The Lord who use immortals as food

Three days passed by in a flash.

Approximately according to the truth of this rumor, the weather suddenly dropped sharply the next day. Then came two consecutive days of extreme cold, and people were actually prepared. After all, it was before the winter solstice, and the truly bone-deep cold began to penetrate deeply into this sacred city. It’s just that the body may not be used to it yet. If you take a few more breaths outside, the air-conditioning will rush into your nose and make it unbearably dry, so you have to cover your nose and rub it.

The second floor of the small building is still peaceful and quiet, except for Pei Ye, who is sitting in front of the desk and reading a book. When turning the pages, his eyes always fall to the backyard.

Under the dim night, the water surface was flat, but there was no sign of freezing.

In fact, the same is true for the small pond in the Xiangzhai. It seems that the cold weather has made them lose their strength. There is no wave in the wind. The heavy feeling is indeed the water in winter, but it is not frozen.

Apparently fragile ice cubes began to appear in the washing basin.

"How much have you read today?" Zhu asked and his solemn voice awakened the young man's distraction.

Pei Ye usually counted every moment during the day, hoping that the four hours would pass quickly. Now that it had become half an hour at night, it made him feel a little rushed. This is the fifth night he has sat here. The furnishings and scenery are all familiar to him. The small building is quiet at night, so he is willing to sit here one more time.

"Reviewed five chapters and read one and a half chapters."

Pei Ye responded respectfully and came forward with the book. Zhu Wen explained it to him carefully and finally said: "Is there any doubt?"

"No more."

Zhu Wen nodded, but this time he did not let the young man leave immediately. He proactively asked, "How is your sword practice going?"

"...Still stuck at the pass and unable to pass." Pei Ye knelt down beside the desk and said truthfully, "Master Xu said that I should not be needed for tomorrow's meeting, and there is still some time to figure it out."

"What kind of pass is it?" Zhu Wen turned around and closed the medical book he was annotating and looked at the young man.

"That's it... I danced the sword in your courtyard that night." Pei Ye frowned and whispered, "It seems to be connected to the only way, but the sword I asked for... did not come from the sky."

The young man looked up at the distant night. He had been a little distressed these days. There were no classics for him to refer to. This was a road with no one to guide him. Cui Zhaoye and the Pavilion Shou could only support him and help him repair the thorns next to him. , kicking the pebbles that may cause stumbling will not make you walk in front of him.

Especially after the young man surprisingly met the sky and the earth with his sword, the road ahead cannot be said to be above the high mountain of kendo, at least it is far away from the mountain.

Yes, no one has taken this step for thousands of years. If we talk about swords, there is no one that only seeks the human heart; if we talk about heaven and earth, its appearance is being debated endlessly in the Tianliyuan of the Tang Dynasty, and it is the same undecided matter.

The young man is the only one moving forward.

Zhu Wen looked at him quietly for a while, but for the first time he didn't reply immediately.

Those pair of deep and dusty eyes looked at the young man, and after a moment he said solemnly: "When we met last month, I told you that I could only solve your doubts and have nothing to do with preaching or teaching... Now I am willing to teach you You have a career, can you?”

Pei Ye was startled: "...the student is extremely honored."

Zhu Wen nodded, gently touched the cover of "Etiquette" in his hand, handed it back to the young man, and warned: "This book is for you. Tomorrow you can go to the Sword Xiu Academy to practice swordsmanship in the morning, and come here in the afternoon. There is no need to go to the school, just go to the backyard and take a look. If the pond is frozen, you can walk in the yard, practice swordsmanship and study, or you may gain something - you can do this in the next few days. "

Pei Ye took the book in a daze and was puzzled for a moment, but this seemed to be what the philosopher meant by teaching. He coughed twice and said, "You don't have to carry on the responsibilities of inheriting what I taught you. I hope you will finish reading this book on your own, and you will still be able to make decisions on your own in whatever situations you encounter in the future.”

"...Oh." Pei Ye seemed to understand, but suddenly caught a piece of information, "Mr. Zhu, won't I go to court with you tomorrow?"

Zhu Wenping said solemnly: "You are not my successor. Tomorrow, before all the officials, I will only bring my successor."

"Oh, okay." Pei Ye paused for a moment, and finally couldn't help asking about his worries, "But, Mr. Zhu, the pond doesn't seem to have frozen yet."

"We will get married tomorrow." Zhu Wen wrapped himself in a warm cloak and looked at the young man, "Let's say goodbye and go back to sleep."

"Um."

Pei Ye stood up with the book in his hand, his heart twitching inexplicably, but Zhu Wen continued to lower his head and annotate the medical book. Pei Ye stood still for two breaths and walked past the lamp. His shadow crossed with that of the philosopher who was lying at his desk. Pass.

…

…

The ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The sky is clear and high, and the unobstructed wind blows through the streets and cuts across the eaves. In the square in front of Hanyuan Hall, under the jade steps and in front of the mirror pool, green, crimson and purple columns are like colorful clouds.

With jade belts on their heads and fluttering skirts, this is a major court meeting "in view of the eyes and ears of thousands of ministers". Only important matters related to the country and the country are discussed separately. Since the sage on the throne revised the court system, this is the most important meeting in the Tang Dynasty. A vast and solemn meeting place.

Many lowly officials who rarely have the opportunity to see the Holy Face are now ranked at the bottom of the queue. When their eyes are cast forward, they can see those purple figures like mountains and seas.

Almost everyone knows what today's discussion means.

The hurricane and raging waves that swept through Shenjing for several months, how many people's official hats were blown off, and how many people died with broken necks. Going back to the story of the tragic death, you can see the shocking changes in the succession, and going up, you can see the shocking changes in the succession. The news has already reached the throne. According to rumors a few days ago, I heard that there was a night meeting among seven people in purple clothes in the Zichen Palace.

Tianliyuan is a remote and remote place. In many cases, only its name is passed down among scholars, and it will not really be seen in front of people for many years.

And when it stands on the stage, it is often on occasions like today, at the turning point of the empire.

The Theory of Two Heavens mentioned by Prime Minister Xu back then has resurfaced now.

Many people still remember those dark years. The nobles who were attached to the name Xu Ji disappeared one by one in the court. They were demoted, exiled, beheaded, betrayed... almost in the last days of their lives, other When people submitted this earth-shattering or outrageous theory of heaven, of course they received only ridiculous ridicule, and many people gradually forgot its existence.

Ten years have passed, and now the situation has reached a point where it is truly turning the world upside down.

The Tang Dynasty has relied on the miracle of "Haotian's message" for hundreds of years, and now faces a decisive challenge. Many Qingyi behind the queue may not necessarily be able to see clearly what impact the victory or defeat of two days or one day will have on the Tang Dynasty. But at least everyone knows what kind of turmoil it will cause when this matter comes to court.

"New Imperial Examination Law", ban on recommendation.

The method being practiced now was practiced by Li Du, the prime minister. After he ascended the throne, he was on the highest hill of the court, like an old dragon entrenched in Nanya.

In recent years, the person who has gained the most momentum in the court is Yuan Zhao, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, who was raised up by the lower class scholars.

The voices of the sergeants in the court were originally getting stronger. Now that Di Jiu has been appointed as Jingzhao Yin, Li Mingqiu is gradually gaining momentum, and his support in the court has become more solid. Although there are still some figures in the top few figures. He lacks a firm ally, but in the eyes of countless Qingpao below, he is already the most powerful new figure today.

When the theory of two heavens is really implemented, the first thing to change... is probably the phase.

Yuan Zhao stood silently under the jade steps with his eyes lowered.

Different from his brave and active appearance in the officialdom, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance always spoke very little when he actually went to court. His posture remained fixed and his expression often did not change, just like a real stone.

Diagonally in front of him, there was the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty who was worshiping the Buddha. This old man also stood quietly, with a very solemn atmosphere, because the figure high up was already on the throne.

The wind blows in front of Hanyuan Hall, where the soldiers are like statues, and the officials' clothes are hunting softly.

All rituals are completed.

"Among the forty-seven treatises of Tianliyuan, two were written by me, called "Qi Tian" and "The Luck of the World"; one was dictated by me, called "The Kingdom of the World." A plain voice came from a high-ranking official. It was passed down from generation to generation, "Among the four philosophers, Nan Zhezi and Lu Zhezi are both my teachers."

The saint spoke and the wind calmed down.

"Many of the ministers know that I have studied the theory of heaven intensively, but none of them know the reason. I will tell you today. When I was young, Wen Chenming, the eunuch of the Qin Dynasty, was arguing with the great scholar Xindu about the old appearance of the four days. , the tit-for-tat confrontation was no less than today, when the two men held a debate in front of the Zhuque Gate, with a sea of ​​spectators, and the late emperor asked the nine ministers who were watching who was better than who. "Defeat, no one can answer." The saint said slowly, "I think that the Tang Dynasty is a country of Qilin. It respects the laws of heaven and cultivates them. It is an important matter for the country. If I don't know it, how can I judge it? Human beings are right and wrong. This is why we started to learn and establish the Court of Heavenly Law. Because of the Heavenly Law, it should be established in our court, in Shenjing, and in the Tang Dynasty."

All the officials on the court looked up.

"In recent months, there have been many turmoils, and various ministers have repeatedly handed over information. I have looked at them one by one. There are thousands of opinions on everything, but in fact, there is no such thing as 'the laws of heaven have changed.'" The saint said softly, "And the changes in the laws of heaven are the most untrue. There is no need to hide the splendid righteousness in front of others, because today we will present this to all the ministers, so that those who are righteous will be righteous, and those who are wrong will be seen by all eyes."

All the ministers are polite.

"First of all, please ask Nan Zhezi and Lu Zhezi to explain."

All voices in front of Hanyuan Hall were silent. In fact, there was no need for the two philosophers to speak. Many people had already heard about the miracle they were working on. In fact, it was okay to hold a large court discussion on this matter today, because it was... …

"...Since the six thousand years of Yan and Huang, no heavenly being has come to this world."

The hoarse old voice rang out in the arena in front of the palace, with a sonorous thud, as if it came from ancient times.

Under the attention of all the ministers, the old man with white hair as white as snow and gray temples was climbing up the steps step by step, leaning on his stick.

"Haotian has looked down on the Tang Dynasty for six hundred years, and now the world has a mirror." Nan Xiu slowly turned around, faced the officials, and said solemnly, "The theory of two heavens is nonsense, Haotian is so blue, it will not disturb the world. The noise of the dove."

"What I am here to do is to use the 'Tianlin Yi' to learn from the experience of all the ministers. This is the foundation of our country in the Tang Dynasty. If you have any doubts, please be careful and accept it with humility."

Nan Xiu bowed his head seriously, and there was no trace of ripples in the mirror pool facing him.

…

…

"Nan Shenji is a gentleman, and Zhu Kaozhi is a mad man. I have known it for a long time." This is what the woman said.

The branches were covered with a layer of white frost, which is what the ancients called "qiongzhi". Pei Ye bit her bun and looked at the trees on the roadside, her mind a little wandering.

When I went out with my sword today, I met Xu Chuo who had gotten up early. I sat with her and chatted for a while. However, Pei Ye was busy practicing sword practice and didn't want to miss the moment when the pond froze, so he left the table after eating half of the meal and packed it away. Bought some steamed buns to eat on the road.

Pei Ye knew that today was the day of the court meeting, so he couldn't help but look in the direction of the imperial city. Of course, everyone who should go had gone, and those who hadn't gone also paid attention. Even the passers-by in his ears were talking about this. thing.

Pei Ye actually felt that the woman was telling the truth, and Nan Xiu might be a gentleman. Although he heard that even in front of a saint, he frankly denounced things he disagreed with, which was a bit too arrogant; but how could Mr. Zhu be crazy? .

This philosopher was serious and serious, his behavior was always meticulous, and as a teacher he was always strict but not angry. In fact, he had nothing to do with "crazy life".

But he agreed with what he said later - "Zhu Kaozhi is actually not on our side."

It was already the afternoon after practicing the sword. Pei Ye thought about his conversation with the woman and headed to Tianliyuan.

Yes, Nan Xiu is a staunch supporter of the one-day theory, but Mr. Zhu is not a supporter of the two-day theory.

Pei Ye actually didn't ask, but he could clearly feel that even if Mr. Zhu invested everything in "Two Heavens Theory" for ten years, even if it was delivered by the old prime minister he called "brother" before his execution. ...But Pei Ye couldn't feel the suppressed thirst.

He studied it hard for ten years, not just to explode into something.

This is actually a worry that the young man has not expressed aloud. As someone who has followed Zhu Zhezi for almost a month, he still doesn't know what the final result of Zhu Zhezi will be for "Two Heavens Theory".

That's still an undecided answer.

Tianliyuan is particularly quiet today. The four philosophers and their students are probably not here.

Pei Ye pushed open Mr. Zhu's courtyard door. The school was closed. Fang Jidao went there as expected. Pei Ye sighed softly and relaxed a little. He walked through the front hall and came to the backyard. He was a little surprised to find that it seemed that it had been cleaned in the morning. , it was clearly something Mr. Zhu only did at dusk.

But this was a trivial matter. He cast his eyes toward the center of the courtyard and saw that the pond was motionless and the water was calm.

Still no sign of ice.