After more than an hour of the opening banquet, it ended with a joyous voice. As the emperor with the highest status, he naturally had to be the first to go first, and the civil and military officials got up to see him off.

The foreign envoys finally breathed a sigh of relief, and it was a pleasing feeling to watch the Chinese salute, but it was difficult for these people to do it. Not to mention that they can't learn the atmosphere of Han etiquette, they can't learn this kind of soothing and softness alone. Finally, when the state banquet was over, there was no need to imitate those complicated etiquette and be lazy, and then the officials of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward and asked these ministers to line up on both sides, because there are also etiquette requirements for seeing them off.

There is a distance of about 200 meters from the gate of the Taihe Hall to the noon gate, and the civil and military officials stand in two compartments, and say in unison: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live." ”

At this time, Li Mingcai, who had been sitting, stood up and walked out. The civil and military officials on both sides of the royal road did not move at all, but the ministers of various countries bowed their hands and bent over, but they were towering. But today is also difficult for them, others come up to toast and bend over, this old waist that has been bent for a day is really unbearable. Li Ming seemed to be deliberately playing tricks on them, and stopped when he walked in front of them.

"Master Weng." Li Ming spoke.

"The minister is here." Weng Tong returned from class.

"China has been a country of etiquette since ancient times, and the court's great etiquette must not be missed. The Ministry of Rites has set up a training class for foreign friends who are willing to learn our Chinese etiquette for free. ”

"Whoa." Weng Tongyi responded and retreated back to the train, and Guangxu walked out with a smile. But as soon as he walked out of the noon gate, his face was pulled down.

Since it is a grand ceremony, all the etiquette is complete, and even if the emperor leaves, there are corresponding etiquette specifications. This also corresponds to the saying that travel is polite. The dragon and the banner are indispensable, and the guard is also indispensable. The reason why Li Ming pulled down his face was because the leader of the guards was the imperial concubine Qi Muge.

Mongolian women are as strong as men. At this time, a strong outfit is even more heroic. As early as after Li Ming returned to Beijing to purge the Manchu nobles, he notified Qimuge and Bai Fumiko to return to Beijing. Miko just wanted to stay a few more days, but Qimuge didn't come back early, just said that she wanted to surprise him. I didn't find it, but I was really shocked.

The most famous of the Chinese Army is the special forces of the Central Reconnaissance Corps, which have performed well in various battlefields in reconnaissance, infiltration, artillery guidance, and many other skills. Such a world-famous army, of course, will appear at the military parade of the founding ceremony. But the moment the special forces entered, the smile on Li Ming's face immediately stiffened. The imperial concubine of a country personally led the team to participate in the military parade, no wonder Qimuge said that he wanted to surprise him. Li Ming, who was sitting on the white horse, looked at Qi Muge's smile, and when the four looked at each other, the smile on Li Ming's face became more and more stiff.

Maybe it was the time of the great ceremony, or maybe it was far away, and Qi Muge didn't notice the stiffness on Li Ming's face. After the parade, she rushed back to Yingtai to meet the queen and distribute gifts to the children. Although it was not worth a few dollars, it was all captured by her own hands on the battlefield. Although the sisters kept complaining about her, a woman actually ran to the front line to fight. Especially the queen's tone still had the meaning of questioning, but Qi Muge could hear it, and there was more concern in the words. Indeed, she was one of the first to lead a team into Russia. I can't eat or sleep well in the ice and snow, and I have frostbite on my feet. But as long as you look at the children's cheerful smiles, the sin of the past six months is worth it.

Now she's back. Naturally, the Praetorian Guard Battalion would take over. So she replaced Huang Huaming, the chief of the guard who was about to welcome him back to the palace, and changed into a dress, and the military uniform was already tight and capable. It is even more heroic when worn on a woman. The sisters all said that she beat Hua Mulan and beat Mu Guiying.

Truly. According to the original plan, Qimuge personally led a small detachment to brave the heavy snow to attack Irkutsk, and used cold weapons to silently ambush the lone Russian troops and heralds in the periphery, and because of the heavy snow and unusually severe cold that arrived early this winter, the Russian army rumored for a long time that ghosts had appeared, and they did not dare to leave the camp alone. With China declaring war on Russia, after the northward army surrounded Irkutsk, Qimug led his troops to infiltrate the city of Novosibirsk, and raided the city of Novosibirsk. Later, they arrived in Omsk, first attacked and killed Russian soldiers, and then cooperated with other squads to pick up the Far Eastern Railway, resulting in more than half of the Russian reinforcements killed and wounded. Qi Muge's trip can be described as a great achievement, and he even went to the killing field as the imperial concubine, which greatly boosted the morale of the whole army. In the end, he was recalled to China at the founding ceremony, and the merit excerpt of the Ministry of War was also handed to Li Ming's desk, because there was no precedent for women to be knighted, and her son was already the king, so the Ministry of War awarded the title of major general, and asked for a hundred miles of territory to expand the territory of Wutai, the king of Saktoro Saktu County, in order to show his reward. It's just that the fold is still pressed on Li Ming's desk, and there is no approval.

Qi Muge, who was dressed in military uniform, personally greeted the driver today, hoping to approve her request for merit as soon as possible, and secondly, hoping to be praised by her husband personally. She watched the emperor come out of the noon gate, and walked towards her with a smile just a moment. The ceremony could not be paid, and Qimuge knelt down on one knee to greet the emperor. The emperor walked up to her and asked the generals to be exempt, Qi Muge stood up, and she looked at Li Ming's face and suddenly became shy. She expected to hear the emperor's praise and whispered comfort, but she didn't expect that what she was waiting for was a heavy slap.

Although the imperial concubine can greatly boost morale when she goes to the battlefield to fight, Li Ming has always been extremely disgusted with women going into battle. If Qimuge had stayed in the rear to command the special operation, it would have been possible to send reports asking her to come back after learning that Qimuge had personally entered the battlefield. I didn't think that if Qi Muge didn't come back, it would be okay, and rushing to the front line had already made Li Ming angry. The military parade is a ceremony that can't be angry, and now Li Ming, who saw Qi Muge dressed as a guard, couldn't hold back anymore, and raised his hand to "snap" and slapped Qi Muge to the ground, pointing at her and scolding: "The empire has reached the point where it needs women to fight in battle?" You're dead to all the men of the empire! Tell you, Lao Tzu is not dead, the man of the Li family is not dead, and it is not your turn to go to the battlefield. After scolding, Li Ming turned his head and pointed at Wang Shizhen, and angrily boarded the dragon bowl. Wang Shizhen was a little pleased, because it was from him that Qimuge disguised herself as a man and mixed into the army.

Qi Muge, who was helped up by the maid, looked at the emperor who was meticulously sitting on the dragon belt, and could only shout with tears in his eyes: "Get up-drive-"

It was not a few steps from the noon gate to Yingtai, but Qi Muge secretly looked at Li Ming countless times and didn't see him look at himself. Even if he stepped into the Yingtai, he didn't even give himself a straight face. Qimuge was very aggrieved, and he fought for the country in the ice and snow for half a year. Did it only get a slap in the face?

Li Ming doesn't care, he is the emperor of a great country. have all fallen to the point where they need their wives to go to battle in person? Li Ming pushed the door in a belly full of fire.

"The concubine has asked the emperor for peace. Happy New Year to the Emperor. ”

As soon as Li Ming entered the door, someone immediately stepped forward to greet him. Li Mingding looked at it with amusement: "Huang Ling? When did you come? I don't even say it in advance. ”

"The founding ceremony is such a grand event, how can the concubine not come and see it." Huang Ling smiled and patted the head of the boy next to her and said, "Don't ask the emperor yet." ”

"Knock on the emperor—"

"This is your son-" The first time I saw the child, I should have given a gift, Li Ming was wearing a court robe and didn't have anything on his body, and there was a jade match hanging on his waist, but this five-clawed dragon match could only be brought by the emperor. This rush was full of messes and found nothing, and Li Ming was embarrassed.

"Niangniang has already given a lot of gifts." Looking at the anxious emperor, Huang Ling said with a smile.

"That's different, the queen is rewarded by the queen. I am mine. I'm sorry kid, my uncle didn't bring anything with him today, so I'll make up for it later. Li Ming touched the child's head and complained to Huang Ling: "You are also the eldest princess of a dignified country, and you don't notify me of such a big event as getting married, which makes me very shameless." Is my brother-in-law here this time? You've been married for three or four years, and you don't come to see your brother-in-law, how did this brother-in-law behave? ”

"He's still in Ecuador. I can't come back for a while. ”

Li Ming stared at Huang Ling for a while and said with a smile: "It seems that this is nothing to do without going to the Three Treasures Palace." Well, I have something to do in a while, you sit down first, and then I'll talk about it when I'm done. ”

Li Ming went upstairs to change his clothes and took a photo. I took a small boat to the folklore office inside the south gate. In the early hours of this morning, the group of people who had gone to Tibet returned, and the accompanying soldiers suffered heavy casualties. This time, an old man also arrived. And this old man is the person Li Mingzheng really wants to see.

The courtyard of the Folklore Office was guarded by the royal gendarmerie, but they could not enter, not even the emperor's personal guards. Li Ming smiled. Dressed in casual clothes, he strode in.

In winter, the cold wind blows, and all buildings in the south, middle and north of the three seas are heated by hot water from power plants. So don't worry about carbon monoxide poisoning like igniting a brazier. All windows are closed to make the house warmer. Li Mingcai walked to the front door, and the door was opened. Li Ming saw the old man sitting in the middle of the hall at first glance.

It was a real old man, dressed in a gray robe, very well-cut. His silver hair was tied in a bun, and although he was not crowned, an ebony hairpin of an ancient style was inserted in it. The beard under the chin is already completely white, and the two eyebrows naturally hang down from the corners of the eyes. In those eyes that have experienced the vicissitudes of time and are deeply buried, there seems to be a glimmer of brilliance, and that brilliance is circulating, deep and bright, and it seems to have the ability to penetrate time and space.

When Li Ming saw the old man, the old man was also looking at him, and the old man stroked his beard with one hand and smiled faintly. However, with such a smile, the weather-beaten wrinkles on the forehead seemed to unfold at this moment, a pair of eyes had already narrowed into crooked crescents, and the corners of the old mouth showed a trace of kindness, so that the weather-beaten face gradually bloomed into a smile, from the forehead to the eyes, and then to the corners of the mouth, gradually unfolding.

The crane has a childish face, elegant manners, and a spring breeze on his face. This was Li Ming's first impression. If it is said that the appearance can deceive people, and the demeanor, words and deeds can deceive people, but the flash in the depths of the eyes cannot deceive people. The old man's wrinkled forehead slowly emitted a strange brilliance, muddy but warm, revealing a sense of peace and tranquility. Li Ming can be sure that this is a truly kind old man, a kind old man, a wise old man, and every inadvertent action of his can make people feel like a spring breeze and a different kind of comfort.

Li Ming hurriedly stepped into the hall and walked with the junior salute: "Li Ming, who was born late, has seen the elders." ”

In the face of the junior ceremony, the old man naturally sat like a mountain: "Hehe! Since His Majesty is not wearing a dragon robe, the old man will not follow the customs. Your Majesty, please be polite, please sit down and speak. ”

"Yes." Li Ming got up and sat on the old man's right hand under Wesley's guidance. Since he is not wearing a dragon robe, and he gives the junior salute, he naturally can't sit on the left.

Li Mingcai sat down and found that the old man kept looking him up and down. Li Ming thought that the clothes were poor, and he didn't see anything wrong left and right. I can only smile lightly and nod my head to show respect. But the old man kept staring at Li Ming. Li Ming looked uncomfortable, so he had to stand up and bow his hand to the old man and said, "Late life, dare to ask the name of the elder." If the elders ask for anything, they will do it. ”

"Hehe, it's rude not to tell the old man's name." Although he said rudeness, the old man still didn't mean to stand up. just arched his hand to Li Ming and said, "The old man's name is Xiaoyaozi." ”

"Poof", Li Ming couldn't help laughing. Then he immediately felt rude and hurriedly said: "There is no form in the late life, please forgive the old gentleman." It's just that since ancient times, celebrities and celebrities have called themselves Xiaoyaozi, and I didn't expect it in my later life...... Hey. ”

"Your Majesty also thinks that the old man has fallen into a cliché? A leisurely one is self-satisfied for excellent travel, excellent travel; one wanders, lingering; and deliberate. It's about fun. As the saying goes, if the husband takes advantage of the righteousness of heaven and earth, and the argument of the six qis, and swims infinitely, he will be evil! Therefore heaven and earth are born with me, and I am one with all things......" The old gentleman said as he closed his eyes, shook his head and talked about the past and the present, immersed in his own thoughts.

Li Ming stood helplessly, listening to the old gentleman talking to himself. Look back. The other twelve teenagers in the hall were also intoxicated. Only Li Ming stood like a fool, and he didn't understand a word. Li Ming thought to himself: Then there is still a group of people waiting, how can I have time to listen to you. But he didn't dare to speak, and the elder interjected when he was talking. It is for rudeness also. Finally, when the old gentleman stopped drinking tea when he said that his mouth was dry, Li Ming immediately said: "The boat travels deep in the water, and the Dapeng trains the wind and flies." It's all about it. ”

"Oh-" Xiaoyaozi looked at Li Ming fixedly, and laughed: "I don't want Your Majesty to know the principle of 'swimming endlessly without waiting'." Hahaha, I'm not alone. Come on, come on. Your Majesty is still young, and you must not understand the subtleties of it, so wait for the old man to come with His Majesty one by one. ”

Without waiting for Xiaoyaozi to speak, Li Ming immediately raised his hand and surrendered: "The old gentleman is erudite and talkative, and the younger generation is never as good as him." As the emperor of a country, he should put the blessings of the people of the world first, and he was entangled in mundane affairs in his later life, and Mr. Dao really had no time to take care of it. If you are interested, you can go to the Royal College to give lectures, and I believe that you will be able to find like-minded children. ”

Although Xiaoyaozi sat as firmly as a mountain, his eyes flashed, and he smiled indifferently: "Before I saw Your Majesty, the old man thought. Your Majesty is alone in the Tartars, maneuvering between foreign races, and recovering our China with the strength of one person, and the hard work is high. ”

"Don't dare to be a gentleman's compliment. Half a year ago, Wansheng always thought that he was really full. It's just that there are no talents among the people who can support the society, for the long-term plan of the country, and the late life can only be done for the sake of the people. Late in life, he was on the throne and did not dare to engage in personal gain. Only when the country prospers can all the people of the world have peaceful days. ”

"Your Majesty really didn't know about his background before?"

"I don't have the slightest impression, I really don't know anything."

"Your Majesty can say that the interests of the country first, the well-being of the people of the world first, and more effectively deeds, is the blessing of my China. Even if you are a Manchurian, you should do your best to win the hearts of the people of the world, which is a great righteousness. However, the old man heard that some people in the court talked about His Majesty, the inner saint and the outer king. I don't know why His Majesty answered. ”

Li Ming sighed, Lao Tzu has a bunch of things left to deal with, how can I have time to chat with you. But the mystery given to Li Ming by this group of people is too strong, history has begun to change, and today's early arrival of winter and the unusually severe cold make Li Ming scruples. He just wants to lay a broad living space for China, and he just wants to pass on the Chinese civilization, and Li Ming doesn't want to destroy all this because of the change of history. Coupled with their strange origins, perhaps only these people can give themselves a reassuring explanation. So he could only pretend to be fine, and said with a smile: "I am the emperor of the Chinese Empire, not the emperor of foreigners." As long as there are fewer deaths for China's own people, what does it matter to me whether foreigners live or die. These people will make a dojo in a snail shell and think of themselves. As long as the Chinese people can live better and better, even if foreigners from all over the world want to fight China, I believe that the people of the world will fight to the death with me. The basis for me to become the emperor is because of the support of the Chinese people. If you are like those rotten Confucians, the foreigners will take the opportunity to encourage our people, and the people will overturn the court to the ground without the presence of foreigners. This kind of thing has been proven by all dynasties. I won't do anything to destroy my foundation. ”

"Your Majesty's words are very good." Xiaoyaozi applauded and said: "For example, there are all kinds of remarks today, and the reason why the old man has turned out more words and temptations is that he is afraid that His Majesty will not be strong-willed. However, His Majesty has risen from the inside to the outside of China and resisted its insults, conquered the east and the west, conquered the south and the north, and fought a great territory. It's the old man who is too worried. Xiaoyaozi said a few words with some self-deprecation, and then called Wesley: "I will go to Tibet." Tell Your Majesty carefully, and you must not hide anything. ”

"Whoa." Wesley replied. Then he said to Li Ming: "Since Xi'an parted with His Majesty, His Majesty led a team from Qinghai into Tibet. Into the mountains......"

Under Wesley's narration, under Cheng Xin's explanation, and supplemented by the other ten teenagers, the picture of an expedition team armed with strong firepower over the mountains and mountains to find ancient ruins appeared in front of Li Ming's eyes, they fought with wild people between the mountains, ghosts fought in the dark secret passages, countless mysterious and strange creatures tried to stop their steps, and the mechanisms and ancient formations everywhere emerged one after another, so that this expedition team equipped with the most advanced weapons collapsed and sank into the sand, and returned with heavy casualties. And the ruins they were trying to find still maintained their mystery.

"We strayed into a labyrinth and wasted seven days in it. Supplies will be cut off in the end. As a last resort, you can only withdraw first. Wesley said the last word and stepped back. The entire hall was quiet, and only Li Ming's heavy wheezing voice seemed to fluctuate greatly.

No one disturbed the tranquility, because everyone needed to think about the whole thing again. This failure is not the end, when they heal their injuries, they will inevitably enter Tibet to explore the secrets, this is a secret inherited from ancient times, and they must crack him. It's their life's work.

After a long time, Xiaoyaozi spoke: "This trip involves the secrets of our ancient people, and the description of its itinerary is as unbelievable as a myth, and those who listen to this strange text for the first time must be shocked physically and mentally. But the old man looked at His Majesty and seemed to yearn for it. Why? Could it be that Your Majesty knew something similar before? ”

Li Ming smiled wryly. I've read countless novels like tomb robbery notes, but which one is not written in a mysterious way. There are countless novels that write ancient myths, which one is not a god and a god? With the foundation of these novels, Wesley said something strange and fantastical. But for Li Ming, it's just an even more magical story. The difference is that those stories are written on paper. The story in front of me is a real experience told by a real person. Who hasn't had a bit of curiosity yet? What's more, his background is weird enough.

"If it's really a huge earthquake, those nights in the dormitory a few years ago were enough to make people tremble. These are just heard. It's better than what I felt last time. After Li Ming finished speaking, he stopped talking again.

"Isn't Your Majesty in doubt?"

"Absolutely. For example, what are your ancient secrets? How did you pass it down for thousands of years and never show it to the world? Just asked, would you say? If you can't ask the result, why ask? ”

"Haha, Your Majesty really said that he was asking the core. However, our clan strictly abides by the promise of the ancients, and these things really can't be told to Your Majesty, please forgive Your Majesty. It's just that I don't know how Your Majesty feels after hearing about this trip? ”

"I didn't have any feelings, because I was also curious, so I also did some understanding. It's just that you and I have different methods, and I'm collecting ancient legends and related documents. Of course, this is not only domestic, but also foreign. ”

"Oh, Your Majesty is thinking differently. What's in earnings? ”

"Later born by the collection of ancient legends of various ethnic groups in China, found that the ancient legends of our ethnic group originated from the northwest, and later collected some legends from the Middle East, and found that these legends originated from the East. Later students speculated that these legends were about the secrets that happened between the mountains of the Western Regions. It was only at that time that human beings came out of ignorance and could not understand the phenomenon at that time, so a set of myths was compiled and passed on by word of mouth, but after adaptation by later generations, many myths have been completely different in the choice of words and sentences, but the core thing cannot be changed. Therefore, I thought that these myths were about the phenomenon of the activities of gods on the earth in ancient times. ”

"Zi is silent, strange and confused. Does Your Majesty also believe in God? ”

"Later life does not believe in gods, but believes in the legends of gods. If we could bring today's artillery to ancient times, then this cannon that can produce explosions and flames will become an artifact, and the person who wields the cannon will be a god. In fact, there is no need to think of gods as too mysterious, and later thought that these gods were just those more technologically advanced civilizations in ancient times who came to the earth. Maybe they created people. ”

"This ......" Xiaoyaozi exclaimed: "Create man? ”

"That's right, man. Sir may not know that the Royal Academy has just cultivated a kind of rice. It is a cross between two different types of rice, and this new rice is different from any existing rice, and is a completely new variety or creature. That is, not so long ago, humans created a new variety of rice. Since human beings can now create new species, why can't god-level intelligent beings with the ability to cross space create a new species? As for the non-existence of god-level cultural existence, I believe that there must be one in the later life. The universe is vast, what reason is there that in this vast universe, only on earth can there be intelligent life? ”

Dumbfounded, dumbfounded, dumbfounded...... Everyone, including Xiaoyaozi, had the same expression, and they were shocked by Li Ming's transcendent way of thinking, they had never thought about it like this.

"There was a novelist in England, Herbert? George? Wells wrote a novel called The Time Machine, about a man who travels through time to the future, and I suggest you check it out, maybe it will help you. Li Ming can understand their performance, but after all, their vision is still limited to this earth. Only when people learn to raise their heads and gaze at the infinite sky, then as their horizons widen, their minds will also be broadened: "Don't be surprised, no one can imagine something out of thin air, all ideas and statements are based on reality." Just like the time travel described in this time machine, although it is magical, it is also based on modern scientific theories. If it had been a hundred years ago, no one would have written this book. That's why I think that although the ancient legend is exaggerated, it must have seen something to imagine it like this. By the way, none of the sergeants who accompanied me this time have not been seen, and they will not be killed by you because they know too much. ”

"Could it be that I am so cruel in the eyes of His Majesty? Although there were heavy casualties on this trip, all of them came back alive. Now it is sleeping in the apse. ”

"It's not about cruelty, it's just about whether there's a need for it. Since they are not dead, when they are healed, replace the military police outside, and these people will be under your direct command in the future. However, I needed them to write down the details of the marches and battles they encountered on this trip, and submit them to the military department for study. Since Tibet is the land of China, it is not a matter of the imperial court's decrees. ”

Li Ming chatted with Zhonglai for a while and then said to Xiaoyaozi: "There are still mundane affairs in the later life, so I will resign." After saying that, he arched his hand and walked out.

The gate opened, and a cold wind mixed with snow particles blew in front of you.

"It's still sunny during the day, and I don't want it to snow at night."

"The snow is good, it looks pretty big." Xiaoyaozi walked out, looked at the sky and said, "Ruixue Zhaofeng Year is a good sign. But where the heavens and the earth begin, and where they will end. ”

"Maybe it's Western science that will finally give the answer. In the final analysis, the theory of Chinese civilization pays too much attention to reality and interpersonal relationships, and lacks the spirit of investigating the root cause of things. Li Ming suddenly turned his head to look at Xiaoyaozi and said: "Now there are some very strange remarks in the court, the new dynasty has only been established for less than a day, and some people are clamoring to divide the world. I sent a member to investigate, and found that these people seemed to be related to some secret family clans. Indeed, China can be said to have usurped out and planned for the stability of the world, and those hidden forces cannot be eliminated through war. But do they really think that I can't do anything about them? Or did they have the courage to stand up to the army of the imperial court? Mr. is the oldest branch of my Chinese since ancient times, and I also ask the students to bring their meaning to them first. If they want to hold China back, I don't mind fighting to the death. (To be continued......)