Chapter 230 Zhang Jing and Quanzhen Dao's Strongest Formation
Chapter 230 Return to the capital and the strongest formation of Quanzhen Dao (Part 2)
On his way back to Beijing, Xu Qing received news that the martial arts conference had ended.
Among the top ten masters, the three commanders of the Imperial Guards were among them. In particular, Zhao Changrong, who was known as the best master of the Imperial Guards, won the title of the martial arts champion of this martial arts competition.
This person is only fifty years old this year, which is considered to be the peak age among martial arts masters.
After one duel after another, the subtleties and mysteries of the Taiyi Five Elements Boxing that he practiced were displayed to the fullest.
He was also praised by the newly-crowned Martial Saint, Master Xiong Chan, as the number one person under the Martial Saint.
If it were an ordinary martial arts master, he would not be able to take on the title of martial arts champion, but Zhao Changrong is the commander of the imperial guards, and his participation in the martial arts conference is equivalent to raising the standard of the martial arts conference.
If this title falls to another family, where will the face of the court be, and where will the face of Your Majesty be?
Of course, the most important thing is that Zhao Changrong really has real ability.
Although Master Zhao's schedule is the easiest, it does not hinder his strong strength.
However, compared to the ranking of the martial arts conference, Xu Qing cares more about the profits of the martial arts conference.
The tickets for this martial arts tournament were sold at sky-high prices.
Even so, demand still exceeds supply.
Who says the capital city is most in need of wealthy nobles?
These people are always trying to stir up trouble when they have nothing to do on a normal day, let alone something as lively as a martial arts tournament.
In addition, with the presence of the Martial Saint Xiong Chan himself presiding over the event, it attracted many heroes from the martial arts world.
Because the Martial Saint is almost the highest martial arts achievement in the world, who wouldn’t want to come and see it?
In addition, King Lin also participated under a pseudonym.
Because he did not communicate with Xu Qing, he had the misfortune of encountering the most difficult schedule. Even so, King Lin still made it into the quarterfinals, just half a step away from the top four in the world.
In response, King Lin wrote a letter to Xu Qing to complain that this martial arts competition was full of shady dealings. However, he was also looking forward to the next martial arts competition.
After the martial arts competition, King Lin felt that he had gained a lot.
Moreover, with Xiong Chan watching over them, he can separate the martial arts masters who are furious at the most critical moment, so that both parties on the ring don't have to worry too much.
This is enough to reflect Xiong Chan's reaction speed and control ability as a martial saint.
In his eyes, even the moves of a martial arts master can be clearly predicted.
This is also the unique skill of the Great Zen Temple, known as the Dharma Eye, from which nothing can escape.
As for Buddhism, it is really good at bragging.
In addition, Xu Qing did not deny that the great monk's Dharma vision was indeed unique.
The profits from this martial arts conference were astonishing. The imperial court took 50%, Xu Qing and Xiong Chan took 40%, and the remaining 10% was for miscellaneous arrangements.
Seeing the money, the Ministry of War can't wait to hold a martial arts competition every year.
However, Xiong Chan knew the principle of draining the pond to catch all the fish.
It is suggested that the Ministry of War should hold the election every three years. On the other hand, in order to maintain the popularity, preliminary auditions should be held in the provincial capitals.
This martial arts tournament was obviously very rough and wild, and even after it ended, there were always people outside saying there was something fishy going on.
Xu Qing added a suggestion that if the last martial arts champion is willing to continue participating, he can directly enter the semi-finals and receive a sky-high appearance fee.
In Xu Qing's opinion, the original intention of the martial arts conference is very pure, which is to provide a stage for martial artists all over the world to realize their dreams.
It doesn’t matter whether you make money or not, the key is to help warriors all over the world realize their dreams.
Regarding the content of the martial arts competition, Xinmin Daily and Shuntian Times invited Hanlin scholars and censors to describe and publish the entire process.
In particular, many of the censors of the Inspectorate chose the Xinminbao.
Although the financial backer behind the Xinmin Daily is Xu Qing, he is the arch-enemy of the censors in the Inspectorate.
The problem is that the Xinmin Daily's payment is too high.
The Shuntian Times was a government-run newspaper, and the remuneration for articles was fixed and very low.
There are not many opportunities for censors to earn extra money, and by participating in this event, they can also get free admission to watch the martial arts conference, and there are also tickets for their families.
They are also helpless.
For the sake of their families, many people have no choice but to accept the royalties.
What's more, they thought in their hearts that after they had enough food and clothing, they would have more energy to curse Xu Liushou!
As they had gained benefits, the censors who participated in the matter tacitly refrained from submitting memorials to criticize the martial arts conference. Whenever they saw their colleagues criticizing the matter, they would try to persuade them with kind words.
Some censors refuted the claim that Xu Qing was the financial backer behind the martial arts conference.
But the censors who had benefited from it said directly and righteously, how could we abandon the matter because of one person?
They submitted a memorial to criticize Xu Qing as a matter of official business and had nothing to do with any personal feelings.
If you have a prejudice against a person, and then become biased against everything he does, is that what a gentleman does?
There was even an old censor who had received a generous remuneration for his writings and sighed: "The prejudice in people's hearts is as huge as a mountain, and it is very difficult to get rid of it..."
As a person, you should distinguish between public and private affairs!
Some censors who had not received their royalties continued to refute.
Someone then said sarcastically, "If you hate what Xu Gongming did so much, don't use fairy coal in the cold winter."
A critical hit, too deadly.
In fact, whether the wise men in the capital admit it or not, many things in the capital have been subtly changed by Xu Gongming.
In particular, the fireworks and firecrackers that Xu Gongming asked Fangxiandao's disciples and the Ministry of Works to jointly improve brought a lot of warmth to the cold capital during New Year's Eve and the Lantern Festival.
With the sound of firecrackers a year old, the spring breeze sent warmth to Tusu.
Xu Qing and Wang Jingchuan, who carried out reforms in the previous dynasty, are both similar and different.
Both are great literary figures of the time.
But Xu Gongming was obviously more flexible. Even as an enemy, he felt that the appearance of Xu Qing brought new vitality to the Dayu Dynasty.
But as a nobleman, he still had to hate Xu Qing.
Because Xu Qing went too far in his flood control and massacre of the gentry.
The enthusiasm for Xu Liushou's return to Beijing directly overshadowed the afterglow of the martial arts conference.
There were also cases where the heads of wealthy and powerful people were processed and placed outside the city gates to form a Jingguan.
Xu Liushou had no intention of handling his massacre of the gentry in a low-key manner, as if he was provoking the wise and noble people in the capital.
I did it, and you continue to scold me?
Too tough!
...
...
"My husband's methods this time are tougher than before." Feng Wu sighed.
Xu Qing smiled and said, "It's still far worse than Taizu's skinning and strawing. They can even tolerate Taizu's skinning and strawing, which shows that they have no bottom line. What am I afraid of?"
Xu Qing saw clearly that landlords and bureaucrats were inherently weak.
It's just the barking of a dog.
Throw a bone and it will still stick to you.
As I said, it is easy to kill the gentry and nobles, but the most difficult thing is to destroy the soil in which the gentry and nobles were born.
Prosperity, people suffer; death, people suffer.
But if the common people become nobles and wealthy, they will still follow the old path.
The good and evil of human nature is more determined by one’s standpoint.
His more important purpose in slaughtering the gentry in Qingzhou was to let these people know that Xu Liushou's knife could really kill people.
Killing is not the goal, establishing authority is.
So when he went to Cheongju, he had already decided to kill as many people as possible.
Of course, the truth revealed by the investigation was even worse than he had imagined.
When Xu Qing was away from Beijing, Feng Wu often went to the palace to see the child. This was also a special favor bestowed by the emperor.
The couple each recounted their feelings of separation, and Feng Wu said, "I plan to return to Jiangning Prefecture."
Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then nodded: "This is indeed better, but I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position."
Feng Wu was in Jiangning Prefecture, so he could keep an eye on the foundation of the Xu family. Even his uncle and his wife could not replace him.
"Actually, you've wanted to tell me this for a long time, but you're just worried about me, right?" Feng Wu said with a smile.
Xu Qing: "If you don't want to, I won't force you."
Feng Wu chuckled: "The more you act like this, the more I will force myself."
Xu Qing: "You are so sensible, you will figure it out yourself."
Feng Wu: "We need to be sensible because we are not strong enough. I also want to be willful."
Xu Qing said slowly: "Let's work hard together."
Feng Wu smiled and said, "Actually, being willful is just talk. Under the great principles, just let nature take its course."
"You have one idea after another."
"Working is hard enough, you can't let your imagination run wild." Feng Wu pursed his lips and smiled.
Xu Qing held his wife's hand and had some wild sex.
...
...
After reporting on his work, Xu Qing returned to the state of idling around in the Hanlin Academy.
On the side of Prime Minister Liang, with Xu Qing's plan, all government affairs were in accordance with the rules and in an orderly manner.
After he came to power, he did not cause any trouble.
This caused many ministers to be secretly disappointed.
And the interesting thing is that the position of Chief Military Minister was vacant, and the old emperor did not seem to intend to re-elect one. As a result, the Minister of War Hong Xuan became the actual leader of the Military Affairs Council.
But the decision-making power on important military affairs still lies in the hands of the old emperor.
In addition, Minister Zhang was also selected into the Grand Council and became the Grand Councilor.
As the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, in charge of the duties of the Grand Councilor, he was implicitly in a rivalry with the Minister of Personnel, Wang Gong.
This was truly a pleasant surprise for Minister Zhang.
In addition, Huo Jing did not become the Minister of Rites as he wished. The new Minister of Rites was Cheng Guang, the Right Vice Minister of Rites.
This was the arrangement made by the Prime Minister before he left.
He directly bypassed the Left Vice Minister of Rites and became the Minister of Rites of one of the top three ministries among the six.
The Minister of Rites, also known as the "Grand Master of the Imperial Clan", was both pure and noble.
After Minister Cheng came to power, he directly cleaned up the brothels in the capital.
Many people now miss the days when Liang Shoufu was the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan. That was truly the best era for the romantic world in the capital, and it is gone forever.
Xu Qing calmed down, and the capital returned to peace.
This is something that is both surprising and natural.
To see whether the capital is in chaos or not, let’s read Xu’s six poems.
It seemed to be the true thought in the hearts of many civil and military nobles in the capital.
But Xu Qing did not do nothing.
He studied and cultivated himself in the Hanlin Academy during the day, and had secret meetings with Xiong Chan at night.
...
...
"The most important prize of this martial arts conference is the qualification to open martial arts schools in the provincial capitals, thus putting an end to the chaos of numerous martial arts schools in the martial arts world."
The martial arts school is backed by the Ministry of War and is part of the imperial court's further control over the martial arts world.
Xu Qing and Xiong Chan exchanged ideas and decided to redefine the order of the martial arts world.
From the source, it is necessary to publish a Dayu Martial Arts Magazine exclusively for martial artists in the capital, and publish many martial arts experiences.
It can be said that Xiong Chan is really a man who can do great things. He is even willing to hand over many of the secrets of Dachan Temple such as bone and tendon training.
Even though the most important methods of training the internal organs through thunder sound and washing the marrow were not taught, he still displayed the spirit of a contemporary martial saint.
"In martial arts, if you want to avoid being complacent, you must be open-minded and inclusive," Xiong Chan said to Xu Qing.
After he became the Martial Saint, he lamented that his predecessors were too self-centered, which led to the slow development of martial arts.
The emergence of one or two martial saints actually has a limited impact on the development of martial arts.
Only with the collision of thousands and millions of warriors and countless martial arts minds can martial arts truly flourish.
If you want to make the world strong, you must first make its people strong.
Of course, without Xu Qing's support, even Xiong Chan, as a martial saint, would not be able to push this matter forward.
"As more warriors emerge, the plunder for resources will become more intense, so outward expansion is inevitable. This is also the general trend. The land that the Dayu Dynasty can continue to cultivate is limited, and we must always open our eyes to the world. The world outside is vast, and if we limit ourselves to internal strife, we will not have made any progress compared to our predecessors." Xu Qing painted a rosy picture for Xiong Chan.
Xiong Chan practices Buddhism, and saving the world is actually saving himself. Of course, he does not reject Xu Qing's ideas.
The higher you stand, the more motivation you have to change the world.
Because what measures the value of one's existence is no longer a certain person or a certain force, but the world and all living beings.
See the world, see all living beings, and finally see yourself.
Xiong Chan smiled and nodded.
He and Xu Qing are competitors in the path of the Great Dao, but also best friends.
There is some overlap in the personalities of both parties.
Because of this, Xiong Chan's competitive spirit towards Xu Qing is particularly strong. It's like challenging another self, and he won't stop until he wins.
It's a wonderful emotion.
Because he is a Martial Saint, Xu Qing's strength is not up to his level.
But Xiong Chan had no doubt that Xu Qing would reach this level sooner or later.
"Actually, I still have a doubt. Now His Majesty supports us in doing these things, but Prince Yu may not support it. If you agree, I might as well be the bad guy for you." Xiong Chan was testing, and seemed to expect Xu Qing to give a certain answer.
Xu Qing smiled and said, "As long as it is beneficial to the world, how can it be called evil?"
His reply was full of wit.
Xiong Chan hit a soft nail, but he didn't care. He smiled and said, "For this martial arts conference, I found a candidate who is suitable for the Arhat Demon Subduing Formation. It will be of great benefit to our attack on the Seven Killing Demon Palace. As for the Taoist side, Gong Ming needs to persuade them."
Xu Qing nodded.
...
...
At Chaotian Temple, the abbot had a dejected look on his face, as if he had been up all night.
He has not been idle these days, but has been asked by Xu Qing to help him find the strongest formation of Quanzhen Taoism - the Tiangang Big Dipper Formation.
The old Taoist priest had never been so tired in his life.
However, Xu Qing expressed his determination to attack the Seven Killing Demon Palace and wipe out the Black Mountain Old Demon, the world's number one master. In order to prevent the lineage of Xuantian Shenglong Dao from being cut off, the old Taoist priest had to bite the bullet and help.
He had been hiding in the capital for his entire life, so it was impossible for him to cause trouble for the Black Mountain Old Demon. Xu Qing was young and energetic, and he could not stop him.
You can only make some efforts on your own.
Moreover, as his great-great-grandson Xu Xuanhu had the fate of the fourth-generation Black Mountain Old Demon, the old Taoist could only sigh that fate was unpredictable.
This kind of difficult problem can only give Xu Qing a headache.
Xu Qing took the hard-earned gift from the old Taoist priest and saw the following words written on it:
Tiangang Beidou formation!
The soul in Xu Qingzi's mansion seemed to be boiling.
The bronze mirror also emitted a ripple-like clear light, and several large characters were faintly taking shape.
(End of this chapter)