Chapter 180 The Empress comes out of seclusion
In the Zhaiyuan.
After Taishi Dong angrily rebuked them, he ignored the group of people, turned to look at Zhao Duan, and said: "Shenlong Temple doesn't invite you to the inner garden? Come in with me."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"The Grand Master has good intentions, but it's no need."
At this moment, he had some clarity. Perhaps, today's Dharma gathering was not something the senior officials of Shenlong Temple wanted to invite him to.
It was some enemies who were hiding in secret, trying to dig holes to deal with him, and smoothed the relationship between the Buddhists, and then handed him an invitation letter.
His invitation today may have been decided by a middle-level deacon monk in Shenlong Temple.
If that's the case, why bother using outsiders' connections to try to get better?
"I wanted to take my aunt and sister to join in the fun today, but I didn't want to go through all this trouble, but now I have no intention of having fun anymore."
Zhao Duan's mood was waning, and he smiled and said:
"Let's go home and celebrate the holidays with my family, okay?"
The mother and daughter nodded vigorously.
In the past, they had always looked at the literati in the capital, but today they realized that they were really not interesting.
As Dong Xuan said:
People who are like flies and dogs, who are flattering and flattering people.
When Master Dong saw this, he just sighed and ordered Dong Da to see him off.
Then he glanced at his colleague Chen Zhengru coldly, snorted coldly, and walked towards the inner courtyard.
Han Zhi, Wang You, Guo Jieyuan and other bachelors now also understood what happened, and they all walked away coldly.
No one dared to stop him.
The literati who originally wanted to come forward and join him also stopped.
The atmosphere was dull. No one would have thought that the dignified grand master would publicly support Zhao Duan, but when he thought about it carefully, it was not surprising.
After all, this matter was caused by a descendant of the Dong family, so it was natural that the grandfather should take the initiative.
only……
"Zhao Duan contributed a lot to the formulation of the New Deal? He contributed more than other bachelors? What is going on?"
someone asked softly.
But no one answered.
The people from the Xiuwen Museum left, leaving behind a floor of chicken feathers and more mysteries.
How could Zhao Duan, a ruthless military man, take the greatest credit? Impressed all the talented people?
Even reversed the stereotype of Taishi towards warriors?
Why should he? What exactly is the New Deal?
They couldn't answer, but no one would doubt Taishi Dong's statement.
Outsiders would flatter and fear the power of Zhao Thief, but the Grand Master would not.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and many people left early, wanting to spread the word about what happened here.
Chen Zhengru, the clown-like Xu Hanlin and others left in despair.
"Teacher, aren't you going back to the inner garden?" Xu Hanlin asked in a low voice.
Chen Zhengru fluffed his sleeves and walked away, sighing softly, looking into the depths of the Zhaiyuan, thinking: Mr. Li, I have lost face for half my life today, and the Prime Minister can't blame me.
Then I thought, where did this Zhao Duan appear as a monster?
Could it be that God can help His Majesty?
Looking at the student next to him, he became even more displeased:
“Look at this person.”
Xu Hanlin:? ?
……
…
Zhao Duan left, but the aftermath had just spread.
Zhaiyuan inner garden.
It is a separate garden. At this moment, there is a large pergola beside the lush and beautiful lotus pond.
The delicacies were neatly arranged, and monks and maids walked alternately.
The seats in the pergola were lined up according to seniority. At this moment, a famous court official had already taken his seat.
Having a casual conversation.
And in the center of the main seat, there is a monk in white.
He looks about thirty years old, with soft and handsome features, calm expression, elegant conversation, and always smiles when he speaks.
Under the slightly sparse eyebrows are a pair of eyes as clear as a baby.
Astonishingly, he is the "agent" who walks in the world of Abbot Xuan Yin. He is famous for his saying "when spring comes, the grass will grow green". He is a worldly Buddhist mage and monk Bianji.
Beside him, on the left and right are the "female prime minister" Mo Zhaorong, who represents the empress and participates in the ceremony.
As well as the imperial censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Yuan Li in Qingyi.
At this time, there was still an empty seat beside Mochou, which was naturally prepared for Dong Xuan.
"At this hour, the Grand Master must be arriving soon."
Mochou raised his head, estimated the time, and said.
Da Qingyi, who has a handsome appearance and elegant appearance, smiled and said: "When I entered the garden, I saw many literati gathering, all of them must be rushing to the Grand Master. Haha, the Master's limelight is about to be taken away. ”
The monk in white smiled, obviously not paying attention.
Although he is dressed in white and sits with the other princes in the court, he has an air of master.
"Haha, Mr. Yuan should wait until the grand master comes to say what he said."
During the banquet, Li Yinglong, the son of the prime minister with a feminine appearance, was known as the "Little Pavilion Elder" and was now serving as the minister of the Ministry of Industry. He was wearing a crimson official robe and a black gauze on his head. Li Yinglong smiled and said:
"Let's see how the Grand Master responds."
As Li Yanfu's "hand" in controlling the "Li Party", Li Yinglong and Yuan Li, who was in charge of the "Qingliu Party", were in the same position in the court.
But since we are in Zhaiyuan, our conversation is naturally not smelly of gunpowder.
Yuan Li smiled, but didn't care in his eyes. He didn't think highly of Li Yinglong. He once commented privately that he was "ambitious and talented".
As the son of the Prime Minister, Li Yinglong was intelligent, but most of his power still relied on Li Yanfu.
"Speaking of which, His Majesty has not come out of seclusion this time, but I don't think the Prime Minister has come to get together either." Yuan Li said casually.
A sentence that seems ordinary, but contains a hint of intelligence.
He compared Li Yanfu with His Majesty and disparaged him, and the implicit meaning was:
Does your father, Li Yanfu, want to compete with His Majesty? His Majesty is absent? Your Majesty sent Mochou to replace you, and you also learned to replace your father...
He also said it casually to Monk Bianji, with the implication:
Your Majesty attaches great importance to Shenlong Temple, but he is in retreat this year and cannot attend. But Li Yanfu, an old dog, can't help himself. He obviously doesn't want to give Master Xuanyin face...
If Zhao Duan were here, he would have understood immediately and secretly cursed Yuan Li, "Old Yin Bi", his casual words are full of traps.
But Li Yinglong's reaction was half a beat too slow, and he subconsciously said:
"My father has been ill for the past two days, so..."
Halfway through, he came to his senses and glanced at the smiling monk in white and the expressionless "Big Bing Tuozi", and had to say: "I will attend on my behalf."
This response is already inferior.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of Rites, Wang Shangshu, who were sitting at the table, shook their heads slightly, thinking that "Old Xiaoge" was too young after all, and was not at the same level as the old thief Yuan Li.
If Li Yanfu were here, he would never be like this.
Suddenly, a monk ran in from the gate of Bieyuan and whispered something to a Zhike monk from Shenlong Temple, looking anxious.
Zhike Monk's expression changed slightly, he glanced towards the pergola covertly, and whispered a few words.
"Go and ask what happened."
Monk Bianji's eyes were as bright as a torch. As a worldly realm sorcerer, it was impossible to ignore such unusual movements, so he immediately summoned a young novice monk to give instructions.
The young novice went away in response, returned a moment later, and said in a low voice:
"Reporting to the master, there was a disturbance outside. It seems that Zhao Duan collided with the young master of the Dong family, attracting literati to watch."
His voice was not loud, but the officials present were close enough to hear a few words.
"Zhao Duan? Is he here too?"
Mochou was stunned for a moment. Although she was in the Xiuwen Hall, she didn't know about this and couldn't help but look at Monk Bianji.
Thought:
Doesn’t Buddhism pay attention to the nature of the mind and keep a respectful distance from the “Kings of Hell” in the imperial office?
Monk Bianji, who was dressed in white and behaved like a spring breeze, frowned slightly. With his status, he was naturally not responsible for the invitation.
But he is no stranger to the name "Zhao Duan".
"Colliding with the Dong family? Scholars gathered around?"
Yuan Li narrowed his eyes, and the scheming fox sensed a strange smell.
But Li Yinglong, the "little pavilion elder" who had just lost face, had joy in his eyes, but he concealed it very well and also pretended to be surprised.
Today's plan against Zhao Duan was naturally his handiwork.
The method is crude, but often the cruder the strategy, the more effective it is.
Now it has obviously become... With Zhao Thief's temper and acting style, he will definitely fight back when provoked.
At that time, Chen Zhengru, who is affiliated with the Li Party and has already "ambushed" him, will attack him.
It just so happened that the scholars in the capital had been practicing the martial art of "Zhao Thief" for a long time, and it had been brewing for many days. All it took was a little fire to start a prairie fire.
At that time, Thief Zhao will offend the Dong family, Shenlong Temple, and even the Xiuwen Museum, which is a representative of scholars. As for the old thief Dong Xuan, once he confronts Zhao Duan, when the empress comes out of seclusion, he will inevitably face a decision on which side to lean towards.
This choice is not difficult to make.
And the best thing is that no matter what the empress does, it will make at least one party alienated. If he hesitates, there will be a rift between both parties.
Li Yinglong was quite proud of his plan.
"Everyone, sit down for a moment, I'll go take a look." Mochou hesitated for a moment, then said.
Although it was understood that the relationship between Zhao Duan and Dong Xuan had already eased, it would not be appropriate if there was a rift due to an heir.
Yuan Li pondered for a moment and then said: "It's better to go together."
The other group of courtiers were a little surprised. Seeing this, they also stood up and prepared to go and have a look together.
Monk Bianji also stood up. As the master, it was necessary to appear.
However, just as everyone was preparing to leave the garden, suddenly, a group of people walked directly outside the gate of Bieyuan, and they were the Xiuwenguan group.
"Grand Master?" Mo Chou was surprised and asked urgently: "Just now we heard that Zhao Duan and..."
In the crowd, Li Yinglong saw Master Dong's downcast face and felt happy, thinking, "God help me, it seems that I happened to bump into him."
It was a better script than he had envisioned.
However, Dong Xuan only nodded, shook his head and said:
"It was a misunderstanding, nothing happened anymore."
After a brief pause, the old man looked at Mr. Xiao Ge coldly and said quietly: "I don't know who it is, but he actually encouraged my naughty grandson to find trouble for Academician Zhao. Fortunately, we arrived in time."
Li Yinglong's smile instantly froze on his face.
Then, there was deep confusion.
What Bachelor Zhao? Aren't you looking for trouble with Zhao Duan?
Is there anyone named Zhao in the Hanlin Academy? Could it be that you are looking for the wrong person?
Mochou breathed out silently and said with a smile: "It'll be fine if nothing happens."
She vaguely guessed that what happened outside should be very exciting, but it was not convenient to ask in detail at this moment. She turned to look at the monk in white and said:
"Mage..."
The white-clothed monk named Bianji had just listened quietly, with a strange color in his eyes.
It seemed that he was a little curious about the name Zhao Duan.
Hearing the words and about to reply, the young monk with a calm expression and eyes like a baby suddenly raised his head and looked in the direction of the palace, with a swastika between his eyebrows.
Gone in a flash.
"I'm out of seclusion..." he said suddenly.
What? Mochou and other officials were puzzled, but in the next second, they all understood what Monk Bianji meant.
In the palace, deep in the arsenal.
On the fifth floor of the attic left by Taizu, the old door was suddenly pushed open, and the Empress of Yu, Xu Zhenguan, stepped out, letting the sun shine on her alluring face.
Xu Zhenguan narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, stretched her waist lazily, and ended her half-month retreat.
We are one step closer to the true realm of heaven and humanity.
At this moment, his spiritual thoughts dispersed, and the gods of heaven and earth were reflected in his eyes, and he murmured and sighed:
"There is no time in the pavilion, it is already the Hungry Ghost Festival."
With a thought in his mind, Xu Zhenguan moved his lotus steps lightly, stepping lightly forward.
The next second, the figure had disappeared, leaving only Eunuch Hai in a python robe in the quaint courtyard of the arsenal, looking like he was saluting with his hands raised:
"Welcome your Majesty to come out of seclusion."
…
Zhaiyuan, inside the Bieyuan.
Everyone looked towards the direction of the imperial city.
In an instant, a golden light was seen approaching like a shooting star. The space was slightly distorted. Empress Dayu took one step forward and arrived here.
Monk Bianji clasped his hands together and saluted respectfully:
"The young monk comes to see Your Majesty and sincerely welcomes Your Majesty's arrival."
Mochou's eyes lit up and he also hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty is welcome to leave the customs."
Yuan Li followed closely behind, smiling: "I respectfully welcome your Majesty..."
Dong Xuan, ministers of various ministries, bachelors such as Han Zhi, and even the stunned Li Yinglong all bowed and saluted and greeted him respectfully.
Xu Zhenguan accepted it gladly, landed slowly, just like a fairy descending to the mortal world, and said with a smile: "Please excuse me, since today coincides with the Zhongyuan Period, how can I miss the Shenlong Dharma Assembly? How is Master Xuanyin doing lately?"
This sentence is a dialogue between imperial power and Buddhism.
Represents an attitude.
Monk Bianji respectfully thanked:
"Everything is well, Abbot. I am worshiping the Buddha behind closed doors and compiling scriptures. Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."
Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly.
Similar to Zhang Yanyi, Xuan Yin, the abbot of Shenlong Temple, rarely appeared in public and went into seclusion to attack the "human fairyland".
However, unlike the Tianshi Mansion, the main Taoist temple that unified the Central Plains, Shenlong Temple was the result of a branch of the main sect in the Western Regions taking root in Dayu.
After a brief exchange of greetings, Xu Zhenguan said curiously:
"Did you, gentlemen, just want to go out?"
She was a little surprised that the time for teaching the Dharma was far away.
"this……"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally looked at Master Dong.
Grand Master Dong also did not expect that the empress would leave today...presumably in order not to miss the Bon Dharma Ceremony and to maintain the relationship between the imperial power and Buddhism.
Immediately he said: "Old minister, I have something to report to Your Majesty. It is related to both the New Deal and Zhao Duan."
he?
What does it have to do with the New Deal?
Xu Zhenguan frowned, a little worried. Could it be that he had been in seclusion for the past few days, and the little imperial army was messing around again, offending Grand Master Dong?
It would be troublesome if the Grand Master came to complain to me...
Thinking of this, the empress nodded gently and said to Monk Bianji:
"Master, please do as you please."
Then, with a wave of his sleeve, in an instant, Dong Xuan appeared out of thin air in a quiet Zen room in the Zhaiyuan Villa with martial arts cultivation that was close to magic.
"What do you want to report, Grand Master? It has only been more than ten days, is there something wrong with the new policy?" Xu Zhenguan asked worriedly.
The old man calmed down his mind and then said slowly:
"Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand. Not only is there no error in the new policy, it has been formulated. The final version is now in the revision hall and can be shown to Your Majesty at any time."
Xu Zhenguan frowned and said:
"Did you use Korean porridge ten strategies?"
After all, she was a little dissatisfied with those ten strategies.
The old man shook his head and said calmly: "What we are using are Zhao's three golden strategies."
Zhao family?
Xu Zhenguan was stunned.
…
On the other side, on the streets of Beijing.
Rejecting Dong Da's offer to send him off in person, Zhao Duan took the female family members and returned to his home by car.
Compared with the expectations when I left, the atmosphere was even more enthusiastic when I came back.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan stared at Zhao Duan with their eyes wide open, as if they didn't recognize him.
His eyes were full of admiration and adoration:
"So, Dalang (eldest brother), have you really become a bachelor?"
"To be precise, it's a temporary job, um, a non-staff job." Zhao Duan corrected.
It is impossible for him to really study in a literary library and deal with documents and memorials all day long, and he does not expect to be recognized by scholars after doing this.
Compared to being a bachelor, what he cares more about has always been...
"Huh?" Suddenly, Zhao Duan raised his head and looked in the direction of the palace.
"What's wrong?" the second woman asked.
Zhao Duan shook his head and said doubtfully:
"It seemed like my eyesight was dazzled. I just saw a ray of light pass by."
"Where is the light..."
"Brother is lying again... Just like before, he was hiding his identity as a bachelor."
"..." Zhao Duan shrugged, forget it if you don't believe it, maybe...
It's really me...
You must have read it wrong.
He leaned on the soft pillow of the carriage and said lazily:
"go home."
(End of chapter)