Chapter 173: The Lady of the Lake, the Crazy Husband on the Island
Chapter 173: The Lady of the Lake, the Crazy Husband on the Island
After dinner, when Zhao Duan arrived at Xiuwenguan, the sun had already risen high in the sky.
He was not at all panicked. As an "extra-curricular scholar", he positioned himself as an "advisor" of the new policy.
So, he even took some time to go to Lihua Hall first, went through the motions, and then rushed over.
I entered the museum without any obstruction. When I pushed open the door, I saw that the huge government office was already busy.
Each scholar was either processing memorials to the emperor or official documents from various ministries, or detailing the "Three Golden Strategies".
"Mr. Zhao..."
"Mr. Zhao, are you here?"
"Hello, Lord Zhao."
The scholars took the initiative to greet them, and the treatment they received was completely different from yesterday morning.
However, perhaps because it was still difficult to accept that a warrior had become a colleague, many people used other names for him.
Lord Zhao Duan is a magnanimous person and does not argue with a group of scholars.
With a glance, he saw the "female prime minister" who was also in the room, occupying a table.
"Where's the Grand Tutor? Why can't I see him?"
Zhao Duan strolled over, pulled over a chair and sat down as usual.
"..." Mo Zhaorong was not willing to pay attention to him and replied with a straight face:
"The Grand Tutor has taken Han Zhou out. There are many things that need to be done with your three strategies..."
After a brief explanation, he continued:
"You came just in time. The Grand Master said this morning that there is something he wants you to look after."
"What's the matter?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.
"Yellow Book Library," Mochou spat out three words and explained:
"When Taizu founded Dayu, he spent twenty years to understand how many people there were in different parts of the world and how much land there was. He recorded the people of the world in a register and measured the land and recorded it in a register...
Since the imperial court collected taxes based on the number of people, the Yellow Book, which was related to taxation, could not be sloppy and was required to be revised every ten years.
That is to say, once the book is completed, it will be divided into four copies, one of which will be submitted to the Ministry of Revenue, and the other three will be kept by the provincial government, prefecture, and county governments respectively."
Hmm...Dayu version of the census...
Therefore, the Yellow Book Library is the largest archive room in the world... Zhao Duan thought.
According to Mochou, the Yellow Book Library has existed for too long.
Because of the population tax, the local government has developed too many counterfeiting methods to hide the population and tamper with the content...
In short, the data recorded in the Yellow Book are seriously erroneous.
"The Grand Master wants to ask you what you think about the Yellow Book Library," said Mochou.
view?
Are you asking me if I have any ideas to solve the problem of data fraud? Zhao Duan heard the hidden meaning, thought for a moment, and asked:
"Where is that warehouse? I need to see the situation in person."
Mo Chou was not surprised and said:
"It's in Houhu Lake in the north of the city. It's not far. If you ride a horse, you can get there quickly."
Zhao Duan had nothing to do and was quite curious about Dayu's largest archive, so he nodded happily.
……
The two men agreed not to take a carriage, but to ride horses out of the north gate of the capital.
After walking a short distance, we saw green mountains rising from the ground in front of us, surrounding us in a circle, creating a magnificent scene.
The lake, which is forty miles in radius, is located between the mountains. It has beautiful scenery and is like a gem embedded in the earth.
"Da da da……"
Zhao Duan grasped the whip, rode his horse forward, looked out at the lake ahead, and asked curiously:
"I heard that this is a royal garden, guarded by the army, and no one is allowed to approach. I have never been here before, but I didn't know that the so-called Yellow Book Library is hidden here?"
When Mochou came out, she changed out of her female official robes and took off her black veil.
Now she is just dressed like an ordinary androgynous woman with her black hair draped behind her head.
The whole person's cold and elegant temperament was diluted and softened.
If we ignore the majesty of power in her eyes and eyebrows, it would not be out of place to say that she is a lady from a scholarly family.
This will say lightly:
"The Yellow Book of the World is compiled every ten years. After six hundred years, although the old books have been destroyed, there are still millions of them left.
Because it concerns the country, it must be placed near the capital for easy access. Where can we find such a large vacant space in the city?
In the Houhu Lake, the riverbed silt was used to accumulate to create five "islands", called the "Five Continents", named Huan, Ying, Ling, Liang, Cui...
Due to the natural geographical barriers, the Yellow Book Library is placed on the island, which can avoid fire hazards and is safe enough, making it the most suitable place.
The only problem is moisture and insects on the island, but that can be solved by having people dry the trees in the summer and autumn to ventilate and supervise them."
Millions of copies?
Zhao Duan was amazed.
Given the volume of books in feudal dynasties, generally speaking, a library with tens of thousands of volumes was already rare.
What's more, a warehouse with millions of books...
As they were talking, the two had already arrived near Houhu Lake.
Mo Zhaorong took out his badge and the soldiers guarding nearby respectfully let him pass.
Afterwards, the two arrived at the dock, only to see that all the ships in the dock were sealed.
An official on the shore came out and learned that it was Mo Zhaorong who was ordered to check the files, so he did not dare to delay.
A boat was immediately released and an official personally manned the boat to take the two men to the island.
Zhao Duan stood on the boat and felt the gentle breeze blowing, taking away the heat.
The scenery of lakes and mountains before you is breathtakingly beautiful.
In summer, large patches of lotus flowers are in full bloom in the lake. Boats travel on the extremely quiet lake, with countless dark green lotus leaves and bright red lotus flowers swaying on both sides.
"With a view like this, if it weren't for the Imperial Guards guarding it, I'm afraid it would have been packed with people."
Zhao Duan exclaimed, and then looked down at the lotus flowers on both sides of the ship, and said:
"I heard this morning that Shenlong Temple was selling lotus flowers. I took a look, but they are not as good as those here."
Mo Chou smiled slightly and walked to his side. Her eyes reflected the scenery of the lake and mountains. She was in a good mood and said proudly:
"Although the lotus pond in Shenlong Temple is beautiful, only the lotus in the inner courtyard of the temple is blessed by the Buddha's light. It is hard for ordinary people to find it. As for the lotus sold to the people, it is just the ordinary lotus in the outer courtyard. Naturally, it is not worth mentioning."
Zhao Duan said he had learned something, and something occurred to him:
"I heard that the magicians of the Shenlong Temple will hold a ceremony to worship the gods during the Ghost Festival some time later?"
Mo Chou glanced at him:
"Yes. Every year during the Zhongyuan Festival, at least a monk from the 'worldly' realm will be sent to preside over the event. Shenlong Temple is keen on this and invites many dignitaries to participate every year. Haha, it's better to say that it's for making money than to say it's for worshiping the gods.
The Tianshi Mansion only holds sacrifices within the mansion and does not invite outsiders... Why, you want to go and take a look?
Oh, with the reputation you have built up in the past few months, you may actually be invited... provided that the great Buddhist monk is willing to extend an olive branch to someone as notorious as you."
I feel like you are mocking me, but I have no evidence... Zhao Duan shook his head.
He was not interested in any kind of worship, but was very interested in the Shenlong Temple.
After all, it is a cultivation force that is on par with the Tianshi Mansion.
The abbot Xuanyin in the temple is one of the strongest people in the world and he is competing with Zhang Tianshi.
He had never dealt with the monks of Shenlong Temple since he traveled through time, so he couldn't help being curious.
As he was thinking, suddenly, the boat shook slightly.
It seemed as if there was some unusual movement beneath the water, disturbing the lake.
Zhao Duan's martial arts warning was immediately triggered.
His pupils suddenly narrowed, and his right hand subconsciously grasped the Golden Crow Flying Knife hidden in his sleeve.
His muscles tensed as he stared at the turbulent dark green water.
Just like a hunter who senses danger in the primeval forest.
It seemed that there was an extreme danger approaching the ship from underwater!
"Don't be nervous," Mo Chou's face changed slightly, but she was able to remain calm.
"Don't worry, things at the bottom of the lake can't come up."
As if to confirm her words.
The next moment, the strange turbulence disappeared and Zhao Duan lost his target in an instant.
He still did not dare to let down his guard and asked:
"The thing at the bottom of the lake? What is it?"
"I don't know," Mochou answered confidently:
"Anyway, it's a very powerful thing. You can think of it as the 'Lake God' guarding Houhu Lake. If a cultivator sneaks in and tries to get close to the Yellow Book Library, the Lake God will take action and kill him."
After a pause, she said with a strange look:
"I have also asked your Majesty. The Yellow Book Library is so important that it is difficult for mortals to reach the island. But what if a cultivator takes action? Your Majesty said that there are two guards in Houhu Lake, one at the bottom of the lake and the other on the island. One is a prisoner and the other is also a prisoner."
Is the empress’s family name Lu... Zhao Duan complained, thinking that it was worthy of being an important royal place, with unfathomable heritage.
In addition to the strong ones in the open, there are countless others hiding in the dark.
But the word "prisoners" seems to imply that the masters here are not guarding here voluntarily.
The boat slowly sailed away from the lotus pond.
No one noticed that huge bubbles suddenly appeared on the water surface among the dark green lotus flowers.
Then, a bloodless face of a young woman with pale eyes slowly floated up.
The long hair slowly floated underwater like a bunch of water grass.
The woman was dressed in red, but her hands and feet were shackled with black shackles. The long chains seemed to have no end, extending all the way to the bottom of the lake.
The white-eyed woman at the bottom of the lake slowly poked her head out and floated on the water.
Quietly watching the ships going away.
The pupilless eyes stared at the handsome young man on the boat.
After a long time, it slowly sank to the bottom of the lake.
……
the other side.
The boat that Zhao Duan was on also arrived at "Huanzhou Island", one of the five islands in Houhu Lake.
As soon as we got off the boat, we saw several houses standing on the island.
The layout is similar to that of a government office, and it is obviously the residence of the officials who guard here.
In addition, there is a single pavilion not far away, but no one knows where it is and it looks quite out of place.
"I am the director of the Yellow Book Library. I am honored to meet Miss Mo."
An official in his fifties came out of the duty room on the island and bowed hurriedly.
He looked at Zhao Duan again, his face hesitant.
Mo Chou said calmly:
"This is Lord Zhao. He is here to check the status of the yellow books in the warehouse."
The old warehouse manager may have been stationed on the island for many years and was cut off from the news.
I didn't guess Zhao Duan's identity immediately, but I didn't think much about it.
No matter which government office the leader belongs to, you can't afford to offend him.
Immediately greeted with a smile:
"Please sign the agreement first and go through the formalities. I will then take you to the warehouse."
There is nothing wrong with both of them.
After simply signing and stamping, when they walked out of the room, Zhao Duan pointed to the small building in the distance and asked curiously:
"What is that place? I see there's only one building here."
The old warehouse manager's face changed slightly when he heard this, and he whispered:
"My lord, don't go there. There lives a madman in that building. He was banished to the island during the reign of the previous emperor and he rarely comes out.
Your Majesty only asks us to send food and wine regularly.
He said that if there was any danger on the lake, this madman would help protect them.
I think he is a master of cultivation."
Another prisoner?
Zhao Duan raised his eyebrows, vaguely realizing that the madman on the island and the "lake god" in the lake might be in a mutually restrained relationship.
At this moment, as if sensing someone was watching, the window on the second floor of the small building slightly opened.
Dozens of feet away, Zhao Duan suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave and was being stared at by some terrifying beast.
……
Update in a hurry, update first and then layout
(End of this chapter)