Returned, but Didn't Want to Come

"I recently heard about a long star falling; there seems to be some mystery in the universe!"

Guo Sheren waited for six days, but the new emperor couldn't hold out any longer; he had already finished what needed to be done.

Zhang Xuezhou felt there was no point in communicating with the new emperor, since he couldn't change anything anyway.

At this point, going to the palace would only result in being scolded and reprimanded, and then slinking back home in disgrace; there was no other possibility.

"This is a very rare sight. I plan to go to Shanglin Garden to explore the mysteries of the universe!"

Zhang Xuezhou gestured, indicating that he would be wandering around the vicinity of Chang'an City for the next two days and would not be going to the palace at all.

He even revealed some information about Changxing.

"What long star fell?"

Zhang Xuezhou's speech was too disjointed, and Sang Hongyang felt that he couldn't keep up with Zhang Xuezhou's pace.

Of course, it wasn't just a matter of rhythm; Sang Hongyang also didn't understand what Zhang Xuezhou was saying.

I can understand the individual words, but I can't understand them when they're strung together.

If you were to ask Sang Hongyang about the 472 commonly used consumables in Chang'an City, he could answer without a single mistake.

When Zhang Xuezhou started talking about astronomy, Sang Hongyang felt like stars were popping out of his head.

You go back this way, I'll go out this way!

Zhang Xuezhou stood up politely.

He notified everyone in Zhang Household Village to prepare for the wedding, and the remaining task was to trade the black and white horses with Hongku.

Besides, Zhang Xuezhou was indeed very interested in Changxing, but the large number of people in the King of Huainan's Household had not yet found Changxing, making it difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to search for him on his own.

He's been traveling around Huainan these past few days, but he just hasn't had that kind of luck.

At this time, Zhang Xuezhou relayed relevant information through Sang Hongyang. As for whether the new emperor had heard about it from the Grand Astrologer, that was not Zhang Xuezhou's concern.

He toyed with the Spirit Artifact of two small bone horses, one black and one white, in his hands, then swayed and strolled towards the direction of leaving the city.

"Brother Dongfang's official position is comparable to a hereditary marquisate; his carefree and unrestrained nature is truly enviable!"

Watching Zhang Xuezhou leave, Sang Hongyang's eyes were filled with envy.

Sang Hongyang couldn't understand how Zhang Xuezhou managed to avoid offending anyone while still being accepted by others, even though the new emperor had a very high tolerance for Zhang Xuezhou.

If it were any other official, Sang Hongyang felt that they would either face impeachment in court or be removed from the core inner circle of ministers by the new emperor.

For example, Sang Hongyang dared not act recklessly. He felt that he still had to work honestly, show his talents as much as possible, and also seek spiritual cultivation so that he would not be unable to control his subordinates when he became an official.

All these needs spurred Sang Hongyang to work hard and dare not slack off.

He rode in the carriage that could reach the Marquis of Pingyang's residence at the fastest speed, and recited some texts back and forth in the carriage.

It wasn't until the carriage stopped that Sang Hongyang came to his senses and entered the Marquis's residence through a side gate.

With the arrival of the day off, Chen Zhang also appeared at the Marquis's residence. He was rather reserved as he demonstrated his swordsmanship in the mansion, while more than ten young men followed behind him, wielding longswords and dancing with him.

The boys found it difficult to wield the longswords meant for adults; they needed both hands to hold them steadily, and their limbs ached after repeated swinging. None of them were on the right rhythm in their swordsmanship.

"Sick child, how do you feel?"

The new emperor, sitting on the high platform watching the sword demonstration, glanced at Sang Hongyang who had rushed over, and then looked at Huo Qubing beside him.

"Not very good," Huo Qubing shook his head and said, "This kind of sword formation is only suitable for performance, not for actual combat!"

"You're so young, yet you speak with such arrogance," the new emperor laughed. "Your father would probably be furious if he heard this!"

"His anger won't change his conservative swordsmanship," Huo Qubing said earnestly. "The sword is always meant to strike forward; conservatism will inevitably lead to defeat!"

"Too!"

The new emperor nodded.

Chen Zhang held the position of Grand Chamberlain in the palace, and his main task was to protect Lady Wei. Therefore, his swordsmanship was naturally for protecting the guards, rather than for attacking and charging.

Clearly, Chen Zhang was highly qualified for the position of Grand Master, which even changed his previous swordsmanship style.

Although Huo Qubing seemed dissatisfied with Chen Zhang's swordsmanship, the new emperor was very pleased. Based on Huo Qubing's evaluation, he was even willing to reward Chen Zhang.

"My child, since you are interested in military strategy and tactics, why don't I teach you, my grandson, the art of war in the future?" the new emperor said with a smile.

"Can a grandson fight a war?" Huo Qubing asked in surprise.

"Sun Tzu was a very skilled warrior," the new emperor nodded.

"If even a grandson can fight, a son will definitely be even better, and what about a father?" Huo Qubing exclaimed happily, "Father, teach me something useful! Don't teach me what other children learn; I want to learn at least what a son should learn, and preferably what a father should learn!"

"This grandson isn't the grandson you're thinking of. Other children would never have the chance to learn how to be a real grandson," the new emperor corrected.

"I think my grandson is no good; he only wants to be like my son and father!"

Huo Qubing refused decisively.

This made the new emperor sigh, thinking that this was probably because the famous general's military strategy was rejected due to his name.

"Lamb!"

Having failed to educate Huo Qubing through a sword formation demonstration, the new emperor lost interest and waved to Sang Hongyang, who was waiting respectfully to the side.

"What, did he come back but then not want to come again?" the new emperor asked.

Before Sang Hongyang could even report, the new emperor had already guessed the answer, which made Sang Hongyang's heart skip a beat.

"My lord, Lord Dongfang says that a long star has fallen, and there seems to be some mystery in the world. He wants to go to Shanglin Garden to investigate!"

"Shanglin Garden?"

Sitting on the high platform, the new emperor felt his heart, which had been burning with fire for days, suddenly become clear.

The new emperor has been busy for the past few days trying to establish his authority and force the Prince of King of Huainan to hand over the pork. The fewer people who know the inside story, the safer Zhang Xuezhou and the others who have given up the pork will be.

However, this also left the new emperor feeling rather frustrated, as few people who were fully aware of the inside story discussed the matter with him.

While he was still pondering the uncertain success rate, Zhang Xuezhou, the person involved, had already gone up to Lin Yuan.

Without needing to ask, the new emperor knew perfectly well what Zhang Xuezhou had gone there for.

"Oh no! I haven't looked at the astronomical reports submitted by the Grand Astrologer at all lately!"

Aside from a few exceptional individuals, very few people will stare at the sky for extended periods.

The new emperor clearly missed the fall of the long star, and hasn't even paid attention to astronomical matters recently.

It was only after Zhang Xuezhou reminded him that the new emperor came to his senses.

Thinking of the secret location associated with Shanglin Garden, the new emperor felt that he had been too slow in his work lately and had been too anxious, which caused him to miss the opportunity to excavate the secret location.

While it's unknown whether the falling star will actually lead to the secret realm, the mere possibility of it would undoubtedly be incredibly exciting.

He felt he couldn't sit still in the Marquis of Pingyang's residence any longer.

Looking at the palace he had no desire to return to, and then at Chen Zhang, whose strength was far inferior to Li Guang's, the new emperor felt for a moment that he should go out and take a look at Shanglin Garden, but then he felt that the risk of going out casually was too high, and he could not allow a situation like the one with Gongsun Gui to happen again.