Although Eunuch Cao said that the imperial study room was not far from Linde Hall, Shao Xi actually felt like he had walked for a long time when walking. The size of this palace was really unimaginable. Maybe Eunuch Cao and the others had been used to walking here all year round. .
Shao Xi knew very well that the interests of the people in the palace were the most important. It didn't matter whether they could be trusted or not. What was important was that they must not be offended. If these people say a few bad words in front of the Holy One, the effect will be more effective than a lot of words spoken by others.
Therefore, Shao Xi pretended to ask Eunuch Cao who was walking in front of him, "I think your father-in-law has been walking in this palace for many years, right?"
Eunuch Cao's steps did not stop, but he still turned sideways and smiled and said to Shao Xi: "What Mr. Shao said is exactly what Mr. Shao said. The old slave entered the palace at the age of six, served the late emperor at the age of sixteen, and now serves the current emperor, so he entered the palace. It has been more than fifty years, and now my body is getting weaker and weaker. I don’t know how many more years I can serve the Holy Emperor.”
"My father-in-law serves the Holy Father for the sake of this country and the country. The people of the world have worked hard for a lifetime, which makes me admire you very much. This is just a little bit of my heart. I hope that my father-in-law will not dislike it. It can be regarded as a small expression of gratitude for the people of the world."
With that said, Shao Xi put a banknote folded into a small square into Eunuch Cao's hand. Eunuch Cao showed some courtesy and took it, quickly stuffing it into his sleeve.
"Young master Shao is indeed a young talent, mature and steady in everything he does. No wonder the Holy Master appreciates the young master so much. I have been walking beside the Holy Master for many years. Although I have seen many talents like Mr. Shao, no one is as quick-thinking as Mr. Shao. Reasonable and reasonable, the Holy One really has a sharp gaze and a keen eye for recognizing talents."
Shao Xi thought to himself: "Sure enough, money can make the world go round. A hundred taels of silver note can change the attitude of the people around the emperor so quickly. Knocking on the door with money really opens the door."
Thinking of this, Shao Xi asked Eunuch Cao cautiously: "This junior is entering the palace for the first time. I don't understand many things. I hope you can give me more advice."
The meaning is very clear. What does the emperor like and dislike? What should you pay attention to after meeting the emperor? Ask around in advance to avoid accidentally offending the emperor.
He has been serving the emperor for many years, and all of them are old foxes. How could Eunuch Cao not know Shao Xi's intentions? But seeing that Shao Xi is so smart and knows how to give some benefits, he is naturally happy to go along with the flow and be a good person and give him a little reminder.
"Your Majesty likes to talk about the strategies to stabilize the country. Mr. Shao's remarks today at the Linde Hall have been deeply appreciated by His Majesty. This old slave has been with His Majesty for many years, and this is the first time he has seen His Majesty so happy. I can talk more when I see Mr. Holy Master soon. Regarding the topic of governance, what the Holy Father dislikes the most is flatterers, so the young master can just praise the Holy Master. In addition, the young master must remember not to talk about royal family affairs, especially the princes. This is It’s a taboo.”
"I can't mention a few princes. Is it because they are involved in the fight for the right to inherit the throne?"
Shao Xi just said casually, and Eunuch Cao was frightened out of his wits, and he quickly raised his hand to stop him.
"Oops! Mr. Shao, be careful what you say, be careful what you say! I just reminded you, why are you talking about royal family affairs? You must not!"
Shao Xi asked with a smile: "Isn't it true that I haven't seen the Holy Lord yet? Why is my father-in-law so nervous?"
Eunuch Cao warned carefully: "You must be extremely careful when speaking in the palace. You may be killed by just one sentence. Be careful, the walls have ears!"
"My father-in-law reminds me that this junior should keep it in mind and just don't mention it."
"You can see that the young master is a smart person. There are some things that I can only serve as a reminder. Everything depends on the young master himself. If the young master becomes prosperous in the future, I will also be happy for the young master."
Eunuch Cao is also a shrewd man. Seeing that Shao Xi is so generous with his actions now, if he becomes successful in the future, the benefits will naturally come to him, so he is happy to mention a few more things now.
Arriving at the door of the imperial study, Eunuch Cao asked Shao Xi to wait outside the door while he went in first to report.
At this time, Xiao Changyi was wiping a sword in his hand. It was an ancient sword that was golden in color and engraved with simple patterns on the blade. The whole sword did not look murderous, but was full of imperial aura and looked quite king. the wind.
"Your Majesty, Shao Xi, Mr. Shao has arrived according to the order and is waiting for the order outside the door."
"Let him in."
"This slave takes the order."
Not long after, Eunuch Cao came in with Shao Xi, and Shao Xi knelt down to Xiao Changyi in accordance with the rules.
"Get up! This place is no different from the main hall. It's more casual and there's no need to be formal."
Xiao Changyi did not look back at Shao Xi, but continued to wipe the sword in his hand.
"It is indeed a good sword, simple and elegant, with a vague imperial demeanor. If the common people guessed correctly, this sword should be the famous imperial sword passed down from ancient times - Xuanyuan."
Xiao Changyi looked back at Shao Xi in surprise when he heard what Shao Xi said.
"Oh? You also know swords? How do you know that the sword in my hand is the Xuanyuan Sword?"
Shao Xi cupped his hands and replied: "Caomin has also practiced martial arts for several years since he was a child, and what he practiced is swordsmanship. He also saw some famous sword illustrations when he was a child, so he knows a little about famous swords in the world. This Xuanyuan sword is originally the emperor's sword." It’s not surprising that the sword appears in His Majesty’s hands, so ordinary people venture to guess.”
"You also practice martial arts? I didn't expect that you are still a man of both civil and military skills. I wonder how far your martial arts training has reached now?"
Xiao Changyi was indeed surprised. He had already admired Shao Xi's talents in the main hall. Now that he learned that Shao Xi was actually a martial arts practitioner, he was even more tempted to recruit such a talent with both civil and martial arts skills. .
Shao Xi replied: "Cuomin has only cultivated to the peak stage of the fourth level of 'Qi Control Realm'. However, he has been practicing a new set of swordsmanship recently and is expected to break through to the fifth level within the month."
Xiao Changyi was slightly shocked after hearing this. He didn't expect that the young man in front of him was only sixteen or seventeen years old, but he had already cultivated to the fifth level.
You must know that the guards in his palace are only at the sixth or seventh grade. There are not many masters in the entire palace who have reached the ninth grade like the guard commander. But the young man in front of him, who had no fame and claimed to be a "grassroots man", was actually at the fifth level.
Xiao Changyi put the sword in its sheath and placed it on the orchid Qi.
"Today, you have brought me a lot of surprises. However, if the idea of co-governance of a hundred schools of thought that you advocated is really to be implemented, there will definitely be a lot of resistance. How do you think this matter should be resolved? Are all scholars willing to join?"
"All that is needed to resolve this matter is an edict from Your Majesty."
Xiao Changyi sat on a chair and took a sip of tea, and said with interest: "Tell me, how can my edict solve this problem?"
"For many years, various schools have been arguing with each other on the topic of governing the world. They just want to get a chance to rectify their reputations with Your Majesty. If His Majesty approves a school of thought, this school of thought will be regarded as orthodox and can be widely spread among the people. His own doctrines and thoughts. Now, if His Majesty issued an edict advocating the integration of hundreds of schools of thought to create a new doctrine, no one would refuse this opportunity. If they refused, it would be equivalent to giving up the opportunity to be included in the orthodoxy. Since one school cannot dominate, then it becomes It’s a new school, and I don’t think anyone is stupid enough to give up this opportunity to become a school passed down from generation to generation.”
"Well, there is indeed some truth in that. However, the establishment of a new school does not happen overnight. I am afraid that it will be a long process to implement in the future. I only hope to complete this matter in my lifetime and leave a peaceful and prosperous era to future generations."
Shao Xi smiled. Does every king hope that he can do everything by himself, and then leave to future generations a world where they can't even finish eating?
"Your Majesty, this peaceful and prosperous age cannot be created by your Majesty alone. It requires continuous efforts from generation to generation, constant modification and innovation as current events develop and change, and always make the policies adopted adapt to current events. . Otherwise, even a thousand-year-old foundation may be destroyed by one person, so inheritance is the most important thing.”
"Inheritance? This is indeed the most important, but it is also the most difficult."
Xiao Changyi seemed to be very emotional and couldn't help but let out a long sigh, as if he had forgotten to maintain his imperial dignity in front of Shao Xi.
Shao Xi knew without guessing that the emperor must have several troubled sons in his family. "Since ancient times, there have been many disputes in the royal family, and they have fought for power to the death."
It is really a pain in the ass for a person who is in charge of the whole world to be unable to manage his own sons. But this has been the case with the royal family since ancient times. The desire for power can make people become extremely crazy, and they may even kill their own flesh and blood.
Because Eunuch Cao had previously told him not to mention royal family matters, Shao Xi didn't dare to say anything even if he had something in mind.
"Shao Xi, you are talented and learned. Although you have no fame yet, I can grant you an official position. Now that you mediate the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism and promote the cooperation between various schools, you have achieved merit. Whatever you want, just ask for it. Yes, as long as it’s not too much, I’ll allow you.”
Seeing that Xiao Changyi allowed him to make a request, Shao Xi quickly knelt down and kowtowed, but the request made Xiao Changyi somewhat surprised.
"The common people don't want to get an official position. They just want to ask Your Majesty to bring justice to the common people who have been persecuted in Qingshan County, punish those corrupt officials, and restore the clear sky to Qingshan County."
Xiao Changyi thought Shao Xi would ask for a reward, but he didn't expect him to make such a request. However, being able to express the grievances of a common people in front of the emperor instead of seeking personal gain made Xiao Changyi take a higher look.
"What happened in Qingshan County you mentioned? Why did you mention this to me even if you gave up the opportunity to seek reward? But the people of Qingshan County have suffered great injustice?"
Seeing that Xiao Changyi had asked about it, Shao Xi told Xiao Changyi everything that happened in Qingshan County without reservation.
Mentioning the incident in Qingshan County, Shao Xi was extremely angry, especially when he talked about Ye Ziyuan's tragic death, how he killed the county governor's son and the prison officer in a fit of rage, how he later caused a scene in the county governor's mansion, and finally... How did he find the account book after burying Ye Ziyuan and come all the way to Daliang City.
Eunuch Cao stood aside and was frightened when he heard this. Xin said, this young man is too bold, he dares to mention murder in front of the Holy Emperor, he is so reckless about life and death.
After listening to Shao Xi's story, Xiao Changyi frowned, with an angry look on his face, and threw the tea cup in his hand on the table.
"Shao Xi, you are so brave!"
