The first group of people who saw the imperial edict, with incredible shock and the excitement of first-hand news, spreading the news wildly.
Then, countless people flocked to the city gate.
Is it an edict to sin?
The people who were ignorant of their words and those who were unable to squeeze in to the forefront were shouting loudly.
Yes, it is an edict of guilt. Your Majesty really issued an edict of guilt.The person in front shouted in response.
Hurry, read quickly... The people behind couldn't wait to urge.
The emperor issued an edict to deeply express his regrets in the past, saying: I have inherited the great throne with my good deeds.Renew the will of the world, and use it to return the oldest things.Unexpectedly, relying on others is not human, and the city of Chuzhou is destroyed... (Note 1)
...May 16, 37th year of Yuanjing.
The entire self-criticism edict was filled with nearly a thousand words. An old Confucian scholar standing in front of the notice board finished reciting the ups and downs.
Some of the ordinary people understood it, but more people were still confused. They only confirmed one thing: Emperor Jing of Yuan did issue an edict!
Is it because of the Chuzhou massacre case?
Your Majesty, I issued an edict to guilt, which means that what Xu Yinluo said yesterday was true, right?
Those rumors that slander Xu Yinluo in the market are all fake, right?
The people are most concerned about this matter. Although they trust Xu Qi'an in their hearts, there were also many rumors slandering Xu Yinluo yesterday, which were very serious.
They urgently need a certain intelligence to smash those rumors.
Moreover, in the eyes of the people, the status of the court is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If the court admits this matter and adds Xu Yinluo's prestige, then there will be no doubts. No matter who says it in the future, they will not believe it.
The old Confucian scholar pressed his hands down, and the crowd immediately calmed down. He nodded with satisfaction, shook his head and sighed, and said:
Your Majesty issued an edict to confess that he would allow the King of Zhenbei to massacre the city. Xu Yinluo, what he said yesterday was true.If Xu Yinluo hadn't pulled his sword in anger, the unjust case of the Chuzhou massacre would have been difficult to be revealed. Lord Zheng would have died with his eyes closed.
Cheers and scolding erupted together, and they were everywhere.
Dafeng can produce a Xu Yinluo, and it is really a favor from God.
Unfortunately, Xu Yinluo is no longer an official now.
So what if he is not an official, he is still a hero of Dafeng.
As for the scolding...
The foolish monarch, isn’t the people of Chuzhou my great supporters?
He practiced Taoism for twenty years and was a foolish monarch who indulged the King of Zhenbei to massacre the city. This is a tyrant.
Sooner or later, Dafeng will die in his hands...
The curses soon stopped and were suppressed by the officers and soldiers around them, but the people still cursed in a low voice or cursed in their hearts.
And the officers and soldiers did not really want to treat these people who committed great disrespect.
The emperor issued an edict to confess his mistakes, which was to give the people a channel to vent and abuse.
……
Imperial College.
The Imperial College, one of the holy places for students in the world, was filled with passionate rebukes and scoldings everywhere.
Scholars are more diverse than ordinary people when they scold people.
The King of Zhenbei is not worth mercy, but he didn't expect that even His Majesty was... Ah, this is the devastated state of the country. How could he let him act like this? Supervisor, did the Supervisor not know in advance?
There was no man in the court. We were studying hard on the books of sages and wise men, and we were going to join these group of scholars who had no backbone?
It was necessary for Xu Yinluo to kill the two thieves and turn the matter upside down, so they dared to fight against His Majesty. If it were me, they would rob the ground on the spot.
Although the martial artist violated the ban with his strength, only the martial artist can turn the tide when encountering such unscrupulous things.
Alas, if this is recorded in history books in the future, all scholars will lose face.Unfortunately, Xu Yinluo is not a Confucian scholar.
At this time, a young student ran in and said excitedly: Everyone, I just heard good news.
The students in the hospital looked over and frowned.
Although the emperor issued an edict to admit the matter and did not make the loyal ministers feel wronged, this matter itself is still a black tragedy and is not worthy of excitement.
The young student faced everyone and said excitedly: I heard that today, Zhao Shou, the president of Yunlu Academy, appeared in the court and said in front of the Lords and Your Majesty that Xu Yinluo was his disciple.
What?!
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the courtyard exploded, and the students showed excited and excited expressions and strode towards us.
Is Xu Yinluo a student of Yunlu Academy?
President Zhao’s disciple, is this true?
Several students' faces turned red, they tightened the man's sleeves and asked loudly.
At this time, if I say it's a joke, I'll be beaten... The man muttered in his heart and nodded: This matter is spread in the officialdom, and it's not my groundless word.
Hahaha, today's happy events will be revealed, let's go and drink.
I won’t study today, I’ll indulge myself.
The poet of Dafeng has always been a martial artist. This is the thorn in the hearts of all scholars. Every time he mentions it, he is both admiring and sighing.
I believe that when future generations look at this history again, they will inevitably laugh at this generation of scholars.Scholars care about this reputation behind them.
Now, I am so happy to know that Xu Qi'an is a student of Yunlu Academy. Although there is a dispute over the principles of Yunlu Academy and the Imperial College, it is not a concern in history books.
They are all Confucian scholars.
Students from the Imperial College called their friends out to drink.
The supervisor reported this to Jijiu and angrily scolded: Nearly half of the students in the Imperial College went out to fool around, and today is not a day off.
The old white-haired priest, still soft and said without any expression:
Today’s affairs in the court tell us that if you have the truth, you will have many helpers but few helpers, and the saints will not deceive me.
The meaning of sacrificing wine is to not be enemies with the masses. When facing the general trend, you should give up the rules appropriately and be tolerant... The supervisor hit a soft nail and frowned and thought.
……
Huaiqing Prefecture.
Huai Qing, who was dressed in the white house and had a waterfall, sat by the side of the desk, looking at Lin'an in red skirt, with a faint smile: He has never disappointed people, hasn't he?
He sighed again: After this incident, the reputation of the father and the reputation of the royal family will drop to a low point.
The mounted face and peach blossom eyes, with a sweet smile, said righteously: If you do something wrong, you have to give in. Although I don’t like reading, the Grand Tutor teaches us that knowing mistakes can improve it.
Being a simple-minded person is also a happy thing... Huaiqing despised his sister in his heart, and he would not say it on the surface.
It was not to give Lin'an face, but that she would definitely be furious and then flew over to peck at her face.
Huaiqing feels annoying.
Smart people will not cause trouble for themselves.
Seeing that Huaiqing didn't say anything, Lin'an raised his snow-white chin, shaking the complex jewelry on his head, and said in a sweet voice:
Some people are accustomed to the words of righteousness, saying that their father did something wrong, but when you need to work hard, they will stop talking immediately.
As she said that, she looked down on Huaiqing with a proud look, saying that I won this game, and I finally suppressed Huaiqing once.
The mount refers to the fact that Li Miaozhen and Hengyuan enter the imperial city and take them in.
Huai Qing smiled.
After Xu Qi'an killed the two thieves, Lin'an swept the trench in his chest and returned to life. Moreover, because she was hiding the thief the day before yesterday, she had this participation and had the idea of it.
Otherwise, I will definitely hold it in my heart. I will hold it in my heart for a long time and I will not be able to make a knot, but this is a simple heart, which will be somewhat clouded.
This is why Huaiqing deliberately gave this credit to Lin'an.
However, Huaiqing was not a sister who was so tolerant that Lin'an was indifferent to provoking Lin'an. She smiled with approval: It's Ah, she is much more responsible than your prince's brother.
Lin'an's little face suddenly collapsed.
I'm back home.She stood up angrily.
The ring-shaped bell, and a light yellow color reflected in Huaiqing's eyes. It was a jade pendant with a moist texture.
The cold eldest princess paused slightly and frowned: What is this piece on your waist?
Lin'an stretched out his little white hand, dragged the jade pendant in his palm, and explained with an oh,
This is the jade pendant given to me by a dog slave. The texture and workmanship are not satisfactory, but it was carved by him by himself. You see, there are so many flaws, and if I bought it, it would definitely not be the case.
After saying that, she raised her face in a show-off style, revealing her beautifully curved chin.
Maybe I didn't notice that there was a little sweetness in my words.
Huai Qing's fair face seemed to flash by in an instant, but it immediately returned to its original state and said lightly: Get out, don't let me get in the way here.
I was going to leave, hum!
The mount was grand and felt that Huaiqing called her to say the last sentence to save face and suppress her.
She turned around unhappily, twisted the water snake's waist, flew into the inner hall.
After leaving the red skirt, Huaiqing took out a small seal from his arms in anger and threw it on the ground like a vent of anger.
After a while, she got up again, held the hem of the skirt and picked it up. After careful inspection, she found that there was a small hole in the corner of the seal.
The two beautiful eyebrows immediately frowned, feeling a little distressed.
……
Star Gazing Tower, in a secret room.
Xu Qi'an took off his scrotum and opened the red knot. Two blue smoke came out, turning into the appearance of Que Yongxiu and Duke Cao in the air.
As the two souls appeared, the indoor temperature dropped a little.
This scrotum is specially made by Li Miaozhen. It can summon the newly dead ghost without carving the formation, because the scrotum comes with a formation.
Taoist sect is also good at making magic weapons, although compared with sorcerers, one is a side job and the other is a professional.
Duke Cao and Que Yongxiuxin died shortly after they died, and were still in a daze, answering questions and without any thoughts.
Xu Qi'an looked at Duke Cao first: How did you know about the city massacre case?
Duke Cao said in a mute manner: After Que Yongxiu returned to the capital, he secretly met Your Majesty. Shortly afterwards, I was summoned by Your Majesty to tell you about this.
What did he ask you to do?
Cooperate with him with all his strength... This includes being a supporting actor in the court, helping him spread rumors, etc.
Duke Cao only learned about the city massacre case afterwards. Well, the value of this ghost has plummeted.
Xu Qi'an turned to Que Yongxiu and said: Do you know the whole story of the city massacre case?
Que Yongxiu replied with a dazed expression: I know.
Tell me the whole story of the case.
……
Ah, my IQ is too low, and I can't get such a loophole. I have to ask one question at a time... Xu Qi'an looked down on me and asked calmly:
Do you know that the King of Zhenbei cooperates with the Daoshou of Dizong and the high-quality wizards of the Witch God Sect?
Know.
Emperor Jing of Yuan had known about this for a long time?
The massacre of the city was planned by His Majesty and King Huai...
Xu Qian was not surprised by this answer, because he had already understood from the hint of Duke Wei that Emperor Jing of Yuan was most likely one of the masterminds behind all this.
Why do we need to massacre the city instead of starting a war?Xu Qi'an asked.
The amount of essence and blood required is too large, time-consuming, and the war begins, which will cause many uncontrollable factors to the plan, which is not safe.Que Yongxiu answered this.
What is the real purpose of Emperor Jing of Yuan Dynasty planning this matter?Xu Qi'an asked again.
He always felt that Emperor Jing of Yuan was too indulging in the King of Zhenbei and could not wait for the King of Zhenbei to be promoted. This did not conform to the mentality of an emperor, and he was also a suspicious emperor.
The word "Martial Immortality" can really erase the suspicion and fear of a cunning emperor?
King Huai said that if he was promoted to the second rank, he could check and balance the supervisor and give the royal family a real pillar of the country.Don’t be too afraid of the sergeant and Yunlu Academy.This is also Your Majesty’s wish.
This reason is not enough, do you believe it?
Que Yongxiu's next sentence changed slightly.
Your Majesty, I want to refine the soul pill.
Soul, is the soul pill to be refined by Emperor Yuan Jing?This is not true. Master Jinlian said with certainty that the Taoist leader of the Earth Sect needs soul pills?
So, one of the two brothers wanted a blood pill and the other wanted a soul pill, so they fleece from the common people...
Taoist Master Jinlian said that the function of the soul pill is to strengthen the soul, act as an alchemy material, refine magic weapons, repair imperfect souls, and cultivate weapon spirits... Just these words seem to be insufficient to make Emperor Jing of Yuan to sacrifice the people of a city.
Of course, the soul pill is just one of the gains, and the blood pill can help Zhenbei King to achieve great perfection.
However, the beneficiary was King Zhenbei. In comparison, Emperor Jing of Yuan was not enough to make him take this risk and make this decision.
When a person's gains are not proportional to the risks he takes, things will definitely not be as simple as they appear... Xu Qi'an pinched his eyebrows.
He didn't think for too long and continued to ask: Where is the soul pill?
……
Note 1: The first sentence at the beginning is the imperial edict of Emperor Wu of Han, and the subsequent beginning is the imperial edict of Chongzhen.
Then, countless people flocked to the city gate.
Is it an edict to sin?
The people who were ignorant of their words and those who were unable to squeeze in to the forefront were shouting loudly.
Yes, it is an edict of guilt. Your Majesty really issued an edict of guilt.The person in front shouted in response.
Hurry, read quickly... The people behind couldn't wait to urge.
The emperor issued an edict to deeply express his regrets in the past, saying: I have inherited the great throne with my good deeds.Renew the will of the world, and use it to return the oldest things.Unexpectedly, relying on others is not human, and the city of Chuzhou is destroyed... (Note 1)
...May 16, 37th year of Yuanjing.
The entire self-criticism edict was filled with nearly a thousand words. An old Confucian scholar standing in front of the notice board finished reciting the ups and downs.
Some of the ordinary people understood it, but more people were still confused. They only confirmed one thing: Emperor Jing of Yuan did issue an edict!
Is it because of the Chuzhou massacre case?
Your Majesty, I issued an edict to guilt, which means that what Xu Yinluo said yesterday was true, right?
Those rumors that slander Xu Yinluo in the market are all fake, right?
The people are most concerned about this matter. Although they trust Xu Qi'an in their hearts, there were also many rumors slandering Xu Yinluo yesterday, which were very serious.
They urgently need a certain intelligence to smash those rumors.
Moreover, in the eyes of the people, the status of the court is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If the court admits this matter and adds Xu Yinluo's prestige, then there will be no doubts. No matter who says it in the future, they will not believe it.
The old Confucian scholar pressed his hands down, and the crowd immediately calmed down. He nodded with satisfaction, shook his head and sighed, and said:
Your Majesty issued an edict to confess that he would allow the King of Zhenbei to massacre the city. Xu Yinluo, what he said yesterday was true.If Xu Yinluo hadn't pulled his sword in anger, the unjust case of the Chuzhou massacre would have been difficult to be revealed. Lord Zheng would have died with his eyes closed.
Cheers and scolding erupted together, and they were everywhere.
Dafeng can produce a Xu Yinluo, and it is really a favor from God.
Unfortunately, Xu Yinluo is no longer an official now.
So what if he is not an official, he is still a hero of Dafeng.
As for the scolding...
The foolish monarch, isn’t the people of Chuzhou my great supporters?
He practiced Taoism for twenty years and was a foolish monarch who indulged the King of Zhenbei to massacre the city. This is a tyrant.
Sooner or later, Dafeng will die in his hands...
The curses soon stopped and were suppressed by the officers and soldiers around them, but the people still cursed in a low voice or cursed in their hearts.
And the officers and soldiers did not really want to treat these people who committed great disrespect.
The emperor issued an edict to confess his mistakes, which was to give the people a channel to vent and abuse.
……
Imperial College.
The Imperial College, one of the holy places for students in the world, was filled with passionate rebukes and scoldings everywhere.
Scholars are more diverse than ordinary people when they scold people.
The King of Zhenbei is not worth mercy, but he didn't expect that even His Majesty was... Ah, this is the devastated state of the country. How could he let him act like this? Supervisor, did the Supervisor not know in advance?
There was no man in the court. We were studying hard on the books of sages and wise men, and we were going to join these group of scholars who had no backbone?
It was necessary for Xu Yinluo to kill the two thieves and turn the matter upside down, so they dared to fight against His Majesty. If it were me, they would rob the ground on the spot.
Although the martial artist violated the ban with his strength, only the martial artist can turn the tide when encountering such unscrupulous things.
Alas, if this is recorded in history books in the future, all scholars will lose face.Unfortunately, Xu Yinluo is not a Confucian scholar.
At this time, a young student ran in and said excitedly: Everyone, I just heard good news.
The students in the hospital looked over and frowned.
Although the emperor issued an edict to admit the matter and did not make the loyal ministers feel wronged, this matter itself is still a black tragedy and is not worthy of excitement.
The young student faced everyone and said excitedly: I heard that today, Zhao Shou, the president of Yunlu Academy, appeared in the court and said in front of the Lords and Your Majesty that Xu Yinluo was his disciple.
What?!
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the courtyard exploded, and the students showed excited and excited expressions and strode towards us.
Is Xu Yinluo a student of Yunlu Academy?
President Zhao’s disciple, is this true?
Several students' faces turned red, they tightened the man's sleeves and asked loudly.
At this time, if I say it's a joke, I'll be beaten... The man muttered in his heart and nodded: This matter is spread in the officialdom, and it's not my groundless word.
Hahaha, today's happy events will be revealed, let's go and drink.
I won’t study today, I’ll indulge myself.
The poet of Dafeng has always been a martial artist. This is the thorn in the hearts of all scholars. Every time he mentions it, he is both admiring and sighing.
I believe that when future generations look at this history again, they will inevitably laugh at this generation of scholars.Scholars care about this reputation behind them.
Now, I am so happy to know that Xu Qi'an is a student of Yunlu Academy. Although there is a dispute over the principles of Yunlu Academy and the Imperial College, it is not a concern in history books.
They are all Confucian scholars.
Students from the Imperial College called their friends out to drink.
The supervisor reported this to Jijiu and angrily scolded: Nearly half of the students in the Imperial College went out to fool around, and today is not a day off.
The old white-haired priest, still soft and said without any expression:
Today’s affairs in the court tell us that if you have the truth, you will have many helpers but few helpers, and the saints will not deceive me.
The meaning of sacrificing wine is to not be enemies with the masses. When facing the general trend, you should give up the rules appropriately and be tolerant... The supervisor hit a soft nail and frowned and thought.
……
Huaiqing Prefecture.
Huai Qing, who was dressed in the white house and had a waterfall, sat by the side of the desk, looking at Lin'an in red skirt, with a faint smile: He has never disappointed people, hasn't he?
He sighed again: After this incident, the reputation of the father and the reputation of the royal family will drop to a low point.
The mounted face and peach blossom eyes, with a sweet smile, said righteously: If you do something wrong, you have to give in. Although I don’t like reading, the Grand Tutor teaches us that knowing mistakes can improve it.
Being a simple-minded person is also a happy thing... Huaiqing despised his sister in his heart, and he would not say it on the surface.
It was not to give Lin'an face, but that she would definitely be furious and then flew over to peck at her face.
Huaiqing feels annoying.
Smart people will not cause trouble for themselves.
Seeing that Huaiqing didn't say anything, Lin'an raised his snow-white chin, shaking the complex jewelry on his head, and said in a sweet voice:
Some people are accustomed to the words of righteousness, saying that their father did something wrong, but when you need to work hard, they will stop talking immediately.
As she said that, she looked down on Huaiqing with a proud look, saying that I won this game, and I finally suppressed Huaiqing once.
The mount refers to the fact that Li Miaozhen and Hengyuan enter the imperial city and take them in.
Huai Qing smiled.
After Xu Qi'an killed the two thieves, Lin'an swept the trench in his chest and returned to life. Moreover, because she was hiding the thief the day before yesterday, she had this participation and had the idea of it.
Otherwise, I will definitely hold it in my heart. I will hold it in my heart for a long time and I will not be able to make a knot, but this is a simple heart, which will be somewhat clouded.
This is why Huaiqing deliberately gave this credit to Lin'an.
However, Huaiqing was not a sister who was so tolerant that Lin'an was indifferent to provoking Lin'an. She smiled with approval: It's Ah, she is much more responsible than your prince's brother.
Lin'an's little face suddenly collapsed.
I'm back home.She stood up angrily.
The ring-shaped bell, and a light yellow color reflected in Huaiqing's eyes. It was a jade pendant with a moist texture.
The cold eldest princess paused slightly and frowned: What is this piece on your waist?
Lin'an stretched out his little white hand, dragged the jade pendant in his palm, and explained with an oh,
This is the jade pendant given to me by a dog slave. The texture and workmanship are not satisfactory, but it was carved by him by himself. You see, there are so many flaws, and if I bought it, it would definitely not be the case.
After saying that, she raised her face in a show-off style, revealing her beautifully curved chin.
Maybe I didn't notice that there was a little sweetness in my words.
Huai Qing's fair face seemed to flash by in an instant, but it immediately returned to its original state and said lightly: Get out, don't let me get in the way here.
I was going to leave, hum!
The mount was grand and felt that Huaiqing called her to say the last sentence to save face and suppress her.
She turned around unhappily, twisted the water snake's waist, flew into the inner hall.
After leaving the red skirt, Huaiqing took out a small seal from his arms in anger and threw it on the ground like a vent of anger.
After a while, she got up again, held the hem of the skirt and picked it up. After careful inspection, she found that there was a small hole in the corner of the seal.
The two beautiful eyebrows immediately frowned, feeling a little distressed.
……
Star Gazing Tower, in a secret room.
Xu Qi'an took off his scrotum and opened the red knot. Two blue smoke came out, turning into the appearance of Que Yongxiu and Duke Cao in the air.
As the two souls appeared, the indoor temperature dropped a little.
This scrotum is specially made by Li Miaozhen. It can summon the newly dead ghost without carving the formation, because the scrotum comes with a formation.
Taoist sect is also good at making magic weapons, although compared with sorcerers, one is a side job and the other is a professional.
Duke Cao and Que Yongxiuxin died shortly after they died, and were still in a daze, answering questions and without any thoughts.
Xu Qi'an looked at Duke Cao first: How did you know about the city massacre case?
Duke Cao said in a mute manner: After Que Yongxiu returned to the capital, he secretly met Your Majesty. Shortly afterwards, I was summoned by Your Majesty to tell you about this.
What did he ask you to do?
Cooperate with him with all his strength... This includes being a supporting actor in the court, helping him spread rumors, etc.
Duke Cao only learned about the city massacre case afterwards. Well, the value of this ghost has plummeted.
Xu Qi'an turned to Que Yongxiu and said: Do you know the whole story of the city massacre case?
Que Yongxiu replied with a dazed expression: I know.
Tell me the whole story of the case.
……
Ah, my IQ is too low, and I can't get such a loophole. I have to ask one question at a time... Xu Qi'an looked down on me and asked calmly:
Do you know that the King of Zhenbei cooperates with the Daoshou of Dizong and the high-quality wizards of the Witch God Sect?
Know.
Emperor Jing of Yuan had known about this for a long time?
The massacre of the city was planned by His Majesty and King Huai...
Xu Qian was not surprised by this answer, because he had already understood from the hint of Duke Wei that Emperor Jing of Yuan was most likely one of the masterminds behind all this.
Why do we need to massacre the city instead of starting a war?Xu Qi'an asked.
The amount of essence and blood required is too large, time-consuming, and the war begins, which will cause many uncontrollable factors to the plan, which is not safe.Que Yongxiu answered this.
What is the real purpose of Emperor Jing of Yuan Dynasty planning this matter?Xu Qi'an asked again.
He always felt that Emperor Jing of Yuan was too indulging in the King of Zhenbei and could not wait for the King of Zhenbei to be promoted. This did not conform to the mentality of an emperor, and he was also a suspicious emperor.
The word "Martial Immortality" can really erase the suspicion and fear of a cunning emperor?
King Huai said that if he was promoted to the second rank, he could check and balance the supervisor and give the royal family a real pillar of the country.Don’t be too afraid of the sergeant and Yunlu Academy.This is also Your Majesty’s wish.
This reason is not enough, do you believe it?
Que Yongxiu's next sentence changed slightly.
Your Majesty, I want to refine the soul pill.
Soul, is the soul pill to be refined by Emperor Yuan Jing?This is not true. Master Jinlian said with certainty that the Taoist leader of the Earth Sect needs soul pills?
So, one of the two brothers wanted a blood pill and the other wanted a soul pill, so they fleece from the common people...
Taoist Master Jinlian said that the function of the soul pill is to strengthen the soul, act as an alchemy material, refine magic weapons, repair imperfect souls, and cultivate weapon spirits... Just these words seem to be insufficient to make Emperor Jing of Yuan to sacrifice the people of a city.
Of course, the soul pill is just one of the gains, and the blood pill can help Zhenbei King to achieve great perfection.
However, the beneficiary was King Zhenbei. In comparison, Emperor Jing of Yuan was not enough to make him take this risk and make this decision.
When a person's gains are not proportional to the risks he takes, things will definitely not be as simple as they appear... Xu Qi'an pinched his eyebrows.
He didn't think for too long and continued to ask: Where is the soul pill?
……
Note 1: The first sentence at the beginning is the imperial edict of Emperor Wu of Han, and the subsequent beginning is the imperial edict of Chongzhen.