Chapter 180 The Empress Comes Out
Chapter 180 The Empress Comes Out
In the Zhai Garden.
After Master Dong angrily rebuked them, he ignored the group of people, turned his head and looked at Zhao Duan, and said:
"Shenlong Temple won't even lead you to the inner garden? Come in with me."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"I appreciate your kindness, Master, but it's not necessary."
He now understood something. Perhaps, the Shenlong Temple's top leaders did not want to invite him to today's Dharma Assembly.
Instead, some enemies who were hiding in the dark and trying to set a trap for him smoothed out the relationship with the Buddhist sect and then handed him an invitation letter.
His invitation today might just be the decision of a middle-level deacon monk in Shenlong Temple.
If that's the case, why bother relying on outsiders to try to get ahead?
"I wanted to bring my aunt and sister to have some fun today, and didn't want to get into all this trouble, but now I don't feel like having fun anymore."
Zhao Duan was in low spirits, and smiled back:
"How about we go home and celebrate the holiday with our own family?"
The mother and daughter nodded vigorously.
In the past, they were full of filters for the literati in the capital, but today they realized that they were really meaningless.
As Dong Xuan said:
A person who is servile and despicable, a flatterer and fawner.
When Grand Tutor Dong saw this, he just sighed and ordered Dong Da to send him off.
Then he glanced coldly at his colleague Chen Zhengru, snorted, and walked towards the inner courtyard.
Han Zhou, Wang You, Guo Jieyuan and other scholars now understood what had happened and walked away in a haughty manner.
No one dared to stop him.
Those literati who originally wanted to come forward and curry favor with the emperor also gave up.
The atmosphere was depressing. No one would have thought that the Grand Tutor would publicly support Zhao Duan, but when you think about it carefully, it is not surprising.
After all, this matter was caused by the descendants of the Dong family, so it is natural for the grandfather to come forward.
only……
"Zhao Duan contributed a lot to the formulation of the new policy? He contributed more than any other scholar? What's going on?"
Someone asked softly.
But no one answered.
The people from Xiuwenguan left, leaving behind a mess and more mysteries.
How could Zhao Duan, a cruel official and a military man, achieve such great success and win over so many talented people?
Even changed the Grand Master's stereotype of warriors?
What is his right? What exactly is the New Deal?
They couldn't answer, but no one would doubt what Master Dong said.
Outsiders may flatter and fear the power of the Zhao thief, but the Grand Tutor will not.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and many people left early, wanting to spread the news of what happened here.
Chen Zhengru and the clown-like Xu Hanlin and others left in disgrace.
"Teacher, aren't you going back to the inner garden?" Xu Hanlin asked in a low voice.
Chen Zhengru walked away with a sigh, and cast his gaze into the depths of the Zhai Garden, thinking:
Mr. Li, I have already lost half my life's face today, and the Prime Minister cannot blame me.
Then I thought, where on earth did this monster Zhao Duan come from?
Could it be that God is helping Your Majesty?
Then he looked at the students next to him, and he became even more annoyed:
"Look at people."
Xu Hanlin: ? ?
……
……
Zhao Duan left, but the aftermath had just begun to spread.
The inner garden of Zhaiyuan.
It is an independent villa. At this moment, there is a large pergola next to the lush and beautiful lotus pond.
The delicacies were neatly arranged, and monks and maids walked around alternately.
The seats under the pavilion were arranged in order of seniority. At this moment, all the important officials of the court had already taken their seats.
Chatting casually.
And sitting on the main seat in the center was a monk in white.
He looks to be in his thirties, with soft and handsome features, a calm expression, elegant conversation, and he always smiles when he speaks.
Under the slightly sparse eyebrows are a pair of eyes as clear as a baby's.
Surprisingly, it was Abbot Xuanyin's "agent" walking on earth, famous for the phrase "Grass turns green in spring", a Buddhist master in the world, Monk Bian Ji.
Beside him, on the left and right were Mo Zhaorong, the "female prime minister" who represented the empress and participated in the ceremony.
As well as the Imperial Censor of the Censorate, Qingyi Yuan Li.
At this time, there was an empty seat next to Mo Chou, which was naturally prepared for Dong Xuan.
"At this time, the Grand Master must be arriving soon."
Mo Chou looked up, estimated the time, and said.
The handsome, elegant and experienced man in blue said with a smile:
"When I entered the garden, I saw many scholars gathered. They must have come to see the Grand Master. Haha, the Master's limelight is about to be snatched away."
The monk in white smiled and seemed not to care at all.
Although he was a commoner, he had the bearing of a master while sitting with the officials in the court.
"Haha, Lord Yuan, you should wait until the Grand Tutor arrives before you say that."
During the banquet, Li Yinglong, the son of the Prime Minister, who was known as the "Little Cabinet Minister" and was now the Minister of the Ministry of Works, wore a scarlet official robe, a black gauze hat, and had a feminine appearance, and said with a smile:
"See how the Grand Master responds."
Li Yinglong, as Li Yanfu's "hand" controlling the "Li Party", and Yuan Li, who was in charge of the "Qingliu Party", were at odds with each other in the court.
But since they were in Zhaiyuan, their conversations were naturally free of hostility.
Yuan Li smiled but didn't care. He didn't think highly of Li Yinglong and once privately commented on him as "ambitious but incompetent".
As the son of the prime minister, Li Yinglong is intelligent, but most of his power depends on Li Yanfu.
"Speaking of which, His Majesty has been in seclusion this time and has not come out. Unexpectedly, the Prime Minister has not come to get together either." Yuan Li said casually.
This sentence may seem ordinary, but it actually contains a profound meaning.
Since Li Yanfu is compared with Your Majesty and is derogatory, the implicit meaning is:
Does your father Li Yanfu want to be on par with His Majesty? Learn from His Majesty's absence? His Majesty sent Mo Chou to replace him, and you also learn to replace your father...
He then casually told this to the monk Bianji, with the following implication:
His Majesty values the Shenlong Temple, but he was in seclusion this year and could not attend. But Li Yanfu, the old dog, was too arrogant and obviously did not give Master Xuanyin face...
If Zhao Duan was here, he would understand immediately and secretly curse Yuan Li as an old bastard, saying that every word he said was full of traps.
But Li Yinglong was a little slow to react, and said subconsciously:
"My father has been ill these past two days, so..."
He said halfway, then reacted, looked at the white-robed monk with a smile as bright as spring breeze, and the expressionless "Big Ice Tub", and said:
"I will be attending on your behalf."
This response was already inferior.
The Minister of Justice and Minister Wang of Rites, who were sitting at the same table, shook their heads slightly, thinking that the "young cabinet minister" was too young after all, and was not at the same level as the old villain Yuan Li.
If Li Yanfu were here, this would never happen.
Suddenly, a monk ran in from the gate of the villa and said something in a low voice to a monk who was in charge of reception at Shenlong Temple, looking anxious.
The monk in charge of receiving guests' faces changed slightly, and he glanced towards the shed obscurely, and whispered a few words of advice.
"Go and ask what happened."
Monk Bian Ji had a sharp gaze. As a sorcerer in the secular realm, it was impossible for him to ignore such unusual movements, so he immediately called a young monk and gave him instructions.
The little monk went away in response, and returned a moment later, whispering:
"Reporting to the Lord, there was a disturbance outside. It seems that Zhao Duan and the young master of the Dong family had a conflict, which attracted the attention of scholars."
His voice was not loud, but the officials present were close enough to hear a few words.
"Zhao Duan? He's here too?"
Mochou was stunned for a moment. Although she was in Xiuwen Hall, she didn't know about this matter. She couldn't help but look at Monk Bianji.
I thought:
Doesn’t Buddhism emphasize the mind and nature, and keep a distance from the “King of Hell” in the imperial yamen?
Monk Bianji, dressed in white and with a manner as gentle as a spring breeze, frowned slightly. Given his status, he was naturally not responsible for the invitation.
But the name "Zhao Duan" is not unfamiliar.
"Clashing with the Dong family? The intellectuals watching?"
Yuan Li narrowed his eyes, and the shrewd fox keenly smelled something strange.
However, the "young cabinet minister" Li Yinglong, who had just lost face, had a look of joy in his eyes, but he concealed it very well and also pretended to be surprised.
Today's plan against Zhao Duan was of course his work.
The method is crude, but often the cruder the strategy, the most effective it is.
Now it has obviously become... With the temper and style of the thief Zhao, he will definitely fight back if provoked.
At that time, Chen Zhengru, who belonged to Li’s party and had been "ambushed" long ago, would attack.
It just so happened that the scholars in the capital had been practicing martial arts against the Zhao thieves for a long time, and they had been planning for many days. All it took was a spark to start a prairie fire.
By then, the Zhao thief will offend the Dong family and the Shenlong Temple at the same time, and even the Xiuwen Hall, which represents scholars. And once the old thief Dong Xuan confronts Zhao Duan, he will inevitably face a choice when the empress comes out of seclusion, which side to lean towards.
This choice is not difficult to make.
The best part is that no matter what the empress does, it will cause at least one party to become alienated. If she hesitates, there will be a rift between both parties.
Li Yinglong was quite proud of his plan.
"Please sit down for a moment, I'll go take a look." Mo Chou hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.
Although he knew that the relationship between Zhao Duan and Dong Xuan had long been eased, it would still be inappropriate if a rift arose because of a child.
Yuan Li pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't we go together?"
The rest of the court officials were a little surprised. Seeing this, they all stood up and prepared to go and take a look together.
Monk Bian Ji also stood up. As the host, he had to come out.
However, just as everyone was preparing to leave the garden, suddenly, a group of people came straight to the gate of the villa. It was the Xiuwenguan group.
"Grandmaster?" Mo Chou was surprised and asked anxiously:
"We just heard that Zhao Duan and..."
In the crowd, Li Yinglong saw that Master Dong had a gloomy face, and he was delighted. He thought to himself that God was helping him, as it seemed like they had just happened to meet.
This was a better script than he had expected.
However, Dong Xuan just nodded, then shook his head and said:
"It was just a misunderstanding, it's all over now."
After a brief pause, the old man looked at the young elder coldly and said quietly:
"I don't know who actually encouraged my naughty grandson to cause trouble for Master Zhao. Fortunately, we arrived in time."
Li Yinglong's smile froze on his face instantly.
Then, there was a deep confusion.
What is Master Zhao? Isn't he looking for trouble with Zhao Duan?
Is there anyone with the surname Zhao in the Hanlin Academy? Could it be that I have found the wrong person?
Mo Chou exhaled silently and said with a smile:
"It'll be fine if nothing happens."
She had a vague guess that what was happening outside must be very exciting, but it was inconvenient to ask in detail at this moment. She turned her head to look at the monk in white and said:
"Mage..."
The white-robed monk named Bian Ji was listening quietly, and a strange look also appeared in his eyes.
It seems that I am a little curious about the name Zhao Duan.
Hearing this, just as he was about to answer, the young monk with an indifferent expression and eyes like a baby suddenly raised his head and looked towards the direction of the imperial palace, with a swastika appearing between his eyebrows.
Gone in a flash.
"I'm out..." he said suddenly.
What? Mochou and other officials were puzzled, but the next second, they all understood what Monk Bianji meant.
The palace, deep inside the armory.
On the fifth floor of the attic left by Taizu, the old door was suddenly pushed open, and Empress Xu Zhenguan of Dayu stepped out, letting the sunlight shine on her stunningly beautiful face.
Xu Zhenguan narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, stretched her waist lazily, and ended her retreat which lasted for nearly half a month.
He was one step closer to the true realm of heaven and man.
At this moment, his divine thoughts spread out, 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 Ghost Festival."
With a thought in mind, Xu Zhenguan took light steps forward.
The next second, the figure disappeared, leaving only the ancient courtyard of the armory, where Eunuch Hai, wearing a dragon robe, bowed and saluted:
"Your Majesty is welcome to come out of the customs."
……
Zhaiyuan, inside the other garden.
Everyone looked towards the direction of the imperial city.
In an instant, a golden light was seen approaching like a meteor, the space was slightly distorted, and the Queen of Dayu took a step forward and actually arrived here.
Monk Bianji put his hands together and bowed respectfully:
"Your Majesty, I respectfully greet you."
Mo Chou's eyes lit up, and she also hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty is welcome to come out of seclusion."
Yuan Li followed closely behind, smiling: "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you..."
Dong Xuan, the ministers of various ministries, scholars such as Han Zhou, and even the dazed Li Yinglong, all bowed and greeted, shouting "welcome".
Xu Zhenguan accepted it with pleasure, and landed slowly, just like a fairy descending to the mortal world, and said with a smile:
"No need to be polite, everyone. Today is the Zhongyuan Festival. How can I miss the Shenlong Dharma Assembly? How is Master Xuanyin these days?"
This sentence is a dialogue between imperial power and Buddhism.
Represents an attitude.
Monk Bianji thanked him respectfully:
"The abbot is doing well. He is worshipping Buddha and compiling scriptures behind closed doors. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."
Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly.
Similar to Zhang Yanyi, Xuan Yin, the abbot of Shenlong Temple, also rarely shows up in public and is in seclusion to strive for the "human immortal realm".
However, unlike the Tianshi Temple, the main Taoist temple that unified the Central Plains, the Shenlong Temple was a branch of the main sect in the Western Regions that took root in Dayu.
After a brief greeting, Xu Zhenguan asked curiously:
"Are you going out just now?"
She felt a little surprised because the time for the sermon was far from over.
"This……"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally, they all looked at Grand Tutor Dong.
Grand Tutor Dong had not expected that the empress would come out today... Presumably, it was also to not miss the Ullambana Festival and maintain the relationship between imperial power and Buddhism.
He immediately said: "I have something to report to Your Majesty, which concerns both the new policy and Zhao Duan."
he?
What does it have to do with the new policy?
Xu Zhenguan frowned, feeling a little worried. Could it be that during the days he was in seclusion, the little imperial guards had made trouble again and offended Grand Tutor Dong?
If the Grand Tutor complains to me, it will be troublesome...
Thinking of this, the empress nodded slightly and said to the monk Bianji:
"Mage, please do as you please."
Then, he waved his sleeves, and in an instant, with his martial arts skills that were almost like magic, he brought Dong Xuan and appeared out of thin air in a quiet Zen room in the Zhaiyuan Villa.
"What does the Grand Tutor want to report? It's only been more than ten days. Could something have gone wrong with the new policy?" Xu Zhenguan asked worriedly.
The old man calmed down and said slowly:
"Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand. Not only is there nothing wrong with the new policy, but it has already been formulated. The final draft is now in the Xiuwen Hall and can be reviewed by Your Majesty at any time."
Xu Zhenguan frowned and said:
"Did you use Han Zhou's Ten Strategies?"
After all, she was somewhat dissatisfied with the ten strategies.
The old man shook his head and said calmly:
"What we use is the Zhao family's three golden strategies."
Zhao?
Xu Zhenguan was stunned.
……
On the other side, on the streets of Beijing.
Zhao Duan rejected Dong Da's offer to see him off in person and took the women in his family back home by car.
Compared to the anticipation when leaving, the atmosphere when returning was even more enthusiastic.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan opened their eyes wide, looking at Zhao Duan as if he were a rare item, as if they didn't recognize him.
His eyes were full of admiration and worship:
"So, Dalang (Big Brother), you really became a bachelor?"
"To be precise, it's a temporary worker, um, an off-staff position." Zhao Duan corrected.
It was impossible for him to really study in the Wenguan and deal with paperwork and memorials all day long, and he did not expect to be recognized by scholars after this incident.
Compared to the status of a bachelor, what he cares more about is always...
"Huh?" Suddenly, Zhao Duan raised his head and looked towards the direction of the imperial palace.
"What's wrong?" asked the two girls.
Zhao Duan shook his head and asked doubtfully:
"It seems that my eyes are blurry. I just saw a flash of light passing by in a flash."
"Where is the light..."
"Brother is lying again... just like before, when he hid his identity as a bachelor."
"..." Zhao Duan shrugged. Never mind. Maybe...
It was indeed me...
You must have seen it wrong.
He leaned on the soft pillow in the carriage and said lazily:
"go home."
(End of this chapter)