"Since I am no longer a member of the mortal net, why should I use the old name? Let's change it."
“Yes.”
The sun was setting in the west. The mountains were covered with dense trees and dark shadows. The two of them walked down the mountain. Shao Zhou did not mind talking about the anecdotes and political opinions of the country in recent years. When Taoist Qinghui heard him talk about killing the white horse and changing Shaoxing, he could not help but interrupt him and said, "Did the emperor really say that? What kind of person is it to scold the two saints in person?"
"Yes, during the Jingkang period, the two emperors abandoned the country. Even though they were fathers and brothers, the emperor hated them deeply. In the White Horse incident, they also expelled more than 70 ministers who wanted to negotiate peace with the Jin Kingdom. They would not stop until they were willing to plow the fields and sweep the holes."
"This official is not the official of Zhao Song at all." Taoist Qinghui suddenly stopped and looked at the lonely stars in the sky. He then glanced at Shao Yun who was frightened by these rebellious words, and then slowly added, "It is the stars in the sky who have come down to earth."
They walked slowly along the way, and it was already evening when they entered the city. Although Shanzhou was not as prosperous as the capital Tokyo, it was also a city with pearl curtains and embroidered foreheads, and pavilions. Now that the cities ahead were being recovered one after another, the night was not as strict as when the war just started, and lights were bright everywhere. Many shops and markets were open for business, and there were pedestrians and ladies on the road, and carriages and horses were bustling about. Shao Zhou glanced at Taoist Qinghui, and saw that he seemed to be more familiar with the streets than himself. Every time he moved, he did not hesitate. In this prosperous market, he was the only one who was cold and aloof. No one greeted this lonely figure, and no one cared where this Taoist was going.
"Alas..." When they reached the foot of Yangjiao Mountain, Taoist Qinghui sighed, "Last time you told me that the 'Qingyu Case' written by Emperor Zhao was a wonderful poem, but it has not been copied for me until now."
Shao Zhou hurriedly replied, "Why not bother you tonight? I will carefully copy all the poems I have written in recent years for you to read."
Taoist Master Qinghui did not comment, but just went up the mountain path.
Shao Zhou naturally followed closely behind. The mountain path was narrow, so the two of them could only pass forward and backward. After walking for dozens of steps, they heard the Taoist in front of him talking to him, "I am an unlucky person, and you said you were weak. The copper seal you picked up when you saved me that day should be thrown away or buried as soon as possible, so that it won't harm you."
Shao Zhou heard him talk about himself slowly, his tone was as dull as a dead tree, he couldn't help choking up, wiped his eyes with his sleeves and replied: "General, don't say that. If you are an unlucky person, who earned this peaceful situation?"
Before he finished speaking, he was hit on the head. The man in front of him said sternly, "Of course, it was the work of the local government, your governor, other generals, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the imperial camp for nine years. Who am I? I am just a lonely ghost in this world. You are ruining my luck in reincarnation by saying this!"
No one spoke for a while. After walking for a few more miles, Shao Zhou rested several more times than Taoist Qinghui, and finally stopped at the top of the mountain. Taoist Qinghui saw that everyone was silent, and then he explained, "There is another reason why I asked you to bury it: that private seal was carved and given to me by my father. All the generals see the seal as an order. If you accidentally discard it and someone with ulterior motives picks it up, it will bring disaster to Li Jiedu. Do you understand?"
After hearing this, Shao Zhou replied politely: "Yes."
The Lu Zu Temple was just a few small white walls and a low wooden door. In the courtyard, there were towering pines and cypresses, and flowers and grass covered the ground. At this time of year, the magnolias were in full bloom, clustered together, growing on the branches like jade and snow, and falling on the steps, leaving a fragrance in the wind and dew. Taoist Qinghui opened the small lock on the door knocker and motioned Shao Zhou to go in. He stood at the steps, watching the flowers under the moonlight.
The room was completely dark. Shao Zhou rubbed the flint from his bosom, fumbled to light the tinder, and then lit the candle before he could see the surroundings. The room was extremely simple, with only a curtain, a couch, and a desk. The bedding and curtains on the couch were made of the most common blue-dyed cloth, washed clean and dust-free, with a few spots already stained white. Even ordinary people's homes were more comfortable than this, quiet and simple like a snow cave.
Shao Zhou went to the desk to look for a brush and ink, and when he flipped through the pages, he found a thick stack of ink-stained papers. He picked it up curiously and looked at it. It turned out to be the Northern Expedition Manifesto issued by the imperial court to the world. Each page was written in neat and elegant small regular script. Using ink dipped in gold dust, it was written word by word. I don't know how much effort and eyesight the writer must have spent. He held it in his hand, flipped through a few pages, and then looked at it again hurriedly. Sure enough, there were thousands of pages, including dozens of rolls of paper that had been tied up by the wall. They all said the same thing:
"Wu Hou's "The Second Memorial to the Emperor" describes Zhaolie's ambition, saying: 'Han and thieves cannot coexist, and the king's cause cannot be half-hearted'. If the shame of Jingkang is not redeemed, I will feel ashamed every time I call myself the Son of Heaven; if the two rivers are not returned, it is also ridiculous for you to call yourself Han ministers. Therefore, the Northern Expedition is related to the foundation of the country. If we have not established a peaceful world, how dare we call ourselves the descendants of the Three Kings? If we do not inherit the territory of Han and Tang, how can we continue the rule of China?
Shao Zhou held the sutra in his hands and recited it unconsciously. He did not realize that his hands were shaking. Although his voice was low, it was heard by Taoist Master Qinghui who was standing in front of the door.
"Keep reading, read loudly." The man brushed the fallen flowers on the stone lion in front of the steps with his sleeve, and sat down. "The people in heaven want to listen."
Shao Zhou was already in tears without realizing it. He raised his voice, and every word and sentence he spoke was like a fire burning his blood, almost boiling it dry, as if the unyielding fire would not subside until his skin, flesh and bones turned to ashes.
"Nine years have passed since the establishment of the Jianyan Dynasty. The ruler and his subjects are one, and they tolerate each other for the sake of the country. The cycle of destiny brings progress. Now the imperial Song Dynasty has regained its strength, and its military is well-trained. We have the left, right, front, rear, center, cavalry, water, and sea troops of the imperial camp, totaling 300,000 people. We have also raised 500,000 men from the Central Plains and Guanxi. We have loyal ministers and elite soldiers, and we are so powerful that we have never seen such a grand event before! We should be brave and fight bravely, recover our homeland, drive out the barbarians, restore China, establish rules and regulations, and save the people."
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