When Imperial Master Tianjing arrived outside the Ganlu Palace, a eunuch happened to come out of the palace. As the eunuch bowed and saluted, Tianjing smelled a hint of incense.
Entering the palace, Tianjing raised his hand and saluted: "Your Majesty——"
The emperor's voice sounded from above: "The Imperial Master must have heard about the events at Dayun Temple."
“Yes.” Tianjing’s tone was mixed with a hint of regret: “Master Wu Jue has passed away.”
The Holy Ce Emperor lowered his eyes and looked at the Taoist with a celestial appearance. He seemed to have learned something from his reaction and asked, "Has the Imperial Master anticipated this?"
Tian Jing did not deny it: "Master Wu Jue's calamity should be related to that formation."
“Formation…” The Holy Ceremonial Emperor’s eyes moved slightly. “I remember that when this formation was first activated, Wu Jue had fallen seriously ill. That illness was very dangerous. At that time, he also said that it was because of the backlash of the formation. That time… couldn’t it be considered that he had survived the backlash?”
"All magic arrays in the world are born in accordance with the laws of Yin Yang and the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth. However, this array is an evil array that reverses the Yin Yang. It is not tolerated by Heaven and Earth. If it is enforced by force, it will surely suffer the consequences..." Tianjing said: "More than ten years ago, the disaster that happened to Master Wu Jue should have only been the disaster of activating the array. It is rare that he survived that disaster."
"The ancient book that contains this formation is slightly missing, and there are many difficult-to-understand characters on it... But what is certain is that after the formation is completed, the person who casts the formation will have to endure the backlash of karma. But I have no idea how it will be fulfilled."
Tianjing sighed and said, "It seems that this disaster is indeed difficult to escape."
"No wonder he got so strangely ill this time. That's why." The Holy Cemetery Emperor asked, "I've never heard him mention this before... He has always known that there would be such consequences, right?"
Tianjing: "Master Wu Jue is the one who started the formation. He must know the hidden cause and effect of this formation better than anyone else. I think he would know it."
"But he never mentioned it to me before." The Holy Ce Emperor said slowly, "Perhaps he was afraid that if he said it in too much detail, Ah Shang would have no way to hide. From the beginning to the end, he was thinking about Ah Shang's possible return. That day in Dayun Temple, when I was testing Ah Shang, he was also helping Ah Shang to deceive me."
The Emperor of the Holy Ce placed one hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, and his fingers, half-hidden by his wide robe sleeves, slowly stroked the golden dragon relief. He said, "In order to cover up for Ashang, he was willing to risk the crime of deceiving the emperor. He knew that this formation would backfire, but he was still willing to sacrifice his own life in exchange for Ashang's return—"
After a moment, the Holy Seal Emperor said, "This loyalty is worthy of admiration."
“Yes, in addition to this extreme passion and nature, Master Wu Jue’s courage and understanding to fight against the heavens are also the only ones I have ever seen in my life.” National Master Tianjing still couldn’t hide his regret: “Such a genius should have been able to display more... It’s a pity that he ended up in such a broken way.”
"No, being able to bring my son back is the greatest good fortune he could have shown." The Holy Ceremonial Queen did not feel any regret. On the contrary, she thought: "His death was worth it, and there is no possibility in the whole world that could be more worthwhile than this."
The emperor's tone was without any compassion or sigh. Even when he mentioned the word "my son", all Tianjing could smell was the political atmosphere of weighing the pros and cons. That atmosphere was colorless and tasteless, but it was icy and piercing to the throat.
Finally, the Holy Ce Emperor said: "I will have someone build another pagoda for Master Wu Jue on the back hill of Dayun Temple, and erect a monument and engrave an inscription to commemorate his merits."
After the monks of Dayun Temple passed away, their bodies were mostly buried in the monks' tombs in the back mountain. Wu Jue, the abbot of Dayun Temple, was no exception.
The difference is that the emperor would personally order the construction of a tomb tower for him to praise his name as a great monk to future generations.
"I want to see Master Wu Jue off for the last time." Tianjing said before leaving.
The Holy Ce Emperor nodded and said, "Go ahead, Imperial Master."
Just as Tian Jing was about to bow and leave, he suddenly heard the emperor ask, "Does the Imperial Master have any idea about the ominous star predicted by several immortals in Fengxian Palace in Luoyang?"
Half a month ago, a divination was sent to the capital from the Fengxian Palace in Luoyang. It said that with the guidance of the divine deer enshrined in the Fengxian Palace, it was predicted that the star of disaster would appear in the world and would clash with the emperor star, a very bad omen.
As war broke out, this prophecy was not made public, but it was a thorn in the emperor's heart. Xu Zhengye was dead, so who was this evil star referring to? Daozhou Bian Chunliang? Or those Li family members who were ready to make a move? Or...
Before such hexagrams, no emperor would not want clearer guidance.
If there were no clearer guidance, there would be many emperors who would rather kill someone by mistake than let him go by mistake. But that was a foolish act.
When mentioning this to Tian Jing, Emperor Sheng Ce once said: "I don't want to be a suspicious and foolish monarch. I have been forced to be suspicious and I really don't want to become a foolish monarch. So I ask the national teacher to help me, eliminate disasters and uphold justice, and seek a way to peace in the world together."
At this moment, Tianjing said ashamedly: "As for the theory of the evil star, I have not yet gained any information."
The Emperor of the Holy Ceremonies showed no sign of disappointment. He simply nodded and approved Tianjing's departure.
Watching the Taoist leave the inner hall, the Emperor of the Holy Ce shifted his gaze slightly and habitually fell on the incense burner.
She said to herself, "...No matter how Wu Jue tried to cover it up, I still recognized Ah Shang. Ah Shang is my own flesh and blood, born after ten months of pregnancy. She is incomparable to ordinary people. Even if she changes her appearance and disappears in the crowd, I can still recognize her."
"The blood relationship between mother and daughter is the deepest bond between heaven and earth, and it cannot be severed."
The Holy Ce Emperor closed his eyes a little tiredly, thinking of the controversy that Chang Suining had caused in the court for copying the collection of books without permission, and then he said slowly: "I still believe that my son must have come back to help me, and not to be a bad star who is my enemy."
Looking back on the past, one thing after another, from childhood to adulthood, every step that Ashang took had never disappointed her.
She could still recall the moment when she put the boy's clothes on Ah Shang, the ignorant Ah Shang assured her in a childish voice: "Don't worry, mother, Ah Shang will never let you down!"
It was like this then, and it was like this every time thereafter, and her children kept their word.
Later, the nanny who had been with her for a long time also sighed that His Highness was a good child, as if he was born to be a good child who would not disappoint anyone.
She thinks so too.
Now, she still wants to believe that Ashan will not let her down.
…
In Dayun Temple, everyone was busy in an orderly manner preparing for the abbot's funeral.
It is not suitable for the corpse to be exposed for too long in summer. The monk had no worries, so Wu Jue was put into the coffin in the afternoon of the same day. When he was put into the coffin, Tianjing was always by his side to see him off.
He has always had a feeling of sympathy towards Wu Jue. In his opinion, the two of them are fellow travelers and should have become close friends and shared the same aspirations. However, Wu Jue always had an inexplicable hostility towards him.
Tianjing often thought about when he had offended this person, but he could never come up with the answer.
Is it because of a desire to compete? No, there is no absolute fame, wealth or fortune, and the reason why I have been trapped here for all these years is nothing more than for the magic circle in the Tiannv Tower. Now the magic circle has become...
Thinking of this, Tianjing didn't know what he was thinking of. Looking at the coffin that was about to close, he raised his foot and walked forward.
The coffin lid was already halfway up, and Tianjing swung out his whisk, which landed on the edge of the coffin, and said goodbye, "May you have a good journey, my friend."
The monk beside him chanted: "Amitabha."
Amid the chanting of sutras, Tian Jing retracted his whisk and the coffin was completely closed. No one noticed that two long silver-white whiskers were left at the joint between the coffin and the lid.
…
On the eve of Wu Jue's burial, Qiao Yang, after finishing his duty at the Imperial College, changed into an inconspicuous outfit and left the house in a green donkey cart that was commonly used by servants in the Imperial College when going out to buy groceries.
The donkey cart stopped at the backyard of Dengtai Tower in the city. Qiao Yang got off the cart and knocked on the door. Soon, a servant opened the door from the inside. When he saw Qiao Yang, he was slightly surprised and quickly stepped aside to invite him in.
The backyard of Dengtai Building is separated from the front hall. It is the residence of the restaurant owner and the host. They do not usually receive guests. At this moment, after the servant closed the back door, he lowered his voice and asked, "...Qiao Jijiu, why did you come here in person?"
Dengtai Tower, as the secret base of the former Crown Prince, has survived until now because of its ten-year-long caution. Over the years, Qiao Jijiu and General Chang have rarely interacted with their boss privately. This is the first time that someone has come directly from the backyard.
"I'm here to see Meng Lie." Qiao Yang walked in and asked, "Is he in the building?"
"The boss..." The servant hesitated to speak, but still took Qiao Yang over.
Although Qiao Yang had worked with Meng Lie for many years, this was the first time he had set foot in Meng Lie's residence.
The friendship between Qiao Yang and Meng Lie was not very close. The former was a serious civil servant who graduated as a Jinshi, and eventually became a disciple of the late crown prince and a capable subordinate by his side; while the latter was born as a secret guard, and was later chosen by the late crown prince to be the leader of the secret line, while he used the identity of a businessman on the surface.
The two of them, one in the light and one in the dark, each have their own responsibilities, so they are destined not to have too frequent interactions.
After the death of the former crown prince, their interactions became even less frequent. Over the years, Qiao Yang had learned most of the things concerning Meng Lie from Wu Juekou.
Because of the existence of Dayun Temple, Meng Lie and Wu Jue have the closest contacts.
Qiao Yang had heard from Wu Jue that Meng Lie had no intention of getting married, and even though he had millions of dollars in wealth, he had no other thoughts except guarding the Dengtai Tower. But now that he had really come here, Qiao Yang suddenly understood what "no other thoughts" meant.
Following the servant all the way to Meng Lie's residence, Qiao Yang found it hard to believe that this simple and somewhat desolate courtyard was the residence of the great master of Dengtai Tower.
There is not a single luxurious object inside. If you want to say it is elegant, that is not the case. It is just simple, a pure simplicity.
Entering the room, Qiao Yang could smell the strong smell of alcohol. It was already dark. When the servant went to light the lamp, Qiao Yang helped Meng Lie, who had passed out drunk on the couch.
The servant lit the light, and the room became bright. Qiao Yang was startled when he saw the person he helped to sit up.
After just two days of not seeing each other...Meng Lie's hair suddenly turned mostly white.
The last sentence is added on purpose, there is no break! There will be more later, to make up for yesterday! But first say good night, go to bed early, Baoer, who sleeps early, and read it tomorrow~
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