Chapter 373 Meeting with King Huai'an
Chapter 373 Meeting with King Huai'an
Beijing!
As winter approached, the whole city became colder and colder day by day, and even the plants in the imperial garden began to wither.
The gardens that were once colorful and beautiful now look desolate.
Today, Xu Zhenguan finished handling government affairs as usual, and then went to Xiuwenguan to inquire about the follow-up of a few matters.
After Mr. Zhengyang left Beijing, the debate over her succession to the orthodox doctrine was replaced by the struggle between the School of Mind and the Old School.
The capture of a group of scholars who were secretly recorded and arrested by Zhao Duan also made the attack from Yunfu Daomu Palace fail.
In addition, what the government and the public are most concerned about is naturally the opening of Nanfang Lake Pavilion.
Although they were thousands of miles apart, overtly or covertly, all the important figures in the government and the country were keeping their eyes fixed on the lake pavilion in the south.
Waiting for final results.
"Swish..."
In the Imperial Garden.
While Zhao Duan was shamelessly writing love poems in his memorials, Empress Xu Zhenguan of Dayu was standing quietly on a stone bridge over a stream in the garden.
She wore no makeup, and her face, as pure and cool as an immortal, was quietly lowered as she looked down at the dead leaves floating in the stream under the bridge.
Occasionally it spins, as if this simple scene contains the great Dao of heaven and earth, and infinite mysteries.
"His Majesty."
In the distance, Mo Chou walked towards them.
When the weather turned cold, the empress was not afraid of the cold due to her powerful cultivation and she still wore the same outfit, but the other female officials in the palace all changed into thicker clothes.
Mo Zhaorong was wrapped in a winter coat, and her figure looked a little plumper. Perhaps she felt sad because of what she saw, so she said softly:
"Since winter has arrived, the entire garden has become desolate and Your Majesty has no place to enjoy the scenery. Why don't I go to the Heavenly Master's Mansion and ask a priest who specializes in the 'God of Spring' to come and reverse the seasons in the palace?"
A few years before the old emperor's death, perhaps he had a premonition that his time was running out. Every time the winter came, he would be displeased to see the desolate palace.
Every time, the priests would be summoned to call upon the "God of Spring" to descend upon the palace, making the flowers in the imperial garden bloom and the grass turn green. Although it did not last long, it was indeed a rare and beautiful sight.
Xu Zhenguan shook his head slightly and sighed:
"Reversing the seasons is also a serious injury to plants. Plants are like the people. The king's thoughts can affect the fate of countless people. The ancient sages once said that we should rule by doing nothing and rest and recuperate. Although I don't completely agree with it, it does make sense."
Mo Chou said seriously:
"Your Majesty's kindness is a blessing to the people of the world. The opening of the market this time is a policy that benefits the people. For the Great Yu Dynasty, even if there are some disturbances, it is still a good thing."
How could she not hear the meaning behind the empress's words just now?
Xu Zhenguan smiled and asked:
"Has there been any news from Huting?"
Mo Chou shook her head and said, "Not yet."
Xu Zhenguan was not surprised and said softly:
"According to the date, Zhao Duan should be arriving soon. I wonder if his trip will be smooth. My uncle Wang is not an easy person to deal with. And that Xu Jinglong..."
When she mentioned this name, disgust flashed in her eyes and she said:
"I wonder what kind of weird things he's going to do next."
Mo Chou rarely spoke up for Zhao Duan and said angrily:
"With Lord Zhao's intelligence and skills, I'm sure he won't suffer any loss. It's Xu Jinglong who should just wish for the best."
As the personal maid of the Third Princess, how could she not know the bad nature of Xu Jinglong, a hypocritical man who disregarded etiquette and wanted to marry the Emperor's younger sister?
"Let's not talk about this person anymore," Xu Zhenguan changed the subject and asked with a smile:
"Are you here for something?"
Mochou nodded, took out two letters from her sleeve, and said:
"The letter above was sent from Xiping Dao, saying that the Dharma King of the Western Regions sent a team into the pass. If nothing unexpected happens, they are heading for the Shenlong Temple."
Xu Zhenguan was not surprised.
The last time Prajna Bodhisattva visited the Zhao Mansion at night, he had already exposed the current anxiety and tension in Buddhism.
The conflict between the ancestral temple of Buddhism in the Western Regions and its branch of the Shenlong Temple of the Dayu Dynasty has a long history.
From the perspective of the imperial court, the Xu Dynasty was actually happy to see the division of Buddhism.
"The following letter contains some news from within the Shenlong Temple, about Bodhisattva Nagarjuna and Master Mahajang."
Mochou explained:
"These two are different from Prajna Bodhisattva. They have been in charge of Buddhist temples outside the capital for many years. This time, they should be affected by the actions of the Dharma King of the Western Regions and have made some unusual movements. The shadow guard reported that these two people have left their temples and their whereabouts are unknown."
The so-called “whereabouts unknown” does not mean that they really disappeared out of thin air.
But the Jianghu Shadow Guards were not capable of tracking down these two powerful beings in the Shenlong Temple, who were only second to the abbot Xuan Yin in the "Heaven Realm" and were on par with the female nun Prajna.
"Did they leave?" Xu Zhenguan seemed to be thinking about something, but he couldn't find out the specific movements, so he could only say:
"Keep watching."
"My slave takes orders."
Xu Zhenguan raised his head, looked at the huge spire of the Shenlong Temple outside the imperial city with a slightly melancholy look, and said softly:
"I am now concentrating on the new policy. As long as you don't get involved in the secular world, you can fight as much as you want. But if someone insists on being dishonest, don't blame me for taking sides."
……
……
Lake Pavilion, Humble Administrator's Garden.
After Zhao Duan finished writing the letter to the empress, dusk fell. The sun set in the west, and then the sky and the earth gradually darkened.
Zhao Duan walked out of the room, called Haitang and others, and went out to keep the appointment together.
He turned down the request from Feng Ju and other officials to host a banquet for him tonight, and instead accepted the invitation from the princess to be led by the "host" to appreciate the night view of the city tonight.
The group met at the gate of Humble Administrator's Garden. Xu Junling led a group of people and went shopping on foot in plain clothes without even taking a car.
After all, Huting is only a "county town" in size, and the main city is not big.
Just go to the most bustling and prosperous areas, and just walking is enough.
"It's so lively. There are more people here than in Beijing at night."
Zhao Duan walked on the street, looking at the quaint buildings hung with lanterns.
The streets are bustling with shops and people coming and going, just as busy as during the day.
Xu Junling smiled and said:
“Although the capital is the best in the world, it is too solemn after all. There are too many places with curfews at night. However, this Shili Lake Pavilion is the place where merchants and goods gather, so naturally there are many people doing business.
Moreover, merchant ships on the canal can dock at any time, day or night. However, it has never been so busy in the past. It is mainly because the imperial court is about to open the market, and there are too many wealthy people coming to the city recently."
Zhao Duan nodded.
They walked on the street, and although there were guards around them to separate them from the crowd, they attracted some people's attention.
But perhaps it was because there were too many important people coming to the city recently, and it was dark at night, so the men and women on the street were not surprised by people like them who were surrounded by people.
I just thought it was another young man or young lady from a big family out for fun.
"You said you would treat me to a meal, where?" Zhao Duan asked with a smile.
Xu Junling raised his hand and pointed to a tall building in the distance that was very eye-catching in the night and was hung with lanterns. He smiled and said:
“The most magnificent view of the lake pavilion is in the mist-locked lake, and the only place in the city that can overlook the magnificent view of the mist-locked lake is Dafeng Tower.”
……
……
As the highest-standard restaurant in the entire Huting, Dafenglou can be ranked among the top five restaurants even in the entire Huaishui River.
The restaurant is in the shape of a tower, with six floors.
Except for the top floor which is for decoration, the five floors below can be used for banquets.
Especially from the fifth floor, one can see the magnificent scenery of Hu outside the city shrouded in smoke.
In addition, the chef in Dafeng Tower is well-known in Huaishui. He was once the royal chef in the palace and is particularly good at cooking fresh fish.
However, today, the Dafeng Tower hung up a closing sign in the evening, and many strong servants gathered around.
The owner of Dafenglou stood in person at the door of the building, refunding and apologizing to each guest who had reserved a table.
At this moment, a group of wealthy businessmen who had booked a private room two days in advance were standing downstairs of Dafeng Tower with unfriendly looks on their faces.
"Shopkeeper," the middle-aged man with an extraordinary demeanor who was leading the group frowned and said:
"From today's scene, we can see that some important person must have reserved the place, which forced Dafenglou to break the rules and refuse us entry. We are not ignorant people.
But this Dafeng Tower has five floors. I have some status in Huaishuidao. I am the president recommended by the Chamber of Commerce. I think I have some face. Please tell me who is hosting the dinner tonight. If I know him, I can go up and visit him, or ask for a floor to come down. "
The other merchants also spoke up and expressed the same idea.
The shopkeeper of Dafeng Tower hesitated and sighed:
"Please don't ask, President Li. I'm afraid you don't have enough face to host the banquet today. It's the Prince of Huai'an, who wants to personally host a distinguished guest. As for which distinguished guest... Hehe, you are all well-informed people, and you should know which immortal is coming into the city today."
The Huaishui Dao Merchants Guild President's face suddenly changed, and his voice even changed:
"Could it be that Zhao..."
"Shh, don't call him by his name!"
Chairman Li held his breath and concentrated, and the other merchants behind him also fell silent.
President Li was silent for a moment, bowed respectfully towards the Dafeng Tower in front of him, then turned and left.
Horrified in my heart:
Prince Huai'an wants to personally invite King Zhao Yan?
What kind of signal does this send?
……
The second floor of Dafeng Building.
"Your father wants to see me?"
When Zhao Duan was halfway up the stairs, he looked at the princess beside him in surprise, extremely surprised.
(End of this chapter)