"The official, Mr. Zhang, wants to see you."

In Yanhe Hall, Zhao Ji was sitting in front of the desk reviewing memorials, but at this moment, a young chamberlain walked in.

"Xuan."

Zhao Ji did not even raise his head, and continued to read carefully. The chamberlain respectfully withdrew, and within a moment he led someone back, who was none other than Zhang Dun, the prime minister of the dynasty.

"Old ministers visit the official family."

"No need to be polite, Zhang Yan, give Prime Minister Zhang a seat." Chu Feng put down the memorial in his hand and ordered.

"Thank you for your grace."

Zhang Dun saluted again, and waited until Zhang Yan, the chamberlain, brought the seat, and then sat down.

"Xiang Zhang was appointed as the Shanling Envoy and was responsible for the burial of the emperor's brother. I wonder how it is progressing?"

"I don't dare to neglect you. I have been busy for several days and everything will go smoothly."

"That's good." Zhao Ji nodded, paused, and then asked,

"President Zhang is here, but what's the matter?"

"The officials have seen thousands of miles, and the old minister really has something important to report." Zhang Dun stood up again and said solemnly,

"I am already old, and I am increasingly unable to handle political affairs. I hope that the officials will agree to allow me to return to my hometown to take care of myself after the funeral of the late Emperor."

"Going back to your hometown?" Zhao Ji's eyes narrowed slightly and he asked calmly,

"But there is something wrong with me that makes Prime Minister Zhang unwilling to serve as an official?"

"I don't dare, but it's actually because I'm old and frail, and I don't dare to sit down and eat without food."

Zhang Dun looked firm, as if he had already made up his mind.

Zhao Ji was silent and glanced briefly at the other party. He knew very well that the so-called old age and frailty was just an excuse. The fundamental reason was that he had previously opposed his succession to the throne.

"The affairs of the state are complicated, and I have just ascended the throne. I still need your family's assistance, so I will put this matter aside for the time being."

"The official family..."

"Okay." Zhao Ji's tone was a bit unquestionable, he interrupted the other party directly, and changed the topic,

"The provincial examination is approaching, and there are many candidates in Bianjing City. Do you have any arrangements in place?"

"The Ministry of Rites has prepared for this matter, so the officials don't have to worry."

Seeing the official's attitude, Zhang Dun immediately understood that what he mentioned might not be accomplished.

However, he couldn't help but have too many doubts in his heart. The official family in front of him was a little different from what he imagined, or quite different.

To put it bluntly, he always gives him an unfathomable feeling. Especially his words and deeds are calm and calm, and his emotions and anger are invisible. Compared with the former King Duan, he seems to be a different person.

.

No matter what, this was a good thing, and he couldn't help but feel a little happy in his heart. Unfortunately, some of his past words and deeds were so extreme that there was no possibility of redemption.

"This is the first provincial examination since I came to the throne. You and the minister will discuss it more and make sure this matter is handled satisfactorily."

"Old minister, I obey the order."

Zhang Dun bowed again and said nothing, and then left.

The hall became quiet again, but as he watched the other party's disappearing back, Zhao Ji began to think secretly.

Let Zhang Dun resign? Such an idea was extinguished as soon as it came up.

In the past, Emperor Shenzong used Wang Anshi to preside over the reform and vigorously implement the New Deal. However, although his idea was good, it ignored the nature of the Song Dynasty. This was a world dominated by the literati family, and the emperor was also a part of it.

, belong to those with vested interests.

The various measures of the New Deal were to cut off the flesh of the literati race and make it beneficial to the world. This directly violated the fundamental interests of the other party, so it was almost impossible to implement it smoothly.

As expected, the reform ended without a cure.

However, this was an introduction. After that, the entire Song Dynasty began to split from top to bottom, including the royal family, and was eventually divided into two parties. One side was the reformists who supported the New Deal, the New Party, and the rest were conservatives who opposed the New Deal.

The faction is the old party.

From the beginning of the Shenzong Dynasty to the Zhezong Dynasty, the two forces were constantly fighting against each other and never stopped for a moment.

Of course, whether it is the new party or the old party, reform is just a high-sounding excuse. There is no difference in essence. It is nothing more than a struggle for interests.

"Zhang Dun, the leader of the new party, it is best to stay for now. Otherwise, who will be the shield for what happens next? As for the future, it doesn't matter whether it's the new party or the old party."

He whispered secretly in his heart, and seemed to have thought of something, and a smile couldn't help but appear in his eyes.

"Guan family, Bao Ci Palace sent someone to convey a message. The Queen Mother asked you to come over and said that she has important matters to discuss." But at this moment, Zhang Yan, the chamberlain, walked in, instantly interrupting his meditation.

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I heard faintly that the Queen Mother vaguely mentioned Yaohua Palace when she got up early today."

Zhang Yan lowered his eyebrows and said no more words.

"I see."

Zhao Ji couldn't help but frown. The former Queen Meng lived there, and she was his imperial sister-in-law. And the Meng family was established by the Queen Mother and belonged to the old party. Being mentioned at this time, I am afraid there is someone who can reset her.

Intend.

However, the emperor's sister-in-law was virtuous, virtuous, and good-looking, and could be regarded as a competent queen. It was nothing to restore her to the throne, it was nothing more than to support her.

In contrast, what he cares more about is another lady Liu, who is also the emperor's sister-in-law. She is really beautiful in appearance but like a snake in heart, and is definitely not a fuel-efficient lamp.

"I hope you can calm down, otherwise..."

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he immediately stood up and walked out of the hall.

…

At this time, in the Chu Mansion, Chu Feng was chatting happily with Liu Hunkang. As for his disciples, they were all arranged in side rooms to rest for the time being.

"Chu is a little confused. The disciples of Brother Taoist look a little strange. They seem to be not Taoist priests, but have cultivated the internal energy of the mortal world. Why is this?"

"I knew that the Friendship Association would ask this question. Yes, they are indeed martial arts monks. Moreover, they were carefully selected and deliberately trained warriors in the Song Dynasty." Liu Hunkang did not deny it and nodded directly in reply.

"Appreciate further details?"

After hearing this, Chu Feng became a little curious. Obviously, such actions must have a certain purpose.

"This matter is also related to Pindao's mission to Bianjing this time. In fact, even if fellow Taoists don't ask, Pindao must tell the truth truthfully." After a pause, Liu Hunkang continued,

"Have you ever been to a dense forest in the northwest corner of the Imperial City?"

"Eh!" Chu Feng was startled for a moment. Unexpectedly, the other party actually mentioned that.

"Brother Taoist said, but is there a weird formation there?"

"Sure enough, Taoist friend has already seen it." Liu Hunkang nodded and continued,

"That formation is called the Great Formation of Ten Thousand Ghosts Eclipsing the Yang. It is an extremely vicious evil formation that has a very strong harmful effect on the dragon veins of the Song Dynasty. This formation was discovered as early as the Yingzong period, but it is unknown when it was discovered.

Li, the death energy and resentment accumulated in it are endless, and they are integrated with the royal dragon vein. It is extremely difficult to get rid of it."

"Infringement on the dragon's veins." Chu Feng was stunned for a moment, and then nodded suddenly. It is close to the imperial city, so it is not surprising that it has such an effect.

"So, Yingzong's early death is also related to this formation?"

"That's true." Liu Hunkang nodded, confirmed the other party's guess, and added,

"It's not just the Yingzong, the royal family surnamed Zhao has always had a weak body and poor heirs, which is related to this. Moreover, as time goes by, its integration with the dragon vein becomes more and more profound, and by then, the entire Bianjing City will be affected.

"

Chu Feng was silent. Suddenly, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind. He instantly thought that the location of the dense forest was the "Kenyue" in the future, wasn't it?

Rumor has it that when Zhao Ji first came to the throne, he did not have many heirs. When he was distressed, a Taoist priest suggested that the imperial city could be raised to a higher ground, so that it would be possible to have more sons. Then he ordered the Taoist priest to choose a suitable location to build a hillock, and soon he got

Come true.

Originally, this was just a small matter. As a result, after the world was at peace, Zhao Ji became more and more inflated. Under the instigation of a group of traitors, he began to build large-scale construction projects, wasting people and money, leading to wars and the collapse of the country.

"It turns out that all this is like this. It was a good thing but it was ruined."

Thinking of Zhao Ji's behavior of seeking death, Chu Feng couldn't help but sneer in his heart, and became more and more grateful for his choice. At the very least, such a tragedy would never happen again in this world.

"The formation was already weird, and I don't know how long it took to set it up. It was almost impossible to break it. Therefore, all the Taoist friends from all the sects had to give up temporarily and work together to deduce it after returning to the mountain. It was not until a few years ago that

We finally have the result." After a pause, Liu Hunkang continued,

"We combined some fragments of ancient formations and finally worked together to derive a 'Yin-Yang Dragon Training Formation'. This formation has the power of yin-yang rotation, which can gradually convert the extremely yin energy accumulated in it into yang, and the great prosperity

Dragon veins are beneficial to the reproduction of descendants."

"It should be more than that simple." Chu Feng suddenly frowned. He had been there before, so he naturally knew that the formation was weird, especially the death energy and resentment in it, which was not easy to eliminate.

"What fellow Taoist said is true. That formation is too powerful. Therefore, the Yin-Yang Dragon Training Formation can only seal it, but cannot eradicate it. Moreover, it can only be done with the help of the national destiny dragon energy."

"Is that so?" Chu Feng was startled and asked again,

"Brother Taoist has a formation map on his body, Chu wants to see it."

"There is nothing you can't do."
To be continued...