The old lady's seemingly unintentional words made several elderly people at the table break out in cold sweats.
Old Master Fei was the first to stand up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Yu Dynasty is still as glorious as the rising sun, and how can it be affected by a few termites?"
"There's no need to be so nervous. It's just a show... I'm old, my eyes are blurry, and I can no longer see clearly what's going on inside and outside the show. When the late emperor passed away, I remember you were all the ones carrying his coffin. I've been dreaming about the late emperor often lately. He's still as busy as ever, but he always says that Purple Gold Mountain is beautiful, but a little lonely. I'm thinking, I'll have to go and keep the late emperor company."
Grand Tutor Ning hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying, "The Empress Dowager has lived as long as the heavens. I believe the late emperor hoped that the Empress Dowager would help him look after this great country."
The old empress dowager smiled faintly and shook her head. "Don't try to comfort me. My mind is as clear as a mirror. If there's anything I can't let go of... it's that His Majesty is kind-hearted and not as decisive as the late emperor. I don't understand the current situation, so I just want to remind you - as a subject, you should uphold your duty!"
All the elderly people at the table stood up in unison, all of them were terrified, but then they heard the old empress dowager say, "Fu Xiaoguan's article 'On the Young Men of the Yu Dynasty' is very well written. If you haven't read it, I suggest you go take a look. I like the line 'Beautiful is my youth of the Yu Dynasty, as old as the sky! Magnificent is my youth of the Yu Dynasty, as boundless as the country!' When I am old, I will live in this Cining Palace and no longer care about anything. You are also old. Many of you have retired, and many of you are still assisting the emperor..."
The old queen mother took a deep breath, her expression growing increasingly weary. "No one wants their children and grandchildren to have a bad life, and I am no different. Just like Prince Hui's third son, my grandson, he broke the law and should be punished by it. That's the rule. You too have children and grandchildren, so you must keep an eye on them and make sure they don't go down the same wrong path, or else the law will fall on them... You must learn from me and understand the ruthlessness of the law."
The old empress dowager stood up, looking a little tired. She walked towards the Cining Palace and said, "If you take sides, I will not let you go!"
Everyone looked at the old empress dowager's back, which looked so desolate and sad under the setting sun.
"Let Wenyun help me go in and rest for a while. Imperial Concubine Shang...you and the Emperor will greet the guests for me."
…
A birthday banquet that should have been filled with laughter and joy ended in a dull and depressing atmosphere. The old empress dowager watched a play and had a conversation with the ministers, and she did not come out again until the end of the banquet.
This made Fu Xiaoguan a little worried. The old empress dowager seemed to have exhausted all her energy and spirit in those words. She was afraid...she didn't have much time left.
At the beginning of the Xu hour, the banquet ended hastily. Fu Xiaoguan took Dong Shulan and left the Cining Palace together. Yu Wenjun accompanied the old empress dowager in and never came out again.
The moon was bright and high in the sky, the air was cool and clear, and the chill was very strong.
"The Empress Dowager must be tired. It's said that during the late Emperor's reign, she was a great helper to him, much like the current Imperial Concubine Shang. However, during the nine years since Your Majesty ascended the throne, she hasn't been involved in state affairs, yet her heart remains clear. She deliberately had the troupe perform that play, deliberately let the ministers watch it, and deliberately said those words. Her purpose was naturally to know that the current situation was unstable, and to warn them..."
Dong Shulan looked up at the bright moon and sighed, "What a pity."
"What a pity?" Fu Xiaoguan held Dong Shulan's little hand, which was a little cold.
"It's a pity that the Queen Mother doesn't have much time left. Her remaining influence... can't actually affect them much."
Fu Xiaoguan walked with his head down and suddenly asked, "How could the government have become so corrupt over the past eight years?"
What this means is to ask what His Majesty Dong Shulan has done in the past eight years?
Dong Shulan turned around and glared at him, "Don't talk nonsense, this is in the palace."
Well, Fu Xiaoguan looked up and looked around. Under the moon, the shadows of the trees were swaying, and the lights were flickering. This huge palace seemed extremely desolate and a bit cold at the moment.
Fu Xiaoguan doesn't like this kind of environment, he likes it to be more lively.
The two arrived at the gate of the palace. It was very lively here. People who were leaving the banquet were saying goodbye to each other and getting on their own carriages.
Fu Xiaoguan and the other man were about to get on the car when a young man came towards them.
"My name is Shangguan Miao, my ancestor is Shangguan Wenxiu, hello, Master Fu!"
Fu Xiaoguan was a little surprised. He had never seen Shangguan Miao before. The young man was quite burly, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He was very energetic and looked more like a warrior than a scholar like Shangguan Wenxiu.
"Hello, Brother Shangguan."
As he said this, he glanced at Dong Shulan, who knew Shangguan Miao. She nodded slightly.
"It's like this. I've admired Xiaoguan's name for a long time, and my ancestors often mentioned him. Tonight, the moon is full, and it's still early. I'd like to invite Xiaoguan and Shulan to Hongxiu for a gathering. Is that okay?"
"What's the matter?"
"I'd like to introduce you to a few talented young men. To be honest, we'd like to participate in the Wuchao Literary Society, so naturally we need to establish a relationship with you first."
This kid was quite direct. Fu Xiaoguan laughed and said, "May I ask who else is there?"
"They are all students of the academy and members of the Lanting Poetry Society. In fact, they are all admirers of Xiaoguan brother."
Fu Xiaoguan pondered for a few breaths and said, "Okay, we'll go with you to Hongxiu Zhao."
Shangguan Miao was overjoyed and got on the carriage. Fu Xiaoguan and Dong Shulan also got on the carriage. The group headed straight for the Qinhuai River under the moonlight.
Su Su was sitting in the carriage, with the huge violin case beside her. She pouted and said unhappily, "You guys are so nice! I haven't even eaten yet!"
"Hong Xiu Zhao has food, just order it later."
Su Su's eyes lit up, "Really?"
"really!"
"I heard that Wuweizhai on Chang Street has reopened."
"Okay, okay, I'll buy you some more osmanthus cake tomorrow."
The fourteen-year-old girl stopped talking, as if she no longer thought about anything except delicious food.
Fu Xiaoguan then asked Dong Shulan, "What on earth is the Lanting Poetry Society?"
"The Lanting Poetry Society has been established for a long time and is the largest poetry society in the Jixia Academy. The current president of this poetry society is Qin Wenzhe, the fourth son of Qin Huizhi, the Vice Minister of State Affairs."
It was like a university club. Fu Xiaoguan asked again, "What kind of person is Shangguan Miao?"
"He was quite famous at the Jixia Academy, probably around seventeen or eighteen years old. His poetry wasn't outstanding, but his policy essays were excellent. Also, he practiced both civil and military arts, so what he's studying now isn't sacred learning, but martial arts—the academy doesn't just teach sacred learning; it also has a martial arts academy."
Fu Xiaoguan had not had time to go to the Jixia Academy. He originally thought that the Yu Dynasty valued literature, so the highest institution of learning in the Yu Dynasty taught classical literature. He did not expect that there was also a martial arts academy.
"It's just some simple stuff like swords, spears, halberds, horsemanship, and war strategies. I heard from my father that the Jixia Academy used to be very prosperous, with the martial arts department accounting for half of the curriculum. But later on, fewer and fewer people practiced martial arts, and now martial arts courses only account for about 10% of the academy's curriculum."
This was the inevitable result of the Yu Dynasty emphasizing culture over military affairs. Fu Xiaoguan was not surprised. He was thinking of Qin Wenzhe at the moment.
He had never heard of this name before. Since he was the fourth son of Qin Huizhi, he was naturally the grandson of Qin Yuheng of the Shangjing Qin family. What kind of person could this kid be?
Because of Qin Bingzhong's relationship, Fu Xiaoguan did not visit Qin Yuheng. As for the Qin family, the four people he was most familiar with were Qin Bingzhong, Qin Mowen, Qin Chengye from Xishan, and Qin Ruoxue from Shangjing.
…
Just as Fu Xiaoguan and his party were heading towards the Qinhuai River, in the backyard of Xianyun Villa in Nanling County, the former general of the Southern Frontier Army was facing a man with a rusty long sword in his hand.
It was a woman. In the bright moonlight, one could clearly tell that she was the nun Bunian in Shuiyue Temple who was supposed to have died.
"Master, you have good methods."
The Nun Bunian at this moment was nothing like the one Fu Xiaoguan saw that day!
She held the rosary in her hand and looked up at the cold bright moon. There was no fear or tension on her face. She was very calm. Her originally cloudy eyes on her wrinkled face became bright.
"How did General Fei know that I was not dead?"
"The previous dynasty's martial saint, Yang Xianzi, invented the Turtle Breathing Technique. He used thousand-year-old tortoise powder mixed with sandalwood as an inducer. He could sever his own meridians and remain alive for a hundred days. How... do you know this Turtle Breathing Technique?"
Nun Bu Nian withdrew her gaze and looked at Fei An, then suddenly she smiled. Her mouth opened, empty and dark, without a single tooth visible. Fei An's hand holding the knife unconsciously tightened a bit.
It's so fucking scary!
"Guess!" Two words came out of that mouth.
"According to the previous dynasty's 'Emperor's Residence Chronicles', Yang Xianzi only had one disciple during his lifetime, Princess Jing'an. The Yu Dynasty invaded Jinling City and killed all members of the previous dynasty's royal family, except for Princess Jing'an. Yang Xianzi once single-handedly entered Jinling, intending to avenge the previous emperor, but was killed in an untimely manner. Princess Jing'an never appeared."
He pointed his sword and said, "So, you are the descendant of Princess Jing'an! A remnant of the previous royal family!"
Nun Bunian laughed, and her empty mouth opened even wider.
"You are indeed powerful, but you shouldn't be so curious. If you had just chopped the coffin with your sword, I would have been dead."
"I can still kill you now!"
"No, you've been farming for too long. Now that your murderous aura has been washed away, you're no longer my opponent. But... why aren't you curious about my involvement in Yuhuatai?"
"Those things have nothing to do with me. Look at the knife!"
The long sword suddenly rose up, even though it was rusty, it still contained murderous intent!
At that moment, Master Bunian flew up and walked away lightly on the thousands of moonlights.
"General Fei, I will repay you for saving my life someday!"
The sword's power has faded, but the moon remains bright. Fei An stands there with the sword in hand, with deep sorrow written between his brows.
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