The imperial court has the rules of the imperial court. It was okay not to ride a horse in the past few days, but today you must ride a horse, not to go back on horseback, but to ride through the streets.
Of course, this parade is not the other parade. Number one, number two, and top three are the top three in martial arts. They should ride a big horse and walk around the streets to accept the congratulations and looks up from the people in the city.
Since I had never met the saint to express my gratitude, I could not wear official uniforms for the time being, so I hung up my clothes and paraded on horseback. The band of the Ministry of Etiquette was in front of me with loud gongs and drums, and behind me was the guard of honor of the Imperial Guard.
Winning the martial arts championship is equivalent to being named on the gold medal list. This is a matter of honoring the ancestors. Although Changsheng has no relatives, he has a disciple. The golden sign of "Longhu Mountain" held up by the officials of the Ministry of Etiquette made him feel quite honored. On that day, Zhang Mo publicly honored him in Gezao Mountain. Testifying to prove his innocence, when he was under heavy siege, the old Heavenly Master's soul left his body and went to protect him personally. After that, he restored Luo Yangzi's Taoist status as a Heavenly Master. He owed Longhu Mountain too much. Many, this time winning the championship finally repays the great kindness to Wan Jian.
Since it was Shenshi when the parade started, it got dark before we had gone very far. However, there was no difference between night and day in Chang'an. The streets were brightly lit on both sides, and onlookers crowded around.
In the past, the three leaders of the martial arts competition were military sergeants, but this time the three leaders of the martial arts competition were one monk and one layman. This was something that the onlookers talked about. The biggest focus of everyone's discussion was Chang Sheng's undefeated streak and winning the championship without a fight. , he won forty-three matches in a row in martial arts competitions, and no one dared to compete with him in the second-level martial arts competitions.
Changsheng was very happy, a little dazed with joy. The way everyone looked at him was very similar to the way pilgrims looked at statues of gods. They were full of awe and piety, while the young woman looked at him with eyes full of obsession and admiration. Looking back at the beginning of the year, he was still with Lao Huang. The mountain villages depend on each other for life, everything in front of them seems so unreal, the past experiences seem like a lifetime ago, and everything in front of them seems like a dream.
The horse riding parade was held in the inner city, and they returned to the original place before the second watch. Ni Chenyi, Yang Kaidatou and others were all waiting eagerly.
In addition to the three people, waiting here are the servants of the Ni family and the clerk of Baoqing Inn. The two carriages also belong to the Ni family and Baoqing Inn respectively.
Seeing Changsheng looking around, Ni Chenyi guessed what he was thinking and explained. It turned out that the Ni family wanted to hold a banquet at Ni Mansion to congratulate him. Later, the staff from Baoqing Inn also came, and they only said that Zhang Shan and Zhang Mo learned about him. He successfully won the first prize and took time out of his busy schedule to go back to Baoqing Inn to meet him.
In fact, Ni Zhuo's original intention was to invite the Zhang Shan brothers and sisters to his house to celebrate him, but after searching all day long, he could not find the whereabouts of the Zhang Shan brothers and sisters. This time, I knew the whereabouts of the two of them, but thinking that the temporary invitation was not sincere, I gave up the family banquet and went to Baoqing Inn in person to meet Zhang Shan's brother and sister. The two families merged into one and waited for him to return for the banquet.
After a brief conversation, everyone returned to Baoqing Inn in two carriages.
It was a great honor to have a champion in martial arts at Baoqing Inn. Li Zongyuan was overjoyed and had already prepared gong and drum musicians. When the carriage arrived at the intersection, they started playing and beating, and there was another burst of gongs and drums.
Since the entrance was blocked by the band, Changsheng was not allowed to get out of the carriage. At this moment, a young man suddenly came to the carriage and handed over a name card with both hands, "Sir, my master wants to see you."
Chang Sheng and Ni Chenyi were riding in the same carriage at this time. When they heard this man's words, they both turned to look at the young man. The young man was about twenty-five or six years old. He had a solemn expression and was mostly serious. He was wearing regular clothes and Not a martial artist.
While looking at this person, Changsheng took the famous tattoo. It was a very common famous tattoo, and the material was very ordinary. When he opened the famous tattoo, there was only one word inside, "Li"
The character "李" is written very large, and the location where it is written is not at the top or bottom of the famous thorn, but directly in the middle of the famous thorn.
The moment he opened the famous thorn, Changsheng guessed who wanted to see him.
"My lord, if you accept the invitation, please follow me immediately." After saying this, the young man turned around and went ahead.
Chang Sheng turned to look at Ni Chenyi. When he opened the name tattoo, Ni Chenyi also saw the words on the name tattoo and guessed who wanted to see him. When he saw him turning his head, he hurriedly raised his sleeves to cover his mouth and looked forward, "Don't look at me, hurry up." If you go, you must be extremely respectful."
Changsheng didn't say much, jumped out of the car and quickly followed the young man in front.
"Hey, my father and Mr. Zhang are waiting for you. What are you doing?" Ni Chenyi's voice came from behind.
Hearing Ni Chenyi's words, Yang Kai turned around in confusion. When Chang Sheng saw him, he hurriedly frowned and waved his hand to signal them not to follow.
When he got to the street, the young man ducked into the alley, used the movement technique to fly over the eaves and walk over the wall, and he followed closely behind.
Chang Sheng was thinking anxiously in his mind as he walked quickly. There are two possibilities at the moment. One is that someone used the name of "Big Li" to lure him into harming him. However, this possibility is unlikely. Now that his name has been determined, he is a third-rank official of the imperial court. Sir, assassinating a court official is a serious crime. The most important thing is that the other party has no motive to assassinate and cause harm.
The second possibility is that this person is really "Big Li", but he can't figure out why "Big Li" wants to see him in advance. He knows that tomorrow the top three Jinshi will enter the palace to meet the saint, why does the other party want to summon him in advance, or in this way? Way.
The young man did not take Changsheng to the east, but took a small road to the northeast. After half a stick of incense, he came to the door of a small house. There was no plaque on the door and there was no light in the courtyard.
Seeing no one around, the young man pushed open the door and entered. When Chang Sheng entered, the young man closed the door and bolted it, and led Chang Sheng to the inner house.
Chang Sheng was extremely nervous when he was about to see Da Li. As he walked forward, he was thinking anxiously about how he should salute Da Li when he saw him later. Logically speaking, Taoist monks are all practitioners and have always refused to kneel before you. , but if he doesn’t kneel down when he sees you, will Li be dissatisfied?
The house was not big, and soon the young man came to the door of the inner house. An oil lamp was lit in the inner house, and the light was very dim.
The young man stopped outside the door and knocked softly, "He's here."
"Yeah." Someone in the room responded.
Hearing the sound coming from inside the house, the young man turned around and left. At the same time, he pointed to the inner house, gesturing for Changsheng to enter.
Changsheng took a deep breath to calm down, then reached out and pushed open the door.
There are tables, chairs and other things in the room. There are a few vegetables on the table. Standing in front of the table is a young man, about 22 or 23 years old, of medium build, luxuriously dressed, with regular facial features and a dignified appearance.
The moment he made eye contact with this person, Changsheng knew that this person was not an emperor, because his eyes were open, which showed that this person had spiritual energy and could see at night. If he was an ordinary person, in a dim environment Eyes should be squinted.
Changsheng stepped into the house and bowed to the young man, "Immeasurable Heavenly Lord, I have seen you sir. I am a poor Taoist who has come here with the imperial edict. Do you dare to ask where I am?"
Hearing Chang Sheng's words, the young man showed a little surprise on his face, and turned back to look at the inner room.
Just as this person turned around, a young man with a handsome face wearing regular clothes slowly walked out of the inner house, waved his hand to the man in rich clothes, "You go down first."
The man in rich clothes bowed and held his hands, probably retreating.
"The third son of a poor Taoist, pays homage to His Majesty the Emperor Zhongtian Ziwei." Changsheng bowed his head and bowed to the ground. He only inferred the general temperament of this person based on some of the decisions the emperor had made before. As for the other person's temperament, he did not know. If he simply used Taoist etiquette to meet him, he was afraid that the emperor would be dissatisfied. I met him in worship, but I was worried that the emperor would mistakenly think that he was clinging to the powerful and forgetting his ancestors, so he still used Taoist etiquette to meet him, and the person he met was not only the emperor, but also Emperor Zhongtian Ziwei. Emperor Ziwei was the four deities of the Taoist sect, and he had the same status in the hearts of Taoist priests. The emperor's status in the hearts of his ministers, and Taoist priests do not need to kneel down to see Emperor Ziwei.
The young man was very satisfied with the etiquette of immortality and said with a smile, "Haha, it would be great if I were really a god."
Thinking of Ni Chenyi's warning before leaving, Changsheng hurriedly answered the words respectfully, "The Emperor is the True Dragon Emperor, the Lord of the Ninth Five-Year Plan, and he is the true living god who can sense Zhongtian Ziwei."
The young man smiled and nodded, "Okay, we are not in the court, so there is no need to be formal."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Changsheng straightened up slightly.
The young man sat down on the wooden chair next to the table, "You have never met me, how do you know he is not the emperor?"
Changsheng didn't answer immediately. He couldn't say that the man in rich clothes had his eyes open instead of squinting.
Seeing Chang Sheng's hesitation, the young man tilted his head and looked at him, "Huh?"
"Your Majesty inquires, but I dare not hide anything. There is no dragon spirit in this person." Changsheng didn't dare to hide it, but he dared to lie and flatter him.
Everyone likes to hear good words, and the emperor is no exception. After listening to Changsheng's words, the young man smiled and nodded, "Come, sit down and talk."
Changsheng didn't know how to get along with the emperor, so he had to remember Ni Chenyi's warning and be extremely respectful, "I don't dare."
"Your father-in-law and the elders of your master's sect are waiting for you. It seems a little unkind for me to call you out at this time." The young man said with a smile.
"People have their own dignity, and things have their priorities." Changsheng said.
The young man smiled and nodded again, and then said, "I heard that you are an orphan. Now you have not only developed good martial arts in Longhu Mountain, but also become the son-in-law of Lord Ji Guo. You won the first prize in one fell swoop, I intend to give you a surname, what do you think?"
As soon as the young man said this, Changsheng felt a chill in his heart. The other party was testing him again, trying to determine whether Longhu Mountain, the Ni family, or the imperial court were more important in his heart.
This question is difficult to answer. If he chooses the surname Zhang, it means that his family is the most important in his heart. If he chooses the surname Ni, then Ni Chenyi is the most important in his heart. If the surname is Li, young people may look down upon him and forget about his master and the Ni family as soon as he becomes an official in the court.
After thinking anxiously, Changsheng spoke up and said, "Longhu Mountain is the Longhu Mountain of Emperor Ziwei, and Duke Ji is the Duke of Ji named by the emperor. As long as it is a surname given by the emperor, all ministers will accept it."
After Chang Sheng's words, the young man smiled and said, "Well, I won't give you this surname for the time being, lest Zhang Shan and Ni Zhuo blame me for being partial."
Changsheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the young man's words.
The young man added, "Speaking of Ni Tuo, I also think of the day of the competition to recruit a bride. You handled it very appropriately."
"Weichen is scared," Changsheng lowered his head and said, "The dwarf and Yang Kai are friends of Weichen, and they came to the stage to try to give Weichen a chance to breathe. However, Weichen was exhausted both physically and mentally after the continuous battles, and his spiritual energy was not maintained, so he was unable to do the last battle. All in all.”
"Do you know who the masked man was who spoke to Yang Shouyi that day?" the young man asked.
In fact, Changsheng knew. He didn't know the man's name. He only knew that the man was called Eunuch Liu, and it was the same person who shot him from the city wall before. But he couldn't just say it was Eunuch Liu, otherwise the emperor would doubt him. Hui recognized Eunuch Liu, so he had to shake his head and said, "That man has a sharp voice and a weird figure. He seems to be a eunuch."
The young man nodded.
After a brief silence, the young man said again, "I know that you are from Dengzhou. I also heard that many strange things happened when you lived in your hometown. Every time there was thunder and lightning, houses were destroyed and people were injured. I wonder if the rumors are true?"
As soon as the young man said this, Changsheng immediately knew what he was worried about and replied, "Your Majesty, the rumors are true. In the early years, the ministers were confused because of this, and they only thought that they were an unlucky person. Until later, when they met their master, After receiving some advice from my master, I realized that those thunders and lightnings were not directed at Wei Chen, but were caused by people who had transcended the tribulation and borrowed Wei Chen's Fu Bi energy to avoid the thunder."
The young man smiled and nodded, "This is quite interesting. If you have free time, tell me about it."
Changsheng had heard it said many times before that being with the emperor is like being with a tiger. It was not until this moment that he truly realized what it means to be with the emperor like a tiger. He could neither let the young man suspect that he was the evil star that was against him, nor let the other party suspect that He is here to seize the throne, so he has the aura of being the Prime Minister, but in fact he has no idea what he is.
"Okay, I'm going back," the young man walked towards the door. "I've delayed you for so long, I'm afraid there won't be any ready-made meals when you go back. This dinner is my reward for you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I send you off to Your Majesty." Changsheng bowed to say goodbye.
The young man smiled, opened the door and walked out.
The men in colorful clothes who were waiting nearby hurriedly followed and left together.
After the young man left, Changsheng walked to the table and looked at the vegetables. He was proficient in the art of Qihuang. Just by smelling the smell, he knew that these vegetables were poisoned.
At this time, the young man who brought Changsheng here did not leave, and was still standing at the door of the gate.
Changsheng picked up the jug and smelled it, then poured the wine and swept away the food on the table. He also drank every drop of the wine in the jug. He didn't want to drink, but he had to drink because the wine was put in it. Understand that medicine cannot be detoxified without drinking it.
The young man's move was still a test for him to see if he would absolutely obey his will. He understood the other party's intention because he was proficient in the art of Qihuang. If he didn't understand medical skills, he would be kept in the dark, or I ate and drank everything I was told, and nothing happened. Either you disobey, eat only part of it, or don't drink alcohol, you will be poisoned and die.
Chang Sheng was rarely afraid of anything, but he began to feel afraid at this time. The officialdom was far more complicated than he imagined, and the emperor was not tolerant and merciful. It was guaranteed that those who obeyed me would prosper, and those who went against me would perish.
After finishing the vegetables and drinking all the wine, Changsheng said goodbye to the young man and returned to Baoqing Inn with strong energy.
As the evening breeze blew, Changsheng realized that he was sweating all over. There was absolutely no problem with tonight's response, but this kind of groveling and cautious life was not what he liked. In fact, he didn't even like being an official, but He didn't know why he embarked on this path in a daze, just like he didn't know why he married Ni Chenyi in a daze.
Changsheng couldn't hide his frustration, and he didn't want the people waiting at Baoqing Inn to see anything, so he could only slow down and wait until it was already the third watch when he returned to Baoqing Inn.
Ni Chenyi knew who had called him away, and everyone was confident that they were not worried about his safety, so they did not wait at the inn. By the time he returned, the banquet had ended and everyone had left.
Changsheng returned to the room in a daze, and lay on the bed in his clothes, in a daze.
Not long after I lay down, there was a knock on the door, "Immortality."
Hearing a soft call from outside the door, Changsheng stood up suddenly, walked quickly to the door and opened the door, "Uncle, why didn't you leave?"
"I'm waiting for you to come back," Zhang Mo stepped into the house. Seeing Chang Sheng's expression was not right, he asked casually, "Isn't that what you said?"
"That's not true," Chang Sheng shook his head and sighed, "Uncle, I don't seem to be suitable for being an official."
Zhang Mo pulled him to the table and sat down, "What's wrong? What happened? Why do you say that?"
"I don't like groveling and being trembling." Changsheng sighed again.
Zhang Mo could understand Chang Sheng's mood, "Don't be depressed. He is the king of a country. No matter who sees him, he must be humble and polite."
Chang Sheng lowered his head and said nothing.
Zhang Mo felt distressed when he saw this, and said softly, "As far as I know, this man is determined to govern hard, strengthen the country and enrich the people, and he can be regarded as a good emperor. You are just humble and polite towards him, and you have never helped others to do evil or acted against him. There is no need to be depressed." Feeling depressed, feeling resentful..."
