Making Enemies
"Once our cultivation has improved and we have greater strength, we'll seize Tian Fen's roster and go to the Immortal Court to beg for some longevity elixirs!"
"OK!"
"Seriously, you yourself... Hmph, your parents won't live as long as you!"
"Knew!"
After a hearty meal, Zhang Xuezhou saw Li Shaojun off out of the city, and Li Shaojun gave him some words of advice.
Li Shaojun felt a pang of liver pain whenever he thought about Zhang Xuezhou's absurdly long lifespan.
Zhang Xuezhou didn't include him in his activities, nor did he share the benefits he received with Li Shaojun, but Li Shaojun genuinely shared them.
Li Shaojun hoped that the two could share joys and sorrows, and also take risks together to seek benefits. By becoming closer, he hoped that he could eventually influence Zhang Xuezhou, this heartless little rascal, so that he would think of giving him a share when he wanted to reap the rewards in the future.
After giving repeated instructions, Li Shaojun finally boarded the carriage, swaying slightly, and headed towards Luoyang.
This made Zhang Xuezhou stretch and feel that he had temporarily put one matter to rest.
It seems that he was marked in some way, because Zhang Xuezhou did not encounter Divine Lord Zhenyuan after leaving the Yunyi Daoist Temple.
Unable to communicate with Divine Lord Zhenyuan, Zhang Xuezhou felt that sending Li Shaojun away made no difference.
Now that they are no longer in contact, Divine Lord Zhenyuan can rest assured, and Li Shaojun's life is not in danger.
Zhang Xuezhou was quite satisfied with this arrangement, especially since he had also obtained the Fish Intestine Sword, an intermittently used weapon, from Li Shaojun, as well as the Pill Formula for the Eight Steps to Immortality Pill.
"It's been so long, I wonder if anyone has violated the rules and then removed me from my position as Grand Master of the Palace."
Thinking of his good fortune in gaining benefits after returning to Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but recall the promotion of "Attendant-in-Ordinary" to the new emperor, which was accompanied by the additional position of Grand Master of the Palace.
The reason why Zhang Xuezhou did not experience any trouble in his position as Grand Master of the Palace was simple: he disappeared after taking office, and only Jin Chang, who had been waiting for him, saw him once.
Once Zhang Xuezhou revised the etiquette of the Mingtang uniform, he simply and decisively ran away.
After nearly half a year of back and forth, the Zhang Household family residence finally calmed down.
However, once he enters the imperial court and participates in politics for a period of time, all sorts of troubles associated with this position will inevitably follow, and even if Divine Lord Zhenyuan sits in Anle Palace, he cannot solve the problems.
Zhang Xuezhou had previously hoped to resign, and he still hopes to leave his position and find some relief.
"To the Imperial City!"
With his body devoid of freely usable Law Power, his cloud-riding technique became useless, leaving Zhang Xuezhou with no choice but to travel by carriage.
He hopes for continued good luck so that his body can return to normal sooner and he can live like a normal person.
"I've lost my ability to fly to travel, and seeing His Majesty isn't easy. We need to be able to get close to each other, so we need to find some convenient means!"
It took Zhang Xuezhou nearly three hours to travel from the Chang'an City to the imperial city and then to the palace.
Even if he didn't go from the city gate to the palace, but instead started from Laoshu Hutong, it wouldn't take him short to get to the palace.
If he wanted to see the new emperor frequently while maintaining a relatively close relationship, it was obviously best for him to live as close to the palace as possible.
After securing his assets several years ago, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but harbor some better ideas.
"Only the highest officials and members of the imperial family could live in government-allocated mansions for free. That path is blocked. However, the amount of money required to buy an official residence is extremely high. These official residences in the imperial city start at at least a thousand taels of gold, and they can only be released by the court after the property has been confiscated!"
Zhang Xuezhou thought about it and realized that it would be extremely difficult for him to ask for a favor.
He used to lack the qualifications to buy a house, and now he has some qualifications but lacks a lot of money, so he has to wait for an opportunity.
The official residences of the Great Han Dynasty were not the residences of officials of the Scarlet Alliance State, but rather represented gathering points of enormous interests. The residences of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers were similar to the residences of committee members such as the Changkong Household and the Zhou Household, while the residences of other officials were similar to the representative offices of committee members from various provinces and cities, as well as representatives of large groups and powerful figures.
The owners of these official residences near the imperial palace were not short of money and would not sell their homes. Only after the court lost power and collapsed, and the houses were confiscated and turned over to the national treasury, could they be released for sale.
It may seem like all you need is a house near the palace in the Imperial City, but finding the right house is no easy task.
Zhang Xuezhou thought for a while but still couldn't come up with a solution.
Taking advantage of his position as a "censor," he strolled around the Weiyang Palace, occasionally exchanging pleasantries with the guards to familiarize himself with them and avoid repeated checks on his next visit to the palace.
"Commander Li!"
"So it's Grand Master of the Palace, Dongfang Shuo. Where's your official robe?"
Upon seeing Li Guang, the head of the imperial guards at the Weiyang Palace, Zhang Xuezhou waved to him.
Listening to Li Guang's questioning response, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Li Guang might have become a tester of court attire.
This made him glance at the scholar's robe he was wearing, and then wave his hand repeatedly at Li Guang.
"I am not here to attend court, but to discuss academic matters with His Majesty. It is inappropriate for me to wear the official robes of a Grand Master of the Palace," Zhang Xuezhou said.
"There's such a system of etiquette?" Li Guang asked curiously. "I thought everyone entering and leaving the palace had to dress according to their official rank!"
"How could that be?" Zhang Xuezhou laughed.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Li Guang complained. "His Majesty ordered me to arrest those who weren't dressed properly, but you have no idea how many people have been cursing you about your attire these past few days!"
"Uh, has someone broken the rules in court?" Zhang Xuezhou asked happily.
"No, that's not the case," Li Guang shook his head. "Some people weren't dressed correctly at the time, but they had official robes in their bags, so changing wasn't difficult. It wouldn't be a problem for officials of the same salary level to lend someone a set temporarily!"
"I see!"
Zhang Xuezhou was greatly disappointed, realizing that it would be extremely difficult to get everyone to break the rules.
If no one suffers as a result, he may be criticized, but those who criticize him won't necessarily lead to his persecution or impeachment.
Before even meeting the new emperor, Zhang Xuezhou knew he had been disappointed. The title of Grand Master of the Palace was still firmly attached to him, and even if the new emperor wanted to remove it, he couldn't.
"Everyone has adapted for two months and is now used to it, so the chances of them dressing incorrectly in the future are slim," Li Guang said. "Now that you've explained the etiquette again, I understand it completely, and things will be much easier from now on!"
"The purpose of etiquette is merely to provide guidance; I'm not intentionally trying to cause trouble," Zhang Xuezhou chuckled dryly. "It's natural that everyone adapts quickly!"
Zhang Xuezhou's initial goal was to deliberately cause trouble for others, and then incur their resentment and be stripped of his position as Grand Master of the Palace.
But Zhang Xuezhou did not expect that so many high-ranking officials would adapt so quickly. Not only did no one violate the rules these days, but they also formed a habit and thus adapted to the change of clothing and system.
"I need to find someone to make an enemy of first!"
He pondered for a few seconds, then decided he had to keep going.
Only after the controversy escalated to the point of being criticized and reported to the emperor could the new emperor quickly agree to dismiss Zhang Xuezhou from his post, thus silencing public opinion and freeing Zhang Xuezhou from his official duties.
But finding fault is a difficult task. Zhang Xuezhou has always been kind to people, but he has very little experience in doing evil deeds.
"Are you suggesting I use being drunk as an excuse to beat someone up? Come to think of it, I'm in great shape right now, and I'm much more emboldened when I fight!"
Zhang Xuezhou thought about the relevant misdeeds, and then thought about Guan Fu, who had lost his job. He finally felt that he now had some qualifications to imitate Guan Fu's behavior.
Previously, he only possessed Technique Method abilities, and even when drunk, he couldn't display the fluency of casting Technique Method.
Of course, Zhang Xuezhou's skill in direct combat was also poor, and he would most likely be no match for the many high-ranking officials of the imperial court.
At this moment, with a body that could withstand the Fish Intestine Sword even in its natural state, and the strength to slap Li Shaojun's teeth away twice, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he could fight most people.
It's normal for someone to get beaten up after causing trouble while drunk and lacking in skills; everyone just laughs it off and it's over.
But if someone gets drunk and causes trouble, then the person who got beaten up can't laugh anymore.