Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 553 Court Meeting
Three days passed in a flash.

The rumor was probably true. On the second day, the weather suddenly dropped. Then there were two days of extreme cold. People were actually prepared. After all, it was before the winter solstice, and the really heavy cold began to penetrate into the capital. But the body was not necessarily adapted. After taking a few more breaths outside, the cold air rushed into the nose, making it dry and unbearable. I had to cover my nose and rub it.

The second floor of the small building was still as quiet as before. Only Pei Ye was sitting at the desk reading a book. Every time he turned the page, his eyes would always glance towards the backyard.

Under the dim night, the water surface was calm, but there was no sign of freezing.

In fact, the small pond in the Feng Shui residence is the same. It seems that the cold weather has frozen them and they have lost their strength. There are no waves when the wind blows. The heavy feeling is indeed that of winter water, but it has not frozen.

Clearly, fragile ice cubes were beginning to appear in the wash basin.

"How much have you read today?" Zhu Wen's calm voice awakened the boy from his distraction.

Pei Ye usually counted the hours during the day, hoping that the four hours would pass quickly. Now that the hours were reduced to half an hour at night, he felt a little rushed. This was his fifth night sitting here. He was familiar with the furnishings and scenery. In the quiet night of the small building, he was willing to sit for a while longer.

"Reviewed five chapters, read one and a half chapters."

Pei Ye answered respectfully, holding the book forward. Zhu Wen continued to explain it to him carefully, and finally asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Gone."

Zhu Wen nodded, but this time he did not let the boy go immediately. He took the initiative to ask, "How is your sword training going?"

"...I'm still stuck at the bottleneck." Pei Ye knelt beside the desk and said truthfully, "Master Xu said that I should not be used in the court meeting tomorrow. I still have some time to figure it out."

"What's the pass?" Zhu Wen turned around, closed the medical book he was annotating, and looked at the young man.

"That night... I was dancing with a sword in your courtyard." Pei Ye frowned and whispered, "It seemed to be connected with the One and Only Way, but the sword I was looking for... did not come from the sky."

The young man looked up at the distant night sky. He was indeed a little distressed these days. There were no books for him to refer to, and this was a road without any guide. Cui Zhaoye and the guard of the pavilion could only support him, help him clear the thorns beside him, kick the stones that might trip him, but they could not walk in front of him.

Especially after the young man surprisingly encountered the heaven and earth with his sword, the road ahead cannot be said to be above the mountain of kendo, but at least it has deviated from the mountain.

Yes, for thousands of years, no one has taken this step. If we talk about swords, there is no one who only seeks the human heart; if we talk about heaven and earth, its appearance is being debated in the Tianli Academy of the Tang Dynasty, and it is also an undetermined matter.

The young man was the only one moving forward.

Zhu Wen looked at him quietly for a while, but for the first time he did not reply immediately.

The pair of deep, dusty eyes looked at the young man, and after a moment he said calmly, "When we first met last month, I told you that I could only answer your questions, not teach you anything... Now I am willing to teach you something, is that okay?"

Pei Ye was startled: "...I am honored as a student."

Zhu Wen nodded, gently stroked the cover of the Book of Rites in his hand, handed it back to the young man, and said, "This book is for you. You can go to the sword training academy in the morning to practice swordplay, and come here in the afternoon. You don't have to go to the academy, just go to the backyard and take a look. If the pond is frozen, you can walk around the yard, practice swordplay or read books, and you may gain something - you can do this for the next few days."

Pei Ye took the book in bewilderment, not understanding it for a moment, but this seemed to be what the philosopher meant by teaching. He coughed twice and said, "You don't have to take on the responsibility of continuing the teachings that I have taught you. I hope you can finish reading this book carefully. You can still decide for yourself what to do in the future."

"...Oh." Pei Ye seemed to understand, but suddenly grasped a message, "Mr. Zhu, won't I go to the court with you tomorrow?"

Zhu Wenping said calmly: "You are not my successor. Tomorrow before the officials, I will only take Jidao with me."

"Oh, okay." Pei Ye paused, and finally couldn't help but ask with concern, "But, Mr. Zhu, this pond doesn't seem to be frozen yet."

"It will bloom tomorrow." Zhu Wen wrapped himself in a warm cloak and looked at the boy, "Let's say goodbye now. Go back to sleep."

"Ah."

Pei Ye stood up with the book in his hand, his heart twitching inexplicably, but Zhu Wen continued to annotate the medical book with his head down. Pei Ye stood still for two breaths, walked past the candle, and his shadow passed by the philosopher who was working at his desk.

……

……

The ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The sky was clear and high, and the unobstructed wind swept across the streets and cut through the eaves. On the square in front of the Hanyuan Hall, under the jade steps, and in front of the Mirror Pool, blue, red, and purple were like colorful clouds.

With hats and jade belts and fluttering clothes, this is a grand court meeting "in view of the eyes and ears of thousands of ministers". It is only held once for important matters concerning the country and the people. Ever since the sage on the throne revised the court system, this has been the largest and most solemn meeting place in the Tang Dynasty.

Many lowly officials who seldom have the opportunity to see the emperor were also able to stand at the end of the line today. When they looked forward, they could see those red and purple figures like mountains and seas.

Almost everyone knows what today's discussion means.

The raging hurricane that had been sweeping across the capital for months had blown off the official hats of countless people, and broken their necks and died. Tracing back to the tragic death of the former prime minister, one could get a glimpse of the shocking changes in the succession to the throne. Going further up, the news had already reached the throne. According to rumors a few days ago, there had been a night meeting of seven purple-robed men in the Purple Palace.

Tianliyuan is a remote and secluded place. Most of the time, only its name is passed down among scholars, and it will not appear in public for many years.

And when it comes to the fore, it is often on occasions like today, standing at the turning point of the empire.

The "Theory of Two Heavens" proposed by Prime Minister Xu back then has now resurfaced.

Many people still remember that dark period. The nobles associated with the name Xu Ji disappeared from the court one by one. They were demoted, exiled, beheaded, betrayed... Almost in the last moments of his life, he submitted this earth-shattering, or even treasonous theory of justice. Of course, he only received ridiculous ridicule, and many people gradually forgot its existence.

Ten years have passed, and now the situation has reached a point where it is really turning the world upside down.

The Tang Dynasty, which had relied on the miracle of "Haotian Transmission of Intentions" for hundreds of years, is now facing a resolute challenge. Many of the people in blue at the back of the queue may not be able to see clearly what impact the victory or defeat in two days or one day will have on the Tang Dynasty, but at least everyone knows what kind of storm will be stirred up when this matter falls on the court.

The new law of the imperial examinations, prohibition of recommendation. The law currently in force was established by the current prime minister, Li Du. After he ascended to the position of prime minister, he became the highest mountain in the court, like an old dragon entrenched in the southern government.

In recent years, the person who has risen to the highest power in the court is none other than the Minister of Revenue, Yuan Zhao, who was supported by the lower-class scholars.

The voices of the scholars in the court had been growing stronger. Now, with Di Jiu taking office as Jingzhao Yin and Li Mingqiu gradually showing signs of recovery, his support in the court was becoming more solid. Although his staunch allies were still missing among the top figures, in the eyes of countless green-robed men below, he was already the most powerful new big shot today.

When the theory of two heavens is really implemented, the first thing that will change...is probably the phase.

Yuanzhao stood silently at the foot of the jade steps with his eyes lowered.

Unlike his bravery and activeness in officialdom, this Minister of Revenue always spoke very little when he actually attended court. His posture was fixed and his expression often did not change, just like a real stone.

Diagonally in front of him was the Tang Dynasty figure who was bowing to Buddha. This old man was also standing quietly. The atmosphere was very solemn because the figure high up was already on the throne.

The wind blew past the Hanyuan Hall. The soldiers looked like statues and the hems of officials' clothes fluttered softly.

All ceremonies are completed.

"Among the forty-seven treatises of the Tianli Academy, two were written by me, namely "Qi Tian" and "Shi Yun"; one was dictated by me, namely "The Country of the World." A calm voice came from the high level, "Among the four philosophers, Nan Zhezi and Lu Zhezi were both my teachers."

The saint spoke, and the wind quieted down.

"Many of you know that I am deeply involved in the theory of heaven, but not one of you knows the reason. I will tell you today. When I was young, I happened to see the director of the Imperial Observatory, Wen Chenming, and the great scholar Xin Du arguing about the old appearance of the four heavens. Their confrontation was no less sharp than today, and it almost led to a death sentence. The two of them debated in front of the Suzaku Gate, and there were a lot of people watching. When the late emperor asked the nine ministers who was the winner, no one could answer." The saint said slowly, "I thought that the Tang Dynasty is a country of unicorns, and the principles of heaven are respected. Studying the principles of heaven has always been a major national issue. If I don't know it, how can I judge right from wrong. So I started to study from this point and set up the Academy of the Principles of Heaven, because the principles of heaven should be determined in our court, in the capital, and in the Tang Dynasty."

All the officials on the field looked up.

"There have been many disturbances in recent months, and you have submitted many memorials. I have read them one by one. There are thousands of opinions, and in fact, none of them can be described as 'the law of nature has changed.'" The sage said calmly, "And the change of the law of nature is the most unpretentious, and the glorious and righteous path does not need to be hidden from the public. Therefore, today I will present this to you, so that those who are right will be righted, and those who are wrong will be wronged. Under the high sky, everyone can see it."

All the ministers are polite.

"First, please ask Nan Zhezi and Lu Zhezi to speak."

All voices in front of Hanyuan Hall were silent. In fact, there was no need for the two philosophers to speak, as many people had already heard about the miracle they were working on. In fact, it was okay to hold a big meeting today just for this matter, because it was...

"…Since the Yanhuang era, there has been no celestial being born in the world for 6,000 years."

A hoarse and old voice rang out in the large venue in front of the palace, sonorous and rhythmic, as if it came from ancient times.

Under the gaze of all the ministers, the old man with snow-white hair and graying temples, leaning on a cane, staggered up the stairs step by step.

"The Great Heaven has looked down upon the Tang Dynasty for six hundred years, and now the world has found a mirror of the Heaven." Nan Xiu slowly turned his head, facing the officials, and said solemnly, "The theory of the two Heavens is absurd. The Great Heaven is vast and will not be disturbed by the noise of cicadas and pigeons."

"I have come here to accept your advice on the Tianlin Yi. This is the foundation of our Tang Dynasty. If you have any doubts, please be cautious and humble."

Nan Xiu bowed earnestly, and the water in the mirror pool in front of him was without ripples.

……

……

"Nan Shenji is a gentleman, and Zhu Kaozhi is a madman. I have known this for a long time." This is what the woman said.

The branches were covered with a layer of white frost, which must be what the ancients called "Qiong branches". Pei Ye was biting a bun and looking at the trees on the roadside, his mind a little wandering.

When I went out with my sword today, I ran into Xu Chuo who got up early again. I sat and chatted with her for a while. However, Pei Ye was busy practicing sword and didn't want to miss the moment when the pond froze, so he left the table halfway through his meal and packed some buns to eat on the way.

Pei Ye knew that today was the day for the court meeting, and he couldn't help but look towards the direction of the imperial city. Those who were supposed to go naturally went, and those who didn't go also paid attention. Even passers-by were talking about this matter.

Pei Ye actually felt that the woman had got it wrong. Nan Xiu might be a gentleman, although it was said that he would frankly criticize things he disagreed with even in front of a saint, which made him seem a bit too rigid; but how could Mr. Zhu be a madman?

This philosopher was dignified and solemn, always behaved in a meticulous manner, and as a teacher he was always strict but not angry. He was really not a "mad man".

But he did agree with the following words: "Zhu Kaozhi is not actually on our side."

It was already afternoon after practicing sword skills. Pei Ye was thinking about his conversation with the woman and went to Tianliyuan.

Yes, Nan Xiu is a staunch supporter of the One Heaven Theory, but Mr. Zhu is not a fan of the Two Heaven Theory.

Pei Ye actually didn't ask, but he could clearly feel that even though Mr. Zhu had invested everything in "Two Heavens Theory" for the past ten years, and even though it was handed over personally by the former prime minister Xingqian, whom he called "brother"... Pei Ye could not feel that kind of suppressed thirst.

He had been working on it for ten years, not expecting something to happen.

This was actually the young man's unspoken worry. As someone who had followed Zhu Zhezi for almost a month, he still didn't know what outcome this Zhezi would eventually give to "Theory of Two Heavens".

That remains an undetermined answer.

Tianliyuan is particularly quiet today. The four philosophers and their students are probably not here.

Pei Ye pushed open Mr. Zhu's courtyard door himself. The school was closed and Fang Jidao had gone there as expected. Pei Ye sighed lightly and relaxed a little. He walked through the front hall to the backyard and was somewhat surprised to find that the place seemed to have been cleaned in the morning. It was clearly something that Mr. Zhu did in the evening.

But this was a small matter. He looked towards the center of the courtyard and saw that the pond was still and the water surface was calm.

Still no signs of freezing.

(End of this chapter)