After Puguo Temple was closed, its incense offerings never returned, and the monks and nuns lived in poverty.
The dimly lit and empty Great Yama Hall had many Buddha statues placed in front of the murals on all four sides.
Beneath the magnificent golden statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, a monk in a kasaya sits in meditation on a futon.
He didn't know how long he had been imprisoned. Four thick iron chains wrapped around the golden pillar, binding his entire body, but he remained calm and still. The light from the window shone on his face, but he showed no emotion.
After an unknown amount of time, the palace doors were opened, and two figures, one large and one small, walked in against the light.
Ayu followed her father in, curiously looking at the monk bound by iron chains, and kicked her little legs forward to touch him.
Yan Beimo lifted his son up and sat him on the golden platform in front of him. He looked at the monk with his eyes closed and spoke softly.
"This is the calamity you foresaw?"
The cold blade pressed against his neck, and the mage's eyelids twitched slightly as he slowly opened his eyes.
"Before the Buddha, please, Your Majesty, lay down your sword."
Yan Beimo loosened his grip on the knife slightly, and slowly squatted down to meet the man's gaze.
"She is dead."
The monk remained silent, gazing at his white hair with an expressionless face.
The knife at his neck tightened suddenly, and a faint trickle of blood seeped into his robe.
"You've miscalculated."
"Monks do not lie."
"Oh?" Yan Beimo smiled faintly. "Then, Master, why don't you help me divine where she is?"
The monk said, "You already have the answer in your heart, why ask this humble monk?"
"She perished in the snow cave. The bottom of the cave is very cold, and the icy seawater is like an abyss. Why don't you go and join her, Master?"
His face was terrifyingly calm, but the monk was not afraid. He held the prayer beads in his hand and spoke.
"Didn't you go to save them, benefactor?"
"I rescued her and brought her ashore."
The knife in his hand suddenly fell to the ground. He lazily sat down on the futon, his voice calm yet carrying an indescribable sense of unease.
"I sealed her heart meridian, but when I woke up she was gone."
"Therefore, you are afraid that what you will find is the bad news of your death, and that you will come to question me about what I have predicted."
The air remained silent for a long while.
Strands of light streamed through the windowpanes into the main hall, casting a soft glow on the surrounding Buddha statues, and even the man sitting on the ground seemed to be bathed in a hazy light.
Ayu sat on the golden platform, her chubby little hands touching the Buddha statue of Shakyamuni.
He stuck out his little bottom, trying to sit up and touch it, but he slipped and fell towards the Buddha altar.
A belt suddenly flashed out and caught him. In a flash, the small figure rushed over and was held in his father's arms.
Yan Beimo glanced at his son, whose eyes were wide open in his arms, his expression calm and indifferent.
Ayu was afraid of her father looking like this, so she pouted and lowered her head.
Yan Beimo picked him up, glanced at the monk sitting on the futon, and said calmly.
“The mage has calculated it all; these shackles will naturally disappear.”
On the sixteenth day of the first winter of the Jianyuan era, the Emperor of Daqi suddenly ordered the aristocratic families to send troops to Beiliang. That year, the capital of Beiliang experienced the most tragic year in its history.
More than a dozen cities at Xishan Pass were destroyed, and Yancheng, which had just entered the pass, was massacred.
The pass connecting Mohe in the north had its snow caves smashed to pieces by tens of thousands of soldiers, who knows what they were looking for.
In the Battle of Yancheng a month ago, the Great Qi was defeated. The Great Qi Emperor's first wife fell off the city wall and died. As the Great Qi army retreated, the Great Qi Emperor and his wife were chased and fell into a snow cave.
As soon as he woke up, he sent troops to Northern Liang. People spread rumors that the Emperor of Great Qi was retaliating against Northern Liang, which is why he carried out such a cruel and inhumane massacre.
Although the court officials in Jiankang disliked His Majesty's tyranny, his actions directly expanded the territory of the Great Qi, and no one in the court dared to complain.
With the backing of powerful families, he spent half a year joining forces with Beidu to destroy the small northern kingdom, and all the cities in the Tianshan area were occupied by Beiyou.
They secretly colluded with the King of Northern Frontier to create chaos among the kingdoms of the Western Regions, and took advantage of this opportunity to seize Northern Liang in one fell swoop.
The Emperor of Qi is still very young, attracting women from all over the world to admire his beauty, but his harem is still empty, and no one in the previous dynasty dared to speak out against it.
The imperial palace was a grand banquet, brightly lit as day. In the imperial garden, the bright moon shone, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the entire palace grounds.
Yan Beimo leaned back in his chair, glancing lazily at the woman at his feet.
Since the war in the north was temporarily quelled, the surrounding countries, ministers, and literati have presented countless young women to the emperor, but none of them have caught his eye.
This woman was someone who had collected portraits of beautiful women from all over the world, and she bore a resemblance to Princess Jinling from back then, which was presented to the Emperor of Qi.
"Your Majesty, this is a gift from the Gaoche tribe."
Yan Beimo didn't speak, but addressed the woman who was prostrate at his feet.
“Raise your head.”
"Your Majesty~"
The woman's name was Peony. She had received special training, had enlarged breasts and a slender waist, and possessed a fairy-like beauty. Every glance and smile of hers was like that of a captivating enchantress.
Yan Beimo stared at her face, momentarily lost in thought.
He leaned back in his chair, staring down at her.
Peony looked at the emperor before her and couldn't help but feel her heart flutter. The lord was right, the emperor of the Central Plains was indeed handsome, with three-dimensional and deep features, long legs and a narrow waist.
What a wonderful feeling it would be to have sexual relations with him.
But didn't you say that His Majesty of the Central Plains has white hair? No, he doesn't.
Never mind.
The thought flashed through her mind. She peeled open her clothes with her fingers, quietly pulling them down to reveal her breasts. Then she gently reached out and climbed onto the man's long legs, her expression alluring and seductive.
The adults said that as long as she followed the example of the woman in the painting, she could get close to the most powerful man in the world.
"Does Your Majesty wish to return to the palace? Peony will serve Your Majesty well~"
Yan Beimo looked at the infatuation in the woman's eyes, and a hint of disgust flashed in his own.
He pulled his leg back, picked up the golden goblet from the table, and poured it directly over her head in a low, lazy voice.
"Wake up."
"ah--"
Peony was shocked. She looked tremblingly at her jeweled hair being soaked with wine, her makeup smudged, her face flushed, and her eyes reddened.
The officials below who were presenting the offerings were also startled by this scene.
What did this brainless idiot do?
Yan Bei Mo looked at her makeup, which was smudged with wine, her face a jumble of colors, and said in a cold voice, "If you cry again, I'll kill you."
Peony's face froze instantly, and she dared not move again.
The lord clearly said that His Majesty likes to act pitifully and weakly towards him, and when necessary, to go against him and attract his attention.
Thinking about it, she felt like throwing a tantrum and getting up, but when she glanced at the indifferent man, she didn't dare to move.
"Take her away and wash her face clean."
Night Hawk immediately ordered his men to take her away and deal with her.
Upon hearing this, the adults who wanted to present the beauty to her were instantly intrigued and couldn't help but scrutinize the peony. However, they walked too fast and failed to notice her appearance.
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