Xia Dynasty Palace.
When Gu Dan stepped into it again, he was surprised to find that the palace looked a bit shabby.
Yes, that’s right, shabby!
Many of the colors on the eaves of the palace that were originally majestic and solemn, with a fairy-like style, have fallen off and become dimmed by the wind and rain. Although it is harmless, it is unsightly when you glance at it.
Even the mythical beasts hanging upside down from the eaves and used for decoration have some faint signs of damage, losing the charm that the craftsmen carefully carved. The wooden attic looks even more shabby, as if it has been decades ago Houses that have never been repaired.
Gu Dan has seen many houses like this before, but they should never appear in the palace.
This is a scene that Gu Dan has never seen in any royal palace in any country.
The palace is the best place to show the magnanimity of a country. Whether it is the Great Qiyong or any other country, as long as the emperor has the ability, he would like to build the palace to perfection, so that he can show his authority, the country's wealth and own respected status.
After all, the palace is the true center of a country. Even if it is a little more luxurious, as long as it does not waste people and money to the extent of Emperor Zongming, it seems that no one will say anything, and some ministers will even take the initiative to give advice.
"Isn't it possible that Wang Mang hasn't repaired the palace until now?"
Gu Dan said to himself in surprise.
The original site for the Xia Dynasty palace was the Wanshou Immortal Palace built during the reign of Emperor Zongming.
It's just that after the Wanshou Immortal Palace was built, Emperor Zongming was killed by Mo Qiu within a few years. At that time, the Wanshou Immortal Palace had not been built for a long time, so it must not have been repaired.
Then King Yu ascended the throne and was called Emperor Kangjing.
However, when Emperor Kangjing succeeded to the throne, it was a turbulent month. To say that war was everywhere was somewhat unrealistic, and to describe it as rebels everywhere was more appropriate.
With rebels everywhere and attacks from four countries, Dayue was so poor that he couldn't even pay the army enough. How could he have the money to repair the palace?
Even if Emperor Kang Jing really had this idea, he didn't even have to act out. As long as he said it, the angry people would tear him alive.
Of course, Emperor Kang Jing's reign was far less peaceful than his father's, and he was even less likely to spend money to repair the Longevity Palace.
If you calculate carefully, Wanshou Immortal Palace is not very old at all.
The construction of Wanshou Immortal Palace began in Zongming's 27th year, and now, a full thirty-six years have passed!
In the mortal world, if a baby born in Zongming's twenty-seventh year was lucky enough to survive the war, his lifespan would probably be short by now - for the vast majority of the lower class people in this era, it would be considered a long time to live beyond the age of forty. Not an easy thing.
People are like this, let alone these palaces?
No matter how exquisite the skills of the original craftsmen were, no matter how expensive the materials were, thirty-six years of ups and downs are enough to polish away all the ingenuity, leaving only a few mottled marks on it.
When Wang Mang succeeded to the throne, it was not obvious yet, but twenty years later, everything has been revealed.
"What does this kid think?"
Gu Dan was a little curious.
After all, Wang Mang used copper and iron to cast a statue several feet high for Mo Qiu. The cost didn't seem to be a lot at all. It's impossible that he couldn't even spend the money to repair the palace, right?
Just looking at the situation among the people, the Xia Dynasty did indeed become rich.
This is the time to demonstrate our own strength and enhance national confidence.
Under such circumstances, repairing the palace has nothing to do with extravagance and extravagance, and even the Mohists who advocate frugality would not be able to say anything about it.
Walking all the way to the imperial study, the guards saw him this time and were about to draw their swords, but were stunned when they saw his face.
Gu Dan made a silent gesture, gently opened the door of the imperial study, and walked in.
Wang Mang was sitting there reviewing memorials from various places.
It was just like the last time Gu Dan came here, but twenty years had passed.
But there are already some differences.
Wang Mang shaved off the beard on both sides of his cheeks, leaving only a handful of beard around his mouth and chin. He had trimmed it neatly and was completely different from when he was the leader of Hongyang Hall.
What really caught Gu Dan's attention was not this, but the white hair on Wang Mang's head.
As a grand master, his detection ability and eyesight are unquestionable. With just one glance, he can see dozens of white hairs hidden in Wang Mang's hair.
Gu Dan was a little confused for a moment.
Wang Mang is still young, but not that young anymore.
Calculating his age, Wang Mang was already fifty years old at this time.
Even though Wang Mang practiced martial arts and was even a martial artist with great success in practicing Zang, he was not a master after all. Even if he could compete with a master even if he sacrificed his life, his background was far from enough.
The longevity of a master who has mastered viscera training will be a little longer than that of ordinary people, but not by much.
If you don't become a master, it will be extremely difficult to reach a hundred years old.
But the Grandmaster didn't just get in as he pleased. There was no doubt that Wang Mang, the emperor of the Xia Dynasty, was also blocked from the mysterious and mysterious interaction of the five elements, unable to advance even an inch.
This is the barrier in practice. Once encountered, if it cannot be broken, it will stop forever.
It will not be mitigated by anyone or any identity.
It seems that there is only one step away, but this step is the difference between heaven and earth.
The power of a master is widely spread in the world, but who is willing to pay more attention to those who practice dirty martial arts?
Next to Wang Mang, there were piles of memorials sent from various places, stacked one upon another, like hills. Just seeing them made people's scalp numb.
But Wang Mang was already used to all this, holding a brush and reviewing at a very fast speed.
Most of the memorials just leave the word "read" and put them aside. A few of them will be looked at carefully, and then the brows will be slightly furrowed.
The courage developed over the past twenty years will naturally appear, full of majesty.
Gu Dan watched silently for a long time, but he had to wait until Wang Mang finished reviewing all the memorials. He was afraid that it would be dark, so he coughed lightly.
Wang Mang raised his head when he heard the voice, his frown had not yet relaxed, and he was stunned when he saw Gu Dan.
Then came a great surprise!
"Brother Gu, are you back?!"
Wang Mang stood up extremely happily. The desk was almost overturned by his violent movements, but the memorials placed on the desk were not so lucky, and they fell to the floor one after another.
But Wang Mang didn't care at all. He quickly walked up to Gu Dan and glanced at him up and down, as if to see if there were any missing parts after so many years.
"How old are you? Why are you so excited?"
Gu Dan said with a smile, stretched out his hand and patted Wang Mang's shoulder gently, "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard, it's not hard."
Wang Mang shook his head repeatedly, his frown relaxed, and a happy smile appeared on his face, "You won't be gone for so many years this time, right?"
"Ha, won't it be the same wherever I stay?"
Gu Dan said casually.
He does not interfere in state affairs and has made his attitude clear long ago.
Now that there is no war, there is no need for him to take action.
The responsibilities and responsibilities that should be fulfilled have been fulfilled.
At this time, there didn't seem to be much difference in Xia Chao with or without him. This was one of the reasons why Gu worried about leaving for so long.
"no the same!"
Who would have thought that Wang Mang said categorically: "It's completely different."
"oh?"
Gu Dan was confused.
"With Brother Gu here, I have confidence in my heart. Even if I do something wrong, there is someone who can tell me. Without you, Brother Gu, I am really walking on thin ice. I am afraid that I will make a mistake without knowing it, and even more afraid that I will not even mention it." No one can reach it.”
Wang Mang said very seriously.
Gu Dan can ignore state affairs, and Gu Dan is free to go wherever he wants, but it does make a difference to Wang Mang whether Gu Dan is in the Xia Dynasty or not.
Gu Dan was not a constraint to him, nor did he regard him as a puppet.
The emperor's responsibilities and rights all rest on him.
Gu Dan was the talisman in his heart in the Xia Dynasty. Even if he caused any trouble, someone would be able to stand up and clean it up for him - although it was very possible that he would be cleaned up by the way, but what does it matter?
There is someone behind you and there is no one behind you, and there is support in your heart and there is no support in your heart. They are two completely different states.
Especially after becoming emperor, he had almost no friends.
Only in Gu Dan's small courtyard can he temporarily forget his identity as the emperor and relieve himself of that heavy burden.
But the Gu family courtyard is different because of Gu Dan's presence. Without him there, it loses its flavor.
What you think is insignificant may be of great importance in the eyes of others.
"How old are you, why do you suddenly become so sensational?"
Gu Dan laughed and cursed, and said, "If you make a mistake, even if I'm not here, Qin Li Sheng will definitely say it, why does it have to be me?"
Hearing this, Wang Mang sighed softly and said directly without hiding anything: "What if Qin Lisheng and I have a disagreement?"
Sure enough, just as Gu Dan had guessed before, it seemed that Xun Ke was competing with Qin Li Sheng, but Wang Mang, who had always refused to make a decision behind the scenes, had already made his choice.
"Then it depends on who is more right."
Gu Dan just said calmly.
"It would be nice if everything could be labeled right or wrong."
Wang Mang had a helpless smile on his face, "Have you seen Xun Ke?"
"not yet."
"Then let's go find Xun Ke first and explain things clearly together."
Wang Mang said immediately.
"good."
Gu Dan nodded slightly, feeling more and more certain that this boy was indeed leaning towards Xun Ke.
If you go there first, not to mention preconceptions, you will have more considerations. At least the time left for them to convince themselves will definitely be more than the time for Qin Li to win.
But want my opinion?
Gu shook his head secretly in worry.
He has interfered enough in the world and cannot continue to change its trajectory too much.
Otherwise, not only will he get himself into trouble, but it may also bring great misfortune to the entire Xia Dynasty and even the surrounding countries.
As long as it's not a big mistake, let them be.
His current ability can only last a lifetime.
Wang Mang changed into casual clothes and led Gu Dan quietly to Xun Ke's mansion.
Xun Ke was also busy in front of the writing desk, with pens, inks, paper and inkstones ready, and many books placed beside him.
Occasionally, he would write a few sentences quickly, and then he would confidently pull out a few books from the mountain of books beside him, look at them twice, draw a circle in a tangled circle, and then put them on the other side.
Compared to Wang Mang, his appearance has not changed that much, but he looks more mature and stable, exuding a dignified, upright and reliable temperament from the inside out.
Calculating his age, Xun Ke was already thirty-eight years old, at the age when a man is most young and powerful.
The classics he once studied hard have become his most precious wealth. The experience of life and responsibilities has allowed him to integrate everything and have enough experience.
At this age, Xun Ke was at his peak, and it was time to show off his ambitions.
"Ke!"
Wang Mang's call directly woke up Xun Ke, who was immersed in his personal world of thought, "Look who's back!"
Xun Ke raised his head and saw Gu Dan beside him.
There was a little joy on his face, but he was not in a hurry to say hello. The first thing he said was:
"Mr. Gu, I want to set the rules for the world. What do you think?"
(End of chapter)
