Imperial City, Renshou Palace. Dressed in a phoenix robe and wearing a golden crown, the martial queen sat up from the soft collapse, not angry and arrogant. The head of the moth eyebrows, the demeanor is thousands. In front of her stood three officials in purple uniforms. The Tang Dynasty had extremely strict requirements for official service, with the civil and military officers wearing purple for the third grade or above, the fourth grade for dark crimson, the fifth grade for light crimson, the sixth grade for dark green, the seventh grade for light green, the eighth grade for dark green, and the ninth grade for light green. Therefore, these three people are all members of the imperial court who are above the third grade.

All three are very thin and not young. Seeing that Empress Wu's face was cold, they all trembled with fright. These three people are Zhongshu Ling Zuo Guanglu, Ministry of Rites Shangshu Zhou Kaijin and Taichangqing Xu Guozi. The heavy rain outside was still falling, and the three of them also came in the rain, and the official robes on the three of them were soaked at this moment, and when they learned that the dragon king appeared, the three of them came to report to the Empress Wu as soon as possible, thinking that they could please the Empress Wu, but they didn't expect to get a scolding from the Empress Wu.

The dragon king's water absorption is not only in Wanhuayuan, but also in several large lakes in Luoyang City. The whirlpool that appeared in the Luoshui River was even larger, about ten zhang in diameter, and now it had scared those merchant ships into the river. With the heavy rain falling from the sky, now the people of Luoyang City know that the dragon king of the Dao Dao has appeared, and the dragon king is about to exert his power again.

"Ridiculous! It's ridiculous! It's just that it rained heavily, and it was said that the dragon king had appeared! Are you still a child? I really don't know how to be an official all these years! Empress Wu flicked her sleeves and said coldly.

The three adults hurriedly lowered their heads in fright, and they didn't dare to penetrate the atmosphere. Empress Wu didn't believe it, but they saw it with their own eyes! If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have dared to come to report to the military queen. The dragon king has really appeared, it's true! But in the face of the Empress Wu's words. How dare they explain more?

"Ridiculous! It's ridiculous! If there is really a dragon king, what kind of battle will we fight in the future? Pray for the dragon king's safety all day long, wouldn't it be good! Empress Wu said angrily.

The three adults looked at each other, still not daring to say more.

At this moment, a wrestler (eunuch) stepped forward, looked at Empress Wu, and said respectfully: "Queen Mother, Prime Minister Liu Cheng and Elder Lu are asking to see you outside." ”

"Scream!" Wuhou Dao.

"It is rumored that Prime Minister Liu and Lu Guo will meet each other!" Lux hurriedly shouted.

Then, two people in purple official uniforms stepped forward step by step. Zhou Kaijin and the three of them met with the two officials. hurriedly shouted: "Guo Lao." Prime minister! ”

"Lord Zuo, Lord Zhou, Lord Xu!" The slightly younger officer looked at the three and exclaimed. This person is Liu Yuanzong, the prime minister of the right dynasty. is the father of Liu Ruoxi, the first talented woman in Luoyang City. Liu Yuanzong is over half a hundred years old. Straight figure. He was in good spirits, his cheeks were thin, and his skin was fair. The bridge of the nose is high, the chin has a goatee, and there is a literati atmosphere on his body, and his appearance is three points similar to Liu Ruoxi.

The other was an old man, thin, with a bent back, and his hair and beard had turned white. This old man is the old man Lu Guoqing in the mouth of the wrestler just now, and the old name of Lu Guoqing is Lu Chengqing, who is an old minister of Taizong, and he is deeply liked by Taizong.

Seeing Lu Guolao, Empress Wu hurriedly stood up, looked at the wrestlers beside him, and said, "Quickly help Guolao sit down!" ”

Two wrestlers and two palace maids hurriedly stepped forward, brought chairs, and helped Lu Guolao sit down. Lu Guolao hurriedly said: "The old minister Xie Empress Niang sits!" ”

Then, Lu Guolao was not polite and sat down on the chair. And Liu Yuanzong did not have such treatment, so he could only stand beside Lu Guolao.

"It's raining so heavily, why did the old man come in the rain?" Empress Wu looked at Lu Guolao and asked. The attitude is obviously a lot better. This is the old minister of the first emperor, and the queen of martial arts will definitely be treated with courtesy.

"Back to the queen's mother, the dragon king appeared, the sky rained heavily, the old minister is afraid of bad luck, I am here to report to the queen!" Lu Guolao said.

Hearing Lu Guolao say this, Empress Wu frowned, he was the Dragon King again! However, this time she didn't get angry, and she didn't dare to reprimand Lu Guolao like she scolded Zhou Kaijin and the others. After thinking about it, Empress Wu asked, "Can the elder see the dragon king with his own eyes?" ”

"Although the old minister saw the dragon king with his own eyes, he saw the huge whirlpool left by the dragon king absorbing water! Coupled with the sudden heavy rain, it must be the Dragon King who appeared. The dragon king destroyed the warship first, and now it is raining heavily, which is probably a bad omen! Lu Guolao said worriedly. Old people are superstitious about these things, and Lu Guolao is no exception.

Hearing Lu Guolao say this, Empress Wu rubbed her head, looked at Liu Yuanzong, and asked, "I don't know what the prime minister thinks of this matter?" ”

"Back to my mother! According to Weichen, if you haven't seen the Dragon King, you can't believe this matter, but you can't believe it either! Strange things have happened one after another recently, even if it wasn't the Dragon King's might, there must be a reason! Liu Yuanzong said. It could be seen that Empress Wu didn't seem to want to hear about the Dragon King, so he said it more tactfully.

"What the prime minister said is reasonable, if you don't see the dragon king, you can't believe it all." Nodding, Wu Hou said.

"Niangniang, in the opinion of the old minister, it must be the dragon king. The old minister heard that someone had committed murder in the Dragon King Temple a while ago, and the maid who sacrificed to the Dragon King was nowhere to be found, so it must have angered the Dragon King! The dragon king is the god of the sea, the order of the sky, we mortals, provoke the dragon king, and we should be appeased! Otherwise, a catastrophe will fall from heaven, and the lives will be ruined! Lu Guolao hurriedly said. The more I say it, the more sad it becomes.

"Yes, yes! What the elder said is reasonable! There have been so many strange things happening one after another, we can't help but believe it! Zhou Kaijin hurriedly agreed.

Empress Wu looked at Zhou Kaijin, Zhou Kaijin hurriedly lowered his head in fright, and didn't dare to say more.

Empress Wu took a deep breath, thought about it, and said, "What the elder said also makes sense!" The dragon king is the god of the sea, and mortals like us must not commit it! So according to the opinion of the elders of the country, what should we do? ”

"According to the old minister's opinion, the Dragon King Temple should be rebuilt, the missing woman dedicated to the Dragon King should be recovered, and she should continue to serve the Dragon King. Then he ordered the people of the whole city to worship the dragon king, believing that the dragon king would be able to calm his anger. After all, the Dragon King is the god of the sea, and he will definitely not deal with us mortals! Looking at Empress Wu, Lu Guolao's words were conclusive.

Hearing Lu Guolao say this, Empress Wu frowned again. It is not difficult to rebuild the Dragon King Temple, and it has little impact; It is not difficult to find the missing woman dedicated to the Dragon King, and the impact is not great! But ordering the whole city to worship the dragon king is not a difficult thing, but the impact is too great. If this is really done, then the court will admit that there is really a dragon king, so what will the people think? Nowadays, the Buyeo State often violates the border of the Tang Dynasty and admits that there is a dragon king, who dares to advocate sending troops to attack the Buyeo State? Ren Xiaofu is so rampant, how can the face of the Tang Heavenly Kingdom exist? Where is the prestige of the Tang Heavenly Kingdom?

"What Lu Guolao said is reasonable, but what the prime minister said is also reasonable. The stakes are serious, we haven't seen the Dragon King, so we can't make a big deal about it. Otherwise, the people of the whole city, and even the people of the entire Tang Dynasty, will be in turmoil. Prime Minister, do you say yes? After speaking, Empress Wu looked at Liu Yuanzong and asked.

Liu Yuanzong frowned, this martial queen is too insidious, right? He didn't say there was no dragon king. Now, Empress Wu has pushed him out.

There was some helplessness in his heart, but when Empress Wu asked, Liu Yuanzong didn't dare not answer, so he could only bite the bullet and say: "What Niangniang said is extremely true!" The stakes are serious, and we haven't found out if it's the Dragon King's power, so we shouldn't harass the people of the city. Otherwise, people will be panicked, which is not good for the country! ”

"Yes! Oh, yes! What do you think? Empress Wu smiled slightly, looked at Lu Guolao and asked. I have to say, this Liu Yuanzong is very good, which can be compared to those three fools? Now that the Tang Dynasty is at war with the Buyeo Kingdom, the Dragon King did not appear before, but it appeared at this time, is it such a coincidence?

"This, this ......" Lu Guolao glanced at Liu Yuanzong, and then looked at Empress Wu, and for a while he didn't know how to answer, what Empress Wu and Liu Yuanzong said was indeed reasonable. If he was in too haste, he would definitely be full of wind and rain in the city, but he still firmly believed that there was a dragon king, and the destruction of the warship and this heavy rain were the work of the dragon king!

"Elder Guo, we will first rebuild the Dragon King Temple, find the missing woman dedicated to the Dragon King, and then select thirty beautiful women to go to the Dragon King Temple to serve the Dragon King. As for the whole city to worship the dragon king, let it go first, and wait to find out that it is indeed the dragon king, it is we who have angered the dragon king, and it is not too late for me to worship again! What do you think? Looking at Lu Guolao, the queen said softly.

Since this matter is so big, I believe it has caused a sensation in the whole city. If they do nothing, it will inevitably cause panic among the people of the city. But if they take it too seriously, they will also show their attitude to the people and admit the existence of the dragon king. From now on, the people will definitely listen to the dragon king, not the court! Therefore, this matter must be handled skillfully and handled properly.

"That's it! For now! If the dragon king is powerful again, I will think of another way later! After thinking about it, Lu Guolao nodded.

Empress Wu set her eyes on Zhou Kaijin and the three of them again, and asked lightly, "What do you three think?" ”

"What Niangniang said is extremely true, what she said is extremely true!" Zhou Kaijin and the three of them hurriedly sent sycophants.

I wanted to report this matter to the martial arts as quickly as possible, but I didn't expect to touch the ashes of my nose. Recently, many ministers have opposed Empress Wu's coming to the court to listen to the government. But they have already seen that it is a foregone conclusion that Empress Wu will listen to the government in the court, and the emperor will hardly ask about anything, and everything will be handled by Empress Wu. Therefore, they took this opportunity to express their heartfelt feelings. I didn't expect that my heart was not expressed, but it made the Empress Wu scold, it was a mistake, it was a mistake!

"Does the elder have anything else to do? Today's weather is cold, and the mourning family asks people to prepare ginger soup to warm up the old man! Empress Wu looked at Lu Guolao and said softly.

"Xie Niangniang carries love, no need, no need! The old minister has nothing else to do! The old minister will retire, retire! Lu Guolao stood up and looked at the Empress Wu hugging his fists.

"This, the old man wants to leave, and it is inconvenient for the mourning family to force it." Empress Wu said with a look of embarrassment. Then he looked at the wrestlers and said, "A few of you send the old man back, take care of it on the way, if the old man catches a cold or is sick, the mourning family will ask you!" ”

"Yes, Queen!" Those wrestlers hurriedly answered.

Then, Lu Guolao was sent away. Liu Yuanzong and the three ministers also left. (To be continued......)