Chapter 152: Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission. Zhou Cheng and his followers have been apprehended.
"Da da da."
The horse's hooves clattered on the spacious bluestone road as Zhao Duan arrived at the foot of the imperial city in high spirits.
The guards at the gate instinctively stepped forward to stop him, but when they saw the man on the horse, they looked as if they had seen a ghost.
"Zhao... Envoy Zhao? Shouldn't you be..."
He wanted to say, shouldn't you be in jail?
Or he might be on trial in court, so why would he suddenly appear here, fine and not looking like a criminal at all?
Escaped from prison? Absurd thoughts arise...
"Haha, stop talking nonsense. I have important matters to report to His Majesty in the palace. Please get out of the way immediately."
Zhao Duan was too lazy to explain, so he just gave the other party a slap on the shoulder and entered the city with his face scanned.
It’s a pity that although it’s easy to enter the imperial city, you’ll be stopped at the gate of the palace.
One has to be patient and wait for someone to pass on the message. Zhao Duan was not in a hurry. He held the horse and waited. The palace guards at the gate looked at him frequently, and no one knew what was going on in his mind.
At this moment, a carriage came out from the open doorway. Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and asked curiously:
"Who came out then?"
Outsiders are not allowed to ride in carriages within the palace.
But if it was the concubines or female officials left behind by the old emperor in the palace traveling, the style of the carriage would not be like that.
The gatekeeper explained:
"This morning, Grand Tutor Dong came to the palace for an audience, and he has just left. His Majesty, taking pity on the Grand Tutor's age and difficulty walking, has granted him permission to ride in a carriage within the palace."
Grand Tutor Dong?
One of the “Three Dukes”, the Grand Secretary who presided over the Hanlin Academy?
The great scholar of the time who almost became a relative of Xue Lin's family?
Zhao Duan was slightly surprised.
The Hanlin Academy was a place for storing talents. Back then, the Imperial Secretary was almost a reserve for the "Prime Minister".
However, it has evolved and is now decoupled from the cabinet, but the status of Grand Tutor Dong cannot be underestimated.
Although he does not have much power, he is extremely famous and is a leading figure in the entire Dayu literary world. His interpretation of the classics of the sages is a must-read for students taking the imperial examinations, and many of his articles and poems are well-known to everyone.
He can be said to be the first person in the world who guards the "cultural heritage" of the Dayu Dynasty.
Some even claim that Grand Master Dong could potentially be crowned a "Second Sage" in terms of literature and Taoism...
However, after the Xuanmen coup, his reputation was greatly damaged because he supported the empress's ascension to the throne.
He was criticized by many literati. It was okay in the capital, but he was subjected to a lot of criticism in the territory of the "Eight Kings" far away from the center of the court.
Even though he has received mixed reviews, his contributions to literature and art are still admired even by those who curse him.
At this moment, the carriage had already entered the gate. Zhao Duan led the horse beside him in a proper manner and bowed his head to see him off.
——It is better not to provoke such a world-famous scholar.
However, the carriage suddenly stopped, and a servant of the Dong family came over:
"But Envoy Zhao? The Grand Tutor invites you."
Huh? Me?
Zhao Duan was stunned.
As far as he could remember, he had never had any interaction with the other party.
In fact, Zhao Duan had no contact with the entire circle of scholars in Dayu...
What does this great scholar Dong want me to do... Zhao Duan walked forward in a daze, came to the side of the carriage, and saw that the curtain had been lifted.
A white-haired octogenarian sat upright, exuding the aura of a Confucian master. He was wearing a bright red bachelor's robe, had a square face, and his old eyes were sharp and bright.
It seems as if he is examining this rising celebrity, the empress.
"I am Zhao Duan, your humble servant. I am honored to meet you, Grand Tutor." Zhao Duan saluted.
Grand Tutor Dong's expression showed no emotion, his demeanor was calm and steady, he said slowly:
"No need to be so polite. I came to see you today and heard His Majesty speak of you with great favor. I happened to meet you and wanted to see you."
Zhao Duan is cautious:
"For such a small contribution, Your Majesty has praised me. I am overwhelmed."
Master Dong said "yes", and was quite satisfied with his attitude, and said:
"Don't be too modest. I have heard about what you have done these days. Although your methods are a bit out of line, at your age, you can still be called a 'capable official'."
Zhao Duan said nothing and waited for the next step.
Based on his experience, he knew that when big shots opened like this, they often wanted to praise someone before criticizing him.
Next, there will probably be a "but".
As expected, Master Dong praised him a few words first, then changed the subject:
"But... if one blindly relies on political tactics and disregards reputation, he may be a general, but he is not worthy of being called a commander.
Since you were born into the military and now work in the imperial court, you probably know that all famous generals since ancient times have been both civil and military...
If you concentrate on the path of martial arts and practice wholeheartedly, I won’t say anything.
In the martial arts world, reaching the pinnacle of martial arts can make one a master, or a master of the Dao. This can be achieved through military battles, or through the pursuit of seclusion and travel.
But... since you have embarked on the path of being an official, you should know when to advance and retreat and read more.
Swords are good, but they are indispensable for officialdom, for governing a country and maintaining peace. But what we truly rely on is literature and morality. That’s all I have to say. Consider it for yourself.”
After saying this, the Grand Secretary closed his eyes, the servants lowered the curtains, and the carriage drove out of the palace.
Zhao Duan was left standing there, confused at first, then in deep thought.
These nonsensical words sound like advice from an elder to a younger person, urging him to study more so that he can go further.
But if you think about it carefully, the real meaning between the lines seems like a warning.
Warn him:
In the court, most of those who truly reached high positions were still literati.
Although this world possesses mysterious and powerful forces, governing a country is ultimately not something that can be achieved through force. Governing the people requires laws, rituals, enlightenment, farming, commerce...
From the strategy of governing a country to the division of interests in a village or a county, everything depends on the literati.
Zhao Duan was born into a military family and did not join the army, so he could not follow the path of the Privy Council or the Ministry of War.
If you reach the top, it will be nothing more than Ma Yan's position.
"Are you reminding me not to become delusional just because I'm appreciated by Your Majesty, and try to become a 'powerful eunuch' like the eunuch Wang Zhen?
Well, to put it another way, it’s a warning to me to know my place…”
Zhao Duan looked strange.
He wanted to say, Grand Master, you may have misunderstood something.
I never thought about pursuing a career in government... what kind of powerful official would I become...
Today's achievements and promotions are only a way to continuously accumulate the confidence to defend oneself when one is still weak.
It doesn't mean that he really wants to become a famous official and make a difference in a certain position.
If I have to say the goal, one is to practice martial arts and see a different kind of scenery.
For example, being a "God of War" or something...
One is to conquer the empress... Well, from this perspective, it is not surprising that Master Dong misunderstood him.
After all, Zhao Duan's current performance is indeed moving towards becoming the empress's favorite.
In history, there are many examples like him of people evolving from favorites to treacherous villains.
Another thing he wanted to say was:
"I've read a lot, okay? Why do you think I'm uneducated and don't understand the stuff of scholars..."
Zhao Duan was helpless.
This is the case with Yuan Li and this Grand Tutor Dong.
"Forget it, whatever you think." Zhao Duan was too lazy to explain.
…
…
In the Imperial Garden, inside the pavilion.
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhao is here."
After the female official reported, Xu Zhenguan smiled and invited him in.
After a while, Zhao Duan, a tall and handsome man dressed in the robes of an official, came up:
"Your Majesty, I come to report."
Immediately, the empress's cold voice with a hint of laughter was heard:
"Come and sit down."
Her voice is very recognizable.
She is neither as gentle as the women from the south of the Yangtze River, nor as tough as the women from the north. When she speaks in a deep voice, she is so majestic that people cannot bear the urge to disrespect her.
Like now, when I am in a good mood, a simple sentence is like a pair of invisible hands, getting into people's ears and touching their hearts.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhao Duan bowed and took a seat.
After sitting down in the seat where Grand Tutor Dong had just been, he raised his head and took a closer look at the flawless face of the empress in white.
Xu Zhenguan's long black hair hung casually, and she was not wearing a single piece of jewelry.
Below her beautiful nose, her lips are plump, and above them, her eyes are like stars in the night sky.
At this moment, she was smiling, being stared at by him, but she did not get embarrassed like an ordinary woman, but pointed at the chessboard:
"Play a game of hand with me?"
Zhao Duan came back to his senses, realizing that he had lost his composure a little, and hurriedly said respectfully:
"Yes, sir."
So, in the Shengxia Pavilion, the king and his minister began to quietly place the chess pieces.
However, it was obvious that neither of them was paying attention to the chessboard. They made their moves according to the rules and there was nothing surprising about them. They took more than ten moves.
Xu Zhenguan then laughed and teased:
"When the eunuch returned to the palace to report just now, I knew you were about to come."
Zhao Duan pretended not to hear the teasing and said seriously:
"Although others have relayed this information, the case of Minister Zhou was assigned by Your Majesty. I received orders from the Emperor, so I should report back."
Xu Zhenguan was quite satisfied with this. Since he already knew the process, he only asked:
"I originally thought that if everything went smoothly, you would be able to clear the slander, but now it seems that you have been released in court?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Lord Yuan and the Minister of Justice enforce the law impartially, and with Your Majesty watching, they will naturally not allow loyal officials to be wronged."
Xu Zhenguan smiled. Even though he had experienced his smooth talk, he still shamelessly called himself a "loyal minister" and praised everyone in one sentence... or...
She asked knowingly:
"Oh? So Zhou Cheng tried to stop it?"
This follow-up was not included in the eunuch's report.
Zhao Duan nodded, then shook his head:
"He tried, but failed."
At this time, the empress did not know the true meaning of the word "failure".
As she made her move, she said:
“It’s good to fail.
However, your method has made me very satisfied. You put yourself in the game and took advantage of the feud between you two to trick Zhou Cheng into plotting against you... Even if the scroll is a little insufficient as evidence, it can still be used to make some sense.
But I don't understand how you came up with this idea. Did you secretly give him this handle? Lure him into the trap?
But given Zhou Cheng's caution, you actually managed to hide it from him?
Oh, I will ask him about it later."
She was a little confused.
After all, with the example of Pei Kaizhi, it was unexpected that Zhou Cheng was not sufficiently wary of Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"I'm afraid he can no longer come to see Your Majesty."
"Oh? Why?" Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise, and her beautiful eyebrows frowned.
Zhao Duan picked up a black piece, placed it on the chessboard, and said:
"Because, with the help of an old case from thirteen years ago, I have obtained evidence that Zhou Cheng was corrupt and perverting the law, enough to put him to death ten times. I announced it in court, and Lord Yuan and the Minister of Justice accepted it.
Because the case is serious, Zhou Cheng and many officials from the Dali Temple have been arrested...
I have come here to report this matter to Your Majesty. Minister Zhou is doomed."
The white piece that Xu Zhenguan picked up suddenly slipped out of his hand and fell back into the chess box with a light "pop" sound.
The smile on her lips froze, and she stared blankly at Zhao Duan opposite her:
"You... say that again?!"
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(End of this chapter)
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