There were only four people in the spacious hall, but the doors and windows were wide open, making it look deserted.
Fortunately, the lights were bright, and there was no gloomy atmosphere in a deep palace.
Moreover, a feast was being held in the main hall in front of the Weiyang Palace, and some singing, dancing, and poetry wafted in, adding to the atmosphere of fireworks.
At this time, the Empress Dowager Dugu of Dali was sitting behind the bead curtain at the head of the apse.
Can't see the face clearly.
There are several chairs in the hall.
Zhao Rong, Gu Yiwu and Li Mingyi were sitting on the left and right of the Queen Mother Dugu.
Outside the palace gate, some crescent-moon maidens with decorations that Zhao Rong was quite familiar with stood guard.
Not far away, on the corridor connecting the front hall, there were guards guarding every ten steps.
Zhao Rong discovered that the back hall seemed to have been set up with magic circles using immortal methods. Those outside the hall could not hear the words inside the hall.
However, they could see the lonely Queen Mother and Zhao Rong in the back hall, although the people outside the hall were all looking intently...
At the highest point of the hall, the woman in white clothes behind the bead curtain said:
"Mr. Zhao and Mr. Gu traveled thousands of miles to come to Hanjing. It was a hard journey."
Although her voice was dignified and cold, with the intonation habit of someone who had been in a position of power, her tone at this time was as gentle and caring as possible.
Zhao Rong shook his head, "It's not hard work, it's just our job. We study in the academy and we should also relieve the academy's worries. Why do we have to work hard? It's the Queen Mother who has worked hard."
He smiled, and the last sentence was a pun.
The woman in white clothes behind the bead curtain seemed to be looking carefully at the young Confucian scholar below. She was quiet for a moment and shook her head:
"It's just a miserable life. Once the late emperor left, the Ai family and Your Majesty were left alone with their orphans and widows. The great fortune of the Dali Dynasty was built with hard work by the late Emperor. How could the Ai family and Your Majesty dare to take it lightly..."
She sighed softly, as if lowering her head to wipe away tears.
Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu looked at each other, raised their hands together and saluted: "The deceased is gone, and the living are like this. The Queen Mother expresses my condolences."
On the side, Li Mingyi looked serious and shook his head, "The emperor's sister-in-law is too sentimental. Although the emperor's brother has passed away, I am still here. How can the emperor's sister-in-law marry into the Li family and be bullied by outsiders? Those rebellious officials and traitors who took the opportunity to rebel.
, I will definitely take care of them one by one, do my best to share the worries of the emperor’s sister-in-law and the emperor’s nephew, and devote myself to the end of my life.”
Li Mingyi was dressed in a python robe, standing with his hands behind his back, and his words were sonorous and powerful.
It made Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu look sideways.
The Dugu family seemed to burst into tears and laughed, feeling happy again and again, "It's so good, so good, my family and your majesty are suffering, and I will rely on the emperor's uncle from now on."
"What are you saying, Sister-in-law? It's embarrassing for me." Li Mingyi shook his head gently.
Zhao Rong, who was listening in, raised his eyebrows and couldn't help but glance at the Regent of Dali.
What you said is really thought-provoking.
I picked out the Dugu family and the Li family respectively and said...
So the Dugu family was an outsider before. As for now, it may or may not be an outsider. I don’t know, but you, Li Mingyi, must represent the Li royal family, and the young emperor is also surnamed Li, and this dynasty also belongs to the Li royal family...
Although he didn't know whether Li Mingyi's words were subconscious or intentional, Zhao Rong felt that this could explain a lot of problems.
After this, Zhao Rong watched the scene of the loving sister-in-law and uncle-in-law for a while, as if watching a good show.
I just find it interesting.
Then, Queen Mother Dugu cleverly changed the topic.
"Speaking of which, if the late emperor, who was so thirsty for talents, was still here, he would definitely laugh heartily and sweep up the couch to welcome such powerful scholars as Mr. Zhao and Mr. Gu."
Gu Yiwu spoke up and said: "Your Majesty, you are too polite. Confucian scholars in our academy also heard about the deeds of the late Emperor Da Li on the mountain. It is also a pity for Tzuyu and I that we could not meet him."
The Dugu family also complimented the Confucian scholars such as Linlu Academy and Zhao Rong, and they were friendly with each other.
Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu also responded politely.
At the same time, the two of them also proposed to go to the palace where the late Emperor Dali is currently buried to pay homage tomorrow. Dugu nodded in agreement.
Not long after, the four people in the hall, who had different thoughts, had a tacit silence for a moment, and finally got down to business.
Queen Mother Dugu asked: "Mr. Zhao, I heard that you will arrange and guide the specific procedures of this Zen ceremony..."
Zhao Rong nodded, "Thanks to my colleagues, I am indeed the one to set the tone for most of the ceremony of conferring Zen. However, the final process and details still need to come up with a plan, and then discuss it carefully with Brother Yiwu and other disciples, and then we can finally work together."
Make a decision."
Empress Dowager Dugu and Li Mingyi nodded one after another, their eyes falling on this young Confucian scholar, knowing in their hearts that the person in charge... was him.
Zhao Rong lowered his eyes slightly.
In fact, most of the Zhengyi Hall students in the team were not optimistic about this ceremony of enshrining Zen.
Under the nose of Meng Zhengjun, they came to power one after another. In addition to speaking of loyalty and supporting Zhao Rong and Gu Yiwu, they also had a spirit of resistance against the oppression of the rigid scholar.
So now that Meng Zhengjun was 'punished' to come to Dali to hold the ceremony of enshrining Zen, most of them were pessimistic about the final assessment results and scores.
In addition to the difficulty of the Zen ceremony, there are also some nitpicks that Meng Zhengjun may have.
This is also the reason why Gu Yiwu was angry when he saw the students from his own school acting havoc together on stage.
But despite this, Gu Yiwu and the students of Zhengyi Hall did not regret their actions that day when they came to power. Thinking about it now, they still feel relieved.
Think of it as a ‘paid’ trip down the mountain.
Zhao Rong was quite melancholy with the salty fish mentality of everyone in the team, but he did not encourage him with any chicken soup, but later took the initiative to take on the heavy responsibility of formulating the plan for the ceremony.
He will be responsible for bringing Brother Yiwu and all the students down the mountain.
Gu Yiwu and the students of Zhengyi Hall also readily agreed to this...
At this time, Queen Mother Dugu leaned forward slightly and stared at Zhao Rong: "Then, Mr. Zhao, if you have a general plan, can... can you tell me?"
Zhao Rong looked at her, smiled and said nothing.
It seems that the mountain man has a clever idea, but he doesn't say it.
Selling the goods.
Behind the purple bead curtain, the veiled Dugu's beauty wrinkled slightly, and she suddenly had the aura of a superior person who was not angry but powerful.
However, Zhao Rong and others below could not see them, and she immediately relaxed her brows.
This Confucian scholar... The Ai family thought he was quite serious just now, but it was because Hibiscus and Xuechan's descriptions were a bit off... The Dugu family's forward leaning body slightly recovered, and she sighed secretly in her heart.
At this time, her expression remained unchanged, and Yuyin softened: "To be honest with Mr. Zhao, the princes and officials of the Ministry of Etiquette in the imperial court are all confused about the Zen ceremony. They have no experience and cannot be sure... Before the great departure,
, there was no similar gift in the previous dynasties that we could refer to."
Empress Dowager Dugu paused and sighed, "Except for those ancient dynasties, the countries in the northern part of Wangque are completely blank in terms of the ceremony of enshrining Zen, and the former will certainly not easily treat such an important matter involving national power and destiny.
For the etiquette, tell me the direction."
Zhao Rong nodded, calm and relaxed.
She glanced at Zhao Rong, lowered her eyes, and continued:
"Before Mr. Zhao came to Hanjing, the Ministry of Rites also tried its best to make some preparations. It searched through relevant classics and all kinds of ritual vessels and sacrifices were prepared. However, I don't know whether the talisman is in line with Mr. Zhao's plan. Can Mr. Zhao do it?
...Talk about it.”
Zhao Rong still nodded slightly, without comment, and just smiled:
"Well, I have to thank the Queen Mother and the brothers from the Ministry of Rites."
"…………"
The woman in white clothes behind the purple bead curtain pursed her lips, which were not rouged but pink.
"Mr. Zhao has some inconvenience. Well, the Ai family is worried. Mr. Zhao can just follow his own arrangements and don't have to worry about the Ai family."
She is considerate and considerate.
Zhao Rong smiled and nodded.
The atmosphere on the court was a little tense and awkward for a while.
On the side, Gu Yiwu couldn't help but glance at Ziyu, and saw that he looked like a domineering Confucian scholar who said, "Teach me how to do things."
However, he didn't feel it was inappropriate. Ziyu and them were originally Confucian scholars in the academy and were not under the control of Dali, even though the faceless woman in front of him was the one who stood at the top of Dali's power.
And don’t we still have to rely on them now?
But Ziyu is still very powerful. He can control the mentality of the Empress Dowager Dali and the Regent. These two are not ordinary people... Gu Yiwu secretly said.
In fact, do we have any good plans and tricks? When I asked Tzuyu yesterday, he still smiled bitterly and shrugged. But for now, let's cooperate with Tzuyu to shock these two people. Hey, Tzuyu's unhurried acting skills are okay...
The burly Confucian scholar smiled inwardly and sighed secretly.
"Ahem."
The next second, a cough echoed in the hall. Queen Mother Dugu and Li Mingyi turned their eyes and saw Gu Yiwu with a serious look on his face, calling out seriously: "Ziyu,"
Zhao Rong didn't look at him, but then nodded:
"Okay, ma'am, I'll go to the Ministry of Etiquette with my colleagues in the next few days to talk about the things you should bring and prepare, and give you some advice."
Dugu's eyes were full of joy, "That's very good. Mr. Zhao, the Ai family, the regent, and the princes of the imperial court will fully cooperate with you to handle the matter of the ceremony of enshrining Zen. Before the end of the ceremony, everything will be done...
"
She paused and said, "Mr. Zhao can do whatever is appropriate. The dispatch of officials and the Immortal Family, the allocation of treasures and resources are all subject to Mr. Zhao. If anyone interferes or fails to cooperate, Mr. Zhao and you all will
Gentlemen, you can come directly to the Aijia, and the Aijia will help you solve the problem."
Zhao Rong was slightly surprised, oh, the power this gives is so great. If you want to rob civilian girls, you can just go to Lefangsi where there are many beauties.
He joked in his mind.
However, this power of 'doing whatever he wants' can indeed allow Zhao Rong to do something with it, but the most important thing at the moment is to prepare the gift of Zen.
With some thought in his mind, Zhao Rong nodded and said appreciatively: "Thank you, Queen Mother, for your support. Well, can I really call anyone or anything in Dali, consult any classics, and go to any place in Hanjing?"
He confirmed with a sincere expression.
"Of course..." Just as Dugu was about to respond, she suddenly became alarmed and stopped talking. She couldn't help but glance at the sincere smile of the young Confucian scholar at the bottom of the steps.
Dugu Shi thought Zhao Rong might be polite and serious before, but after the conversation just now, and what Mu Jin and Xue Chan reported to her.
In that moment, I had so many thoughts.
The masked woman in white clothes behind the purple bead curtain bit her teeth gently, and suddenly felt that her smile became a little flatter the more she looked at it.
in addition……
Why is this Confucian scholar's eyes so disgusting? He is looking straight at the Ai family. Isn't it blocked by a bead curtain? What is he looking at? Why did Linlu Academy send such a frivolous Confucian scholar? Didn't the polite Mr. Meng say that at that time?
Do you want to send a very promising junior to preside over the Zen ceremony, this Confucian scholar named Zhao?
Dugu Shi frowned inwardly, but she was not the kind of innocent little girl who was always happy to ask for help.
Dugu Shi chuckled and continued: "Of course they are all following Mr. Zhao. The Ai family trusts you to arrange manpower and materials reasonably. As for wherever you go, I believe that Mr. Zhao will observe etiquette and will not go back to places that are not in line with etiquette."
Like your bedroom?
Zhao Rong was joking in his heart.
He said seriously: "Of course." Well, unless you can't help it.
Dugu was quiet for a while and nodded, "The Ai family is very relieved about Mr. Zhao. In this way, the Ai family will give you a token. In Hanjing these days, Mr. Zhao can do anything by showing it."
Zhao Rong took the token and suddenly said softly: "Actually, it's not impossible to say everything."
"Oh? Mr. Zhao, is there anything you would like to say? Let's talk to the Aijia for reference." Dugu knew clearly that he was trying to show off, but she still couldn't help but lean forward again and stare at the smiling Confucian scholar below.
"I heard that there is the highest mountain in Dali."
Li Mingyi said calmly: "Mr. Zhao, are you talking about Sacrifice to the Moon Mountain?"
Zhao Rong nodded.
"Exactly."
Behind the purple bead curtain, the eyes of the masked woman in white flickered, and then her eyelids lowered...