Chapter 496
When he was young in the imperial capital, he was probably not much different from the little troublemaker Li Mo from Qinghe Town, and Song Qian was one of his victims.
“He couldn’t pee as far as I could, so I tied him to a tree and flicked him for half an hour. After that, he turned out like this. Sigh, I’m not exactly a demon either…”
“.....”
No wonder Song Qian ended up as Song Qian.
So it all started with you.
“She must have been influenced by Confucian martial arts—‘A gentleman uses words, not fists.’”
At this moment, Xie Xuan turned to Hua Nongying.
“... Manager Hua, you can get up now.”
Li Mo released his Taiyin spirit, freeing Hua Nongying from her restraints.
Is this what they call Confucian martial arts?
Seeing his strange expression, Xie Xuan said, “I heard that in the past, Confucians were full of martial virtue. Whenever they sat down to discuss philosophy, they would get so worked up that if the reasoning didn’t hold, they’d resort to fists.”
“That’s why every time Confucians debated, they often ended up missing an arm or a leg.”
“Later, a peak seventh realm Confucian sage realized this wouldn’t do, so he created this method.”
Li Mo: “.....”
I wonder if that sage knew that ‘A gentleman uses words, not fists’ would be used like this by scholars; would he be so furious he’d jump out of his coffin?
“Thank you... Boss.”
Hua Nongying got up, her head lowered, her eyes glancing at Li Mo.
“No need to thank me. It’s the store’s rule. I would do the same for anyone. In our shop, there’s no rule about making people kneel.”
“Mm.”
The little spark that had just ignited in Hua Nongying’s eyes silently extinguished.
.....
In the carriage, the coachman couldn’t help but ask:
“Young Master, are we just leaving like this?”
“What else? Stay there and get tied to a tree?”
Song Qian’s face was extremely grim, his teeth nearly biting into his own flesh.
As the saying goes, the barefoot don’t fear the shoe-wearers.
Zhong Zhenyue was undoubtedly a complete fool.
And as for Xie Xuan, let’s not even go there. This guy dared to point at the crown prince’s nose and argue when he entered the Eastern Palace.
And these two epic fools were both looking up to the little tyrant Ma, as if he were a god...
How lawless must Li Mo be?
The head of the servants quickly said, “True, you are a precious jade; how could you clash with a piece of tile... it’s not worth the loss, not worth the loss.”
“Mm.....”
“Hey, Young Master, why are you touching my backside? Young Master?! This isn’t right!”
The head servant turned around, his expression suddenly turning to one of terror.
He saw that Song Qian, who had barely maintained his composure moments ago, was now glaring at him with bloodshot eyes, panting heavily.
Blood Refinement Hall’s products are guaranteed to be top-notch.
Well, if we set aside the side effects.
......
In the Eastern Palace.
A faint shadow flew in from the sky and landed in the cage; it turned out to be a gray silver falcon.
A eunuch retrieved a letter from its feet, bowed his head, and delivered it into the palace.
Passing through the palace walls, one could see the winding waters of the Eastern Palace’s lake, where two people sat in a pavilion.
One was the beautiful and resplendent Empress Chu Ge, her hair and ornaments weighing at least ten pounds, resembling a blooming peony.
Opposite her was her eldest son, the future king of the Dayu Dynasty, a warm-hearted good brother...
“Yu’er, in the realm of celestial beings, the one who ultimately controls the celestial beings may not necessarily be the strongest.”
“Otherwise, there would be no need to enter the realm of celestial beings; the top of the Qianlong list could just take the Celestial Sword directly.”
“Whoever can better control the fate of heaven and earth will be the one who laughs last.”
“A fish that has passed through the Dragon Gate is still a fish, different from us standing on the shore.”
Empress Chu Ge gazed at the koi in the pond, speaking softly.
“Mother, I have no intention of being complacent.”
Jiang Yu’s tone revealed no emotion.
Empress Chu Ge was not surprised but rather pleased, smiling as she patted the back of his hand.
What’s good about Yu’er is that he is more obedient than Jing Tai.
And he resembles her even more.
“Your Majesty, the letter has arrived…”
A palace maid presented the letter that had just come.
“From Nongying?” Empress Chu Ge pinched the letter, glancing at it. “The Hundred Flowers Festival... it has quite a flair.”
“Mother, you embody the virtues of the world. If you were to organize it, it would be most fitting, but…”
Jiang Yu also looked at the letter:
“Will the officials agree to this?”
The civil and military officials were conservative; since the Qianlong Conference, there had never been a Hundred Flowers Festival.
“By then, it will be up to the officials and His Majesty to discuss. I won’t meddle in political affairs. Yu’er... you should visit the Dragon Raising Temple tonight.”
As she spoke, she rose.
After sitting in the soft sedan chair, she took out another letter from her sleeve.
She squinted at it, murmuring:
“Ying Bing, from the Qingyuan Sect of Ziyang Prefecture, only seventeen years old.”
“Suspected to have inherited the legacy of the Great Shang, bearing…”
“A fragmented realm of celestial beings?”
---
**Chapter 558: The Minister of Rites is also a Genius, the True God of Wealth?**
Ding—
As the first rays of sunlight illuminated the glazed tiles, the sound of the morning bell echoed through the deep palace of red walls.
In the San Yang Hall, the fragrant sandalwood wafted from the golden-patterned qilin incense burner, bringing the carved birds and beasts on the red beams to life.
Before the dragon table, Jing Tai heard the bell and opened his eyes beneath the crown, his gaze carrying a hint of drowsiness mixed with authority as he looked down at the clearly defined civil and military officials.
“A mysterious sea eye has suddenly appeared in the North Sea, unfathomable. Many ships that set out from the Northern Seal have gone missing near it, only to reappear in the East Sea.”
“The Buddhist kingdom from the Western Regions has sent envoys, hoping to establish a temple in the imperial capital to spread their teachings.”
“Grain and provisions are in short supply in the southern border…”
A eunuch wearing a black gauze hat and a bright red python robe loudly announced one major issue after another, all concerning the heavens and the earth, the nation and its people.
After finishing, he finally asked:
“Gentlemen, do you have any proposals?”
His voice echoed in the quiet hall.
The officials all observed with their eyes, noses, and hearts, remaining silent.
Such major issues were not suitable for open discussion in the court; political discussions typically involved observing the attitudes and movements of the officials regarding matters that had already been decided by various factions.
In simple terms, the court is not a place for business; it’s a place for the interplay of power.
After a long silence, Emperor Jing Tai spoke:
“If that’s the case, we shall adjourn without any proposals.”
“Your servant has a matter to report to Your Majesty.”
At this moment, the Minister of Rites, Song Baiyue, stepped forward and bowed:
“Since the Qianlong Conference has just concluded, I believe we can hold another grand event before entering the realm of celestial beings. One, to reward the many Qianlongs; two, to celebrate with the people.”
The officials in the hall, nobles and dignitaries, exchanged glances, unsure of what the Minister of Rites suddenly meant by this strange suggestion.
Unable to gauge his intentions, the court fell silent again.
A few officials spoke out in opposition:
“Another celebration? It burdens the people and wastes resources.”
“Your Majesty has suffered a setback; what’s the point of holding a celebration?”
“Let’s be practical; is this really necessary?”
It seemed absurd to hold another celebration; setting aside other matters, it meant more work for everyone.
Who would willingly create more trouble for themselves without any benefit?
But Minister Song smiled slightly:
“The celebration I’m proposing is the Hundred Flowers Festival, inviting the most beautiful women from the Hundred Flowers List to the capital to showcase their talents, like playing a tune or singing a song…”
A gasp of surprise rippled through the civil and military officials.
Those pretending to be asleep were now wide awake, and even the elderly officials straightened up, while the scholars from the Guozijian wore serious expressions.
“Hey, I’ve always said that Old Song has been managing the Ministry of Rites splendidly; he must have some skills. I think this proposal is quite good!”
“Since ancient times, where there are talented men, there are beautiful women. With the Qianlong Conference, adding a Hundred Flowers Festival is reasonable and proper, beneficial to the country and the people!”
“Yes, this perfectly showcases our Dayu’s prosperity and harmony!”
“Good, good, good! Just thinking of this scene makes me feel poetic. As the saying goes... I, an old man, can still unleash youthful vigor; one section is better than six sections!”
“Very moist, very moist…”
The court suddenly became lively, united in spirit and purpose.
Emperor Jing Tai had never seen such a scene since ascending the throne.
In the past, he had often witnessed ministers fighting in the court, leaving with bruises and injuries.
But not everyone was enthusiastic.
The Minister of Revenue stepped forward:
“I oppose!”
“Hmm?”
The officials looked at him with unfriendly expressions, ready to unleash their anger. A few taciturn military generals rolled up their sleeves, prepared to show this old man a thing or two.
“The national treasury is empty, and the Dragon Raising Temple incurs enormous expenses every year. Now you want to hold a Hundred Flowers Festival? Where will the money come from?”
“I don’t want to dampen everyone’s spirits; it’s just that all the debts have their uses now.”
“Are we using the funds for the Dragon Raising Temple, or for building large ships in the Northern Seal, or for military provisions in the southern border?”
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