PFC Chapter 351 The Heart-Devouring Karmic Fire Behind the Silence
Chapter 351 The Heart-Devouring Karmic Fire Behind the Silence
Sizi nodded vigorously, her little tuft of hair swinging like a rattle drum:
"Hmm! My 'Number One Father,' His Majesty Emperor Taizong, even specially bestowed a 'comforting divine light' upon me, and his holy voice boomed: 'I already know that you, my dear minister, have repeatedly used your righteous spirit to pierce through demonic obstacles, but alas, your heart is clouded and you have fallen into the abyss!' Not long after, His Majesty, with his discerning eye, chose the 'naturally gifted' Prince Li Zhi of Jin to succeed to the throne, and once again issued a decree appointing Yu Zhining as the new 'Protector of the Crown Prince' (Left Vice Minister of the Crown Prince)! He truly achieved—'Selecting the virtuous only requires high moral character and talent, and appointing officials does not need to be based on the stars'!"
Zi An's brushstrokes are imbued with a vibrant, ethereal beauty, accompanied by celestial music.
"Absolutely! With the change of the crown prince, the foundation of my position as the 'protector' has become even more solid! In the 649th year of the Tianli era (the 23rd year of the Zhenguan era), His Majesty Emperor Taizong achieved perfect merit and ascended to heaven. His elder brother, Crown Prince Li Zhi, received the mandate of heaven and ascended the throne, becoming Emperor Gaozong."
"Yu Zhining's official career has skyrocketed! He has been granted the immortal title of 'Attendant-in-Ordinary,' the honor of 'Immortal Venerable of the Palace,' and even bestowed the title of 'Duke Ling of Yan,' stepping into the highest hall of the mortal realm as a prime minister! This is truly 'the pinnacle of a minister's position, with his aura soaring to the heavens!' What's even more impressive is that he has been entrusted with the important task of 'supervising the compilation of the national history,' wielding the 'golden pen of time' that records the fortunes of mortal dynasties. This influence is enough to shake the laws of the world!" Zi An finished writing the last stroke, his spirit radiating.
He then looked at An Ding Si with a smile, "How about that, isn't it fantastical enough?"
Sizi's mouth gaped slightly, her eyes filled with admiration, and she tugged at Zi'an's sleeve:
"Brother Zi'an, Yu Zhining is amazing! So... what happened after that? Did he continue to be a powerful prime minister?"
The calm sea of consciousness ripples gently, and childhood memories twinkle like stars:
"Hmm... I remember now!" Little Sizi's pink cheeks puffed up as she tried to search through the distant fragments of memories belonging to Princess Li Mingda, and golden ripples seemed to spread in her sea of consciousness.
"That's right! Back in the second year of Yonghui, there was a guy in Luoyang named Li Hongtai who was incredibly audacious. He actually dared to falsely accuse Grand Commandant Changsun Wuji's uncle of treason! When Brother Zhinu (Emperor Gaozong of Tang) heard this, he was furious and waved his little hand—'Act immediately!' He was about to kill Li Hongtai!"
Zi An gently waved her folding fan, a glint of worldly wisdom flashing in her eyes, a knowing expression on her face saying, "I saw through it all long ago."
"Hehe, here's the exciting part!" He leaned closer to Xiao Sizi, lowered his voice, and said with a hint of mystery, "That official named Yu Zhining, at this crucial moment, calmly stepped forward. He said, 'Your Majesty, please calm down~ It's springtime, when all things are sprouting and the energy of life is at its peak. It's not advisable to carry out such a destructive act. Besides, while falsely accusing someone of treason is a serious crime, it's not among the "ten unpardonable crimes." According to the laws of our Great Tang, it's best to be cautious. How about... waiting until the autumn breeze is refreshing before making a decision?' The brilliance of his move lies in the phrase 'waiting for the wind to come,' truly using minimal effort to achieve maximum effect!"
Little Sizi blinked her eyes, full of curiosity: "And then? And then? Did Emperor Gaozong hear it, Brother Zhinu?"
Zi'an shook his head: "Of course! His Majesty is receptive to advice, so the sentence was naturally reduced. Before long, this Lord Yu, who was 'waiting for the wind to come,' saw his official career soar. He became the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a third-rank official in the Secretariat and Chancellery, and also served as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince. He was very successful!"
With a flick of his fingertip, Brother Wood conjured a celestial scroll depicting the third year of the Zhenguan era in his mind:
"Come, come, let's turn our attention back to the third year of the Zhenguan era!"
His voice was gentle, and the scrolls flowed as he spoke, “Back then, Brother Yu Zhining was truly blessed with good fortune! He was just a minor official of the fourth rank, but his father (Emperor Taizong of Tang) recognized his talent and, out of nowhere, promoted him directly to the position of Vice Minister of the Chancellery! It was a legendary case of ‘rising to the top in one step’ at that time!”
The scenes in the painting change, revealing a corner of a magnificent palace banquet.
Emperor Taizong was raising his cup when he suddenly felt that the banquet lacked a certain "liveliness" and turned to ask his attendants:
"'Eh? Where is Zhining?' The old prime minister beside him quickly bowed: 'Your Majesty, today's banquet is for high-ranking officials of the third rank and above. Zhining... his rank is not high enough, so he is not present at the banquet.'"