Chapter 210 Wenyuan Pavilion and Zifu Yuanzong
Chapter 210 Wenyuan Pavilion and Zifu Yuanzong
When the court was arguing over the establishment of the Grand Council, the old emperor did not express his attitude. He was the referee and basically would not intervene personally.
Even if he has made a decision in his heart, he will not push the matter forward directly.
The establishment of the Grand Council is indeed a good idea.
However, for the old emperor, it was nothing more than making his imperial power more stable. After ascending the throne for decades, his imperial power had long been extremely stable, and the existence of the Grand Council would not affect the old emperor's authority.
On the other hand, Xu Qing was indeed a genius and perfectly lived up to the praise he received.
As for whether this matter would pose a great threat to Prince Yu, it really didn't matter to the old emperor.
If he succeeds in his quest for immortality, his son will become his greatest enemy.
If he fails, he will truly eliminate the hidden dangers for Prince Yu to ascend the throne. By then, he may even need to use Xu Qing to deal with some people.
He has done this kind of thing too many times.
In fact, deep down, the old emperor was very dissatisfied with Prince Yu.
But compared to Prince Yu, the other princes are even less capable.
This is also because he had a very bad relationship with the court officials when he was young.
He had to give up the prince's right to education to ease the conflict between the monarch and his subjects.
Under the circumstances at the time, even he suffered multiple assassination attempts, and the crown prince before Prince Yu died in an even more strange way.
That was his favorite heir.
The emperor understood that he had to compromise, and he had to compromise.
The two dragons did not meet each other, simply because he compromised by giving up his right to educate the prince.
Even so, he continued to test Prince Yu, hoping that he could grow up, but Prince Yu's talent was still too low.
The old emperor was also helpless.
Because he only has two sons, even if Prince Yu does not have the title of crown prince, the only opponent he faces is Prince Jing.
Compared to Prince Yu, Prince Jing is even less capable.
At least Prince Yu knew how to pretend in front of him, but Prince Jing didn't even try to hide himself. He was hot-tempered and irritable, and was just a reckless man.
The ministers in the court were all selected from the smartest people in the world.
Naturally, most of them are smart people.
But he can't choose a prince from among the ministers?
The old emperor no longer had any hope for his two sons; his only hope lay in his grandchildren.
However, he felt that he was far from the point where he had to consider his funeral.
It's a good thing to have a young Xu Qing to restrict Prince Yu.
After all, the court officials all thought that he was old, and even the eunuchs around him did not dare to offend Prince Yu. Therefore, the confrontation between Xu Qing and Prince Yu was what the old emperor expected.
Apart from that, Xu Qing is indeed very capable.
The old emperor was well aware of the problem of the disaster victims, and it was indeed a problem. Xu Qing helped him solve it and also used it to start a very profitable business for him.
When it comes to making money, no one can replace Xu Qing in the old emperor's heart.
Even if other people had Xu Qing's talent for financial management, they would not give so much money to the old emperor.
Zhao Jinzhong and Wu Dinghou, both of them are slaves, are far inferior to Xu Qing in this respect.
The old emperor felt that human hearts were unpredictable, so what a person does best reflects his character.
In any case, in his opinion, Xu Qing was a good subject.
People like Xu Qing who can help him solve problems and make money are worthy of his use.
Moreover, the old emperor knew very well that the more he treated Xu Qing, the less likely Xu Qing would rebel against him. This was because he knew Xu Qing's experience very well. He was grateful, generous, and knew how to judge the situation.
In addition, Xu Qing dared to offend the local gentry and nobles.
Of course, he appreciated Xu Qing's way of treating the gentry and nobles even more.
These people are just like dogs. If you give them a beating and a sweet treat, they will naturally behave themselves.
That’s what Xu Qing did.
In the eyes of the old emperor, the gentry and nobles were like wildfires that could not be extinguished, and they would spring up again in the spring breeze. As long as the soil remained, new gentry and nobles would naturally emerge.
Instead of destroying them, we should figure out how to use them.
In this regard, Xu Qing did even better than him.
The old emperor became more and more interested in Xu Qing, so he called Xu Qing to the Wanshou Palace again.
I won’t play the role of ghostwriter this time.
The old emperor summoned Xu Qing wearing a loose and thin Taoist robe.
The fire channel of His Highness uses fairy coal for heating.
It's not that he believes that fairy coal has the benefits of publicity.
But fairy coal is now one of the income of the inner treasury. If he uses fairy coal, others will follow suit. In this way, the money he earns from fairy coal will naturally increase.
The emperor is rich, but the court is always short of money.
Of course the old emperor wanted as much money as possible.
After Xu Qing greeted him, the old emperor asked, "Xu Qing, write a poem for me to see."
The eunuchs and palace maids in the hall all showed surprised expressions.
They understood the old emperor's habits. He would only order someone to compose a Qingci when he admired him very much. If he admired him particularly, the old emperor would bestow the elixir he had made himself.
The blessing of the elixir is too great for mortals to bear, so the ministers wanted to be appreciated by the old emperor but were also afraid that the old emperor would appreciate it too much.
Xu Qing was not surprised that the old emperor ordered him to compose a Qingci, but based on his understanding of the old emperor's character, Xu Qing still tried to be safe and copied a Qingci that was very much to the old emperor's liking.
This poem came from a TV series he saw in his previous life.
The emperor in it is very similar to the old emperor.
Xu Qing has always been a good person. When he wrote Qingci, he would deliberately ponder for a long time.
If it was too fast, it would seem disrespectful to the old emperor, so it would take a little longer so that the old emperor would be satisfied and not think that Xu Qing was fooling him.
After enough foreplay, Xu Qing began to write the lyrics on the green ivy paper.
The palace maids and eunuchs had already prepared the pens, ink, paper, inkstone and small writing desk.
Xu Qing did not show off his calligraphy, it was completely standard official style.
It is more pleasing to the eye than the woodblocks used for printing.
The old emperor took the poem and when he read the words "Leaving the nine heavens and responding to the will of heaven, how can I bear it; ruling the four seas and grieving for the people, my heart is broken", he unexpectedly lost his composure, which is rare.
This passage touched his heart.
He recited it aloud softly, with much aftertaste.
The meaning of this passage is that the old emperor was originally a god among the immortals, but he was ordered by heaven to come down to the mortal world to be an emperor, giving up being a god and becoming a mortal. He gave up enjoying the bliss in heaven and came to the mortal world to seek welfare for all people...
What a lofty sentiment this is...
People like him also know that the reputation they leave behind may not be very good.
But Xu Qing's words can somewhat clear his name.
"Xu Qing, you wrote this poem very well. You can ask me for anything you want as long as I have it." It was rare for the old emperor to be in such a good mood.
Of course, it was not just for this poem, but also to reward Xu Qing for his contribution to the treatment of Xianmei and the victims of the disaster.
After all, the matter of the disaster victims was a small stain on the old emperor. Now that Xu Qing had helped him settle it, the stain naturally no longer existed.
"Your Majesty, I do have a request."
"You said."
The eunuchs around the emperor secretly felt a little sorry that Xu Jieyuan was still a little naive. Even if they were pretending, they had to say a few polite words like "thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all the emperor's grace". How could they directly ask the emperor for rewards?
"I have loved reading since I was young. I heard that the Wenyuan Pavilion has a wide range of books, including a great classic, which was compiled by Emperor Chengzu by collecting many books and rare copies from previous generations. I hope Your Majesty will allow me to enter the Wenyuan Pavilion to read books."
When Chen Zhong, the emperor's trusted eunuch, heard what Xu Qing said, he felt sorry for him at first, but now he couldn't help but praise Xu Qing, saying that he was such a sensible and good minister.
The old emperor heard this and said, "Xu Qing, you know that a king is not a joke. I asked you to make a request, and you have many choices. It is really a waste to just go to Wenyuan Pavilion to read books."
"Your Majesty, this is my only request."
The old emperor smiled and said, "I heard that your wife is pregnant. If she gives birth to a son, I will give him a post as a hundred households of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. As for reading in Wenyuan Pavilion, Chen Zhong, you should get Xu Qing a waist badge of Hanlin Shizhao, so that it will be much more convenient for him to enter the palace to see me or go to Wenyuan Pavilion to read."
Hanlin Shizhao was an official of the ninth rank, but he was also a person in front of the emperor, and his main job was to discuss literature with the emperor.
However, if it was just to get a badge for Xu Qing, there was no need to go through the procedures of the Ministry of Personnel. The Imperial Household Department could do it directly.
With this badge, Xu Qing could hand in a badge to ask for an audience with the emperor without having to wait for the old emperor to summon him. Of course, it wasn't that the Hanlin Shizhao had this power, but that the old emperor had this intention.
Because the old emperor's last words emphasized this matter.
That's the point.
In Chen Zhong's opinion, this was the emperor's unique favor to Xu Qing.
Moreover, Chen Zhong felt that this was also a manifestation of Xu Qing's ability to advance and retreat.
Xu Qing has caused such a big trouble recently. Hiding in Wenyuan Pavilion to study can naturally avoid a lot of trouble, and it can also show the emperor's favor, making others dare not provoke him.
In addition, it also gave Xu Qing the opportunity to prepare for the imperial examination with peace of mind.
The key is the emperor's attitude towards Xu Qing. As long as Xu Qing performs at a normal level in the palace examination, he will definitely be the top scorer. If the chief examiner of the imperial examination is sensible, he will select Xu Qing as the top scorer.
That means Xu Qing won six prizes in a row, which is a great omen.
By then, Xu Qing's influence will be taken to a higher level.
"Although Xu Gongming is young, he already has the influence and power of a cabinet minister, and is worth making friends with." As a newly promoted important figure in the Imperial Household Department, Chen Zhong naturally hopes to have a strong ally in the outer court. In fact, the old emperor did not like eunuchs interfering in politics in the past few years, but in recent years, he has become more and more obsessed with cultivating immortals, and his energy for government affairs has become increasingly limited, so the power of the Imperial Household Department has visibly expanded.
Once you have tasted power, you can never give it up.
Chen Zhong knew clearly that if the outer court did not have strong support, he, a servant of the emperor in the inner court, could easily be killed by the outer court.
After all, the emperor needs a legitimate reason to deal with his court officials.
Dealing with the eunuchs is just a matter of a word.
As for the fact that Xu Qing had offended Prince Yu, in Chen Zhong's opinion, it was not a big deal at all, because Chen Zhong was able to rise to the top because he was ruthless enough.
Therefore, once Prince Yu came to power, Chen Zhong was the one who was used to establish his authority.
Once Prince Yu takes the throne, he is doomed.
Although Chen Zhong still did not dare to offend Prince Yu, he was not afraid that making friends with Xu Qing would have an adverse effect on his future.
As for eunuchs making friends with foreign officials, it is indeed taboo.
The more taboo it is, the more it shows that such things have high risks and high returns.
There were many people in the Imperial Household Department who were secretly colluding with cabinet ministers.
Some even made friends with foreign officials at the behest of the old emperor.
The old emperor is so unfathomable that he would do some things that go against common sense.
Of course, this is just Chen Zhong’s idea. He still needs to observe and find a suitable opportunity.
...
...
After Xu Qing accompanied the old emperor, he went to Wenyuan Pavilion under the guidance of Chen Zhong.
After Chen Zhong said goodbye, Xu Qing, under the guidance of the eunuch on duty in Wenyuan Pavilion, found the bookshelf where the Chengzu Encyclopedia was placed.
There is only one original copy and one transcribed copy of this codex.
The copy is in Wenyuan Pavilion.
Xu Qing chose to study in Wenyuan Pavilion not simply to seek quiet time or to reduce the old emperor's suspicion, but for a deeper purpose.
That is Zifu Yuanzong.
In Xu Qing's intelligence network, after tracing clues from many aspects, the whereabouts of Zifu Yuanzong is very likely in the Chengzu Ceremony in Wenyuan Pavilion.
Because this great codex collected many rare copies from previous dynasties, some of which were even brought back from overseas by eunuch Sanbao and supplemented by others.
Xu Qing's coveting of Zifu Yuanzong can be said to have been going on for a long time.
This technique can also complement Xu Qing's practice and enable him to embark on the complete path of spiritual cultivation.
Therefore, as soon as the old emperor opened his mouth, Xu Qing took the opportunity to make this request.
However, the old emperor was obsessed with cultivating immortals, and he might know about Zifu Yuanzong and might have taken it away. But Xu Qing had to try his luck.
Moreover, the original copy of Chengzu Dadian was in the old emperor's bedroom. If Zifu Yuanzong existed in Chengzu Dadian, the old emperor might not have taken the copy in Wenyuan Pavilion.
In addition, the method of cultivation cannot be used casually.
The more advanced the skills are, the more dependent on fate you have to be in to practice them.
Zifu Yuanzong is of great use in Xu Qing's hands, but in the hands of someone with ordinary qualifications, it may be no more than toilet paper.
Xu Qing walked to the bookshelf where the encyclopedia was placed. The books and scrolls inside were old and yellowed, and there was a lot of dust. It was obvious that the encyclopedia had been idle for a long time.
When Xu Qing looked at this, he could feel the weight and vicissitudes of history.
He patiently began to look through the books.
Time passes day by day.
Xu Qing never found the whereabouts of Zifu Yuanzong.
But he was still not in a hurry.
Even if Zifu Yuanzong cannot be found, being able to memorize the entire ceremony is also a cultural feat.
"Zhang Borui's medical practice and life-saving record?" Xu Qing finally found the book related to Master Zi Yang.
After reading it carefully, he couldn't help but sigh.
It turned out to be just a simple medical record, not even as good as Yu Yangzi's notes.
Xu Qing couldn't help but feel disappointed.
I haven't found it after searching for so long.
Could it be that Zifu Yuanzong was really taken away by the old emperor?
Does he have to ask the old emperor directly?
Asking for it directly was what Xu Qing had in mind, and this might not necessarily succeed.
"Since we are here, let's finish watching the ceremony first."
This great book is really vast. Even if Xu Qing is now a spirit in the possession realm, it will take a lot of time to memorize the entire book.
While Xu Qing was browsing and memorizing, he found the eunuch Sanbao's logbook.
Many of the customs and practices in it are similar to the Nanyang customs described by Taoist Gu, but there are also subtle differences. In addition, eunuch Sanbao also recorded a strange man he met, saying that this strange man had realized the realm of Taoism. In the process of contacting him, eunuch Sanbao also realized the wonderful way of "the transformation of heaven and man, the growth of all things", and his martial arts were accomplished, and he created a martial arts treasure book.
Xu Qing guessed that this martial arts manual was the one practiced by the eunuch ancestors in the imperial palace.
It is said that he is also a martial arts master, only half a step away from becoming a martial arts saint.
There are even rumors that this eunuch ancestor might already be a martial saint, but the royal family keeps it a secret.
However, the noise of a breakthrough to Martial Saint was too great to be hidden.
Xu Qing believed that the eunuch ancestor should be similar to Xiong Chan before his breakthrough.
Xu Qing carefully studied the eunuch Sanbao's navigation log and discovered that the strange man had actually appeared in the process of Emperor Taizu of Dayu's conquest of the world.
Together with Zhang Laita and Zhang Dian, he assisted Taizu in achieving great things.
However, this person's deeds were deliberately erased by Taizu.
However, the eunuch Sanbao's logbook vaguely mentioned that this person was responsible for compiling the history of Quanzhen Taoism at the beginning of the establishment of the country. He inadvertently integrated the Zifu Yuanzong he learned from his family through compiling the historical materials of Quanzhen Taoism.
The historical material that the other party studied was Journey to the West.
This Journey to the West is, of course, not the novel that Xu Qing knew in his previous life, but its full name is Changchun Zhenren's Journey to the West, also commonly known as Journey to the West.
Xu Qing knew that if he wanted to find the original copy of the historical document, he could only try his luck in the archives of the previous dynasty in the Hanlin Academy's document library.
Fortunately, Yan Shan's appointment to the Sixth Department as a clerk has not been finalized. After all, the matter of the Military Affairs Office has not been finalized.
Today, Yan Shan is still an editor in the Hanlin Academy.
After Xu Qing found the clue, he immediately went to look for Yan Shan.
...
...
"Master, do you want me to go to the Hanlin Academy's documents and help you find the original copy of Changchun Zhenren's Journey to the West?"
"Yes, there should be a note left by a strange person on it, which may contain profound secrets of cultivation. You can look for it according to the clues I provided to see if there is this book. If so, find a way to help me borrow it." Xu Qing instructed Yan Shan.
If one only has the Purple Mansion Yuanzong but does not have the appearance of a celestial being, then one must have the complete inheritance of Quanzhen Dao to be able to cultivate something famous, so Xu Qing is not worried about the Purple Mansion Yuanzong being leaked.
After all, it is the person who is powerful, not the technique.
If Xu Qing had not found Zifu Yuanzong, he could have spent several years to figure out the contents by himself. The problem was that he didn't have the time.
Therefore, it is best to have a ready-made one.
Yan Shan took the order and went to the Hanlin Academy the next day to help Xu Qing find the Journey to the West. As expected, he found it. He was also a man who knew how to make friends, so he easily brought out this ancient historical document from the Hanlin Academy that was not important in the eyes of others.
"Master, just as you said, there are indeed some practice notes." Yan Shan said happily.
He felt that he had made another contribution this time.
Xu Qing was naturally delighted when he heard this. After taking it, he checked the contents and found the Zifu Yuanzong that he had been thinking about. However, after he finished reading it, a small trouble arose.
"I'm still missing a sloppy Qi training technique."
Zhang Laita is the founder of Xuantian Shenglong Dao. The Taoist knowledge he learned, in addition to the Taoist tradition of Changchunzi, also includes some of the essence of Ziyang Zhenren's knowledge, including the Qi training secrets of Zifu Yuanzong.
Based on the notes of this strange man, Xu Qing knew the whereabouts of this Qi training technique.
It turns out that it was in himself.
"Crane Form Technique!"
"Fortunately, before I went to Beijing, I went to the Gu family in Yingtian Prefecture and asked for the complete contents of the Crane Form Technique of the Jiangning Gu family. Otherwise, the Crane Form Technique I got from my uncle would still be a little incomplete. In this case, I would have to go through the trouble again."
Xu Qing could never have imagined that the important Qi training content of the Zifu Yuanzong that he had been looking for was already in his possession.
It can be said that he already had the Qi training foundation of Zifu Yuanzong.
Zhang Sloppy, Xuantian Shenglong Dao, Jiangning Xu Clan, Wenxiang Sect...
Xu Qing had to admit that Xu's karma was constantly gathering on him. Thinking of his own fate, Xu Qing was both worried and excited.
Perhaps the convergence of these causes and effects is the key for him to break free from the calamity of fate.
What's more, for those who practice cultivation, disasters are also a kind of creation.
After Xu Qing forcibly memorized the contents of Changchun Zhenren's Journey to the West, he returned to Wenyuan Pavilion. The literary atmosphere and historical vicissitudes there helped Xu Qing comprehend Zifu Yuanzong.
And it's also safe and secluded.
(End of this chapter)