Chapter 20 Section VII

Time: Shenshizheng (according to today's timing, it should be 4:00pm). Location: Unknown Villa, Lingxi Bieyuan. Ning Xin'er said: "Cao Xiaosan, come here quickly and take a look at the gift Nangong sister gave me. I dare say that even you have never seen such a miraculous thing." The gift is a long and thin cylinder, which looks like a flute at first glance, but one end is thick and the other end is thin, and the two ends of the cylinder are inlaid with transparent lenses. "What kind of magical method?" The third son asked in puzzlement. "Oh, you are so stupid, you put the thin end of the cylinder up to your eyes and look in."

The third son did as he said. He aimed the cylinder at the West Lake in the distance, and saw the cruise ship on the West Lake as if it was close in front of him, within reach. Said: "Witchcraft, blindness, this thing has been cast a spell, and it will be destroyed as soon as possible." Ning Xin'er picked up the cylinder, laughed and said: "You are really worthless, it scares you, your face is so green that you can't pick it up. There is no such thing as black magic or blindness. This is what Sister Nangong brought back from her homeland. Can see things in the distance clearly, and can zoom in and out.”

"I'll take another look." "Don't throw it away this time, you won't be able to afford it if it breaks. This is the only one in the entire capital." "I just don't throw it away." Ning Xin'er was worried and handed the cylinder to the third young master again. The third son raised the cylinder and looked around, what he saw surprised him from ear to ear.He could clearly see a small boat in the West Lake. On the small boat, a fisherman was urinating against the wind, his face full of satisfaction. In fact, the fisherman was more than ten miles away from him. If he saw it with his naked eyes, he could see it at most. Just a little black dot.

The third son pointed the cylinder at Ning Xin'er again, and when she blinked in the mirror, she had an earth-shattering aura, and the opening and closing of those two rows of eyelashes seemed to be able to set off a hurricane.She is impeccably beautiful. Ning Xin'er grabbed the cylinder and said, "You are not allowed to use it to look at me." The third young master said with empty hands, "It's amazing, it's really amazing." Seeing that the two of them are intimate, Nangong Xiaolian couldn't help but feel a dull pain in her heart.But she is still smiling, admiring the couple who have only joy and no worries.At this time, her husband was still lying on the hospital bed, paying the price for his pursuit of flowers and willows, and she was also implicated and destined to be a widow for the rest of her life.

"Sister Nangong, what's the name of this cylinder?" "It has no name yet. No one has given it a name." "Then let's give it a name, Sister Nangong, what kind of name do you think it should be?" "I don't care. You are its master now, and you can name it whatever you want as long as you like." "Cao Xiaosan, what name would you like to choose?" The third young master thought that Ning Xin'er was sincerely asking him for advice, so he hesitated for a while, racked his brains, pondered over it, and finally said: "In my opinion, we call it Guantian Tong."

"Tianguan Tong?" "That's right. Pupil and tube are homophonic, and this cylinder looks like an eye. The word "Guan Tian" naturally means that you can see far." The third son thought the name was not bad, and he was proud of it. Xin'er poured cold water on his head.Ning Xin'er said: "This name is not good. It is made of a mirror, and it is specially used to look into the distance. In my opinion, it is simply called a telescope. People will know what it is used for when they hear it. Sister Nangong, you Which name is better?" "Of course, sister Xin'er chose the name. Although this thing is rare today, it is very common in later generations. People in later generations call it a telescope, but they don't call it Guantian Tong." This is where the name comes from.

Time: Xushi (according to today's timing, it should be eight o'clock in the evening). Location: Deoksugung Palace. Deoksugung Palace, built in the 32nd year of Shaoxing, was the residence of Emperor Gaozong after he abdicated. It used to be Qin Hui's prime minister's mansion. After Qin Hui's death, his descendants gradually lost power and were forced to move out.Before Gojong abdicated, Qin Huixiangfu was demolished and Deoksugung Palace was built on its former site.Because it is located in the north of the imperial city of Phoenix Mountain, people at that time called Deoksugung Palace Peking University, and its area is similar to that of Nanda University.

In the Juyuan Building beside the Mansui Bridge in Deoksugung Palace, Gaozong sat on the crystal royal couch, and King Qing Zhao Kai sat beside him carefully. Gaozong looked gloomy and lonely, as if he was in a bad mood. Zhao Kaijing sat aside, not daring to speak for a while.Yesterday, when Emperor Gaozong learned that he beat up the Tang Mian family in the invitation building, he was furious, scolded him, and took him to the prime minister's mansion to apologize and admit his mistakes to the Tang Mian family.Up to now, when he saw Gaozong, he still felt a little guilty. Since Zhao Kai left for two years, the political situation and personnel in the capital have undergone considerable changes. He returned to the capital not long ago, and he still needs time to get used to it.He is the second son of the current emperor and the second heir to the throne, but unless his elder brother Zhao suddenly dies suddenly, he will never have the chance to ascend the dragon chair that represents the highest will of power.During his two years in Xiangyang, outside his hometown, he played, sang and drank music day and night, drunk and dreaming.He thought that for the rest of his life, he could only be King Qing's life.He deeply suppressed his desire for power and greed in his heart.

He even secretly cursed his elder brother to die early, maybe his curse really came true. Last July, Crown Prince Zhao died of a minor illness.Zhao Kai was overjoyed when he heard the news, so he called people to pack up and prepare to return to Beijing. He knew that his opportunity had come, and the supreme scepter of the empire was beckoning to him. In his hand, he showed his majesty and power to his subjects all over the world.Sure enough, in November came the imperial edict announcing him to enter the capital, and he had already appeared in the capital at the beginning of December, but after returning to the capital, he discovered that he was not the only prince who was ordered to enter the capital.His only living brother, Prince Gong Zhao, is also on his way back to Beijing.This made him have great doubts about whether he could ascend to the position of crown prince. How could he not know the intention of his father, Emperor Xiaozong?Xiaozong has always liked Zhao Duo more, Zhao looks almost exactly the same as Xiaozong when he was young, no wonder Xiaozong loves him the most among the four sons.And Zhao Kai is neither the eldest son nor the youngest son. He does not suffer from both ends, his parents do not love him, his grandparents do not love him, and his position is the most embarrassing.However, he looks neither like Xiaozong nor his mother, Queen Guo, so he has always been neglected since he was a child, which has also cultivated his withdrawn, arrogant, grumpy, cruel and ruthless character.He knew that he could not win the favor of his father, so he was very close to Gaozong since he was a child. Gaozong had no children and no grandchildren, and he was very happy to see Zhao Kai was smart. Stay in the Deoksugung Palace, and spend the whole day at your knees.However, after all, Gaozong had abdicated for a long time, and the power of the government was in the hands of Xiaozong. On the matter of establishing the crown prince, it ultimately depended on Xiaozong's wishes.

Zhao Kai knew that his advantage was that he was the second son, Zhao's elder brother. According to the practice of the past dynasties, he must be the crown prince, but his disadvantage was that Xiaozong did not appreciate him, but his younger brother Zhao Kai. This time Zhao Ye was also recalled to the capital, obviously he had the intention of making him the crown prince, but because the matter was so important, it was difficult to make the determination to abolish the elders and establish the younger ones, and establish the crown prince next time. When he looked at Gaozong who was still in good spirits and not aging, he couldn't help thinking: "How could he be willing to give up the throne? What was he thinking in his heart? Is there anything happier and more beautiful than being an emperor in the world?" If I become the emperor, I will never give up the throne, even if I die, I will die on the dragon chair."

Gao Zong frowned slightly, and subconsciously sighed. Zhao Kai looked at his words and asked eagerly, "Why is the Supreme Emperor bothered?" Gao Zongdao: "It's not worrying, it's chilling." Zhao Kai waited for Gaozong to continue talking. Gaozong said again: "Have you seen the couplet on the pillars in front of Juyuan Building?" "I have seen, 'It depends on tall buildings to gather far away, and I can pack up and pay idlers for a while'. It is a poem written by Su Dongpo, a great scholar of this dynasty, inscribed by the emperor himself." Emperor Gaozong nodded approvingly and asked, "Do you know why I wrote such a pair of couplets and hung them here?" "The grandson doesn't know." Gao Zongdao: "I have passed my sixtieth year, and time is not forgiving. It has been seven years since I abdicated, and now I am an idler. I have nothing else to do except practice calligraphy and painting and read ancient books all day long. Living in this huge In the Deoksugung Palace, it was very deserted. Even if you were once the emperor, once you abdicate, you will still have the fate of drinking tea. Those princes and nobles have long forgotten me as an old man. At the beginning, I came to see you for a month Once, then once every three months, and then once every six months, I thought that they would not even come here at all. The saints said that old age is called a thief, and they wish I could die sooner. gone." "With Kai'er by his side, the Supreme Emperor will definitely not be lonely. Even if no one else wants to come, Kai'er will definitely go to Deoksugung Palace to greet the Supreme Emperor every day, and talk to the Supreme Emperor to relieve boredom." "You do have a conscience, much stronger than your brother Zhao Ke." As soon as Zhao Kai heard the name Zhao, his heart convulsed extremely, and the hot blood rushed to his head.Long-term jealousy has made him regard Zhao as his greatest enemy in his life. Zhao Kai said: "Don't take it too seriously, my lord. My third younger brother has always been like this since he was a child. He is arrogant and conceited. At best, he is informal, but at worst, he is conceited." An eunuch came in to report, and King Gong Zhao was waiting outside the building. Zhao Kai was startled, thinking why he came here. Gao Zongdao: "Show him in." Prince Gong Zhao lowered his head, took small steps, and under the guidance of the eunuch, entered the Juyuan building.His complexion was sallow, his eye sockets were sunken, his skin was tightly wrapped around his bones, like a masked skeleton, dead and lifeless.His skinny body was matched with a long robe. Due to the lack of sufficient support, the material of the robe slumped to the ground like melted butter in the hot sun. In other words, the robe was unique to him. Words are more like a huge tent that you carry with you.He also swayed here and there when he walked, as if there were dozens of sturdy men around him pushing him in all directions at the same time.Zhao Xing went to Gaozong, knelt down and kowtowed: "The unfilial grandson pays respects to the Supreme Emperor." After three kowtows, he stood up on his own. Gao Zong's face was sullen, and he shouted: "Bold. I haven't allowed you to stand down yet, how dare you stand up?" Zhao knelt down again, with a dumb expression, like a puppet on a string. Even Gao Zong's stern voice did not cause any waves in his heart.Zhao kowtowed again, and said: "Grandson is a death penalty, death penalty, grandson heard hallucinations for a while, and thought that the Supreme Emperor had opened the golden mouth and granted grandson peace." Zhao Kai scolded from the side: "You still dare to argue, you obviously don't take the Supreme Emperor seriously at all. In vain you claim to be familiar with the scriptures, but you don't even care about the simplest etiquette. The Supreme Emperor, you can't let him go lightly, You have to give him some hardships so that he will have a better memory next time." Gao Zongdao: "Zhao, do you have something to say?" Zhao didn't even talk back, and said: "Grandson has nothing to say, let the emperor let him down." Gaozong suppressed his anger and asked again: "I ask you, when did you return to the capital?" "Just arrived four days ago." "Since it's been four days, why did you come to Deoksugung Palace to pay my respects until today? If your father hadn't summoned someone to urge you, you plan to condescend to come to see me in the Year of the Monkey?" "The grandson is weak and sick, and he will be bedridden as soon as he returns to Beijing. I hope the Supreme Emperor will forgive him." Gao Zong took a good look at Zhao, his face softened, and said, "Looking at your appearance, you are indeed seriously ill. Get up and speak, and give me your seat." "Thank you, Your Majesty." Zhao got up and walked towards the seat next to Zhao Kai. When he passed by Zhao Kai, he neither saluted nor greeted him, as if he had never seen Zhao Kai at all.Zhao Kai glared at him, but he didn't respond. Gao Zongdao: "son, what disease are you suffering from?" "Reporting to the Supreme Emperor, my grandson has asked many famous doctors in the capital for diagnosis, but none of them can explain the cause of the disease. The grandson just feels weak all day long, distracted, difficult to concentrate, and even has auditory and visual hallucinations in severe cases. So many people commit disrespect. I hope the Supreme Emperor will forgive me." Zhao really looked like a dying man, and he seemed to be alive in a few days.He curled up in the chair, like a shell whose soul had been taken out.Gaozong couldn't bear to see it. Although Zhao had many disrespectful things, he couldn't bear to blame him any more. "You have only been in Yunnan for two years, how did you end up like this? I still remember that when you resigned from Beijing two years ago, you were still a handsome and handsome young man. Could it be that the miasma in Yunnan is vicious and ruined you body of?" "My grandson doesn't know why this happened. Maybe my grandson committed crimes in his previous life, and he should have retribution in this life." Seeing that Gao Zong changed his anger just now, and actually became more pleasant to Zhao Heyan, Zhao Kai said, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten how arrogant and rude Zhao was to you? Instead of punishing him, you gave him good words and compliments. If he continues to be indulged like this, Zhao will become even more lawless." Gaozong glanced at him and said: "When you see your brother is sick like this, you should think of the friendship of the same root, comfort him, seek blessings for him, and save him from illness. Why be aggressive and hold on to him, you Shicai blamed Zhao Wuqing for being ungrateful, but in my opinion, it may not be an act of kindness and righteousness for you to push forward like this." Zhao Kai felt aggrieved, he couldn't figure it out, King Gong Zhao Neng, who had repeatedly committed crimes, was safe and sound, but he served Gaozong's side all day long, being cautious and obedient, but instead he would be blamed.He drooped his face, resenting Gao Zong also in the depths of his heart. Zhao Kai, on the other hand, was sitting on the chair, looking around, yawning from time to time, but he didn't cover his face with his hands. Zhao Kai couldn't help scolding: "Zhao, before the emperor, you must behave yourself. How dare you be so presumptuous. The lowly people Your children are much better educated than you." Zhao turned his head to look at Zhao Kai, but without speaking, he turned his head back and continued to be his ADHD child. As soon as Zhao Kai and Zhao's eyes made contact, a chill appeared in his heart unconsciously.They couldn't be the eyes of a living person, and the eyes of a living person couldn't be so empty and emotionless, without joy or resentment.Those eyes looked like a pair of dead fish, although they were open, there was nothing but the breath of death. Gao Zongdao: "Zhao Kai, don't blame your younger brother anymore. Although what you say is reasonable, don't always be unreasonable." He said to Zhao again: "Son, you go back home Rest, tomorrow I will send imperial physician Huangfu Tan to Prince Gong's Mansion to examine you. Huangfu Tan is very skilled in medicine, and he will be able to find out what is wrong with you. You can rest easy and rest, I will not keep you." Zhao Dao: "Thank you for your kindness. My grandson's illness is presumably caused by acclimatization, and he will recover in a few days. I don't dare to bother Huangfu's doctor to visit." Gaozong thought that Zhao You remembered that he hated Huangfu Tan for recommending Li Fengniang to him and betrothing him to Zhao, but it was inconvenient to say so, so he followed Zhao's wishes and said, "That's fine." "Brother, I'm going to go hunting in the countryside tomorrow. I wonder if you are interested in going with me? Riding horses and archery, chasing foxes and rabbits may be of great benefit to your health." Therefore, I deliberately asked this question to make things difficult for him. Zhao was still dumbfounded and didn't say a word, as if he had never heard a word of Zhao Kai's words. "Zhao Kai, don't embarrass your younger brother. It's best for him to rest at home right now. As for hunting in the countryside, he can't do it. If something goes wrong, how can you explain it to your father? " Zhao Dao: "If the Supreme Emperor has no other orders, grandson will leave first." Gaozong waved his hand and said, "Go." After Zhao left, Zhao Kai said anxiously: "Your Majesty, you have seen it all. From the time he entered the door to the time he left the door, he never called me brother. He didn't even make a false greeting after two years. In his eyes, I am just It's like nothing. He went to a place like Yunnan, and he became like a barbarian. I really don't understand why the father summoned him to the capital." "I know that your father will choose one of you to be the crown prince. After a hundred years, he will inherit the throne and take charge of the Song Dynasty." "I, Zhao Kai, think that I have no virtue and incompetence, and I am not worthy of being crown prince, but if I want to appoint Zhao with such virtue as crown prince, I would rather die than be convinced." "Are you still angry with your brother Zhao?" "The grandson just speaks with his mouth, what he thinks in his heart, he says what he says." "It's in vain that you have followed me around since you were a child. I have taught you by example and taught you with great care. Now you still don't know what is going on, and you don't know who you are, so you don't let me down." "Dare to ask the Supreme Emperor to call." "Although I am not a medical expert, I have also been a little bit involved in the past. When I first learned about alchemy, I saw that Zhao Zhixiang was already terminally ill, exhausted, and he would die soon. It would be a few months at the earliest, or a year later. Zhao Yi Go, who else is the Crown Prince? Isn’t it unkind for you to be angry with a dying person? Isn’t it unwise?” It is really a word that awakens the dreamer.Gao Zong's words relieved Zhao Kai's knot in his heart, Mao Sai suddenly realized, and the long-lost smile from the bottom of his heart returned to his face.Just now, he was still secretly angry that Gaozong was unfair and favored Zhao, but now, he is full of gratitude to Gaozong.This old man perched on the dragon couch has experienced many storms and waves in his life. He is driving the ship of the empire. Whenever he is about to hit the rocks or faces a disaster, he can smoothly turn danger into safety and turn danger into safety. His political wisdom is superb, He is so good at strategizing and maneuvering that he is even comparable to the Taizu who opened the dynasty.Thinking about Zhao's appearance again, he is indeed a person who is stepping into the coffin.He has nothing to worry about anymore, he just has to wait, like a patient hunter, waiting for the relentless time to drive Zhao from this mortal world into the underworld.His only confidant is about to be eliminated, and no one can stop him anymore.The entire empire is destined to belong to him. A few months ago, he was just the unhappy King Qing in Xiangyang City, ready to squander the rest of his life, but in a few years, he will climb to the top of the empire and become the leader of the world. The king who looks up, how can he not feel the change of fate and the eccentricity of life.From now on, he can order and prohibit, and do whatever he wants.Of course, except in front of Gaozong and Xiaozong.Thinking of this, his eyebrows raised unconsciously, and the corners of his mouth parted silently, with an itchy and complacent look, like a diner anxiously waiting for a big meal to be served, or like a diner who is excitedly Children looking forward to new toys.