On the carriage heading to the palace, Zhuang Xun stuffed two broken pieces of silver into the eunuch who came to deliver the order.
"Eunuch, may I ask if there is anything important about the emperor's interrogation this time?" Regardless of whether the eunuch knew it or not, he opened the topic first.
"Don't worry, Jiedu, it's a reward for Jiedu." The eunuch accepted the money, smiled broadly, and said with his hands.
"How can we talk about rewards even if we haven't achieved even an inch of merit?" Zhuang Xunfa said in confusion. Did he do something good or good deeds unintentionally? Need to be rewarded.
"Didn't many officials flee a while ago when they heard that the Yu-Cheng coalition forces at the front were defeated? Unexpectedly, a few days later, the situation was reversed. Jiedu held on to Yindu, so His Majesty decided to reward Jiedu for his loyalty!" the eunuch explained.
Zhuang Xun suddenly realized that it was only a few days. The two battle reports that Li Rusi got should not be more than one day.
Maybe there is some special way of delivery.
"Which adults have escaped?" Zhuang Xun was trained every day and didn't pay attention to this matter.
"I don't know about this. After all, I just heard about it. I heard that most of them are from the Right Prime Minister faction, and some are from the Left Prime Minister faction. However, none of the first- and second-grade adults moved. All the third-grade officials ran away." The eunuch weighed the broken silver and added.
"Is that so? There are still so many people who haven't escaped, so why should I be rewarded?" Zhuang Xun felt strange after hearing this.
"This is not something I can know. I only know that Jiedu Jian is in the emperor's heart and has a bright future." The eunuch complimented that Zhuang Xun was favored by the emperor, and the image of a powerful minister and jester vaguely covered him.
"Is Jane in the emperor's heart?" It felt like the emperor treated him as an illegitimate son, although he didn't know why.
"There are many people who have been favored by the emperor, and many of them were promoted quickly, such as Zhang Youxiang. However, only Jiedu is the only one who has gone from Bai Shen to the third rank of Jiedu Youshi in one step." The eunuch said respectfully.
Zhuang Xun is now considered to be famous. If he hadn't lived in Chengguo Mansion, many people would have crossed the threshold of his house to curry favor with him.
"Is this so?" Zhuang Xun felt even more confused. Forget it, he had stepped on all the traps. The cake was too tempting.
In Zhuang Xun's palace, the emperor sat on the dragon throne and repeatedly read the battle reports from the front line.
What should I say about his expression? It's uncertain, ranging from excitement to anger.
Today, he rarely invited the Imperial Master to discuss Zhuang Xun's contribution.
"National Master, please read the request from Cheng Guo on the front line." Raising the letter, the emperor sat on the dragon throne and did not get up. He was now having some difficulty in moving.
This is the sequelae of demon transformation, chronic death, and the gradual separation of three souls and seven souls from the body. The external manifestation is that people gradually lose control of their bodies, as if they are paralyzed.
Because it was a confidential conversation, there was no eunuch or other attendants to deliver it. The imperial master stepped forward, took the information from the emperor, and read it slowly and carefully.
"You are so ambitious, has your majesty agreed to it?" Ge Tan's eyes became a little more angry after reading it.
"Otherwise, if the other side doesn't help annihilate Chen and Zhao's armies, and they will end up suffering a lot of damage if they stay in the country, let's give them Hebei Road, which can be regarded as a reward for their victory." The emperor was satisfied with this result. Acceptable, Chengguo people just want one dish, it’s okay, it’s not difficult to accept.
"My appetite is too big, so I just ordered one! It's okay if there are several counties." Ge Tan's feelings for Yu Guo are like his own children. Seeing that Yu Guo had to cut off his flesh, he also hoped to cut less.
"Let's not talk about this anymore. I am interested in the monks who appeared among them. How do they compare to the national master?" The emperor's eyes showed some interest.
"It's hard to compare, but being able to wield a sword and slay demons is at least as good as Zifu's." The Imperial Master couldn't get much information from the description, so he made a rough inference.
"I didn't expect that You Country would actually use monsters to fight. These monsters are crazy and dare to participate in the war between countries." Ge Tan looked at the intelligence again and said in disbelief.
"I remember what you said, Master, that practitioners can only do good deeds and not bad deeds. The monsters in You Country can also be considered practitioners. They directly participate in the war between countries and are not afraid of causing bad karma?" The emperor called The Imperial Preceptor also came to inquire.
"So I think these monsters are crazy, and they still use people to feed the monsters. Don't you think they die quickly enough?" Ge Tan stroked his beard and took two steps left and right, not thinking about it.
"Do you have any explanation?" The emperor also wanted to become a monster and needed to gain knowledge.
"Following the principle that all things are animistic and all things can become immortals, animals and plants can breed spiritual intelligence. This is a demon. However, with the existence of the underworld, most of these animals and plants are to pay for sins. To become a demon clan is to It means escaping punishment, so the way of heaven is not tolerant to demons and cannot feast on living beings. It can only swallow the light of the sun and moon every day, otherwise it will be plagued by bad karma." Ge Tan introduced the emergence of demons, not to mention the magic envoy The prestige is actually that the prisoners go out to show off.
"Towards demons, human monks and enlightened demon immortals all have only one attitude: keep the merits and kill them without merits!" Ge Tan's expression was solemn, but the emperor felt a chill in his body.
"You will be killed if you don't have merit?" The emperor thought to himself, but he couldn't tell that he had merit.
"Yes, it has given life, but the road is rugged. The demon clan's road to immortality is a thorny road. Killing demons without merit to protect the body is considered an act of maintaining order in the world, and will be rewarded by heaven for merit, so there is no transformation in the wild. There is no opportunity to earn merit in the form of monsters. The demon clan avoids the human monks." Ge Tan looked at the emperor's expression and realized the emperor's current state, and his tone became gentle.
"The demons who have cultivated human bodies do not dare to be presumptuous. They are more cautious than the human race and carefully accumulate merit. Like human monks, they cannot easily interfere in the relationships between people, let alone the relationships between countries. There is a conflict, You Country is feeding humans to beasts like this, humans are the primates of all things, killing humans is a great evil, not to mention demons eating humans, how dare they." At this point, Ge Tan glanced at the emperor and reminded he.
"Your Majesty transforms into a demon. After you gain spiritual wisdom, you will definitely find it difficult to practice. However, no matter how difficult it is, you should not have the thought of cannibalism. Eating people can increase your cultivation, but the demon life must be over. If you want to earn back the merits, it is almost a task. Impossible things, trying to break through the realm without merit is as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"I understand. Zhou Qing also said that you must practice hard to achieve freedom and don't take shortcuts." The emperor hurriedly said after hearing Ge Tan's warning, indicating that he understood the warning.
"Your Majesty, I hope you understand. How could the demon tribe back in You Country be so bold and openly use people to feed animals! How dare they intervene in the battle between countries, and for what reason? It's a pity that I can't live without Yin Du now. , otherwise I will go to Youguo to see what kind of monster it is, and I will kill it with one sword." Because he wanted to stabilize the national destiny of Yuguo, Ge Tan could not leave Yindu.
The national destiny includes many things. One of the keys is to ensure smooth weather, abundant harvests, and no diseases or locust infestations. Therefore, Ge Tan has almost no chance of leaving Yindu. Originally there was, but the national destiny of Yu State is now really shaky. About to fall, Ge Tan is sure that as long as he leaves Yindu, the fate of the country will explode.
"It should be noted that most demon clans are inferior to others. Monster clans of the same realm can't defeat human monks. How dare they show their faces? There are no human monks in the world anymore?" Ge Tan said angrily, wishing he could do it himself and kill these demon clans who have interfered in the war. Beheaded.
"Master, don't be angry. Aren't they all killed by monks who were passing by?" Seeing Ge Tan's anger, the emperor, who had turned into a demon, felt sad.
"Fortunately, someone took action, otherwise the monsters would have devoured so many people and even affected the outcome of the war. I would like to thank this expert for taking action." Ge Tan's anger subsided slightly.
"National Preceptor, can't the demon race become the national preceptor of a country like you? Some demon tribes still have some abilities." The emperor said with some caution.
"Your Majesty, do you know how the current country of Kyushu came to be?" Ge Tan asked back.
The emperor shook his head honestly, he really didn't know this.
"The last person to unify the Nine Provinces was the Zhou family of the Ji Dynasty. Yes, they were the ancestors of Master Zhou. It was a beautiful era at that time. Whether they were human monks or demon monks, they could all attach themselves to the dynasty and earn merit by serving the dynasty. The emperor's edicts can reach the nine states through the monks, and the emperor's army has the demon tribe to transport grain and supplies. The dynasty is so prosperous. However, in the last generation, a demon master appeared and said that he would provide the magic of immortality to the world's supreme being." Ge. Tan said slightly mockingly.
"Did the Ji Dynasty be destroyed because of this?" the emperor thought thoughtfully.
"Yes, the Son of Heaven is the most noble person in the world. Because he is the son of the supreme and supreme Heaven, he is invulnerable to all laws. He speaks of being a god. The price for this is that he can only be a mortal and will die. Because he is immune to all laws. Do not invade.
It was obvious that he ruled the Nine Provinces by his status as the emperor, but the last Emperor Ji wanted to use power to control the world. As a result, the Zhou family lost their destiny. "
Ge Tan laughed and said it was a classic joke among worldly practitioners.
"The National Master of the Demon Clan has bad intentions. He felt that the Demon Clan worked so hard but received little credit, so he wanted to graft the Ji Dynasty's destiny onto the Demon Clan and create a Demon Emperor. As a result, the intercepted destiny was scattered. Practitioners can't get merit from the Qinji Dynasty court, so why should they help you? Not to mention the demon clan, all they did was originally tiring work. After the last battle, the territories of each country became what it is now. The upper limit of what mortals can control.”
"The emperor turned into a demon clan, and the scattered destiny was scattered, some to farmers and some to local governors. These people began to resist the rule of Emperor Ji. Even if the unscrupulous Emperor Ji used power to win over a group of people, in the end they continued to fight against the rule of Emperor Ji. He lost his support during the natural disaster and was defeated and died.”
"So everyone doesn't need the national advisor of the demon clan?" The emperor understood. After all, we had learned from the past and no one wanted to make the same mistake again.
"That's not entirely the case. After the collapse of the Ji Dynasty, the monks found that it was too chaotic. Today you kill me and tomorrow he will kill you. Being involved in these disputes not only loses the merits, but also brings disadvantages, and even exhausts the merits of being involved in them. Death.
On the contrary, there is merit in killing the demon clan, because the demon master's act of stealing the destiny has implicated the entire demon clan, which has reduced the merit of the entire demon clan. Those who had merit in the past are gone now, and killing demons is a matter of increasing merit. A large number of The demon clan was massacred by monks from the human race and even the demon clan.
In the end, the demon master committed suicide and voluntarily entered the endless hell, which was the end. After that, the demon clan fell into despair. Even if it was the national master of the demon clan, he did not dare to call himself a demon clan anymore. "
Ge Tan narrated the old story. The emperor was fascinated and said with some doubts: "Can the monster clan be protected by the luck of the dynasty? I remember that the imperial master said that the officials of the luck of the dynasty are not harmed by monsters and practitioners. If these monsters I am protected by the fate of the dynasty, so even practitioners cannot kill them."
"..." Ge Tan thought for a moment.
"I understand, these people want to fight for the dragon. They are doing these things to fight for the dragon." Ge Tan suddenly realized, thinking of the recent situation, guessed.
"Fighting for the dragon, do you want to be the emperor?" the emperor said with some yearning. He thought of what Ge Tan had just said, how the emperor drove the monks and monsters to rule the nine states.
"Well, they want to help You Kingdom fight for the dragon. With You Kingdom's luck protection, ordinary monks can't kill them. They are gambling on the fate of the country!" Ge Tan's thinking became clearer.
"National Preceptor, I don't quite understand. Why are you betting on the fate of the country?" The emperor was a little confused.
"The Emperor Star will appear, and the emperor will be born. These monsters want to support the dragon. Next to You Kingdom is the powerful Zhao Kingdom, which wants to turn the dragon into a dragon. Only by swallowing up Cheng and Yu and occupying Jizhou can they win the battle with numbers and The population advantage is in the fight with Zhao State, so the battle to destroy Yu is crucial. In this battle, You State should have used all the strength of the country to win over Yu State in one fell swoop." Ge Tan began to express his reasoning.
"What does this have to do with monster cannibalism?" The emperor still didn't react.
"Your Majesty, do you think it's better for humans to transport food cheaply and efficiently, or for demons to transport food cheaply and efficiently?" Ge Tan asked rhetorically.
"But they directly transform into monsters... I understand, I also understand. Directly transforming into monsters will attract the attention of those practitioners. Monsters transport food and detect intelligence. As long as they are hidden, there will be no problem." The emperor also responded Come here, there are many things that the demon clan can do, such as intimidating the soldiers. Just like if the immortals don't take action in the end, the originally great victory may be overturned by this kind of death-defying approach.
"The battle for the dragon is successful. The merits of the battle for the dragon are enough to wipe out all this. As long as you win this battle, Youguo will have the capital to compete with Zhaoguo. Unexpectedly, unexpectedly, a passing monk ended the Youguo." Fantasy." Ge Tan added, the matter was now clear.
"We really have to thank this immortal leader, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable." The emperor said fortunately that the immortal killed the monsters and regained their morale, so the soldiers did not run away because of fear, and the generals also survived.
"It's hard to find such unconventional practitioners. If it's from Jizhou, it should be a monk from Qinghu Mountain. The sword is equipped with Qinghu Mountain, but with the flag, it could also be a monk from Penglai, East China Sea." Ge Tan speculated. .
"Forget it if I can't find it. People probably don't care about this kind of gratitude. It's the dragon and phoenix mentioned in the letter. What is it? Can the Imperial Master help me clarify my doubts?" The emperor finally brought the topic back to Zhuang Xun. .
"It's nothing. It just describes Zhuang Jiedu's good manners. Practitioners like good people. I'm afraid he has seen Zhuang Jiedu showing his benevolence and righteousness. He has a good impression of Zhuang Xiaolian. General Li got angry and stood up to dissuade him." Ge Tan didn't dare to boast. As for his own knowledge, he knew most things in the world of cultivation, but he had never heard of the posture of dragon and phoenix.
On the contrary, it is used in mortal world to describe a person with good manners.
"Zhuang Qing is really lucky to be praised so much by the immortal." The emperor said with envy. Ge Tan and the unknown immortal also felt good about Zhuang Xun.
"The right person will get many help, but the wrong person will get little help. Zhuang Jiedu is a virtuous person, so he is naturally favored by others. Your Majesty, you are also very optimistic about him." Ge Tan thought about Zhuang Xun's ability to shout to spare his companions when surrounded by gangsters. You can know his character by being killed yourself.
"The reason for me is mainly because of you, the Imperial Preceptor. Now that another Immortal Family is optimistic about Zhuang Qing, I can feel relieved that he can entrust him with an important task." The emperor drew closer to the Imperial Preceptor and said that at first it was indeed because of Ge. On the face of Tan, after talking with him, he found that he was really like his younger self, with ideals, impulsiveness, and the ability to take action. In addition, his ideals really made people feel sincere, and he naturally developed a love for talents.
"Your Majesty, you have entrusted him with an important task, and the inspector-general has already reached the third rank." Ge Tan also felt that Zhuang Xun was promoted at an incredible speed.
"Master, do you think this dragon and phoenix posture really just describes a person's manners?" the emperor asked again.
"What does your Majesty want to say?" Ge Tan asked, looking at the emperor who was hesitant to speak.
"Do you mean that the immortal means that Zhuang Qing has imperial veins in his body, like a dragon and a phoenix, so General Li's daughter is considered a high-ranking figure for him." The emperor saw this word and was thinking about this question, who has the dragon and the phoenix? If he is qualified as a dragon or a phoenix, isn't he an emperor?
This indicates whether Zhuang Xun has imperial blood, a hint from the immortal's mouth.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. When the Emperor Star does not appear, except for the kings of various countries who have the Emperor's veins, no one else will show whether they have the Emperor's veins. Even the strongest Wangqi Master cannot tell!" He directly denied the emperor's doubts because this statement was too counter-intuitive.
Practitioners of the Seki-ryu have a very clear understanding of the Imperial Vein. Many of their teachers are immortals who have experienced fighting for the dragon. If the Emperor Star does not appear, the Dragon Vein will not appear. This is common sense.
"Well, I am too sensitive." The emperor admitted that he thought too much.
"If your majesty doubts Zhuang Jiedu, don't give him an official position. Anyway, Hebei Province has been taken away by Chengguo. Give him some property and let him go to Chengguo." What do ministers fear most? The monarch's suspicion. , once the monarch is suspicious of you, everything you do will be suspicious.
In this situation, it would be better to let Zhuang Xun leave Yu State, a land of right and wrong. If a good man like Zhuang Xun died in Yu State, Ge Tan himself would feel ashamed.
"What does it have to do with my doubting that he has the emperor's bloodline? It's not like I want to kill him. There is no need for the Imperial Master to provoke me. Anyway, I don't have the Imperial Bloodline. Wouldn't it be better if he had the Imperial Bloodline?" The emperor's words greatly exceeded the Imperial Master's expectations.
"Your Majesty, you..." This is what the emperor can say.
"If he really has the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, and has the blood of an emperor, I will have to consider which little granddaughter to marry him. She has the blood of the emperor and is kind. Even if he fails in the subsequent fight for the dragon, he will definitely have a lot of blessings. Virtue." The emperor said thoughtfully, without any concern that Zhuang Xun might be a threat.
"Your Majesty, Zhuang Jiedu really doesn't have an imperial vein. The immortal chief just praised Zhuang Jiedu for his good manners!" Dispel the emperor's idea, how could Zhuang Xun have an imperial vein? Do you treat the imperial vein like cabbage? You can have it if you want?
Either the Emperor has royal blood, or he is truly an outstanding person among outstanding people.
Zhuang Xun's good character does not mean that he has high abilities. To say that he might be considered a hero, a hero among heroes, is obviously not that meaningful.
"Anyway, it's not a loss to be nice to him. You and other practitioners praise him as a trustworthy person. It's understandable to give him some benefits. You can't tell at the banquet at night, and you can't tell that the person who exercised last time was loose. This time I want to take a closer look at where the immortal praised the appearance of the dragon and phoenix." The emperor smiled and said nonchalantly that it was just a guess.
So as soon as Zhuang Xun came in and saluted, he was asked to stand up by the emperor and looked at him repeatedly, which made him a little frightened.
What is this for? Why is he looking at rare animals? It seems that the scandal between himself and Li Rusi is quite rare. It is indeed a rare animal to be associated with a woman like Li Rusi who can beat the tiger with three punches.
"Hahaha..." Just when Zhuang Xun was at a loss, the emperor laughed heartily.
"Sure enough, you are like a dragon and a phoenix. You are very well behaved, Mr. Zhuang. I can safely send you as an envoy to establish a kingdom." The emperor praised Zhuang Xun and said.
"..." Going to Chengguo as an envoy?
"Why, don't you go to Chengguo to explain Miss Li's family? And I remember that your wife, Zhuang Qing, will be in Chengguo now. Why don't you go and bring her back?" Zhuang Xun looked at the emperor.
He is restrained and noble, with a sense of etiquette on his body, and his movements are harmonious. Although he is overwhelmed by the scrutiny, he does not show timidity. In addition, he is wearing the official uniform of a military governor, but his young face looks calm and stable.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." There seemed to be nothing else to say except thank you.
These are all facts, and there is no room for explanation, but why is the emperor not angry? In modern society, his behavior is firstly a naked official, and secondly, it is collusion with foreign forces and indiscriminate relations between men and women.
Thinking of the emperor's leniency in asking him to collude with Cheng Guo to find a way out, it seemed that these things were not serious anymore.
"You deserve it. An immortal took action to kill the monsters in the Youguo army for your sake, and contributed greatly to the victory of the Battle of Xishui. This is what you deserve." The reward for staying behind is the promotion. Impossible, but the credit for the big victory can be shared.
"I don't know!" The King of Wheels, wouldn't he be able to interfere in mortal affairs when doing such a thing?
"The war is over, and the immortal has left. He has left Zhuang Qing your words of beauty. Today, it turns out that he is the best among men." The emperor smiled. It didn't matter whether Zhuang Xun knew it or not. The credit would be on his head.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your praise." This word sounded so familiar.
"Get up, I am ordering you to go to Chengguo as an envoy to negotiate the cession of Jiannan Road or Hebei Road." The emperor gave Zhuang Xun the task.
"For such an important matter, I fear I will disappoint His Majesty's expectations." You must know how much you weigh. If you don't have the talent, don't take this job.
"This is also about you. You have almost promised to cede one road. You go and talk about which road to cede. Jiannan Road is ceded. You go to Hebei Road to be the governor. Hebei Road is ceded. You go to Jiannan Road. If you take both of them back as a military envoy to the South Road, you will be two military governors." The emperor said easily.
"Jiedushi?" Zhuang Xun was confused. Has he been promoted again? I was sitting at home, and I got promoted inexplicably, and my deputy position became a full-time job.
"That's right, you helped win the Battle of Xishui. It's time for you to be promoted to an official title due to your contribution. Considering that you are still too young now, you should be the left envoy first and serve as the envoy on behalf of the governor. Don't worry, power is that power. Right I'll give you a python robe. Come and take your beloved down to try on the python robe and see which one fits you." The emperor wanted to see if Zhuang Xun looked more elegant wearing a python robe.
6000 words, plus recommended books,
"I exiled you to the deep sea, but you became the King of One Piece"
A mysterious and forbidden place under the protection of the twenty-four sea gods;
The secrets and truths sealed in the underwater ruins;
The charming and beautiful rumors between the empress and the female pirate;
Extraordinary magic, the passionate collision of swords and cannons;
In the endless sea, there are countless treasures and unknowns, and new legends are also being created.
…
"I told you, I don't want to be the King of One Piece at all! In the beginning, I just didn't want to be thrown into the sea by them to feed the fish!"
——"Anecdotes of Aquaman: Memoirs of Maudie Versailles"
(End of chapter)
