Hearing the emperor repeating this sentence, Du Changsheng was both worried and relieved. He was not worried about saying the wrong thing. No matter how he looked at it, his speech was beneficial to Prime Minister Yin. It was not wrong to speak for such a wise minister throughout the ages, right
Du Changsheng looked up at Yan Chang who was standing next to Emperor Hongwu. The latter shook his head slightly, indicating that he should not say anything more. Of course, the former did not dare to say anything more.
Yan Chang was afraid that the emperor would continue asking questions, so seeing the emperor's state he bowed and whispered.
"Your Majesty, Master Du is a cultivator, and his views on government and public affairs are slightly different from those of ordinary people. Your Majesty, don't mind it!"
Emperor Hongwu was a little dazed, and slowly came back to his senses after hearing Yan Chang's voice. He glanced at Du Changsheng below, and then looked at Yan Chang on the side. This Si Tianjian was also a capable person, and he always did his job well. It seemed that his father's several real immortal encounters were all related to the Si Tianjian.
"Master Du, please go down. Don't mention what happened today to anyone else."
Du Changsheng felt as if he had been pardoned. He said "yes" and quickly withdrew. After Du Changsheng left, only Emperor Yang Hao and Yan Chang, plus an old eunuch, were left in Ziwei Palace. Yang Hao looked at Yan Chang again.
"Yan Chang, what do you think of Master Du's words?"
Yan Chang frowned and answered with a cupped hand.
"Your Majesty, as I just said, this is all one-sided words from Master Du. People in cultivation do not understand government affairs, so they are not qualified to make a single judgment."
Yang Hao looked at Yan Chang's gray hair and suddenly asked.
"How old are you, Mr. Yan?"
Yan Chang was slightly stunned and answered truthfully.
"I am sixty-eight years old this year."
"Haha, hahaha..."
Yang Hao smiled.
"My dear Mr. Yan, you really don't look old..."
"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment. I have not been involved in court disputes and do not have many worries in my heart. Naturally, I do not look old, but I am still not as old as Your Majesty."
Yang Hao nodded and wanted to stand up from his seat. Yan Chang and the old eunuch on the side hurriedly supported him on the left and right. When Yang Hao stood up, he suddenly looked at Si Tianjian beside him.
"Yan Chang, I remember that you gave Father a mooncake given by an immortal. You ate it yourself, right?"
This question was asked suddenly, and Yan Chang couldn't help but tremble slightly. He knelt on the ground and said in panic.
"I am innocent! How dare I embezzle it? When I received the mooncakes from the immortal, the first thing I thought of was to present them to Your Majesty!"
Yang Hao looked at him indifferently, then smiled slightly, and personally helped Yan Chang up.
"My dear Yan, please get up quickly. I am just asking casually. I am leaving now. Please don't talk about what happened today."
"I obey your order!"
Yan Chang stood up, received the order and followed Emperor Hongwu closely. When he sent him to the gate of Ziwei Palace, Yang Hao suddenly asked Yan Chang another question.
"Is there really no one left?"
This sentence scared Yan Chang so much that he fell to his knees again.
"His Majesty!"
"Alright, alright, look how scared you are. I was just joking. Get up. You don't have to see me off."
After watching the emperor leave, Yan Chang, still frightened, dared to stand up and took out his handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. This was one of the reasons why he did not like to participate in state affairs and liked to study astrology.
…
The emperor's carriage slowly moved towards the palace. Yang Hao's thoughts raced as he thought about the current political situation and the loyalty and treachery he knew in his heart. The Yin family was naturally the most loyal, but the Xiao family was equally loyal. To put it bluntly, officials who could enter the Censorate not only had to be smart and decisive, or in extreme cases, ruthless, but also some things were easier for the Xiao family to handle.
Among the other "anti-Yin" bureaucratic factions, there were actually not many truly treacherous ministers. At least from the emperor's perspective, most of them were not treacherous ministers and could be used. Those who were truly treacherous ministers to the emperor had already been eliminated by the Yin family and other ministers over the years.
Halfway through the journey, Du Changsheng's words began to resurface in Emperor Hongwu's mind, and Yang Hao began to repeat them in his mouth.
"The devil rises and the Tao disappears... The devil rises and the Tao disappears..."
Thinking back to the magic of Du Changsheng's magic demonstration, and then thinking about the words he dared to say only after being interrogated several times, the more he thought about it, the more inexplicably panicked he became.
As he was thinking, Yang Hao suddenly lifted the curtain on the side of the car and spoke loudly.
"Someone come!"
The old eunuch following the carriage hurriedly approached.
"Your Majesty, what do you want?"
Yang Hao looked at him, then turned towards the direction of the Sitianjian which had long disappeared.
"Pass on my oral order and order Heavenly Master Du Changsheng to go to Yin's residence immediately and find a way to cure Lord Yin's illness. If he succeeds, I promise him the position of Imperial Master!"
The old eunuch immediately bowed and accepted the order.
"I obey your command!"
After saying that, the old eunuch quickly walked back to the Sitianjian direction. His steps were brisk and swift, far exceeding the running speed of an ordinary person. He turned out to be a great master in the innate realm.
In a house near the Sitianjian, Du Changsheng was meditating in the practice room in his courtyard. His three disciples were also practicing here together. A stick of sandalwood was lit in the room to help the four of them concentrate. It was not until now that Du Changsheng finally calmed down.
"Master Tianshi! Master Tianshi!"
The voice of a minor official from the Imperial Observatory was heard outside, interrupting Du Changsheng's practice. The four people in the room woke up and followed Du Changsheng out. When they arrived in the courtyard, Du Changsheng saw an old eunuch standing there before he could say anything. His heart trembled slightly. Isn't this the one beside the emperor
Du Changsheng knew very well that the old eunuch's martial arts skills were unfathomable, and his vigorous energy and blood were simply dazzling. Even with his current level of Taoism, he did not dare to say that he could defeat a martial arts master of the innate realm.
"Du Changsheng, listen to my orders~~~!"
Du Changsheng quickly bowed and waited, and then the old eunuch's slightly sharp voice sounded.
"Pass on the emperor's oral order, ordering Tianshi Du Changsheng to go to Yin's mansion immediately to treat Prime Minister Yin. If he succeeds, Tianshi Du will be promised the position of national preceptor. There must be no mistake!"
"Your humble servant, Du Changsheng accepts your order!"
Only when he saw Du Changsheng accept the order did the old eunuch smile.
"Master Du, please go quickly. With your abilities, there will be no problem. Please give me more support when the time comes. I will go back and report now!"
"Yes, yes, take care, father-in-law..."
"Um!"
After the old eunuch left using his light kung fu, Du Changsheng showed a bitter smile. How could he have the ability to cure Yin Zhaoxian's illness? It was said that such a righteous and upright minister would be immune to all diseases and protected by gods and ghosts. It was already his destiny that he had come to this point.
The promise of the position of national teacher is certainly tempting, but the oral order does not mention the corresponding punishment, which is also terrifying. What's more, national teacher is just a title. Dazhen has never had such an official. The official rank, rights and salary are all empty words. The pie is drawn, but the crisis is real. It is really uncomfortable.
'Mr. Ji, Mr. Ji, you reminded me to be a good heavenly master, but this is a really dangerous job...'
“Master, Master!”
Seeing Du Changsheng in a daze, the disciple couldn't help but wake him up.
"Uh huh?"
"Are we going to Yin's Mansion?"
"Ah... now that things have come to this, I have to go even if I don't want to..."
Du Changsheng sighed, rubbed his temples, and could only go back to one of the rooms to sort out some things. Then he took his eldest disciple to the Yin Mansion on Rong'an Street. It was so difficult to be a Heavenly Master!
Not long after, the old eunuch caught up with the emperor's carriage, slowly walked to the side of the carriage, and spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, Master Du has received your order."
"Um."
Yang Hao felt a little relieved. At least he was sure that Du Changsheng had real skills. Although he might not be able to cure Yin Zhaoxian, it should be more effective than those quack doctors.
…
In the palace, Yang Sheng, who had just greeted his mother, was walking on the road, accompanied by only two guards. Yang Sheng grew up with Yin Zhong, who was an excellent martial artist. Yang Sheng, who had played with Yin Zhong since childhood, was also a good martial artist, and was unrivaled among the many emperors in the world.
After passing an intersection, he saw the emperor's carriage coming back from outside the palace in the distance, and then slowly disappeared from his sight. Yang Sheng thought about it, but still did not go closer to greet him. He just stared at the direction the carriage left and muttered to himself.
"Father, I have something to say: Throughout the rise and fall of dynasties, although there are many reasons, they are all related to the emperor. If the world of our Yang family is to fall one day, it should be the fault of the emperor. A foolish ruler is incompetent, a stupid prince is incompetent, and a loyal and treacherous person who is not loyal to the emperor is also incompetent. If the descendants are incompetent, how can the dynasty prosper? How can the dynasty survive?"
As he spoke, Yang Sheng glanced at the two confidants around him.
"What do you think?"
The two answered in unison.
"Your Highness is wise!"
"Haha, what a wise fool! I don't even dare to say this to my father in person! Let's go..."
…
In the Xiao Mansion, one of the reception rooms was entertaining guests at this moment. Sitting on the main seat was the Imperial Censor Xiao Du, and sitting below were ministers who had come to the capital from outside to report on their work.
"Sir Xiao, it is said that Prime Minister Yin's health is deteriorating. Can we relax a little?"
Xiao Du stroked his long white beard and shook his head.
"No! As long as Yin Zhaoxian is alive, we must not act rashly. Even if he is only breathing out, as long as he is not really dead, we must not underestimate him. The emperor can protect us once or twice, but not every time. Please control your family members and don't commit any crimes, otherwise the Censorate will be the first to arrest him!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" "Master Xiao is absolutely right!"
One of the officials nodded and felt deeply moved.
"Alas, if Prime Minister Yin could die of illness at this time, it would be the most appropriate. As a scholar, who would really want to be an enemy of Prime Minister Yin..."
To be honest, as a scholar, there are very few people who do not admire Yin Zhaoxian, even political enemies. Even Xiao Du could not help but nod his head and had to admit that among all the wise ministers throughout history, Yin Zhaoxian would definitely be the one who would go down in history.