Zhang Yuanqing stared at the golden eyes of the Imperial Master and said loudly:
"At this time of crisis, I want to pray for the protection of the National Master, for the sake of the Southern Dynasty and the people of Li."
His voice was loud, covering the noise and reaching the ears of the officials and people present clearly.
A pair of eyes couldn't help but look at the Imperial Master.
Xie Lingxi, who was among the crowd, shouted crisply: "Please protect your Majesty, the Imperial Master, for the sake of the people and the court."
She didn't know why Brother Yuanshi went into Longtan alone, but she knew that she only needed to cooperate with Brother Yuanshi unconditionally.
Also cooperating unconditionally are Wang Beiwang, Brother Hongji, Xiao Yuan and the Master of the Killing Palace.
With the teammates actively setting the pace, the common people began to agree and begged the national master to protect the faint king who usually gnashed his teeth in hatred every time it was mentioned.
The Imperial Master was silent for a long time and said slowly: "Yes!"
It turned into a golden light and escaped into the building.
Zhang Yuanqing curled his lips, looked at Zheng Wenhan, and said with a smile:
"Prime Minister Zheng, I have to handle government affairs in the Tianji Building. I will leave the investigation of spies within the Imperial City Division to you. If the spies who are liaising with the Northern Dynasty cannot be found within three days, please come and see me!"
He was conveying to Zheng Wenhan that "I am using a delaying strategy."
The conflict between the two parties cannot be resolved and they will fight to the death, but rebellion is a taboo after all. This time the plan for the heaven-sacrifice ceremony failed. If he had not been forced to do so, Zheng Wenhan would definitely choose to think long term and make full preparations before taking action.
Zhang Yuanqing chose not to move the Imperial City Division and not expose his rebellion, which was giving Zheng Wenhan a step to prevent him from directly rebelling.
Zheng Wenhan knew it well, but he could only go down the steps.
In front of the public, he suppressed the emotions in his heart, cupped his hands and said, "I understand."
Tianji Building, the top floor of the eighth floor.
In the alchemy room, Zhang Yuanqing leaned on the railing and looked out. The people were like ants, like streams, trickling along the streets and scattering in different directions.
In the square outside the Tianji Tower, two hundred city defense troops and two hundred imperial city commanders lined up.
The former is a force controlled by the Yang family, and the latter belongs to the Zheng family.
Further away, on the main road connecting the imperial city, luxury carriages were driving towards the Tianji Tower. Some were carriages of cabinet officials, and some were eunuchs in the palace.
In the former, because the emperor issued an order to handle government affairs in Tianji Tower, cabinet officials were needed to assist in the work.
The latter is here to serve His Majesty the Emperor.
Zhang Yuanqing withdrew his gaze and walked towards the alchemy room.
"Your Majesty, stay here." The middle-aged Taoist priest guarding the door of the alchemy room stopped him and said expressionlessly: "The Imperial Master has an order, you can only rest in this room, you are not allowed to go out, and you are not allowed to walk around in the Tianji Building."
Zhang Yuanqing looked at the middle-aged Taoist priest. His face was fair and beardless, his eyes were piercing, he was full of energy, and his cultivation was not shallow.
"I want to see the Imperial Master," he said.
"The Imperial Master has learned the power of heaven, and no one can see it." The middle-aged Taoist priest did not squint his eyes, and did not change his attitude because of his status as emperor.
Arrogant! Every one of the Taoist priests in Tianji Tower looked down on the emperor and despised the imperial power! Zhang Yuanqing curled his lips secretly and said with a smile:
"If I kill you now, do you think the Imperial Master will stop me? Will he avenge you? Or, do you think I can't kill you?"
When he said the last word, he used a mental blow, and his voice was like a harsh noise, like a sharp steel needle.
The middle-aged Taoist priest's vision went dark, veins on his forehead bulged, and his face twitched, but no blood spilled from his nose.
Level six? Damn it, in a real fight, it’s not necessarily who will win or who will lose! Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback, but remained calm on the surface, maintaining a relaxed posture with a smile.
Ten seconds later, the middle-aged Taoist priest recovered from his mental damage. He looked at Hun Jun with fear and surprise in his eyes and said calmly:
"Since Your Majesty wants to see the Imperial Master, I will pass the message for you."
He opened his mouth and let out a stream of yin energy, and a spiritual servant in white floated away.
Zhang Yuanqing turned around and returned to the alchemy room, sat cross-legged on the futon, and then asked his spiritual servant to bring the low table, bucket, and charcoal to the corner, and began to boil water and make tea.
When bubbles appear at the bottom of the clear water in the pot, a golden light passes through the wall and enters the alchemy room, transforming into an old Taoist priest with immortal wind and Taoism.
"It came so quickly, the water hasn't even boiled yet." Zhang Yuanqing took a spoonful of water from the bucket and cleaned the tea set.
He kept his eyes on the matter at hand and did not glance at the other person, even though there was a master sitting opposite the low case.
"Your Majesty, are you not afraid that a poor Taoist will kill you?" The Imperial Master's expression was indifferent, and his tone was ethereal and indifferent, like a master who has cultivated to the realm of forgetfulness.
Zhang Yuanqing picked up the tea cup with bamboo clips and drained the water, "You could have killed me a few years ago, so why bother to spend so much energy? In the past, I only knew that you might have concerns about killing me yourself, but today I understand
There’s a reason why.”
"What do you understand?" the Imperial Master asked calmly.
"I am the king of a country, and I have dragon energy to protect my body. Killing me will cause your degeneration," Zhang Yuanqing's tone was also very calm, as if he was chatting with an elder, "So you have to use the Zheng family and Mrs. Ya to kill me.
."
The Imperial Master's expression remained cold, "I can still ask the Zheng family to kill you. There are many ways to kill you, and I don't need to do it myself. Entering the Tianji Tower does not mean that you are safe."
Zhang Yuanqing's expression remained unchanged, he stared into the Imperial Master's eyes and said with a smile:
"You have missed the best opportunity to kill me. Now I don't take it seriously for two or three level six. There are soldiers from the city defense army and the Imperial City Division downstairs.
"Furthermore, you don't dare to let me die in the Tianji Tower. This will make the people question you, accuse you, and no longer trust you, which will weaken or even dissipate the dragon energy in you."
Hearing this, the Imperial Master's eyes flashed, his hair was long, his sleeves and robes were windless, and he had an aggressive aura.
"How do you know this?" His voice was loud and low, no longer ethereal.
Zhang Yuanqing smiled and said, "The Imperial Master knows all the secrets, why do you need to ask me?"
Living in the Tianji Tower was a clever move for him to rebel against the general's army. Everyone knew that the Imperial Master's merits were closely related to nature. If the emperor died in the Tianji Tower, it must have been the Imperial Master who was responsible for his death.
The most dangerous place is the safest place. This is the way Zhang Yuanqing figured out after thinking hard all night.
Enter the Tianji Tower, ensure your own safety, and then find ways to weaken Zheng Wenhan's power, accumulate your own strength, and prepare for the final decisive battle.
The imperial master's face was expressionless and his emotions could not be seen.
At this time, the water in the pot boiled.
Zhang Yuanqing didn't seem to notice the abnormality of the imperial master. He picked up the kettle and slowly made tea. Although he didn't understand tea, he had been dealing with rich and powerful groups for a long time and had seen a lot, so he naturally learned to make tea elegantly.
.
He took a sip of the hot tea:
"Good tea. It seems simple here. The tea in any alchemy room is better than my palace. You two, except for women, don't have as many as me. You all enjoy better things than me, but you all want to destroy me."
Southern Dynasties."
"The Southern Dynasty's energy has been exhausted," the Imperial Master said.
Zhang Yuanqing sneered:
"You really want to destroy the Southern Dynasty. The so-called support for the Zheng family is just a lie. Unfortunately, Zheng Wenhan believes it. After all, he is a bachelor who has been in high and low officialdom for many years. His eyes and mind were blinded by the desire for power.
"Everyone in the world says that the Master of the State loves the people like a son, but they don't know that he is the one who seduces the king to indulge in lust and indulge in the secret arts of dual cultivation. The world says that the Master of the State is a bodhisattva with a heart who is willing to hang a pot to save the world, but they don't know that he is eating away at the national destiny of the Southern Dynasties little by little and wants to destroy millions of people.
The surname was pushed into the flames of war and purgatory.
"National Master, why are you like this?"
"It's God's will!" The Imperial Master's tone returned to being ethereal and indifferent.
Zhang Yuanqing said disdainfully:
"Actually, it's not difficult to guess that when you reach the level of a national master, money, beauty, lust, and desires cannot dazzle you. The only thing you can desire is your cultivation and supreme realm.
"The Taoist priest in Tianji Tower said that you have reached a critical moment in seclusion and practice. Let me guess that you want to take advantage of the Northern Dynasty's southern expedition to destroy the Southern Dynasty. In this way, the last national destiny of the Southern Dynasty can be taken away from the Zhao clan.
Li will be a stepping stone for you to reach a higher realm, right?"
"Of course!" The Imperial Master nodded.
Zhang Yuanqing bowed his head and said, "Can the Imperial Master teach me the secret method?"
"No!" The Imperial Master refused.
"This old man doesn't know how to show appreciation." Zhang Yuanqing suddenly turned his face and snorted coldly:
"I have heard that the Imperial Master has calculated all the secrets of heaven and knows astronomy and geography. I will use the world as a chess piece and all living beings as my pawns to play a game of chess with you."
The Imperial Master laughed: "Interesting."
He made a "please" gesture: "Your Majesty, please make a move."
Zhang Yuanqing smiled and said: "My first son's name is Sha Heshen!"
Cabinet, Hongtu Palace.
Burning incense, six academicians sat in front of the case.
Zheng Wenhan picked up the tea bowl, pinched the lid and gently pulled the rim of the cup, and tasted the tea slowly.
The five bachelors, including Yang Zheng, waited in silence.
Zheng Wenhan put down his tea bowl and said:
"I disagree."
In the memorial in front of him, there is a list of sixteen corrupt officials. The person impeached is the Yushitai Yushi doctor, one of Yang Zheng's confidants.
Before the five bachelors could speak, Zheng Wenhan spoke loudly:
"The frontline defenders are trying their best to resist the enemy and need a stable rear. Most of the officials on the list hold important positions and it is not appropriate to move at this time. Besides, whether these people are corrupt still needs to be verified.
"I suggest you settle the score later."
More than half of those impeached were Zheng Wenhan's people.
Yang Zhengju argued hard: "It is precisely because of the extraordinary period that we have to eliminate these borers and pests. How can we hand over the heavy power to the cancer?"
Zheng Wenhan said calmly: "There is no need to discuss this matter again."
"Can be suspended for investigation."
"No!"
Yang Zheng and Zheng Wenhan had a fierce argument. Four bachelors were arguing, one was neutral, two supported Zheng Wenhan, and one was steadfast in the Yang faction.
The political powers of the Southern Dynasties, from top to bottom, were the emperor, the cabinet and the six ministries.
Among them, the cabinet is composed of six bachelors. Two bachelors, Zheng Wenhan and Yang Zheng, are also prime ministers of the right and left.
Yes, in the political system of the Southern Dynasties, there were both cabinets and prime ministers.
Although the cabinet has great power, it is suppressed by the imperial power, but the prime minister is not. The power of the prime minister can threaten the imperial power.
Therefore, there were many conflicts between the emperor and the cabinet. In the more than 500 years of history of the Southern Dynasties, there were many examples of prime ministerial power evading imperial power.
Zhao Shun's power has long been eclipsed by the cabinet, and he is more of a mascot in the palace.
At this moment, it is the right prime minister Yang Zheng who is competing with Zheng Wenhan, not the imperial power.
From noon to dusk, the two sides failed to win the game, exhausted both physically and mentally, and broke up unhappy.
Tianji Tower.
A ray of bloody sunset passed through the observation tower and shone into the alchemy room.
The Imperial Master, who was formed by a ray of spiritual thought, sat cross-legged at the table and said calmly:
"Your Majesty has ignored government affairs for many years. Why do you think that a single imperial order will make the cabinet surrender? You want to punish traitors and win over the people, but this is a foolish move."
Zhang Yuanqing was silent for a few seconds, thought for a moment, and said, "I have one more trick, and I'll tell you tomorrow."
late at night.
Sun Miaomiao opened the gang warehouse, took out the little red riding hood, put it on her head, and turned into starlight and left the Yang Mansion.
She came to a rice shop with a clear goal and entered the rice warehouse. She saw that the grain hoard was filled with grains of rice.
"Tsk, tsk, the refugees outside the city are all chewing tree bark, but the grain merchants have piles of rice in their homes." She opened the interior space of Little Red Riding Hood and put a whole warehouse of grain into it.
Then, it turned into starlight and left.
Throughout the night, she went in and out of rice shops and the homes of merchants and court ministers, stealing food.
