The old woman brought Xu Zhen a set of light blue skirts, which were a popular style in Chang'an recently, embroidered with emerald green flowers, with gold strips on the skirt, and asked someone to paint her with yellow flowers and peach blossoms on her cheeks.
After finishing the painting, I asked Xu Zhen to stand up, and talked to Xu Zhen about palace etiquette.
The procedures for entering the palace were complicated. The old woman was a court official and taught the Holy Majesty, so she could come in and out freely, but Xu Zhen still had to go through many inspections.
Originally, there was a prostration ceremony, but since Xu Zhen was invited to face the saint, this procedure can be saved.
Before going out, Xu Zhen lowered her head to see her exposed skin, felt a little cold, and asked the old woman, "Can I change clothes?"
The old woman said: "The clothes Mr. brought are too plain."
It means not to change.
Xu Zhen stood up holding her skirt, and asked a few other questions, such as whether brunch was included in the palace and whether her thousand taels of silver had moved to her new home.
The old woman couldn't answer for a while, and thought to herself: Mr. Xu is really different from everyone else. It's not the first time he was brought into the palace, but it was indeed the first time he was asked this kind of question.
All questions and answers are over.
Satisfied, Xu Zhen turned around and said goodbye to the little beggar, and told her to wait for her in the restaurant, so as not to get lost.
Then he left with the old woman, went downstairs and stepped into a low-key bamboo carriage, and drove away to the palace silently.
The carriages and horses were stable, and the wooden wheels left a dark straight line on the ground.
Standing on a low stool, Xun Qianchun looked at the trace from the window until he could no longer see the line, then jumped off the stool, opened the door and walked out.
In the market, many people have started to set up stalls selling breakfast and cakes, and there are officials patrolling the streets, telling the vendors not to cross the street, their voices are noisy and lively.
Xu Zhen was sitting in the carriage, occasionally looking out through the gaps in the bamboo curtains, and saw that the crowds in the river gradually decreased, and the ground changed from bluestone slabs to off-white to bright white jade, reflecting the vermilion color of the palace walls.
"Are you there?" Xu Zhen asked the old woman.
The old woman beside her said, "Quickly."
Someone is talking outside.
The old woman pulled Xu Zhen out of the car together, and was checked for dangerous items with her head bowed. Afterwards, the palace man who did the inspection let the two of them into the car and bowed to the old woman.
The carriage stopped and stopped, and finally reached the parking place.
As soon as the coachman said "arrived".
Unable to take it anymore, Xu Zhen got out of the car immediately and jumped onto the wide white jade road.
This is the first time she has felt the luxury of the ancient royal family. The white jade pavement in the palace, the gold bars inlaid with characters, and the glazed tiles are very eye-catching.
A while later, a group of beautiful court ladies came from a distance, saying that the saint had been waiting in the study for a long time.
The old woman asked the maid standing at the front: "What are you discussing in today's pilgrimage?"
The maid said: "It's still a tax."
The old woman frowned: "Why is it still this, is there anything else?"
The maid dared not speak.
The old woman said: "If you don't tell me, I will talk to the Holy One later."
The maid said: "There is still the matter of the autumn test."
The old woman nodded and did not continue to ask.
The matter of Guannan seems to be over.
The court lady's long skirts dragged the floor, leading the old woman and Xu Zhen to the bookstore, they walked slowly in front, and the old woman and Xu Zhen walked behind.
Passing through the water pavilion in the courtyard and the zigzag covered bridge, I finally came to a golden and red place, which is the study room where the Holy One stayed.
The two large pillars in front of the study hall are carved with golden flying dragons flying in the clouds and mist, with pearls in the dragon's mouth, which change colors faintly with the sunlight.
The old woman pointed to the bead and introduced it softly to Xu Zhen: "This is a kind of sundial made by the teacher of the state."
Xu Zhen also asked softly: "Is it used to measure time? Isn't it too powerful?"
The old woman said: "Yes, a different kind of jade is used. It is black at night and red at noon, and the color will change all the time at other times."
Xu Zhen said: "Amazing!"
"The national teacher has indeed built a lot of things, which have won the trust of the sage." After the old woman finished speaking, she added, "It seems that you can go in."
Xu Zhen asked the old woman, "Aren't you going in?"
The old woman said: "Miansheng is a conversation."
Xu Zhen asked: "What? What is the conversation?"
The old woman explained: "One on one."
The palace lady in front had already finished the announcement, and there was a conversation inside, and a little eunuch shouted loudly: "Xuan, enter the palace!"
The little palace lady hurried over and shouted: "Come here quickly."
The old woman also pushed: "Go quickly."
Xu Zhen was urged to move forward, almost trotting all the way into the study, and stepped into the palace door. Since the floor in the palace was too bright and clean, she could see herself dressed up as soon as she lowered her head, which was really pretty.
The Holy Majesty sat on the couch in the middle, asked Xu Zhen to excuse her courtesy, and asked someone to give her a seat, and sat at the front.
Xu Zhen was so courageous, she directly raised her head to thank her, and took a look at what the emperor looked like.
The emperor was not as majestic as Xu Zhen had imagined, just a middle-aged man with long hair draped over his shoulders, wearing a bright yellow robe with a jade belt around his waist, sitting cross-legged on the couch, serving tea.
Seeing Xu Zhen, he asked in a low voice, without strength: "Are you the girl who saved the princess in Jiangling?"
Xu Zhen was stunned for a moment: "Princess?"
The Holy Majesty was also stunned: "You didn't save the princess?"
Xu Zhen said, "I don't know."
The Holy Majesty summoned the little eunuch next to him, asked a few words in a low voice, and skipped the topic after getting an affirmative answer.
It really saved the princess.
But how come it looks a little silly
The Holy Majesty's impression of Xu Zhen was not very good.
But after thinking about it, this man saved the princess, so he had to hold back his temper.
The princess who was rescued was the younger sister of the Holy Lord's family. The princess was born when the Holy Lord was not yet the Holy Lord. She was a small one, and she often grabbed the Holy Lord's finger and acted like a baby. Therefore, the Holy Lord liked this younger sister very much.
This time the princess ran away from home and went to Jiangling alone without letting anyone know.
The people in the clan found out that the Princess was missing, and reported it to the Holy One in a panic. Only then did the Holy Majesty know, but unfortunately it was too late.
He sent people to look for it, but he couldn't say anything.
If it is too high-profile, it is difficult to guarantee that someone will take advantage of this opportunity and go to Jiangling to deliberately hurt the princess.
Just when the Holy Majesty was at a loss, the princess took a caravan carriage and returned to Chang'an by herself!
The Holy Majesty was very happy and took the princess to the palace for a long talk all night.
The Princess didn't say much, but only roughly talked about his abduction, and Jiangling, where the officials and bandits colluded, which needs to be strictly investigated.
The Holy One was furious.
The princess also said that it was thanks to one person who rescued him this time, and promised to give that person money.
The Holy One asked, "How did that man save you?"
The princess told how the man provoked him.
After hearing this, the Holy Majesty was secretly shocked.
If this person was a court official or something, he wouldn't be so surprised, but this person was only arrested for a day, and after listening to others' rough description of the situation there, he could judge the character of the guard and come up with a strategy to provoke him.
And it worked!
Should be a good conspirator.
The Holy Majesty felt that this kind of person could still be recruited, so he hurriedly asked, "What's that person's name?"
The princess shook her head: "I only know that she is a female gentleman from Jiangling, wearing a white robe."
The Holy One immediately sent someone to Jiangling to reward him, and invited him to a state banquet.
But no one thought that someone would claim credit for it.
The subsequent development was even more beyond the Holy Majesty's expectations—
The female gentleman who really saved the princess is actually the same person as the writer whom the teacher thanked some time ago!
What a talent!
The Holy Majesty was looking forward to it, and asked the teacher to bring this person into the palace as soon as possible, wanting to see how powerful this person is.
Now finally see you.
However this man...
The Holy Majesty had chatted a few words now, and was completely disappointed with Xu Zhen, thinking that this person must have just been lucky and saved a lot of people.
Xu Zhen sat quietly on the cushion, not even daring to drink tea.
After a while, the Holy Majesty asked, "Do you have any rewards you want?"
reward? Xu Zhen was a little confused. Wasn't this fixed as money beforehand
She couldn't figure it out, and she didn't dare to ignore the Holy Majesty, so she said cautiously, "A thousand taels of silver..."
The Holy Majesty sighed heavily in his heart: Hey!
Vulgar, vulgar!
There are usually face-to-face saints, and most of them talk about where they hope to distribute the disaster money to help the people, or hope that their parents can live a good life.
What's the matter with this man
Want money right away
Don't you even put on a superficial appearance!
The Holy Majesty was a little angry, and he was a little helpless when he thought that this man saved the princess.
He was holding a string of sandalwood log beads in his hand, and kept flicking them, trying to calm himself down, but he couldn't calm down no matter what.
In the end, he couldn't hold back and asked, "Do you know how other people face saints?"
Xu Zhen shook her head.
The Holy Majesty said: "It's all about seeking orphans and caring about the people, and benefiting the community!"
Xu Zhen thought to herself: This is too hypocritical.
The Holy One asked, "Do you think they are too hypocritical?"
Xu Zhen was startled, she shut her mouth tight and dared not speak.
The Holy One said: "What about hypocrisy? Isn't it the appearance of hypocrisy in the beautiful and peaceful lonely country, but it is this kind of performance that makes people feel at ease! Makes people happy!"
Xu Zhen still dare not speak.
The Holy One angrily said: "It seems to be peaceful, but it's not the flames of war! The ground is full of hunger and devastation! How can the solitary be able to manage it! Hundreds of officials create a beautiful country for the solitary, so that the solitary doesn't have to worry about breaking his heart. This is really a good thing!"
Xu Zhen didn't speak.
She secretly felt that the Holy Majesty was a little crazy, and what he said seemed to be ironic.
Thinking of the old woman complaining that the truth was never heard by the emperor, Xu Zhen guessed that the emperor might be a good emperor, but unfortunately the officials next to her were not so good.
Seeing that Xu Zhen ignored him, the Holy Majesty became even more angry, and dropped the teacup in his hand to the ground with a loud bang.
The maid and eunuch next to her immediately knelt down.
There was no sound in the study room, only the Holy One asked angrily: "Tell me, what should I do?! Everyone should be a Mingjun, but Mingjun is so easy to be!"
Xu Zhen is an honest person.
She looked at the Holy Majesty asking herself, thought for a moment, and felt that if she didn't speak again, she might be dragged out and beheaded.
So she asked: "My lord, don't you like the hypocrisy of today?"
The Holy One glanced at Xu Zhen, and said without hope, "Yes."
After he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that this person's attitude was a bit crazy. He was very upset and was about to call for someone to drag Xu Zhen out of the prison.
Immediately afterwards, Xu Zhen continued to say: "If the Holy One doesn't like hypocrisy, abolish Confucianism and respect Taoism, wouldn't it be fine? Taoism is the pursuit of inaction and truth. Taoism advocates a 'peaceful and prosperous age'. Deer. The country no longer needs to be bound by rules, and what is shown is the most authentic appearance."
Xu Zhen paused while speaking.
The Holy One has not yet reacted.
Xu Zhen also said: "In this way, the Holy Majesty will no longer have to worry about someone being hypocritical to cover up the truth. If Taoism is emphasized, everyone will enjoy themselves by doing nothing, and officials will not think about what to cover up and what the real situation is. That's what it's shown."
The Holy One was a little confused by what he said.
But it finally calmed down a lot.
After reflecting on what Xu Zhen said for a while, he sneered and said, "What do you mean by that? Do you want to abolish Confucianism alone? Learn from Emperor Shihuang by burning books and burying Confucianism? You are quite courageous."
Xu Zhen said: "Confucianism emphasizes form. There is no way around it. Nowadays, there are many Confucian scholars, and everyone emphasizes etiquette. It's just that they haven't studied thoroughly enough, and they haven't integrated themselves into flesh and blood, so they want to use false to create a society of ritual and music."
The Holy One asked: "You mean, what the academy teaches is not good enough?"
Xu Zhen said bluntly: "The teaching is too rigid."
The face of the saint changed.
Xu Zhen said again: "Do you still remember the little story in "Zhuangzi"? It said that two Confucian scholars went to rob the tomb and saw the owner of the tomb with a night pearl in his mouth. Donate the beads, what's the use of holding the beads after death. This is a typical mediocrity, who is doing bad things by himself and still speaks big principles."
The color of the holy face is even darker.
Xu Zhen said: "These people are bound by the rules. They do bad things, so they should do bad things well, but in order to show that they study Confucianism, they chant poems and criticize them. "
The Holy Majesty remained silent.
Xu Zhen said: "The country is like this now."
The Holy One asked, "What kind?"
Xu Zhen said: "Everyone says they emphasize Confucianism and understand etiquette, but what they do and what they say are completely different things."
His Majesty seldom chatted so straightforwardly with people. Even his own teacher dared not say these words. Every word he said had to turn eighteen corners, which made him unable to guess the meaning several times.
He had always hoped that there would be someone who spoke directly.
It is rare for such a person to appear nowadays, and the Holy Majesty felt a little uncomfortable, and didn't know whether to be angry or relieved for a while.
After thinking for a while, he asked, "You mean, Confucianism should be abolished and Daoism should be promoted?"
Xu Zhen didn't answer, because she thought of a civilized society thousands of years later.
She had some nostalgia, looked at the vermilion roof, and said, "Inferring Taoism is to bring everyone back to the original state. Everyone is real and there is no need to cover up. This method is indeed very convenient..."
The Holy Majesty felt that Xu Zhen was going around in circles, and urged: "Speak quickly."
Xu Zhen didn't dare not listen, and hurriedly said: "If Confucianism continues to be practiced, at least a thousand years later, the mountains and rivers will be magnificent, and the people's customs will be free and open. Although there are still many small conflicts in many places, at least the people will not be muddled. animals, and all are thinking beings.”
The Taoist view is that "the people are difficult to govern because of their wisdom", which means that the people are too smart to be disciplined. In this way, the monarch is like the leaves blowing in the wind on the tree, and the people are like the people running in the field. Wild Deer, everything will be true and happy.
Confucianism and Mohism both value benevolence and righteousness, and advocate face, but no one can tell whether the face under the constraints of this kind of rules is good or bad.
The Holy Majesty has rarely heard such words.
He felt that he seemed to have heard similar words before, and what decisions he had made at that time should have happened when he was young, and he couldn't remember.
The Holy Majesty sat on the top, meditating without saying a word, recalling those simple thoughts he had before becoming the emperor.
Xu Zhen still talked about "Confucianism" and "Tao" below.
When it comes to things after a thousand years.
The Holy Majesty suddenly sighed.
Xu Zhen stopped, looked at the Holy Majesty, and asked, "How does the Holy Majesty feel?"
The Holy Majesty was silent for a long time, and asked quietly: "You said, I am like this now, is it right?"
Xu Zhen said: "Equal emphasis on Confucianism and Taoism, naturally there is no problem, the education of the whole people is a good thing, now you feel that you can't see the truth, that the court officials are deceiving you, that is a sign of progress. If it is not because they know shame, know Good or bad, why would you go to great lengths to cover it up?"
The Holy One felt a little sad suddenly.
His position has always been uneasy, and there are always people who keep raising opinions. Since the previous dynasty, the theories of various schools have not been suppressed, and a hundred schools of thought are still contending, advocating their own ideas.
The sage listened to the east and west, and finally decided to continue to maintain Confucianism, but the effect of Confucianism did not seem to be very good.
He was very worried, worried that he would make a wrong decision and become a faint and tyrant in the history books.
Now after hearing what Xu Zhen said, I finally understand—
How could it be wrong that my ancestors persisted and worked hard for a long time
The Holy Majesty's originally irritable mood gradually calmed down.
The eunuchs and maids around were still kneeling on the ground, their faces turning blue, for fear that the Holy Majesty would be angry.
In the hall, only Xu Zhen was sitting, with a leisurely posture and a natural expression, and she even wanted to stand up and walk around.
After a long time, the Holy One asked: "After the thousand years you just said..."
After he asked, he felt that he was too ridiculous to ask such a question to a female gentleman in the countryside of Jiangling.
But it's not like a monarch to pretend to say what you didn't say in half.
The Holy Majesty thought for a while, and continued to ask: "If Gu continues to persevere, what will it look like in a thousand years?"
When Xu Zhen heard this, a joke on Weibo flashed in her mind.
She got up and bowed and said: "I can't guarantee anything else, but at least the mountains and rivers are still there, and the country is peaceful and the people are safe."
The hall was golden and shining, and it was silent and spacious. This plainly spoken sentence echoed for some reason and hit the ears of everyone present.
One after another, the blows were deafening.
The Holy One was sitting on the couch, with a bright yellow robe hanging down to the ground, blown by the wind, and fluttering in the air.
After a while, wait for the wind to stop.
The Holy One looked up, raised his sleeves to cover his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "That's enough."
After saying two words, he didn't ask Xu Zhen what reward she wanted, but waved and asked the little eunuch to send Xu Zhen out of the palace.
Xu Zhen didn't eat lunch, and was taken back to the restaurant by the carriage.
On the way, the little eunuch drove without saying a word.
Xu Zhen chatted a few words with nothing to do, and finally learned that the other face-to-face saints can basically stay for a day and talk with the saint about the way of governing the country. Only she came out before half a day.
So no food.
Xu Zhen was very sad and felt that she was really a blood loss.
She slowly returned to the room, opened the door, and walked in listlessly. When she looked up, she saw the little beggar sitting on a chair reading a book, and she felt better.
She walked over to chat with the little beggar, and complained to the little beggar about her miserable experience today.
Seeing that the little beggar was not at all curious about her adventures in the palace, Xu Zhen asked, "Have you met the emperor before?"
Xun Qianchun put down the book: "No."
Xu Zhen quickly said, "Hey, the emperor is too stingy."
After the voice fell, there was a lot of noise outside, people stepped on the stairs, cheered and shouted, and the sound of applause and laughter was endless.
Xu Zhen sat up straight and asked, "What's going on outside?"
Xun Qianchun listened for a while, and said: "Here comes the decree, to be an official."
The author has something to say: Little beggar (thinking secretly): I really want to write an imperial edict by myself, to give marriage
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The little beggar who was hidden by God again OTL
Guotai Min’an Mountains and Rivers are still there. It’s a Weibo joke. I traveled to the Republic of China and was asked by the Mr. Republic of China what China would be like a hundred years later.