Halo

Zhang Xuezhou wrote a lot of advice half a month ago. These advices were written in plain and easy-to-understand language, and they were inevitably long and tedious when they were finally put down.

Zhang Xuezhou submitted his advice, waiting for the new emperor to review it when he had time. He then selected some unsuitable suggestions to present in court, observing the reactions of the officials and whether they could impeach him.

Zhang Xuezhou had considered many things, but he never imagined that one of his minor officials would dare to read out a remonstrance in accordance with the imperial edict.

Normal pronouncements on people's livelihood and national affairs are nothing more than old clichés and can be quite boring, but few of Zhang Xuezhou's regulations follow the conventional path and are even extremely unsuitable for the current social structure of the Great Han Dynasty.

If the Confucian School advice to add "rites" was somewhat reasonable, then the idea of establishing more than ten or even twenty large-scale academies in Chang'an City was clearly absurd.

However, the idea of building a strong nation through agriculture and warfare has significant drawbacks; even a good plan may not necessarily lead to a good outcome.

These statements sparked continuous criticism and rebuttals in the imperial court, and the debate has raged on, even gaining considerable attention recently.

The problems in the imperial harem were triggered by Zhang Xuezhou's explanation of the 'Yin-Yang theory'.

In this remonstrance, Zhang Xuezhou's arguments about gender equality, monogamy, and the harmony of yin and yang were considered heretical.

But things are like this for male officials; things are completely different from a woman's perspective.

At least the reigning empress greatly appreciated this advice, and even ordered Zhang Xuezhou to be summoned to explain the reasoning behind it.

"That's how it is," Sang Hongyang said in a low voice. "The good news is that Brother Dongfang, you've won the exclusive favor of the Empress Dowager!"

"The bad news is that you've put His Majesty in a difficult position," Han Yan said.

"Wait, wait, let me sort this out!"

Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, indicating that he had somewhat forgotten his previous ramblings.

He knew that he and the new emperor were prone to minor problems, but he never expected the problems to arise so suddenly.

"I've never even seen Her Majesty the Empress!"

After clarifying his thoughts, Zhang Xuezhou replied sullenly, indicating that his remarks were not intended to curry favor with the Empress.

He raised his voice slightly when he said this, which made the new emperor, who was teasing Huo Qubing in the hall, twitch his ears and relax his expression.

No matter how outrageous Zhang Xuezhou's remarks were, at least the other party did not have any ulterior motives. For Zhang Xuezhou, who had never met the Empress, there was no way the other party would try to curry favor with her.

All of this was merely a coincidence, a result of the other party's boastful remarks in order to resign from their official post.

"Godfather, is that Dongfang Gao at the gate really that skilled?"

The questioning voice came from beside him, and the new emperor looked at Huo Qubing, who was sitting obediently.

This made him chuckle.

"His name isn't Dongfang Gao, it's Dongfang Shuo," the new emperor explained. "He has some impressive skills; when he hides, no one can find him!"

"So his greatest skill is hide-and-seek!"

Huo Qubing sighed in disappointment, feeling his interest in Zhang Xuezhou had greatly diminished.

In his innate understanding, he felt that Zhang Xuezhou was very strong, but if Zhang Xuezhou was strong in this aspect, then it would not conform to his ideals.

"Hide-and-seek is a skill in itself," the new emperor said. "Mastering it to the extreme grants you abilities that are beyond the reach of ordinary people!"

"Can Dongfang Gao really hide to the extreme?" Huo Qubing asked.

"He's still just a little bit short!"

The new emperor thought about Zhang Xuezhou's behavior when he encountered Gongsun Gui, and how Zhang Xuezhou had helped him hide for a period of time back then.

Zhang Xuezhou was good at hiding his abilities, but what was even more impressive was his opponent's ability to react on the spot.

No matter how profound one's skill in cultivating countless Technique Method, one must be able to actually strike the opponent. With the same cultivation level and the same Technique Method, those with stronger on-the-spot reaction speed will always be at the top, which also creates the differences among countless cultivators of the same level.

The new emperor gestured for a moment, then earnestly explained his ideas to Huo Qubing.

"Although you are very capable, Godfather, you are not the most powerful person in the world. This idea may not be correct," Huo Qubing said.

"My godfather is definitely the most powerful person in the world," the new emperor emphasized.

"I don't think so," Huo Qubing said.

"Definitely!"

The new emperor continued to bicker with Huo Qubing as usual.

Huo Qubing was young, but he was extremely intelligent. He was outspoken and guileless; his banter was purely playful, which made the new emperor feel very relaxed.

"You can't even beat Dongfang Gao, so you're definitely not the strongest person in the world!"

When Huo Qubing's innocent and uninhibited voice rang out again, the new emperor was about to retort when he suddenly came to his senses.

"How do you know that my adoptive father can't beat Dongfang Shuo?" the new emperor asked.

"I feel you can't beat me," Huo Qubing said seriously.

"My adoptive father is strong enough to wrestle a bear, and his sword possesses Divine Ability. He's not weak even among the entire cultivation community. Where does your feeling come from?" The new emperor asked with interest, "Did Dongfang Shuo demonstrate some profound abilities in front of you, or is he just spouting nonsense again?"

"He's this big, and you're this big, Godfather. He's bigger than you, so you've lost!"

Huo Qubing stretched out his hands and drew two circles, one large and one small.

He indicated that the new emperor was in the small circle, while Zhang Xuezhou was in the large circle.

A simple comparison shows that the larger circle wins.

Huo Qubing's method of comparison left the new emperor speechless, feeling that he couldn't understand the world of children.

But Huo Qubing's nonsensical talk dispelled the sullen atmosphere in the palace.

"Dongfang Shuo, come in, come in!"

He gestured for Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou, who was standing at the door, to enter.

"The sick child said you're older than me and that you can beat me, so I'm a little curious," the new emperor said, beckoning.

"I'm a bit older than the Marquis, isn't that normal?"

Zhang Xuezhou in looking completely bewildered.

After learning the news from Sang Hongyang and others, he felt that the new emperor was probably annoyed with him and would definitely seek to resolve the conflict.

He completely ignored the new emperor and empress's mention of "fighting," and immediately steered the conversation away from anything related to "fighting."

"Normal?" The new emperor frowned slightly and asked doubtfully, "Then tell me, in what way are you bigger than me?"

"I'm too old!"

Zhang Xuezhou made a sound.

This brought the new emperor back to his senses, and he realized that Huo Qubing might have been using age as a standard of strength.

For young children, age is indeed an important factor. A five-year-old can easily defeat a three-year-old, and children often use age to indicate their strength.

He felt that Zhang Xuezhou had explained it to him in a short time, and he understood the meaning that Huo Qubing, a three-year-old child, was expressing.

"So, in that case, I really can't beat you!"

No matter how much the new emperor reveres the supreme imperial power, he will not compete with military generals skilled in warfare, nor with advisors in wisdom, and certainly not with older people in age.

In terms of age, he had to admit that Zhang Xuezhou was indeed older.

To the children, Zhang Xuezhou was older, which meant he was better than them.

The new emperor shrugged, indicating that he was inferior to others in skill.

This left Huo Qubing speechless, not expecting the new emperor to admit defeat so quickly.

Huo Qubing was indeed eager to see Zhang Xuezhou's abilities; in his perception of the world, he could see all sorts of bizarre and wonderful halos.

These halos, whether strong or weak, exist on every living being.

For example, the snakes, insects, and toads he dug up were all different. The big snakes were stronger than the small snakes, the small snakes were stronger than the toads, and the toads were stronger than the insects.

When this halo is transferred to a person, it presents an extremely strong contrast.

Among the people Huo Qubing came into contact with, Zhang Xuezhou's brilliance was undoubtedly the strongest, even overshadowing the new emperor's personal guards.

"Is this kind of radiance really used to compare age?"

After Zhang Xuezhou interrupted him with those words, Huo Qubing couldn't help but start to doubt the halo world he perceived.

He could only lament that he lacked cultivation, could not quickly develop strength, and found it difficult to verify what he had seen.