The Emperor walked slowly to the bookshelf and lowered his body slightly. His slender fingers slowly slid across the neatly arranged books, and then stopped at the deepest part of the bookshelf. This row of the bookshelf contained the tablet stickers and the rare books of the old dynasty that the Empire had gathered from the Xun Tian Pavilion. He remembered clearly that the last time he tidied up the bookshelf, the books were slightly slanted from left to right. But now, the slanted direction was reversed. Could it be that someone had touched my bookshelf?
He frowned slightly. His fingertips gently tapped on the edges of the books, and then his knuckles suddenly tightened, lifting the entire layer of books to another direction. Then, he saw a piece of paper hidden in the depths of the bookshelf.
The Emperor took out the piece of paper and placed it on the desk. He looked at the five words on the paper, which were dripping with ink. His brows furrowed even more. After looking at it in silence for a long time, he suddenly shouted, "Who touched my imperial study?"
A moment later, three eunuchs knelt in the imperial study. The three eunuchs involuntarily raised their heads and looked at the slightly plump guard commander beside the desk. Their eyes were full of pleading for help. Xu Chongshan was in charge of all the guards around the imperial study. The three eunuchs did not know why the Emperor was angry, so they could only hope that he could stand up and say something.
Xu Chongshan carefully took two steps closer to the Emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty, I can guarantee that no one dares to enter the imperial study without permission."
The Emperor, Li Zhongyi, had always been lenient in governing the country. These officials knew his temper and temperament very well. They did not feel afraid of the Emperor as they served by his side every day. However, this matter involved the imperial study, so Xu Chongshan did not dare to be careless.
The Emperor slammed the desk heavily and looked coldly at the five big words on the paper. He asked in a cold voice, "If no one dares to enter my imperial study without permission, then where did these five words come from? Could it be that it was written by a ghost from the Underworld? "
He frowned slightly and looked at the five words that seemed to be stabbing into his heart. He felt more and more irritated. After a short pause, he said, "It's something that happened this month. Look into it for me!"
Xu Chongshan bowed respectfully. He caught a glimpse of the four ink words on the paper and was about to leave when he suddenly thought of the cheeky and bold lad at the beginning of the month. There was a buzzing sound in his head and his body suddenly became extremely stiff. The people in the palace were very disciplined and no one dared to enter the Imperial Study without permission. After thinking about it, it seemed that the only person who had the chance to get close to the Imperial Study and even enter the Imperial Study this month … was that lad!
"What's wrong? Did you remember something? "The Emperor looked at his profile coldly.
Xu Chongshan smiled faintly and said, "I was just thinking that it might have been written by one of the study companions in the palace, and then it was mistakenly kept in the imperial study. Speaking of which … this handwriting is really good."
The Emperor glared at him angrily and reprimanded, "Am I inviting you to admire my calligraphy? Do you think I don't know if my handwriting is good or not? What I want you to investigate is who had the guts to enter my Imperial Study and use my brush to write! "
Xu Chongshan smiled awkwardly and left the Imperial Study. After he closed the door of the Imperial Study, he slowly straightened his body and walked out of the garden in the pleasant spring breeze after the rain. Only then did he realize that his back had become wet and cold.
A moment later, the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards appeared under the eaves of a cold and gloomy side hall. He stared coldly at the pale-faced eunuch, gritted his teeth, and said in a cold voice, "You are also one of my secret guards. At that time, I wanted you to bring him to the duty room behind the imperial study. How dare you leave him outside the imperial study and leave?"
The little eunuch raised his head and said with a trembling voice, "Your Excellency, you ordered me to clear the area around the Imperial Study. In that case, it would be too conspicuous for me to stay there. Moreover, I did not know that Ning was so bold. He clearly knew that it was the Imperial Study and yet he still dared to enter."
"What's the use of saying this now? That idiot has already entered! "
Xu Chongshan stared at him angrily and said, "His Majesty wants to investigate this matter now. Judging from His Majesty's expression, if he catches that guy, he will at least be flogged a dozen times. So you have to remember this. That idiot has never entered the palace, let alone the Imperial Study. Do you hear me?"
The little eunuch said with a sad face, "Your Excellency, can't we just offer him up? His Majesty can flog him a dozen times as a punishment. We don't have to bear this responsibility for him. "
Xu Chongshan said with hatred, "Idiot! That idiot is now my subordinate! If His Majesty finds out that the secret guards recruited such an idiot, wouldn't I be laughed to death? If His Majesty is still not satisfied and wants to punish me, who can I go to ask for justice? "
"That's because of Master Chao. His Majesty has to show some consideration …" The eunuch reminded timidly.
Xu Chongshan flicked his sleeves and left. He shouted, "Damn it, do I have to take the blame for that idiot because of Chao Xiaoshu?"
…
…
Just when Xu Chongshan and the little eunuch were about to cover up this matter, the Tang Emperor, Li Zhongyi, was staring at the calligraphy in the Imperial Study. Suddenly, he walked to the bookshelf and took out a box with a key. He took out a piece of calligraphy from the manuscripts that he rarely showed to others and placed it beside that piece of calligraphy.
The first piece of calligraphy was written by the Emperor on the night of the Spring Breeze Pavilion incident. He was going to give it to Chao Xiaoshu as a reward to comfort him for being trapped in the Black City all these years and to encourage him to serve the imperial court in the future. However, he did not expect that he would not have the chance to give it to Chao Xiaoshu after a conversation with him.
"Fish leaping into the sea … Is this not right?"
His Majesty frowned as he looked at the two pieces of calligraphy that were lined up side by side. His eyes moved to the other piece of calligraphy and murmured, "The flower blooms on the shore of the other shore? Can't it bloom on this shore? Can it only bloom when it leaves Chang 'an and my Tang Empire? "
The Emperor's anger came from the fact that someone dared to touch the Imperial Study. It came from the four words that had pierced through the emotions that he had been deliberately trying not to think about. However, as his emotions gradually calmed down, he frowned as he looked at the five words, "The flower blooms on the shore of the other shore". Thinking of the dispute between him and Chao Xiaoshu that day, he gradually realized some other meaning.
"The fish leaping into the sea is my sea after all. The flower blooms on the shore of the other shore is the true heaven of freedom. Since I have trapped that guy for more than ten years, letting him go is just to pay off the debt. Isn't giving freedom to others the same as giving freedom to myself?"
The Emperor's eyebrows gradually relaxed. He thought of the disappointment he felt when he looked at the wet flowering trees in the morning. He thought of his friend, who was far from him in status but very similar in temperament and temperament. He thought that he might be walking on a mountain path with wet trees and flowers at this moment. He felt that he had also left Chang 'an City, and that his body and mind were free.
However, he was, after all, the Emperor of the Tang Empire. Even though he had thought it through, he was still a little angry. He looked at the calligraphy and angrily rebuked, "Even if what you said is right, I can't let you off easily! I have to find out who wrote this. How dare they mock me! Who wrote this? How could it be written … Eh … It's so well written! "
Having seen through the conflict in his heart, his state of mind was naturally different from before. At this moment, His Majesty really looked at the calligraphy seriously. When he glanced at it previously, he only felt that the framework of the five words was right and peaceful. Now that he looked at it carefully, he found that the five words "The flower blooms on the shore of the other shore" were slender and well-proportioned. The bone strength was strong and hidden in the full ink. It did not stand out at all. It was clear and strong, yet gentle and beautiful. It was indeed a wonderful work!
"This … is really good! The strokes are both square and round, the structure is broad, the posture is charming and proud, agile and elegant, and the strength of character is contained … Who wrote this? It is so much better than me! "
His Majesty squinted his eyes and raised his eyebrows. His fingers slightly trembled as he brushed across the words "The flower blooms on the shore of the other shore". He could not contain his joy. He knew that his evaluation of the five words was not fair. The words on the paper were not only much better than what he had written, they were not inferior to the calligraphy of the famous masters hanging on the wall. In fact, they were even better than them.
Just as Ning Que had sighed with emotion in the imperial study that day, the Emperor of the Tang Empire's calligraphy was not very good, but his appreciation level was very high. The more he looked, the more fascinated he became. He even saw the feeling that Ning Que felt when he was writing these five words that day. He felt that these five words were like hazy branches of flowers that bloomed on the other side of the sea, gently brushing his back from top to bottom, brushing away the depression and unhappiness that had accumulated over the past few days.
"Good writing! Really, really good writing! "
His Majesty only felt that his mind was broadened and his mood had returned to peace. He smiled at the five words on the paper and did not hesitate to give his most sincere praise.
Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows and slammed the desk heavily. He shouted, "Guards!"
After a while, the three eunuchs knelt on the floor of the imperial study again. They looked at the Deputy Commander of the bodyguards, Xu Chongshan, for help. Xu Chongshan suppressed the uneasiness in his heart and approached His Majesty. He asked, "Your Majesty, I am arranging the bodyguards to investigate in secret, but … there is no news for a while."
As one of the closest officials who knew His Majesty the best, he knew that His Majesty was not a person who held grudges. Not to mention a small matter like entering the imperial study to write a piece of calligraphy, His Majesty would not pursue the more ridiculous things that happened in the palace as long as it did not affect the political system of the country. He had originally planned to drag this matter on for a few days and then a few months until there was no trace of it. He did not expect that His Majesty would go against his usual wishes and put pressure on him repeatedly.
The Emperor didn't even glance at him. He looked at the calligraphy scroll on the desk with incomparable fascination. Gently stroking the long beard on his chin, he ordered, "Find out who wrote this. Remember not to startle this calligrapher. Treat him with respect. Hmm, after you find him, respectfully invite him into the Palace. I want to ask him for some advice."
"Ah?" Xu Chongshan raised his head in shock.
A moment later, the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guards, whose official robes were wet and dry, reappeared under the cold eaves of a certain side hall. He looked awkwardly at the young eunuch, who had a very interesting expression on his face, and said in confusion and embarrassment, "Yes, the situation in the royal study is like this. Now, it seems that the idiot is going to benefit from a disaster."
The young eunuch patted his chest in fear and said with a sweet smile, "Your Majesty, this is a good opportunity. If there is a calligrapher who is appreciated by His Majesty among the secret guards, Your Majesty will be very proud."
"There is no opportunity, and no glory, at least for now." Xu Chongshan looked at his loyal subordinate with a fake smile and said, "You have to remember that the idiot, no, Ning Que did not enter the palace."
The young eunuch looked at him in surprise and asked, "Your Majesty, why?"
Xu Chongshan laughed as if he was crying. His voice was squeezed out from between his teeth and said, "Because … we did not admit it before. If we admit it now, it will be … deceiving the Emperor."
The young eunuch instantly understood the problem. He looked like he was crying, rubbing his small fists and said in distress, "Look at this, how did a good thing turn into a bad thing?"
Xu Chongshan thought to himself, "Why are you crying here? I have turned a great opportunity to flatter His Majesty into a suspected crime of deceiving the Emperor. This is what I should cry bitterly for!"
Thinking of this, he could not help but feel extremely regretful. If he had taken the blame for Ning Que in the beginning, he would not be in such a dilemma now. He was in such a f * cking situation where he did not dare to take the hoe when he saw a mountain of treasures!
The young eunuch rolled his eyes and looked at him carefully. He suggested another idea, "Why don't you report to His Majesty and say that you did not remember Ning Que before, but remembered him after some investigation."
"Idiot!"
Xu Chongshan was already in an extremely bad mood. He reprimanded him, "You did not remember him at the beginning when it was time to punish him, and now you remember him when it is time to reward him. His Majesty is generous to us, but it does not mean that he is that! It is okay to hide some unimportant things from His Majesty, but if His Majesty thinks that his subjects really treat him as that, then you will know that in front of His Majesty, we are that! "
He forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a low voice, "We cannot admit to deceiving the Emperor. Since we did not admit it at the beginning, we will not admit it until we die."
The young eunuch raised his head and looked at him innocently. He said, "If Ning Que is found, we have no choice but to admit it."
Xu Chongshan said after a moment of silence, "Time, only time is the only standard to test the truth. This is the only thing that the idiot said that was not an idiot, and only time is the only way to reduce the punishment."
…
…
The warm spring breeze blew across the lawn, through the flowering trees, into the quiet alley, and then through the gaps between the windows and the walls of the study room into the room. It felt warm and lazy as it caressed the faces of the young students. It was a good time to be sleepy in spring. However, the students of Classroom Three were not only sleepy, but also confused, because one of the study tables was empty.
When the bell rang for the third time, the students left the study room in twos and threes. Some went back to Chang 'an City, some went to the kitchen to grab the freshest corn cob, and some dragged their scholarly feet along the stone path beside the wetland to the old library.
When they arrived at the old library, they still did not see that guy. After asking the instructor, they found out that the guy did not sneak up to the second floor. The confusion in everyone's eyes grew stronger. Situ Yilan and Jin Wucai could not help but discuss with their classmates. Zhong Dajun, on the other hand, frowned as he stood beside the bookshelf, deep in thought. They were used to seeing that guy go upstairs with a pale face every day. Now that they did not see that scene, everyone felt a little surprised.
By the east window on the second floor of the old library, a female professor wearing a light-colored teaching robe slowly put down the pen in her hand. She calmly raised her head and looked in the direction of the staircase. After waiting for a while, she realized that no one came up, and she could not help but frown slightly. She did not agree with that student who did not cherish his body and forced himself to go upstairs to study. However, after watching him for so many days, she finally admired that student a little more. When she realized that the student did not come today, she guessed that he had probably given up. She could not help but feel a little regret in her heart. It was a pity that he did not persist.
…
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