Chapter 1229: The Queen's Kindness is Scary
The tense atmosphere in the capital began when the empress finished her rest and returned to the hall to start the morning court.
It was also after this morning court session that a somewhat relaxed atmosphere was restored in the capital's officialdom.
The main reason was that too many people had been arrested recently. Although it wasn't like before, where all the arrests were from the lowest rank, starting from the sixth rank, those were all low-ranking officials in the "cold palace" government offices, but there were still many people arrested. The officialdom was intertwined, and even if two people were far apart, they might have some evidence against each other, and those with guilty consciences were naturally afraid.
But to be honest, a lot of people were arrested, not just those who were confessed by those few people. Su Wenqing and others were really angry this time. All those who had some contact with Li Nishang and others before were secretly investigated by the people of Shen Ce Mansion. The severity of the investigation would depend on the situation.
Especially those who were controlled by others after being caught, such as An Shanbo, were investigated one by one by Wei Xuancheng himself, assisted by Su Ziyu.
Even some people were found in the palace, although not many, only six people were sent out of the palace.
But it was hidden too deeply, which made Sun Shanggong a little angry. After asking for permission from Su Changan, she insisted on investigating it again.
Aunt Sun's thoughts were simple. His Majesty and the Empress were in the palace. If someone wronged her, that would be disastrous! Furthermore, Su Changan had already handed all the palace servants over to her. If something went wrong, how would she explain it?
This is how things are in the officialdom, and most of the people in the underworld are just here to watch the fun.
But in fact, if people in the martial arts world are attentive, they will find that there are more unfamiliar faces around them, and there are also many more vendors walking around the streets every day, especially some of these vendors are even masters of the fifth or sixth rank!
The old Taoist priest went out today, not to find someone to drink with or anything like that, but mainly because he had a flash of inspiration this morning, and he clapped his hands and remembered that he was a Taoist priest.
So he packed up immediately and went to Yuqing Temple outside the city.
He has arrived at the Yuqing Temple, but he hasn't gone to worship for so many days. No wonder he has such bad luck when he arrived in the capital. His superiors must be unhappy, so can't they punish him?
The Prince of Yue's Mansion is very lively here, and many people from the martial arts world live here.
Xia Zhici didn't care about this. After all, he had only lived in this shabby place many times. Besides, it was so big, many people lived there, and it was popular.
The old Taoist priest didn't think anything of it and he was even happy to see so many young people.
But if you just go out and meet someone shameless, you will probably give him two little followers.
Just like today, when I was about to go out, I met Lian Xinglan who came from the Su Mansion. This dull man was not as smooth-talking as Yu Taohua, but he had just as many evil intentions.
Especially when he heard that the old Taoist priest was going to Yuqing Temple alone, the head of Tianzhi Pavilion immediately asked his two disciples, Yu Jin and Ke Xia, to follow him.
The old Taoist priest smiled, but did not refuse. To be honest, he was happy and comfortable having these two kids around him.
The two young swordsmen followed the old Taoist priest without any fear or trepidation. After all, they were the direct disciples of Tianzhi Pavilion. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and awe.
In Kexia’s words, this is the old Taoist priest!
That god!
Ke Xia followed behind the old Taoist priest, and kept pulling at his senior brother Yu Jin's clothes.
Yu Jin turned around and saw his junior sister winking at him.
Yu Jin tore off his clothes and ignored him.
Ke Xia stamped her feet, but when she saw the old Taoist priest looking back, she immediately smiled sweetly.
The old Taoist priest saw the little girl and said with a smile, "Your master once went to Longhu Mountain and asked me, 'What are immortals and what are gods?'"
Yu Jin immediately became very respectful, thinking that the old Taoist priest wanted to teach him.
Ke Xia also blinked, bit her lips, and waited carefully for the old Taoist priest's second half of the sentence.
The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "I asked him in return, 'You are asking me?'"
The brothers and sisters were stunned when they heard this.
The old Taoist priest continued, "His expression was the same as yours. Then, I said, 'I've never been a deity, so how would I know what a deity is? It's incomprehensible.'"
The brothers and sisters looked at the old Taoist priest, wanting to say something but stopping themselves.
Why is the old Taoist priest like this?
but
I don’t know how to refute it, because it seems to make sense.
However, Ke Xia looked at the old Taoist priest and said, "Ke Ke, you are the old immortal. There is still your ancestral hall in my hometown. My grandfather said that you passed by our place many years ago and saw bandits bullying our village, so you killed them and taught many people in the village to read and write. It was because of your teaching that my grandfather could work as an accountant and support his family. I often worship you."
The old Taoist priest looked at Kexia and asked with a smile: "What do you put in your mouth when you worship me? Fruit or meat?"
Ke Xia immediately said, "We have steamed buns, rice, noodles, fruits, meat, and everything else."
The old Taoist priest asked, "Have you ever eaten anything secretly?"
Ke Xia blinked and didn't know how to answer because she had eaten it secretly before.
The old Taoist priest laughed and reached out to touch Ke Xia's head. "Write to your family later and tell them that if you really want to worship me, don't prepare any cooked food or fruit. Just put some grass on the table. My old cow loves it. As for me, if I'm hungry, I'll find food on my own. If you're not hungry, putting so much on the table will make me feel uncomfortable."
Ke Xia nodded obediently, but she felt something was wrong, because what he said sounded like he was going to die.
The old Taoist priest doesn't say much.
Yu Jin, who was standing aside, looked at the old Taoist priest with even greater admiration.
My master once said, "Gods and immortals are originally mortals." I also heard the monk Baoxian, known as "Asura," say, "Buddha is not in the clay sculpture or the golden body."
Yu Jin is the one who reads the most among Lian Xinglan's disciples. The more he reads, the heavier his mind becomes because he thinks a lot.
Now he was looking at the old Taoist priest, thinking in his heart.
The old Taoist priest turned around and looked at Yu Jin: "Do you know why you can't break the eighth level?"
Yu Jin was stunned for a moment, and immediately bowed to the old Taoist priest: "Please give me some advice, old Taoist priest."
The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "If you think so much, it will be strange if you can break it."
Yu Jin was stunned and looked at the old Taoist priest who turned around and strode forward.
Ke Xia looked at Yu Jin and said, "That's right! I asked you to say something so that I could get the old Taoist's writing brush, but you didn't say anything and just made up your mind! Only if you can break it."
But when he got to this point, he saw his brother glaring at him and he got so scared that he ran away.
Senior Brother Yu Jin doesn’t pamper himself like Senior Brother Jian Yi does.
The three of them walked to Yuqing Temple.
After all, it wasn't that far. Along the way, the old Taoist priest would occasionally look at the passing vendors and ask Yu Jin if he could see anything.
Yu Jin just said that they were warriors, but he shook his head and felt strange about the details, because there were indeed many warriors among the peddlers and vendors. He even saw a warrior of the seventh rank who was as powerful as him selling stinky tofu at the west gate of the city.
But Xia was helpless and said something, "It must be the people who were hiding and watching those troublemakers."
Yu Jin shook his head, thinking it wasn't that simple.
Then the old Taoist priest smiled and said, "Those who think too much will have heavy hearts. People with heavy hearts will be more tired than anyone else whether they are practicing martial arts or being a human being."
No wonder Lian Xie Xi sent this kid to the capital instead of staying in a lawless place to watch that bastard Tao Hua use his sword.
Yuqing Temple is bustling with incense every day, with people coming from the capital or the counties and towns under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture in an endless stream, and even pilgrims from other places coming specifically to pay their respects.
It is also very normal for other fellow Taoists to come.
So when the old Heavenly Master came in, the Taoist priests at Yuqing Temple saw him and just bowed their heads without going forward to ask any further questions.
The main reason was that he had suffered a loss in the past. In the past, a Taoist boy thought he was a Taoist from Yuqing Temple and was too arrogant. He offended a Taoist who was dressed simply. However, he did not expect that this Taoist was of great origin and was a guest of honor of a noble in the capital.
The abbot of Yuqing Temple apologized quickly, and then the Taoist boy was sent to another Taoist temple.
After that, there was no more arrogant behavior.
Yuqing Temple has three entrances and three courtyards, which are also three main halls.
The front is where ordinary pilgrims come to pray and worship gods, the second is where fellow travelers come in, and the third is where the deceased family members are placed.
Su Changan's family lives here.
After the old Taoist priest handed the Taoist disc to the Taoist priest of Yuqing Temple, he took Yujin and Kexia to the second hall.
The main hall is not as grand as the previous one.
Whether it is the murals inside the hall, or the golden statues of the Three Pure Ones, there are other gods enshrined.
But without exception
The words "rich history" are everywhere.
This is the real main hall of Yuqing Temple.
Moreover, there are very few windows in the hall. Once you enter the hall, only sporadic sunlight comes in through the windows. There are several eternal lamps and incense trays hanging in the hall, but it is still dim.
But Xia originally wanted to go in.
But it was blocked by the embers.
Although Ke Xia was curious, he still nodded obediently and stole a glance at the old Taoist who was cleaning the Yuqing Temple on the side. He found that he was also standing outside the temple. Several people watched the old Taoist go in.
The old Taoist priest looked at the statue, smiled lightly, then turned and walked towards the miniature copy of the Chao Yuan diagram in the hall on the side.
Although it is smaller, it still occupies an entire wall. Although some of the wall paint has fallen off, the painting is still well preserved.
Every stroke is painted with cinnabar, and every stroke represents the Taoist's inner prayer.
There was once a child
In front of another Chao Yuan Tu, looking at the Emperor Wenchang, the Great Emperor Zhenwu and other earth and water gods in the painting, he asked, "What on earth are you?"
Now, thinking back to the questions he asked when he was a child, the old Heavenly Master looked at the Chao Yuan Diagram in front of him, although it was not as good as the one in the Heavenly Master's Mansion.
but.
What is the difference.
The old Taoist priest lowered his sleeves and looked at the immortals in the paintings.
The highest good is like water. This is what the old Heavenly Master realized when he saw the Chaoyuan Diagram in the Heavenly Master’s Mansion several years ago.
The shape of the army is like water. The shape of water avoids high places and moves toward low places. The shape of the army avoids the solid and attacks the empty.
When one person can change destiny, it is hard to say what the world will be like in the future.
Daxia's fate was forcibly changed because of one person. It seemed that it was just one person, but it was also because the people around him were influenced by that one person and worked together.
Neither is indispensable.
It is true that man can conquer nature.
If so
The old Taoist priest looked at the Chao Yuan Tu and smiled gently. When he was a child, a teenager, a middle-aged man, and an old man, he had different doubts when looking at this Tu.
Now, the old Taoist priest asked for no reason, "If man can conquer nature, then what is the difference between you and us?"
After a gentle smile, the old Heavenly Master looked at Emperor Wenchang, who was wearing a crown with tassels and holding a jade scepter, and said, "After all, you are just our creation."
As soon as the words fell
In the capital, whether it was Su Changan, the grandmother, or Yan Yunxiao, the old sword master all looked stunned and looked towards the Yuqing Temple.
However, the old Taoist priest gave a bitter smile. He raised his hand, then pressed it down with one hand, and then smiled bitterly: "You came as soon as you said it. It's just a few complaints from the old man. You are here for the third level of the inner demon, and I won't save you. What's the point of coming?"
Having said this, the old Taoist priest looked at another place in the picture.
"Senior Brother." Ke Xia looked at Yu Jin because of the strange behavior of the old Taoist priest just now.
Yu Jin nodded slightly and looked at the old Taoist priest with even more longing.
"When he was young, he held up fire to the origin and still looked up. When he was old, his figure became a shadow, as if he was among the immortals." The old Taoist priest who was simply dressed and sweeping the floor at the door murmured softly.
The old Taoist priest did not go to pay homage to the Three Pure Ones, but turned around and left after looking at the Chaoyuan diagram.
When they reached the temple gate, the old Taoist bowed to the old Heavenly Master again and said, "Fellow Taoist Tongtian, it's been many years since we last met."
The old Taoist priest returned the greeting and looked at the old Taoist priest: "Not many people know my crazy and rebellious Taoist name. Who are you?"
In the past, the old Taoist priest was young and frivolous. He went down the mountain to travel, but he felt that the word "Xianyang" was not majestic enough, so he called himself "Tongtian" to others.
The old Taoist looked at the old Heavenly Master and said, "In the past, in this Yuqing Temple, there was a Taoist boy who offended his fellow Taoists because of evil thoughts."
The old Taoist priest thought for a moment and looked at the old Taoist priest: "It's you."
The old Taoist bowed but said nothing.
The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "Without evil, where would good come from? Yin and Yang coexist. I'm glad that the evil was directed at me then, otherwise you wouldn't be the good you are today."
Upon hearing this, the old Taoist pondered the meaning carefully and bowed deeply.
The old Taoist priest was not bragging, but he was really telling the old Taoist about this matter. He was also telling the old Taoist that there was no need to worry about that matter, as he had forgotten it.
But if he really had forgotten, how could he speak as soon as it was mentioned? He was just relieved to see the old Taoist's current level of Taoism.
Without saying much, the old Taoist priest took Yu Jin and Ke Xia away from Yuqing Temple.
In the eyes of the old Taoist priest, this is considered as paying homage to the local tyrant, and I hope this bad luck will never happen to me again.
However, just after leaving Yuqing Temple, Xia looked at the old Taoist priest from Yuqing Temple who had escorted him all the way to the steps and bowed for a long time without getting up, then turned back to look at the old Taoist priest, seeming to want to say something but stopping himself.
The old Taoist priest saw it and said with a smile, "Girl, do you think people who have done evil should be forgiven?"
Upon hearing this, Ke Xia immediately said, "It depends on what evil things he did, and whether he did good things to make up for it."
The old Taoist priest asked in return: "Can evil deeds be made up for?"
Ke Xia nodded: "Do more good deeds."
The old Taoist priest asked with a smile, "What about the evil that has already happened?"
But Xia was about to speak when he didn't know how to answer.
The old Heavenly Master said, "It's true that we need to look at the nature of the evil, but we also need to look at who the evil is directed at. When that Taoist friend was young, he saw me dressed simply, in coarse linen, arriving at Yuqing Temple. He probably thought I was here to extort money. He also saw me being rude by looking at the Chao Yuan Diagram, and since he considered himself a Taoist from Yuqing Temple, he spoke harshly to me and even expelled me in public."
Yu Jin and Ke Xia suddenly realized that it was no wonder that the old Taoist wanted to apologize.
The old Taoist priest continued, "What do you think of his evil?"
Ke Xia thought for a moment and said, "It's harmless to others, but it's bad for you."
The old Taoist priest said, "So, I was lucky that his evil was directed at me. If it were any other warrior, would you have attacked him directly? Besides, in Daxia at that time, killing people was more common than it is now."
Ke Xia nodded immediately and said, "But if he is punished for his evil deeds, even if he is killed, I think it is right. After all, he did evil. However, it is good that he has been forgiven by you and has corrected his mistakes."
The old Taoist priest said, "No, it's not good. And I tell you, after he despised me, I stopped wearing straw sandals. He made me sad."
Ke Xia chuckled.
The old Taoist priest said, "So, his evil words made me change my words. This is evil. No matter how small or big the evil is, it's done. Even a single word is wrong. No matter how great a good deed you do, it can't make up for it. Conversely, if you do great good deeds and suddenly do something evil, you can't forgive his evil either. Good and evil don't exist in the same place and can't be compared."
Ke Xia nodded seriously, but after thinking for a while, he asked, "But if a kind person does evil, how can he do evil?"
The old Taoist priest smiled and said, "When you travel around the world and meet more people, you will understand. What I am telling you now is empty talk. It is better to see it with your own eyes."
Ke Xia nodded.
But the old Taoist priest smiled and said, "However, I know someone who shows his evil side to others, but even so, his evil is still likable."
But Xia and Yu Jin didn't understand at all.
Ke Xia said, "Showing your evil side to others, and still being liked?"
The old Taoist priest said, "Yes, if goodness degenerates into extreme evil, then it can't just be shown to others through ordinary evil."
But Xia didn't understand what it meant anymore, so she just looked at the old Taoist priest and said, "I don't understand, but...but if you show evil to others and still do good, suppressing the evil in your heart, then what comes out is not good?"
The old Taoist priest shook his head: "His kindness has changed. Moreover, if that kindness were to come out, it would cause great trouble. People would die. Many people, including me, an old man, were almost killed."
Kexia and Yujin looked surprised.
…
“A-choo!”
In Lingqi Pavilion, the Queen sneezed.
But just after he finished, he saw Xia Fengxiang looking at him, so he immediately said, "Can you please stop thinking about me secretly? Look, I'm sneezing."
Xia Fengxiang frowned and ignored this lunatic.
He didn't say what happened between him and Qi Pei, he just ran over and talked a lot.
bother!
Seeing Xia Fengxiang didn't move, Su Changan thought to himself that this method was indeed correct! I'll do it again next time! And it can also be used in many other places!
But just as I was thinking this, Wu Daming came.
She trotted into the yard and bowed to Su Changan, Xia Fengxiang, and Yan Yunxiao, who was in Lingqi Pavilion today.
Xia Fengxiang noticed that Wu Dameng had dark circles under his eyes and couldn't help asking, "Didn't you sleep well?"
As he said this, he motioned Wu Daming to come over.
Wu Daming nodded and said with a depressed look, "I dreamed last night that I passed the imperial examination and was so scared that I woke up. Since then, I haven't dared to sleep, for fear of failing the exam again."
…
PS: I fell asleep last night, so I didn’t update. I’ll make up for the long chapter with the second update yesterday.
Also, those who have subscribed can click on my author name, and there will be a God’s Light, so everyone can take advantage of it.
(End of this chapter)
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