Chapter 364 Solar Eclipse

He Ping had also heard over the years that Emperor You rarely showed up except for early morning court appearances.

Sometimes, he was in poor health and would not even hold court meetings. Fortunately, Dayou's cabinet ministers were relatively capable, and their ability to handle affairs could still maintain the situation in the court.

However, the power of the cabinet is limited to the drafting of votes. That is, after the cabinet ministers read the memorial, they write their suggestions on a piece of paper and paste it on the memorial. This is called "drafting of votes." The emperor used red letters to give instructions, which was called "Pin Hong".

On the other hand, the current Emperor You can also rely on the Chief of Ceremonies to control the cabinet. This allows the emperor to control the government even if he lives deep in the inner palace, is not involved in political affairs, and does not see ministers.

However, in the past few years, the situation in Dayou Dynasty has been somewhat unfavorable. In addition to frequent natural disasters, floods and droughts spreading across states and counties, there are also evil cults such as the Mud Sect, as well as folk groups such as the "Wuchang Army" and "Chuang Taotian". During the uprising, the imperial court had to send out large armies to conquer the rebels in various places.

The continuous natural and man-made disasters have also led to the emptiness of the national treasury and the decline of the national situation. It is precisely because of this that the various forces are ready to take action.

However, everyone can see that even if the country's power declines, Dayou's foundation has not been shaken. And so far, no one knows about Dayou except the first-generation Emperor You of the Earth Immortal level, the "white jade pillar that holds the sky." ", Jiahai Zijin Liang", what other powerful trump cards are hidden there? No one is willing to really stand out and touch the hard fist of the Dayou royal family.

"Master Shanda, these are rewards from the Holy One."

In the hall of the Sheng Mansion, a eunuch wearing a big red robe was sitting on the seat next to He Ping. He raised his orchid fingers, held a tea cup, and spoke slowly: "The Holy One can say that to the people of Sheng, You love me well, and among other things, this 'Cangming Sword' comes from the Da Nei Treasure House, and is the weapon owned by the former Hunyuan Sect master 'Sword Demon' Ding Ji."

"'Sword Demon' Ding Ji is a master of both magic and martial arts, and one of the nine true disciples of the Hunyuan Sect. He is also a wizard of Taoism. Unfortunately, the Ding family has evil intentions. The head of the Ding family calls himself the King of Dongshan. He was later The imperial army seeks peace."

"Ding Ji of the Hunyuan Sect was also beheaded by the previous King of Zhenbei. This Cangming Sword was dedicated to the first Emperor You, and was later returned to the inner treasury. Lord Ji of the Evil Slayer Division was very interested in this Cangming Sword. I have been coveting it for a long time, and I begged for it several times without success, but I didn’t expect that I finally rewarded it to Shanda Shanda.”

The identity of this eunuch in red is not simple. He is one of the four eunuchs of the Supervisor of Ceremonies. His name is Zhou Lingguan. He is one of the closest confidants of Emperor You. He personally came to the Sheng family residence to convey the imperial edict, which also shows that Emperor Dayou of attention.

"The kindness from the Holy One is so great that Sheng knows that he will never be able to repay it in his lifetime."

He Ping also nodded after hearing this.

"However, it is really too much for Sheng to bear the burden of having to trouble Eunuch Zhou to deliver the edict..."

As he spoke, he also glanced at Liu Yu beside him. The latter understood, took out a few banknotes from somewhere, and presented them with both hands.

"This is just a little bit of fun, I hope my father-in-law will accept it."

He Ping said with a smile.

Eunuch Zhou took the banknote, glanced at it, and burst into laughter.

"Oh, Mr. Shanda, what do you mean?"

"I hope Eunuch Zhou will decline this small gift. In the future, I will run errands for the Holy Sage. If anything happens, I hope Eunuch-in-law can say a few kind words for me in front of the Holy Sage."

He Ping was quite familiar with the process of asking for cards. He also found out clearly that among the four eunuchs in the palace, Zhou Lingguan, the Chief of Ceremonies and Supervisor of Ceremonies, was the most greedy for money, so he did what he wanted.

After taking the bank note, Eunuch Zhou's attitude towards He Ping became particularly good. He Ping was also good at observing people's opinions. After a few beautiful words, the two sides talked very intimately.

"Eunuch Zhou," He Ping asked with a smile: "Don't blame Sheng for thinking too much. When we declare decrees on weekdays, there is no need for you to come forward in person. Your Majesty sent your father-in-law here, does he have other intentions?"

Eunuch Zhou smiled softly.

"Sheng Shanda's guess is good." He gave a slight glance, and He Ping understood immediately. He waved his hand, and Liu Yu quietly walked out of the door, closed the door and windows, and left all the people around him beside the door. The attendant also took him away.

"This matter is related to the trip to the Corpse Road in four days. As one of the nine envoys, Shanda should have been aware of this matter for a long time, right?"

"Exactly."

He Ping nodded.

"Is there anything the Holy One needs Sheng to do secretly?"

"Yes and no."

Eunuch Zhou's words were a bit ambiguous. He coughed again and said, "But Mr. Shanda's guess is correct. The imperial court is going to enter the Corpse Path this time, and a lot of manpower and material resources will be dispatched. Just the Fire Thunder Golden Winged Warship , five of the ten ships will be dispatched. Most of the masters from the Evil Slaying Division and the Blood Law Division will be dispatched. The Holy Master also plans to let the retired masters of the previous generation of the Evil Slaying Division also take action. In addition, the Holy Sage will The decree has been passed down, and the eight princes, Duke Lu, Duke Bao and Duke Qing, as well as the three princes among the twelve princes, namely Ruyihou, Jiujianghou and Xuyehou, will also accompany them."

After hearing this, He Ping's eyes showed a bit of solemnity.

One of the trump cards of the Dayou court is the "Four Kings, Eight Dukes and Twelve Marquises". The so-called Four Kings and Eight Dukes are the heroes in the court who followed the first Emperor You to compete in the world and had the merit of following the dragon. Among them, the highest status is the King of Zhenbei, that is, The Wang Yuwen clan also had the same surname as Pingxi King, Jingnan King and Dongyang King.

In addition to the special status of the Yuwen family, the other three kings gradually downgraded their favor many years after the founding of the country. As for the Eight Dukes, many of them were prominent heroes in the past. However, after several dynasties, several of these eight Dukes were eliminated. Only a few of them were given important positions. Later, there were ministers who made great achievements. After making great contributions, they were granted the title of Duke.

"The imperial court is going to the Corpse Path this time, and all the forces will not sit idly by. There will be many dangers and dangers. There will be no exceptions for those who can be dispatched on this trip. I am afraid they are all Dao-level masters!"

Three princes, three marquises, these are the six masters who entered the Tao. The head of the Evil Slayer Division was canonized as Marquis Yulie. He is also a master who enters the Tao, and is known as the first person to enter the Dao in Dayou.

"I just don't know, is Situ Haoxing's strength higher than that of the leader of the Dragon Worship Cult, 'King Tu Destruction' Xie Chongsheng? There is also Jiang Lingxu, the leader of the Ten Thousand Dharma Alliance, who once challenged Xie Chongsheng Sheng, although he was defeated by this person at first, but later he worked hard and practiced hard for many years behind closed doors, and his cultivation level improved greatly. I don’t know who is more advanced between him and Situ Haoxing..."

He Ping still has a question in his heart, that is, he does not know whether there are masters at the imperial court. It stands to reason that the imperial court is the most powerful spiritual force in the world. Over the years, it has collected countless treasures of heaven and earth, and there are many treasures accumulated in the imperial treasury. Mountains of rare treasures can logically train many masters.

"If the imperial court does not have a master of manifesting to protect him, then I am not optimistic about this trip to the Bone Road. The three princes, three princes, and Situ Haoxing can resist ordinary enemies. But if we really face a master of manifesting, I’m afraid I’m still vulnerable!”

These thoughts flashed through He Ping's mind, and Eunuch Zhou coughed again, and said calmly: "In fact, apart from the treasure of Master Shibi, the imperial court also has some other considerations for the trip to the Corpse Path. One of them is to test this. I am a descendant of the You family, but I think you should know about this..."

"I have heard of it," He Ping sighed: "But this is the Holy Emperor's private matter, so it is inconvenient for Sheng to ask more questions."

"It's good that Mr. Shanda understands this. You are from the Evil Slayer Division, so it's best not to get too close to the princes. Although you are deeply loved by the Holy One, you should not touch the Holy One's bad luck!"

Eunuch Zhou made a suggestion.

He Ping was covered in cold sweat. He pretended to be trembling and nodded hurriedly.

"Of course, I don't know the things that the Holy One doesn't need me to know; I don't care about the things that the Holy One doesn't need me to ask about."

"Shangda people are smart people, so I don't need to speak in this regard."

Zhou Lingguan was quite satisfied with his reaction. He came here also because of the intention of Emperor Dayou. He came to test Sheng Yuzhou. Although he was given benefits, he also wanted to properly show the majesty of the official family. If there is no equal emphasis on kindness and power, what is the point? The emperor's mental skills, talk about the ability to control his subordinates...

"Besides that, the Holy One also has another idea. During this trip to the Bone Road, the Holy One said that Shanda people don't have to worry about other things. They only need to be responsible for transporting one thing."

"what?"

He Ping asked again.

"Shangda people don't need to ask about this."

Eunuch Zhou just smiled and didn't explain anything.

"In another four days, the connection between the Corpse Path and the real world will be closer. Xuan Yesi Star Observatory has been conducting research for many days, and it is deduced that it is a good time to enter. At that time, Mr. Ruyihou Yueqing will meet with Mr. Shanda Let’s take charge of this mission together.”

…

Xuan Yesi Star Observatory.

This is the most mysterious institution among the three divisions. Different from the Zhanxie Division and the Blood Law Division, the Xuanye Division has the Calendar Department, the Astronomy Department, and the Sanshi Department, which are used for officials and students to learn astronomy, arithmetic, Liuren, and Taiyi and Dunjia made calendars and observed celestial phenomena to predict good and bad luck.

According to Dayou's calendar, these professional knowledge are strictly prohibited for ordinary people to learn and can only be taught to apprentices by officials.

However, this is not something Dayou did deliberately, but involves knowledge of astronomy, arithmetic, Liuren, Taiyi, and Dunjia, which are related to the changes in the three laws of heaven, earth, and man, and are themselves susceptible to the changes in the way of heaven.

Among them, the hexagrams, prophecies, and divination are better. If ordinary people don't delve into it to a certain extent, they won't be able to come into contact with deep things.

Among these methods, the most dangerous one belongs to the field of "celestial phenomena". Observing celestial phenomena will make you more intuitively exposed to the evolution of the three laws and talents of heaven, earth, man, and people, and it is easier to be contaminated by something unknown.

In addition, during the process of observing astronomical phenomena, you will also notice or see some indescribable abnormal changes, such as foreign objects from "outside the sky".

Xuan Yesi's star observatory is not in the capital, but is located in the northwest, in a valley in Wuqiu Mountain at the junction of Wangu Prefecture and Guanlan Prefecture. When Dayou was built, the first Emperor You was there. The location of Xuan Yesi Star Observatory was selected. He believed that the valley in Wuqiu Mountain was the most suitable for observing changes in celestial phenomena.

The observatory is not a "stage", but is located on a high cliff on the mountain side of the valley.

The entire observatory is actually a giant pure white tower, with various strange instruments placed on the top of the tower.

An old man in a green robe was sitting in front of a huge water-borne armillary sphere. This was an instrument driven by water to simulate the movement of celestial bodies. This armillary sphere was not only huge, but also had special components that could be adjusted. It was engraved with the twenty-eight constellations and was filled with water. The wheel, one week a day, is exactly consistent with the apparent daily motion of the celestial body.

The water-borne armillary sphere is like a precise clock. Driven by water power, the Xuanji scales where the sun, moon, and five latitudes are located inside and outside are changing slightly. The old man in green robe is sitting in front of the water-borne armillary sphere. His right hand is constantly counting, and his eyes are looking straight. Staring at a huge basin in front of him.

This basin, also known as the "Yangmei", is also an astronomical instrument. The old man in gray robe is observing the changes of the sun with the help of the Yangmei.

"It's weird...why are the changes in the Three Laws accelerating? The changes in the Great Tribulation are intensifying. It's clear that the Master of the Five Tribulations has not yet been born!"

The eyes of the old man in green robe seemed to be covered with a layer of white clouds, and his eyes were cloudy. He had been blind for a long time. However, as a Taoist master, even if he had no eyes, it would not affect his ability to perceive. It would be better to say that after losing his eyes, His "perception" was further amplified.

He can sense the way of heaven. Part of his consciousness remains in this body, maintaining calculation and analysis. The other part of his consciousness is directly separated from the body, and it is like the body has spread into countless particles, and is pulled by a huge torrent, rising into the sky.

"The axis of the wild universe, the long and long axis of the sky. It carries its end and its talisman. It is a super-super god, returning to the underworld. It has been coming and going for thousands of years, this is what it means..."

The thoughts of the old man in green robes floated to an unimaginable space. He seemed to be wandering in the center of the vast void. In this time and space, the sky could not be seen above and the earth could not be seen below. In front of him were the stars like the prehistoric era.

There was total silence, and there was no air around. The old man in green robe could clearly hear the vast and boundless sound, which was like the pulse resonance of space expansion. The vast void was filled with invisible fluctuations, sending out far-reaching vibrations. .

He looked up again and could see five huge portals, and a huge star could be vaguely seen higher up.

"Tiandao Liuyuan, we meet again!"

The old man murmured, and suddenly, a feeling of swaying came over him. In his field of vision, he could see a black energy suddenly appearing in the huge hanging star, as if it was about to wrap around the entire star.

"Where is what?"

At the same time as this frightening thought emerged, his sight zoomed in closer. The black air was like a giant dragon with teeth and claws, wandering on the stars, as if it wanted to swallow the whole star.

"Master!"

A small sound sounded, like a bubble bursting.

In an instant, the world came back to me.

boom!

The old man in green robe felt that there was another person beside him.

That's a young man.

He pressed his hand on the old man's shoulder.

"The sky...the sky has changed!"

"What's going on?"

"It's a solar eclipse!"

The young man said in a terrifying voice that could not be suppressed: "Just at noon, a black air seemed to suddenly appear and wrap around the sun. I and other people at the observatory could see clearly that the black air was not a cloud. , but emerged from the sun...The sky suddenly became dark!"

He stretched out his hand and pointed in the air. At the same time as the black energy exploded, the sky and the earth were filled with darkness, and he could not see his fingers.

"A natural vision!"

The old man in green robe, the "Long Taozi" of the previous generation of Mayi Taoist Palace, was heart-beating. He knew that this kind of vision was by no means a good thing, but a sign of the beginning of a great catastrophe.

"The Spring and Autumn Catastrophe is approaching!"