On the slightly granular Xuanzhou bud paper, the ink was dripping and unruly, and five words were written: "The fish leaps into the sea."
Looking at the frame of the ink scroll, there should have been another sentence on the paper, but for some reason, the writer stopped after writing these five words. The middle section of the last hook of the word "sea" was left blank, faintly revealing a hint of unwillingness.
These five words were written in a strict and elegant manner. It would have been good if written by an ordinary person, but in Ning Que's eyes, it did not look impressive at all. Especially since he had just read the authentic works of the predecessors, he naturally felt that these five words "Fish Leaping Across This Sea" were quite terrible. Even if he guessed that these words were written by His Majesty, it would not change his impression.
Thinking that he entered the palace today under the name of a calligrapher, Ning Que's heart slightly moved. He secretly thought that if his calligraphy caught the eye of His Majesty in the future, then he would have a meteoric rise. It would not be bad to become an unpopular but extremely glorious court official.
Just as he was thinking about this, he suddenly heard an angry voice from afar behind the imperial study. The voice was thick and powerful, but it seemed especially violent. However, because it was too far away, he could only hear the most angry words of the person who scolded him.
"Idiot! … Idiot! … A bunch of idiots! "
The two words "idiot" were scolded by that person. It was sonorous and powerful like a war drum, and it was as clear as hitting a plate.
Ning Que stood in the imperial study in a daze, listening to the word "idiot" that seemed to come from beyond the sky. Gradually, he could not help but be fascinated by it. He felt a great sense of familiarity in his heart. He secretly wondered which steward was scolding idiots in such a coquettish manner.
The Tang Imperial Palace was such a solemn place. Even the most powerful eunuch steward dared not scold people in such a loud voice, not to mention that the voice of idiot came from the Discussion Hall.
Ning Que was not clear about the distribution of the buildings in the palace. Of course, he did not know that the area around the imperial study had always been heavily guarded. The Discussion Hall happened to be very close to the imperial study, so he could hear countless words of idiot, but others could not.
…
…
Inside the Palace of Counsel, there were coiled dragons on the jade pillars, and the golden curtains were embroidered with heavenly maids scattering flowers. On the left side of the imperial couch sat a beautiful woman dressed in palace attire. She was about 30 years old, with beautiful eyebrows and eyes. She looked charming and gentle, and her slightly thick lips were tightly pursed, which added a hint of firmness. Looking at her head ornament and phoenix dress, she was the Queen of Tang.
On the right side of the imperial couch sat a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl. Her eyes were slightly drooping and she was using her slender fingers to serve tea. Her beautiful face, coupled with her tranquil expression, made her look extremely graceful. Her slightly tanned cheeks, which had been tanned from running on the grasslands, had now returned to fair in less than ten days. She was the Fourth Princess of the Tang Empire, Li Yu.
Between the Empress and the Princess, there was a middle-aged man sitting on the couch. His black hair was casually tied behind his head, and he wore an extremely large robe. His voice was gentle, powerful, and unquestionable. Occasionally, when he said those two words, his voice would jump up like a cloud hitting a mountain, and thunder would ring through the palace.
On the ground in front of the couch, there were more than a dozen officials kneeling. Their heads were deeply buried, and their bodies were trembling slightly, looking particularly ashamed and frightened. The prince and the two old ministers who were qualified to sit also looked extremely ugly.
The Tang Empire had never paid much attention to secular rules. Even in the daily discussions and interactions between the emperor and his ministers, the ministers often did not need to kneel and kowtow, but only needed to make a deep bow. This was especially so for the current emperor, who was known for his benevolence. Normally, when the emperor and his ministers met in the Discussion Hall, His Majesty would even wave away the deep bow with a wave of his hand.
However, today, the benevolent emperor suddenly burst into a thunderous rage. The ministers of the Tang Empire finally realized that His Majesty did not allow them to kneel usually because he did not like it. When he was unhappy, the Discussion Hall became terrifying.
The middle-aged man on the couch was naturally the emperor of the Tang Empire — the person with the greatest secular power in the Haotian world. He looked at the ministers kneeling on the cold golden bricks in front of him, and his calm but mocking gaze slowly swept across their faces — the Governor of the Army, the Protector General, the Huaihua General, these were all the bigwigs of the Military Ministry, the Minister of the Right, the Assistant Minister of the Central Department, the old and young masters of the Ministry of Revenue, the Governor of the Capital, the Assistant Minister of the Yellow Gate, the two statues in Chang 'an, his younger brother sitting in the chair, and those old fellows. How much did they know about this matter?
"How can a gang take over the river transport business and move grain from the warehouse? You are all high-ranking officials in the imperial court, and a word from the steward of the mansion would make many people tremble in fear. How dare Chao Xiaoshu not listen to you? Are you really a bunch of idiots? Have you never thought of the reason? "
The emperor of the Tang Empire looked at his ministers as if he was looking at a group of bastards. His right hand touched the back of his head that was faintly aching, and he even had the urge to laugh out loud because of anger and disappointment. He stared at the crowd, slammed the table, and scolded, "You want to know who is the backer of the number one gang in Chang 'an? Now you know, and you know it's me. Don't you think you've become the biggest idiot in the world?"
"The Fish-dragon Gang! The Fish-dragon Gang! You are all well-educated people who are used to seeing the wind and rain, and yet none of you have thought of the four words, "Fish-dragon Gang"? If it wasn't my intention, who in Chang 'an would dare to use this name as a gang name? I am very disappointed in you, not because you ignore the law and oppress the people, but because you are stupid! Idiots! You haven't understood such a simple thing after so many years, if you are not idiots, then who are you? "
The chaotic fight in Chang 'an on a rainy spring night had finally succeeded in forcing Chao Xiaoshu to use his trump card. However, as soon as this trump card was revealed, the wind and rain disappeared without a trace, because this trump card was too powerful. It was so powerful that it could define everyone as an idiot with just one sentence, and then start to settle accounts later.
The ministers kneeling in the hall felt so wronged and sad that they didn't know what to say. They silently thought that for so many years, no one had found any connection between the Fish-dragon Gang and the palace. Besides, the emperor was the noble Emperor, while the Fish-dragon Gang was just a small carp in the gutter of Chang 'an. Their statuses were thousands of miles apart, and they didn't exist in the same world at all. Who would have thought that there was a connection between them?
It was like an advisor in the county government went to make things difficult for a small helper in the kitchen, and in the end, the advisor found out that the helper was under the protection of the Minister of Revenue! But the problem was, how could a guy who was under the protection of the Minister of Revenue be a small helper in the county government's kitchen!
If Chao Xiaoshu was an old acquaintance that Your Majesty met in the common people, and the two of them had a friendship, then why had he been soaking in the stinky gutter of Jianghu all these years? As long as Your Majesty said the word, where in the empire couldn't find a fourth or fifth rank official post for him? This was not because the princes and ministers were idiots, it was purely because Your Majesty was playing with us as idiots.
Kneeling on the cold golden bricks and sitting restlessly on the chairs, the Tang nobles and ministers were all full of complaints, but no one dared to jump out and argue with the one on the dragon throne at this time.
For these big shots of the empire, winning over or subduing Spring Breeze Pavilion Old Chao was a small matter, but they had encountered the biggest mountain in the world, so they knew that they were bound to be unlucky. More importantly, their subordinates and deputies were responsible for the specific handling of these matters, and they used the power of the imperial court and even the military, which had already touched the bottom line of His Majesty.
How should this matter be resolved?
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