Chapter 155: Emperor Taizu's Private Collection

Chapter 155: Emperor Taizu's Private Collection

Chapter 155: Emperor Taizu's Private Collection

"Actually, I have read a lot of books..." Zhao Duan pondered for a moment and recommended himself.

Then, he helplessly saw that the corner of the empress's mouth beside him curled up, as if she was amused by his words.

Xu Zhenguan shook his head and said with a smile:
"I am glad that you want to share my worries, but as the saying goes, everyone has his or her own specialties.

What you are good at is doing practical things. I have seen your performance during this period. You have done an excellent job. I will naturally not treat a meritorious official unfairly, nor am I unwilling to promote you.

However, this newly built so-called "new cabinet", called Xiuwenguan, is responsible for sharing government affairs for me, offering advice and suggestions, discussing state affairs, and considering many matters such as government orders, laws, money, fortifications, military affairs, etiquette, etc.

In this way, only scholars can come in.

Furthermore, scholars who have little connection with the two parties in the court should be allowed to enter as much as possible.”

Being able to explain with such patience can be said to be a sincere act.

Of course Zhao Duan could understand.

The so-called new cabinet was nothing more than a team of civil officials loyal to the imperial power that the empress wanted to create.

Therefore, the ministers currently in the court were deliberately kept out, and the infiltration of the "Li Party" and the "Qingliu Party" must be prevented. Xiuwenguan was the prototype of the future "cabinet".

As a result, he wanted to get closer, but the empress's attitude was very clear:

Xiuwenguan is a place where scholars can shine, so a military man like Zhao Duan should not join in the fun.

As for what he called reading... in Xu Zhenguan's opinion, maybe there was some.

But how can they compare with the Jinshi who emerged from the "mountain of corpses and sea of ​​knowledge"?

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Duan opened his mouth, feeling a little helpless.

There's no way. The stereotype is too strong, but it obviously can't be changed in just three or five sentences.

You can't just talk about state governance strategies on the spot, right?

Although he read a lot of books during this period, he only understood the ruling framework of the Dayu Dynasty.

The details are still unclear, but the first thing to do for any strategy is to "adapt to local conditions."

Without any specific problems in front of him, there was no way for him to perform.

"Okay," Xu Zhen looked at his frustrated expression, smiled, thought for a moment, and said:

"I said this, but you still don't give up.

How about this, if you are interested, when Xiuwenguan opens in a few days, I can take you to see the world and teach you the difference between what you call reading and what the readers in the library do.

By then, you will naturally give up."

"Then I would like to thank Your Majesty first!" Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he bowed to express his gratitude.

No matter what, just get through it and see what happens.

Moreover, although he thought he had accumulated a lot of experience in his previous life, Zhao Duan never dared to underestimate the wisdom of the ancients.

What if they are all very strong and don't need him?

In the night breeze, the two walked along the square. After dark, the air was no longer stuffy.

After this little episode, it was the empress's turn to bring up a topic and ask about his progress in cultivation.

Zhao Duan hesitated for a moment and replied:
"In the Martial God Map, 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 extremely "astonishing" talent, he decided to play it safe.

Even so, the empress was still visibly stunned, surprised at his speed, and could only attribute it to the influence of the last "I Ching Marrow Cleansing".

"In that case, I underestimated you a little bit," Xu Zhenguan smiled.
"Well, I was prepared to lend you a helping hand tonight. I was originally worried that the mental state accumulated in your Martial God Diagram was not enough, but now it has far exceeded it."

Zhao Duan asked curiously, "What does your majesty mean? Help?"

Xu Zhenguan nodded and said:
"It has been a while since you entered the middle grade of the mortal body. Last time, I used a lot of magical herbs to wash your marrow and bathe your body. Even if we deduct the consumption of the rebirth, the remaining medicinal power is enough to help you save a year of hard work and advance to the upper grade.

If you are a true warrior, the effect of the medicine will be exhausted if you fight with others every day.

But you have been in Beijing all day and have no experience in fighting, so the effect of the medicine has settled in your body.

I can help you force out the medicinal power and upgrade it to a higher grade."

Improve your cultivation?

Zhao Duan's breathing tightened:
"Your Majesty, where are we going to break through? Are we still going to Tangquan Palace?"

He was looking forward to it.

Xu Zhenguan gave him a sidelong look, his face burning in the darkness, and raised his finger to the front:

"Coming."

……

After a while, Zhao Duan was brought to a pavilion-shaped building. The pavilion had two sides and a plaque with three large characters on it:
Yuanzu Temple.

Xu Zhenguan ordered the waiters following behind him to wait outside, and he led Zhao Duan forward alone.

Explain: "Do you know where this is?"

Zhao Duan shook his head honestly.

Xu Zhenguan said:
"This is a pavilion that was built under the personal order of Emperor Taizu when he was still alive. It is used as a place for quiet contemplation.

It is said that whenever Emperor Taizu was unable to make a decision when faced with an important matter, he would lock himself in this building and meditate quietly to avoid external interference.

After that, it was passed down from generation to generation. After Taizu passed away, although sacrifices were made in the Taimiao, in order to facilitate the remembrance of the royal descendants, incense was often burned here. Therefore, it can be regarded as a 'family temple'. "

As she spoke, she had already come out of the building.

With a wave of his hand, the tightly closed door opened, and the lights inside lit up automatically. Stepping in, the building was a space similar to a Taoist temple with two floors broken through, and the towering dome was supported by red-painted wooden pillars that were so thick that several people could hug them.

There is a huge altar in front, but there is no statue on it. There is only a huge painting hanging on the wall. On it is the word "Wu" written in a lively and vigorous manner.

Zhao Duan looked up in amazement, and was shocked by the word "Wu" that seemed to be about to break through the paper and hold up the sky and the earth.

"Is this the calligraphy of Emperor Taizu?" he asked.

"...No," Xu Zhenguan was embarrassed and explained:

"Emperor Taizu was not good at calligraphy. This character was written by a great calligrapher back then, but Emperor Taizu added martial arts meaning to it."

I was wondering, who can write so beautifully? And how can the picture of the God of War on the stone tablet be drawn as a stickman... Zhao Duan complained silently.

The empress walked straight to the altar, opened the drawer, and took out six incense sticks.

He handed him three incense sticks, lit them up himself, bowed respectfully, and then inserted them into the three-legged incense burner on the altar.

How could Zhao Duan delay?

He also imitated the empress and offered three incense sticks.

In the quiet ancestral temple, with bright lights on, a man and a woman stood side by side in front of the altar, burning incense towards the word "Wu".

At this moment, Xu Zhenguan restrained his majesty as an emperor and the aura of a powerful cultivator. In front of his ancestors, he was just a descendant.

Zhao Duan just thought of it as offering incense to his cheap master, Old Xu. Since he had been taught some skills, it wasn't really a loss.

But when he lit the incense, amid the green smoke, he caught a glimpse of the two white and tender wrists and half of her extraordinary profile that were exposed from the sleeves of the empress who was burning incense beside him.

A strange thought suddenly popped up in my mind:
Is this some form of "meet the parents"?
"What are you daydreaming about? Why don't you sit down?" While he was distracted, Zhao Duan heard the empress's voice and saw her pointing at the cushion on the ground.

"Oh." Zhao Duan hurriedly sat down cross-legged, which seemed like he was meditating in a temple.

After offering incense, Xu Zhenguan felt much more at ease. He flicked his sleeves and closed the door of Yuanzu Building so that nothing happening inside could be seen from outside.

The empress walked to the side of the altar again, and suddenly raised her hand to turn a candlestick on the table.

With a "click" sound, a stone door suddenly opened on the wall, and there were stairs leading down inside.

Zhao Duan was shocked: "Your Majesty, this is..."

"Wine cellar." Xu Zhenguan stepped into the stone gate and came out with two wine jars. He threw one to him and said, "Drinking it will help digest the medicine."

Zhao Duan sat cross-legged on the futon, holding the wine jar, and asked curiously:

"Isn't this a family temple? How could it be..."

Xu Zhenguan opened the mud seal of the wine jar with her slender hands, tilted her head back and took a sip. The clear wine condensed into a stream and poured into her open red lips and sandalwood mouth.

The delicate head and goose neck swallowed, showing the same carefree and unrestrained manner as when they were drinking in the "Emperor's Tower".

Zhao Duan suddenly understood. 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 the Emperor's Tower.

Today Zhou Cheng fell down and came to Yuanzu Temple. It turned out that the empress was a drunkard. Who could believe it?

"Oh, the ancestral temple was given by later generations. When Emperor Taizu built it, he left behind this hidden wine cellar. He even arranged a formation inside to keep the wine refreshing all year round..."

Xu Zhenguan carried the wine jar and kicked a cushion across from him with his lotus feet. Then he sat down and burped. The aroma of wine mixed with his body fragrance wafted towards him. He narrowed his eyes and said,

“It was only after I ascended the throne that I discovered the hidden secrets here.

I remember that it was written in Taizu's diary that the empress of Emperor Taizu did not allow him to drink alcohol. I think the construction of this building was fake, and it was a place for Emperor Taizu to drink alone in secret. "

Zhao Duan was speechless. He felt that what he saw in the God of War Picture had somewhat shattered the image of "Old Xu" as a master.

"Okay, stop talking nonsense, drink a few sips of wine, then close your eyes and meditate. I will help you dissolve the effects of the medicine." Xu Zhenguan urged.

At this time, she was sitting on a cushion, without any imperial dignity at all. Instead, she looked like a fairy who had descended to the mortal world and a swordsman in the martial arts world.

Zhao Duan sniffed the sweet fragrance from the other person so close to him. With the experience from last time, he tried hard to suppress the restless Xiao Zhao and closed his eyes to meditate.

However, he didn't know that when he entered into meditation, Xu Zhenguan, who was sitting opposite him, looked at his face intently with bright eyes.

"It's quite... nice-looking."

……

Woohoo...

On the snowfield, the biting cold wind was mixed with snow foam.

Zhao Duan pried open his eyes and found himself wrapped in a cotton coat, curled up in a snow pit sheltered from the wind.

At this moment, the sky was about to brighten and the morning light was dim. He climbed out of the snow pit and found Old Xu, who was also wearing thick clothes and boots, sitting cross-legged on the snow.

His thick back was like a rock and a mountain. His messy black hair and thick beard were connected together. He was not sleeping, but looking to the north with his bright black eyes.

"Old Xu, what are you looking at?"

Zhao Duan was familiar with the place. He grabbed a handful of snow, squatted by the pit and rubbed his face. His skin turned red, and the coldness on his body gradually subsided.

Old Xu said: "Old people."

What the hell? Zhao Duan didn't hear clearly, and asked again, but Old Xu didn't say anything.

He was used to it, knowing that Old Xu was like an AI that was occasionally online but mostly offline, so he didn't bother with him. He washed his face and suddenly smiled mischievously:
"Do you know what I just did? Your great-great-great-great-granddaughter took me to burn incense for you in the Yuanzu Temple, or Yuanzu Pavilion, in the palace. By the way, did you really build that building just to dig a wine cellar and drink secretly?"

He joked casually, not expecting a reply.

Old Xu suddenly turned his head, glanced at him, and uttered two words:

"Eleven, secret passage."

(End of this chapter)