A person who can become the crown prince and hold on to this position is certainly not a fool. Otherwise, no matter how much the emperor likes him, no matter how much the ministers in the court support him, they will not really nominate an incompetent person to be the emperor.
The prince certainly understood what his father meant, but understanding did not mean agreement. He knew very well what kind of person his teacher was, what kind of person his good friend Yin Zhong was, and what kind of person his brother-in-law Yin Qing was. He understood the importance of the art of ruling and the need for factional balance between the government and the opposition, but it was still very uncomfortable.
The emperor looked at his son for a long time without saying anything. The latter certainly didn't dare to talk back. The two just looked at each other in silence. After a while, Yang Hao suddenly spoke in a leisurely tone with emotion.
"The Yin family is indeed loyal, and their family motto is strict. We can even assume that the young Yin Chi and Yin Dian, as well as Hu'er's children in the future, are also loyal, because they have Yin Qing and Hu'er. But what if they are gone one day? Yin Qing can be loyal for three generations, or even four generations, but what about after five or six generations?"
The prince looked at his father and waited for him to finish speaking before saying something.
"What about the Xiao family? The Censorate monitors all officials in the country. Although the reputation of the Censor is not as high as that of the teacher, it is still very powerful. They are much more filthy than the Yin family!"
The prince stopped talking about this, but the implication was obvious. Since the Xiao family could always be trusted, why couldn't the Yin family, who were loyal to the country, be trusted? It had come to this point, but it hadn't spread yet. If it did, wouldn't the loyal people in the world be disheartened? Of course, his father hadn't done anything to persecute the Yin family, but not supporting it was a signal.
Yang Hao snorted coldly when he heard this, how could he not know the situation of the Xiao family? But the Xiao family was a dog of the Yang family, as long as the person in power was not really stupid, he could control the Xiao family at will with some leverage. But it was different for the Yin family, because the Yin family was too "righteous".
The prince's words were already considered a defiance, and the emperor felt a little angry, which showed on his face as his eyes turned cold.
"Then if I abdicate and you sit on the throne of Dazhen, shouldn't you support your teacher in clearing out the Xiao family's followers and all the stubborn people in the court?"
The prince was also furious and almost wanted to say "yes" to his father, but fortunately he remained calm in his heart. At the same time, he was a little dejected. He lowered his head and shook it slightly.
"Won't… "
"Um?"
The emperor narrowed his eyes and suddenly felt that he could not see through his son. Then he saw the prince raised his head and sighed.
"Father, the teacher's health cannot wait..."
As soon as the prince said this, Emperor Hongwu's heart trembled, and his hand holding a book on the table couldn't help but tighten a little, and after a long time he let out a long sigh.
"I am old... I don't want to be immortal, and I don't expect to find an immortal. What I care about is only my Yang family's kingdom and the world of Dazhen!"
As he said that, Yang Hao stood up from his seat, walked around the table to the prince, patted him on the shoulder, and then slowly walked out. Although he was just teaching his son a lesson, he had to admit that he liked his son for a reason because of his character. The imperial family is the most ruthless, but the imperial family is also thirsty for love.
Yang Hao walked to the door and looked at the gloomy sky due to the continuous spring rain.
'teacher… '
After sighing in his heart, he left the East Palace.
An old eunuch carefully wiped his sweaty face and followed the emperor away only after the prince paid his respects.
Not until his father had been gone for a long time did the prince heave a sigh of relief. Just now, he had also felt a burning sensation in his spine.
…
Yang Hao walked out of the East Palace, looked back, then got on the carriage and said to the old eunuch beside him.
"Go to the Sitianjian."
The old eunuch bowed and said "yes", then took a deep breath and announced the order.
"The emperor has issued an order to dispatch the Imperial Astronomical Observatory!"
The vanguard led the way and the emperor's carriage set off. The emperor's carriage went out of the palace and after traveling in the imperial city for more than a quarter of an hour, it arrived outside the Imperial Observatory in the north. Before the emperor got out of the carriage, the old eunuch had already announced to the inside with a loud voice.
"The Emperor has arrived~~~"
A moment later, the gray-haired Jian Zheng Yanchang led his subordinates to come out to greet them and bowed deeply to the emperor's carriage.
"Your Majesty, we welcome you!"
Yang Hao stepped out of the carriage and said, "No need for formalities," then, surrounded by officials from the Imperial Observatory, he walked inside and entered the Ziwei Palace.
Unlike his father, Yang Hao seldom came to the Imperial Observatory, so this place was relatively new to him. In the places where officials from other departments were located, there were mostly desks and reports with a large number of officials reviewing and discussing them. However, it was different in the Ziwei Hall. The overall tone was dark, but not gloomy. In addition to some necessary desks, there were also numerous star maps and even some star models cast in bronze and placed in the center.
Yang Hao walked towards a large model in the middle, which seemed to be as high as a two-story building. It was wrapped with many ring-shaped copper bars and looked extremely complicated. There were many small copper balls on it representing the stars. The seven copper balls on the top were the most conspicuous. Judging from the words engraved on them, they should be the Big Dipper. Yang Hao saw that there was a handle on the copper ring near the bottom, as if someone was often pushing it, so he looked at Yan Chang who was following him closely.
"What is this that can be pushed?"
Yan Chang answered respectfully.
"Your Majesty, I call this the Star Instrument. Your Majesty can try to turn it. It doesn't require much force and you can see the stars change."
Yang Hao nodded and gently pushed the copper ring handle. The next moment, the entire model began to rotate, the stars in various places began to change constantly, and the seven stars at the top were also rotating.
Words often point to the way above.
"Your Majesty, please look. Above it are the Big Dipper. Among them, the Purple Star moves the least. It is the master of all stars and symbolizes the imperial power in the world."
If there was someone who had a little knowledge of astronomy in Ji Yuan's previous life, he would definitely scoff at Yan Chang's statement, because the Purple Star, which is the North Star, should be fixed and not like the one on this instrument, which has small changes but is not static. But now Ji Yuan knows that Yan Chang is right.
The emperor looked at it for a while before speaking to Yan Changdao.
"What about Master Du who returned to the capital? Summon him to see me."
"Yes, I will send someone to find him right away!"
Yan Chang quickly ordered his men to leave, and then asked the emperor to sit in the seat where he handled affairs.
Unlike the Daxiu Dynasty which had a single Heavenly Master, the so-called Heavenly Masters in the Dazhen Dynasty were actually all listed under the Sitianjian, which was considered a small department under the Sitianjian. Although the title of Heavenly Master sounds grand, it is actually a very low position, almost of the sixth rank, and has no real power. The summary of the official position is that in addition to listening to the emperor, he mainly assists the Sitianjian in affairs.
Not long after, Du Changsheng hurriedly came to Ziwei Palace with a minor official from the Imperial Observatory who came to convey the message. Although he felt that he had some skills now, he did not dare to be arrogant in front of the emperor. You have to know that the Yang emperors were very powerful, and the current one was a murderer who dared to order the beheading of even true immortals.
As soon as Du Changsheng entered the Ziwei Palace, his eyes immediately locked onto the emperor sitting on the center throne and he quickly bowed to him.
"Your humble servant Du Changsheng pays respects to Your Majesty!"
Yang Hao looked at the old man who was wearing a loose robe and looked like an immortal. He actually had some impression of this man. He remembered that he had seen him when Yang Hao first ascended the throne. He thought he should have died long ago, but he didn't expect that he had returned to Beijing now.
"Master Du, please don't be polite. I heard that you have achieved success in your cultivation?"
"Uh, I dare not, I dare not, my cultivation is insignificant, I dare not claim to have achieved success."
At first, this Taoist priest was an old man. Now Yang Hao himself is old, but he still has white hair and a youthful face. Yang Hao becomes more interested in him.
"I heard that your master is an immortal from the otherworldly world. Could it be that you have been away from the capital for these years and have been practicing with your master?"
Du Changsheng quickly bowed his head again.
"Your Majesty, these are all rumors from the outside world. I dare not admit them. In fact, my original words were that the method I practiced was learned by a true immortal who thought he was highly accomplished in Taoism in his early years. However, he only passed this method to me because of fate, not because he wanted to take me as his disciple."
"Oh, I see."
Du Changsheng spoke in an organized and humble manner, which was somewhat different from Yang Hao's impression of those Heavenly Masters who only knew how to brag and gain benefits. It seemed that he had indeed generalized the whole situation a bit at the beginning, and not all the so-called Heavenly Masters were useless.
"Master Du, let me ask you this: you must have some real skills, right?"
Du Changsheng took a deep breath and raised his head.
"I dare not lie to you, Your Majesty. Although I cannot be called a cultivator, I am also a cultivator of immortality, so I naturally have some abilities."
"Show me your hands."
If someone else had spoken to Du Changsheng in such a magic trick attitude, he would not have wanted to pay any attention, but since the emperor said so, there was nothing he could do. He didn't say much, and while waving his sleeves, a mist appeared beside him and gradually turned into an identical Du Changsheng.
The two Heavenly Masters saluted towards the emperor together and spoke in unison.
"Your Majesty, please watch my humble servant demonstrate!"
As they were talking, the two Du Changshengs cast a spell together, and mist reappeared in the middle. The two of them walked to the left and right, and the mist became wider and wider, gradually spreading to the entire Ziwei Palace.
The hall gradually darkened, and the fog seemed to transform into a surging sea, with the sound of wind and surging tides, and then turned into real sea water.
“Hua La La…”
The waves crashed against the water and the surroundings grew darker. Above the sea, stars became visible, and then the moon rose and set, and the sky turned into dawn. The Ziwei Palace became bright again, and the fog gradually dissipated.
The two Du Changshengs saluted Yang Hao again.
"Your Majesty, I have finished my demonstration."
After standing up, the two Heavenly Masters walked towards each other and finally merged into one person. Only the mist around their bodies remained, which made them look even more immortal.
After being stunned for a moment, Yang Hao stood up from his seat, feeling a little excited.
"Master Tianshi is really capable! Is this the method used by immortals?"
Several emperors of the Yang family had searched for immortals and left behind some special records, but none of them were as shocking as what Yang Hao saw today, which had far exceeded his expectations.
Du Changsheng didn't dare to brag too much. He said respectfully with one part of pride and nine parts of restraint.
"What I just did was just some illusions created by the water control. It can't be called the method of an immortal."
Yang Hao laughed and nodded as he looked at the Taoist priest. Okay, does this Taoist priest understand divination and the art of governing people
Du Changsheng was very afraid that the emperor would ask him to make an elixir of immortality or find a real immortal, so he spoke very cautiously.
"My humble servant has only a limited knowledge of Taoism, but my level is too low to be accepted by the elite!"
"Um!"
Yang Hao was very satisfied with Du Changsheng's performance. After looking at Yan Chang who was stroking his beard and thinking, he continued to speak to the Heavenly Master.
"Tianshi, why don't you calculate whether there is a way to cure Yin Aiqing's health? Dazhen can't live without him!"
Du Changsheng was slightly stunned, looking at the emperor and Yan Chang who was frowning beside him. Seeing the latter's serious expression, although he did not understand political affairs, he knew that he should not talk nonsense. However, Du Changsheng was afraid that he would be blamed if he could not cure the disease.
"Your Majesty, I heard in my early years that Prime Minister Yin was the incarnation of Wenquxing. This may be a rumor, but I am clear about one thing. Prime Minister Yin has a righteous spirit, and his light shines for three miles. It is extremely rare to have such aura in history. He is a wise minister of all ages. Such a wise minister should be free from all diseases and be protected by ghosts and gods. But if his life is weakened... I am afraid, it may be God's will..."
"God willing… "
Yang Hao was a little dazed. After muttering something, he slowly came back to his senses and looked at Du Changsheng seriously.
"Master, does this seem to have a deeper meaning?"
Deep meaning? What the hell is my deep meaning? I just can’t say it anymore…
"Your Majesty, you are worrying too much. I have no deep meaning..."
With a panic in his heart, Du Changsheng's speech was not as calm and composed as before. Although he was not confused, he obviously felt a sense of uncertainty. How could Yang Hao, who had been the emperor for decades, not feel this? He frowned, realizing that this Taoist priest was afraid to say some things.
"Master Du, please don't hide anything. If you have any profound understanding, just speak frankly! I'll let you speak!"
Deep understanding? What the hell do I have deep understanding of
Du Changsheng's forehead was covered with sweat. He was racking his brains to think of the profound principles in his mind. After thinking for a long time, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and speak.
"Uh... Your Majesty, I don't have any deep meaning, but if you must say a few words..."
When Du Changsheng said this, he looked up at the emperor and then lowered his head slightly.
"It is not an exaggeration to say that such a wise minister as Prime Minister Yin is rare in history. He is a sign of great prosperity in this prosperous era. However, the life span of mortals is limited after all, and birth, aging, sickness and death are all part of it. Prime Minister Yin is no exception..."
Hearing such timid words, Yang Hao became furious. It was clear that this Taoist priest was not speaking his true feelings.
"I want you to speak your mind, not just make excuses. Tell me!"
The emperor's anger put Du Changsheng under tremendous pressure. He now truly experienced the danger of living with the emperor, as it is like living with a tiger, and was frightened.
Du Changsheng lowered his head with a sad face, almost wanting to cry. This emperor, he doesn't want to listen to good words, then he has to say bad things...
If I had known earlier, I would have returned to Beijing for no reason! Thinking of Yang's ferocity, Du Changsheng could only steel his heart and said with a stiff upper lip.
"Reply, reply Your Majesty, as I just said, Prime Minister Yin's order may be God's will. The wise minister of all ages came to the world to make the prosperous times, but God took it away. I think it is also a warning. There is a saying among my generation of monks: the devil grows, the Tao disappears... Your humble servant, this is all I can say..."
Du Changsheng raised his hand to wipe the sweat off his face, while Yang Hao stared at him blankly.
"The devil rises and the Tao disappears... The devil rises and the Tao disappears..."
... ...
PS: Keep your voice down, this chapter is 4,000 words long...