Chapter 579: Losing the Vest (Part 1)
"Your Majesty, this is a confidential report on the battle situation at Xiping and Tieguan."
Outside the imperial study, Sun Lianying, wearing a dragon robe and with frosty white hair at the temples, spoke softly, leaning against the carved door.
The empress, who had just put down her brush and rubbed her twitching eyelids, said "hmm," "Put it aside."
Sun Lianying stepped over the threshold, placed the memorial on the table covered with golden silk, and looked at the empress worriedly:
"Your Majesty, are you still worried about the Huai River battle?"
Xu Zhenguan looked at the loyal old eunuch and sighed softly, his eyes full of worry: "I really can't let go of my worries."
Since Zhao Shixiong defected to the imperial court, the Huai River War was mainly fought on the western front. When the southern expedition to Mu began, countless eyes in the entire court were cast towards the south, eagerly waiting for the progress of the war.
Xu Zhenguan was not in a hurry at first, as she believed that if there were any major changes, Zhao Duan would definitely pass through the stone wall, return to the capital, and report to her.
However...the development of things was unexpected.
Several days passed and Zhao Duan never came back. What really made Xu Zhenguan uneasy was that one night two days ago, she vaguely sensed fluctuations in the celestial phenomena in the direction of the Huai River.
But it was far less clear than when Zhao Duan stopped the burning of the city.
The empress rushed to the Tianshi Mansion that night, trying to seek answers, but was turned away. She told Gongshu Tianyuan that Zhang Yanyi was not in the capital after all, and asked her to be patient and wait for good news.
Xu Zhenguan didn't know what exactly had happened, but it was difficult for him to leave his post and go to the south in person.
In the next two days, Zhao Duan still did not return.
Moreover, the latest intelligence on the war in the south is still on the way because time is too short.
Therefore, Xu Zhenguan has been particularly anxious and restless in the past two days.
But she herself couldn't tell how much of her anxiety was due to the war and how much was due to Zhao Duan.
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. Good news may be on the way," Sun Lianying comforted.
Xu Zhenguan faced the old eunuch who had been with him since childhood and forced a smile: "I know."
Sun Lianying wanted to say something, but finally chose to shut up and bowed as he left the study.
After everyone left, the empress picked up the memorial on the table, opened it and examined it. She didn't find anything too surprising. After thinking for a while, she commented on it with a red pen and handed it to the female official to be sent to the Xiuwenguan.
Then, the upset Xu Zhenguan walked out of the Yangxin Palace again and went to the third floor of the old building behind the Wugong Palace.
In the past two days, she came to take a look in person almost every few hours.
There was still no change this time. The puppet body of "Zhao Duan" was still sitting cross-legged beside the stone wall, motionless, almost covered with light gray.
"well……"
The empress stood in the building, her eyes dim, she sighed softly and shook her head.
I simply sat cross-legged on the cushion again and contemplated the "human world" alone.
…
The city night as usual.
Xu Zhenguan, dressed as an urban beauty, opened her eyes and found herself in the park.
The night breeze was blowing, and the lights of cars speeding on the road outside the park swept in, illuminating her beautiful face.
"We have to get it done this time."
Xu Zhenguan stood up from the park bench, thoughtful.
The last time she came in, she wanted to look for some poems, but not long after she came in, her body left outside sensed the fluctuations of heaven and earth.
She had no choice but to end her meditation early and go out to find Zhang Yanyi... and then put aside the matter of looking for poetry for the time being... after all, it was not a serious matter.
After leaving the park, Xu Zhenguan stood on the curb, lost in thought.
Searching for ancient poetry in this world shouldn't be difficult, but for a native like her, there are still difficulties.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her "phone," turned it on, saw the lock screen, and then turned it off again.
No password, can't be used.
Of course, she could also rely on her beauty to find a store and borrow someone's cell phone or computer... Even without magical powers and imperial status, she could still do this with her looks.
It was just the Empress's pride that made her unwilling to do so.
What's more...
Although she had basically learned the language of this world and could communicate with people, she was still not proficient in the written language of this world.
It is still difficult for her to check on her own.
"Let me find someone to help me investigate." Xu Zhenguan thought for a moment and walked towards the nearby Taiqing Palace.
Just like many times when I entered, the door of the temple in the city was closed, but the small door was still open.
Xu Zhenguan raised his hand and knocked on the door. Soon the door opened and a middle-aged female temple priest with a kind face and wearing a green Taoist robe walked out.
Xu Zhenguan had dealt with female temple priests many times in the past, and even first learned the name "Zhanghui" from them.
The empress thought of the other person out of habit.
Unfortunately, the female temple keeper had no saved memory and was surprised at first. After Xu Zhenguan expressed that he had lost his memory and asked her to help call the police, the female temple keeper enthusiastically led her into the house.
The house has not changed. The fortune stick box is still on the table, and the marriage tree in the courtyard outside the window is still hung with cloth strips.
"Can you help me look up some poems? From that...Internet." Xu Zhenguan directly expressed his purpose.
The female temple keeper was stunned for a moment. Although she felt that the girl's question was indeed strange, considering that she had lost her memory, she smiled gently and said, "Okay, what do you want to check?"
As she spoke, the female temple priest took out a cell phone from her Taoist robe...
What poem was she looking for? Xu Zhenguan was stunned. She hadn't thought of it yet and was at a loss for words. Then, naturally, she thought of the one Zhao Duan had given her.
The corners of the Empress's mouth curled up slightly, and she whispered, "Let's check here for the most famous Mid-Autumn Festival poems. Okay, preferably lyrics."
She secretly thought that if there was Mid-Autumn Festival in this world, there would definitely be related poems.
I believe it will not be worse than the one written by Zhao Duan.
Although the female temple keeper found the empress's statement strange, she was a gentle person, so she opened the browser, entered the corresponding entry, and then skipped the advertisements ranked in the first three, four, five, six, seven, eight...
Finally I opened an article that lists the "Top Ten Mid-Autumn Festival Poems".
"Girl, take a look." The temple keeper handed over the phone.
Xu Zhenguan asked seriously, "Can you read it to me?"
"..." The female temple keeper was stunned for a moment, thinking that this girl would not lose her memory to the point that she could not even recognize words. She nodded with sympathy and read:
"If I were to name the most famous poem, it would be 'Shui Tiao Ge Tou'. I wrote this poem on the Mid-Autumn Festival of Bingchen, while drinking till dawn and getting very drunk, thinking of Ziyou."
"When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup to ask the blue sky. I wonder what year it is in the palace of heaven..."
When Xu Zhenguan heard the first four words of "Shui Tiao Ge", he frowned slightly, surprised that the Mid-Autumn Festival poem in this world had the same tune as the one written by Zhao Duan...
It was also surprising that the two worlds had the same tune name...
But when she heard the female temple keeper recite the original text of the poem, she was stunned. Her eyes suddenly widened and she stared at the female temple keeper blankly.
Staring at the lines of text on the phone screen.
The emotion in his eyes was as if... he had seen a ghost!
"May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together, even though we are thousands of miles apart..." After the female temple keeper finished reciting the last sentence, she looked up with a startled look and cautiously looked at the empress who was staring at her. "Miss, what are you doing..."
Xu Zhenguan's breathing was rapid, his delicate hands clenched tightly, and he stared at the temple keeper intently. Suddenly he asked, "Who is the author of this poem?"
"...Su...Su Shi."
"Not Zhao?"
"...a famous poet from the Song Dynasty, how could his last name be Zhao?"
The empress was silent, and then suddenly said, "Please search for me again. Is there a poem called "Farewell to Dong Da"..."
Well, after she said this name, she felt that it was not right and added:
"The first line is 'Thousands of miles of yellow clouds, the sun is dim...'"
The female temple keeper laughed, and this time she even skipped the search:
"Yes. This is a poem by Gao Shi from the Tang Dynasty."
"..." The empress fell silent again, and asked in disbelief, "What is the relationship between Su Shi and Gao Shi?"
The female temple keeper said unsurely:
"No...it doesn't matter. They are from two different dynasties. It's completely..."
She wasn't quite sure how many years had passed between them.
The Empress fell silent again, then suddenly said, "The Emperor's beauty is my youth... Is there a poem like this?"
The female temple keeper honestly searched the browser again this time and shook her head:
"No. But there is a saying that goes, 'The Master is beautiful and I am young.' Miss, you must have remembered it wrongly, didn't you?"
As he spoke, he read the original text again.
Xu Zhenguan fell silent again.
"Miss? Miss?" The female temple priest saw that Xu Zhenguan seemed to have lost his mind and tried to call out.
Xu Zhenguan just sat there blankly, looking out the window at the city at night, his expression changing from one expression to another. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something and squeezed out a name from between his teeth:
"Zhang! Back!"
…
…
"A-choo!"
Zhengyang Mountain, inside Zhengyang Academy.
Zhao Duan sneezed inexplicably, rubbed his nose, put down the teacup in his hand, and muttered in his heart: Who is talking about me...
Immediately, he turned his gaze to the old Taoist priest, expecting an answer.
The architecture of Zhengyang Academy is elegant. Although it is located on a mountain, the courtyard is still decorated with green bamboos, flowers, pavilions and towers, showing its aesthetic taste.
Inside the hall, paintings by ancient masters are hung on the pink and white walls, and two blue and white porcelain vases are placed there, showing the ancient style.
Seeing that everyone wanted to talk, Mr. Zhengyang and his student Lu Cheng stood up and walked out of the courtyard. The rest of the scholars in Zhengyang Academy who had come out because of the commotion just now also gathered outside the courtyard and did not disturb them.
In the hall, only Zhao Duan, Zhong Pan, Yuxiu and Jin Jian were left. They teamed up to torture the shameless Zhang Yanyi who was sitting in the main seat.
"Master, what is going on? Why are you here?" Yuxiu also asked.
They are so curious!
"Haha," Zhang Yan said with a calm demeanor, like a sage with an air of immortality. He smiled mysteriously and said, "It's a long story..."
Zhao Duan interrupted: "Then let's shorten it?"
"..." Zhang Yan glared at him angrily and said helplessly:
"The reason I'm waiting here is naturally to make arrangements in advance and kill this deadly god."
It was indeed arranged... Zhao Duan was not surprised at all, but instead confirmed his guess and said:
"So, when I found you in the capital, you counted it as today?"
Zhang Yan nodded, then shook his head:
"How can I see clearly when it comes to the gods? I just saw that you were under a dark cloud and that a bloody disaster was about to happen, so I wanted to take a closer look, but I didn't expect to be blocked by the laws of nature. In this world, there are only a handful of people who can block my observation.
Your Majesty is in the capital, and Xuan Yin, that bald donkey, is staying put to avoid being attacked. Wu Xiankui is in the East China Sea and hasn't made any moves since his Fengshan ceremony... Plus, you're going to deal with Xu Jingtang, so if you think about it, you know it's related to the White Robe Sect."
Judge Zhong suddenly realized:
"So, Master, you guessed at the time that the White Clan might summon the God of Death, and that only a god-level power could accomplish this... and slaying the evil god is our unshirkable duty, so you decided to take action and slay the God of Death?"
Zhang Yan nodded happily, with an attitude of saving the people.
Is this true... Are you, Mr. Deng, so kind?
Zhao Duan was suspicious. Jin Jian, who was sitting next to him, saw his disbelief and leaned over to explain quietly:
"Those who practice the Heavenly Dao need to deal with evil spirits to aid their practice. Maintaining the righteous path and preventing evil spirits from running rampant is beneficial to Master's practice."
Zhao Duan suddenly understood, so Lao Zhang was trying to gain political achievements... to make things clear to the gods.
He had heard Zhenbao mention before that the practice of "Heavenly Way" had many taboos and requirements.
For example, the Way of Heaven represents the rules, and the deeper a sorcerer practices the Way of Heaven, the more his every move must conform to the illusory yet real "Tao" between heaven and earth.
Therefore, the Tianshi Mansion established the rule of not interfering in the secular world, in order to preserve the inheritance and avoid disasters, and also to follow the "Tao"...
Similarly, eradicating evil spirits is not only a sense of justice or a need for stability, but also in line with the "Tao".
Zhang Yan glared at the female disciple, sighed softly, and explained:
"Eradicating the evil spirits will indeed be of some benefit to my cultivation."
You just want to take advantage of others, why pretend to be doing something for the world... Zhao Duan despised him in his heart, but admired him on the surface: "Master Tian is so righteous!"
Zhang Yan suddenly felt much more relaxed and said with a smile:
"Ever since the vassal kings rebelled, smoke of war rose everywhere, and the world was filled with despair, and the balance had been lost.
Therefore, I, in accordance with the will of Heaven, also wish to weaken the evil spirits. However, the gods are difficult to deal with. Even with my magical powers, I need to make some efforts and use the feng shui of Zhengyang Mountain to set up a large formation to ensure that there is no risk of failure. "
Well, what he said was half true and half false.
If the goal is simply to defeat the God of Death, there is no need to set up a formation.
However, if one wants to prevent the spirit of despair from dissipating and returning to heaven and earth, and instead imprison the power of the spirit of despair as much as possible and incorporate it into the Book of Heaven... then one needs the help of a formation.
Zhao Duan nodded, and roughly understood:
Seeing that he was in danger of a bloody disaster, Lao Zhang guessed what the Baiyi Sect was thinking, so he simply used himself as bait and asked the Baiyi Sect to help summon the God of Death into the human world, and then lead him to the Zhengyang Mountain formation to catch him in the trap.
The life-saving sachet he gave himself was also to ensure his survival and to lead the God of Death to Zhengyang Mountain.
Zhao Duan said quietly:
"So, if you have such a good plan, why can the leaf you gave me only be used twice? Master, do you know that if I hadn't found another way and thought of a solution, we would never have reached Zhengyang Mountain?"
Yuxiu and Jinjian also nodded, chattering and explaining Zhao Duan's role.
Everyone has some resentment.
Zhang Yan acted like a master and wanted to say, "Everything is within my calculations."
But he was interrupted by Zhao Duan's sneer:
"Could it be that Heavenly Master calculated in advance that I would be able to obtain the Dragon Girl and use her to hide?"
Jin Jian shook his head and said, "Master can't be so meticulous."
A ruthless demolition machine.
Zhang Yanyi was almost defeated, his beard trembling slightly, and he glared at Jin Jian unhappily:
"Do you think that your master is so heartless that he would just ignore you?"
Isn't it? Yuxiu and Jinjian murmured in their hearts.
Zhong Pan, who had been sitting next to him, suddenly spoke up and said slowly:
"In fact, Master has left me some life-saving tricks."
Zhao Duan and the two women looked at him in surprise.
The simple and reliable little Taoist priest smiled slightly, revealing his white teeth.
"Master has already made arrangements in the decree he gave me. So, if we are really in danger, I can ensure that we reach Zhengyang Mountain."
There's a traitor among us!
Zhao Duan widened his eyes and suddenly understood.
Yes, Zhang Yanyi did say that he would give the decree to Zhong Pan alone, and Zhao Duan waited in Yongjia City for two days before Zhong Pan arrived.
They were all kept in the dark!
"Okay, you guys go out first. I still have something to say to him alone."
Zhang Yan blew his beard and glared at the two stunned female disciples, then suddenly said.
(End of this chapter)
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