A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 236 Dancing
As the snow fell heavily, the lanterns hanging in the snow glowed red against the snow curtain, creating an auspicious scene.

The ministers and officials who participated in government affairs, as well as the high-ranking officials, nobles, and members of the imperial family, withdrew from the hall. The heavy snow fell on their heads and bodies, instantly turning into glistening water droplets.

Even with all his might, he could not hide his joy. The groundbreaking ceremony for the auspicious burial site was about to take place, and His Majesty was to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to apologize. The Emperor, on the other hand, formally revealed his intention to take over the throne.

If His Majesty makes just one more misstep, the day of "success" will arrive.

Everyone says that young soldiers crave merit, but who knows how eagerly the elderly courtiers seek advancement?

Now, keep a close eye on His Majesty. If there is any unusual movement, report it to the Xuan Shi Hall. When His Majesty ascends the throne, the merit of supporting the emperor can be expected.

Leaving aside the Qilin Pavilion, the new Lingyan Pavilion is worth a shot.

Conversely, the cruel officials of the outer court, the imperial faction of the inner court, and the Confucian officials of both dynasties all seemed to have lost their parents, as His Majesty's reign as emperor was about to end. Even the task of going to the Ganquan Palace to ask His Majesty to hand over the murderer who disturbed the tomb of the retired emperor and to ask His Majesty to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to apologize was to be done by Er Kuan, the "head of the inner court".

To kill someone, you also have to destroy their spirit?

Chu Da, a scholar of classics in the imperial court and the foremost of Dong Zhongshu's four disciples, was not sleeping "peacefully." It was probably because the way the officials in the central court carried him was uncomfortable, with his legs high and his head low. He even bumped his head again when he left the Xuan Shi Hall. This time, he was truly "sleeping soundly."

When the princes and ministers saw this scene, their lips twitched slightly. They had no misunderstanding of Chu Da, Dong Zhongshu, or his many disciples and former officials. They all agreed that he was "a man from the brothel."

Dong Zhongshu constructed a spiritual brothel with his scholarship, and he and his disciples were the "brothel madams" who solicited business there.

Unlike brothels in reality that would accept anyone with money, Dong Zhongshu's brothels only entertained learned and ambitious scholars.

However, a brothel is still a brothel. Whether it's physical or mental pleasure, in this era where "impurity is shameful," the "Dong Xue" who was stripped naked by Prime Minister Gongsun Hong in court is like a female prostitute being whipped naked in the street. Her business will probably decline in the future.

Inside the main hall, only Gongsun Hong, Zhang Tang, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing remained seated.

Liu Ju watched the backs of the court officials gradually disappear into the heavy snow, as if asking himself, or perhaps asking them, "I am not omniscient in matters of the family, the state, or the world... Zhang Tang, tell me about the murder at Wannian Jirang that the Imperial Censor has uncovered."

Zhang Tang suddenly perked up and said, "Your Majesty, based on the investigation by the Imperial Censor and the bodies and wreckage found at the foot of Wannian Mountain, it can be basically determined that the two dead men came from a profound school of thought, the 'astrologers'."

Huo Qubing had clear eyes.

Gongsun Hong and Wei Qing, who was becoming more familiar with state affairs, showed surprise. The secrets of the astrologers need not be explained, but they felt a little sorry for the death of the astrologers.

It is said that astronomy is not something that can be cultivated, but rather a natural talent. It is said that only those with the most refined understanding can see its numbers, and only those with the most profound knowledge can glimpse its principles. If one does not have the talent, it is better not to know than to know. Those who possess knowledge of the Classic of Filial Piety and the Book of Poetry can attain high office. In short, if you do not have the talent, do not enter my school.

An extremely aloof being. They usually don't even show their faces, yet two of them died just from hearing about it?

Can a man of such high reputation not even understand the meaning of his own life and death?
"Upon investigation, your humble servant found that the two wise hermits were first killed by a hail of arrows, and then pushed down the mountain along with their carts, presumably to destroy the evidence," Zhang Tang continued.

"Lichenqie" refers to the miscellaneous servants of the government and those in charge of examining corpses.

During the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, the term "servant concubines" was changed from lifelong labor service to fixed-term labor service, mainly responsible for tasks such as moving corpses, dressing and undressing, and assisting with measurements.

"Moreover, I also found the 'Ten Thousand Years' Mountain Stele at the foot of the mountain. Although there was a landslide in Jirang, the mountain stele was definitely not a natural landslide, but was pushed down by people."

After recounting everything he knew, Zhang Tang paused and said, "Based on the above, the Imperial Censor has made a deduction: the deceased hermit Linghui was invited to the Ganquan Palace by His Majesty not long ago, before the comet appeared. His Majesty's intentions are unknown. After the night of the comet, either His Majesty was dissatisfied, or the hermit Linghui was content in the mountains and left the Ganquan Palace. His Majesty sent a palace guard to accompany him, ostensibly to 'escort' him, but in reality to 'silence' him."

But immediately after killing the hermit Linghui, a landslide occurred on Wannian Mountain, bringing the stele down with it. The killer, seeing this, panicked and pushed the stele down the mountain along with the stone, hastily leaving. The bloodstains and arrow marks left at the scene, not completely cleaned up, are proof of this.

Gongsun Hong leaned back slightly, clearly deep in thought.

This caught Liu Ju's attention, and he looked at him, "Old Prime Minister?"

Gongsun Hong rose upon hearing this and replied, “Your Majesty, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, rulers believed in Heaven. When a ruler committed a mistake in state affairs that the common people could not forgive, as long as the ruler expressed sincere repentance, Heaven would send down auspicious blessings. Astrologers would interpret this as Heaven having already redeemed the mistake, and the ruler would regain his wisdom. Therefore, in those chaotic times, the rulers of various states always liked to keep astrologers by their side, ostensibly to tell the ruler the secrets of Heaven at any time, but in reality, it was to show the outside world that the ruler was acting in accordance with Heaven, to inspire the people, and to enhance the prestige of the state.”

Gongsun Hong took a breath and continued, "If I am not mistaken, inviting the astrologers to the Ganquan Palace was Dong Zhongshu's idea, intended to restore Your Majesty's reputation, while also intending to slander the sovereign. The two deceased wise hermits must not have had the same intentions as Your Majesty or Dong Zhongshu, which is why they suffered such a great calamity."

Gongsun Hong raised his head and looked at the throne, then said, "However, the hermit Linghui may not have died because he was not employed by Your Majesty. What could have led to the hermit Linghui's death must have been something that could not be revealed in the celestial phenomena that night. In my opinion, this may be related to Your Majesty."

As Wei Qing and Huo Qubing's demeanor changed, Zhang Tang's expression became even more solemn.

"If I'm not mistaken, in the celestial phenomena of the night of the comet, Your Majesty is not at an advantage!"

Gongsun Hong, having received a signal, sat back down on the embroidered stool. "The wise hermit truthfully informed His Majesty and then resigned. His Majesty outwardly agreed, but he cannot let the two go, because His Majesty is about to launch a counterattack!"

"Whether it is for good luck or to prevent the Supreme Ruler from making further breakthroughs and creating greater resistance to a counterattack, Your Majesty has every reason to kill the Hermit of Wisdom."

Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Zhang Tang looked up at the old prime minister with a sense of awe and reverence. Whether the speculation was true or not was unknown, but his ability to see the whole picture from a small part and to understand people's hearts was something that was hard to match.

Gongsun Hong did not enjoy the ceremony. With a solemn expression, he said, "Your Majesty, the decrees to relocate the wealthy and investigate the court's expenditures over the past twenty years have been promulgated. Do you wish to dance?"

(End of this chapter)