Chapter 758 Social Practice
Chapter 758 Social Practice
In the afternoon, Xiao Xia returned to the Imperial Palace. He went to Gaoshan Palace first. His mother, Xiao Chunyu, had arrived three days ago and lived in Gaoshan Palace. Xiao Xia simply changed the name of Gaoshan Palace to Baiyun Palace, making it a Taoist palace for cultivation.
He also renovated the main hall to enshrine the Three Pure Ones, and made various Taoist modifications, trying his best to avoid being disturbed so that his mother, Xiao Chunyu, could live here in peace.
Xiao Chunyu is skilled in Taoism, and her appearance has basically not changed since Xiao Xia met her more than ten years ago.
However, his personality has become more cold. Taoism emphasizes having no thoughts, no desires, and nothing to ask for, and his heart is as calm as water. When he saw his son whom he had not seen for many years, he just smiled faintly. He no longer cried like he used to.
It can be said that Xiao Chunyu has completely detached herself from the secular world, but she has encountered difficulties in her practice of Taoism over the years and cannot break through. It was Yuan Shoucheng who wrote to her and told her to enter the world so that she could leave it. Xiao Chunyu decided to accept her son's invitation and come to the Luoyang Palace to practice for a few years.
She has met five grandsons and two granddaughters, and a group of daughters-in-law. The joy in her heart gradually faded away, and she returned to her former tranquility.
"Xia'er greets her mother!"
Xiao Xia knelt down and kowtowed in front of her mother's dormitory, "Xia'er, come in and have some tea!"
"Thank you mother!"
Xiao Xia walked into Zhumu Hall and unexpectedly found Zhang Qiao there. Zhang Qiao was Xiao Chunyu's only beloved disciple. Although Xiao Chunyu had more than twenty female disciples, disciples and apprentices were not the same thing. Apprentices were the successors of Xiao Chunyu's mantle and were unique.
Xiao Chunyu was wearing a white Taoist robe, her face was calm and she had a slight smile on her face. Only when she saw her son and grandchildren would a smile appear on her lips. For her, this meant entering the world.
"Sit down!"
"Thank you mother!"
Xiao Xia sat down at the small table, and Xiao Chunyu slowly said, "Before, you gave Baiyun Palace 10,000 strings of coins as an offering every year. This is enough for once. You don't need to give more in the future. The medicine production is already self-sufficient. Too much money will only disrupt your practice."
"Kid, remember!"
Xiao Chunyu poured him a cup of tea and said with a smile: "The water quality here in Gaoshan Palace is very good, it is very suitable for making tea and medicine. I like it very much, you try it!"
Xiao Xia picked up the teacup and took a sip. As expected, a refreshing fragrance filled her spleen. Xiao Xia looked at Zhang Qiao in surprise, "Why is it different from the tea you usually brew?"
Zhang Qiao blushed and said, "The tea I brew is mortal tea, and the tea Master brews is divine tea. It took a month to prepare all the ingredients, and there are thirteen kinds of vegetable oils alone. The brewed tea is certainly not something that mortals like you and me can drink."
Xiao Xia said shamelessly: "From now on, mother will make tea every day, and I will come to drink it every day!"
"You silly child, do you think I make tea every day? We usually drink spring water and eat wild fruits and medicinal porridge, not grains. We only make tea once a month. Today I am making tea especially for you. If you want to drink tea, I will let you know in a month!"
"Why don't you make tea every day?" Xiao Xia was puzzled.
"The purpose of spiritual practice is to control desires, how can you do whatever you want?"
Xiao Xia shook his head. "Master Yuan told me that cultivation is to follow one's heart. Don't try to do it deliberately. Just follow your heart and let fate take its course. The sky is as high as the human heart, and the earth is as deep as the human heart. Let go of all restraints and let your thoughts relax in the universe. Only then can you finally realize the great way."
Xiao Chunyu was silent. Suddenly, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes slightly, and entered a state of meditation.
Zhang Qiao quickly waved to Xiao Xia and pulled him out.
"What's wrong with mother?" Xiao Xia asked in a low voice.
"I don't know. It seems that the few words you said gave her an epiphany. Don't disturb her. Let her understand." Xiao Xia sighed slightly and said, "Mother just restricts herself too much."
Zhang Qiao shook his head. "Even if she was released, she wouldn't be able to drink and eat meat like Master Yuan."
Xiao Xia smiled and said, "That's what you mean. If you don't want to eat, then don't eat. Just don't force yourself."
Zhang Qiao patted Xiao Xia's shoulder and said, "It seems that you are quite intelligent. It is a pity that Master Yuan did not take you away!"
Xiao Xia laughed, put his arm around Zhang Qiao's waist and said, "Let's go back and have dinner."
"I'll make the arrangements and leave right away!"
Zhang Qiao arranged for her disciples to guard her master, and then followed her husband to Longlin Palace.
Xiao Xia's bedroom was in Longlin Palace, which was actually also the queen's bedroom and the living room for the whole family. Everyone had to come here for meals. Of course, Empress Dowager Xiao didn't have to come here, and neither did his eldest brother Yang Zhao. His three nephews all lived in Hongwenguan. The only outsiders were Yang Zhengdao and his mother Wei. Yang Zhengdao was only four years old, and had a good relationship with Xiao Xia's sons. They played together every day, and Xiao Xia also treated him as his own son.
When everyone was having a meal together, Xiao Xia unexpectedly met the eldest son Yang Chu. Yang Chu had two masters. In the morning, he studied literature with Xu Wenyuan, and in the afternoon, he studied calligraphy with Yu Shinan. Because of the heavy workload, they did not eat together. Xiao Xia had not seen his eldest son for almost a month.
Yang Chu stepped forward and kowtowed to his father. Xiao Xia asked with a smile, "What are you learning recently?"
"I'm learning about memorials. The teacher found the expired memorials from the Imperial Court and taught me how to read them. What did the memorial say? What did the imperial court mean by its instructions? Why did it say so?"
Xiao Xia was really surprised. He thought Xu Wenyuan was teaching his son the Four Books and Five Classics, but he didn't expect that he was actually reading memorials. This is great! He can know what happened in the world and understand the sufferings of the people.
This Xu Wenyuan is really capable. Xiao Xia smiled and said, "Let me give you an assignment! You will follow your master to the grain shop in Nanshi every noon to learn about the changes in grain prices and then record them. If you find that the grain price changes by more than 10%, you must find out the reason and report to me once a month."
"Kid, remember!"
The next day at noon, a carriage drove into the South City under the protection of more than a dozen guards. The personal guard said worriedly: "Your Highness, let me go!"
"No!" Yang Chu refused. "My father specifically told me to go, so I must go myself!"
Xu Wenyuan smiled and said, "I'll go with you, nothing will happen!"
The guard had no choice but to sigh secretly.
The carriage stopped in front of the largest grain store. Xu Wenyuan and Yang Chu got out of the carriage. Several guards looked around vigilantly but found nothing unusual.
Xu Wenyuan and Yang Chu walked into the grain shop. There were many people in the shop. They were all small grain and oil shops in various districts who came to wholesale grain. Yang Chu walked in front of bamboo baskets with price tags on them. Yang Chu used charcoal to record the market price of each kind of grain.
Just then, there was a commotion at the door and someone shouted, "Stop him, don't let him in!"
A burly man with a face full of flesh and a sharp axe in his hand rushed towards the grain shop. He was less than ten feet away from Yang Chu. Xu Wenyuan was shocked and knocked Yang Chu to the ground. At this time, two guards jumped up at the same time and knocked the burly man to the ground. The sharp axe fell to the ground with a clang, rolled a few times, and landed right in front of Yang Chu, with the sharp axe blade against Yang Chu's forehead.
The big man was pinned to the ground, still struggling and shouting, "Let me go! I'm going to kill everyone in this black shop! Let me go!"
(End of this chapter)