Chapter 77 Professional Matching
The day after the formal investiture of the crown prince, Emperor Hong'an had already arranged Zhou She's entire staff.
Xiao Xiang was delighted with his new assignment: to take turns teaching Zhou She with Fang Jingruo. In the emperor's words, he could not tolerate Zhou She's ugly handwriting. Even if he could not become a master calligrapher, he at least could not bring shame to the Ning Dynasty.
Zhou She had seen the celestial canopy before; ultimately, it was a result of comparing it with that of other emperors.
On its own, although it may seem a bit too unrestrained and lacking in discipline, it's not that bad, is it?
He was sitting opposite Emperor Hong'an when he said this.
After reviewing his recent studies, Emperor Hong'an chuckled coldly upon hearing this and ordered several eunuchs to bring out a thick stack of books on his desk: "Why don't you take a look at the poems and essays I wrote when I was fourteen?"
Zhou She: "..." I'm convinced, truly convinced.
Your Majesty, you still keep the save file?
Emperor Hong'an didn't see any problem with it; as the successor to his Ning Dynasty, he naturally had to be proficient in everything. Zhou She was excellent in other areas, except that he wasn't very good at literature.
Seeing Zhou She remain silent, he finally raised his hand to let Zhou She go: "However, you have made great progress recently."
Zhou She thought to himself, "Of course."
Being stubborn is one thing, but being determined to improve oneself is another.
He can't be replaced in the position of the Crown Prince.
After finishing his inspection, Emperor Hong'an finally remembered something else and urged, "You've been married to Lady Gu for almost half a month now, it's time to put the matter of having children into the process."
Zhou She had long known the emperor's thoughts. None of his sons had any offspring, and he didn't know if it was due to poor health or some other reason.
In short, the emperor was anxious.
However, Zhou She himself was not in a hurry.
Gu Xunhui is still too young, what's the rush? We're all still young people, in our previous lives, that would be considered the level of someone who hadn't even finished university.
So he gave a vague reply: "Preparations are already underway."
The emperor nodded calmly, and was about to say something more when he suddenly heard a melodious tune coming from the horizon.
Unlike the usual soothing music, this time the music was more stirring, and everyone could tell that the sky, which had been missing for more than a month, had finally reappeared.
Even towering pavilions appeared on the sky, appearing in a three-dimensional way before everyone's eyes. For a moment, it seemed that everyone could catch a glimpse of the magnificent palace.
Hello everyone! This is our last episode, a special feature on Emperor Zhongzong of the Ning Dynasty.
Regarding why the uploader delayed reappearing for over a month, this time it wasn't because they went to visit the tomb, but because they created special effects to give our final episode a grand finale.
Zhou She reasonably suspected that she had simply gone to be lazy, but the emperor was unaware of this. Looking at the somewhat rudimentary special effects on the sky, he repeatedly exclaimed, "People of later generations have such great power that they can carve the imperial palace onto the sky."
After saying that, he turned to look at Zhou She: "If one day, you can also..."
Zhou She felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself: Your Majesty, you don't actually want me to develop this kind of technology for you, do you?
Fortunately, the emperor did not continue speaking.
In March of the eighth year of Jinghua, Emperor Zhongzong formally established his heir apparent. As the first female emperor to ascend the throne through the conventional process, Emperor Cheng's investiture ceremony was naturally a grand affair.
King Jungjong also wrote in his diary with emotion: "My family has a daughter who has just come of age; her strength can uproot mountains, and her spirit can overwhelm the world!"
ah?
We've heard these two lines of poetry before, Tianmu, don't try to fool us!
Even Ren Heng, who was the last to realize it, felt that something was wrong.
No, is that how the poem is written?
Oh, sorry, I got the roles mixed up. But that's the general idea.
Emperor Zhongzong certainly did his best to educate Emperor Cheng. Moreover, perhaps because he knew himself so well, he specifically instructed several tutors to properly discipline his daughter during her studies, making sure she didn't become as lazy as he had been—but he never expected that his daughter would be far more diligent and self-disciplined than he had been.
Zhou She: "..." Could you say something nicer?
Emperor Hong'an lowered his eyes silently, his gaze sweeping over the stacks of poems on the table and then over Zhou She's face.
Everything is understood without words.
However, this is certainly a great thing for the harmonious and loving family of King Jungjong.
King Jungjong immediately and happily handed over all government affairs to his daughter, as before, only maintaining ultimate control himself. Even in the ninth year of Gyeonghwa's reign, King Jungjong relinquished this final control.
Shen Mingzhe was shocked.
How could this be?!
Could it be that he only cared about sending someone to the position of crown prince and then abandoned him?
The Crown Prince is still young and needs the Emperor's support from behind!
Fang Jingruo remained calm. After careful consideration, he concluded that it was a minor issue.
The emperor's sword is so ruthless that the entire court is almost too afraid to utter a sound. What more support do we need? Isn't this level of support enough?
Emperor Hong'an's expression became even more complicated. He asked in a low voice, "Do you really not care about power at all?"
Zhou She: "Ah..."
He felt that it wasn't really that selfless.
The morning court session was truly exhausting; in just half a month, he developed dark circles under his eyes and felt he never got enough sleep.
Emperor Jungjong was full of martial virtue throughout his life, and he never did anything weak in his half-life.
This abundant martial spirit was evident not only internally but also externally. After the Ning Dynasty's iron cavalry spread throughout the entire eastern continent, their ships traveled north and south, bringing not only new information but also new artillery fire to Emperor Zhongzong.
What? !
The civil and military officials, as well as the people of the land, were both shocked and furious.
Of course, for officials, anger outweighs shock. For ordinary people, shock outweighs anger.
As the glow on the sky gradually brightened, the figures of two men appeared behind the wooden screen and on the soft chairs.
Emperor Zhongzong was over forty years old at this time. He had no gray hair at his temples, no beard under his chin, and although there were more wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, his expression remained calm.
He leaned back and sat sideways on the soft chair, casually fiddling with an object that no one had ever seen before.
As he moved his fingers, the camera on the sky gradually shifted and tilted, eventually landing on a spot not far away.
Right opposite Emperor Zhongzong, a young man in official robes looked at the emperor with expectant eyes.
This person looked incredibly honest and sincere, and two large characters slowly appeared above his head: Zhong Shuo.
No one recognized the name. After searching through the younger generation of royal relatives for a long time, no one could figure out which prince's son it was.
Finally, someone slapped their thigh and exclaimed: Could it be a descendant of Prince Su?
Everyone: "...?"
Their first reaction was skepticism, but upon closer examination, it wasn't impossible. Prince Su had many offspring; perhaps this was one of those who slipped through the net during the purge?
Only some high-ranking officials felt an inexplicable familiarity with the name. Suddenly, Ren Heng slapped his forehead: "Isn't that the Sixth Prince?!"
Zhou She almost simultaneously recalled the Sixth Prince's name. He also recognized the device on the sky: wasn't this an early version of the futuristic hand grenade?
A Taoist priest with metaphysical knowledge improves gunpowder? That's actually a good fit for his profession.
On the celestial screen, Emperor Zhongzong examined the sphere from all angles before carefully placing it on the table: "You've already tested it. How powerful is it?"
The future sixth prince excitedly held up three fingers: "It's tripled!"
Emperor Zhongzong glanced at the small round ball in his hand and said with satisfaction, "You have made a great contribution to this matter, and I should record your merit."
The sixth prince beamed with joy and asked with a smile, "Then may I—"
Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Zhongzong's expression changed slightly, then he smiled helplessly: "You really know how to cause me trouble."
He spoke these words lightly and gently, but the sixth prince immediately fell silent, feeling uneasy.
But Emperor Zhongzong showed no anger. He casually lifted the other man's sleeve with his finger: "I bet you've exploded quite a few times. The wound on your arm hasn't healed yet. Haven't you had Lin Jingcheng look at it?"
Lin Jingcheng: "Huh?" I still have scenes?
His colleagues immediately turned their attention to him.
However, Tianmu was only mentioned casually and he didn't intend to elaborate, so the topic continued from where they left off.
Zhong Shuo nodded repeatedly: "I've seen it and bandaged it."
He lowered his eyes, looking somewhat embarrassed, and said, "It's just that we bombed it again yesterday. I wanted to show Your Majesty the results as soon as possible, so..."
Emperor Jungjong actually understood this.
An injury from an explosion is a workplace injury, and of course, the boss needs to see it. Otherwise, what does the injury mean? Is it just air?
But this attitude is worth learning. Therefore, he said kindly, "I know what you want to do. Since the first year of Jinghua, you have been studying magic arts, but you should not become too obsessed with this matter, as it will not benefit the country."
His attitude towards Buddhism and Taoism was a three-no policy: neither promoting, prohibiting, nor encouraging them.
Zhong Shuo has been obsessed with Taoism in recent years. It's fine for him to study it in private, but he insists on formally becoming a monk.
This is outrageous!
In recent years, Zhong Shuo has been a favorite of the court officials and the emperor. The emperor, who spent his life engaging in battles of wits with his ministers in court, became gentle and kind in front of Zhong Shuo, as if he were a completely different person.
Emperor Zhongzong was fully aware of the matters these officials discussed in private, and he was also well aware of their character—what the ruler likes, the subjects will follow even more fervently.
In summary, if he really did give Zhong Shuo special treatment, this group of people would bring him auspicious omens the next day. It would be either the Jade Emperor or the Buddha of the Western Paradise; in short, they wouldn't "disappoint" him.
But seeing the expectant look in Zhong Shuo's eyes, he still sighed, "Very well, go ahead."
The sixth prince is still learning to speak and walking is not yet steady.
Under the care of his wet nurse, he approached Emperor Hong'an and Zhou She with great fanfare, and staggered towards Zhou She's legs.
Zhou She: "..."
Emperor Hong'an: "..." He, the legitimate father, was actually ignored?
The sixth prince's mouth was agape, his eyes crinkling with laughter. He mumbled Zhou She's name before Emperor Hong'an grabbed him by the armpits and lifted him up in a sudden embrace.
Emperor Hong'an looked his youngest son up and down, and said with a look of disappointment, "Neither your nephew nor I believe in magic, so why are you so foolish?"
The sixth prince's smile gradually faded. He grabbed Emperor Hong'an's face with his small hands, pressed his chin against him unhappily, and turned his head to ask Zhou She for a hug.
Zhou She reluctantly accepted it. He stared at the little prince's face, then stroked his hair and asked in a low voice, "Do you like me that much?"
The sixth prince closed his eyes and began to snore.
Many people suspect that Zhong Shuo used the scheme of self-defense to protect himself, fearing that his nephew's butcher's knife would fall on his head.
This is certainly one of the reasons. However, as a top chemist of his time, Zhong Shuo's passion for metaphysics was absolutely unquestionable. He later even opened his own Taoist temple, performed magic, and concocted elixirs—though he never actually took any. The day after he presented the elixirs to Emperor Zhongzong, he was arrested and brought to the palace, where a group of people surrounded him and interrogated him: "You brat, are you trying to poison the emperor?!"
This terrified Zhong Shuo so much that he destroyed the remaining pills overnight, keeping only one to clear his name. However, after being further threatened by Emperor Zhongzong, he never took any more pills.
The sixth prince was fast asleep.
The ministers all thought in unison: With the elixir of immortality before them, how could it be considered poison? But could it be that Zhong Shuo was truly sent by Heaven to bestow upon the Emperor the elixir of immortality?
Sigh, Your Majesty, if you don't want to eat it, we can just have a couple of bites of what's left. Why destroy it?
What a pity, what a pity.
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