It snowed for three days in the first game, which made the whole capital excited for three days. In the next few days, it returned to normal.
It is human nature to like the new and dislike the old. Everyone inside and outside the palace began to sweep away the snow in front of the door. Except for the children who occasionally played and played, the white snow was no longer favored by anyone.
Zhao Zhengli has been deep in thought these days. He learned from the city king's letter that the person who wanted his head for thousands of dollars on the black market of Changle Hall was Taifu Xiao, one of the three princes of the dynasty. This man was the prince's mentor and a three-generation veteran of the first rank. Do you think there is any grudge against this person?
Taifu Xiao and Taishi Qi, who quarreled with Tianshi Zhao in the court a few months ago, both belong to the three princes. Master Jing, who was knocked off the roof by Zhang Ziya, happened to be a second-grade civil servant and young master. The three princes and the three princes basically favored the prince, because the prince also served as one person. He held the post of Zhongshu Ling, acting as an agent for the world's political affairs. The left and right prime ministers who were under Zhongshu's sect and were responsible for Pingzhang's affairs were only the prince. Therefore, Zhao Zhengli's head was naturally blamed on the current prince. Is it his intention? Woolen cloth?
The temple is divided into two offices, three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples and six prisons. Except for the political and civil servants who are biased towards the prince, the rest of the departments are either left or right, or are directly loyal to the old emperor like the Minister of War, and occasionally make small reports to win the emperor's favor.
This was the old emperor's method of "gaming", because he had captured the world halfway, and most of those civil servants and generals were from the former dynasty. In order to consolidate the royal power and allow the court to supervise each other in the internal fighting, he sat alone on the Diaoyutai and watched the overall situation. From time to time, courtiers were given favors and prestige to express their gratitude to several princes in exchange for loyal ministers. In the future, whoever becomes emperor will have his own power.
The old emperor was fascinated by this method of strategizing, so he was reluctant to abdicate at this age. The position of dragon throne was so addictive!
Zhao Zhengli did not think too much about it. Because the court was complicated, it was not ruled out that the city king misled the direction. After all, the prince was in charge of the political affairs "Zhongshu Ling" and the city king was in charge of the military "Privy Council". It was not ruled out that he wanted to use his power to break the balance. All this had to be done by himself. Looking for clues to confirm, what if the prince really meant it? Zhao Zhengli's eyes turned cold when he thought of this.
The king of the city did not intend to reveal any news. The chaos in Shu had been watched by the imperial court. Now the time was just right, and Liu Jiyuan's intention to rebel was confirmed. The imperial court was famous for sending troops to vindicate the rebellion, and at that time the three saints of the temple also went south. In a few days, the three great master realms all set out to the south. Apart from going to Shu County, it is difficult to think of a second place where the Three Saints are needed.
From this, Zhao Zhengli deduced that most of the people who sealed and detoxified him were related to the Three Saints of the temple. Based on Li Zhanyi's description, the thing that defused the poison and brought him back to life was probably the Dragon Tiger Pill, and the only thing that allowed him to do it without being noticed was the Dragon Tiger Pill. Only when he was unconscious that day, he must have been fed a Dragon Tiger Pill after sealing the poison.
Dragon Tiger Pill is so precious, why did Master Tian feed it to him for no reason?
Just because of someone mentioned by the court?
Who is someone?
These three questions seemed to be subtly related. Although it was far-fetched, it made sense. The city king did not point out who he looked like specifically, but this clue had allowed him to clarify his thinking, and he was waiting for the opportunity to verify it.
.
At the end of the twelfth lunar month, there were three consecutive heavy snowfalls in the north. People in the capital began to feel tired of the thick snow blocking traffic.
The semi-annual assessment of the Tianshi Mansion began, and the other Confucian Academy and the Imperial Master's Mansion were also conducted. The promotion assessment of the three saints in the temple made the old emperor even more excited. The competition among the monks was much more interesting than the game in the court. The old emperor specially sent someone to build a thick Thick stands, a process that takes place every six months, is chosen at the south gate where troops are trained. The ground is wide and the roads are wide, so there is no fear of damage.
In the past few days, it has also attracted spectators from both inside and outside the capital, and the old emperor did not drive him away. He just used this opportunity to show his prestige and kill two birds with one stone!
However, there are many people and there are also many disputes. The craziest thing among them is betting, with Changle Hall, a giant businessman, as the banker.
The old emperor also acquiesced to this behavior in order to liven up the atmosphere, and charged a high commission to fill the treasury. This was a huge profit compared to the brothel fees, so he naturally would not refuse.
There was light snow falling in the sky, fluffy white fluttering. The common people and bureaucrats were perfectly dressed, from the emperor's gorgeous and embroidered yellow robes to the common people's patched linen and cotton-padded jackets. Thousands of spectators surrounded the south gate of the outer city for a martial arts performance.
Zhao Zhengli and the Bi sisters were also among them. The two sisters were more excited than Taoist Zhao. The ones who were more excited than them were Zhang Baishan, He Qijun and others from the Tianshi Mansion, because it was the first time they knew that Taoist Zhao had hidden beauty in the golden house, and several guys. With a shameless face, he forcefully cultivates relationships and talks about topics that are neither salty nor trivial.
The two were familiar with each other and introduced the rules to the three people who were participating in the assessment for the first time. The three religions of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism first selected the top three. Then the three religions discussed each other and then divided the top three. The top three were awarded four grades, and the second and third tops could also be added. If you get the fifth rank and follow the fifth rank, the title has no real power, but it does not affect the official status and treatment, and the seat directly increases the position of the master.
If you have obtained the above honors, you will be rewarded with other benefits, and various rare and rare herbs will be randomly selected. If you maintain the rank of the top three officials for several consecutive years, you will be promoted to another level. If you are defeated midway, you will exchange seats and benefits with each other.
The old emperor's tent, Luan sedan, was located in the highest stand. It was sheltered from the wind and snow, and there were several large stoves for heating. Two concubines accompanied him, namely the crown prince's mother Li Guifei, the city queen's mother Su Guifei, and the eunuch Cao Yanzai. Serving back and forth.
The prince and the city king camped beside the old emperor, and hundreds of officials and dignitaries surrounded the martial arts arena. There were several betting tables on the edge of the arena, which were already crowded with people.
Two young eunuchs brought a big gong to the audience, and the palace maid brought a drumstick wrapped in red cloth with a cup holder. The eunuch Cao Yan walked to the observation deck and shouted loudly: "Please ring the gong, His Majesty the Emperor Shengde!"
The old emperor walked out of the camp and came to the viewing stand. He happily picked up the drumstick and banged it on the gong.
There was excitement everywhere inside and outside the stadium.
The dealer yelled: "It's time to place your bets! Confucian Academy Yubo versus Pang Haowei of the Three Great Masters of Jiangnan! The odds of winning or losing are one to one! A draw is three times as big!"
"I'll win by suppressing the aftermath, five or two pieces."
"I beat Pang Haowei to win! Ten taels of silver."
"The two of them have about the same overall strength. A draw is three times stronger. I beat the draw by 20 taels!"
…
The three great masters of the temple presided over the entire assessment. Although the Confucian Academy looked docile on weekdays, when it came to practice, they were not vague at all. They were all wearing Confucian shirts, cotton-padded jackets, and Confucian crowns. They looked more elegant than the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty. fragile.
But these guys from the Literary Confucian Academy started to move their hands and their aura suddenly became full.
Zhao Zhengli did not take part in the bet rashly. Firstly, he did not know the opponent, and secondly, he wanted to keep the big bet for himself.
Song Maoling walked up to Zhao Zhengli and the Bi sisters. He introduced the characters to them. According to him, Yu Bo was the nephew of Yu Bin, Minister of the Ministry of War. Zhao Zhengli was slightly surprised by this. He had never heard Yu Xiaowei mention that she had a cousin. Confucian Academy.
Pang Haowei is one of the three literary heroes in Jiangnan, as famous as Fang Na and Cai Xun. At first, the three of them were admitted to the Confucian Academy at the same time, so they were called the Three Heroes of Jiangnan.
After speaking, Song Maoling pointed to the woman at the forefront of the crowd in the Confucian Academy. She was quite pretty, petite and exquisite in Jiangnan style. One moment she was joking with the woman next to her, and the next moment she turned her head and looked towards Zhao Zhengli as if she was sensing something. , Zhao Zhengli was slightly startled. He didn't expect that the other party's spiritual consciousness was so powerful. The man not far from her also looked at her. The man had a Chinese-shaped face and was less than twenty years old. He was Cai Xun.
By then, the two people in the field had already taken action. The Confucian Academy was not just about looking at the sky and reading. They combined reading with cultivation, evolved words with true energy, and used them in battles. Mu Fuzi once marked the battlefield with a brush during the day. At dusk, he cooperated with the army formation to harass nearly 100,000 Khitan barbarians. He played a crucial step in blocking the enemy's southward march. He even stood on the city gate tower and picked up a pen to cut off the heads of several Khitan siege generals in the air. This was called " The life-killing book saint."
Yu Bo is an average-looking man with a height of seven feet. He is carrying a large writing brush that is half a person's height. He has a close battle with the folding fan of Pang Haowei, one of the three masters of Jiangnan. The two of them have great energy. Visually judging the master's inferior strength, there is a saying in the world: "Rogues are not scary, but they are educated!" Even more terrifying than educated gangsters are knowledgeable scholars. Not only are they smart and cunning, but they are also extremely lethal. Meeting them is not only a headache, but also a headache.
The two exchanged dozens of moves.
The snow on the field gradually became heavier, like goose feathers flying. Yu Bo held the pen in one hand as if painting on a white paper. He used his true energy to depict the layers of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers laid out by Pang Haowei's fan with his true energy. Twenty-four variations.
The beginning of spring sprouts, the rain thrives, the Jingzhe, the Spring Equinox...the summer solstice is hot, the minor and major heats are dry...it directly bursts the vast map of the mountains and rivers with true energy, making a "click!" cracking sound, a heat wave that originally belonged to the hot summer. Sweeping through the martial arts arena, everyone felt warm, and even the heavy snow melted briefly.
At the same time, a thick brush was placed directly on Pang Haowei's neck. He was instantly breathless, because this meant that he had no hope of being promoted to the Xuan Master seat in the past six months.
There was cheering and disappointment outside the court.
"Why did you lose? My ten taels of silver!"
"Why are you so anxious? I'll get my money back by doubling it in the next game!"
"It's your turn to make sarcastic remarks after you win!"
"Who should I cry to when I lost more than a hundred taels in the first half of the year?"
"What are you talking about? In the first half of the year, there was a young man who gambled a thousand taels in one go and took the loss!"
The unbalanced hearts of several people instantly felt relieved.
This is the first time that Zhao Zhengli has encountered the unique Taoist method based on the twenty-four solar terms. In terms of potential, he is more optimistic about the Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains. Maybe the mountains and rivers are too vast and consume too much innate energy, so Pang Haoran cannot perform them perfectly. If he reaches the level of a great master or land god, Wonderland, it is estimated that his Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers painting can achieve the effect of being fake and real. Thinking about it makes me go crazy, and I sincerely sighed: It turns out that scholars are also so scary.
There were subsequent battles, both of which were brilliant. Fang Na even transformed into a giant beast of the Chinese zodiac. The scene was cool and bizarre, and it could condense all kinds of murderous characters, such as "Cut! Cut! Trap!" and so on. Waiting, the sisters of the Bi family and Taoist Zhao were stunned. They were not scholars at all. They were clearly a group of spell magicians, but they were better than spells.
For the first time, Zhao Zhengli understood the peculiarity of scholars cultivating Taoism. They could actually transform all things with true energy. Does it seem to resonate with the "Returning to the One Way" practiced by sixth brother Pu Wei? The "Fearless" elixir emphasizes one transformation into thousands. Isn't it similar to the meaning of Confucianism Garden's true energy transforming into thousands, but one is to transform thousands of Tao Qi, and the other is to transform thousands of scenes, virtual mountains and rivers, virtual twenty-four solar terms, twelve Zodiac signs, words, etc. are all evolutions of Qi.
So what would happen if he was integrated into "Reunion"? There is a third step in the "Fearless" elixir, which is to "unify all methods into one". What will happen if the tens of thousands of sword energies are unified into one sword instead of the map of thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, the twelve zodiac signs, and the characters are unified? ?
Zhao Zhengli was smiling. He had a profound understanding with the help of Confucian Academy, and it seemed that he was opening up another unknown path.
Birou touched him with her elbow and whispered, "Taoist Master, why are you giggling in a daze? Miss Yu is laughing at you!"
Zhao Zhengli was in a very good mood, and his smile became brighter when he was awakened by Birou. He followed her eyes and looked to the side, and saw Yu Xiaowei and Li Zhan talking and laughing in front of him.
Seeing Taoist Master Zhao looking at him with a smile, the two of them quickly put away their smiles and turned their heads. Yu Xiaowei was still a little shy, and Zhao Zhengli was wondering, does this girl have some ideas about our Taoism?
Song Maoling looked at Zhao Zhengli in confusion: "Why does Brother Zhao smile so obscenely? Do you want to place a few bets?"
Zhao Zhengli glanced at the equally handsome sixth prince, and said sternly: "Outsiders can't be trusted, so I'd better keep it to myself!"
Biyu hurriedly interrupted: "Taoist priest, look, Fang Na, one of the three outstanding Jiangnan masters in the Confucian Academy, has leapfrogged and defeated Hedan, the human master's seat!"
When Zhao Zhengli reacted, he only saw a figure flying upside down, and with the powerful aftermath, the onlookers clapped their hands in shock, beat their chests and feet even more, and the old emperor also smiled. He didn't need to think twice to know that it was a competition to make a huge fortune.
Subsequent examinations in the Confucian Academy were gradually completed, and the hearts of thousands of people were affected by not one person who failed. Not one of them was unlucky, and the back teeth were so angry that they were chewed to pieces.
After the internal screening of Confucian Academy was completed, Fang Na emerged as the number one, Yubo as the second, and Cai Xun as the third.
There were three other people who were promoted to the Xuan Master seat. He Dan fell down from the Human Master position and replaced Fang Na as the Xuan Master. He felt aggrieved, but he had no choice.
Talking about Tianshi Mansion!
Song Maoling glanced at Taoist Master Zhao and said with a smile: "Brother Zhao, do you want to compete with me again?"
Zhao Zhengli shook his head and turned his gaze to Qi Yunshan's Yang Zhiming, who was holding a sword on his waist: "You and I have tried it, and I want to know him!"
Daochang Zhao had a thought in his mind. If he defeated his son in front of the old emperor, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the royal family in public? Moreover, Song Maoling did not participate in the party struggle, so he must be looking for a decent opponent to defeat him and dissuade the crown prince and Prince Cheng. wariness.
Zhao Zhengli naturally did not want to take the blame.
Song Maoling looked shocked: "He is not a good opponent! He is one step away from the Grand Master. Are you sure you want to try it in this situation?"
Zhao Zhengli's handsome eyebrows slightly stretched, and the corners of his mouth curved upward: "In life, you need a challenge! This way, the odds will be higher!"
Confidence and madness were Song Maoling's first feelings, but he ignored Zhao Zhengli's little calculation.
