Because of the reunion between master and apprentice, Mei Xianzhang delayed going to the Ministry of Personnel for a day. However, with the speed at which she traveled from Nanzhou to Chang'an, she was the first to arrive in Chang'an among almost all the recalled officials.
Moreover, the court did not set a date, so Mei Xianzhang would have no problem even if it was postponed for another three days.
However, Mei Xianzhang still went to the Ministry of Personnel the next day, just because Fang Jian came this time to take her away.
Mei Xianzhang had fulfilled his father Mei Qing's last wish, obtained merit and became an official, and later practiced with Fang Jian.
It's just that Kui Xingyan has never been recovered, which is the biggest regret in Mei Xianzhang's heart now.
Now she has no memory of this mortal world. If she had been indifferent to the abolition of her official position before, now she is in an anxious mood.
She just wants to get rid of her official status as soon as possible and follow her master to practice!
Zhang Hong, the official secretary of the Tang Dynasty, was sitting behind the jade case in the office, looking down at Mei Xianzhang. He asked with some surprise: "You came back so soon?"
Mei Xianzhang cupped his hands and said, "Go back to Shangshu. I rushed back the same day I received the imperial edict."
Zhang Hong was a little surprised, and then pondered for a moment. Will what he was about to announce affect such a diligent female officer?
But soon, Zhang Hong threw away the kindness and pity in his heart. For a guy like him, both kindness and pity are completely superfluous emotions.
"Ahem." Zhang Hong took a sip of tea and then said to Mei Xianzhang: "Mei Xianzhang, His Majesty has decreed that from now on, you and other female officials will not be allowed to serve as chief officials of the imperial court. Therefore, the purpose of ordering you to return to Beijing is to I will abolish your position as governor."
"Yes." Mei Xianzhang responded calmly.
Zhang Hong looked surprised and said, "Aren't you surprised?"
Mei Xianzhang shook his head and said, "The official had already thought of it when he received the order, so he was not surprised."
Zhang Hong was silent for a moment, and after a moment he nodded again and said: "Okay, but His Majesty has given you a special decree. Although you and other female officials are no longer the chief officials of the imperial court, they will retain their rank and choose one of the two ways to go. First, When you resign and return home, the imperial court will honor you with your rank and pay monthly salary according to the regulations. Secondly, you will resign from your current official positions and enter the palace to serve His Majesty as a female official."
Mei Xianzhang immediately replied: "I will choose the first one."
Zhang Hong nodded and said, "In that case, you can write a resignation letter and submit it to the Ministry of Officials tomorrow."
"Yes." Mei Xianzhang bowed his hands and then left.
The next day, Mei Xianzhang submitted her resignation to the Ministry of Personnel. In the afternoon, Mei Xianzhang received a receipt from the Ministry of Personnel. Her resignation was approved. Now she only has the rank of fourth-level official in the Tang Dynasty, but has no practical experience. official position. Of course, the court would later give her an "honorary title", which was a virtual title of fourth rank.
It's just that all this will have to wait until the court meeting in a few days, because the staff will not present the honorary title to the emperor until all the female officials have submitted their resignations.
Seven days later, in the Hanyuan Hall, the main hall of the Imperial Palace of the Tang Dynasty, hundreds of civil and military officials shouted long live and paid homage to the new emperor Li Zhao.
As Emperor Li Zhao's "Ping Shen" sound sounded, all civil and military officials lined up in court, holding jade tablets in their hands and preparing to perform.
Immediately afterwards, Emperor Li Zhao shouted: "Where is Zhang Hong, the Minister of Civil Affairs?"
Zhang Hong immediately walked out in response, holding a jade tablet in his hand and bowing: "I am here."
Li Zhaoyan said: "The Ministry of Civil Affairs was ordered by me to rectify the affairs of female officials in the imperial court. How is the progress now? Report it quickly."
Hearing this, Zhang Hong immediately held the jade scepter in his hands and bowed down and said: "Zhang Hong, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, made the first speech. He was sincere and frightened, and he bowed his head. It is a capital crime. There are one hundred and fifty-seven female officials in the imperial court. They have been ordered to return to Chang'an by the imperial court." The actual number of people reported on their duties was one hundred and fifty-seven.
They have all submitted letters to the imperial court to resign, and the reports submitted the day before yesterday have been approved by His Majesty. Thirty-seven of them are willing to enter the palace as female officials, and the rest voluntarily receive honorary titles and return to their hometowns. "
"Yeah, okay." Li Zhao nodded and said, "I love you for your hard work, please get back on your feet."
"I serve the imperial court and dare not express my sorrow. Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhang Hong bowed, then stood up and walked back to the court.
Then Li Zhao asked the Prime Minister Hu Yanzhi: "Prime Minister
Prime Minister, has the official title of the female official who wishes to be honored and returned home been drawn up? "
Prime Minister Hu Yanzhi immediately walked out of the court and bowed down and said: "I ordered Hu Yanzhi to make a memorial statement. I am sincere and frightened. It is a capital crime. Today, the Zhongshu Province has recorded a list of 120 female officials who have returned home and have voluntarily been awarded the title. All ministers are The honorary titles have been drawn up and submitted to His Majesty for his inspection."
"Send it up." Li Zhao said.
At that moment, an eunuch came down to the palace, took the memorial from Hu Yanzhi, and then returned to the palace and handed the memorial to Li Zhao.
Li Zhao took the memorial, opened it and read it carefully, then closed it and nodded and said, "Okay, let's honor these 120 people according to what the prime minister has written."
"My minister, I obey the decree." Prime Minister Hu Yanzhi immediately bowed and accepted the decree.
Another day later, Mei Xianzhang received an imperial edict from the imperial court. She was named a fourth-rank "Tongyi doctor" with a monthly salary of one thousand dan.
This is an honorary title, which gives you a false title and provides you with a monthly salary, and then you can go home and retire.
Mei Xianzhang naturally did not need to use this salary to support her old age, so she registered her name in a charity hall outside Chang'an City. From now on, the salary given to her by the court will be sent directly to the charity hall, and the people she arranges will be sent to the charity hall. to receive.
"I know this charity very well." Mei Xianzhang said to Fang Jian: "Donating my salary to this charity can help many poor people."
Fang Jian nodded and said, "That's good, at least I can accumulate some merit."
Mei Xianzhang was now wearing a moon-white scholarly Taoist robe, her hair was tied with a jade scarf, and she was extremely green. She turned around and said to Fang Jian: "Master, where are we going now?"
Fang Jian smiled and said, "Where are you going? Don't worry, I am here to investigate the death of the former emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Hong."
"This is what happened." Mei Xianzhang pondered for a moment and said, "It is said that the late emperor collapsed in Huaqing Pool."
Fang Jian's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard this, and he said, "Huaqing Pool?"
Then, Fang Jian put his hands behind his hands and said, "Let's go and have a look."
"Huaqing Pool?" Mei Xianzhang was slightly startled and said, "But that's the royal palace and it's heavily guarded... Oh..." At this point, Mei Xianzhang slapped his forehead and said, "I forgot, Master, that you are a god. .”
Fang Jian smiled faintly, looked at Mei Xianzhang and said, "You are in the Nascent Soul realm now. You can stay outside the city and wait for me to come back. You don't have to go with me."
"No." Mei Xianzhang said immediately, "I want to go with Master."
Fang Jian smiled calmly and said, "That's okay."
Afterwards, Fang Jian rode up the golden cloud, took Hei Hai'er and Mei Xianzhang into the sky and turned into fairy light, flying straight towards the Huaqing Palace.
...
There is a palace on Gaoli Mountain with three or four levels of red towers and purple halls.
Here is the Huaqing Palace located in Lishan Mountain. Looking down from the clouds, you can see the brilliant brocade and rosy clouds.
Fang Jian made a magic trick to hide the figures of Mei Xianzhang and Hei Haier, while he was covered with divine power. In this way, as long as he did not remove his divine power to show his holiness, mortals would not be able to see him.
Then Fang Jian took the two of them to Huaqing Palace. Huaqing Palace was also called "Huaqing Pool" because it was a royal garden with a soup pool inside.
Fang Jian and the others took the lead to arrive at Huaqing Pool. They saw white mist in the pool, steaming water, and even a trace of spiritual energy could be felt in the clear water.
No wonder the emperors and concubines of the Tang Dynasty loved bathing in it. This soup pool itself is a small spiritual eye. When mortals bathe in it, they will naturally be nourished by spiritual energy. Although this nourishment is extremely weak and limited, for mortals That's enough.
If the former emperor Li Honggang hadn't died in Huaqing Pool not long ago, this place would never be so deserted now.
However, this also made Fang Jian's situation easier. If there was really a concubine bathing here, Fang Jian would have to avoid it.
Fang Jian looked at the sparkling, clear and pure Huaqing Pool, then raised his hand and opened it slightly, a ray of fairy light instantly released from Fang Jian's palm, directly covering the entire Huaqing Pool and a radius of ten feet.
But after only three breaths, Fang Jian withdrew his magic power. As the fairy light dissipated, Fang Jian slowly said: "As expected, Hua Qing
All traces related to Li Hong in the pool have been removed. "
"Is it the perpetrator?" Mei Xianzhang asked.
Fang Jian nodded and said, "This human being should be better than the Xuanxian."
"Can we still check?" Mei Xianzhang asked with a slight frown.
Fang Jian laughed and said, "Why can't we check? He thinks he did it perfectly. He thinks he can escape from tracing by removing the traces of Li Hong in Huaqing Pool. How naive!"
When Mei Xianzhang heard this, he immediately asked Fang Jian, "What can master do?"
Fang Jian pointed to the Huaqing Palace in front of him and said: "Although he has removed all traces of Li Hong in Huaqing Pool, don't forget that Huaqing Palace is still there. I only need to use my heavenly magic to explore the secrets of heaven and find out the root cause."
With that said, Fang Jian raised his hand and struck out a magic talisman, directly pressing it into the lower ground of Huaqing Palace, and then took Mei Xianzhang and Hei Hai'er to the outside of Lishan Mountain Temple.
Then, under Mei Xianzhang's shocked eyes, Fang Jian directly called out the Lishan Mountain God.
The mountain god "Li" of Lishan Mountain, Xuanxian, is the god from whom Lishan Mountain is named. He was a disciple of the old mother of Lishan Mountain at first, and then landed in the human world to experience. When he arrived here, he felt sleepy, so he lay down in the mountain to take a nap.
When she woke up, she saw the evergreen pines and cypresses in front of her, the majestic green beauty, so she turned into a big mountain and stayed there for a long time. Because the mountain she transformed looked like a black horse lying in the world, so the world called this mountain The name "Lishan" is consistent with the name "Li".
Li means pure black horse.
Later, the Heavenly Court obeyed this will and granted Li the title of Mountain God of Lishan Mountain. It has been countless Yuanhui years so far.
There are many mountain gods like Li. They have never been promoted and only serve as officials where they are, and no one comes to disturb them.
"Greetings to Master Hongqing." Li's voice was melodious and pleasant to hear.
Not only the voice, but also Li's appearance and posture are as beautiful and picturesque as Li Mountain, with a green spirit still young.
