Chapter 162 Gu Shidu
In the southeast corner of Zichen Palace in Luojing City, there is an inconspicuous two-story attic.
Different from most buildings in the palace with red walls and gold tiles, this building has a black glazed roof with green glazed tiles trimmed around the edges. There are fringed railings in front of the pavilion and upside-down lintels hanging under the eaves.
The lake rocks behind are piled up into mountains, like a barrier, with pines and cypresses planted in between.
Looking from a distance, it can be described as simple, elegant, fresh and pleasing to the eye.
This building is called "Wenyuan Pavilion".
Its earliest use was to collect and compile books. Many historical documents from the early days of the founding of Da Qi were compiled here.
But as time went by, it gradually evolved into a direct office for cabinet ministers.
In the distribution of power in the Da Qi Dynasty, the cabinet's responsibility was to handle secular government affairs. The cabinet ministers would read the memorials of hundreds of officials, write down their suggestions on a piece of paper, attach them to the memorials, and then give them to the emperor to make a decision - this is called "voting plan".
Then, the emperor will use a red pen to give instructions based on the "votes" of the cabinet, whether he agrees or disagrees - this is called "red approval".
It's just that the current emperor of Da Qi is obsessed with cultivation and ignores political affairs, so he simply handed over the power of "banning red" to Princess Zhaoning.
It is logically speaking that it is extremely unconventional to hand over the highest decision-making power of the country's secular government affairs into the hands of a princess who has no inheritance rights.
However, the emperor has the highest cultivation level and the biggest fist, and no one in the entire court dares to oppose him.
Just like the former Emperor Xingde handed over the power of "approving red" to the eunuchs in charge of rites, no one dared to say "no".
So Emperor Tianxing got his wish and became the hands-off shopkeeper.
.........
At this moment, the cabinet ministers are gathering in this simple-looking "Wenyuan Pavilion" to discuss national affairs.
A white-haired old man wearing a python robe sat at the top. After looking around at everyone present, he said calmly: "There are a few things I want to discuss with you today."
This old man's name is Tan Heming, and he is the chief minister of the Daqi Dynasty's cabinet.
Although he is just a mortal, he has expertise in the art after all - in recent years, he has always been able to grasp the emperor's thoughts and handle Daqi's government affairs in an orderly manner. In addition, he speaks well and is good at He writes gorgeous articles and has always won the emperor's trust.
Having said this, Tan Shoufu cleared his throat, then looked down at a memorial on the table, and said slowly: "First of all, it is about the 'Luoshui Conference' that will be held this year... Because the long night is coming, exorcism Luo Chuan, the head of the division, suggested that the rewards for the leaders of the 'Luoshui Conference' should be slightly increased to encourage the young monks of Daqi to practice hard."
The "Luoshui Conference" is held in Luojing City every five years. This time, it was the highest-level event for practitioners from the Daqi Dynasty to discuss Taoism and exchange ideas.
Monks from all over the country, regardless of origin or cultivation level, can come to participate.
Big figures who are usually hard to see, such as the Emperor of Qi, the Saints of the Five Directions, heads of sects, heads of wealthy families, etc., will also come.
It can be said that the "Luoshui Conference" will become an opportunity for the proud men of heaven to become famous in the world, a way for disciples from poor families to get ahead, and an important channel for the great figures of the Qi Dynasty to select talents.
"Mr. Ge, how can this be done?" As soon as Tan Shoufu finished speaking, Yin Quan, the Minister of Household Affairs and a bachelor, immediately retorted, "Some time ago, the Exorcism Department just proposed to create a 'divine machine camp'. More than half of the cultivation resources in the treasury. Unexpectedly, just a few months later, they came to the lion's mouth again, as if the resources in the treasury were the private property of their exorcism department. We can't let these cultivation resources go. What a fool..."
The cabinet ministers present were not surprised by Master Yin's irritable and urgent tone.
In their impression, Mr. Yin, who was in charge of the financial power of the Daqi Dynasty, was a veritable "iron cock" - he guarded the treasury of the Daqi Dynasty for many years, collected taxes with great fanfare, and spent money without penny. .
But the emperor always praised him highly, praising him more than once that "although he is not a monk, he has the ability to make money out of thin air."
So, even though he often quarreled with other cabinet ministers and had fierce quarrels, his status was still as stable as Mount Tai.
Even if he occasionally secretly put money from the treasury into his own pocket, the emperor would turn a blind eye to him.
"I haven't finished speaking yet," Tan Shoufu interrupted him calmly, "Luo Sishou hopes to give the leaders of the 'Luoshui Conference' an opportunity to enter the royal treasury to select magic weapons. "
Hearing that Tan Shoufu said "the royal treasury" instead of "the national treasury", Yin Shangshu breathed a sigh of relief: "Then let this matter be decided directly by Her Royal Highness! "
Tan Shoufu nodded, quickly wrote the "ticket proposal" on a piece of paper, and pasted it on the memorial of Luo Chuan, the head of the Exorcism Department.
“The second thing,” Tan Shoufu then took out a second document and continued to speak to everyone present, “this memorial comes from Wei Jiusi, a Qianhu in Qingzhou Prefecture, Jiaodong Province.
"He said that the spread of Yin evil energy in Yishan Snow Maiden's territory is accelerating, and more and more civilians are being corroded by Yin energy and turning into monsters.
"Wei Qianhu hopes that the capital can Provide them with some supplies to help nearby residents evacuate from dangerous areas. If it drags on any longer, Qingzhou Mansion may be occupied by monsters. "
"Why is it another one asking for money? "Yin Shangshu muttered gloomily again.
In the next period of time, he used his sharp tongue to bargain wildly, and finally succeeded in getting Wei Wei on the grounds that "the national treasury is very short of money". The total amount of supplies proposed by Qianhu was reduced to half of the original amount.
Tan Shoufu glanced at him helplessly and thought: With the bargaining skills of this Master, I am afraid that even the aunt in the Luojing City vegetable market will be disappointed. In front of us, we can be invincible.
"The third thing is also the most important thing," Tan Shoufu opened the third document and continued, "This morning, His Majesty sent someone to deliver an edict to our Wenyuan Pavilion."
Hearing the words "Your Majesty" and "Edict", everyone present raised their heads and looked at Tan Shoufu sitting at the top, all showing expressions of surprise.
Because Emperor Tianxing has been focusing on cultivation in recent years and ignoring government affairs.
So the edict he sent to the cabinet was even rarer than the snow ginseng on Mount Yi.
"You may have read in the Di newspaper before that a young official named 'Gu Xu' from the Exorcist Department of Yishui County once solved the case of the Lu family's haunted house in Qingzhou Prefecture and became a famous "The owner of the 'Jinghong Brush'," Tan Shoufu continued, "and now, he has successfully climbed to the top of Mount Laoshan and became the inheritor of the ascended immortal Kongxuan Sanren.
"His Majesty values his qualifications and talents and wants to appoint him as a 'Reader'. He hopes that he can accompany the princes and princesses in reading and discussion in the future and be a role model for the emperor's heirs."
"Reader", As the name suggests, they are the attendants of the prince and princess. They are responsible for accompanying the emperor's heirs in their study and practice. They also have the right to give advice and opinions.
Normally, the title of Attendant is held by the highly qualified children of princes and nobles, and is regarded as an honorary title.
Today, the emperor appointed a young man from a commoner background as the "Reader", which undoubtedly surprised the ministers.
"Since His Majesty has made up his mind, let's go directly to the appointment process!" As soon as Tan Shoufu finished speaking, Yin Shangshu couldn't wait to speak.
Everyone here is an old fox who has been in the officialdom for many years.
They knew very well that a title like "Grand Bachelor of the Imperial Palace" might seem to attract much attention, but in essence it was just a tool for doing odd jobs on behalf of the emperor.
The emperor is usually busy practicing, but they still have some rights to express their opinions. But now, the emperor personally issued the decree - no matter how many doubts they had in their minds, they did not have the courage to object.
…………
at the same time.
With the help of Luo Chuan, the head of the Exorcist Department, the fourth prince Xiao Shangzhen finally eliminated the poison of the "Sheng-eating Pill" in his body and successfully escaped from the danger of his life.
But as Shangguan Jin said before, he lost his true energy and became an ordinary person without any cultivation.
Right now, he is playing tops with several concierge children in the backyard of Princess Zhaoning's mansion.
He stood under the eaves, holding a whip in his hand, and like a tyrant, he whipped the top on the ground until it crackled.
The strange thing is that the Emperor of Da Qi did not react at all to the assassination of the fourth prince.
Not only did the real culprit behind the scenes fail to be traced, but at his suggestion, the court characterized the incident as "an accident."
This undoubtedly made Princess Zhaoning feel a little unhappy deep in her heart.
In this regard, Queen Chen Anzhi once wrote to her to explain: "In recent years, the Chen family in Xiangyang has been prosperous, just like a burning fire cooking oil. The emperor feels that it is time for us to cool down."
After seeing the letter from her mother, Princess Zhaoning sighed silently.
She once again deeply realized the so-called "there is no family affection in heaven".
In the eyes of his father, the fate of his younger brother and himself is nothing more than a part of the art of balance.
At this moment, documents from the cabinet were delivered to the princess's house.
Princess Zhaoning saw at a glance that her father appointed Gu Xu, an experienced student in Yishui County, as the "attendant".
This made her feel even more lonely.
She had long known that this young man named Gu Xu had extraordinary potential.
But what does this have to do with her?
Xiao Shangzhen has now become a mortal without cultivation, and has no chance to compete for the "Tai'a Sword" in this life.
This newly appointed minister will surely eventually become an effective general under the other princes, right?
…………
Laizhou Prefecture, Exorcism Department Yamen.
Shangguan Jin smiled brightly. Seeing that Gu Xu did not answer immediately, he continued: "Gu Daoyou, Yishui County and Laizhou Prefecture are almost six hundred miles apart. If you take a carriage, you may need to spend seven or eight days on the road. Time.
"But if I fly with my sword to send you back, it will only take less than a day to reach Yishui. What do you think? ”
Gu Xu took a serious look at her.
He just felt that the timing of this woman’s appearance was such a coincidence-just at the moment when he wanted to go home, she gave him Provided the most desired help, and it was difficult for him to think of a suitable reason for rejection
What exactly did she want to do to him?
"This is too troublesome for you." Gu Xu said politely.
“No trouble, no trouble,” Shangguan Jin said with a smile, “For me, it’s just a slight detour. If you let Daoyou Gu suffer in that slow and bumpy carriage, That’s unreasonable!”
After saying this, she waved her hand and summoned the natal sword-"Tian Yue" out of thin air.
Gu Xu stared at the "Tian Yue" sword shimmering with blue light and frowned slightly.
The sword is only two feet long, and the blade is extremely slender.
Can two people really stand on it?
At this moment, Shi Lei from Qianhu in Laizhou Prefecture suddenly appeared in the corridor next to him and said to Gu Xu: "Gu Xu, I saw you looking for a carriage everywhere in this yamen. Do you want to go back now? Home?"
"Yes, Master Shi." Gu Xu immediately turned around and answered.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Shi Lei said with a smile, "Recently, the Yin Qi has spread over Qingzhou Mansion and there is a shortage of personnel. My adjutant has also been recruited there to help evacuate the people. He It should be just in time to give you a ride.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a strong man with dark skin and strong muscles came to Gu Xu in three steps and greeted him enthusiastically: "Little brother, you are the one who has successfully killed countless geniuses in Daqi." Gu Xu, the cultivation genius who climbed to the top of Mount Laoshan, is really famous for a long time!
"I heard that the disciples of the master of the Jiange Pavilion were defeated by you, and the son of the head of the Chen family in Xiangyang was also trampled under your feet. , even the chief’s personal entourage is crying and begging for mercy in front of you... If my son was half as capable as you, I would wake up laughing in my dreams..."
The strong man grabbed Gu Xu's hand. He was so excited that he kept chattering.
This made Gu Xu feel a little embarrassed.
After all, Shangguan Jin, the "personal attendant of the chief executive," was still listening! br>
"What do you call your Excellency?" Gu Xu had to cough dryly and interrupted the strong man's words.
"My name is Xiong Qing, deputy Qianhu of the Exorcism Department of Laizhou Prefecture," the strong man replied, "just call me Brother Xiong."
Then, Xiong Qing summoned Obtained his natal possession - a huge hammer.
Gu Xuke never thought that one day he would need to "fly with a hammer"!
If "Flying with the Sword" is a fairy-like scene, then "Flying with the Hammer" can only be described as terrifying.
If this hammer accidentally falls from the sky, it will probably kill the people below!
At this time, Shi Lei took out another box from the house and handed it to Gu Xu's hand: "This is the swimming crab, a specialty of our Laizhou Prefecture. Xiaohan has always loved it. I have to trouble you to get it. Bring this box to her."
"No problem!" Gu Xu readily agreed, and put the box into "Xianyunju" with a thought.
At the same time, he silently complained in his heart: In this world, there are probably very few foods that Xiaohan doesn’t like to eat!
Then, he followed Xiong Qing to step on the big hammer, quickly rose into the sky, jumped into the sky, and flew quickly towards Yishui County.
"Master Shi, it's time for me to go back."
After Gu Xu's figure completely disappeared from the sky, Shangguan Jin looked at Shi Lei beside him, with a calm smile on his lips, and his eyes were as quiet as lake water. No emotion at all.
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(End of this chapter)