Recommendation and Examination
"Cousin, your teacher is very bloodthirsty. I've sensed his murderous intent towards me several times!"
"He cultivates Incantation Technique, and almost all of his skills are countered by you. Only by using strength against weakness can he possibly achieve a complete victory. It's not surprising that he harbors murderous intent towards you. If your cultivation and strength increase further, he fears he won't be able to control you, which is why he's motivated to eliminate any future threat!"
"I had no prior grudge against him when we first met..."
Hongku arrived in Chang'an City quietly and left just as quickly, without lingering in the Chang'an City.
Rong Tianding only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Hongku had left.
He mumbled something, and Zhang Xuezhou offered an explanation.
The world of cultivation is not based on reason. Even if there is no enmity between people, as long as there is a possibility of conflict in cultivation, some great cultivators may take ruthless measures to eliminate any future troubles.
Hongku left, but the knife hanging over Rong Tianding's head did not leave.
Rong Tianding quickly fell silent after his initial refusal to argue, feeling for the first time the urgency of his life hanging by a thread.
"Whom does this Venerable Hongku intend to target with me?" Rong Tianding asked.
"Perhaps it's some venerable one!"
Zhang Xuezhou thought about Hongku's deep-seated hatred and felt that it was impossible for Hongku to let go of the hatred that had almost destroyed his family.
Once Hongku has obtained definitive information and has a suitable opportunity to act, Hongku will definitely take drastic measures.
"I wonder if his symptoms from binge drinking the Nine Treasures Wine base have improved?"
Zhang Xuezhou pondered the possible lingering illnesses in Hongku's body, but he couldn't be sure for the time being and didn't speculate further.
Compared to the revenge that Hongku might seek in the future, he has more trivial matters to attend to in the present.
He had not attended the Empress Dowager's funeral, so he was required to make up for the missing ceremony. If he held an official position in the court, this would be a point of contention for criticism.
Zhang Xuezhou also needed to keep an eye on Zhuang Qingdi and the others, and also needed to know the situation of Li Shaojun and Divine Lord Zhenyuan.
In addition, he also had dealings with Ao Li, which also needed to be reported.
After a quick meal, Zhang Xuezhou called for a horse-drawn carriage.
The Law Power that had been sealed by Suoyang was undoubtedly released again, but the increase was smaller than before.
"It should be about one-sixth!"
Compared to the previous 10% percentage in his body, Zhang Xuezhou's controllable Law Power has increased significantly.
However, Zhang Xuezhou also noticed that the Law Power unlocked this time was not at the previous level. Perhaps A Qiao was a little tired, or perhaps the difficulty of unlocking the Locked Yang was increasing as one went higher.
He didn't care too much. Zhang Xuezhou didn't even mind needing to completely unlock the sealing power of Suoyang. After all, he was happy to use this method to influence the Extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon in reverse. Perhaps one day they might not be able to withstand it, thus causing a bad effect.
After a series of physical examinations and tests, Zhang Xuezhou also spent some time practicing meditation.
In the past, he supplemented his cultivation in reality, striving to adapt to the realm, Technique Method, and other standards of this world.
However, Zhang Xuezhou also has projects that are gradually gaining prominence in the real world, such as the Poison Avoidance Technique, which has become Divine Ability skill.
The acupoints in the body are slowly refined, gradually aligning with one's real self.
After opening eighteen acupoints in succession, Zhang Xuezhou heard the coachman 'whoosh' to stop the carriage, which prompted him to lift the carriage curtain.
The emperor was required to observe the thirty-six-day mourning period, and the funeral atmosphere in the palace area did not subside even after the Empress Dowager's funeral procession.
Even as Zhang Xuezhou looked around, he could still see the black wristbands wrapped around the arms of many people.
He got off the carriage, asked for a wristband at the entrance of the imperial city, tied it on, and then showed his 'Governor's Order' to enter the palace smoothly.
"As expected, there are quite a few new faces!"
Inside the palace, Zhang Xuezhou happened to run into several officials walking out; their faces were all unfamiliar.
As they passed each other, they nodded amicably, ensuring no one offended anyone.
This is a common occurrence for newly appointed officials when facing unfamiliar colleagues; they are often cautious and meticulous.
"They seem to be inferior to the previous group!"
Zhang Xuezhou compared the court robes and felt that the cultivation level of this new batch of officials was weaker than that of the Anle Palace faction. However, he was unsure about their abilities in handling affairs.
Everyone has different conditions for cultivation, and Zhang Xuezhou would not use an official's current level of cultivation to define their abilities.
However, the power of cultivation is undoubtedly a benchmark for the upper echelons of a nation.
Just as the Scarlet Alliance State's Sequence Holder laid out their ranks one after another, they formed a well-defined system of governance, with strength playing a significant role in the ruling order.
He walked around in circles, asked some people, and then ran to the rear hall area of the Weiyang Palace.
"Summon: Dongfang Shuo to an audience!"
After an announcement, Zhang Xuezhou entered the rear hall and met the new emperor in the rear hall area.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Your Highness!"
Zhang Xuezhou glanced at it and quickly bowed respectfully.
He wouldn't normally be so formal when meeting the new emperor, but it was different in front of other people.
In the rear hall were not only the new emperor, but also the empress dowager, Tian Fen, Han Anguo, Gongsun He, and several unfamiliar generals.
"Dongfang Shuo, you've come at the perfect time! You can meet the new backbone of the court!"
The atmosphere in the rear hall was rather heavy. Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou, who had come to the emperor's door, and with the Empress Dowager agreeing to grant him an audience, the new emperor felt a sense of relief.
"Li Xi greets Lord Dongfang!"
Wang Hui greets Lord Dongfang!
"Tang Rui greets Lord Dongfang; we met at a banquet!"
"Tang Meng!"
"Li Ju!"
"Ji An!"
The expressions on the faces of the people in the back hall varied. Those who were familiar with each other did not need an introduction, while those who were strangers simply clasped their hands in a fist and introduced themselves.
Some of them still looked travel-worn, clearly having come from afar.
Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to return the greetings one by one.
The imperial court in Chang'an City is a stronghold for cultivators, and the major military regions are also places where fierce generals gather.
Most of the civil officials in the imperial court were rotated from Chang'an City, while the generals were undoubtedly drawn from elsewhere.
"My mother has told me about recommending virtuous, upright, and outspoken officials from various states, prefectures, and counties. What do you think of this?" the new emperor asked.
"OK!"
The core staff of the rear hall was not large. Compared to the thousands of officials in Chang'an City, the core members of more than ten people were pitifully few, far fewer than the dozens of people in the Anle Palace faction.
The network of relationships was interconnected, with each link leading to the next. Not to mention that these people managed a group of thousands of court officials, Zhang Xuezhou and others were not many of the core members of the Sequence Committee. Under the layered control, orders were strictly enforced and everything proceeded smoothly.
However, with Anle Palace preceding it, Changxin Palace paled in comparison when forcibly replaced, and there was also a need to incorporate foreign elements.
The practice of recommending virtuous and capable individuals became the way Changxin Palace increased its personnel.
Zhang Xuezhou didn't even have time to think before he started praising him.
The Empress Dowager has just assumed power; how many heads does he have to refute her? Even if there are drawbacks to this matter, he cannot speak carelessly about it.
After Zhang Xuezhou's praise and mention of the many benefits of recommending talented individuals, the atmosphere in the rear hall of the Weiyang Palace eased.
"Our Great Han Dynasty has forty-three prefectures and twenty-five kingdoms. If we were to send one or two people from each of these regions, the court would gain over a hundred more capable individuals," the Empress Dowager said. "This would allow us to accumulate the necessary talent at the fastest possible speed!"
"What the Empress Dowager says is true," the new emperor nodded.
"As long as the court treats these people well, even if these recommenders are loyal to the country and the prefecture, they will eventually be loyal to the Great Han," the Empress Dowager said. "The prosperity of our Great Han Dynasty will be just around the corner!"
"What Mother says is absolutely right!"
The new emperor glared at Zhang Xuezhou.
If we only talk about the advantages and not the disadvantages, everything will be just as the Empress Dowager said.
The new emperor felt that recommending talent had many drawbacks, but Zhang Xuezhou was all flattery, practically siding with the Changxin Palace, and didn't offer any objections. This left the emperor, who adhered to the principle of 'loyalty' in selecting talent, speechless, and he could only nod repeatedly.