fifth form

Chapter 1829 Leaving the Palace
Zhang Xuezhou was on official business, and the first thing he did when he returned to Chang'an City was to report back, rather than running back home.

Whenever he gets the order wrong, no matter how hard the process is, or how much merit he has contributed, the censor can report him as "disrespectful to His Majesty" to the point of making people question their lives.

Only after reporting to the new emperor did Zhang Xuezhou happily leave the palace.

"See you next time, Captain Li!"

"See you next time, Brother Hongyang!"

When leaving, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but say hello.

"It seems like things are going well for Brother Dongfang!"

Sang Hongyang said goodbye to Zhang Xuezhou and couldn't help but express his admiration. After the eunuch announced the arrival of the emperor in the hall, he quickly straightened his clothes and went in.

"Something's wrong. This kid has been out doing things for half a year, and he just ran away without any reward or punishment?"

Li Guang stroked his beard out of habit.

He felt that Zhang Xuezhou came in as if he was strolling in a garden, took a look and then ran away.

This is not in line with the normal reporting process.

"What did he do?"

Li Guang couldn't help but think about it, but his mind was limited and he experienced a lot every day. How could he remember what decree the new emperor had issued more than half a year ago, or what he had asked Zhang Xuezhou to do?

"Your Majesty is doing more now than before, but he..."

Li Guang let go of Zhang Xuezhou who had escaped. When he looked towards the Weiyang Palace, his brows changed in a strange way.

The new emperor today is not at all as diligent as when he first came to power. Instead, he plays when he wants, runs when he wants, practices when he wants, and even makes his own money. He turns a blind eye to the affairs of the court and basically governs the country with people arranged by the Empress Dowager, without any opposition.

The court in Chang'an was very harmonious at the moment, so harmonious that even Li Guang felt uncomfortable.

But Li Guang thought this was a good idea. As long as the royal family in Chang'an City was safe and there were no conflicts, he and Cheng Buzhi could resign from their duties as chief of the imperial guards and return to the frontier.

Li Guang's interest has never been to enjoy leisure and glory. He just spends his days wandering around the palace.

He also wanted to run around like Zhang Xuezhou and be free to do whatever he wanted.

Thinking about this, he couldn't help but envy a free man like Zhang Xuezhou.

"His Majesty?"

When Li Guang looked outside the palace, he heard footsteps, which made Li Guang quickly turn his head back.

"Call me Marquis of Pingyang now!"

The new emperor walked out of the Weiyang Palace.

He changed his robes, took the Chixiao Sword and went straight out, which gave Li Guang a headache.

The chaos in the palace disappeared, and the new emperor became addicted to traveling around the palace, where he would run away as long as he finished some important business.

The new emperor did this every three to five days, and would be away for several days each time. He, the chief of the Weiyang Palace guards, became his personal bodyguard.

"Your Majesty, are you going out again?" Li Guang asked.

"To understand people's livelihood, you must go out from time to time!"

The new emperor nodded, and Sang Hongyang followed behind.

Zhang Xuezhou entered the Weiyang Palace to report very quickly, and Sang Hongyang also entered very quickly.

It seemed that the new emperor was extremely confident in Sang Hongyang. He only glanced at the records and did not check them. He did not check them for nearly half an hour as usual.

He replied to Li Guang and urged Li Guang to change his clothes quickly and not to wear such conspicuous clothes.

"Yes!"

Li Guang agreed timidly, and couldn't help but glance at the Chixiao Sword on the new emperor's waist. "What are you looking at? I don't carry the sword to kill people. If I really meet someone who doesn't have eyes, you have to take action, otherwise my sword that can slay dragons and kill immortals will be dirty!"

"Your Majesty, I'll be done changing in a moment!"

When the new emperor noticed the glare, Li Guang's heart suddenly started, and he quickly withdrew his eyes from the Chixiao Sword, and then ran back to the outer palace to change clothes.

"Little Lamb, you said that pottery is made from clay. How come I have never made beautiful pottery from clay?"

"My Lord, the clay used to make pottery is very particular. We have to choose sticky clay. Normal clay will easily dry out and crack when it is fired into a block!"

"Then I'll go out and look for some sticky clay this time!"

Sang Hongyang still had to go out to hand over the goods, and the new emperor walked slowly waiting for Li Guang.

He was just about to tell Sang Hongyang that there was no need to be polite and that he could just leave like Zhang Xuezhou, when he suddenly remembered that Sang Hongyang and Zhang Xuezhou had come all the way together.

"Xiaoyang, do you think this Dongfang Shuo has done anything for me?" The new emperor said, "You have been traveling with him all the way, so you should know something!"

"Your Majesty, Dongfang Shuo said that he went around in our Han Empire and got things done. I think that should be done," Sang Hongyang replied dryly.

Sang Hongyang and Zhang Xuezhou hardly discussed related matters. If they asked about such matters, it would be like prying into court secrets, which was a violation of the rules. However, if the new emperor knew nothing when he asked, it would mean that he did not care about state affairs at all.

Sang Hongyang felt that this kind of response was too troublesome and it would be better to just do business.

He had no choice but to think about it honestly, and then answered using Zhang Xuezhou's original words.

"Since you also believe in him, then I will wait a little longer!"

The new emperor nodded.

Personally, he did not believe in Zhang Xuezhou's ability to do things, but Sang Hongyang's echoes strengthened his inclination and made the new emperor willing to wait for a while longer.

He waved his hand, indicating that Sang Hongyang could leave the palace first to deal with the merchant group's affairs.

Seeing that Sang Hongyang was still hesitant and did not dare to walk in front, the new emperor felt that honest people had advantages over honest people, but also had shortcomings that gave him headaches.

"This world needs reliable people like Xiao Yang, and also unreliable people like Dongfang Shuo. That guy is at least not so polite. He does whatever he wants to do. He is straightforward and efficient. I don't need to repeatedly guess about his character, hidden habits, and whether he is loyal to me. Double-faced people are the most annoying..."

He thought about comparing different people and felt that it was better for people to be more diverse.

He felt reassured by Sang Hongyang's loyalty, but a magnanimous person like Zhang Xuezhou would not do anything bad.

For example, if the new emperor was asked to guess the identities of Li Guang, Cheng Buzhi, Dou Ying, Tian Fen, Xu Chang, Zhuang Qingzhai and others, he would not be able to understand them at all, and it would be difficult for him to know whether these people said one thing to his face and another behind his back.

Even though these people shouted "Long live the emperor" and some even knelt down to worship him, how could he know what other side of them was hidden beneath their faces?

He had been on the throne for several years but had not done much serious work. However, when it came to court disputes, the new emperor saw these people who claimed to be loyal to the Han Dynasty jumping back and forth, constantly swaying in front of the Empress Dowager, the Queen, the Empress Dowager, the new emperor and others.

This involves choices such as schools and immortal courts, which makes it extremely difficult for the new emperor to distinguish.

He can only wait slowly, as some people grow old or die, and eventually their true nature will be revealed.

"The best option is to use young people. They are easy to use and less troublesome. As long as they are strong enough, they can be promoted directly. Unfortunately, there is no one who can compete with the old people now!"

The new emperor thought in his heart.

He obviously prefers younger people when it comes to talent.

But a good cook cannot cook without rice. Even if the new emperor has the intention, he lacks the right candidate.

In his hands, the strongest person at the moment is Wei Qing, who has barely entered the realm of supernatural powers. This is the only big card in his hand.

But this big name is not yet qualified to be placed on the front line of the court.

Wei Qing had no military achievements, and his cultivation in the realm of supernatural powers was not enough to suppress the many generals in the army.

Moreover, Wei Qing now had a child to take care of, so he was inevitably distracted.

If Wei Qing was too busy and refused to be taken care of by the palace maids he sent, the new emperor would have to run over to help take care of the child.