As soon as these words came out, the voices in the entire hall stopped, and everyone looked for fame and left.
Especially Song Qian, the governor of Linzi County who came to offer the Kirin's auspicious gift, his face suddenly changed color because he saw that the person speaking was Zhao Tuo, the martial lord of the Qin Dynasty, staring at him with bright eyes.
The faces of all the ministers also had different reactions.
Ziying, Wang Wu and other people who had friendship with Zhao Tuo looked worried, wondering what Zhao Tuo was talking about at this moment.
Tingwei Li Si's eyes moved slightly, and he looked at Zhao Tuo with some surprise.
In his impression, isn't Zhao Tuo such a short-sighted person?
The First Emperor sitting on the main seat had a dull expression.
His eyes swept around Zhao Tuo's face, and then fell on the county governor Song Qian. He smiled and said: "Martial Lord Marquis is curious about the true appearance of Qilin. Song Qing may have come looking for Qilin. Let me and the other ministers
See you all too."
Song Qian swallowed his saliva and said: "Reporting to your majesty, less than half a day after the birth of the unicorn, it can fly away so fast that no one can catch it. It rushes into the mountains and forests in an instant. By the time I got the news and rushed there, it was already gone."
There is no trace. Although I have the intention to search for the unicorn, I am afraid that I am unable to do so."
Lu Sheng rolled his eyes and asked pretending to be curious: "Song County Governor, I heard that in the past, Duke Ai of Lu caught a strange beast while hunting in the west. The beast had the body of a moose, an ox's tail, and one horn. After Confucius identified it, he thought it was a unicorn. I didn't know that this thing was the same.
?”
Song Qian knew that Lu Sheng was coming to relieve the siege, so he hurriedly said: "However, according to the people in the village, this thing fits the shape of a moose's body, an ox's tail, and a horn. It is very rare. It also coincides with the emperor's conferment of Zen, so I think it is
The Kirin came to the world to complement the virtues of the Holy King."
Lu Sheng nodded and said: "So that's it. Kirin is a benevolent beast. It does not appear in the wild, but takes off the body of a cow to show its auspiciousness. It is the auspiciousness given by God in response to His Majesty's conferment of Zen, to show the virtues of the Holy King."
After saying that, Lu Sheng said to the First Emperor: "I heard that after Duke Ai of Lu hunted the unicorn in the west, the unicorn was seriously injured and died because he did not recognize the auspicious beast. When Confucius saw it, he cried and said: "The unicorn came out and died, my way.
I am so poor. I also wrote a song saying, "In the Tang Dynasty and the Yu Dynasty, lins and phoenixes came to visit. Now is not the right time to come here. What should I ask for? Lins are coming, lins are coming, and I am worried."
"Looking at it from this point of view, the Qilin beast is extremely auspicious when it is born, but it cannot be captured. If it is captured by Duke Lu, the country's fortune will decline. Your Majesty must not forcefully pursue such an auspicious beast."
Lu Sheng had white hair and beard, a plump complexion, and was wearing a wide robe with big sleeves. He had a rather unearthly air. At this moment, he was quoting scriptures and talking, and he was full of persuasiveness, making many people nod along.
Zhao Tuo stared at Lu Sheng, secretly surprised.
This alchemist from the Overseas Immortal Seeking Sect has a pretty high level, much better than Hou Sheng who only knows how to refine medicine.
Lu Sheng first responded to Zhao Tuo's request to see its true appearance with the appearance of the unicorn hunted by Duke Ai of Lu.
Then he cited the history of the death of the unicorn, Confucius' weeping, and the decline of the Lu State to prove that the unicorn cannot be hunted or hunted, directly rejecting the idea of letting people hunt down that unicorn.
You want to catch Qilin, but if you injure it and kill it, do you also want Da Qin to fall into the same fate as Lu?
Such logical words directly blocked Zhao Tuo's difficulties.
Looking at Lu Sheng's old smiling face, Zhao Tuo's eyes became colder and colder.
This was his first confrontation with the alchemist of Xunxian Sect, and he didn't expect that this opponent would be quite difficult to deal with.
However, since Zhao Tuo decided to go to war with these alchemists, he would not back down.
He smiled and said: "What Lu Gong said is very reasonable. The unicorn can only be watched from a distance but cannot be hunted. I was rude just now. But now that the unicorn is gone, the cow that gave birth to it is still there. In this way, the sacred cow can be for me.
The auspicious birth of Da Qin must not be taken lightly. I should go and see it in person, and by the way, listen carefully to what the people in the countryside who have seen Qilin have to say, so that I can learn more."
This martial artist really wants to get to the bottom of it!
Lu Sheng, Han Zhong, and Song Qian all had their eyelids twitching.
Before, all the counties were offering auspicious signs to the emperor, including black pheasants and divine turtles. The emperor smiled and gave them rewards. At that time, Zhao Tuo didn't make any objections. How come he arrived in Linzi City and faced Qilin?
The great auspiciousness that came into the world began to do something wrong.
Sweat appeared on Song Qian's forehead.
He was naturally prepared for the Qilin incident.
There are evidences such as cows giving birth and villagers who have seen Qilin. He would not be afraid of a normal test.
But the other party is Zhao Tuo, the martial arts lord. He has a great reputation. How can people not be afraid of him?
Not to mention Zhao Tuo's tit-for-tat attitude here. Once he goes there, he will definitely look for any loopholes. There is a high probability that the matter will be leaked.
At this moment, the First Emperor on the throne spoke.
"Wugong Hou said it right. It is auspicious for a cow to give birth to a unicorn. Now that the unicorn has left, the cow cannot be insulted and should be taken good care of."
Song Qian was overjoyed.
The First Emperor's words were equivalent to directly determining the nature of the matter, and even a martial artist could not overthrow it at will.
Sure enough, Shi Sheng, who persuaded him to engage in auspiciousness, was right. Using auspiciousness to cater to the emperor's enthronement would be of great benefit and harmless. Even if the emperor guessed that the matter was false, he would not be able to deny it.
If he denies it, wouldn't it become the biggest joke in the world? On the contrary, he will characterize it and solidify it to complement his own holiness.
Song Qian hurriedly bowed in agreement and said that he would have someone take good care of the cow after he returned.
The First Emperor nodded and said, "I'm tired, so you can go out first."
"only."
All ministers took orders.
The First Emperor said again: "Marquis Wugong is staying here. I have something to say to you."
"only."
Zhao Tuo responded calmly.
All the ministers walked out. Before leaving, most of them looked at Zhao Tuo secretly and shook their heads secretly.
Wugong Hou is usually a clever person, how could he make a mistake in something like this?
Before leaving, the two alchemists Lu Sheng and Han Zhong also smiled at Zhao Tuo.
Such a proud look can be felt even by ignorant children.
After a while, all the officials in the room left. Except for the eunuchs waiting in the corner of the palace, only the First Emperor and the martial lord Zhao Tuo were left.
The First Emperor looked at Zhao Tuo who looked calm in front of him, shook his head and said: "Do you think I don't know?"
Zhao Tuo said: "Your Majesty knows, but he likes it very much."
The First Emperor smiled and said, "Why don't you like it? And this matter is not necessarily false. I am the Son of Heaven, and I declare my destiny to heaven for my supreme achievements. It is appropriate for God to grant me auspiciousness."
Zhao Tuo was silent.
Yes, the emperor would naturally like this kind of thing.
Immediately after the conferment of Zen, these auspicious signs representing the holy king appeared, precisely to show God's recognition of the emperor's achievements and virtues.
No matter what the truth was, the emperor just wanted it to be true.
Zhao Tuo said: "I know that auspicious things are beneficial, but I am worried about one thing."
"What are you worried about?"
The First Emperor spoke curiously.
"I heard that Duke Huan of Qi in the past liked to wear purple clothes, so all the people of Qi in the country imitated the king and only liked purple clothes. However, purple clothes are very precious, and five pieces of plain cloth cannot be exchanged for one piece of purple cloth. As much as the people of Qi like purple, the country
The increasing trend of extravagance in China is not a blessing to the country."
Zhao Tuo spoke in a deep voice and expressed his opinions to the emperor in the way that people of this era told stories and used metaphors well.
"I also heard that the good man of King Ling of Chu had a thin waist, so all the ministers in his court were afraid that their waists would be fat and they would lose the king's favor. They did not dare to eat more meals and only ate one meal a day as a measure of moderation.
When they get up every day, they have to hold their breath, tighten their belts, and hold on to the wall before they can stand up. By the second year, all the officials in the court were swarthy."
At this point, Zhao Tuo had already made his point and said bluntly: "I see that Duke Huan of Qi likes purple clothes, and the country is extravagant. King Ling of Chu likes thin waists, so the whole court is dark and the country is weak. Today, Your Majesty likes auspicious clothes.
"Feng, I am worried that all the Qin officials in all the counties in the Qin Dynasty will follow suit one after another to please Your Majesty if they see that they can get rewards by offering auspicious auspicious signs."
Zhao Tuo didn't say the next consequences, but he knew that the First Emperor knew it very well.
The First Emperor stared at Zhao Tuo expressionlessly.
Zhao Tuo lowered his head slightly to show respect for the superior, but his expression was calm and his eyes met the First Emperor's.
This was his attempt to dissuade him since his reply when he was enshrined in Zen at Mount Tai.
The auspicious signs kept appearing, and the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty were all flattering. If he did not stand up to dissuade him, when the news about the auspicious signs in Qi was spread, I am afraid that the entire Qin Dynasty would be filled with auspicious signs.
But, will the emperor listen?
The atmosphere in the palace was depressing.
The eunuchs standing in the corner were sweating on their foreheads.
Marquis Wu Gong compared the emperor to Duke Huan of Qi, who liked purple clothes, and King Ling of Chu, who liked a slim waist.
I'm afraid even Tingwei Li Si wouldn't dare to say such words.
If a prince is so bold, will the emperor punish him?
In the end, the First Emperor just shook his head and said: "I understand, you can go out."
Zhao Tuo sighed in his heart.
He cupped his hands and said, "Wei."
He turned around silently, with some sadness in his eyes.
Isn’t this also okay?
But just when Zhao Tuo turned around and was about to leave, the voice of the First Emperor came from behind.
"The auspicious omen will end with Qilin."
Zhao Tuo paused, a smile bloomed on his face, and his eyes became much brighter.
The emperor is not really insufferable.
This is still advisable.
He turned around, saluted the First Emperor, and said, "Your Majesty, the Holy Ming."
The First Emperor shook his head slightly.
The story of Duke Huan of Qi's love for purple clothes is recorded in Han Fei's book.
What goes up works but what works below.
As a monarch who was familiar with Legalist works, the First Emperor naturally knew very well. When Zhao Tuo opened his mouth, he understood the harm that would be caused to the country if he continued to allow auspicious things to spread.
But what is clear is that if someone else were to give advice, he, the most supreme emperor in the world, might listen, but he would not have this attitude.
The auspiciousness before was related to the auspicious omen from heaven after Fengchan, and he would not deny it.
But later, he will listen to Zhao Tuo's advice and curb this behavior.
He looked at the young man in front of him saluting him respectfully.
A smile flashed in the eyes of the First Emperor.
This is my son-in-law.
Although what he said is a bit disappointing, it is indeed beneficial to the entire country.
"Zhao Tuo would rather offend me than remonstrate with me. His love for me and the Qin Dynasty has never been lacking."