Chapter 389 Boudoir Joy (5k)
The first snow of the third year of Tianfeng came a little earlier than in previous years.
After pinching Zhao Duan in revenge for a while, the empress finally snorted coldly and left angrily.
Zhao Duan stayed in the palace that night. After a good night's sleep, his injuries gradually stabilized under the effect of the palace's medicine.
But the full force of the Great Pure Master's attack was not so easy to eliminate after all.
The next day, Zhao Duan was sent back home in a sedan chair.
The empress waved her pen and not only postponed the agreement to arrest Zhuang Xiaocheng until after the New Year, but also gave him a long sick leave.
The imperial court's series of "Buddhist ban" actions against Shenlong Temple were also in full swing, and this first snow added a touch of chill to this winter.
…
In the blink of an eye, several days passed. The snow stopped and fell, and it formed a continuous piece without a break.
Outside the Beijing dock, an official ship returning from the south cut through the wind and waves and slowly entered the port.
on deck.
Eunuch Hai stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the towering city walls in the distance, his face looking a bit older.
"Send the order to pack up and prepare to enter the city."
Behind him, the female detective Si Haitang said "hmm" in a depressed tone, but did not move. Instead, she asked sadly:
"Once we get ashore...how do we report?"
Eunuch Hai was silent for a moment, then managed to raise the corners of his mouth:
"This is not your concern. I will send you back to the government office first, and then I will go to the palace to apologize to His Majesty."
"But..." Haitang's nose seemed to be blocked, and she choked a little.
Eunuch Hai reached out and patted her shoulder, then turned around and saw that the atmosphere on the cabin deck was extremely depressing, even mixed with a bit of fear.
Ji Yue, who suffers from severe social anxiety, and the drunk Lang Shiba stood nervously at the cabin door, wanting to escape but not daring to.
Hou Renmeng, Chen Juan and other Jinyi officials in Lihua Hall were all as sad as if they had lost their parents.
The elite imperial guards also hung their heads, showing no joy of triumph at all.
On that day, after Zhao Duan was assassinated, Eunuch Hai and others besieged Master Dajing and, as expected, gained the upper hand. However, Master Dajing was determined to escape and finally escaped at the cost of being injured.
Everyone was anxious to find Zhao Duan and had no intention of getting entangled with him, but after searching the area around the dock, they still couldn't find Zhao.
There was only a human-shaped pool of blood on the ground.
"Lord Zhao was beaten to ashes?"
This was the idea of a group of people at the time, but the idea was too absurd and was quickly rejected by them.
Not to mention the Great Master, even a powerful person in the realm of heaven and man cannot evaporate a person directly.
After much thought, the most likely possibility is "kidnapping", just like when the smoke covered the lake and the sorceress kidnapped Zhao Duan.
Several people suspected that it was the monk Dajing who used some kind of magic to take away the seriously injured Zhao Duan's body.
This was a relatively reasonable guess, but no matter how hard they searched, they could not find any trace. In the end, they could only continue north and return to Beijing to report.
Regardless of whether Zhao Duan was beaten to death on the spot or kidnapped, his fate would probably not be much better.
Along the way, the atmosphere on the boat was solemn and depressing. Everyone was ordered to protect Zhao Duan, but ended up with this result. They all knew that they would be severely punished once they returned.
But under the supervision of Eunuch Hai, no one dared to run away...
"Okay, the fault for Zhao Duan's disappearance lies with our family, not yours. We will apologize to His Majesty when we enter the palace later and will not implicate you." Eunuch Hai said calmly.
At this time, the official ship docked.
The group landed, entered the city gate smoothly, and walked silently on the main road of the capital, which was covered in snow.
No one was in the mood to appreciate the snow scene.
Before entering the palace, they passed by the imperial court first. Eunuch Hai turned a few steps and prepared to send Haitang and others back first.
When the group arrived at the gate of the imperial yamen, they were still a long way away, so they informed the gatekeeper. When Ma Yan, who was sitting in the Governor's Hall, learned about it, he immediately dropped his hot tea and went out to greet them with a smile on his face.
"Haha, Hai Gongsheng, you guys are finally back. Why didn't you notify us in advance?"
Ma Yanwang, with his thin face and cold temperament, rarely showed a warm smile. He glanced around and asked curiously, "Didn't Zhao Duan come with you?"
As the governor, Ma Yan certainly knew that Zhao Duan had already returned to Beijing.
So what he meant was that he thought Zhao Duan would go to greet them first and then come together.
But when these words fell into the ears of the crowd, they took on a completely different meaning.
"Governor..." Suddenly, sobbing sounds were heard from the crowd. They were several Jinyi officers from Lihua Hall. When they saw Ma Yan, their eyes suddenly became red. Even a troublemaker like Hou Renmeng had tears in his eyes.
Ma Yan was stunned: "What are you doing..."
At the critical moment, Haitang, the head of the Narcissus Hall, bit her lip, stepped forward, lowered her head, her eyes slightly red, and choked with sobs:
"Lord Governor, I...we have failed His Majesty's grace and failed to protect Lord Zhao...Zhao Duan...he may be dead!"
After these words were spoken, the group of people in brocade clothes from the Pear Blossom Hall fell to their knees, all in an attitude of apologizing.
The imperial guards at the back panicked when they saw this and knelt down in confusion.
He said, "Please punish me, Governor!"
Ma Yan's expression froze, and then his eyes gradually became strange. He glanced at the grief-stricken Shen Juan and others, then at the silent Eunuch Hai, and Ji Yue and Lang Shiba who were trying hard to reduce their presence...
"Don't you know yet?" Ma Yan tried hard to suppress his instinctive reaction of laughing on his serious face.
"Know what?" Haitang was confused.
Ma Yan said seriously:
"Zhao Duan returned to Beijing a few days ago. Although he was injured, he received timely treatment and is now recuperating... He is not dead, nor is he missing..."
Eunuch Hai was stunned.
Haitang's little mouth opened slightly.
Under Ji Yue's long black hair, her ears suddenly stood up, and Lang Shiba next to her also showed a look of surprise.
Gah——
As for Hou Renmeng and others who were kneeling on the ground, it was as if the pause button was pressed. They all raised their heads and looked at Ma Yan in surprise.
"Master...you mean..."
Ma Yan was at a loss for words and could only give a brief description of what had happened. He roughly talked about how Zhao Duan escaped with the help of the imperial talisman bestowed by His Majesty, and how the Empress banned Buddhism and chopped off the three swords of Xuan Yin in front of the whole city.
"So, Zhao Duan is okay?!" Haitang's blocked nose was suddenly cleared.
Ma Yan smiled and said, "It's okay. I thought he had already met you."
"Is he in the yamen?" Haitang asked a stupid question.
Ma Yan shook his head and said, "He came this morning and left with Xiao Wang, saying he was going to the Tianshi Mansion."
…
…
After a winter snow, the huge bell tower in the Tianshi Mansion was also covered with white frost.
Zhao Duan took a carriage and arrived at the Tianshi Mansion with gifts, ready to visit Zhang Tianshi.
Upon hearing the news, Gongshu Tianyuan immediately came out and invited him to sit down in his workshop.
"I should have come here a few days ago, but my injuries were still quite serious at the time. My family wouldn't let me go out, and because things were unsettled at Shenlong Temple, I postponed my visit for a few days. Now that my injuries have stabilized, I wanted to come and thank the Heavenly Master in person."
In the reception hall, Zhao Duan sat on a brown wooden chair and said with a smile.
The coachman Xiao Wang who followed put the gift boxes on the ground, then walked out sensibly.
"Thank you, Master?"
The chubby little Gongshu Tianyuan sat opposite.
After winter, this guy has gained a lot of flesh, which looks very festive. He was surprised and asked back.
As a tech geek, Gongshu Tianyuan turned a deaf ear to what was happening outside. He only knew that Zhao Duan was assassinated by Da Jing, and had no idea that the little Taoist priest had taken action in Yansuo Lake.
"Well, it was probably because the Heavenly Master took care of me during my last business trip." Zhao Duan explained casually.
Gongshu Tianyuan did not ask any more questions and said with a smile:
"Brother Zhao, please wait here for a moment. I have already sent someone to inform them. If Master is willing to see you, he will reply."
Alas, Lao Zhang has become arrogant. He is no longer the Lao Zhang who would block me for no reason on my way home... Zhao Duan sighed.
Gongshu Tianyuan was very excited. He talked to him about the previous ice-making business and the progress of the Firearms Bureau in Shenjinying. Finally, he said:
"I've basically mastered the equipment you sent me last time, the one for pumping water from mines. I'm just waiting for mass production to see how it works."
Zhao Duan couldn't help but marvel at this guy's work efficiency. At the same time, he keenly sensed that Gongshu Tianyuan's magic power seemed to have increased a lot:
"Brother Gongshu is not far from entering the secular realm."
Gongshu Tianyuan's fat face showed a proud expression, and then he said with deep affection and loyalty:
"This is all thanks to Brother Zhao for helping me. Oh, and I also prepared a gift and was just about to give it to Brother Zhao. It's a new creation of mine."
As he said that, the short and fat young man stood up, walked to the next room and brought out a blanket...or rather a small quilt.
"Is this also a talisman?" Zhao Duan was stunned.
At first glance, it was indeed a small quilt, but the patterns on it were actually outlined with cinnabar used for drawing talismans.
Gongshu Tianyuan raised the corner of his mouth and said with a smile:
"Isn't winter here? Brother Zhao, with your cultivation, isn't afraid of the cold, but I'm sure your family members are. I've named this 'Bliss of the Boudoir'. As long as you put it on, it will release a constant flow of warmth..."
Boudoir Joy... What a lame name, an electric blanket from another world... Zhao Duan was too tired to complain.
Gongshu Tianyuan was excited to show his latest invention to his "friends":
"I'll show you right now!"
Just then, a few young priests passed by the courtyard. Gongshu Tianyuan stepped out with a quick step and greeted them warmly:
"Fellow junior brothers, I have something here that I would like you to help test..."
Before he could finish his words, the young priests showed fear on their faces and fled away. After they had gone, the voice slowly drifted over:
"Brother, this is a masterpiece. We are not worthy enough to enjoy it. Please find someone else who is more skilled!"
This scene gave Zhao Duan a toothache. He wondered how dangerous the talisman made by this fat man could be to scare people like this...
Suddenly I recalled the last time the other party showed me those strange inventions.
Gongshu Tianyuan was displeased and walked back, sitting down, and draped the "Boudoir Joy" over himself, wrapping it up carefully and saying earnestly:
"Let me demonstrate it to you, Brother Zhao. Just put it on like this, without any manipulation, and this charm will heat up on its own, making you feel like you're in a hot spring, completely unaffected by the cold..."
Zhao Duan looked expressionlessly at the chubby boy's gradually reddening face, the beads of sweat rolling down his face, and the wisps of smoke gradually rising from his hair...
He gently reminded: "Brother Gongshu, your hair is on fire..."
Gongshu Tianyuan: ? ? !
When Jin Jian, wearing a black priest robe, with a petite figure, delicate features, and a temperament like a night elf, appeared in the workshop courtyard.
What he saw was the disheveled Fifth Brother struggling to put out the burning quilt in the main hall with the door open.
"..." Jin Jian was startled and used both hands to carefully wipe away the white mist that suddenly appeared on the lenses of his glasses on his nose. Then he cautiously took two steps back, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"What are you doing?"
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up. It had been a while since he had seen the young priestess. Just as he was about to explain, he saw Gongshu Tianyuan with burnt hair and a blackened face, running away in embarrassment, leaving behind a sentence:
"Junior sister, please entertain Brother Zhao for me. I'm going to change my clothes..."
Jin Jian covered his face silently, feeling that the dignity of the Tianshi Mansion had been completely lost.
After the troublesome people left, Zhao Duan looked at Jin Jian, whose cultivation had also improved greatly, and said with a smile:
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Jin Jian walked into the room and took off his glasses. His eyes lost focus again and he looked dazed. "Ah? Long time no see?"
She doesn't keep track of time much.
"...You don't wear glasses anymore?" Zhao Duan awkwardly restarted the topic.
"There will be fog after winter!" Jin Jian said confidently.
...Okay, this is indeed a difficult problem, but can't you warlocks make a spell array like "defog" or something... Zhao Duan complained silently.
Jin Jian was not one for small talk, so after sitting down he said seriously:
"Master said that I will accept it as a thank you, but please take the gift back."
Don't accept gifts? Are you sure these are the exact words of Lao Zhang, the freeloader?
Zhao Duan was incredulous. He could only conclude that, as the public Heavenly Master, Lao Zhang needed to maintain his status... Thinking about it this way, he was being ignorant. Gifts should be given privately. This time, he was a little too revealing...
Alas, Secretary Zhao, how could you make such a low-level mistake?
Is it because as one’s status rises, one’s sense of crisis decreases and one loses the mentality of walking on thin ice?
Zhao Duan silently reflected on his situation, then suddenly asked, "Is the Heavenly Master receiving anyone else?"
When will a leader sternly refuse a gift?
Most likely when there are outsiders present.
Jin Jian was greatly shocked, thinking that he was so smart. He clearly didn't reveal a single word, so how could this person guess it?
"Who is the Taoist priest receiving?" Zhao Duan asked curiously.
Jin Jian shook his little head like a rattle: "No, absolutely not."
She keeps her mouth shut!
Zhao Duan looked regretful and sighed, looking at the pile of gift boxes on the ground, he sighed:
"If that's the case, forget it. I was originally thinking that since I couldn't carry all these boxes, I was going to give Priest Jin Jian some hard work fees. Unfortunately, since the Heavenly Master refused to accept it, I can only give up."
As he spoke, he took out a thick roll of silver notes that smelled of ink from his sleeve, which weighed several thousand taels.
Jin Jian's astigmatism eyes suddenly straightened!
She opened her mouth and stretched out her hands to grab the air. Like a fish out of water, her rosy face visibly withered.
I knew that everyone has weaknesses... Zhao Duan pretended to put the banknote away and said casually:
"However, if the priest is willing to tell..."
"Big Brother! Zhong Pan!" Jin Jian spoke without any psychological burden, pouring out the words, "Big Brother is back, and he's talking to Master."
Zhong Pan? The "little celestial master" who, according to the intelligence, intercepted Nagarjuna at Yansuo Lake?
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes. If the little Taoist priest had returned, did that mean that Nagarjuna Bodhisattva had also returned to Beijing?
This means that the Western Regions delegation should be arriving soon.
Jin Jian happily grabbed the thick roll of banknotes, counted them one by one with his saliva, and became happier the more he counted.
"Huh? Brother Zhao has given you the dividends." Outside the door, Gongshu Tianyuan, who had changed into a new robe and tidied his hair, walked in.
Jin Jian looked up blankly: "Dividends?"
Gongshu Tianyuan nodded and said, "Yes, this is your share of the remaining money from the saltpeter ice-making formula."
So... this is my money?
Jin Jian stared at the banknote in his hand and suddenly felt that it was not so good anymore.
…
…
Deep in the Tianshi Mansion, in the courtyard where a large banyan tree grows.
There was not a speck of snow in the entire yard, and green grass was growing on the ground, as if under the protection of the big banyan tree, this place had its own four seasons.
Zhang Yanyi, tall and with narrow features, sat in a bamboo chair, his hands folded as he examined the ferocious-looking "Little Heavenly Master" Zhong Pan, who was carrying the scarlet Red Tide Sword, and said with a smile:
"You haven't been back for a long time. It seems you have gained something."
Zhong Pan held the purple clay teapot respectfully, poured tea and water for the old Taoist priest, and said politely:
"I am a slow learner, barely making any progress. I wonder how the rest of you are doing?"
Zhang Yan sighed and said sadly:
"They haven't been back for a long time. I don't know where they are wandering now. The New Year is coming to an end in two months, and they don't want to come back either."
Senior Brother Zhong Pan said, "I think they are also holding back their energy, hoping to make a breakthrough and come back to see Master."
"You, just make up for it for them," Zhang Yan snorted.
Zhong Pan asked curiously:
"Master, what is so special about Zhao Duan that you want me to protect? Is he worth the risk of intervening in the court's secular power struggle?"
If we look closely into the assassination at Yansuo Lake, it can be seen that the Tianshi Mansion has already interfered in the court affairs.
It was only because the person who was intercepted was Nagarjuna, who was also a "worldly" cultivator, and because the two of them were not openly involved, no one investigated further.
The Tianshi Mansion has been passed down for thousands of years and has been able to stand firm to a large extent due to the rule of "not interfering in secular affairs".
Zhang Yanyi was silent for a moment and said:
"As for Zhao Duan...I can't really say for sure. I can't see clearly and figure it out."
Zhong Pan was shocked. There were countless people in the world, but who could be so unknown to his own master?
"Master, there is a reason for what you do. But..." Zhong Pan hesitated.
"Zhao Duan is ultimately a member of the imperial court. This time, it's fine. But next year, when the Empress has been on the throne for three years and her dragon energy is stable, and she can leave the capital, I'm afraid the situation in the world will change drastically again..."
If the empress really wants to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Luoshan Mountain and seek a breakthrough... it won't just be a royal dispute. Qingshan, Shenlong Temple, and the Western Regions Ancestral Court are all uncertain whether they will intervene... If Zhao Duan gets involved, then we..."
Zhang Yan raised his gaze, without answering his eldest disciple's question. His eyes seemed to penetrate through the numerous buildings and cast towards the west, saying:
"People from the Western Regions have entered the city."
…
At the west gate of the capital, the gatekeeper was directing his soldiers to clear the snow when he saw a convoy slowly approaching from outside the city.
——
ps: Writing chapters is a daily routine, slowing down the pace.
(End of this chapter)
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