfilled have been fulfilled.

At this time in the Xia Dynasty, it seemed that there was not much difference whether he was there or not. This was one of the reasons why Gu Dan was able to leave for so long.

"no the same!"

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Who would have thought that Wang Mang would say with absolute certainty: "Completely different."

"oh?"

Gu was worried and doubtful.

"With Brother Gu here, I feel confident. Even if I make a mistake, there is someone to cover it up. Without you, I would be walking on thin ice. I am afraid that I will make a mistake without knowing it, and I am even more afraid that there will be no one willing to mention it."

Wang Mang said very seriously.

Gu Dan could ignore state affairs and was free to go wherever he wanted, but it made a difference to Wang Mang whether Gu Dan was in the Xia Dynasty or not.

Gu Dan was not a constraint on him, nor did he treat him as a puppet.

All the responsibilities and rights that an emperor should have are on him in every respect.

In the Xia Dynasty, Gu Dan was the stabilizer in his heart. Even if he caused any trouble, there would be someone to stand up and clean it up for him - although it was also possible that he would be cleaned up in the process, but what did it matter?

Having someone behind you and having no one behind you, having support in your heart and having no support are two completely different states.

Especially after becoming emperor, he had almost no friends.

Only in Gu Dan's courtyard could he temporarily forget his identity as an emperor and put down that heavy burden.

But the Gu family courtyard is unique because of the presence of Gu Dan. When he is not there, it lacks that flavor.

What you think is insignificant may be of great importance in the eyes of others.

"You are so old, why are you suddenly so sentimental?"

Gu Dan scolded with a smile, and said, "If you make a mistake, Qin Lisheng will definitely tell you even if I'm not here. Why does it have to be me?"

Hearing this, Wang Mang sighed softly, without hiding anything, and said directly: "What if Qin Lisheng and I disagree?"

As Gu Dan had guessed before, it seemed that Xun Ke was competing with Qin Lisheng, but Wang Mang, who had always refused to make a decision behind the scenes, had already made his choice.

"It depends on who is more right."

Gu Dan just said it calmly.

"It would be nice if everything could be labeled right or wrong."

Wang Mang smiled helplessly, "Have you met Xun Ke?"

"not yet."

"Then let's go find Xun Ke first and talk it out."

Wang Mang said immediately.

"good."

Gu Dan nodded slightly, becoming more and more certain in his heart that this boy was indeed on Xun Ke's side.

If he goes there first, he won't have any preconceived ideas, but he will be able to consider more. At least the time left for them to convince themselves will definitely be more than Qin Lisheng's.

But, you want me to give you some advice? Gu shook his head in worry.

He has already meddled enough in the world and cannot continue to change its trajectory too much.

Otherwise, not only would he bring disaster upon himself, but he would also bring disastrous misfortune to the entire Xia Dynasty and even the surrounding countries.

As long as it's not a big mistake, let them be.

His current abilities can only last for one lifetime.

Wang Mang changed into casual clothes and led Gu Dan to Xun Ke's residence quietly.

Xun Ke was also busy at his desk, with pen, ink, paper and inkstone fully prepared, and many books placed beside him.

Occasionally he would write down a few sentences quickly, then he would confidently take out a few books from the pile of books beside him, look at them, draw a circle around them with hesitation, and then put them aside.

Compared with Wang Mang, his appearance has not changed that much. He just looks more mature and stable, exuding a dignified, upright and reliable temperament from the inside out.

Calculating his age, Xun Ke was already 38 years old, which was the prime age for a man.

The classics he once studied hard have become his most precious wealth. The experience of life and responsibility has allowed him to integrate everything and gain enough experience.

At this age, Xun Ke was at the peak of his career and it was time for him to realize his great ambitions.

"Ke!"

Wang Mang called out, awakening Xun Ke who was immersed in his own world of thoughts, "Look who's back!"

Xun Ke raised his head and saw Gu Dan beside him.

There was a hint of joy on his face, but he didn't rush to say hello. The first thing he said was:

"Mr. Gu, I want to establish the etiquette of the world. What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)