In the following days, the White Horse Temple became a training base. The monks began to practice bowing in full swing. From Hong One to Hong Fifteen, they were trained by Yang Fan and Chu Kuangge every day. At night, they would fall asleep as soon as they lay on the bed. They no longer had the time to stir up trouble on the street.
Only the "caddie" Yi Zhuo seemed to be more relaxed than them. Wasn't it just picking up the ball? The ball would not always be kicked out of the court. Occasionally, he would move his body, eat more, and sleep better.
Not only did Yang Fan teach the monks to play, but he also learned how to play.
In order to get help from Xue Huaiyi, who was not a real monk, Yang Fan deliberately hid his incompetence in front of him. He did not expose the fact that he was not familiar with bowing and bowing. Now that Chu Kuangge was here, he needed to cram on this knowledge and familiarize himself with the rules of this competition.
Especially horsemanship. To play polo, one must have superb horsemanship. Horsemanship was not only about riding a horse and galloping. It also required great proficiency in all kinds of horsemanship skills such as striding, running, jumping, turning, and so on. However, Yang Fan lacked even the most basic horsemanship skills.
The last time he went to Mengjin to assassinate Qiu Shenji, he had prepared a horse early. He was slightly familiar with horsemanship, and the saddle was padded with a thick mattress. Even so, he almost fell apart after running wildly all the way. Fortunately, the Jin Wu Guards were not all cavalry. Qiu Shenji did not expect him to break out of the encirclement so decisively. Qiu Shenji did not have time to prepare a horse to chase after him, so he managed to escape.
This time, Yang Fan was just in time to let Chu Kuangge teach him horsemanship. Every morning and night, accompanied by Chu Kuangge, Yang Fan practiced horsemanship. Chu Kuangge's brothers also followed him to practice horsemanship. They made many obstacles in the wide open field behind the White Horse Temple to practice horsemanship skills.
Yang Fan had a good body of martial arts, but after a few days of riding, his back was sore and his thighs were bruised. Not to mention Ma Qiao. However, Yang Fan had a good physique to begin with, so he was able to learn equestrianism quickly and quickly master some of the basic essentials. There were still three to four months until the Lantern Festival. If he practiced like this every day, and with the guidance of a famous teacher, he believed that by the Lantern Festival, his equestrian skills would be good enough to compete in competitions.
These days, Yang Fan also learned about the movements in the capital through the mouths of the shameless monks and his informants in Zhao Yu. The assassination of Qiu Shenji had not spread in the capital, as if it had never happened. Yang Fan was even more certain that the murder in the mountain village was not the work of the imperial court. The repeated cover-up of the people involved was clear proof, but the truth of the matter was even more confusing.
He wanted to know the truth and why his innocent relatives and fellow villagers were killed, so he needed more information.
That evening, the sky was full of rosy clouds. After a day of training, everyone was sweating profusely. Some did not even take a bath and returned to the meditation room to rest.
Yang Fan was still full of energy. Seeing that it was not time to practice horsemanship, he went to take a bath. When he came back, he saw Daoist Yi Zhuo sitting cross-legged on the stone steps in front of the hall, muttering to himself. It was hard to tell if he was chanting Buddhist or Daoist scriptures. Yang Fan walked over, greeted him, and began to chat.
After a few words, Yang Fan cleverly changed the topic to Helan Minzhi.
Daoist Yi Zhuo beamed with joy. "If you want to talk about this Helan Minzhi, she was a major figure that shook the capital! Back when the Empress became Emperor Gaozong's Empress, because her two half-brothers did not get along with her mother and son, she found some reason to banish them out of the capital.
The Empress naturally hoped to put her own sons and nephews in an important position. With these relatives, the Empress's position in the palace would be stable. However, she had never liked her two brothers, so who should she support? "Later on, the Empress's two brothers died in a foreign land. The Empress was not in the mood to recall her two brothers' descendants, so she changed her sister's son, Helan Minzhi, to Wu. He inherited her father's title and was conferred the title of Duke of Zhou.
Helan Minzhi's mother, the Empress's sister, was exceptionally beautiful, not inferior to the Empress herself. When Emperor Gaozong saw her, he conferred her the title of Madam of Han. She was often invited to the palace and was exceptionally doted on. Later on, she died of a sudden illness.
This Helan Minzhi also has an older sister, Helan Shi. This Helan Shi was younger and more beautiful than her mother. Later on, she was doted on by Emperor Gaozong and was conferred the title of Madam of Wei. In the end, not long after, she died of an unknown illness. "
Yang Fan's eyes flashed as he slowly said, "Presumably, the Empress cannot escape the responsibility of this mother and daughter's sudden illness, right?"
Daoist Yi Zhuo looked around and said in a low voice, "Heh! We didn't see it. In any case, that's what the rumors say. If they get in the way of the Empress, then they won't have a good time. Not to mention the Empress' sister and niece, even if it was her son, so what? Li Xian and Li Hong, the two crown princes, are both flesh that fell from the Empress's body, but in the end … "
Daoist Yi Zhuo laughed and returned to the topic. "This Helan Minzhi is talented and learned. Back when he was at the Hongwen Library, he even compiled a hundred volumes of the Spring and Autumn Annals of the Thirty Kingdoms and got to know many scholars. He usually does a lot of cultured things and has indeed done some things.
But ever since his mother and sister died one after the other, this Duke of Zhou started acting strange. Helan Minzhi's relationship with his mother and sister was very good. But when his mother and sister died mysteriously, he probably guessed what the Heavenly Empress had done. From then on, he abandoned himself to despair and went against the Heavenly Empress.
This Helan Minzhi is as handsome as a jade tree, and coupled with the fact that he is a Duke, he has a high status and authority. What kind of woman can't he get? But he just happens to be dissolute and dissolute, with all sorts of lasciviousness that makes people raise their eyebrows. He even … "
Daoist Yi Zhuo subconsciously looked around again. Yang Fan couldn't help but smile. "Senior Brother, there's no need to be so careful. Besides you and me, there's no one else here."
Daoist Yi Zhuo gave a hollow laugh. "Yes! This Helan Minzhi has some unclear relations with his maternal grandmother, the Yang Lady. "
Yang Fan said in shock, "The Yang Lady? That's the Empress' mother, his maternal grandmother. The two of them actually … "
Daoist Yi Zhuo waved his hand and disdainfully said, "In the end, they're foreign races. Etiquette is nothing but dog fart to them! Otherwise, why would the noble clans of Shandong disdain marrying off Emperor Taizong's daughter? That's fine. Although Helan Minzhi doesn't have much of a moral character, with the Empress protecting him, no one has ever dared to criticize him.
But after he suspected that the Empress had harmed his mother and sister, he specifically made things difficult for the Empress. The Empress chose the daughter of Yang Sijian, the Vice-Minister of Imperial Guard, to be the Crown Prince Li Hong's wife. Just as the wedding date was approaching, he took advantage of this woman's spring outing to rape her, forcing the imperial family to hastily choose a Crown Prince Consort.
At the time, the Empress was still protecting him. Later on, the Empress probably sensed that Helan Minzhi was suspicious of him and decided to kill him. After Madam Yang passed away, the Heavenly Empress took out a sum of money and asked Helan Minzhi to build a huge Buddha statue for her deceased mother to pray for blessings. In the end, he spent all the money on debauchery. Before Madam Yang's funeral was over, he had already invited many singers and dancers to seek pleasure. The Empress couldn't restrain herself and finally flared up. She announced to the public that he had committed adultery with his maternal grandmother and embezzled public funds, punishing him! "
Yang Fan cried out, "This can be announced to the public? It's often said that one shouldn't wash one's dirty linen in public, not to mention that this is the Empress' mother and nephew! "
Daoist Yi Zhuo said, "Nowadays, the world is under the influence of the Hu people. How many people in the world still view them as scourges and fierce beasts? Besides, the scandals that Helan Minzhi has done have long been spread among the people. Even if the Empress didn't say it, everyone knew about it. It's better to be open and aboveboard. You should also know that when it comes to the Empress' courage, not even men can compare to her. "
Yang Fan nodded in agreement.
Daoist Yi Zhuo continued, "The Empress dismissed him from his official position, stripped him of his title, and even restored his original surname, Helan, before exiling him to Leizhou. He probably knew that he wouldn't have a good time, so when he arrived at Shaozhou, he hung himself with the reins of his horse. "
Yang Fan's body shook. "Shaozhou?"
Shaozhou, he actually hung himself in Shaozhou. What did this have to do with the murder in that small mountain village? Helan Minzhi hung himself in Shaozhou, and the next year, the Peach Blossom Village suddenly appeared. Between the two …
Yang Fan was a little confused. He seemed to understand something, but at the same time, he didn't seem to understand anything. He was born the second year after Helan Minzhi's death, and Helan Minzhi didn't have any brothers or sisters, so he shouldn't have any relationship with Helan Minzhi.
Then, his father and those villagers were Helan Minzhi's old subordinates and good friends? Those officials who were implicated and demoted? If they were, they could have been killed at that time. But why did it happen eleven years after Helan Minzhi's death? There were ten years in between. Wasn't ten years too late for a gentleman to take revenge? This was simply inexplicable!
The more Yang Fan thought about it, the more confused he became. Daoist Yi Zhuo slapped his thigh and sighed with emotion. "The current Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi are the descendants of the two half-brothers who were banished by the Empress. The Empress doesn't like them, but they still have such power. If Helan Minzhi didn't insist on going against the Empress, I'm afraid that in today's world, besides the Empress, he would be the most powerful!"
As he spoke, he saw the reception monk accompanying a monk in black slowly walking over. The monk had a strange appearance. His eyebrows were as white as snow, and his face was clear. He seemed to be quite old. Occasionally, a real monk would pass by on the side of the road. When they saw the monk, they would stop and respectfully salute him.
Although the White Horse Temple had been occupied by Xue Huaiyi and a group of fake monks who drank and ate meat and did not abide by the rules, the real cultivators still lived in the temple. The daily affairs of the White Horse Temple were also managed by them. Since they recognized this old monk, he must be an eminent monk with an extremely high status in the Buddhist world.
When Daoist Yi Zhuo saw the monk walking over, he hurriedly stood up and saluted. Yang Fan imitated him and saluted. After the reception monk accompanied the black-robed monk into the temple, Yang Fan whispered to Daoist Yi Zhuo, "Senior Martial Brother, do you know this monk?"
Yi Zhuo replied, "Yes, this is Reverend Sanjie, the direct disciple of the Dharma Manifestation Sect's founder, Reverend Xuanzang!"
Yang Fan didn't know much about Buddhism, so he only made an 'oh' sound and asked curiously, "What is he doing here? Look at him, he's heading to the abbot's meditation room. Oh right, there seems to be a lot of serious monks going in and out of the abbot's room recently. Is our abbot really going to study Buddhism? "
Daoist Yi Zhuo smiled bitterly. "The abbot's thoughts are like a heavenly steed soaring into the sky. How can mortals like you and I guess guess what he's thinking?"
Yang Fan deeply agreed and nodded.
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