Chapter 066 How about resigning from the position of Privy Councilor
Hearing what the Taoist with white eyebrows said, Zhao Zhen was skeptical, but now he had no other choice but to believe the man in front of him.
The Taoist with white eyebrows is Zhang Tianlin, the Heavenly Master of Taiyi Palace in Zhongnan Mountain.
In fact, his rank is one level higher than Lu Sen, and he has done many magical things, such as calling the wind and rain.
It’s just that the magic power is not very stable, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
"I will hand the fruits over to your Taiyi Palace. You can make pills or plant them, but you have to keep it secret. Otherwise, if Master Lu finds out, it will be a disaster."
"I understand." Taoist Zhang Tianshi, the white-browed Taoist, picked up the basket and said, "I guarantee with my life that I will do everything I can to grow the immortal fruit and use it to make the elixir. I will also use the method of covering the sky and hiding the earth to conceal the fate of the official."
"Thank you for troubling Master Zhang." Zhao Zhen said with a slight smile.
Then Zhang Tianshi left with the basket.
Soon after he left, Liu Chuanzhi came out from the dark beside him and said, "Sir , I see that this old Taoist is deliberately deceiving you."
"I think so, too." Zhao Zhen walked back to the table and sat down, saying casually, "It's just that Master Lu is not willing to help me achieve immortality, so only these Taoists are thinking of ways to make elixirs. It's just a basket of fruits. I can still ask Master Lu for some in the future if I beg the King of Runan County."
Liu Chuanzhi asked cautiously, "Sir, do you want me to send some people to watch over them?"
"No need." Zhao Zhen waved his hand and said, "If they can grow fruits and refine pills, it will be a good thing. If they can't refine them, it's not a big deal. If he thinks I'm easy to fool, let him do it."
"The government is too tolerant of these Taoists who eat and drink for free."
Zhao Zhen laughed and said, "What's the harm? We are all citizens of the Song Dynasty. As long as they don't intend to harm me, that's fine."
On the other side, Zhang Tianshi carried the basket out of the palace, got on the sedan chair, and slowly returned to his Tianshi Mansion.
Mount Zhongnan is the core area of Beishou Taoism, and the famous Taiyi Palace is built on it.
Generally speaking, Taoist priests employed by the imperial court would choose to practice in Mount Zhongnan, and only a few who were tasked with the important task of "communicating" with the imperial court would stay in the city of Bianjing.
Zhang Tianshi is one of them.
He returned to the Tianshi Mansion and went to the study carrying a fruit basket.
This study is quite spacious, several times larger than the study of the Prince of Runan, and contains a large number of Taoist collections.
As soon as he sat down, three middle-aged Taoists with long flowing beards and jade-like faces walked in. They all had good looks.
"Sit down." Taoist White Eyebrow pointed to the cushion in front of him and said, "I have brought Taoist Master Guozi out of the palace. Do you three have any ideas?"
The three of them stared at the fruit basket, greed in their eyes.
After a while, the middle-aged Taoist in the middle said, "The four of us will share the fruit and absorb the immortal spirit inside. We will take the core back to the top of Mount Zhongnan and cultivate it carefully."
"How do we explain this to the government? He is waiting for us to make the elixir for him."
"Give the Tiger and Leopard Chongqi Pills, a treasure in Taiyi Palace, to the emperor and say they are elixirs made from practice. What do you think, brothers?"
"The emperor has hyperactivity of liver yang (high blood pressure) and headaches. Taking Tiger and Leopard Pills will aggravate his condition." Zhang Tianshi stroked his beard and said, "The imperial doctors in the palace are not fools. If the emperor has problems after taking Tiger and Leopard Pills, they will most likely find out that it was us who caused it."
The Taoist on the far left said, "Then add Qingxin Pills. First, coax the official into taking Qingxin Pills for half a month, saying that it will help him cleanse the filth in his stomach. After his liver yang hyperactivity symptoms are better, let him take Hubao Chongqi Pills."
Zhang Tianshi narrowed his eyes and thought for a while, then said, "Okay, let's do this. As long as he feels that the Tiger and Leopard Pills can boost his masculinity, he will definitely trust us. Then we can ask him to send more immortal fruits over, which should be feasible."
"Why don't we just go find that kid Lu Sen?" The Taoist on the far right said indignantly, "Since he calls himself a Taoist, he should be under the control of the Taiyi Palace in Zhongnan Mountain."
Zhang Tianshi chuckled: "If you were in Lu Sen's shoes, would you let him control you if you had great magical powers?"
The Taoist stopped talking.
"Okay, let's settle this. Let's share the fruit first."
Soon, the basket of fruit was divided into four portions, and Zhang Tianshi naturally got more.
The four of them finished eating the fruits in front of them, and then began to cross their legs and practice Qi with their eyes closed.
About half an hour later, the four of them opened their eyes one after another. Within this half hour, their energy and blood were obviously better than before.
"It is indeed a rare treasure, but it is a pity that there are too few fruits." One of the Taoists said, "I feel so sad when I think of Lu Sen eating such a treasure as a snack every day. It is a waste of natural resources."
The other three people didn't say anything, but their expressions were similar to that of the Taoist who just spoke.
"No hurry, let's plant the immortal fruit first and see if it has the same immortal spirit. If not, we can discuss it later." When Zhang Tianshi spoke, his expression was full of compassion: "Sooner or later, we will also be the fish that slipped through the net of heaven."
The other three nodded in agreement, with a hint of fanaticism in their expressions.
After getting the official uniform, Lu Sen went to court the next day.
If you want power, you have to be well-known. There is no other way around it.
I have to say that the court during Zhao Zhen’s reign was quite interesting.
Lu Sen watched the civil servants quarreling with each other every day, and as they quarreled, they started to curse the government.
And Zhao Zhen had to agree with a wry smile, saying that the scolding was good and brilliant.
After a few days, Lu Sen discovered that the court was divided into two factions.
Led by Grand Tutor Pang, Yan Shu, Wang Anshi and others formed a faction. However, Wang Anshi's official position was not very high at the moment, and his words did not carry much weight in the court.
Then another faction was formed, led by the Eight Wise Kings, Bao Zheng, Sima Guang and others.
These two gangs curse at each other every day, even over trivial matters.
Although they cursed harshly, Lu Sen could also see that they were more critical of the matter rather than the person... They rarely attacked the character or privacy of their political opponents.
The military officers and relatives of the emperor were not assigned any tasks. They just stood aside and watched the show, rarely saying anything unless the fire burned themselves.
Lu Sen was confused at first, but after more than a month, he began to understand some of the clues.
These civil officials were actually arguing about the issue of reform and new policies.
Master Pang wants to reform, and his desire is very strong.
The Eighth Wise Kings were unwilling to make any changes. He believed that there was no problem with the court now. As long as the treacherous ministers and corrupt officials were removed, the bad luck in the court would be washed away and the world would be at peace.
Watching these people quarreling is actually very interesting, because Lu Sen always feels "incomprehensible but powerful".
When they scold someone, they will quote from classics. A passage may seem to be praising you and they will thank you repeatedly, but when they think about it, they will shout: So-and-so, you villain actually tricked me!
After staying in the court for more than a month, Lu Sen felt that his level of "literary greetings" had greatly improved.
It was already afternoon when the court was dismissed that day.
Because before, Grand Tutor Pang and the Eighth Wise King had quarreled again over the issue of agricultural taxes in Suzhou.
Suzhou is now also an economic center. Most people have gone into business. There are fewer and fewer people farming, and the grain harvest is insufficient.
In fact, Suzhou actually paid enough grain tax, but was later reported by someone, saying that all the grain collected in Suzhou was purchased from other places.
Then the two sides started arguing about this matter.
Master Pang believed that this matter was extremely serious as it concerned the distribution of land among farmers in Suzhou and might involve the drawbacks of land annexation.
However, the Eighth Wise Kings believed that tenant farmers were part of the national policy. As long as the farmers in Suzhou were well fed, there would not be a big problem. Why bother making trouble in Suzhou? Any disturbance would only disturb the people.
Then the court became a mess.
Lu Sen stood beside the Prince of Runan and watched coldly.
They stopped arguing until the afternoon when they got hungry.
But seeing as how they seem to be unwilling to accept each other, they will probably continue arguing tomorrow.
After the court was dismissed, Lu Sen and the Prince of Runan went out of the palace. They didn't know when a thin layer of soft snow had fallen outside.
"How about having a meal at my place, dear son-in-law?"
Lu Sen looked at the snow outside the palace and said with a smile: "Thank you Taishan for inviting me, but I have something to do today and want to go back early . How about Taishan come to my house and stay? Bilian misses you too."
"Well... okay." The Prince of Runan agreed.
Except for the wedding day, Prince Runan had never been a guest at Lu Sen's house.
Just when the father-in-law and son-in-law were getting ready to set off, a man suddenly walked over. It was Di Qing.
He clasped his fists and said with a smile: "Prince of Runan County, Master Lu, what a coincidence."
The father-in-law and son-in-law returned the greeting.
The Prince of Runan asked, "Di Shumi, is there anything important?"
Di Qing looked around and said with a smile, "It's a bit noisy here, how about we go to Master Lu's house to have a chat?"
The Prince of Runan looked at Lu Sen and said, "It depends on what my dear son-in-law thinks."
"How could I not agree to General Di's visit?" Lu Sen clasped his fists and said, "I'm worried that I may not be able to entertain you well enough."
The way the two people addressed Di Qing represented two different attitudes.
'Di Shumi' was a little distant, so the Prince of Runan didn't think about building a good relationship with Di Qing. He was just lukewarm about it.
Lu Sen's "General Di" shows that he is more in favor of Di Qing's "martial arts" on the battlefield.
So the three of them walked together. At this time, many civil servants had not walked far away. When they saw the three of them traveling together, they all looked a little surprised.
Walking on the streets, even on a snowy day, the city of Bianjing was bustling with activity.
Most of the beggars hid in the sewers, where the temperature was relatively high, probably over 10 degrees.
The three of them walked in silence.
Suddenly, Di Qing pointed to a fortune-telling stall in front of him and said, "Ever since Master Lu said the great theory of 'the fish that slipped through the net', the fortune-tellers in the whole Bianjing City have been doing the best business. Every day, a lot of people line up to ask them if they are the fish that slipped through the net. Even now, there is no sign of it stopping."
The most fashionable thing in Bianjing City nowadays is fortune-telling.
Everyone wants to see if they have the potential to become an immortal.
As for the fortune tellers, they don't want these guys to become the fish that slip through the net. If they become the fish, their destiny will be ruined. Then who will they do business with in the future?
So although they usually like to say what their customers like to hear, regarding this matter, no fortune teller is willing to admit that some of the people who came to them for fortune-telling have escaped the destiny.
Prince Runan and Lu Sen looked over and found that there were indeed a lot of people queuing at the fortune-telling stall in front.
After walking for a while, Di Qing suddenly asked, "Master Lu, do all living things in this world really have a so-called destiny?"
"Birth, aging, sickness and death, love, hate, and passion, aren't these destiny?" Lu Sen turned his head and looked at the handsome middle-aged man: "What kind of destiny does General Di want to know?"
Di Qing frowned and was unable to respond for a moment.
The three of them walked in silence afterwards. The Prince of Runan was not Cao Yi. He personally had no intention of making friends with most of the civil and military officials.
It was not until they walked back to the hill and entered the yard that the three of them started talking.
"Seeing this paradise on earth again still shocks me so much that it is hard to describe in words." Di Qing stood in the pavilion, looking at the singing of birds and the fragrance of mountains around him, and then thinking about the ice and snow outside the courtyard, he felt a confused sense of time and space confusion.
The expression on the Prince of Runan's face was somewhat ugly.
Zhao Bilian and Ringo were catching butterflies in the grass, and they were so happy that they didn't even notice someone coming in.
"My dear son-in-law, you must discipline your concubine well, don't worry about me."
Seeing the dark face of the Prince of Runan, Lu Sen smiled and said, "Bilian is innocent and romantic. I like her very much."
As soon as these words were spoken, Prince Runan and Di Qing both looked at Lu Sen with strange eyes.
There are rumors in the market that Master Lu has a quirk and likes to drink the water his wife washes her feet. Is this true?
The three of them sat down in the pavilion.
The Prince of Runan took the initiative to speak and asked, "Secretary Di, there are only three of us here. Feel free to tell me what you want to say."
"I heard that the prince intends to recommend Master Lu as the military supervisor?"
Lu Sen and Prince of Runan looked at each other.
"Who told you this?" The Prince of Runan's expression was a little serious: "The Cao family, or the Zhe family?"
"Cao family!"
"Uncle Cao is still a gossiper." Prince of Runan said unhappily.
"You can't blame him for this. I guessed a little bit." Di Qing clasped his hands together and said, "If this makes the prince unhappy, I apologize for it."
"Forget it." The Prince of Runan waved his hand. "Then why did Di Shumi come to me on his own initiative? What advice do you have?"
"I dare not ask for your advice." Di Qing said, "If the Prince of Runan is willing to recommend Master Lu as the military supervisor, then can you recommend me as the pacification envoy in the court three months later to attack Xixia together with the Zhe family?"
The atmosphere in the pavilion was somewhat silent.
After a while, the Prince of Runan suddenly sneered and said, "Aren't you afraid that the government and the civil servants will suspect you of having evil intentions?"
"Of course I am afraid." Di Qing said, "That's why I came to ask for help from the prince. It has always been my lifelong wish to pacify the border. Therefore, this Xixia attack is a once-in-a-decade event. I really want to participate and don't want to miss it."
"Ridiculous." The Prince of Runan snorted.
"Please help me, Your Majesty." Di Qing bowed suddenly with a sincere look on his face.
"You are making things difficult for me..."
But at this time, Lu Sen suddenly said, "General Di, are you willing to resign your Privy Councillor?"
Lu Sen knew very well that Di Qing could not hold the position of Privy Councilor.
When the two heard this, they looked at Lu Sen at the same time, and then almost at the same time, they showed thoughtful expressions.
Especially Di Qing, his expression seemed a little subtle, with a hint of relief in his fear.
