The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 533: Giving You Two Paths (5k)

Then? I met you in the painting...

Zhao Duan muttered in his heart, but his face showed no sign of it:
"After the battle, I rested behind the county government office in the county town. I wanted to meditate and breathe, but when I was thinking about summoning the water god, I had some feelings about the heavenly realm. At Pei Niannu's suggestion, I tried to visualize the "human world" and wanted to try again to see if I could enter it."

Last time, he was inside the palace, pretending that he couldn't get in.

"Have you gone in?" Xu Zhenguan quietly clenched his slender hands in his sleeves, leaned forward, and paid close attention.

Facing the empress's "stare", Zhao Duan frowned and said hesitantly, "I don't know."

"do not know?"

"Yes, I felt myself entering, but in a blink of an eye, I appeared in the small building behind the Martial Arts Hall."

Zhao Duan looked confused: "Then, I met Eunuch Hai and came to the audience."

After saying this, he observed the subtle changes in the empress's expression with a little trepidation. The expected "suspicion" of him did not come true. Xu Zhenguan frowned beautifully and fell into deep thought.

Heaven, meteor, Zhao Duan, chapter return... four factors mixed together at the same time, making it difficult for her to distinguish which factor played a key role behind this matter.

Huh...Zhenbao didn't seem to associate me with Zhang Hui. Was there really some other factor interfering with her judgment?
Zhao Duan heaved a sigh of relief and became very curious. The room was silent for a while. He couldn't help but whispered:
"Your Majesty? What on earth am I…"

Xu Zhenguan came back to his senses, raised his eyes to look at him, pondered for a moment, shook his head in confusion, and said:

"This matter is a bit complicated. Do you know what happened just now?"

Zhao Duan said honestly: "I saw the director of the Imperial Observatory enter the palace."

Xu Zhen nodded, and suddenly reached out, took the yellowed booklet on the table, placed it in front of him, and explained:

"This is a record of stargazing in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory."

With this body, Zhao Duan cannot influence reality or "turn the pages", but fortunately the text and date on the booklet are intact.

He glanced down and said in surprise:
"This is a record of a stargazing event six hundred years ago?"

Xu Zhenguan nodded:

"Strictly speaking, this is a surviving record of stargazing from the fallen Qi Dynasty. At the end of the Qi Dynasty, smoke of war was raging everywhere. Before the capital of Qi was captured, a fire burned many precious files, but a few were rescued. This is one.

According to the time calculation, it was before the uprising broke out at the end of the dynasty. A special star passed over the capital at that time and was observed and recorded. In the records of Qiguo, this star was named "disaster star". It indicates that disaster is coming.

In the years that followed, the world was in chaos, and all lives were lost. Both the secular world and the spiritual world were swept up in it. It was the greatest disaster in the past 1,500 years."

After a brief pause, Xu Zhenguan stared at him solemnly:
"And just now, the same 'disaster star' appeared again after six hundred years."

Appear again? What Halley's Comet... Zhao Duan was stunned. As a modern person who had received compulsory education, he was not unfamiliar with the concept of periodic encounters between stars.

But considering that there are idealistic "gods" in this world... the setting that stars foreshadow disasters does not seem difficult to accept.

"Could it be that this disaster star foreshadows the war with the Eight Kings?" Zhao Duan asked.

Xu Zhenguan sighed, stood up, and paced around the room with a melancholy look in his eyes:
"Compared to the scale of the disaster six hundred years ago, the current struggle between the imperial court and the eight kings is far inferior."

Zhao Duan suddenly realized:

"Your Majesty, are you worried that this war will not end easily? Or that it may just be the beginning of a greater disaster?"

He hesitated and said, "Is it too arbitrary to make such a judgment based on a so-called disaster star?"

Xu Zhenguan said bitterly: "I also hope that the war will not expand and can be settled smoothly."

The atmosphere in the study was temporarily depressing.

Zhao Duan thought for a moment and explained seriously:

"Your Majesty, please relax. Even if this disaster star really foreshadows the future, what does it matter? Are we still afraid of chaos?"

The empress was stunned for a moment, looked at him, then seemed to have figured something out and smiled with relief.

Zhao Duan also laughed.

Yes, ever since the Xuanmen coup, the empress has been facing endless troubles since she ascended the throne. She almost died in the Fengshan battle... She has overcome so many difficulties, so what is there to fear if there are more?
What's more, it is just an unverified star after all, so there is no point in people being anxious about it now.

Even if there is a disaster in the future, what the king and his ministers can do now is to quell the rebellion as soon as possible to deal with a bigger enemy. So, there is no need to worry, just do what you need to do now.

Emperor Taizu of Dayu ended the disaster that swept across the continent six hundred years ago and brought six hundred years of peace to the world.

Xu Zhenguan wanted to emulate his ancestors and at worst restore the old country once again.

Thinking of this, the haze in her heart suddenly dissipated, and she felt much lighter. She nodded and smiled:

"You are right, it is just a star, there is really no need to worry about it. However, the records of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory show that Emperor Taizu was obsessed with astrology in his later years and spent a lot of time observing the stars in the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, trying to predict the future rise and fall.

Taizu read this record of disaster stars many times, and it was recorded in the royal family's diary that Emperor Taizu had referred to the astrological records of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory when he was painting the mural "The World".

Old Xu was also obsessed with astronomy back then? Zhao Duan was stunned for a moment and said:
"So, Your Majesty suspects that my appearance in the capital from the mural is related to this disaster star?"

This logic is a bit confusing...

Xu Zhenguan shook his head, his eyes shining with wisdom:
"No, I guess that the reason why you were able to manifest your spiritual consciousness and walk out of the mural has little to do with this disaster star. It should be some kind of miraculous change that occurred after you experienced the heavenly realm and combined with the dragon soul in your body. After all, you are extremely predestined with the royal inheritance."

Zhao Duan groaned, unable to refute, and said:

"Then why did your Majesty mention the disaster star just now?"

Xu Zhenguan's eyes became brighter and brighter. She said with some interest, as if sharing a big secret:
"Because this involves another change. Just now, I also entered the Human World through visualization, and I finally found the clues of cultivation left by Emperor Taizu. It was a person in the painting, who called himself 'Zhang Hui'...

After I entered it, I suspected that there was an "identity" in the world of the painting, and this person in the painting came into contact with me through the connection of this identity... Well, it is similar to "The Great Dream Scroll"..."

She spoke of her experiences with great interest.

Women always have a strong desire to share, but as an emperor, she has too many secrets that she cannot tell others and can only keep them in her heart.

And Zhao Duan is undoubtedly a good person to talk to.

Moreover, Zhao Duan will enter "The World" sooner or later. Xu Zhenguan believes that the experience he has explored can be shared with him so that he can be familiar with the next chapter in advance...

The empress didn't notice that Zhao Duan's eyes were becoming more and more strange.

"Well... Zhenbao, you are really smart. You can come up with such a reasonable explanation... Because when Emperor Taizu carved the murals, he referred to the stars. It happened that the disaster star passed by the sky, which caused some changes in the murals...

Well, although this logic is not strict, the practice of the heavenly level is full of mysteries and uncertainties... It is indeed easy to make associations.'

The key points here are:

The empress succeeded to the throne abnormally, and she was not aware of some secrets of the royal family that were only known to emperors of past dynasties.

So many things, especially those involving spiritual practice, require her to explore them bit by bit.

Just like she didn't know the location of Dragon Soul at first.

In the empress's judgment, compared with the outrageous possibility that "Zhao Duan is Zhang Hui", the changes caused by the disaster star are undoubtedly more "reasonable".

Well, or maybe it’s not that complicated at all. It’s just that I have been in the "human world" long enough and met certain conditions, so the guide Zhang Hui appeared... Xu Zhenguan guessed in his heart.

"So that's how it is." Zhao Duan took advantage of the situation and suddenly realized, "So that's how I was able to come back."

After the emperor and his minister had this conversation, the empress felt much better and put aside the bad omen of the disaster star.

Whether it was the great victory on the Western Front, the appearance of Zhang Hui, or Zhao Duan’s miraculous way of returning... they were all happy events.

"How long can you maintain this state? Can you return?" Xu Zhenguan began to care about his condition.

Zhao Duan said:
"I don't feel any discomfort, but I have a feeling that I can't get too far away from the mural... Another thing is that I should be able to go back to Linfeng from the mural, but I'm not sure if I can come back. I need to try."

Xu Zhenguan nodded seriously:

"When it comes to the field of cultivation, we cannot be careless at all. I am not sure if there will be any problems if you stay here for a long time. To be on the safe side, I will send you back first."

Are you leaving now?

Zhao Duan was silent for a moment, then looked directly into the Empress' eyes:
"I am reluctant to leave your majesty, you may sit for a while."

Xu Zhenguan's cheeks turned red and a warmth surged in her heart. Even though Zhao Duan had no physical body at the moment, his gaze seemed to carry a burning temperature, making her want to avoid it.

The empress hesitated for a moment, but finally said "yes" softly, which was considered as her tacit consent.

Zhao Duan chuckled, then bravely stood up, walked to the empress, and dishonestly tried to attack with his hands.

Then, as expected, it "passed through".

Xu Zhenguan glared at him unhappily: "Did I ask you to come over?" "There's no outsider here. Eunuch Hai is guarding outside." Zhao Duan muttered. Now that they had finished talking about serious matters, the atmosphere between the two was no longer that of monarch and subject, but something else.

The empress said nothing, but felt the shadow trying to pass through her again and again, she smiled:

"You can't even spit on me like this, so what else can you do?"

“…” Zhao Duan retreated in frustration.

So, in the final moments, the king and his minister just sat quietly in the study and talked for a while.

Afterwards, although the empress was somewhat reluctant, she still took him back to the old building behind the Wugong Hall for his safety.

Standing in front of the mural, he said:
"Try to go back first. If you can go back again, you can come back. If you can't do it, send the message back from the front line.

The news of the great victory on the western front will surely boost the confidence of the civil and military officials in the court. However, the alliance between Prince Jing and Prince Mu will become closer. You and Xue Shence must be careful and do not rush ahead. "

The empress was giving parting instructions.

Zhao Duan nodded and said with a smile:

"Don't make it sound like I'm saying goodbye. I have a feeling I can come again. I'll report to Your Majesty after this battle on the front line is over."

Xu Zhenguan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll wait for you to come back."

Zhao Duan took a step forward, and his figure slowly sank into the stone wall and disappeared.

Xu Zhenguan watched his breath completely disappear. The empress in white stood alone in the old building, and the afternoon sun slanted in through the window.

There was sadness and loss in her eyes.

……

……

Linfeng, Ning'an County Yamen.

In the house with closed door, Zhao Duan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes and felt dizzy and a strong sense of tiredness surged into his heart.

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the green lotus swayed, emitting a hazy light to replenish the consumption of the soul.

"Back? So tired... As expected, just like last time, entering the human world makes me feel particularly tired, but it should be caused by entering the painting. The period in the palace did not have much impact, because the latter period will be much longer..."

Zhao Duan covered his forehead, his temples throbbing. He simply took out a few refreshing pills and swallowed them, and then he felt better.

"I'm too tired. I need to rest for a while before I can try to visualize again. I have a feeling that if I try to visualize right away, I will fail."

Zhao Duan felt the turbulence in his sea of ​​consciousness and the mental fatigue. He let out a deep breath and gave up the idea of ​​trying to "travel in the mind" immediately and return to the capital.

"It's been so long?" Zhao Duan stepped out of bed and glanced at an hourglass on the table:
"Yes, the time in the scroll is hard to estimate, but the time I spent in the palace to see Zhen Bao was real. I wonder if Xue Shence has returned, and the Jade Sleeve Priest..."

Zhao Duan had no intention of resting, so he simply put away the weapons on the table and then opened the door.

Outside the door, Song Jinxi was conscientious in his duties. When he saw him coming out, he said:
"Sir, are you ready to rest...?"

The worshipper had a strange expression on his face, as if the master had been here for quite some time and seemed to be even more tired.

"Has the Jade Sleeve Priest come out?" Zhao Duan asked calmly without explaining, while looking towards the inner hall.

The door opened with a creaky sound, and Yuxiu walked out from the inner hall. The priestess's eyes were a little swollen, as if she had been crying. Her expression was quite excited, which was very different from her usual indifference.

She came over and saluted Zhao Duan very seriously:
"I just saw you resting, so I didn't disturb you."

No...I haven't seen you for a while, why are you so polite to me? Zhao Duan asked suspiciously:

"What happened?"

Yuxiu motioned him to come into the inner hall so that she could talk to him.

Zhao Duan ordered Song Jinxi to guard the door, and he and Yuxiu returned to the inner hall, where they saw that Nie Yurong had been untied.

The female killer who was being pointed at by the embroidered clothes actually had swollen eyes from crying, but there was a smile on her lips.

Seeing him come in, she, who looked quite similar to Yu Xiu, stood up and suddenly knelt down in front of Zhao Duan. Her tone was sincere and without any hostility:
"The sinful girl Nie Yurong thanks Governor Zhao for his great kindness!"

Zhao Duan:? ?
……

Two quarters of an hour later.

"So, Nie Yurong and you, Taoist priest, are sisters who have been separated for many years?"

Zhao Duan sat in the hall, holding a half-bitten apple in his hand. His expression was extremely interesting, as if he had been sprinkled with a melodramatic drama.

The story is not complicated:

Yuxiu and Nie Yurong were sisters who were born in Yunfu Dao. They had excellent physiques since childhood. However, due to the rebellion caused by the evil sorcerers colluding with the bandits, the sisters fled with their family. On the way, their parents and family members were killed by the bandits, and the sisters were also separated.

Because of her excellent physique in spiritual practice, Yuxiu was noticed by a priest who was out of the Tianshi Mansion to eliminate evil sorcerers. He was brought back to the Tianshi Mansion to be trained and became a disciple.

Nie Yurong was unexpectedly taken away by people from Prince Mu's mansion and trained to be the direct assistant of Xiu Yi.

Since then, the two sisters have been separated by thousands of miles and it is difficult for them to meet again, but they are still looking for each other. However, it has been so many years and there is no clue anymore.

The Jade Sleeve Priest was now much calmer. He sat opposite Zhao Duan, holding his sister's hand, and explained with a smile:

"My surname is Nie, but I changed my name to Taoist after I entered the Heavenly Master's Mansion. In the past few years, I have been practicing in the capital, until I became a master and was able to travel the world, and then I went to Yunfu Dao.

One of the reasons why I have been traveling in Yunfu Road, the territory of the Liao people, and the eastern and western borders of Southern Xinjiang in recent years is that I am trying to find the whereabouts of my sister. "

Nie Yurong's tears were still there. She held her sister's hand tightly, and said with great emotion:
"I was chosen by Prince Mu's Mansion and trained in secret. The discipline of the Xiuyizhizhi organization is extremely strict. I cannot move freely. The priests in the Tianshi Mansion are too far away from people like us. I didn't expect that my sister would become a priest and a disciple of the Tianshi."

Zhao Duan asked curiously:

"Master, have you ever asked Master Zhang to help you find it?"

Yuxiu understood what he meant, nodded and shook her head, and said with a wry smile:
"I did ask for help from Master, but although Master is very powerful, I also worship a small god in Prince Mu's Mansion and practice the art of concealment. My existence is protected by the gods' magic, so Master cannot know."

After a pause, she suddenly said:

"However, when Master sent me to Linfeng with you this time, he told me that I might get what I wanted. I didn't understand it at the time, but now I think that Master may have seen that my little sister and I will meet again."

In such a big world, how easy is it to meet again after decades?
Zhao Duan originally still had some doubts in his heart, worrying whether there was a trick here, but he was relieved when he heard that Lao Zhang had already hinted at it.

Well, I even unexpectedly met Pei Niannu’s “descendant”, Princess Jing, Lu Yaner.

The reunion of the Yuxiu sisters is nothing special.

"Master Zhao," Yuxiu suddenly stood up and said seriously:
"I know that my little sister is in Prince Mu's mansion. According to the law of the country, she is an enemy. Now she should be a prisoner and should be severely punished. But I dare to ask you to show mercy. Yuxiu will remember this favor in her heart and will repay you."

Zhao Duan smiled and waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to do so. After a moment's hesitation, he said:

"The priest came with the army this time, first defeated the young master of the White Clothes Sect, and then killed the Brahma Dragon of the Dragon Temple. Just these two things should be considered as a favor I owe you. However, your sister is the direct envoy of the Embroidered Cloth, and if I let her go, it would be against the law of the country..."

Yuxiu suddenly became nervous, but Nie Yurong was not afraid at all. She smiled and suddenly said to Yuxiu:
"The reason why I was able to endure the brutal training in Prince Mu's Mansion and live to this day is not for fame or fortune, but just to see my sister.

Now that my wish has been fulfilled, I have no regrets. Sister, as a priest, you should be impartial. Prince Mu's mansion is colluding with the evil sorcerer, and my hands are not clean either, so you don't have to plead for me."

She looked at Zhao Duan and said calmly:

"What should be done? Please do not show any mercy outside the law. All should be dealt with according to the national law."

She didn't want her background to affect Yuxiu's future!

Nie Yurong knew very well that she would never be able to live an ordinary life in this lifetime, and as a killer, she could not turn back.

But Yuxiu still has a bright future.

Even though the Tianshi Mansion was aloof from the rest of the world, Yuxiu was involved in the dynasty's political struggles because of her, which posed a huge risk, especially since she was pleading with the powerful official who was rumored to be extremely sinister, treacherous and cunning... This was something she didn't want to see.

Yu Xiu got anxious and her expression changed: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

Zhao Duan watched the two people arguing with a smile, and suddenly smiled:
"Well, I have two choices for you."

He raised a finger to Nie Yurong:
"The first way is that I will help you completely get rid of this identity. From now on, your position as the Embroidered Clothes Envoy will be 'dead'. The real you can live anywhere. As long as you stay in the area controlled by the court, I will ensure your safety.

Well, the premise is that you don't commit any more crimes. As a price, Jade Sleeve Priest must help me do something for a period of time."

"The second way is that you continue to be an embroidered clothes envoy and help me with some things. At the same time, you will also become a shadow guard of the imperial court. After you finish your work, it will be considered that you have made merits and your sins will be atonement. You can earn merits to redeem your own sins."

Nie Yurong did not hesitate and took a step forward before her sister: "I choose the second way!"

(End of this chapter)