Arknights, are you a good person?

"The Grand Tutor is absolutely right. He is also taking advantage of the situation." Zhenlong nodded repeatedly. He had not thought of this.

He truly deserves to be the head of all officials.

Tutor: "..."

He turned away and went about his work. He was still dealing with Dayan's affairs and couldn't really have a long discussion with these two people.

The Grand Tutor will not do anything that is meaningless to Dayan.

Qi Yuan and Zhen Long were the only two people left on the palace walls that were filled with the smell of pepper and aniseed.

"What the teacher said makes a lot of sense."

As soon as the teacher left, his expression changed and he started to praise him. Qi Yuan nodded. This was not beyond his expectations at all.

"The Sui Beast family is still being treated with hostility. In fact, many people have complaints about today's invitation, and some even think it's a Hongmen Banquet. My teacher and I plan to use the cup-breaking ceremony as a signal, and we have ambushed elite swordsmen behind the curtain."

The real dragon shook his head slightly, speechless.

Qi Yuan also had the same thought and nodded.

Taiwei is the leader of the Sui Beast Must Die faction, but this is not a force that appeared out of thin air. There must be a basis for it. Taiwei is just a representative. It is not that Qi Yuan cut Taiwei's eyes clear with a sword, and this force disappeared out of thin air.

On the contrary, they would only think that the general was too old and dim-sighted to represent them anymore, and would secretly exclude him.

What a cruel party struggle.

-----------------------------------------

Qi Yuan is not stupid, but he is still young. He can only understand the deep meaning behind many things after paying attention to them and thinking about them seriously. He cannot be like those old people who treat power and strategy as eating and drinking.

Now that he was thinking about it, he gradually began to feel that this grand sacrifice might not be simple.

"Let me tell you about the process of the grand ceremony." Zhenlong understood Qi Yuan very well. "You can't study etiquette anyway. If you mess up, it might shock people."

"Tell me the truth, when did you start killing people?" Qi Yuan asked calmly. He thought about it for a while and began to come to his senses.

"Don't talk nonsense."

Zhenlong was very cautious and seriously corrected Qi Yuan, saying, "I don't know when blood will be seen."

"Thank you."

Qi Yuan thanked him and finally got the information. This meant that blood would inevitably be shed, but he didn't know when, before, during or after the meeting.

Next, Qi Yuan listened patiently to Zhenlong's explanation of the process of the grand sacrifice.

Almost, Dayan also has to slaughter five animals.

But it is not for the sacrificial object Sui to eat. Dayan and Sui are incompatible, so how could Dayan invite Sui to eat meat?

At that time, there will be an imperial chef accompanying them, who will cook all the slaughtered animals into delicious dishes for the officials participating in the ceremony to share, leaving only the smelly blood...

Offering sacrifices to heaven is offering sacrifices to heaven, and offering sacrifices to the old year is offering sacrifices to the old year. The processes of the two rituals are completely different.

Qi Yuan nodded, feeling a little funny.

It sounds a bit irritating, but it also seems reasonable.

If it were Qi Yuan, he would probably be very petty as well. Giving Sui a sniff would be considered kind-hearted, but thinking about it is one thing, and hearing the actual process is another. I couldn't help but want to laugh.

The Da Yan lineage also has a bit of comedian temperament.

"Okay, I get it. I will not say a word, just concentrate on eating and watch this incident with a smile."

Qi Yuan patted his chest and promised.

Neither of them wanted to stay any longer between the palace walls filled with the smell of pepper and aniseed, so they immediately set off for their destination.

The real mausoleum of the year is a huge secret known only to the top leaders, and it is impossible for them to leave Baizao and go into the mountains together. The place for holding the grand sacrifice is somewhere else, a flat platform in Baizao with extremely high steps and a piece of farmland.

According to ancestral teachings, every generation of true dragon has farmland on the outskirts of the city, which is passed down from generation to generation to show that they never forget their roots.

But according to the Grand Tutor, these farmlands were previously abandoned and not taken seriously. Only this generation of True Dragons came every day to water and fertilize the farmlands themselves, and the farmlands became lush and green, with all kinds of vegetables growing vigorously.

Qi Yuan looked at the green onions that were taller than people and the cornfield that was so deep that people could not be seen, and could not help but nodded.

"This is the side dish for this grand festival." Zhenlong was extremely proud.

Qi Yuan found his seat and sat down hurriedly.

That was a position half a body length behind the Three Dukes, which was the second row of officials. There were only two positions, one of which was prepared for Qi Yuan.

"At present, only the teacher has a successor, so this arrangement has been made. Although there is a vacant seat among the Three Dukes, the status is here, and we must leave the position vacant and waiting for it." Zhenlong explained hurriedly.

"As for the seat next to you, it belongs to Ji."

601: The officialdom of Da Yan is really serious and lively

Not only did he attend the same meeting with Ji, but he also ate at the same table.

Qi Yuan was a little surprised. According to his understanding, merchants had to automatically be lower than officials. Moreover, Ji, as a fragment of the Sui beast, participated in this meeting with the theme of worshiping the old year and sat in the second row among all officials. Wasn't it a bit too much of a big deal?

Qi Yuan didn't want to guess, so he turned to face the real dragon and expressed his doubts directly.

"He paid for it."

Zhenlong leaned close to Qi Yuan's ear and whispered, "He first spent a lot of money to smooth over the relationship and exchanged for a chance to see the emperor, and then gave me an offer that I couldn't refuse, which made me go against all odds."

"Anyway, bringing the Year Beast fragments into the meeting is already a groundbreaking first. There is no precedent, so I might as well make things even more radical. Anyway, all I ask for is to take a serious look at you. I have no other requests."

"Oh, so you took bribes."

Qi Yuan suddenly realized and was a little surprised. Zhenlong was so frank, wasn't he afraid that he would go to the tutor and tell trolls?

Isn't it a bit too trusting to say such things?

"The teacher knows everything." Zhenlong answered without hesitation, "He said that this is human nature. Having such a request shows that Ji has human touch, which is a great thing."

Qi Yuan was somewhat curious about what the so-called bribe was about, but no matter how he asked, Zhenlong was very secretive and almost used the word "state secret" to evade Qi Yuan.

Zhenlong is not a person who loves talents, nor does he covet power. Could it be that he has found a very good place to retire?

Directly help Zhenlong buy out the entire Longmen?

Given his wealth that can rival a country, this possibility cannot be ruled out.

The true dragon climbed to the highest position step by step. During this process, the great fire dragon energy gathered in his body, just like gradually peeling off his ordinary body, and a majestic mountain returned to its place.

At this moment, all the officials had not even arrived yet, and there was complete silence all around.

It is totally impolite to let the emperor wait for officials.

Qi Yuan sat down and thought for a while, thinking that it must be Zhenlong's personal reasons, maybe he wanted to say goodbye to the vegetables he grew? After all, in a while, the vegetables he grew would be eaten by the civil and military officials along with the five animals for the New Year's sacrifice.

Qi Yuan sat quietly, observing the real dragon carefully.

Under the heavy pressure of majesty, the real dragon would occasionally glance at the fruits and vegetables in the imperial fields next to him, with a look of reluctance on his face.

It really is!

Qi Yuan looked away, took a sip of the tea in his hand. He was quite understanding. After thinking about the embarrassment of being exposed in front of others, he slowly dropped the topic and pretended to look around at the scenery.

Once I saw it, I became quite absorbed in it.

Of course, the altar cannot be fancy, but its simplicity and grandeur is also a kind of scenery, which requires a certain level of appreciation.

The entire altar is stable and open. The paving stones are of the same kind, all emitting a soft white light like white marble, and there is not a single gap. It looks like a spectacle created by flattening an entire mountain and then paving steps.

This is definitely not a newly created scene, it is the work of the civil engineer.

Qi Yuan drank his tea and looked into the distance. Even the arrangement of the flowers was very particular, and the feeling of simplicity, elegance and grandeur came straight to him.

……

so boring……

How could a young man be patient enough to enjoy the scenery? After a while, Qi Yuan felt bored. The beautiful scenery created by nature could not attract him at all.

Why haven’t the civil and military officials come yet?

Looking at the real dragon again, he seemed to be enjoying himself, as if the later people arrived, the happier he was.

"There is a generation gap with the elderly." Qi Yuan muttered to himself and took another sip of oolong tea.

----------------------------------------

"Master Jijiu, you are also invited?"

"Isn't this Xiao Zhao, the Minister of Rites? He has also received the grace of His Majesty and is participating in this grand event that has not been held for many years."

"I don't know what I can eat. With my lowly status as a fifth-rank official, I can probably only eat waterfowl, the lowest of the five animals. But you, the Lord Jijiu, are in charge of the Baizao Academy and have a noble status, so you will definitely be able to get the best meat."

"Don't mention it, it's just teaching. Compared with the chief priest of the academy, the students of Baizao still respect the Grand Tutor as the god of examination more."

"Look, it's Li Shilang from the Ministry of Revenue. When he was in school, he was the top student in the sports meet of the Imperial Academy. He is still as charming as ever, and his pace is so fast."

"..."

"..."

Qi Yuan suddenly woke up from his doze and heard that all the officials had started to climb the stairs. After confirming that it was already noon, he immediately sat up straight and glanced at Zhenlong at the last moment.

"hey-hey."

The real dragon grinned and scratched his head, not feeling ashamed but proud.

This is the final stupidity. When the first high crown of an official's dress appeared on the steps, the real dragon put on the twelve crowns, and everything disappeared, leaving only the silent majesty.

The officials were talking and laughing, just like college students on a spring outing.

When they stepped onto the altar, the scene before them made them feel as if they had lost their parents. No one had expected that a real dragon would come here and wait in advance.

He was killed unexpectedly.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

Minister Li of the Ministry of Revenue, who climbed seven steps at a time, was so frightened that his face turned pale. He was not sure whether the emperor had seen his heroic figure of jumping over the hurdles, which was like doing splits in the air.

"It doesn't matter."

The real dragon was majestic without being angry, but he was very generous: "Dear ministers, I understand that you are in a good mood during this grand event, but the occasion is serious after all, so please don't do it again."

Your Majesty is in a good mood, so let bygones be bygones.

A kind gaze came over, and Minister Li, who was being stared at, not only did not feel relaxed, but was sweating profusely. No one knew what he was thinking in his heart, perhaps he was regretting his actions today.

The real dragon was gently put down, but the atmosphere at the scene did not ease. Many officials noticed Qi Yuan sitting in the second row of officials. When they saw his dazzling official uniform, they already had the answer in their hearts.

Is that Lord Xiao Qi?

He was extremely talented and was first recognized by the Grand Tutor. The Majesty was also very fond of him and directly wiped out the time he had spent studying in the Imperial College. He was promoted to the highest position in the country with just one imperial decree.

With an extremely young face and having contact with students all year round, Jijiu has a sharp eye and can tell at a glance that someone of Qi Yuan's age should have just entered college not long ago.

He doesn't look like a human minister.

But your majesty's decision must have its reasons.

If the real dragon had not already arrived, I would have gone up to him and started a conversation with him, so as to get to know the legendary Master Xiao Qi.

The officials took their seats in an orderly manner, divided into vertical rows according to seniority, just like when they were attending court. There was an empty seat among the three officials, but there was an empty seat next to Qi Yuan. All the officials were very puzzled. If the order was not maintained, they would have whispered to each other on the spot.

Everyone is curious.

Could it be that another first-rank official has suddenly emerged?

602: The seventh child of the Sui family,

Although they were not allowed to talk, there was no rule against making eye contact. The ministers were all smart people and they started to make eye contact and make eyes at each other on the spot. The atmosphere on the scene suddenly became a little strange.

"How capable is Lord Xiao Qi?" someone asked curiously.

"Are you trying to live, kid? Have you forgotten the beautiful story of the Grand Marshal who asked for forgiveness while carrying a thorn stick on his back?" Some people were reluctant to talk about it.

Although Qi Yuan had exercised his power mostly in foreign countries after becoming an official, using the power of others to bully others, his prestige had been established through some small things, and no one dared to offend him, not even to think about it.

Most of the officials were still discussing the vacant seat next to Qi Yuan. Who was it prepared for?

"Who is it?"

"Could it be Lin Qingyan? Although she is a junior minister, she has been running to the Grand Tutor recently. As the saying goes, the distance between you and the three dukes is the distance between you and power. In addition, she is from a high-ranking family. It seems not impossible for that little girl Lin Qingyan to rise to the top overnight."

"That makes sense..."