Above the palace, the four seats were quiet. Emperor Zhao Qing sat sideways on a treasured couch, one hand supporting his head and the other resting on his knees. His posture was casual as he looked at Jing Chen, who was standing not far away and explaining the Book of Changes.
"… Therefore, the big has no outside, the small has no inside. The combination of Yin and Yang forms all things in the world. To understand all things, one must first distinguish Yin and Yang, and know right and wrong. The Great Way is illusory and real, hard and soft, there is Yang in Yin and Yin in Yang. The combination of Yin and Yang is heaven's law. "
The "Book of Changes" was the source of the Book of Changes. It was only about four thousand words and had gone through three ancient times and three saints. In ancient times, King Fuxi opened the heavens with his eight trigrams. In ancient times, there was King Wen's 64 trigrams. In ancient times, there was Confucius's "Ten Wings".
Jing Chen's clear voice traveled to every corner of the palace. When he explained the Book of Changes, it started from Yin and Yang to everything. The theory was not difficult to understand, but when it was explained by a handsome immortal like him, it was exceptionally clear.
The one-hour lecture wasn't short, but it wasn't long either. Some people were engrossed in it, while others weren't paying attention at all.
Yu Shu just couldn't listen. Her learning of the Book of Changes didn't start with the word "reason", it was Taoist Qing Zheng's force-feeding method. Later, in order to participate in the Da yan examination, she had to memorize a pile of Book of Changes. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't even know where the "Book of Changes" came from.
At this moment, her attention was on the other side of the golden carpet. The first row, from top to bottom, was Prince Xiang and Prince Jing. Next to them, were two old men whom she had never seen before. One had a head full of white hair, the other had a serious face, wearing a high crown and sleeved robe, with a crane embroidered on his chest.
Yu Shu thought that these two must be Prime Minister Xue and Prime Minister Yin. According to the seating arrangement, the white-haired one should be Prime Minister Yin, and the expressionless one should be Xue Rui's grandfather.
This deduction surprised her. She had seen Noble Consort Xue and Consort Shu at the Hibiscus Gentlemen's Banquet. Noble Consort Xue was lively and liked to laugh, while Consort Shu was strict and serious. Both of them were like daughters and fathers. Who would have thought that Xue Lingnan would be so dignified, while Prime Minister Yin was all smiles?
When she thought up to here, she gazed at the few rows in front of her. Xue Rui said that he would come today, yet she hadn't seen a shadow of him since she entered. She wondered if he'd forgotten or something else had happened.
Below the two Prime Ministers, there are many foreign envoys dressed differently. Yu Shu can't recognize the others, but the skinny man with a shaved head and a ponytail must be from Dong Ying.
There were two companions sitting behind the skinny man. One of them was nothing special, but the other was a young man. His black hair was not shaved and was tied neatly at the back of his head. A row of bangs hung down past his eyebrows. His skin was snow-white and he was quite handsome.
Girls? Yu Shu murmured in her heart.
She couldn't help but take a few more glances at the Dong Ying young man. Suddenly, the young man turned his head and looked in her direction. Their gazes met.
She didn't notice it before, but now she realized that the young man's eyes were so pale that they didn't seem to have any color. They were staring at her blankly, causing a chill to run down her spine. It was very uncomfortable.
She was the first to turn her gaze away. Her heart felt strange and she couldn't be bothered to listen to what Jing Chen was saying. She didn't know that after she turned her head away, the Dong Ying young man stared at her for a long time.
The Dong Ying man sitting beside the young man sensed it and also glanced in Yu Shu's direction. He asked the young man something in a low voice. The young man shook his head and lowered it without saying a word. His hands were flat on his knees and he didn't move at all, becoming a statue.
.....
When Jing Chen returned to his seat, there was a wave of whispers below. It was obvious that the discussion was the main focus.
Teacher Yi's side didn't matter. They were all Han people and they all spoke in Han. Yu Shu was puzzled as to why the group of "foreigners" opposite her could make an expression of sudden realization and enlightenment. Did they really understand or were they pretending to understand?
After the commotion below for a while, Emperor Zhao Qing slowly sat up straight and placed his hands on the dragon throne. The eunuch who was waiting at the side saw this and swept the horsetail whisk in his hand across the air.
He said in a loud voice, "Silence!"
The voices in the hall stopped abruptly.
Emperor Zhao Qing scanned the people below and looked at the envoy. He smiled faintly and said,
"You people said that you want to see my Da An Yi School. I have to ask someone to reason with you. After listening to what I said just now, what do you think?"
Yu Shu wasn't sitting very far and could barely make out the appearance of Emperor Zhaoqing. With one look, she finally understood why this old Emperor favored Ning Wang so much.
This pair of emperor and his son could not be said to have been cast from the same mold, but their appearances were sixty to seventy percent similar. They were both born with imposing features, square foreheads, wide noses, and the faces of nobles. In contrast, Liu Tan, who was present today, had a scholarly and weak appearance.
She just didn't know if Liu Hao's fickle and heartless temperament also resembled that of the Emperor.
The envoys of various countries could understand the common language of Daan. When they were asked by the emperor, they stood up one by one and answered in a strange tone. However, they still wanted to be literate, which made Yu Shu want to laugh.
"Your Majesty Stewed Biscuit, it's easy to cook raw, but it's hard to cook raw. I'll wait for your help."
This sentence was: Replying to Your Majesty, the Sage Dynasty's Yi Study is truly profound. We have learned a lot.
After listening to what that young master said just now, we have learned a lot.
.....
Not only Yu Shu, but those who had ears, when they heard what the other side said, their faces were slightly distorted and they were trying their best to hold back their laughter.
"Hahaha!" Emperor Zhaoqing was also amused. His loud laughter was like a signal. Those seated could not help but laugh out loud. This laughter did not contain any malice, so the atmosphere was rather harmonious.
When they were done laughing, the Celestial Commissioner then took out a batch of artifacts that he had prepared earlier to display. Among them were treasures that could attract wealth and ward off evil spirits. There were also tools that could keep track of time and calendar. The workmanship was exquisite and there was a mystery hidden within. The group of foreign envoys were dazzled just by looking at them.
Xin Ya was in charge of explaining the uses of each artifact in an orderly manner.
Another hour passed like this, and only then did everyone return to their seats reluctantly. On the spot, there were envoys who suggested that the Emperor could gift one or two rare artifacts for them to bring back to their countries.
Emperor Zhaoqing generously agreed and instructed the Celestial Commissioner to handle it. If they wanted to gift, they would gift a set and not one or two poor people.
Xin Ya was secretly pleased. He thought that if this task was done well, he would be able to benefit greatly from it.
At this moment, the Japanese envoy, who had been silent all this while, stared at the exquisite artifacts. He stood up from his seat, raised his hands, and bowed respectfully to the Emperor of Zhao Qing. Only then did he open his mouth to speak.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should say it."
This Japanese was very fluent in speech.
Emperor Zhaoqing was probably in a good mood. He waved his hand and said, "You are not guilty. You may speak."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The Japanese was done with his gesture. He raised his head and looked at the hundreds of seats opposite him. A dry smile appeared on his thin and sunken face. He said,
"From your humble subject's point of view, the study of Yi in the Holy Dynasty is extensive and profound, but most of it is just theory on paper. Teaching people reason is the best choice, but when it comes to practical use, it is just borrowing tools to sharpen one's abilities. It is really regrettable that one cannot use it as one wishes."
In other words, this meant: Your study of Yi only talks about general principles, but when it comes to practical use, you still have to rely on those external tools. It is very boring.
How many of those who were present were fools? Hearing his praise and criticism, the faces of the Yi teachers darkened.
Originally, the Celestial Commissioner had thought it through. In order to widen the horizons of these foreign 'country bumpkins', he had displayed the feng shui artifacts and tools. Who would have thought that this envoy from Japan would ruin his plan and say that it was' borrowing tools to sharpen one's abilities'. It was as if they had no real ability and only knew how to play around with these strange tricks.
The smile on Emperor Zhaoqing's face faded. He turned to look at Xin Ya, who was in charge of displaying the artifacts, and said,
"What did he say? Did you hear it?"
Seeing the Emperor's gaze, Xin Ya immediately felt bitterness in his throat. He knew that if he could not handle the situation today, the Emperor would lose face in front of a few envoys from a small country. That would be troublesome. The Emperor had previously said that the envoy was not to be blamed for speaking recklessly. If that happened, he would be the unlucky one.
When he went out this morning, the Blue Robin on the windowsill kept chirping non-stop. It turned out that it was not a good time to go out.
"Your subject heard it. It seems like this envoy has misunderstood." Xin Ya's expression was still calm. He turned to look at the annoying skinny Japanese and cursed in his heart. However, he patiently explained, "I, the Yi teacher of Da An, study Yi.
There are thousands of uses and all phenomena in the universe. How can I only be proficient in the art of artifacts? How can an outsider like you know how profound the study of Yi is? "
"Is that so?" The Japanese looked like he was willing to learn. "Your Excellency, you said that there are thousands of uses. May I ask, can the Yi teacher of the Holy Dynasty summon the wind and summon the rain?"
Xin Ya frowned. He thought that this Japanese was deliberately provoking him. However, with the Emperor looking at him, he could only bite the bullet and answer, "No."
"Can you summon gods and ghosts?"
"… No."
"Can you bring the dead back to life?"
"… No."
The Japanese revealed that uncomfortable smile again and said, "If you can't do any of these, how can you say that there are thousands of uses and all phenomena in the universe? Why do you have to brag? I think the Yi teacher of the Holy Dynasty is just so-so. "
This sentence was not only directed at Xin Ya's face. It was also directed at the faces of the hundreds of Yi teachers present.
Xin Ya also had a temper. This Japanese from a small country was short-sighted and narrow-minded. How dare he question the abilities of the Yi teacher of Da An and spout nonsense here. Hence, Xin Ya's face darkened and he asked back.
"The abilities you mentioned, unless it's a celestial art, how can a mortal do it?"
Who knew that the Japanese was waiting for him to say this. He immediately raised his chin proudly and said loudly, "In our humble country, there is also a school of learning that can indeed summon the wind and summon the rain, order ghosts and gods, and bring the dead back to life!"
As soon as he said this, everyone was in an uproar. Was this Japanese bragging or was he speaking the truth?!
Yu Shu raised her eyebrows in surprise. She could not help but turn to look at the expression of the Emperor of Da An.
Zhu Muzhao sat quietly on the main seat the entire time, closest to the Emperor of Zhao Qing. He was calm and his expression was calm. It was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.
The Emperor of Zhao Qing did not say a word and looked down coldly.
Xin Ya felt that it was ridiculous, but she did not take it seriously. She put on an act and bowed to the Japanese. "So there really is such art that can summon the wind and summon the rain and bring the dead back to life. I would like to ask for your guidance. Words alone are no proof. Please allow us to see it for ourselves."
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