Chapter 155 Emperor Taizu's Private Collection
"Actually, I read a lot of books..." Zhao Duan pondered for a moment and recommended himself.
Then, he helplessly saw that the corners of the empress's mouth beside him curled up, as if she was amused by his words.
Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said with a bit of a smile:
"I am very happy that you want to share my worries, but as the saying goes, everyone has their own expertise.
What you are good at is doing practical work. I have seen your performance during this period and you have done an excellent job. I will naturally not treat a meritorious official unfairly, nor am I unwilling to promote you.
However, this newly established so-called "new cabinet", called the Xiuwenguan, is responsible for sharing government affairs for me, offering suggestions and advice, discussing state affairs, and considering many matters such as government decrees and laws, financial construction, military affairs and etiquette.
In this way, only scholars can come in.
Furthermore, the scholars who are less involved with the two factions in the court should be allowed in as much as possible."
Being able to explain with such patience can be said to be a heartfelt confession.
Of course Zhao Duan could understand.
The so-called new cabinet was nothing more than a team of civil officials loyal to the imperial power that the empress wanted to build.
Therefore, the ministers currently in the court were deliberately kept out, and the infiltration of the "Li Party" and the "Qingliu Party" was also to be avoided. The Xiuwenguan was the prototype of the future "cabinet".
As a result, he wanted to get closer, but the Empress's attitude was very clear:
Xiuwenguan is a place where scholars can shine and flourish, so Zhao Duan, a military man, should not get involved.
As for what he called reading... in Xu Zhenguan's opinion, maybe there was some.
But how can they compare with the Jinshi who emerged from the "mountain of corpses and sea of knowledge"?
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Duan opened his mouth, feeling a little helpless.
There's no way around it. The stereotype is too strong, but it obviously can't be reversed in just a few words.
You can't just talk about state governance strategies on the spot, right?
Although he read a lot of books during this period, he only gained an understanding of the ruling framework of the Dayu Dynasty.
The details are still unclear, but the first priority of any strategy is to "adapt to local conditions."
Without a specific problem in front of him, there is no way for him to perform.
"Okay," Xu Zhen looked at his frustrated expression, smiled, thought for a moment, and said:
"I said this, but you still don't give up.
How about this, if you are interested, when the Xiuwenguan opens in a few days, I can take you there to see the world and teach you the difference between what you call reading and what the readers in the library do.
By then, you will naturally give up."
"Then I would like to thank Your Majesty first!" Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude.
No matter what, let's just get through it and see what happens next.
Moreover, although he thought he had accumulated a lot of experience in his previous life, Zhao Duan never dared to underestimate the wisdom of the ancients.
What if they are all very strong and don’t need him?
In the night breeze, the two walked along the square. After dark, the air was no longer stuffy.
After this little episode, it was the empress's turn to bring up a topic and ask about his progress in cultivation.
Zhao Duan hesitated for a moment and replied:
"In the Martial God Map, I have left the desert and am about to step into the snowfield."
In fact, he had already entered the depths of the snowfield, but considering his extremely "astonishing" talent, he still played it safe.
Even so, the empress was still obviously stunned, surprised by his speed, and could only attribute it to the influence of the last "I Ching Marrow Cleansing".
"In that case, I have underestimated you," Xu Zhenguan smiled.
"That's good. I was originally planning to lend you a hand tonight. I was worried that the mental state accumulated in your Martial God Diagram wasn't sharp enough, but now it's far exceeded that."
Zhao Duan asked curiously, "What does your Majesty mean? Help?"
Xu Zhenguan nodded and said:
"It's been a while since you entered the middle grade of the mortal body. Last time, I cleansed your marrow with the Yijing method and used a lot of magical herbs in the medicinal bath. Even if we deduct the consumption of the rebirth, the remaining medicinal power is enough to save you a year of hard work and advance to the upper grade.
If you are an orthodox warrior, the effects of the medicine will be exhausted if you fight with others every day.
But you have been in Beijing all day and have no experience in fighting, so the medicinal power has settled in your body.
I can help you extract the medicinal power and upgrade it to a higher grade."
Improve your cultivation?
Zhao Duan's breathing tightened:
"Your Majesty, where are we going to break through? Are we still going to Tangquan Palace?"
He was a little looking forward to it.
Xu Zhenguan gave him a sidelong glance, his face burning in the darkness, and raised his finger forward:
“Almost there.”
…
After a while, Zhao Duan was brought to a pavilion-shaped building. The pavilion had two sides and a plaque above it with three large characters inscribed on it:
Yuanzu Temple.
Xu Zhenguan ordered the servants following behind him to wait outside, and led Zhao Duan forward alone.
Explain: "Do you know where this is?"
Zhao Duan shook his head honestly.
Xu Zhenguan said:
"This is a pavilion built under the personal order of Emperor Taizu when he was still alive. It is used as a place for quiet contemplation.
It is said that whenever Emperor Taizu encountered an important matter and was unable to make a decision, he would lock himself in this building and meditate quietly to avoid external interference.
After that, it was passed down from generation to generation. After Taizu passed away, although sacrifices were held in the Taimiao, in order to facilitate the remembrance of the royal descendants, incense was often burned here. Therefore, it can be regarded as a 'family temple'.
As she spoke, she had already come out of the building.
With a wave of his hand, the tightly closed door opened and the lights inside lit up automatically.
Stepping in, I found that the first and second floors of the building were broken through, forming a space similar to that of a Taoist temple. The towering dome was supported by red-painted wooden pillars that were so thick that several people could hug them.
There is a huge altar in front, but there is no statue on it. There is only a huge calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall. On it is a word "Wu" written in a vigorous and lively manner with flying dragons and phoenixes.
Zhao Duan looked up in amazement, and was shocked by the word "Wu" that seemed to be about to burst through the paper and hold up the sky and the earth.
"Is this the calligraphy of Emperor Taizu?" he asked.
"...No," Xu Zhenguan said awkwardly, explaining:
"Emperor Taizu was not proficient in calligraphy. This character was written by a great calligrapher of the time, but Emperor Taizu added martial arts connotations to it."
I was saying, who can write so beautifully? And how can the picture of the God of War on the stone tablet be drawn as a stick figure... Zhao Duan complained silently.
The empress walked straight to the altar, opened the drawer, and took out six incense sticks.
He handed him three incense sticks, lit them himself, bowed respectfully, and then inserted them into the three-legged incense burner on the altar.
How could Zhao Duan delay?
He also imitated the empress and offered three incense sticks.
In the quiet ancestral temple, with bright lights, a man and a woman stood side by side in front of the altar, burning incense towards the word "Wu".
At this moment, Xu Zhenguan restrained his majesty as an emperor and the aura of a powerful cultivator. In front of his ancestors, he was just a descendant.
Zhao Duan just thought of it as offering incense to his cheap master, Old Xu. Since he was taught some skills, it wasn't really a loss.
But when he lit the incense, amid the swirling green smoke, he caught a glimpse of the two fair and tender wrists and half of her extraordinary profile that were exposed from the sleeves of the empress who was burning incense beside him.
A strange idea popped up in my mind for no reason:
Is this some form of "meeting the parents"?
"What are you daydreaming about? Why don't you sit down?" When Zhao Duan was distracted, he heard the empress's voice and saw her pointing at the cushion on the ground.
"Oh oh." Zhao Duan hurriedly sat down cross-legged, which seemed like he was meditating in a temple.
After Xu Zhenguan offered incense, he felt much more at ease. He flicked his sleeves and closed the door of Yuanzu Building so that no one outside could see what was happening inside.
The empress walked to the side of the altar again, and suddenly raised her hand to turn a candlestick on the table.
With a "click" sound, a stone door suddenly opened on the wall, and there were stairs leading down from inside.
Zhao Duan was shocked: "Your Majesty, this is..."
"Wine cellar." Xu Zhenguan stepped into the stone gate and came out soon with two jars of wine. He tossed one to him and said, "Drinking this will help with digestion."
Zhao Duan sat cross-legged on the futon, holding the wine jar, and asked curiously:
"Isn't this the family temple? How could it be..."
Xu Zhenguan opened the mud seal of the wine jar with her delicate hands, tilted her head back and took a sip. The clear wine gathered into a stream and poured into her open red lips and sandalwood mouth.
The delicate head and goose neck swallowed, showing the same carefree and unrestrained manner as when they were drinking in the "Emperor's Tower".
Zhao Duan suddenly understood that the empress had said last time that she liked to drink alone when she was happy. Last time, Pei Kaizhi fell down and went to the Emperor's Tower.
Today Zhou Cheng fell down and came to Yuanzu Temple. Who would believe that the empress is actually a drunkard?
"Oh, the ancestral temple was given by later generations. When Emperor Taizu built it, he left behind this hidden wine cellar. He even arranged a formation inside to ensure that the wine would remain refreshing year-round..."
Xu Zhenguan carried the wine jar and kicked a cushion across from him with his lotus feet. He then sat down and burped. The aroma of wine mixed with his body fragrance filled his face. He narrowed his eyes and said,
“It was only after I ascended the throne that I discovered the hidden secrets here.
I remember it was written in Taizu's diary that his empress forbade him to drink alcohol. I think the construction of this building was a pretense of quiet contemplation; it was actually a place where Taizu would drink alone and secretly."
Zhao Duan was speechless, feeling that the image of "Old Xu" as a master that he saw in the God of War picture had somewhat collapsed.
"Okay, stop talking nonsense, drink a few sips of wine, then close your eyes and meditate. I will help you dissolve the effects of the medicine." Xu Zhenguan urged.
At this time, she was sitting on the futon, without any trace of imperial majesty. Instead, she looked like a fairy who had descended to the mortal world and was a swordswoman in the martial arts world.
Zhao Duan sniffed the sweet fragrance of the other person so close to him. With the experience from last time, he tried hard to suppress the restless Xiao Zhao and closed his eyes to meditate.
However, he didn't know that when he entered into meditation, Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting opposite him, looked at his face intently with bright eyes.
"It's quite... nice-looking."
…
Woohoo…
On the snowfield, the biting cold wind was mixed with snow foam.
Zhao Duan opened his eyes and found himself wrapped in a cotton coat, curled up in a snow pit sheltered from the wind.
At this moment, the sky was about to brighten and the morning light was dim. He climbed out of the snow pit and found Old Xu, who was also wearing thick clothes and boots, sitting cross-legged on the snow.
His thick back was like a rock, like a mountain, his messy black hair was connected with his thick beard. He was not sleeping, but looking to the north with his bright black eyes.
"Old Xu, what are you looking at?"
Zhao Duan was familiar with the place. He grabbed a handful of snow and squatted by the pit to rub his face. His skin turned red and the coldness on his body gradually subsided.
Old Xu said, "Old people."
What the hell? Zhao Duan didn't hear clearly, and asked again, but Old Xu didn't say anything.
He was used to it, knowing that Old Xu was like an AI that was occasionally online but mostly offline, so he didn't bother with him. After washing his face, he suddenly gave a mischievous smile:
"Do you know what I just did? Your great-great-great-great-granddaughter took me to burn incense for you at the Yuanzu Temple, or Yuanzu Pavilion, in the palace. Speaking of which, did you really build that building just to dig a wine cellar and drink secretly?"
He quipped casually, not expecting a reply.
Old Xu suddenly turned his head, glanced at him, and uttered two words:
"Eleven, secret passage."
(End of this chapter)
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