Chapter 180 The Empress Comes Out
In the Zhai Garden.
After Master Dong angrily rebuked them, he ignored the group of people, turned his head to look at Zhao Duan, and said:
"Shenlong Temple won't even lead you to the inner garden? Come in with me."
Zhao Duan shook his head and said:
"I appreciate your kindness, Grand Master, but it's not necessary."
He now had some understanding. Perhaps, the Shenlong Temple’s top leaders did not want to invite him to today’s Dharma Assembly.
Instead, some enemies who were hiding in the dark and trying to set a trap for him smoothed out the relationship with Buddhism and then handed him an invitation letter.
His invitation today might have been decided by a middle-level deacon monk in Shenlong Temple.
If that's the case, why bother relying on outsiders to try to get ahead?
"I wanted to bring my aunt and sister to have some fun today, and didn't want to get into all this trouble, but now I don't feel like having fun anymore."
Zhao Duan was in a bad mood and smiled at the back:
"How about we go home and celebrate the holiday with our own family?"
The mother and daughter nodded vigorously.
In the past, they were full of filters for the literati in the capital, but today they realized that they were really boring.
As Dong Xuan said:
A despicable person, a flatterer.
When Grand Tutor Dong saw this, he just sighed and ordered Dong Da to send him off.
Then he glanced coldly at his colleague Chen Zhengru, snorted, and walked towards the inner courtyard.
Han Zhou, Wang You, Guo Jieyuan and other scholars now understood what had happened and walked away in a haughty manner.
No one dared to stop him.
Those intellectuals who originally wanted to come forward and curry favor with him also gave up.
The atmosphere was depressing. No one would have thought that the Grand Tutor would publicly support Zhao Duan, but when you think about it carefully, it is not surprising.
After all, this matter was caused by the descendants of the Dong family, so it is natural for the grandfather to come forward.
only……
"Zhao Duan contributed significantly to the formulation of the new policy? Even more than any other scholar? What's going on?"
Someone asked softly.
But no one answered.
The people from Xiuwenguan left, leaving behind a mess and more mysteries.
How could Zhao Duan, a cruel official and a military man, achieve such great achievements and win over so many talented people?
Even reversed the Grand Tutor's stereotype of warriors?
What is his right? What exactly is the New Deal?
They couldn't answer, but no one would doubt what Master Dong said.
Outsiders would fawn over and fear the power of the Zhao thief, but the Grand Tutor would not.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and many people left early, wanting to spread the news of what had happened here.
Chen Zhengru and the clown-like Xu Hanlin and others left in disgrace.
"Teacher, aren't you going back to the inner garden?" Xu Hanlin asked in a low voice.
Chen Zhengru walked away with a sigh, his eyes casting towards the depths of the Zhai Garden, thinking:
Mr. Li, I have already lost half my life's face today, and the Prime Minister cannot blame me.
Then I thought, where did this monster Zhao Duan come from?
Could it be that God is helping Your Majesty?
Looking at the students next to him, he became even more displeased:
"Look at them."
Xu Hanlin: ? ?
…
…
Zhao Duan left, but the aftermath had just begun to spread.
The inner garden of Zhaiyuan.
It is a separate villa. At this moment, there is a large pergola next to the lush and beautiful lotus pond.
The delicacies were neatly arranged, and monks and maids walked around alternately.
The seats under the pavilion were arranged in order of seniority. At this moment, all the high-ranking officials of the court had already taken their seats.
Chatting casually.
And sitting on the main seat in the middle was a monk in white robes.
He looks to be in his thirties, with soft and handsome features, a calm expression, elegant conversation, and he always smiles when he speaks.
Under the slightly sparse eyebrows are a pair of eyes as clear as a baby's.
Surprisingly, it was Abbot Xuanyin's "agent" walking on earth, famous for the line "Grass turns green in spring", a Buddhist master in the worldly realm, Monk Bian Ji.
Beside him, on his left and right were Mo Zhaorong, the "female prime minister" who represented the empress and participated in the ceremony.
As well as the Imperial Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate, Qingyi Yuan Li.
At this time, there was an empty seat next to Mo Chou, which was naturally prepared for Dong Xuan.
"By this time, the Grand Master must be arriving soon."
Mo Chou looked up, estimated the time, and said.
The handsome, elegant, and experienced man in blue clothes smiled and said:
"When I entered the garden, I saw many scholars gathered. I guess they all came to see the Grand Tutor. Haha, the Master's limelight is about to be stolen."
The white-robed monk smiled, appearing to be unconcerned.
Although he was a commoner, he had the air of a master while sitting with the officials in the court.
"Haha, Lord Yuan, you should wait until the Grand Tutor arrives before you say that."
During the banquet, the son of the Prime Minister, known as the "Little Cabinet Elder," who was now the Minister of the Ministry of Works, wore a crimson official robe, a black veil on his head, and had a feminine appearance. Li Yinglong said with a smile:
"Let's see how the Grand Master responds."
Li Yinglong, as Li Yanfu's "hand" controlling the "Li Party", and Yuan Li, who was in charge of the "Qingliu Party", were like water and fire in the court.
But since they were in Zhaiyuan, their conversation was naturally free of hostility.
Yuan Li smiled, but her eyes didn't care. He didn't think highly of Li Yinglong, and once privately commented on him as "ambitious but lacking talent".
As the son of the prime minister, Li Yinglong was intelligent, but most of his power depended on Li Yanfu.
"Speaking of which, His Majesty has been in seclusion this time and has not come. I didn't expect that the Prime Minister has not come to get together either." Yuan Li said casually.
A sentence that seems ordinary but contains hidden meaning.
By comparing Li Yanfu with His Majesty and devaluing him, the implicit meaning is:
Does your father, Li Yanfu, want to rival His Majesty? He wants to imitate His Majesty's absence? His Majesty sent Mo Chou to replace him, so you should also imitate your father...
He then casually told this to Monk Bianji, implying:
His Majesty values the Shenlong Temple, but he's in seclusion this year and can't attend. But that old dog Li Yanfu is too arrogant, clearly not giving Master Xuanyin face...
If Zhao Duan were here, he would understand immediately and secretly curse Yuan Li as an old scoundrel, saying that every word he said was full of traps.
But Li Yinglong was a little slow to react, and subconsciously said:
"My father has been ill for the past two days, so..."
He came to his senses halfway through his words, glanced at the white-robed monk with a spring-like smile, and the expressionless "Big Ice Piece", and said:
"I will be attending on your behalf."
This response was already inferior.
The Minister of Justice and Minister Wang of Rites who were sitting at the same table shook their heads slightly, thinking that the "young cabinet minister" was too young after all, and was not at the same level as the old villain Yuan Li.
If Li Yanfu were here, this would never happen.
Suddenly, a monk ran in at the gate of the villa and whispered something to a monk in charge of reception at Shenlong Temple with an anxious look on his face.
The monk in charge of reception had a slightly changed expression. He glanced towards the shed obscurely and whispered a few words of advice.
"Go and ask what happened."
Monk Bian Ji had a sharp gaze. As a worldly sorcerer, it was impossible for him to ignore such unusual movements, so he immediately called a young monk and gave him instructions.
The young monk went away in response, and returned a moment later, whispering:
"Reporting to the Master, there's a disturbance outside. It seems that Zhao Duan and the young master of the Dong family had a conflict, which attracted the attention of scholars."
His voice was not loud, but the officials present were close enough to hear fragments of his words.
"Zhao Duan? He's here too?"
Mo Chou was stunned for a moment. Although she was in Xiuwen Hall, she didn't know about this matter. She couldn't help but look at Monk Bian Ji.
Thought:
Doesn’t Buddhism emphasize the mind and nature, and keep a distance from the “King of Hell” in the imperial court?
Monk Bian Ji, dressed in white and with a demeanor as gentle as a spring breeze, frowned slightly. Given his status, he was naturally not responsible for the invitation.
But the name "Zhao Duan" is not unfamiliar to me.
"Clashing with the Dong family? Onlookers of scholars?"
Yuan Li narrowed his eyes, and the shrewd fox keenly smelled something strange.
However, the "young cabinet minister" Li Yinglong, who had just lost face, had a look of joy in his eyes, but he concealed it very well and pretended to be surprised.
Today's plan against Zhao Duan was definitely his work.
The method is crude, but often the cruder the strategy, the more effective it is.
Now it has obviously become... Given the temper and style of the Zhao thief, he will definitely fight back if provoked.
At that time, Chen Zhengru, who had been "ambushed" long ago and belonged to Li's party, would attack.
It just so happened that the scholars in the capital had been practicing martial arts against the Zhao bandits for a long time, and they had been planning for many days. All it took was a little ignition to start a prairie fire.
By then, the thief Zhao will have offended the Dong family, the Shenlong Temple, and even the Xiuwenguan, which represents scholars.
Once the old villain Dong Xuan confronts Zhao Duan, he will inevitably face a choice of which side to side with after the empress comes out.
This choice is not difficult to make.
The best part is that no matter what the empress does, it will cause at least one party to become disloyal. If she hesitates, there will be a rift between both parties.
Li Yinglong was quite proud of his plan.
"Please sit down for a moment, I'll go take a look." Mo Chou hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.
Although he knew that the relationship between Zhao Duan and Dong Xuan had long been eased, it would still be inappropriate if a rift arose because of a child.
Yuan Li pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't we go together?"
The other court officials were a little surprised. Seeing this, they also stood up and prepared to go and take a look together.
Monk Bian Ji also stood up. As the host, he had to appear on stage.
However, just as everyone was preparing to leave the garden, suddenly, a group of people came straight to the gate of the villa. It was the Xiuwenguan group.
"Grand Master?" Mo Chou was surprised and asked anxiously:
"We just heard that Zhao Duan and..."
In the crowd, Li Yinglong saw that Master Dong had a gloomy face, and he was delighted. He thought to himself that God was helping him, and it seemed that they had just happened to meet.
This was a better script than he had expected.
However, Dong Xuan only nodded, then shook his head and said:
"It was just a misunderstanding, it's all over now."
After a brief pause, the old man looked at the young elder with cold eyes and said quietly:
"I don't know who actually instigated my naughty grandson to cause trouble for Scholar Zhao. Fortunately, we arrived in time."
Li Yinglong's smile froze on his face in an instant.
Then, there was a deep confusion.
What is Master Zhao? Isn't he looking for trouble with Zhao Duan?
Is there anyone named Zhao in the Hanlin Academy? Could it be that I've found the wrong person?
Mo Chou exhaled silently and said with a smile:
"Nothing's wrong, that's good."
She vaguely guessed that what was happening outside must be very exciting, but it was not convenient to ask in detail at this moment. She turned her head to look at the white-robed monk and said:
"Mage..."
The white-robed monk named Bian Ji had just been listening quietly, with a strange look in his eyes.
It seems that I am a little curious about the name Zhao Duan.
Hearing this, just as he was about to answer, the young monk with a calm expression and eyes like a baby suddenly looked up and looked towards the direction of the imperial palace, with a swastika appearing between his eyebrows.
Flash by.
"I'm out..." he said suddenly.
What? Mo Chou and other officials were puzzled, but the next second, they all understood what Monk Bian Ji meant.
The Imperial Palace, deep inside the armory.
On the fifth floor of the attic left by Taizu, the old door was suddenly pushed open, and Xu Zhenguan, the Empress of Dayu, stepped out, letting the sunlight shine on her stunning face.
Xu Zhenguan narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, stretched her waist lazily, and ended her retreat of half a month.
He was one step closer to the true realm of heaven and man.
At this moment, his divine thoughts spread out, and the gods of heaven and earth were reflected in his eyes, and he murmured and sighed:
"There is no time in the pavilion, it is already the Ghost Festival."
With a thought, Xu Zhenguan took light steps forward.
The next second, the figure disappeared, leaving only the ancient courtyard of the armory, where Eunuch Hai, wearing a python robe, bowed and saluted:
"Your Majesty is welcome to come out of seclusion."
…
Zhaiyuan, inside the villa garden.
Everyone looked towards the imperial city.
In an instant, a golden light approached like a meteor, the space distorted slightly, and the Queen of Dayu took a step and arrived here.
Monk Bianji clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully:
"Your Majesty, I respectfully greet you."
Mo Chou's eyes lit up, and she also hurriedly saluted: "Your Majesty, please come out of seclusion."
Yuan Li followed closely behind, smiling: "Your Majesty, I respectfully welcome you..."
Dong Xuan, the ministers of various ministries, scholars such as Han Zhou, and even the dazed Li Yinglong, all bowed and greeted them with greetings.
Xu Zhenguan accepted it with pleasure, and landed slowly, like a fairy descending to the mortal world, and said with a smile:
"Gentlemen, please excuse your formalities. Today happens to be the Ghost Festival. How could I miss the Dragon God Ceremony? How is Master Xuanyin these days?"
This sentence is a dialogue between imperial power and Buddhism.
Represents an attitude.
Monk Bianji thanked him respectfully:
"The abbot is doing well. He is worshipping Buddha and compiling scriptures behind closed doors. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern."
Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly.
Similar to Zhang Yanyi, Xuan Yin, the abbot of Shenlong Temple, rarely appears in public and is in seclusion to strive for the "human immortal realm".
However, unlike the Tianshi Temple, the main Taoist temple that unified the Central Plains, the Shenlong Temple was a branch of the main sect in the Western Regions that took root in Dayu.
After a brief greeting, Xu Zhenguan asked curiously:
"Are you all going out just now?"
She felt a little surprised because the time for the sermon was far from over.
"this……"
Everyone looked at each other, and finally, they all looked at Grand Tutor Dong.
Grand Tutor Dong had not expected that the Empress would come out today... Presumably, it was also to not miss the Ullambana Festival and maintain the relationship between imperial power and Buddhism.
He immediately said, "I, your Majesty, have something to report to you. It concerns both the new policy and Zhao Du'an."
he?
What does it have to do with the new policy?
Xu Zhenguan frowned, feeling a little worried. Could it be that during the few days he was in seclusion, the little imperial guard had caused trouble again and offended Grand Tutor Dong?
If the Grand Tutor complains to me, it will be troublesome...
Thinking of this, the empress nodded slightly and said to the monk Bianji:
"Mage, please do as you please."
Then, he waved his sleeves, and in an instant, with his martial arts skills that were almost like magic, he brought Dong Xuan and appeared out of thin air in a quiet Zen room in the Zhaiyuan Villa.
"What does the Grand Tutor want to report? It's only been over ten days. Could something have gone wrong with the new policy?" Xu Zhenguan asked worriedly.
The old man calmed down and said slowly:
"Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand. Far from being flawless, the new policy has been finalized. The final draft is now in the Xiuwen Hall and can be reviewed by Your Majesty at any time."
Xu Zhenguan frowned and said:
"Did you use Han Zhou's Ten Strategies?"
After all, she was somewhat dissatisfied with the ten strategies.
The old man shook his head and said calmly:
"What we are using is the Zhao family's three golden strategies."
Zhao family?
Xu Zhenguan was stunned.
…
On the other side, on the streets of Beijing.
Zhao Duan declined Dong Da's offer to see him off in person and took the women in his family back home by car.
Compared to the anticipation when we left, the atmosphere when we came back was even more lively.
Eugene Hua and Zhao Pan opened their eyes wide, looking at Zhao Duan as if he were a rare treasure, as if they didn't recognize him.
Eyes full of admiration and worship:
"So, Dalang (Big Brother), you really became a bachelor?"
"To be precise, it's a temporary worker, um, an extra-staff position." Zhao Duan corrected.
It was impossible for him to really study in the Wenguan and deal with documents and memorials all day long, and he did not expect to be recognized by scholars after this incident.
Compared to the status of a bachelor, what he cared about more was always...
"Huh?" Suddenly, Zhao Duan looked up and looked towards the direction of the imperial palace.
"What's wrong?" asked the second girl.
Zhao Duan shook his head and asked doubtfully:
"It seems as if my eyes are dazzled. I just saw a flash of light passing by in a flash."
"Where is the light..."
"Big Brother is lying again... just like before, when he hid his identity as a bachelor."
"..." Zhao Duan shrugged. Never mind if he didn't believe it. Maybe...
It was indeed me...
You must have seen it wrong.
He leaned on the soft pillow in the carriage and said lazily:
"go home."
(End of this chapter)
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