Chapter 579: Losing the vest

Chapter 579: Losing the vest

Chapter 579: Losing the vest (Part )
"Your Majesty, this is a secret report on the battle situation in Xiping and Tieguan."

Outside the imperial study, Sun Lianying, wearing a dragon robe and with white hair on her temples, spoke softly, leaning against the carved door.

The empress, who had just put down her brush and rubbed her twitching eyelids, said, "Hmm," "Put it aside."

Sun Lianying stepped over the threshold, placed the memorial on the table covered with golden silk, and looked at the empress worriedly:

"Your Majesty, are you still worried about the Huai River war?"

Xu Zhenguan looked at the loyal old eunuch and sighed softly, his eyes full of worry: "I really can't let it go."

Since Zhao Shixiong surrendered to the imperial court, the Huai River War was mainly focused on the western front. When the southern expedition to Mu began, countless eyes in the entire court were cast towards the south, eagerly waiting for the progress of the war.

Xu Zhenguan was not in a hurry at first, as she believed that if there were any major changes, Zhao Duan would definitely pass through the stone wall, return to the capital, and report to her.

However...the development of things was unexpected.

Many days passed and Zhao Duan never came back. What really made Xu Zhenguan uneasy was that one night two days ago, she vaguely sensed fluctuations in the celestial phenomena in the direction of the Huai River.

But it was not as clear as the day when Zhao Duan stopped the burning of the city.

The empress rushed to the Tianshi Mansion that night, trying to seek answers, but was turned away. She told Gongshu Tianyuan that Zhang Yanyi was not in the capital, and asked her to be patient and wait for good news.

Xu Zhenguan didn't know what exactly had happened, but it was difficult for him to leave his post and go to the south in person.

In the next two days, Zhao Duan still did not return.

Moreover, the latest intelligence on the war in the south is still on the way because time is too short.

Therefore, Xu Zhenguan has been particularly anxious and restless in the past two days.

But she herself couldn't tell how much of her anxiety was due to the war and how much was due to Zhao Duan.

"Your Majesty, please be at ease. Good news may be on the way," Sun Lianying comforted.

Facing the old eunuch who had been with him since childhood, Xu Zhenguan forced a smile and said, "I know."

Sun Lianying wanted to say something, but finally chose to shut up and bowed as he left the study.

After the others left, the empress picked up the memorial on the table, opened it and examined it. She did not find any major surprises. After thinking for a while, she marked it with a red pen and handed it to the female official to be sent to the Xiuwenguan.

Then, the upset Xu Zhenguan walked out of the Yangxin Palace again and went to the third floor of the old building behind the Wugong Palace.

In the past two days, she came to take a look in person almost every few hours.

There was still no change this time. The puppet body of "Zhao Duan" was still sitting cross-legged beside the stone wall, motionless, almost covered with light gray.

"Ugh……"

The empress stood in the building with dim eyes. She sighed softly and shook her head.

I simply sat cross-legged on the cushion again and contemplated the world alone.

……

The urban night as usual.

Xu Zhenguan, dressed as an urban beauty, opened her eyes and found herself in the park.

The night breeze was blowing, and the lights of cars speeding on the road outside the park swept in, illuminating her pretty face.

“We have to get it done this time.”

Xu Zhenguan stood up from the park bench, thoughtful.

The last time she came in, she wanted to look for some poems, but not long after she came in, her body left outside sensed the vibrations of heaven and earth.

She had no choice but to end her meditation early and go out to find Zhang Yanyi... and then put aside the matter of looking for poetry for the time being... after all, it was not a serious matter.

Walking out of the park, Xu Zhenguan stood on the curb, lost in thought.

It shouldn't be difficult to search for ancient poetry in this world, but for a native like her, there are still difficulties.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her "phone", turned it on, saw the lock screen, and then turned it off again.

No password, can't be used.

Of course, she could also rely on her beauty to find a store and borrow someone's cell phone or computer... Even if she didn't have magical powers or her status as an emperor, she could still do this with her looks.

But the empress's pride made her unwilling to do so.

What's more...

Although she had basically learned the language of this world and could communicate with people, she was still not proficient in the written language of this world.

It is still difficult for her to find out on her own.

"Let me find someone to help me investigate." Xu Zhenguan thought for a moment and walked towards the nearby Taiqing Palace.

Just like many times when I entered, the door of the temple in the city was closed, but the small door was still open.

Xu Zhenguan raised his hand and knocked on the door. Soon the door opened and a middle-aged female temple priest with a kind face and wearing a green Taoist robe walked out.

Xu Zhenguan had dealt with female temple priests many times in the past, and even first learned the name "Zhanghui" from them.

The empress thought of the other person out of habit.

Unfortunately, the female temple keeper had no saved memory and was surprised at first. After Xu Zhenguan expressed that he had lost his memory and asked her to help call the police, the female temple keeper enthusiastically led her into the house.

The house has not changed. The fortune stick box is still on the table, and the marriage tree in the courtyard outside the window is still hung with cloth strips.

"Can you help me look up some poems? From that...Internet." Xu Zhenguan expressed his purpose directly.

The female temple keeper was stunned for a moment. Although she felt that the girl's question was really strange, she still smiled gently, considering that she had lost her memory, "Okay, what do you want to check?"

As she spoke, the female temple priest took out a cell phone from her Taoist robe...

What poem should I look for? Xu Zhenguan was stunned. She hadn't thought of this yet and was at a loss for words. Then, naturally, she thought of the poem that Zhao Duan had given her.

The corners of the empress's mouth curled up slightly, and she said softly: "Let's check the most famous Mid-Autumn Festival poems here. Well, preferably lyrics."

She thought secretly that if there was Mid-Autumn Festival in this world, there would definitely be related poems.

I believe it won’t be worse than the one written by Zhao Duan.

Although the female temple keeper found the empress's statement strange, she was a gentle person, so she opened the browser, entered the corresponding entry, and then skipped the first three, four, five, six, seven, eight... advertisements.

Finally I opened an article that lists the "Top Ten Mid-Autumn Festival Poems".

"Girl, take a look." The temple keeper handed over the phone.

Xu Zhenguan asked seriously, "Can you read it to me?"

"..." The female temple keeper was stunned for a moment, thinking that this girl would not have lost her memory to the point where she couldn't even recognize words. She nodded with sympathy and said:

"If we talk about the most famous one, it should be this "Shui Tiao Ge Tou". I wrote this poem on the Mid-Autumn Festival of Bingchen while I was drunk and drinking until dawn, thinking of Ziyou."

"When will the bright moon come? Ask the sky for wine. I wonder what year it is in the palace in the sky..."

When Xu Zhenguan heard the first four words of Water Melody, he frowned slightly, surprised that the Mid-Autumn Festival poem in this world had the same tune as the one written by Zhao Duan...

It was also surprising that the two worlds had the same tune name...

But when she heard the female temple keeper recite the original text of the poem, she was stunned. Her eyes suddenly widened and she stared at the female temple keeper blankly.

Staring at the lines of text on the phone screen.

The emotion in his eyes was as if... he had seen a ghost!
"May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart..." After the female temple priest finished reciting the last sentence, she looked up with a startled look and looked cautiously at the empress who was staring at her: "Girl, what are you doing..."

Xu Zhenguan breathed rapidly, clenched his hands, stared at the temple keeper, and suddenly asked, "Who is the author of this poem?"

"...Su...Su Shi."

"Not Zhao?"

"...a famous poet from the Song Dynasty, how could his last name be Zhao?"

The empress was silent, and then suddenly said: "Please help me search again, is there a poem called "Farewell to Dong Da"..."

Well, after she said this name, she felt that it was not right, and added:

"The first sentence is Thousands of miles of yellow clouds and the sun is setting..." The female temple keeper laughed and this time she even skipped the search:
"Yes. This is a poem by Gao Shi from the Tang Dynasty."

"..." The empress was silent again, and asked in disbelief, "What is the relationship between Su Shi and Gao Shi?"

The female temple keeper said unsurely:
"No...it doesn't matter. They are from two different dynasties. It's totally..."

She wasn't quite sure how many years had passed between them.

The empress was silent again, and suddenly said: "The emperor is beautiful and I am young... Is there a poem with this line?"

The female temple keeper honestly searched again on the browser this time and shook her head:
"No. But there is a line that says, 'The Master is beautiful and I am young.' Did you remember it wrong, young lady?"

As he spoke, he read the original text again.

Xu Zhenguan was silent again.

"Miss? Miss?" The female temple priest saw that Xu Zhenguan seemed to have lost his mind and tried to call out.

Xu Zhenguan just sat there blankly, looking out the window at the city at night, his expression changing constantly. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something and squeezed out a name from between his teeth:
"Zhang! Back!"

……

……

"Ah!"

Zhengyang Mountain, inside Zhengyang Academy.

Zhao Duan sneezed for no apparent reason, rubbed his nose, put down the teacup in his hand, and muttered in his heart: Who is talking about me...

Immediately, he turned his gaze to the old Taoist priest, expecting an answer.

The architecture of Zhengyang Academy is elegant. Although it is located on a mountain, the courtyard is still decorated with green bamboos, flowers, pavilions and towers, showing its aesthetic taste.

In the hall, paintings by ancient masters are hung on the pink and white walls, and two blue and white porcelain vases are placed on display, showing the ancient style.

Seeing that everyone wanted to talk, Mr. Zhengyang and his student Lu Cheng stood up and walked out of the courtyard. The rest of the scholars in Zhengyang Academy who had walked out because of the noise just now also gathered outside the courtyard and did not disturb them.

In the hall, only Zhao Duan, Zhong Pan, Yuxiu and Jin Jian were left. They teamed up to torture the shameless Zhang Yanyi who was sitting in the main seat.

"Master, what is going on? Why are you here?" Yuxiu also asked.

They are so curious!

"Haha," Zhang Yan said with a calm demeanor and a mysterious smile, "It's a long story..."

Zhao Duan interrupted: "Then let's shorten it?"

"..." Zhang Yan glared at him unhappily and said helplessly:
"The reason I am waiting here is naturally to make arrangements in advance and kill this god of death."

It was indeed arranged... Zhao Duan was not surprised at all, but confirmed his guess and said:

"So, when I found you in the capital, you counted it as today?"

Zhang Yan nodded, then shook his head:

"How can I see clearly when it comes to gods? I just saw that you were covered by dark clouds and there would be a bloody disaster, so I wanted to take a closer look, but I didn't expect to be blocked by the way of heaven. In this world today, there are only a handful of people who can stop me from spying.

Your Majesty is in the capital, Xuanyin the bald donkey will not be killed for the time being in order to avoid being attacked by the crowd, Wuxiankui is in the East China Sea, and has not made any moves since the Fengshan ceremony... plus you are going to deal with Xu Jingtang, so if you think about it, you will know that it is related to the White Clothes Sect. "

Judge Zhong suddenly realized:

"So, Master, you guessed at that time that the White Clothes Sect might summon the God of Death to the world, and only a god-level power could accomplish this... and killing the evil god is our unshirkable duty, so you decided to take action and kill the God of Death?"

Zhang Yan nodded happily, with an attitude of saving the people.

Is this true...are you so kind, Mr. Deng?

Zhao Duan was suspicious. Jin Jian, who was sitting next to him, saw that he looked unconvinced, so he leaned over and whispered:

"Those who practice the Way of Heaven need to deal with evil spirits to help their practice. Maintaining the righteous path and preventing evil spirits from running rampant is beneficial to Master's practice."

Zhao Duan suddenly understood, so Lao Zhang was trying to gain political achievements... and to explain the truth to the gods.

He had heard Zhenbao mention before that the practice of "Heavenly Way" had many taboos and requirements.

For example, the Way of Heaven represents rules, and the deeper a sorcerer's practice of the Way of Heaven reaches, the more his every move must conform to the illusory yet real "Tao" between heaven and earth.

Therefore, the Tianshi Mansion set a rule of not interfering in the secular world, in order to preserve the inheritance and avoid disasters, and also to follow the meaning of "Tao"...

Similarly, eradicating evil is not only a sense of justice or a need for stability, but also in line with the "Tao".

Zhang Yan glared at the female disciple, sighed softly, and explained:

"Eradication of evil spirits is indeed beneficial to my cultivation."

You just want to take advantage of it, why pretend to do something for the world... Zhao Duan despised it in his heart, but admired it on his face: "Master Tian is so righteous!"

Zhang Yan suddenly felt much more comfortable and said with a smile:

"Ever since the vassal kings started the rebellion, smoke of war has risen everywhere, and the world has become filled with despair, and has lost its balance.

Therefore, I follow the will of heaven and want to weaken the evil spirits, but the gods are difficult to deal with. Even with my magic power, I still need to make some efforts to arrange a large formation according to the feng shui of Zhengyang Mountain to ensure that there will be no mistakes. "

Well, what he said was half true and half false.

If the goal is simply to defeat the God of Death, there is no need to set up a formation.

But if one wants to prevent the spirit of loss from dissipating and returning to heaven and earth, but to imprison the power of the spirit of loss as much as possible and incorporate it into the Book of Heaven... then one needs the help of formations.

Zhao Duan nodded and roughly understood:

Seeing that he was in danger of a bloody disaster, Lao Zhang guessed what the Baiyi Sect was thinking, so he decided to use himself as bait and let the Baiyi Sect help summon the God of Death into the human world, and then lead him to the large formation on Zhengyang Mountain to catch him in the trap.

The life-saving sachet he gave himself was also to ensure his survival and to lead the God of Death to Zhengyang Mountain.

Zhao Duan said quietly:

"So, if you have such a good plan, why can the leaves you gave me only be used for two transmissions? Master, do you know that if I hadn't found another way and thought of a solution, we would never have been able to reach Zhengyang Mountain?"

Yuxiu and Jinjian also nodded, chattering and explaining Zhao Duan's role.

Everyone has some resentment.

Zhang Yan acted like a master and wanted to say, "Everything is within my calculations."

But he was interrupted by Zhao Duan with a sneer:
"Master, could it be that you have calculated in advance that I can obtain the Dragon Girl and hide with her?"

Jin Jian shook his head and said, "Master can't be so detailed."

A ruthless demolition machine.

Zhang Yanyi almost lost his defense, his beard trembled slightly, and he glared at Jin Jian unhappily:

"Do you think that your master is so heartless that he would ignore you?"

Isn't it? Yuxiu and Jinjian murmured in their hearts.

Zhong Pan, who had been sitting next to him, suddenly spoke up and said slowly:

"In fact, Master has left me some life-saving tricks."

Zhao Duan and the two girls looked at him in astonishment.

The honest and reliable little Taoist priest smiled slightly, revealing his white teeth:
"The decree that Master gave me has already made arrangements, so if we really get into danger, I can also ensure that we can reach Zhengyang Mountain."

We have a traitor in our midst!

Zhao Duan's eyes widened, suddenly realizing.

Yes, Zhang Yanyi did say at the beginning that he would give the decree to Zhong Pan alone, and Zhao Duan waited in Yongjia City for two days before Zhong Pan arrived.

They were all kept in the dark!

"Okay, you guys go out first. I still have something to say to him alone."

Zhang Yan blew his beard and glared at the two stunned female disciples, and suddenly said.

(End of this chapter)