Chapter 1 From the beginning, I wanted to enter the palace to see the emperor
In the second year of Tianfeng, in the southern suburbs of the capital.
Dark clouds covered the city, as if a river in the sky had burst its banks. Raindrops as big as beans poured down, hammering the ground like drums and raising a mist as low as smoke and dust.
In the past, this place would have been prosperous and bustling, with merchant caravans from the nine provinces and eighteen prefectures of Dayu gathering here. The city entrance fee alone would have supported the huge expenses of the palace.
But today is a little different.
As early as last night, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory had posted a heavy rain warning, and the priests of the Heavenly Master's Palace also issued a celestial alarm. The government ordered a "daytime ban", and the people of the capital voluntarily closed their homes and businesses until the ban was lifted at noon.
Only a side gate is left in the city, and no one can enter or exit without special permission.
The mighty city came to a standstill and was deserted.
The world seemed to fall silent with the rain.
But there are exceptions to everything.
At this moment, a lightning bolt shaped like a spider web tore through the dark sky, illuminating the bamboo forest in the southern suburbs. At the edge of the dense green bamboo sea, two armored soldiers were looking into the distance.
The sound of hooves is like thunder!
A three-horse carriage broke through the rain curtain, coming from far away, the wheels rolled up a large amount of mud, and finally stopped outside the bamboo forest path.
The driver jumped down, put down his small stool, opened his oil-paper umbrella like a canopy, and stood beside the carriage.
The carriage curtain opened, and two young servants in blue clothes came out one after another, each holding a heavy wooden board.
Zhao Duan raised his eyes lazily, bent down slightly and got out of the spacious carriage, without looking around, and stepped out of the car.
The hem of the embroidered clothes hung down, and the expensive cloud-patterned boots stepped casually on the muddy ground, but before they could get dirty, a wooden board was placed under their feet.
He walked forward, and the umbrella above his head moved with him.
The two servants on the left and right bent over and half-knelt in the mud, their faces wet from the cold rain, and they bit their lips tightly.
The two wooden boards were moved alternately to pave a dry and clean path.
"In ancient times, nobles used their maids as human spittoons. I use my servants to pave the way, but that's far inferior."
When Zhao Duan was distracted, two brave soldiers from the army ran up to him and clasped their hands together:
"The traitor Zhuang Xiaocheng has been trapped in the forest, awaiting your judgment!"
Zhao Duan's mouth curled up: "This great achievement finally falls into my hands. Lead the way!"
…
The forest is covered with fallen leaves, and the green old bamboos point straight to the sky.
It was raining heavily outside, but it was much warmer when he stepped into the forest. Zhao Duan, escorted by his followers, walked for a while before he saw a deserted temple of the earth god emerging from the rain.
Compared with the main temple of Tianshi Mansion and the Taoist temple of Shenlong Temple in the capital, the small temple in front of us is quite shabby and dilapidated.
At this moment, the temple gate was tightly closed, and more than ten fierce imperial guards surrounded it, blocking all escapes.
Seeing Zhao Duan coming, a black-clad official hurriedly flattered and sought credit:
"Sir, we have already injured that old thief and his disciples. We are only waiting for your order and we will arrest them!"
Zhao Duan nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad."
If the subordinates arrested the suspect first, the boss would inevitably lose face. Now that they surrounded the suspect but did not kill him, the credit can be fully delivered. This is a basic operation of the old fox in the officialdom.
"In that case, I will personally arrest him." Zhao Duan changed the subject and said, "Bring the knife."
The official was stunned and hurriedly presented his sword with both hands.
Zhao Duan didn't raise his eyelids and held the hilt of the knife in front of him with one hand.
After a moment of hesitation...
clang!
The blade was unsheathed, and a burst of energy shot out, shattering the rotten wooden temple door into pieces! !
Wood chips flew everywhere, and Zhao Duan had already stepped into the temple.
He saw a silver-haired old man in his sixties wearing a Confucian robe sitting cross-legged facing him. His wrinkled face had a calm expression. Although he looked embarrassed, he had the demeanor of a patriot.
Behind the old man, on the altar, stood a stone statue as tall and mighty as a god. It had a ferocious look on its face, one hand supporting a stele, the other hand on the ground, with spider webs hanging from it, and it had been in disrepair for many years.
"As expected of the previous generation's Grand Tutor, the Emperor's teacher. Even facing death, he remained composed."
Zhao Duan smiled slowly and said:
"But who could have imagined that Mr. Zhuang, a remnant of the Second Prince, would hide in the capital, under the watchful eyes of the Saint, despite being hunted by the entire nation? Could this be what they call a great hermit hiding in the city?"
The old man looked at him coldly:
"I have been wise all my life, but I never thought that I would be found by a lackey like you who worships at the feet of the false emperor and is willing to be his concubine."
“Bold!”
The black-clad official following behind him shouted angrily, but Zhao Duan raised his hand to stop him.
The smile on his handsome face slowly faded, and he sighed softly:
"Grandmaster, your words are wrong. When the previous emperor passed away, the crown prince was supposed to succeed him. However, the second prince was so rebellious and had long harbored rebellious intentions. He even colluded with rebels, broke into the palace to assassinate him, and launched the Xuanmen coup, intending to usurp the throne.
At that time, the Third Princess had achieved great success in martial arts. Upon hearing the news, she took action to quell the rebellion and kill the rebels. Unfortunately, she was a step too late, and the Crown Prince and the other princes were all slaughtered.
Later, because the country could not be without a ruler for a day, he had no choice but to ascend the throne and become emperor, ruling the Dayu Dynasty. What was wrong with that?
It is you, the remnants of the Second Prince, who are like wildfire and cannot be eradicated... If you had abandoned the dark and joined the light earlier, how could this have happened?"
"Bah! That's nonsense, you bastard!"
Suddenly, a clear female voice sounded.
It was a young girl standing beside the old man.
The girl is dressed as a servant, holding a blood-stained, unsheathed dagger in her hand. Her hair bun was broken in the battle, her black hair is loose, and her facial features are delicate.
A beautiful white face raised up, staring at him fiercely, gritting her teeth:
"It's clear that the false emperor was plotting to murder my father and brother. The Second Prince was loyal to the emperor and protected him. My master wanted to help the world, but he was slandered by a villain like you!"
"Yunniang!" the old man said in a deep voice.
The sword-wielding girl's eyes were filled with sorrow and despair, like a female beast trapped in despair:
"Teacher, I am useless and have failed to protect you. I will repay your kindness in this life in the next..."
Zhao Duan was indifferent to the tragic scene before him. He glanced at the girl's face and said meaningfully:
"Grandmaster, you have good taste. Even on your way to escape, you didn't forget to bring such a beautiful female disciple with you. She's just sharp-tongued and seems to lack discipline. But don't worry, I will take her back and teach her well for you."
The sword-wielding girl's eyes were bloodshot, and she wished she could eat the man's flesh alive!
The old man stared at him for a moment, then suddenly shook his head and said:
"You are too proud to be proud of yourself. It's your nature to be a mean person. If you act like this, you won't be able to stay rampant for long."
"Huh?" Zhao Duan sneered and looked around:
"Am I a villain? Am I getting carried away?"
The clerks, servants and armored and sword-wielding imperial guards behind him all shook their heads in unison, without the slightest hesitation!
Zhao Duan's smile disappeared, and he looked down at the two of them:
"Look, they all say it's not true. After I succeed, great scholars will debate for me. The Grand Tutor has been in the officialdom for many years and is well-versed in worldly affairs. I don't need to explain this to you, right? Besides, it's you, a bunch of scholars, who fabricated history. I'm a villain, so who are you?"
The old man's expression remained calm, as if he had never been afraid from beginning to end:
"Do you really think you can defeat me?"
For no reason.
At this moment, Zhao Duan's heart tightened.
The bamboo forest was gloomy and windy, the dilapidated temple was dimly lit, and the rustling of raindrops made the whole world silent.
There was clearly a huge disparity in strength between the two sides, but at this moment the momentum was reversed.
Zhao Duan forced a smile and took a half step back without leaving a trace:
"Do you really think I'm intimidated? This is the capital. How can you, one old and one injured, compete with my team of imperial guards? Or are you, a corrupt scholar, secretly a high-ranking warrior or a master of magic?"
With a mocking tone.
The old man shook his head slightly: "I am just an ordinary man."
Changing the subject: "However, there are still some friends who can help."
Zhao Duan's pupils suddenly narrowed.
Just as the old man uttered these words, the stone statue on the dust-covered altar behind him suddenly shook!
The earth also began to shake.
A crack appeared between the eyebrows of the ferocious statue, emitting golden light. Then the crack spread all over the body, and the stone skin fell off, revealing a burly human figure wrapped in golden light inside.
"God descends!"
"The world's sorcerer!"
"My Lord, be careful—"
Everyone retreated in fear, making a lot of noise, but Zhao Duan seemed to be frozen in place, his legs as if filled with lead, unable to move, allowing the ruined temple to be illuminated by the golden light of the "Earth God".
Circles of golden ripples spread out in all directions with the statue as the center. The soldiers outside the temple were blown away with screams, and their black iron armor fell heavily into the fallen leaves, splashing large amounts of water.
"Go!" the old man shouted.
Zhao Duan's face was pale. He only saw the figure wrapped in golden light, looking down at the people below with a cold and majestic look.
With a big hand, he grabbed the old tutor in Confucian robes and dragged him into the ripples of light, then raised his finger and pointed it at him.
boom!
Zhao Duan's chest felt like it was hit hard, and he flew backwards like a cannonball, crashing out of the temple gate and plowing along the ground for several feet. It was unknown whether he was alive or dead.
Inside the temple, the golden figure seemed to be unable to do anything and dragged the tutor into the earth. In the blink of an eye, all the strange phenomena disappeared.
As if nothing had happened.
Only the cold rain rustled down.
Later, the rain stopped.
…
…
After a long time.
The unconscious imperial guards and others woke up one after another. The black-clad officials were horrified and pale. They rushed to Zhao Duan's side and called out:
"Sir! Sir! Wake up!"
finally.
"Zhao Duan" woke up slowly, and saw with a dazed look that he was lying in the arms of a man with a dark face, a sturdy figure, and dressed in ancient costume.
"Sir! I'm glad you're okay!"
The black-clad officials were overjoyed. If anything happened to their master, they, the followers, would also be killed.
But in his joy, he did not notice that Zhao Duan's temperament had changed drastically. Compared with his previous arrogance and frivolity, he became calm and steady.
"I... am not dead?"
Zhao Duan spoke slowly, his sentences were not coherent, as if he was learning how to pronounce.
"Perhaps the sorcerer was thousands of miles away, and casting a spell to snatch someone away consumed a huge amount of mana, so your protective gear provided another layer of protection."
The black-clad official took out a concave breastplate and showed it to him.
Zhao Duan's eyes became increasingly confused, and he slowly sat up.
As far as the eye can see, there is a collapsed temple in the bamboo forest after the rain. As the gaze moves upwards, the dark clouds in the distance split open, revealing rays of sunlight.
A corner of the majestic city can be vaguely seen, towering into the clouds.
“Ding—ding—”
There was a sound of bells.
At noon, the "daytime ban" was lifted.
"Where is this?" Zhao Duan suddenly asked, paused, raised his hand to press his forehead, "My mind is a little confused."
The black-clad official had no suspicion of his own doing, and thought he had fallen and was stunned, so he flattered him:
"In the southern suburbs of the capital, you received intelligence and, using your authority as envoy, mobilized a team of imperial guards to capture Zhuang Xiaocheng. Unfortunately, the thief had an accomplice, a sorcerer, who cast a spell to rescue him."
"What year and month?"
"Uh... the second year of Tianfeng, actually three years. It was delayed after the Xuanmen coup in the winter of the previous year."
"Isn't it Xuanwu Gate?"
"Your Excellency is joking. We dare not add any more words to this matter."
Zhao Duan remained silent for a moment, his eyes devoid of awe. From the brief conversation and the unfamiliar memories that gradually became clearer in his mind, he realized what had happened.
The Dayu Dynasty, coups, empresses, warriors, sorcerers... a world that seems real but is not.
As for myself...
The Empress's personal male favorite? An arrogant and domineering playboy from the capital?
Difficult to comment.
"Sir, this female thief didn't get away!"
Suddenly, the imperial guards dragged the unconscious Yunniang out of the collapsed temple.
The beautiful and elegant girl had her forehead smashed. Even in her coma, her brows were tightly furrowed, revealing her stubbornness and unyielding spirit.
The clerk with a face full of flesh said anxiously:
"This traitor was originally found by a spy from the Imperial Court, but was intercepted by our White Horse Prison. Now that the city is under lockdown, the Imperial Court agents will surely arrive soon..."
If we succeed in arresting him, it would be a great achievement, but now that the traitor has escaped, I am afraid that the blame will be placed on us. If those in the court who dislike you find out, they will accuse you of releasing prisoners privately and colluding with the rebels... Even with your status, I am afraid that..."
"For now, I can only ask you to rush ahead and apologize to the Saint. Only then will there be a glimmer of hope." He swallowed his saliva, and seeing that he was silent, he said anxiously:
"Sir, please say something!"
Zhao Duan silently withdrew his gaze and glanced at the latter, his eyes like a deep pool, and everyone shut up.
Hell Begins...
After thinking for a moment, he closed his eyes and opened them again:
"Then... go to the palace and meet the emperor."
P.S.: I heard it's become popular recently to put a "brain storage" at the beginning of a book, so I'll put one in there too. This reply has been successfully stored~
(End of this chapter)
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