Chapter 397 The Missing Zhao Duan
That afternoon, the story that happened in Huangting Alley spread like wildfire. With the help of countless chess players, it seemed to have wings and spread like wildfire this winter.
The young genius from the Western Regions entered the world for the first time and swept the chess world. When the great players fell into disgrace, an unknown young man named Shi Shiran took action and brutally tortured the monks...
This story was born with It is extremely legendary, especially when the envoys from the Western Regions came to Beijing, and the people in the capital who had nothing to do in winter swarmed in and ate the melons collectively.
By night, seven or eight versions of the whole incident had been derived, and the rumored gossip that Princess Manzhu of the Western Region was present added a lot of color to the story.
Zhao Duan stayed at home, and his rights had nothing to do with him.
At dinner, I listened to the conversation between my stepmother and my sister, and realized that the court might be promoting the news.
Similarly, if you lose, you should be popular, and if you win, you should buy a hot search.
"Brother, do you know who the young master is who defeated the monk from the Western Regions?"
Zhao Pan, who has become more and more elegant and has the temperament of a lady, asked eagerly.
Zhao Duan joked and said: "Why, you're attracted to her? Do you want to get married or something?"
Zhao Pan's autumn eyes widened, he turned away angrily, and kicked the table with his feet as if he was angry. The Pekingese who got off:
“I won’t ask anymore.”
Eugene Hua looked disappointed, and the little Pekingese looked confused and snarled with his tail between his legs.
This little incident did not cause any waves in the Zhao family, and the popularity did not last long in the capital.
It was quickly covered by the news about Buddhist scripture debate. For a time, countless people paid attention and did not want to miss this important event that is likely to be recorded in history.
Zhao Duan, on the pretext of retreat, locked himself in the room to study the pile of scriptures for two days in a row, and the lights in the room stayed on all night.
......
In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and it was the day of the Bible debate that attracted the attention of countless people.
Early in the morning, when the sky is bright.
In the Jinfeng Pavilion where the Western Region mission was staying, the monks from the Western Regions had already gotten up, washed, dressed and done their morning homework in an orderly manner.
Wearing red monk robes, hanging white ivory beads, and with skin as dark as an old monkey, the "holy monk" holds a candlestick burning with a green flame.
Stepping up the creaking stairs, he arrived outside a certain room and opened the door.
In the room, the oil lamp on the table is still burning, and the brazier on the floor has been extinguished.
The young monk Danche was wrapped in a thick blanket, sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring at the chessboard in front of him.
Hearing the sound, he raised his head, looked at the master for a moment, and then suddenly said:
"Are we leaving?"
The master of the Red Sect pinched his eyebrows with a headache:
"Didn't I tell you last night that I have to get up early to debate scriptures today..."
"That's why I didn't sleep," Dan Che said confidently, and whispered in a low voice:
"Besides, I'm not going to debate the scriptures..."
Before the master got angry, he immediately changed his mind and praised:
"My disciple has been reviewing the chess game these past two days. I feel deeply that the subtlety of that person's methods has opened up a new path for the chess world that has been stagnant in the past. If chess is also a Tao, then he is enough to be the founder of the new sect. Still don't know the identity of that person? "
The master of the Red Sect looked at his disciple who was almost a "chess fanatic", sighed, shook his head and said:
"Not yet."
Danche said "Oh" a little disappointed, and asked curiously:
"Master, do you have any clues about the 'Hui' you are looking for?"
"...not yet."
The master of the Red Sect was not in a good mood, and immediately smiled again, "However, when the World Honored One comes to the world today, wisdom will definitely appear."
Dan Che nodded vigorously, in his opinion , the effort invested by my master in debating scriptures is five, and the effort spent in searching for wisdom is ten.
Just for the vinegar-wrapped dumplings.
"Master, is breakfast ready? I'm hungry." Danche stood up wrapped in a blanket.
The master of the Red Sect stopped his smile: "Not yet."
......
The Zhao family.
When the white fish belly appeared in the east, Zhao Duan got up rarely early and the family ate at the dining table.
Eugene Hua was wrapped in a thick cotton skirt, her lips breathed like orchid, she took out the steamed white buns from a burst of thick white mist, handed it to Zhao Duan, and immediately It was so hot that he pinched his earlobes with both hands.
He said: "Why did Dalang think of eating steamed buns today?"
"Take this as a good sign."
Zhao Duan pinched the soft and hot head. , opened his mouth without changing his expression, and remembered the word "steamed buns" that he heard in his previous life, which means "barbarian head", which is an unknown allusion of taking the head of a barbarian.
Zhao Pan used a big wooden spoon to hold up a bowl of egg drop soup, and softly whispered to him:
“Can’t we really watch the fun?” Face, scolding his daughter:
"Have you forgotten that the damn monk is going to kill your eldest brother? What fun are you going to see?"
Zhao Pan said aggrievedly: "They are two different things, they themselves People fight..."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"You should stay at home, I don't mind you going, but this time the court has issued a ban, and only some invited people can go there.
Don’t forget that Buddhism was banned not long ago. This time, the two sides were allowed to publicly debate scriptures. This was because they were showing mercy to the Western Regions. For ordinary people to want to gather together, they were openly defying the imperial decree. ...Not even the relatives of officials."
After a pause, he explained:
"However, you should also see some movement at home. I heard that the debate will be very loud. .”
Well...he heard it from the "information" sent by Zhang Yanyi. The mother and daughter looked surprised and breathed a sigh of relief.
After dinner.
Zhao Duan, who was recuperating at home and staying at home, stepped out of the house. When others left, Zhao Pancai suddenly realized in hindsight:
"Mom, brother, are you not wearing any clothes? Official robe?”
…
The Royal Palace.
After the sky completely brightened, the sunlight shone on the towering palace walls, casting large shadows.
Xu Zhenguan took a low-key car today, with only Mochou and a few other personal attendants. He left the palace and met up with his "aunt" who lived here in the palace to watch the fight between the East and the West. lively.
The empress, Princess Manzhu, and her aunt and niece took the same bus, quietly left the palace, and headed along the street toward the vicinity of Shenlong Temple.
"Huh..."
Princess Manzhu opened the car curtains and looked at both sides of the streets in the capital in the early morning. Many people hurried out of incense shops, carrying yellow incense and incense burners under their cotton-padded clothes, and some cautiously Holding the Buddha statue in his arms, he frowned:
“Are these men and women who worship Buddhism in Beijing?” He took it into his eyes, with an indifferent expression:
"Yes. Some time ago, after the ban on Buddhism was issued and incense in Buddhist temples was banned, the business of buying and selling Buddha statues, incense candles, and worshiping Buddha at home became very popular. Buddhist belief in this land The time to take root is longer than that of Yu State, and there are many believers.
The court could ban gatherings and reduce the land and money of major temples... but it could not eradicate belief. "
Princess Manzhu glanced at her niece in surprise and said with emotion:
"Your Majesty does not seem to be angry. "
Xu Zhenguan smiled:
"What's there to be angry about? These people are not wrong. The Buddha has been around for a long time, so naturally he is right. It's only some people who are wrong. That’s all.
The news of today's scripture debate has already spread, but these people cannot go to witness it with their own eyes. It seems that they are preparing to worship and worship at home. ”
Princess Manzhu remained silent.
From her perspective, we can see the court’s entanglement with Buddhism.
On the one hand, Shenlong Temple and the Western Regions need to check and balance each other. They can only "forbid the Buddha", but cannot "exterminate the Buddha".
On the other hand, they are wary of the increasingly powerful power of Shenlong Temple, which is not only the power of spiritual practice, but also the belief in men and women and its roots in various places. of many temples
Even the empress's low-key attendance today was also the result of trade-offs.
Needing a symbolic appearance but not wanting to make a big fuss is similar to the previous challenge from the Zhengyang School. The difference is that the empress can ignore Zhengyang, but must pay attention to the ancestral court of the Western Regions.
Not long after, the chariot arrived at a pavilion near Shenlong Temple.
There is still some distance from the temple. The Imperial Army has blocked the surrounding area of the pavilion, and carriages are parked all over the nearby streets.
The empress in white and Princess Manzhu ascended the pavilion, and saw a group of court officials all standing and saluting:
"Welcome Your Majesty!"
With a glance, Li Yanfu, Yuan Li, Xue Shence and other important ministers were actually present.
Further down, leaders such as Ma Yan were also standing in the corner.
"You don't have to be polite, please sit down." Xu Zhenguan smiled and nodded, looking around, but did not see Zhao Duan.
It’s a little strange that this guy doesn’t seem to miss such a lively personality.
But instead of asking questions, Shi Shiran took a seat, and Princess Manzhu was arranged to sit in the seat closest to the empress.
The seats in the entire pavilion are also arranged in order of official position.
“This Guanshui Tower is located on the side of Shenlong Temple and Jizhao Temple. It is cold in winter and the ministers in the court cannot compare with the practicing monks. It is enough to take a look here.”
< br>The empress sat down, still holding Princess Manzhu's hand, giving people the impression that the relationship between monarch, minister, aunt and niece is excellent, she explained with a smile at this moment.
Princess Manzhu is also dressed up, and her graceful and luxurious style is second only to that of the empress. Looking up, she sees in the distance a large open square outside the Shenlong Temple.
Only this time, the square was also surrounded by forbidden troops to prevent irrelevant people from entering.
I don’t know when a huge circular platform has been built inside, with seats similar to bleachers placed on both sides.
At this moment, a famous monk stood in the wind, and some noble nobles from the capital were also present.
With this as the center, there are also some scholars gathered in the buildings almost far away, and they look into the distance with the officials.
If we talk about the specifications, they are no less than those of the original Buddhist and Taoist competitions.
"Wait a minute, it should be almost time," Xu Zhenguan didn't mind that he was early, and was happy to chat with the officials.
At this moment, he curiously asked: "Zhao Qing is not here?"
Li Yanfu, Yuan Li and other old faces heard this, and they all turned their attention to the unpopular figure who was clearly different from the officials. Ma Du Gong.
The corners of Ma Yan's long and stern face twitched, and he cupped his hands and said:
"Reply to Your Majesty, I sent a letter before. Zhao Jisi Xu is still injured, so he ignored it. When the time comes, will I send someone to summon you?”
"No need," Xu Zhenguan said with a smile, "No need to rush him."
Princess Wenzhu remained silent beside her, her brows furrowed, becoming increasingly dissatisfied with this treacherous minister whom she had not seen since coming to the capital.
This person... is a mere appearance, but he is too arrogant. All the officials have arrived, but Zhao Duan is still late.
Ma Yan hesitated to speak, but finally said nothing. As a direct leader, he suddenly felt a little uneasy for no reason.
At this time, a low and mighty bell rang out from the Shenlong Temple. Everyone was in high spirits. They looked towards the square in the distance and were the first to see the Western Region envoy arriving.
——
The foreshadowing chapter, the next chapter will be updated before midnight
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(End of this chapter)