Chapter 152: Report to Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission. Zhou Cheng and his followers have
Chapter 152: Report to Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission. Zhou Cheng and his followers have been captured.
"Da da da."
The sound of horse hooves clattered on the spacious bluestone road as Zhao Duan, in high spirits, arrived at the foot of the imperial city.
The guards at the gate subconsciously stepped forward to stop him, and when they saw the man on the horse, they looked as if they had seen a ghost:
"Zhao... Envoy Zhao? Aren't you supposed to be..."
He wanted to say, shouldn't you be in jail?
Or he might be standing trial in court, so why would he suddenly appear here, looking fine and not looking like a criminal at all?
Escaped from prison? Absurd thoughts arise...
"Haha, stop talking nonsense. I have something important to report to His Majesty. Please get out of the way."
Zhao Duan was too lazy to explain, so he just gave the other party a horse's butt and scanned his face to enter the city.
It’s a pity that although it’s easy to enter the imperial city, you’ll be stopped at the gate of the palace city.
One has to be patient and wait for someone to pass on the message. Zhao Duan was not in a hurry. He led the horse and waited. The palace guards at the gate looked at him frequently, and no one knew what he was thinking.
At this moment, a carriage came out from the open doorway. Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and asked curiously:
"Who came out then?"
Outsiders are not allowed to ride in carriages within the palace.
But if it was the concubines or female officials left behind by the old emperor in the palace traveling, the style of the carriage would not be that standard.
The gatekeeper explained:
"This morning, Grand Tutor Dong entered the palace to meet the emperor, and he is coming out now. His Majesty took pity on the Grand Tutor's age and difficulty walking, so he allowed him to ride in the palace."
Master Dong?
One of the “Three Dukes”, the Grand Secretary who is in charge of the Hanlin Academy?
The great scholar of the time who almost became a relative of Xue Lin's family?
Zhao Duan was slightly surprised.
The Hanlin Academy is a place for storing talents. Back then, the Imperial Secretary was almost a reserve for the "prime minister".
However, it has evolved and is now decoupled from the cabinet, but the status of Grand Tutor Dong cannot be underestimated.
Although he does not have much power, he has a very high reputation and is a leading figure in the entire Dayu literary world. His interpretation of the sages' classics is a must-read for students taking the imperial examinations, and many of his articles and poems are household names.
He can be said to be the first person in the world who guards the "cultural heritage" of the Dayu Dynasty.
Some even claim that Master Dong could potentially be crowned the "Second Sage" in terms of literature and Taoism...
However, after the Xuanmen coup, his reputation was greatly damaged because he supported the empress's ascension to the throne.
He was criticized by many literati. The situation in the capital was okay, but in the territories of the "Eight Kings" far away from the center of the court, he was subjected to a lot of scolding.
Even though he has received mixed reviews, his achievements in literature and art are still admired even by those who curse him.
At this time, the carriage had already entered the gate. Zhao Duan led the horse beside him in a proper manner and bowed his head to see him off.
——It is better not to provoke such a world-famous scholar.
However, the carriage suddenly stopped, and a servant of the Dong family came over:
"But Lord Zhao? The Grand Tutor wants to see you."
ah? I?
Zhao Duan was stunned.
As far as he could remember, he had never had any interaction with the other party.
In fact, Zhao Duan had little contact with the entire circle of scholars in Dayu...
What does this great scholar Dong want me to do... Zhao Duan walked forward in a daze, came to the side of the carriage, and saw that the curtain had been lifted.
A white-haired octogenarian sat upright, exuding the aura of a Confucian master. He was wearing a bright red bachelor's robe, had a square face and sharp, bright eyes.
It seems as if he is examining this rising star, the empress.
"I'm Zhao Du'an, your humble servant. Nice to meet you, Grand Tutor." Zhao Du'an bowed.
Master Dong showed no emotion, but was calm and composed. He said slowly:
"No need to be polite. I came to see you today and heard your Majesty speak highly of you. I happened to meet you and wanted to see you."
Zhao Duan's cautious group:
"I am humbled to receive praise from Your Majesty for my small contribution. I am overwhelmed."
Master Dong said "yes", and was quite satisfied with his attitude, and said:
"Don't be too modest. I have heard about what you have done these days. Although your methods are a bit out of line, at your age, you can still be called a 'capable official'."
Zhao Duan said nothing and waited for what was to come.
Based on his experience, he knew that when big shots opened their speeches like this, they usually wanted to praise first and then criticize.
Next, there will probably be a "but".
As expected, Master Dong first praised him a few words, then changed the subject:
"But... if one only relies on political power and disregards reputation, he may be a general, but he is not worthy of being called a commander.
Since you were born as a soldier and now work in the imperial court, you must know that all famous generals since ancient times have both civil and military skills...
If you concentrate on the path of martial arts and practice wholeheartedly, I won’t say anything.
In the martial arts, if you reach the pinnacle, you can become a master or a great master. You can either fight in the army to gain experience, or go to the martial arts world to practice and travel.
But... since you have embarked on the journey of being an official, you should know when to advance and when to retreat, and read more books.
Swords are good, but they are indispensable for being an official and governing a country, but what we really need to rely on is literature. That’s all I have to say, you can think about it yourself.”
After saying this, the university scholar closed his eyes, the servant lowered the curtain, and the carriage drove out of the palace.
Zhao Duan was left standing there, confused at first, then in deep thought.
These nonsensical words sound like advice from an elder to a younger person, urging him to study more so that he can go further.
But if you think about it carefully, the real meaning between the lines seems to be a warning.
Warn him:
In the court, most of those who truly reached high positions were still literati.
Although there are mysterious powers in this world, governing a country is not something that can be done with force. Governing the people requires laws, etiquette, enlightenment, farming, commerce...
From the strategies for governing a country to the division of interests in a village or a county, everything depends on the literati.
Zhao Duan was born a military man and did not join the army, so he could not go through the route of the Privy Council or the Ministry of War.
If you reach the top, it will be nothing more than Ma Yan's position.
"Are you reminding me not to indulge in delusions just because I'm appreciated by Your Majesty, and try to become a 'powerful eunuch' like the eunuch Wang Zhen?
Well, to put it another way, it’s telling me to know my position…”
Zhao Duan had a strange look on his face.
He wanted to say, Grand Master, you may have misunderstood something. I never thought about pursuing a career in government... or becoming a powerful official...
Today's achievements and promotions are only a way to accumulate the confidence to defend oneself when one is still weak.
It doesn't mean that he really wants to become a famous official and shine in a certain position.
If I have to say the goal, one is to practice martial arts and see a different kind of scenery.
For example, being a "God of War" or something...
One is to conquer the empress... Well, from this perspective, it is not surprising that Master Dong misunderstood him.
After all, Zhao Duan's current performance is indeed moving towards becoming the empress's favorite.
In history, there are many examples like him of people evolving from favorites to treacherous villains.
Another thing he wanted to say was:
"I read a lot, but why do you think I'm uneducated and don't understand the stuff of scholars..."
Zhao Duan was helpless.
This is true for Yuan Li and also for Grand Tutor Dong.
"Forget it, whatever you think." Zhao Duan was too lazy to explain.
……
……
Imperial Garden, inside the pavilion.
"Your Majesty, Lord Zhao is here."
As the female official reported, Xu Zhenguan smiled and invited him in.
After a while, Zhao Duan, a tall and handsome man dressed in the official robe, walked over:
"Minister, I come to report."
Soon, the empress's cold but smiling voice was heard:
"Come and sit."
Her voice is very recognizable.
She is neither as gentle as a southern girl nor as tough as a northern girl. When she speaks in a deep voice, she is so majestic that no one would dare to disrespect her.
Just like now, when I am in a good mood, a simple sentence is like a pair of invisible hands, drilling into people's ears and caressing their hearts.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhao Duan bowed and took a seat.
After sitting down in the seat where Grand Tutor Dong had just sat, he raised his head and took a closer look at the flawless face of the empress in white.
Xu Zhenguan's long black hair hung casually, and he was not wearing a single piece of jewelry.
Below her beautiful nose, her lips are plump, and above her nose, her eyes are like stars in the night sky.
At this moment, she was smiling, and was stared at by him, but she did not get embarrassed like an ordinary woman, but pointed at the chessboard:
"Play a game of hands with me?"
Zhao Duan came back to his senses, realizing that he had lost his composure a little, and hurriedly said respectfully:
"As ordered."
So, in the Shengxia Pavilion, the king and his minister began to quietly place the chess pieces.
However, it was obvious that neither of them was paying attention to the chessboard. They made their moves according to the rules and there was nothing surprising about them. They took more than ten moves.
Xu Zhenguan then laughed and teased:
"When the eunuch returned to the palace to report just now, I knew that you were about to come."
Zhao Duan pretended not to notice the teasing and said seriously:
"Although others have relayed this information, the case of Prime Minister Zhou is a task assigned by Your Majesty. I am under the order of the Emperor, so I should come and report back."
Xu Zhenguan was quite satisfied with this, and since he already knew the process, he only asked:
"I originally thought that if everything went well, you would be able to clear yourself of the slander, but now it seems that you have been released in court?"
Zhao Duan said seriously:
"Mr. Yuan and the Minister of Justice enforce the law impartially, and with Your Majesty watching, they will naturally not let loyal officials be wronged."
Xu Zhenguan smiled. Even though he had experienced his smooth talk, he still shamelessly called himself a "loyal minister" and praised everyone in one sentence... or...
She asked knowingly:
"Oh? So Zhou Cheng tried to stop it?"
This follow-up was not included in the eunuch’s report.
Zhao Duan nodded, then shook his head:
"He tried, but he failed."
At this time, the empress did not know the true meaning of the word "failure".
As she made her move, she said:
“It’s good to fail.
However, your method has made me very satisfied. You put yourself in the game and took advantage of the feud between you two to trick Zhou Cheng into plotting against you... Even if the scroll is not enough as evidence, it can still be used to make some news.
But I don't understand how you came up with this idea. Did you secretly give him this handle to lure him into the trap?
But given Zhou Cheng's caution, you actually managed to hide it from him?
Oh, I will go find him and ask him about it later."
She was a little confused.
After all, with the example of Pei Kaizhi, it was unexpected that Zhou Cheng was not wary enough about Zhao Duan.
Zhao Duan said calmly:
"I'm afraid he can no longer come to see your majesty."
"Oh? Why?" Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes were filled with surprise and his handsome eyebrows frowned.
Zhao Duan picked up a black piece, placed it on the chessboard, and said:
“Because, with the help of an old case from thirteen years ago, I have obtained evidence that Prime Minister Zhou was corrupt and abused his power, enough for him to be put to death ten times. I announced it in court, and Lord Yuan and the Minister of Justice accepted it.
Because the case is serious, Zhou Cheng and many officials from the Dali Temple have been arrested...
I have come here to report this matter to Your Majesty. That Minister Zhou is doomed."
The white piece that Xu Zhenguan picked up suddenly slipped out of his hand and fell back into the chess box with a slight "pop" sound.
The smile on her lips froze, and she stared blankly at Zhao Duan opposite her:
"You... say that again?!"
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(End of this chapter)