Chapter 155 Emperor Taizu’s Secret Collection
"I actually read a lot of books..." Zhao Duan pondered for a moment and then recommended himself.
Then, he saw helplessly that the corners of the empress' lips raised beside him, as if she was amused by his words.
Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said with a bit of laughter and tears: "I am very happy that you want to share your worries for me, but as the saying goes, there are specialties in the profession.
What you are good at is doing practical work. I have seen your performance during this period, and you have done an excellent job. Naturally, I will not treat you badly, nor am I unwilling to support you.
However, the newly-built yamen of the so-called 'new cabinet', named Xiuwen Guan, is responsible for sharing government affairs for me, giving advice and suggestions, discussing state affairs, and considering many matters such as decrees and laws, monetary fortifications, military etiquette, etc. .
In this way, we can only find scholars to come in.
Moreover, only scholars who have as little involvement with the two parties in the court as possible can enter. "
Being able to explain so patiently can be said to be sincere.
Of course Zhao Duan can understand.
The so-called new cabinet is nothing more than a team of civil servants loyal to the imperial power that the empress wanted to create.
Therefore, the ministers who are currently in the court are deliberately kept out, and the "Li Party" and "Qingliu Party" are also prevented from infiltrating. The Xiuwen Museum is the prototype of the future "cabinet".
As a result, he wanted to join in even more, but the empress's attitude was very obvious:
The Xiuwen Museum is a place for scholars to shine, so Zhao Duan, a martial artist, should not join in the fun.
As for his so-called reading... In Xu Zhenguan's opinion, it may be true.
But how can it be compared with the Jinshi who came out of the "Corpse Mountain Academy"?
"Chen..." Zhao Duan opened his mouth, a little helpless.
There is no way, the stereotype is too strong, but it is obviously impossible to reverse it in three or five sentences.
You can't just talk about the strategy of governing the country on the spot, right?
Although he read a lot of books during this period, he only understood the ruling framework of the Yu Dynasty.
The details are still unclear, and the first priority for any strategy is to "adapt measures to local conditions."
There was no specific problem in front of him, so he couldn't express himself.
"Okay," Xu Zhen looked at his frustrated look, smiled, thought for a while, and said:
"I say this, but I don't want to give up.
Well, if you are interested, the Xiuwen Museum will open in a few days. I can take you to see the world and teach you the difference between your so-called reading and the scholars in the library.
When the time comes, you will naturally give up. "
"I would like to thank your Majesty in advance!" Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he hurriedly cupped his hands to express his thanks.
No matter what, just sneak over and take a look first.
Moreover, although he thought that he had accumulated a lot of experience in his previous life, Zhao Duan never dared to underestimate the wisdom of the ancients.
What if everyone is a strong thief and there is no need for him?
The two of them walked along the square in the night breeze. After dark, the air was no longer stuffy.
At the end of this episode, it was the empress' turn to raise a topic and ask about the progress of his practice.
Zhao Duan hesitated for a moment and replied: "In the Martial God Picture, 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 "shocky" talent, he still had a safe hand.
Despite this, the empress was obviously stunned for a moment, surprised by his speed, and could only attribute it to the influence of the last "I Ching Marrow Cleansing".
"That being the case, I have underestimated you a little," Xu Zhenguan smiled: "It's okay, I was originally going to help you tonight. I was originally worried that the mental state accumulated in your Martial God Picture was not sharpened enough. Now It’s far beyond that.”
Zhao Duan asked curiously: "What do you mean, Your Majesty? Help?"
Xu Zhenguan nodded and said: "It has been some time since you entered the mortal world. The last time I washed your marrow from the I Ching, I used a lot of elixirs in the medicated bath. The power of these medicines, even if you remove the waste of rebirth, , the remainder is enough to save you a year of hard work and advance to the top level.
If you are an orthodox martial artist who fights and fights with others every day, the potency of the medicine will be exhausted.
But you have been in Beijing all day and have no fighting experience, so the power of the medicine has settled in your body.
I can help you extract the power of the medicine and advance to the top level. "
Promote your cultivation level?
Zhao Duan's breath tightened:
"Your Majesty, where should we break through? Are we still going to Tangquan Palace?"
He was looking forward to it.
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him, her face was a little hot in the darkness, she raised her hand and pointed forward:
"Almost there."
…
After a while, Zhao Duan was taken to a pavilion in the shape of a pavilion. There were two sides of the pavilion. There was a plaque with three large characters on it:
Yuanzu Temple.
The waiters behind Xu Zhenguan were waiting outside and led Zhao Duan forward alone.
Explained: "Do you know where this is?"
Zhao Duan shook his head honestly.
Xu Zhenguan said: "This is a pavilion that Emperor Taizu personally ordered and supervised when he was still alive. It was used as a place for meditation.
It is said that whenever Emperor Taizu was unable to make a decision about a major event, he would lock himself in this building and meditate to avoid external interference.
Later, it was passed down from generation to generation. After Taizu passed away, although he held sacrifices in the Ancestral Temple, in order to facilitate the memory of the royal descendants, they often burned incense here, so it can be regarded as a 'family temple'. "
As she spoke, she had already arrived outside the building.
With a wave of his hand, the closed door opened, and the lights placed inside also lit up on their own. Stepping inside, the building is clearly penetrated by the first and second floors. It is a space similar to a Taoist temple. The surrounding thick red-lacquered wooden pillars, which can be hugged by several people, support the towering dome.
There is a huge altar in front, but there is no statue of God on it. There is only an extremely huge calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall, with dragons and phoenixes dancing on it, and the word "Martial" heartily written on it.
Zhao Duan looked up blankly, shocked by the word "武" that seemed to burst the paper and open the world.
"Is this the character of Emperor Taizu?" he asked.
"...No," Xu Zhenguan was embarrassed and explained:
"Taizu was not good at calligraphy. This character was written by a master of calligraphy at that time, but Emperor Taizu blessed it with martial arts meaning."
Let me tell you, who can write such beautiful calligraphy, and then draw the picture of the God of War on the stone tablet as a stick figure... Zhao Duan complained silently.
I saw the empress walking straight to the altar table, opening the drawer and taking out six sticks of incense.
He handed him three plants, lit them on his own, bowed respectfully, and then inserted them into the three-legged incense burner on the altar table.
How could Zhao Duan delay?
I also imitated the empress and offered three incense sticks.
In the quiet family temple, the lights are bright, a man and a woman stand side by side in front of the altar table, offering incense to the character "武".
At this moment, Xu Zhenguan restrained his majesty as an emperor and his immortality as a strong practitioner. In front of his ancestors, he was just a descendant.
Zhao Duan only regarded it as a favor for his cheap master Lao Xu. He taught him his skills, so it was not a loss.
But when I was putting incense, the green smoke was lingering. I glanced at the empress next to me when she was putting incense. From the sleeves that had slipped down, I saw two white and tender wrists, as well as half of her incomprehensible profile.
A strange thought popped up in my mind for no reason:
Is this some form of "meeting the parents"?
"Why are you so dazed? Why don't you sit down?" When he was distracted, Zhao Duan heard the empress's voice and saw her pointing to the futon on the ground.
"Oh." Zhao Duan hurriedly sat down cross-legged, which seemed a bit like meditating in a temple.
After Xu Zhenguan burned the incense, he felt much more at ease. He closed the door of Yuanzu Tower with a flick of his sleeves, so that everything that happened inside could not be seen from the outside.
The empress walked to the side of the altar table and suddenly raised her hand to turn a candlestick on the table.
Just hearing the sound of "zaza", a stone door suddenly opened on the wall, and stairs extended from inside.
Zhao Duan was shocked: "Your Majesty, this is..."
"Wine cellar." Xu Zhenguan stepped into the stone door and walked out after a while carrying two wine jars and threw one to him: "Drinking it is good for digestion."
Zhao Duan sat cross-legged on the futon, holding the wine jar, and said curiously:
"Isn't it a family temple? How could it be..."
Xu Zhenguan lifted the mud seal of the wine jar with her slender hands, raised her head and took a sip first. The clear wine condensed into a bunch and poured into her open red lips and sandalwood mouth.
The two people were drinking with the same carelessness as when they were drinking in the "Tianzi Tower".
Zhao Duan suddenly realized 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 Tianzi Tower.
Today, Zhou Cheng fell down and came to Yuanzu Temple. The empress turned out to be an alcoholic. Who dares to believe it?
"Oh, the family temple was given by future generations. When Emperor Taizu built it, he left behind this hidden wine cellar. There was even a formation inside so that the wine would remain delicious all year round..."
Xu Zhenguan carried the wine jar and kicked a futon across from him with her lotus feet. Then she also sat down and burped. The aroma of wine mixed with body fragrance hit her face. She squinted and said:
"After I ascended the throne, I discovered that there was a mystery hidden here.
I remember it was written in the records of Taizu's daily life that Emperor Taizu's queen did not allow him to drink. She wanted to build this building. Any meditation and reflection were fake. It was a place where Emperor Taizu secretly drank wine alone. "
Zhao Duan was speechless, feeling that the image of "Old Xu" as a master seen in the Martial God Picture had collapsed a bit.
"Okay, stop talking nonsense, drink a few sips of wine, then close your eyes and meditate, I will dissolve the power of the medicine for you." Xu Zhenguan urged.
At this time, she was sitting on the futon. She didn't look like an emperor at all. Instead, she looked like a chivalrous woman wielding a sword in the world after the fairy landed in the mortal world.
Zhao Duan sniffed the sweet scent of the other person's presence, and based on his experience last time, he tried hard to suppress the restless Xiao Zhao and closed his eyes to meditate.
Little did he know that when he entered the meditation, Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting opposite him, looked at his face in trance with her bright eyes.
"It's quite... pretty."
…
Woohoo...
On the snowfield, the biting cold wind was mixed with snow foam.
Zhao Duan opened his eyelids and found himself wrapped in cotton clothes and huddled in a snow pit with leeward wind.
At this moment, the sky was getting brighter and the morning light was fading. He crawled out of the snow pit and found Lao Xu, who was also wearing thick clothes and boots, sitting cross-legged on the snow.
His back was as thick as a rock or a mountain, and his messy black hair and thick beard were connected together. He did not sleep, but looked at the north with his bright black eyes.
"Old Xu, what are you looking at?"
Zhao Duan was familiar with the road, he grabbed a handful of snow, squatted by the pit and rubbed his face. His skin turned red, and the coldness gradually subsided.
Lao Xu said: "Old people."
What the hell? Zhao Duan didn't hear clearly and asked again, but Lao Xu stopped talking.
He was used to this, knowing that Lao Xu was like an AI that was online occasionally and offline most of the time, so he didn't care about it. He washed his face and suddenly smiled narrowly: "You know what I just did. No? Your granddaughter took me to offer you incense in the Yuanzu Temple, or Yuanzu Pavilion, in the palace. Speaking of which, you built that building just to dig a wine cellar. drink wine?"
He joked casually, not expecting an answer.
Lao Xu suddenly turned his head, glanced at him, and uttered two words:
"Eleven, secret passage."
(End of chapter)