Chapter 389 A Room Full of Dark Lights Can't Shine Through Me (Part 1)

Lamps are rarely lit in the cold palace, but a lamp was lit today because a rare guest came.

Looking at the silver hair of Master Zhang, Jing Jiu realized that so many years had passed.

"I thought you could live for many more years. With your means and abilities, King Jing's rebellion is just a trivial matter. Qin and Zhao are not considered a threat. The world will have no problems."

Jing Jiu said, "I didn't expect this day to come."

Grand Master Zhang said with emotion: "I am eighty years old this year, so it is considered a long life. If it weren't for the elixir bestowed by His Majesty every year, I am afraid that I would have already become a dead bone."

Jing Jiu said, "I want to use you, so you don't have to thank me."

Master Zhang said earnestly: "Your Majesty dares to use and trusts me, which is the greatest blessing in my life."

Jing Jiu said, "I also think it's good."

Grand Master Zhang looked at his face, as if seeing the little prince who didn't like to talk many years ago, and suddenly asked: "Your Majesty, have you succeeded?"

Although His Majesty has never said it clearly, how could someone as smart as a Grand Master fail to guess a little?

Jing Jiu shook his head and said: "Ascension needs to break through the existing rules. It is the most difficult thing in the complete world. It may take many years for me to go back."

Even in the real world, he rarely explained his practice, only a few people like Zhao Layue had ever heard of it.

At this time, what he said was very short, but it was considered as a serious explanation to Master Zhang.

Grand Master Zhang patted his thigh regretfully, and said, "Unfortunately, I can't wait for that day."

Jing Jiu said, "Maybe."

Master Zhang looked at his face and said very seriously: "There are only four of the five kingdoms in the world. Qi is bloated and weak. Zhao Guoqiang is in the eunuch He, but the eunuch has no heirs. Don't worry too much. I have worked hard for many years, but the people's morals are difficult to correct. The court's superficial scenery is actually riddled with holes. After the death of the minister, I'm afraid it will collapse."

"What do you want to say?"

"For the sake of common people, come out, Your Majesty."

Jing Jiu said: "Since it's a mess, why bother to clean it up, if you can't beat it, you have to beat it harder, and more people will die."

Grand Master Zhang was silent for a long time, and said: "Your Majesty's words are justified, but I'm still too persistent."

Jing Jiu said, "Except for idiots, everyone has some obsessions."

Grand Master Zhang suddenly laughed, looked at him and asked, "Your Majesty, are you a genius or an idiot?"

A faint smile appeared in Jing Jiu's eyes, and he said, "I'm very smart, but I'm a little lazy."

Looking back on His Majesty's life in the palace in the past thirty years, Master Zhang felt a lot of emotion, and said: "I used to wonder how there could be someone as lazy as Your Majesty in the world, and then I realized that Your Majesty is an outsider in the world of mortals, but was born in the emperor's family. For Your Majesty, this is really a disadvantage."

Jing Jiu said, "The imperial palace is very good for cultivation, and you are very good, so it's not a loss."

Hearing His Majesty's praise, Senior Madam Zhang was so emotional that he almost lost his composure. He forcibly calmed down and asked, "Your Majesty, are you really a fairy?"

This is the biggest doubt in his life, and the answer he most wants to know before he dies.

Jing Jiu thought for a while and said, "Yes."

Dashi Zhang was shocked and speechless, and said: "This... is really... I have no regrets in being able to serve His Majesty in this life."

Jing Jiu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Anyway, I've worked hard for you these years."

Grand Master Zhang could no longer control his emotions, tears poured down his face, he prostrated himself on the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

...

...

In early autumn, the grand scholar died.

The whole country of Chu State mourned, and the city was full of plains. Even the three countries of Qin, Zhao, and Qi sent missions to express their condolences. According to the rumors from the scholar's office, the old lady asked to keep a low profile, but as the de facto ruler of the Chu state for more than 20 years, this request was simply impossible to meet, and the so-called extreme mourning was not enough to describe the scene at that time.

With the support of the eldest maid, the old lady worked tirelessly with her three sons for several days, but the eldest son Zhang who was dispatched to the south did not show up.

Back then, Jing Jiu once pointed to the Liangwang Peak and said to Zhao Layue that as long as any road comes to an end, it can only turn back, and this is true of most things in the world. The funeral of the great scholar brought many negative effects, not to mention the violation of the mausoleum, the most troublesome thing is the prohibition of civil marriage for a hundred days, so that the grief in the hearts of the people quickly turned into complaints.

The atmosphere in the capital is gradually changing.

One morning, several ministers headed by Master Chen and the prince entered the palace together to ask to see His Majesty, but they didn't know what they were talking about.

According to the news from the eunuchs in the palace, His Majesty the Emperor did not see these people at all.

It wasn't until this time that many officials and common people realized that Chu had an emperor. When Grand Master Zhang was around, these things didn't matter, but now that Grand Master is dead, it is impossible for another official with such great influence to appear in the court, so the emperor's position suddenly becomes important.

Grand Master Zhang made a lot of preparations before his death. If everything went according to the old rules, the political legacy he left to Chu should still be effective for many years.

It is a pity that there has never been a lack of ambition in the officialdom, and the greed for power has destined that the court cannot continue to be peaceful.

When the third autumn rain fell, Yushitai began to act, and more than ten memorials were handed over to Zhongshu, and they were played by the prefect of a certain county.

After reading the memorials, Master Chen and several ministers sent them directly to the palace without saying a word.

His Majesty the Emperor has not used the seal for many years, and this time would be no exception. However, the behavior of the princes in the court itself is a statement.

The eunuch is the person in the pocket of Grand Master Zhang. To be precise, he is the prime minister prepared by the Grand Master for Jing 90 years later.

When the wind and rain came together, it was hard to stop, and soon the spearhead of the struggle was directed at General Pei.

The famous Chu general, after drinking a pot of wine, returned to the capital overnight, and was immediately sent to prison on charges of bribery, corruption, collaborating with the enemy, and raising thieves. The latter three charges are relatively simple. The problem lies in the bribery and bribery. The only official who is eligible to be bribed by General Pei... is the dead Bachelor Zhang.

The wind and rain turned into a torrential rain, and several officials who still had the great scholar in their hearts quickly fell down, and there were many rumors related to the great scholar Zhang in the capital.

In his later years, the university scholar was indeed too tough in power, and there had been discussions in the official circles and among the people, but those discussions had been hidden in the dark until now.

In those rumors, Master Zhang was extravagant, ruthless, extremely disrespectful to His Majesty, and extremely merciless to the common people.

Gradually, no, it should be said very quickly, the Grand Scholar changed from a famous minister to a powerful minister, and then he was about to become the biggest treacherous minister in the history of Chu State.

When autumn was getting deeper, an official finally came to ask for the punishment of the nine serious crimes of Zhang Dashi.

The scholar's mansion was besieged by the forbidden army, and the princes in the court did not forget the eldest son Zhang who was far away in the south, and sent cavalry to escort him back.

The imperial court did not use shackles on Mr. Zhang, did not put him in a cage, did not even tie him up, but let him ride with him on horseback, but deliberately let the wind out.

The cabbage thrown by the angry crowd and the ink splashed by the scholars flew non-stop from both sides of the long street, like a torrential rain, drenching him all over his head and face.

Mr. Zhang sat on the horse, bit his lips tightly, his face was pale, and he remained silent.

...

...

There was a lot of crying in the scholar's mansion, and the old lady went to the imperial prison in a carriage. The imperial army was a little commotion, but in the end they didn't stop her.

Although the scholar's mansion that has ruled Chu State for many years has been hit by violent storms, it still retains a lot of dark power.

In the dark prison, looking at her eldest son whom she hadn't seen for many years, the old lady seemed to be getting older.

Mr. Zhang knelt down through the iron gate, with tears all over his face, he said: "Mother, my son is not filial, he failed to see his father off for the last time, and now I have to worry about you."

With the support of the eldest maid, the old lady sat down in the chair, stared into his eyes and asked, "Is the ordnance case real?"

Mr. Zhang nodded after being silent for a while, and said: "That happened more than ten years ago, please forgive my son for being confused."

"I've had someone send over the file to look at it. In the ordnance case, you just ate the money, and there are no other problems, so what's the point of talking about it?"

The old lady was a little tired and said: "Your father has been greedy for money in this life, which is much more than this."

Mr. Zhang walked forward on his knees, grabbed the iron fence, and asked, "What are those bastards in the imperial court doing?"

The old lady sneered and said, "What do you want to do? Of course they want to completely stink your father and trample him down."

After a moment of silence, Mr. Zhang said: "My side is simple, but if they want to punish father, how can they do it?"

The old lady said quietly: "So they carried the emperor out."

Mr. Zhang was very surprised and said, "That idiot emperor?"

The old lady said: "It is said that your father forged the case of Prince Jing's son in order to imprison His Majesty in the palace. This is a serious crime against the nine clans."

Young Master Zhang's face became even paler, and he said, "Father is indeed disrespectful to His Majesty, is it... really so?"

The old lady said: "Your Majesty is the person your father admires the most in his life. How could he do such a rebellious thing?"

Mr. Zhang didn't believe this sentence at all, and said with a wry smile: "No matter what, I will die after all. I don't want to be humiliated by these thieves..."

The old lady said: "I came to see you tonight because I was worried that you would really do something stupid."

Young Master Zhang asked slightly: "Is there still room for things to turn around?"

The old lady said: "Your father said before he died that there is no need to do anything, everything will be fine."

Mr. Zhang didn't understand his father's last words, and asked, "What does this mean?"

The old lady said: "I don't really understand, but I think it should have something to do with Yuxi."

Mr. Zhang thought about the rumor, and gave birth to some hope, and said, "Is Yuxi really gone?"

The old lady said: "I guess your father should return the royal seal to His Majesty. The princes in the court do not have a seal now, how can we punish our Zhang family for their crimes?"

...

...

The rain in late autumn is very cold.

Master Chen brought the Minister of Rites and other ministers, and stood outside the hall and waited for half an hour, but still he was not summoned by His Majesty.

Seeing the twilight getting darker, Master Chen took a look at everyone and left first.

Walking in the gate of the imperial city, he said in a faint voice: "Is it really in that palace?"

Jin Cheng, Shangshu of the Ministry of Rites, was the most valued student of Master Zhang at that time, and he is only in his forties this year.

No one thought that he would be the first official to attack the scholar's mansion.

"The teacher stayed in the palace in the middle of the night, and no one knew what he said to His Majesty."

Jin Cheng said calmly, "But no one has seen Yuxi in the cabinet since the next day."

Grand Master Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "Your Majesty seems to regard that Fang Xi as a life-saving gold medal. What do you think?"

Jin Cheng said expressionlessly: "Autumn is high and the sky is dry, so you should be careful about the fire."

Master Chen looked at the bluestone slabs that were wet by the rain outside, and after a long silence, he nodded imperceptibly.