"If you have something to report, court is dismissed!"
Pound's sharp voice rang out. According to past practice, this was Li Shimin's routine question when he was withdrawing from court. It was just like when a familiar person on the street asked if you had eaten yet. The officials had already packed their things and were preparing to withdraw from court to work.
"Minister, you have a memorial!" A voice broke the tacit understanding that had existed for many years.
Everyone turned to look at the tall and sturdy Li Junxian. Li Junxian awkwardly stepped aside, revealing Meton behind him.
"This hothead!"
Many officials frowned, but when they thought about how this was Mo Jiazi's first time attending court and didn't know the tacit understanding of the court, they didn't say anything.
"Oh!"
Li Shimin looked at Mo Dun in surprise. Although he had a feeling that Mo Dun was up to no good, it was a rule for court officials to submit memorials, so it was not good to reject them.
"Minister Mo! What do you have to report? Submit the memorial! " Li Shimin was prepared to suppress it for now. Otherwise, if he wasn't careful, this brat might reveal some shocking information.
"Memorial?" Meton was dumbfounded. This was his first time attending court, how could he have any?
The officials could see Meton's awkward state and couldn't help but laugh inwardly. Li Shimin's face instantly darkened. Could it be that this brat didn't have any memorials?
"Meton, you're purposely disrupting the order of the court and gaining favor because of your contributions. You're simply lawless. Imperial Censor Wang immediately jumped out when he saw Meton's predicament.
"Meton, do you think that the court is a child's home? If you dare to speak nonsense again, be careful that you don't get your butt whipped again. " Li Shimin's face darkened as he tried to scare Merton. However, everyone could tell that Li Shimin was trying to protect him.
"Mo Jiazi is really lucky!"
Many courtiers were secretly shocked. For Li Shimin to personally protect Meton, it was clear how important Li Shimin's heart was to Li Shimin.
"In reply to Your Majesty! The Minister really had something to report, but the Minister had no report, and the matter was not clear. Therefore, the Minister organized a play and personally performed it for His Majesty, "Meton said with an aggrieved expression.
"A play?" Li Shimin was puzzled.
Meton gestured and finally explained to Li Shimin what a play was.
"Oh!"
Li Shimin was suddenly enlightened. Wasn't it just acting out the story?
In this era, other than having sex with his harem, the emperor also had limited entertainment. Meton's words couldn't help but whet Li Shimin's appetite.
"Apart from this, the Minister also needs a few helpers. They are currently outside the palace!" Merton said.
"Permitted!" Li Shimin appeared businesslike, but the excitement in his eyes could not be concealed.
Outside Taiji Palace
A play stage was quickly set up. On the stage was an incense burner table with candles, incense, and yellow paper.
Many courtiers couldn't help but frown, but when they thought of Mo Jiazi's miraculous performance, they didn't stop him.
Imperial Censor Wang was overjoyed. The more absurd Meton was, the more he could get hold of Mo Jiazi's weakness. With this thought, Imperial Censor Wang immediately became energized and focused on finding fault with Meton.
"The trickery of a divine man!"
A youth held up a sign. The words on it let the courtiers know of Meton's intentions.
"Qin Huaiyu!"
Qin Qiong's eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at the youth holding up the sign. He couldn't help but look at Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde. It was clear that as long as he had his son, the other two families wouldn't be able to escape.
Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong also had a helpless expression. Their son had just returned, and now he was with Mo Jiazi. However, the three of them didn't object to their relationship with Meton. After all, even though following Meton would cause a lot of trouble, it was still better than being a hedonistic son who walked his dog and played with birds.
"First Sight: Killing Ghosts See Blood!"
Qin Huaiyu flipped the sign, revealing another row of words.
"Immortal Master, my younger brother is sick. Please cast a spell and save my younger brother!"
Sure enough, Cheng Chumo appeared on the stage with the help of Yuchi Bao Lin, who was acting exaggeratedly.
"Your younger brother is possessed by an evil spirit. When this immortal master casts a spell to expel the evil spirit, your brother will recover without medicine." Meton with disheveled hair was dressed like a divine man. His young and tender face was trying to pretend to be an immortal.
The courtiers felt a chill in their hearts, and their faces suddenly became serious. Witchcraft! Thinking of the previous sign, the courtiers finally understood that Meton wanted to break the witchcraft.
In fact, this kind of thing was not only spread among the people, but also among the court officials. Killing Ghosts See Blood was a common means of witchcraft.
Morton held the peach wood sword in his hand and muttered something under his breath. He took out a piece of yellow paper, dipped the peach wood sword in water, and slashed at the yellow paper. Immediately, several streaks of bright red blood appeared on the yellow paper, as if a malicious spirit had been killed.
"Ah!"
The courtiers exclaimed and looked at the little person with bright red blood stains in disbelief. Only Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling were calm. They had already known the answer from Meton.
Modun casually waved his hand, and the candles on the incense table lit up in the air. The officials' hearts skipped a beat.
"I have killed the evil spirit in your body. After drinking this cup of water, I guarantee that you will be cured." Meton said.
On the stage, Yuchi Bao Lin did not hesitate and immediately offered a large sum of money. After drinking the gray water of the paper, he immediately fell to the ground and died.
"How dare you use curcumin water to pretend to be a ghost and disregard people's lives! Arrest him! "
In the end, Fang Jun who played the role of a constable appeared on the stage and exposed Meton's tricks and put Meton in prison.
Fang Xuanling looked at his silly son speechlessly. I didn't expect you to fall into the trap.
Modun and company's performance was very exaggerated. Of course, the officials did not believe that Modun really had supernatural means. But if they were to put themselves in his shoes, if he was really a celestial being, would they be like Yuchi Baolin, drinking the ashes of the talisman?
The courtiers could not help but break out in cold sweat.
Next, asking immortals to come to Buddha, showing words in tea, writing in rice soup, and divine skills to cure diseases. One by one, the common witches' tricks were solved by Fang Jun.
Every time he solved a trick, the courtiers' faces became gloomier. Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling were even gloomier. Last time, Meton only briefly mentioned two tricks, and it was far from being as detailed and direct as today. Especially when they saw Yuchi Bao Lin die over and over again, no one laughed. Instead, their hearts were cold. If they did not know the truth, they would have believed it, let alone the ordinary people.
It was easy to imagine how many people had lost their lives like Yuchi Baolin because of delayed treatment during the witch doctor's reign over the years.
Imperial Censor Wang's face was pale and extremely embarrassed. At this moment, he no longer had the idea of finding trouble with Meton. He himself believed in ghosts and gods very much and had once invited a Taoist priest to perform a ritual in his home. The methods used were exactly the same as Meton's, and even less complete than Meton's.
Didn't that mean that he was not only deceived, but also deceived by a second-rate swindler?
"Wash your hands in the oil pot!"
When Qin Huaiyu raised the sign again, everyone was in an uproar.
The fear of being thrown into the oil pot was deeply rooted in people's hearts. Whether it was the records in the history books or the legends of the 18 levels of hell, every one of them made people shudder.
However, everything in front of them broke the bottom line in their hearts. A big pot was set up, and under the pot, there was a raging fire and waves of oil.
Mo Jiazi stretched out his hands and washed his hands in the oil pot with a satisfied expression. The impact was so shocking that even Yuchi Bao Lin, who was playing dead on the ground, could not help but sit up and watch Meton's performance in shock.
Meton looked at the sensational effect and was secretly pleased. If it were not for the fact that oil was difficult to clean, Meton would have chosen to take an even more shocking bath in the oil pot.
"This is impossible!" Wei Zheng's face was pale and trembling.
Everyone knew that Mo Jiazi was solving the God's Technique, but the raging fire and waves of oil were all seen with their own eyes.
"What is going on?" Without waiting for Fang Jun to come out and solve the problem, Li Shimin rushed in front of Meton. If it was the talisman paper, he could still understand and remain calm. However, after seeing Meton's method of cooking the 18 levels of hell and the oil pot, Li Shimin could no longer remain calm.
Qin Qiong ignored Meton's oily hands and repeatedly picked it up to examine it. It was not injured at all.
"Ouch!"
Cheng Yaojin was extremely daring. He wanted to copy Meton and put his hand into the oil pot, but just as he tried to touch it, he was scalded and cried out in pain.
Meton hurriedly stopped the fire under the oil pot and ordered the ministers to stay away from the oil pot.
Meton did not forget Fang Jun, who had become a wall in the background. He called him over and revealed the secret of the oil pot to Li Shimin and the ministers.
"The top is oil and the bottom is vinegar." The ministers did not expect it to be so simple.
"Oil is very light. Once it's mixed with water, it will float on the surface. You won't be able to tell at all. This trick is very simple. Many oil mills use this method to mix water into their hands and fake it," Moton explained the principle behind it.
"Moreover, the boiling point of the vinegar is very low and it is under the pot. Once the fire burns, it will boil. From the outside, it looks like the oil pot is boiling, but it is not scalding at all." Meton tested the temperature of the oil pot with his hand and indicated for Cheng Yaojin to experiment again.
"Oh! It is indeed not scalding! "Cheng Yaojin exclaimed.
Although the oil was boiling, the temperature in the pot was only moderate.
"Then why? The last time I touched it, it was scalding." Cheng Yaojin was puzzled.
"That is because I deliberately delayed for a while. The vinegar in the oil pot had already burned out, and the temperature of the oil pot was very high. That is why Uncle Cheng felt scalding."
The ministers finally understood.
"The tricks of these swindlers are indeed despicable. In this way, they can silently destroy the evidence and make it impossible to guard against." Cheng Yaojin said angrily.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Minister was ordered to solve the trick of the witch doctor. Today, he specially reported to Your Majesty and asked for Your Majesty's instructions." Meton solemnly bowed to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin looked at Meton with appreciation. Although this little catfish was usually troublesome, he was very open when doing things. He even knew to take credit for Li Shimin.
"Your Majesty is wise!" The ministers hurriedly said.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, most of the people are stupid and illiterate. Moreover, some places are deeply affected by superstition. If we can use this method to popularize it, I believe the effect will be very good." Fang Xuanling saw the advantages of the play at a glance. The more ignorant and illiterate the people were, the more they believed in superstition. If this method was used, it would be twice the effort for half the result.
"Good! Minister Fang immediately go and do it. Meton will fully cooperate with Minister Fang. This time, we must eradicate the superstition of the people. "Li Shimin said firmly.
"Yes!" Fang Xuanling and Meton received the order.
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