Food gives me an entry, I will be invincible if I stay alive

Chapter 328 The Heart of an Emperor, A Thousand Years of Achievements

Jade Capital, Heavenly Capital, palaces and imperial city.

Once outside the Jitian Palace, almost no one knew that the current emperor had not attended court for several months.

Ten years ago, the emperor had just executed Xie Huaizheng and was in high spirits and worked hard to govern the country for a period of time.

He abolished the feudal system, implemented the prefecture system, and divided the country into nine circuits, each with a left and right provincial administration commissioner.

The Left and Right Provincial Governors were in charge of both military and political power, and could bypass the Three Departments and Six Ministries to reach the Emperor directly.

They also established the Transport Commissioner and the Thousand Treasures Pavilion to collect rare and precious items from all over the world and allocate them to the Ziwei Academy to cultivate a large army of cultivators.

To quell the evil spirits and crack down on heresy.

He also reformed the tax system into a three-tax system, namely land tax, fiscal tax, and spiritual tax. He conducted population surveys, reduced taxes and corvée labor, and allowed the people to recuperate.

All governance solutions involve both decentralization and centralization.

He also issued decrees for the benefit of the people, executed corrupt officials, and cracked down on the eunuch faction...

With all these measures in place, who can say that the current emperor is not taking action?
But this ambitious emperor, after five years of ruthlessly executing a group of corrupt officials, suddenly changed his ways.

All the reforms he promoted were gradually shelved without anyone noticing.

The nine circuits of the empire, with about eighteen provincial governors, could directly reach the emperor, yet daily military and political reports could never bypass the cabinet.

Although Grand Secretary Liu Shao did not hold the title of prime minister, he had the power of one.

People called him Liu Xiang or Grand Tutor.

He has served as Minister of Personnel for twenty years now!

There may not even be an emperor for twenty years, but there was a Minister of Personnel for twenty years. Liu Shao's authority was so great that Xie Huaizheng's death was not unjust.

Of course, those who are not in the imperial court or have not reached a certain position usually cannot see these secrets clearly.

Unbeknownst to the world, the emperor had been neglecting his duties at court for the past five years.

From the initial daily small court sessions and the five-day grand court sessions, to the later abolition of the small court sessions and the establishment of only the grand court sessions.

Later, it became a ten-day grand court session and then a fifteen-day grand court session.

This continued for several years, and then this year, starting from February of this year, the emperor stopped even attending the grand court session which was held every fifteen days!

It can be said that, apart from a few specific individuals, such as Grand Secretary Liu Shao, Commander of the Prison Administration Gongsun Chu, True Man Xuanming of the Qingxu Dao Palace, and Headmaster Wen Daoyuan of the Ziwei Academy...

In addition to a group of the emperor's personal eunuchs, other officials inside and outside the court had not seen the emperor for a long time, or even at all.

Even with a severe drought in the northern frontier, the emperor did not hold morning court sessions.

All state affairs were handled by the cabinet.

Given this background, on this day, the emperor was summoning Wen Daoyuan, the headmaster of the Ziwei Academy.

Wen Daoyuan was also a great Confucian scholar of his time. He advocated the theory of Wuji and Taiji, and was deeply accomplished in cultivation and had a thorough understanding of the principles of Dharma.

Recently, the emperor has frequently summoned Wen Daoyuan to preach, but he does not talk about the common people; he only asks about immortality.

The emperor asked, "Master Wen, I have consumed many longevity-promoting substances and feel energetic, but for some reason, I have a feeling that my lifespan is always difficult to exceed one hundred years."

Why is this?

Could it be true, as the Imperial Preceptor Tian Sheng once said, that although the emperor is the ruler of the people, he is also disliked by Heaven, and therefore, no matter what, he is unlikely to live past one hundred years old?

Wen Daoyuan had a slender appearance, and although he was over sixty years old, he had a full head of black hair.

He had three long wisps of beard under his chin, and his eyes were bright and piercing.

The emperor had asked about the issue of prolonging life before, yet even Wen Daoyuan could not provide a true answer.

Wen Daoyuan was not in a hurry. He stroked his short beard and said in a gentle tone, "Your Majesty, the way of Heaven is to take from the excess and give to the deficiency. Since ancient times, the more auspicious one's destiny, the more difficult it is to prolong one's life."

As the supreme ruler, Your Majesty is already the most noble person in the world. If you wish to prolong your life, you must do what others cannot and achieve feats unprecedented in history.

Only in this way can one break free from the imprint of heaven and earth, and even at the end of one's life, one can live for eternity.

This wasn't the first time Wen Daoyuan had used this argument. However, the emperor was not satisfied.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Master Wen, this unprecedented achievement sounds simple, but how did I come to accomplish it?"
On the brink of catastrophe, did I not deploy troops? Did I not execute corrupt officials?

But that won't do. If every emperor could act in this way, how could it be considered an unprecedented achievement?

Even if I truly possess such merit, I have no need for my name to be remembered for eternity.

I only wish to live another hundred years or so!
"Master Wen, do you think I might succeed?"

The emperor's gaze was intense as he stared intently at Wen Daoyuan.

He was becoming increasingly impatient. Although it wasn't obvious, it was clear from each of their conversations that he was putting more and more pressure on Wen Daoyuan.

This is also a kind of invisible game.

However, Wen Daoyuan, as a great Confucian scholar of his time and the leader of the Ziwei Academy, had his own confidence.

The emperor pressed on relentlessly, but Wen Daoyuan remained unmoved by the eight winds.

He smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty does not desire a thousand generations, but only wish to prolong your life, and should also achieve unprecedented feats. With this great achievement, defy the will of Heaven."

The emperor still said, "But it is a feat that will last for a thousand years..."

Before the words were finished, the bells of the Taiwei Palace of the previous dynasty suddenly rang out.

thump—

The long, drawn-out chimes, like spring thunder, resounded in everyone's hearts.

The emperor was startled. He turned his head and saw a familiar figure with a beaming smile, back hunched, moving with quick yet light steps, saying joyfully:
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, great news!"

This is Wang Zhen, the emperor's personal attendant.

Seeing his joy, the emperor's heart, which had been in turmoil, immediately relaxed. Then he heard Wang Zhen raise his voice and say:
"Your Majesty, in the provincial examination of Tiannan Circuit, a scholar wrote a policy essay in the examination hall that produced purple smoke. At that moment, a purple light was seen soaring into the sky, its power stopping the clouds in their tracks."

This is an extremely auspicious sign!
This shows that His Majesty's concern for the people is so profound that even Heaven and Earth are moved; otherwise, how could such an auspicious star have been sent down?

At this point, Wang Zhen himself was moved.

He couldn't help but raise the back of his hand and gently wipe the corner of his eye.

The emperor was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed and said, "The breath turns to purple smoke, is this really true? Excellent, excellent, quick! What kind of article is it? Bring it here immediately!"

Wang Zhen had naturally prepared the article in advance. Although it was not the original manuscript, he had personally copied it according to the secret symbols.

He presented the transcribed text with both hands. The emperor took it and was about to examine it closely when he saw the dense text, but his eyes became dizzy.

He immediately handed the article to Wen Daoyuan, who took it right away.

Wen Daoyuan was also surprised. He had written articles that produced purple smoke before. But when he wrote this kind of article, he was already trying to break through to the Great Confucian realm.

How different this piece is from what I see before me, written by a student during the provincial examination.

Since the founding of the Great Li Kingdom, such a proud and outstanding person has not been seen for hundreds of years!

Wen Daoyuan read articles extremely quickly. At first, he could read ten lines at a glance and finish the entire article in just a few breaths.

But a moment later, he quickly returned and read the article carefully from the beginning.

Then he read slower and slower, and read more and more carefully.

Back and forth, over and over again, before we knew it, almost a quarter of an hour had passed.

Where has the emperor ever waited for anyone for such a long time?
At first I was patient, but later I started to frown.

But since it was Wen Daoyuan in front of him, the emperor ultimately dared not urge him too much.

He could only endure it again and again, until he could no longer hold back and uttered, "Master Wen..."

Suddenly, Wen Daoyuan's expression relaxed, and he burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

(End of this chapter)