The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 173

Chapter 173: Entering Officialdom, Counterattack Against Lu Lingxuan

“Zhen has no grand ambitions, just wanting to be Your Majesty’s favored official!”

This unexpected turn nearly caused He Shikai to spit out a mouthful of saliva. He had done countless shameless things, but this was the first time he had heard someone dare to directly say they wanted to be the Emperor’s favored official!

He had just thought this kid was a man of integrity, a bright and upright person who wouldn’t yield, with the arrogant flaws of those literati. Unexpectedly…tsk tsk, when it came to bowing and scraping, he was no less skilled than himself!

After saying this, she looked at Gao Zhan with utmost sincerity and explained, “Zhen’s family was destroyed during the Hou Jing Rebellion. Alone and adrift in a foreign land, with no family left, if not for Prince of Lanling’s rescue, Zhen would have perished in the chaos of war. Now, thanks to his recommendation, being able to stand in this Grand Ultimate Hall, playing Go with Qi’s Assistant Minister of the Secretariat, competing in scholarship, is Zhen’s honor.

Therefore, if Your Majesty asks about Zhen’s ambition, it is only to be Your Majesty’s trusted official and repay Your Majesty’s kindness!

Please grant Zhen your favor!”

These words were spoken with deep emotion, making people feel pity for her past and even more inclined to appreciate her talent!

Gao Zhan was indeed moved. Looking at this elegant figure with unparalleled talent, a renowned figure from Jiangzuo, he couldn’t help but clap his hands and reply, “Good! Since you have such a heart to repay kindness, I will not let you down!” He then whispered to Li Mi beside him, “What position did you say was still vacant last time?”

“Your Majesty, it’s Assistant in the Secretariat!” Li Mi replied.

Gao Zhan shook his head after hearing this.

“Assistant in the Secretariat is only a sixth-rank official position, how can it be worthy of Young Master Xie’s talent? Since Young Master Xie’s talent is comparable to Pei Rangzhi, why not give Young Master Xie the position of Assistant Minister of the Secretariat!”

Assistant Minister of the Secretariat was a third-rank official position. In addition to drafting imperial edicts and documents issued by the Emperor, they also participated in important national decisions and confidential affairs, ensuring the communication and implementation of government orders. Their authority was much greater than that of an Assistant in the Secretariat.

With a single word, Gao Zhan actually bestowed a third-rank official position on a scholar who had just entered officialdom!

He Shikai felt that Gao Zhan must have gone mad and hurriedly advised, “Your Majesty, Xie Zhen is just a scholar, with no political achievements, how can he be the third-rank Assistant Minister of the Secretariat? Moreover, Your Majesty, you promised this position to someone not long ago!”

“Who?”

He Shikai lowered his head, his lips trembling, and replied, “Mu Tipo!”

Gao Zhan was slightly startled and whispered to He Shikai, “When did I ever say I wanted Mu Tipo to be the Assistant Minister of the Secretariat?”

“It was that time, you had a bit too much to drink and…agreed to Lady Lu’s request!”

“Absurd! How old is Mu Tipo, and his talent is mediocre, how can he be compared to Xie Zhen!”

Although Gao Zhan’s voice was low, Mu Tipo, who was not far away, heard every word clearly. His face couldn’t help but turn red with shame and anger. He wanted to retort, but Lu Lingxuan grabbed him and stopped him with a look.

“Let it be! Arrange another official position for Mu Tipo. Xie Zhen will take the position of Assistant Minister of the Secretariat!”

As soon as Gao Zhan said this, everyone was astonished. Entering officialdom and immediately receiving a third-rank official position, even the renowned Zu Ting, the talented poet Pei Rangzhi, and the eloquent Lu Sidao did not have such luck!

But they had to admit that this young man’s talent was indeed astonishing!

“Your Majesty, Xie Zhen’s talent is one thing, but his character still needs to be tested. It is well known that Pan An in the Western Jin Dynasty was also brilliant in writing, his talent comparable to Cao Zhi. However, Pan An worshipped Jia Mi’s chariot and even imitated the Crown Prince’s handwriting, leading to the Crown Prince of the Jin Dynasty being harmed by Empress Jia. Such a villain, what good is his talent?”

As He Shikai spoke, Li Mi sneered and sarcastically said:

“Palace Attendant He, don’t you think the person you described is most like yourself? Xie Zhen hasn’t even entered officialdom yet, and His Majesty is merely showing his appreciation for talent, but you are suppressing him everywhere. Could it be that you are learning from the consorts in the harem, vying for favor?”

“You——”

He actually compared him to a woman in the harem!

He Shikai’s face turned red and white!

Li Mi continued, “Moreover, since Xie Zhen came to this Grand Ultimate Hall to undergo Your Majesty’s examination, you and Lady Lu have been slandering him everywhere, trying to drive him out of our Qi. Li cannot help but suspect…”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Gao Zhan suddenly interrupted and looked at “Xie Zhen,” “My mind is made up. Where is the Minister of Personnel?”

An official in a purple robe and a Liang official’s attire stepped forward and said, “Your servant is here!”

“Issue the appointment document for Assistant Minister of the Secretariat to Xie Zhen. Let him assume office tomorrow!”

“Yes!”

“That’s all for today. You are all dismissed!”

With Gao Zhan’s order, everyone was about to get up and leave the Grand Ultimate Hall when “Xie Zhen” suddenly called out, “Your Majesty!”

Gao Zhan narrowed his eyes and asked with interest, “What is it? Do you have something else to say?”

Xiao Jinyu bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Just now, before I entered officialdom, I was insignificant and dared not accuse anyone in the court. But now that Your Majesty has bestowed upon me an official position, I also want to seek justice for today’s assassination attempt!”

As soon as she said this, Lu Lingxuan and He Shikai abruptly raised their heads, both looking at “Xie Zhen” with disbelief and realization!

They had thought that she didn’t speak before because she didn’t know or didn’t dare to speak. It turned out that she had buried a trap here!

Gao Zhan wouldn’t care about the assassination of an ordinary scholar. Moreover, a mere scholar, dead is dead, not many people would care. But if it was the assassination of a third-rank court official, the nature would be completely different!

Especially since he had now captured the hearts of all the scholars present with his astonishing talent!

There was a saying, “Kill one Ji Kang and lose the hearts of the world.” The current Xie Zhen was already like the reclusive Ji Kang in the hearts of these scholars!

“Indeed! We also ask Your Majesty to preside over justice, severely punish the culprit, and seek justice for Assistant Minister Xie!”

“Please, Assistant Minister Xie, tell us who this person is?”

Gao Zhan also sat down, looking at Xie Zhen who was looking up at him with bright eyes and a stubborn expression!

“I thought you wouldn’t bother with the person who tried to assassinate you. It’s just a jealous and petty villain,” he said.

“Your Majesty, I wouldn’t bother with a villain, but my family is dwindling, and I am the only one left. This villain trying to kill me is equivalent to wiping out my entire family, severing the incense of my Xie clan. Killing me is one thing, but extinguishing the incense of my Xie family is unacceptable. Their heart is punishable!”

Tsk…He Shikai’s face contorted instantly, wishing he could slap this “Xie Zhen”!

Gao Zhan burst into laughter.

“I didn’t expect you, Xie Zhen, to be such an interesting person. You make a valid point. Then tell me, who tried to assassinate you, and I will seek justice for you!”

Lu Lingxuan couldn’t help but turn to look at Gao Zhan, her eyes filled with surprise and fear!

“Yes!”

Xiao Jinyu responded, her gaze falling on Lu Lingxuan, and said loudly, “The person who tried to assassinate me is General Gao, Gao Anagong! And he is currently in the Northern Palace!”

As soon as the name Gao Anagong was mentioned, Gao Zhan’s face changed, and an uproar erupted in the Grand Ultimate Hall.

“It’s actually him! Not long ago, when Princess Consort of Lanling was praying for rain at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, someone from the Imperial Guards tried to assassinate her. General Gao claimed it was an individual act and easily cleared himself of suspicion. Unexpectedly, he would resort to the same trick again, assassinating a pillar of talent in our Qi!”

“From this, it seems that General Gao is definitely involved in the assassination attempt on Princess Consort of Lanling!”

“Indeed, such a villain, how can he be an official? If this continues, he will surely harm the country and the people!”

“Gao Anagong dared to assassinate Princess Consort of Lanling without Your Majesty’s decree, which shows that there must be someone else behind him!”

“I wonder who is the mastermind behind this?”

“…”

Angry voices rose from the Grand Ultimate Hall. Lu Lingxuan gritted her teeth, trying hard to maintain a calm and composed smile on her face, but Mu Tipo couldn’t hold it anymore. His face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead!

Gao Zhan looked at Lu Lingxuan coldly without saying a word. At this moment, an Imperial Guard rushed into the Grand Ultimate Hall and reported to Gao Zhan:

“Your Majesty, General Gao was assassinated in the Northern Palace!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Lingxuan couldn’t help but stand up!

Gao Zhan was also a little surprised and hurriedly summoned the eunuch, ordering someone to prepare the imperial chariot to go to the Northern Palace!

……

When the imperial chariot, surrounded by Imperial Guards, arrived at the Northern Palace, they saw Gao Anagong’s body lying in a pile of rubble. His chest seemed to have been pierced by sword energy, blood splattered everywhere, and his eyes were still open.

Besides him, there were seven or eight other assassins in black clothing, all struck in vital points by sword energy, lying scattered around!

Several Imperial Guards examined the scene and then carried out another body from a thatched hut in the back garden.

“Your Majesty, including General Gao, there are a total of ten people. General Gao and these eight people were all injured by the same kind of sword energy. But this one inside seems to have fought desperately before death and was finally killed by a broken sword piercing his heart!”

“Dead is dead! Hand over their bodies to the Court of Judicial Review for handling!” Gao Zhan gave a light order, as if remembering something, he asked, “Oh right, where is Minister of Justice Bi Yiyun?”

The Minister of Justice was in charge of military and criminal justice, and in the past, some retrials in the Court of Judicial Review were ultimately reviewed by Bi Yiyun.

“Your Majesty, have you forgotten? He was sent by you on a secret mission to the Zhou State!” He Shikai whispered from the side.

✿✿✿

Gao Zhan seemed to have only just remembered this and nodded.

“Then forget it! Let this matter rest. Hand over these bodies to Minister of Justice Sima Maozong for handling. Also, investigate who is the mastermind behind them?”

Upon hearing that they were going to investigate the mastermind, Lu Lingxuan hurriedly stepped forward, “Your Majesty, Gao Anagong’s death is clearly related to this Xie Zhen. For the sake of his family, we need to find out the cause of his death and find the murderer!”

“Even if it is related to Xie Zhen, wasn’t it Gao Anagong who tried to assassinate Xie Zhen first? Lady Lu, what else do you want to investigate?”

Li Mi retorted. Lu Lingxuan was so angry that she was about to argue back, but Gao Zhan became even more impatient and interrupted sharply:

“Enough! I said let this matter rest! Lady Lu, are you deliberately trying to make me unhappy?”

Gao Zhan was not a fool. Li Mi’s words clearly implied that the person behind Gao Anagong must be Lu Lingxuan, and Lu Lingxuan still wanted to turn the tables and blame Xie Zhen. This was treating him like a puppet.

Although Gao Zhan indulged in pleasure and neglected state affairs, he was not willing to be treated as a fool. His shout was particularly fierce, and Lu Lingxuan immediately dared not speak.

“Let’s go! Back to the palace. I’m tired today and don’t want to hear any more messy things!”

“Yes, Your Majesty! Back to the palace!”

With the eunuch’s shrill announcement, Gao Zhan’s chariot was lifted and, surrounded by Imperial Guards, headed back to the Southern City Imperial Palace.

Lu Lingxuan watched the chariot gradually disappear, her face turning livid, and then she cast a fierce gaze at “Xie Zhen”!

……

“Mother, what kind of creature is this Xie Zhen? Could he be a monster? Blindfolded Go, composing five poems in seven steps, even his handwriting, all the scholars applauded, and even Assistant Minister of the Secretariat Zu yielded to him!”

Back at the Lu Residence, Mu Tipo couldn’t help but curse angrily.

“Damn it, one Xiao Jinyu is enough, but there’s another Xie Zhen by Prince of Lanling’s side. Now this Xie Zhen has even snatched my official position as soon as he entered officialdom!”

“It’s so infuriating, why can’t we kill him?”

“Clearly someone saw him go to the Northern Palace, clearly ten top assassins were sent…”

The assassination failed, and instead, they lost two arms!

Mu Tipo kept pounding his chest and muttering, Lu Lingxuan closed her eyes, and couldn’t help but shout irritably, “Shut up, let me think!”

Mu Tipo’s face darkened, and he immediately shut up, lowering his head and not daring to speak anymore!

After a long silence, Lu Lingxuan’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she murmured, “From the Northern Palace in the Northern City of Ye to the Imperial Palace in the Southern City of Ye, even on horseback, it would take more than an hour. How did Xie Zhen escape Gao Anagong and Erzhu Ying’s assassination and arrive at the Grand Ultimate Hall in the Southern City?”

Mu Tipo was also suddenly enlightened, “Mother, could it be that the Xie Zhen who went to the Northern Palace was not Xie Zhen at all, but just a decoy? Where did the bloodstains on Xie Zhen, who arrived late, come from, and who was the person impersonating him?”

“People can be faked, and so can bloodstains!”

Lu Lingxuan snapped and fell into thought again.

“May we all be blessed with longevity, a thousand miles apart, we share the moon’s beauty. When he looked at the fireworks in the sky, the tears in his eyes didn’t seem fake!”

“It seems that they used this opportunity to send someone out of the city!”

Thinking of this, Lu Lingxuan’s heart skipped a beat. She stood up and asked, “Did anyone leave the city today?”

Mu Tipo thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know, it seems like no one important left the city, right?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from outside the door, “Who said no one? Today is the day His Majesty sent Grand Steward Yuwen Hu’s aunt, Lady Yang, back to the Zhou State. Lady Lu, you have been so focused on that little woman, Princess Consort of Lanling, that you have probably forgotten even some of the major events in the court, haven’t you?”

It was He Shikai who walked in!

He Shikai’s face was very unsightly today. It was no wonder, with Li Mi from the Zhao Commandery Li Clan suddenly appearing by His Majesty’s side, occasionally making sarcastic remarks, it was enough to give him a headache. Now there was another Xie Zhen!

Moreover, this Xie Zhen could bend and stretch, shameless to an extent no less than himself!

The fear of losing favor with Gao Zhan was something he was extremely afraid of. After all, his current power to speak in the Qi court relied entirely on Gao Zhan’s favor!

“His Majesty secretly sent an envoy to escort Yuwen Hu’s aunt back to the Zhou State? Why didn’t you tell me about this beforehand?” Lu Lingxuan was a little annoyed.

“This matter was kept very confidential, and it wasn’t a big deal. It had nothing to do with us. Besides, I recommended Bi Yiyun to His Majesty for the mission. What good would it do to tell you?”

“I’m afraid that it’s not just Yuwen Hu’s aunt who left Yecheng with the envoy, but someone else!”

“Who?” He Shikai asked.

Mu Tipo suddenly understood, as if he had been enlightened, and said, “Could it be that Murong Jue?”

“Mother, could it be that Murong Jue didn’t leave the city with Prince of Zhao’s army escorting the grain and supplies, but chose to leave today?”

“Indeed! I’m afraid that the fireworks in the Grand Ultimate Hall were also a message between them!” Lu Lingxuan narrowed her eyes and sighed through gritted teeth, “What a clever move, creating a diversion and confusing the enemy with a fake. This Xie Zhen is truly impressive, not to be underestimated!”

“Who is Murong Jue?” He Shikai asked.

Lu Lingxuan shook her head, “It doesn’t matter who he is now. What matters is to immediately send someone out of the city to intercept that envoy!”

“Yes!”

Mu Tipo responded and immediately gathered a group of manor soldiers, leading them away!

✿✿✿

“Hahaha…that Lady Lu was so angry her face turned green, and that He Shikai, he was practically fuming!”

In the Prince of Lanling’s Residence, Lu Yu vividly recounted everything that had happened in the Grand Ultimate Hall, and even Ling Ye, who rarely smiled, couldn’t help but chuckle.

Gao Changgong looked at Xiao Jinyu with a stunned expression, his gentle eyes filled with an indescribable shock and admiration.

“Princess Consort, you are truly amazing, how could you compose five poems in seven steps? Even my father can’t do that. I, Lu Yu, am truly in awe, I bow down to you!”

“And your eloquence, I’m afraid it’s the first time He Shikai has been left speechless in front of His Majesty!”

“I have to thank Young Master Li for successfully entering officialdom this time!” Xiao Jinyu glanced at Li Mi and then turned to Gao Changgong, who was still in a daze, “And Changgong!”

Gao Changgong didn’t speak. Everything that had happened in the past two days was too unreal for him, like a dream. He was afraid that when he woke up, everything he had would be gone, and even more afraid that one day he would wake up and she would no longer be by his side…

For him, Xiao Jinyu entering officialdom was not a joyous event, but meant that more dangers awaited them!

“Changgong, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you speaking?”

Xiao Jinyu stood up and walked up to him, asking.

Gao Changgong couldn’t help but embrace her, saying only, “I just feel like I’m dreaming, and I’m afraid you’ll suddenly disappear…”

The more he gained, the more he feared losing!

“Actually, poetry is not my forte. Being able to compose five poems in seven steps is because A’yu has been exposed to it since childhood, listening to the elders recite them often. After listening to so much poetry and reading so much myself, naturally, I have accumulated knowledge, and it comes naturally.

The five poems today were not a sudden inspiration, but a culmination of the wisdom of the sages, and I have been pondering them for quite some time!”

Xiao Jinyu explained. She didn’t want to be like an unreachable god in the eyes of her beloved!

“So that’s how it is!” Lu Yu sighed, “But, Young Lady, you are still very impressive!”

“And you successfully sent that kid out of the city. Princess Consort, you are truly resourceful and farsighted. I’m sure that Lady Lu wouldn’t have thought…”

“No, she should have thought of it, otherwise, she wouldn’t be Lu Lingxuan!” Xiao Jinyu suddenly interrupted, “But this time, I won’t just let her lose, I want her to lose completely!”

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