Dugong

Chapter 55: There is no way to teach children
"The north wind is cold, the rain and snow are heavy..."

Li Ping'an was lying on a rocking chair, holding the "Book of Songs" in his left hand, gesturing in the air with his right hand, his true energy flowing freely and looking down on others.

The flying snow in the sky surged with the true energy and instantly condensed into snow-white words.

Each standard official script seems to be printed out from a book.

Li Ping'an has practiced calligraphy for more than a year. He has barely gotten started with Ouyang Xun's small regular script, but his progress in official script has been rapid.

The body, tempered by the majestic true qi, controls the joints and muscles extremely flexibly and precisely, making it very suitable for writing the official style without style or artistic conception.

"Be kind to me, and join hands with me..."

When Li Ping'an wrote the word "Xing", his true energy stagnated slightly, and snowflakes scattered, blown away by the cold wind.

"Our Qi wins by quantity, but we're a bit behind in terms of subtlety!"

The true qi of martial arts must be both vast and majestic, as well as subtle and detailed.

According to Eunuch Chu, there was an old eunuch fishing by the Taiye Lake. He let his vital energy hang from his fishing rod, which condensed into a half-real and half-virtual silk thread. He submerged the thread half a foot into the water and waited for the fish to bite.

Li Ping'an originally thought that this man was invincible in the world, but he didn't expect that there was an even more powerful guy in the palace.

There is an old eunuch in the Cangwu Pavilion who is obsessed with shadow puppetry. He performs on stage during every festival. He can control the shadow puppets without strings, and the inanimate objects seem to come alive.

After learning about this, Li Ping'an's restless heart suddenly calmed down, and he continued to study and practice martial arts peacefully in the cold palace.

"After all, our family is too young and our background is a bit shallow!"

A good teacher is really important. He not only teaches academic methods, but also points out the way forward, makes up for shortcomings, broadens horizons, and helps students gain a clearer understanding of themselves and others.

It's approaching noon.

Li Ping'an was just about to help Eunuch Chu get up and wash up when he suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps outside the door.

"Where are the gatekeepers? Where have they all gone?"

Li Ping'an frowned slightly, and his figure flashed and landed at the door of the cold palace. He saw an old eunuch in red clothes, holding a whisk and shouting at the top of his voice.

The eunuchs in the palace are divided into four colors: gray, green, blue and red. The red official robes represent the governors, deputy governors or the eunuchs in charge of ceremonies, and the next level up is the "ancestor".

Li Pingan kowtowed without hesitation: "Your servant greets the eunuch, may I ask what you may want?"

The old eunuch raised his eyebrows and snorted, "Why are you the only one here? Where's Xiao Chuzi?"

Li Ping'an felt awe in his heart. He listened carefully to the tone of the words. He could hear thousands of meanings in just the three words "Xiao Chuzi".

"Your Excellency, Eunuch Chu has caught a cold and is not fit to go out in the heavy snow."

The old eunuch said sarcastically, "Tsk, tsk, tsk! If everyone were like him, they wouldn't serve when they were sick. The palace would be in chaos!"

A fierce look flashed in Li Ping'an's eyes. He exerted a little force with his fingers, leaving ten holes on the bluestone floor tiles.

Fortunately, the old eunuch stopped mocking him and said loudly, "Your Majesty has ordered that the Queen has failed to educate her children properly and is imprisoned in the cold palace for reflection. She is forbidden to leave the palace without his permission!"

"According to the order."

Li Ping'an suppressed his anger and wondered what the queen had done wrong.

The most likely possibility is that he failed in his struggle with Princess Yuan, and the second possibility is that he involved three exiled princes. There are many cases in history where the deposed prince returned to the Eastern Palace.

It seems that the Queen has lost now. Even if the title of "Queen" is not removed, she has been banished from Kunning Palace to the Cold Palace, and her title is only in name only.

Four eunuchs escorted the queen into the cold palace, their faces full of vigilance and alert, fearing that she would become depressed and commit suicide.

The queen's expression was calm as usual. She was muttering something and slowly turning the Buddhist beads in her hand. It seemed that she was not entering the cold palace but the Buddhist temple.

Li Ping'an led the way and opened the door of the main hall. After being vacant for several years, the cold palace welcomed a new resident.

The previous person imprisoned was a talented woman who was rumored to have had an affair with the imperial physician. Not long after being imprisoned in the cold palace, she hanged herself.

Li Ping'an secretly wondered how long the Queen could survive in the cold palace?
The main hall had been unoccupied for a long time, and was covered with a thick layer of dust. The bedding was full of holes from being eaten by insects and rats.

The old eunuch ordered his men to clean up and put on new bedding. He bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, do you have any other instructions?" "Amitabha."

The queen chanted the Buddha's name, and sat cross-legged on the bed with her hands clasped together. Her kind eyes and solemn appearance gave her the aura of a high-level monk.

The old eunuch cursed the old woman in his heart for being crazy, and led everyone out of the main hall and closed the door heavily.

"You'd better watch carefully, don't let anything happen to the Queen!"

"I will take good care of it."

Li Ping'an had no choice but to accept the order, fearing that he would have a hard time of leisure in the future.

At this time.

A few coughs were heard from the side hall, and Eunuch Chu came out, holding on to the wall. He looked pale and looked like he was seriously ill.

Her body was much thinner than before she was sent to the cold palace. Her fat had decreased, but her skin had not become smaller. She looked flabby.

"It turned out to be Eunuch Hong."

Eunuch Chu bowed and said, "I was not feeling well and was unable to go out to greet you. I hope Eunuch Hong will not blame me."

Eunuch Hong looked at the weak and weak Eunuch Chu. He had obviously lost his power, but he felt a chill on the back of his neck and could not help but bow.
"Grandfather, you have wronged us. Without your guidance and support, we would never have been able to work in the Imperial Household Department."

Eunuch Chu said, "That's all in the past. If Eunuch Hong has any instructions, just tell us directly."

"No, no, old ancestor, please take a rest."

Eunuch Hong bowed repeatedly, not daring to stay in the cold palace any longer, and hurriedly left with his subordinates.

Li Pingan immediately stepped forward to report: "Grandpa Gan, that old man just called you Xiao Chuzi!"

"understood."

Eunuch Chu's voice was unremarkable as he warned, "Take good care of the Empress. If she becomes depressed and wants to commit suicide, just say 'Just wait a few years and it will be fine'!"

Li Ping'an's eyes lit up: "Could it be possible that the Queen can return to Kunning Palace?"

Eunuch Chu shook his head and said, "I cannot go. My crime is too serious. Your Majesty is sparing my life out of consideration for our past friendship."

Li Pingan glanced at the main hall and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa Gan, what exactly did the Queen do wrong?"

Eunuch Chu pondered for a moment and said, "It's okay to tell you. It won't be long before the news spreads throughout the palace..."

months ago.

The deposed crown prince escaped from the imperial estate and secretly returned to the capital. He contacted the empress through his former court officials, intending to join forces with both internal and external forces to poison Emperor Wude.

When the Eastern Palace is vacant, the deposed crown prince will make a call.

After all, he has been the crown prince for more than 30 years and has served as regent several times. His governing ability is obvious to all in the court. Perhaps he can really fish in troubled waters.

Regicide and patricide are unforgivable crimes!
Li Pingan prides himself on being ruthless and merciless, but he couldn't bring himself to harm his parents. He pressed on, "How did it get exposed?"

Eunuch Chu said quietly, "We knew that this plan could not be accomplished, so we sent someone to inform Zhaoyang Palace and escorted the deposed Crown Prince back to the imperial estate in advance."

"..."

Li Ping'an was stunned. His grandfather was the queen's right-hand man, and his first official position when he worked in the palace was granted by the princess.

"Why did you do that?"

Eunuch Chu sighed, "We are doing this for the good of the Empress. If she truly rebels again, shocking the court and beyond, the deposed Crown Prince will most likely be executed, and the Empress's title will be in jeopardy."

Li Pingan said, "Now that she has been banished to the cold palace, she is no different from being deposed as the empress."

Eunuch Chu glanced at him and scolded him.

"You've read so much that it's like a dog's stomach. Go and copy the "Book of Rites" ten times!"

(End of this chapter)