That night, the pagoda forest of White Horse Temple was ablaze with flames, causing the pagodas to flicker with red light. It was a spectacular sight.
The original abbot of White Horse Temple, Master Sanshan, gazed in the direction of the pagoda forest from afar. He put his palms together and said with a pained expression, "Amitabha, these people have desecrated the place where the ancestors and eminent monks of our temple reside. They have committed grave sins, grave sins!"
There was a huge fire in the pagoda forest. The logs that had been cut nearby were piled on top, crackling as they burned. There were mats made of cattail grass in the surroundings, and there were soft cushions on the mats. A group of bald monks sat on them, shouting and yelling in high spirits.
Beside the huge fire in the middle, there were a few pits dug. There were also fires burning in the pits, but they were not made of firewood. Instead, they were made of high-quality smokeless beast charcoal. Lamb and dog meat were roasted on top of the charcoal. They were all slaughtered, washed, and put on the rack. As they roasted, they were smeared with all sorts of condiments. A strong fragrance wafted from afar.
Priest Yi Zhuo grabbed a dog leg and chanted, "Amitabha". He took a bite of the dog meat and said, "Supreme Heavenly Lord of Taiyi". He drank a mouthful of alcohol. He ate and drank meat several times faster than the others.
Xue Huaiyi sat at the head of the table. It was a snowy season, but there was a huge fire in front of him. The hot air blew into his face and made him feel hot, so he still took off his monk robe and revealed his chest. This guy was probably a bit of an exhibitionist. He liked to show off his muscles when he had nothing better to do.
The light from the fire dyed his bald head and chest red. He could not hide the joy on his face. "Come, come, let's have another drink. Today, White Horse Temple has shown its face in front of the Empress, the foreign and foreign envoys, and all the civil and military officials. The sumo wrestling competition has been won by Princess Taiping's residence for three years in a row, but this year it belongs to me, hahaha … "
Xue Huaiyi said proudly, "Although we lost the sumo wrestling competition, White Horse Temple has never participated in the past. This is our first time participating. How about it? How about it? Seventeenth Lang threw five balls in a row and suppressed all the girls. Even the Empress was full of praise. He stole all the glory of the girls. This is called losing with honor! Yes, it's a glorious defeat! "
Xue Huaiyi blurted out an idiom, feeling even happier in his heart. All the monks immediately began to flatter him, saying things like Master Xue's discerning eyes and his wisdom and martial prowess. Xue Huaiyi was happy to hear this and drank a large cup of wine. He said with satisfaction, "I've led troops and fought in battles. I've even beaten Gu Dolu to the point where he had to flee at the sight of the wind! When it came to leading an army, one had to be particular about strict execution of orders and prohibitions, and when it came to a commander, one had to be particular about rewards and punishments. Now, our White Horse Temple has gained the favor of the Empress of Heaven. I am very happy in my heart. Those who have performed meritorious deeds should be rewarded. "
When everyone heard this, the clamor immediately stopped. Everyone stared at Xue Huaiyi. Xue Huaiyi had always been generous. Now that he was so happy, this reward would definitely be extremely generous.
He heard Xue Huaiyi say, "In sumo wrestling, Nineteen took first place and Seventeen took second place. In cuju, although we lost, no one could compare to us in the limelight. Although we lost, it was a glorious defeat. In this round, it was Seventeen who won glory for us. So, Seventeen, Nineteen! "
Yang Fan and Chu Kuangge looked at each other and cupped their fists together, "Abbot!"
Xue Huaiyi said, "I have a few mansions in the capital that are usually left empty. Occasionally, they are rented out to officials or businessmen who come to the capital for business. I don't care about earning a little bit of money. Now that the two of you have helped me gain face, and I have received the Empress' reward, I can't mistreat the two of you. The two of you, one house each! "
As soon as he finished speaking, the young novice monk, Zhixing, handed over two house deeds.
Yang Fan and Chu Kuangge were shocked, "Abbot, this gift is too heavy!"
Xue Huaiyi waved his hand and said, "Hehe! I want to reward you, but the gift is too light. With my status, how can I take it out? You can just accept it. Also, everyone else … "
Hong Liu hurriedly said, "Abbot! As you can see, that Xie Xiaoman is like a dragon on the court. She's not easy to deal with. I had to use all my strength to keep her busy. Otherwise, Brother Seventeen wouldn't have been able to score five goals in a row so easily … "
Xue Huaiyi glared at him and scolded jokingly, "I have eyes, so of course I can see. I don't need you to show off. The rest of you, 100,000 coins each. Hong Liu, Hongyi, 150,000 coins each, hahahaha … "
Daoist Yi Zhu gulped and asked embarrassedly, "Abbot, what about the money?"
Xue Huaiyi glared and said, "How can I move so much money? Tomorrow morning, go see Sanshan Monk and pay from the temple's incense money! "
In the distance, master San Shan, who was gazing at the firelight in the pagoda forest and smelling the fragrance of meat, suddenly sneezed. A young monk beside him said in a hurry, "Master, it's cold outside. You should go back and rest."
Sanshan Monk sighed and walked back to the meditation room dejectedly.
In the pagoda forest, Yang Fan took a bite of the steaming, charred, tender dog meat and said to Xue Huaiyi, "Abbot, we came out on top in today's fight. Cuju's strategy was right, and we also stole the limelight. However, tomorrow's fight may not be as we wish. The imperial army's Cuju is the strongest team in the Tang dynasty, but they still lost to the Tufan in previous competitions. As for us, we're already at a disadvantage against the imperial army. "
Xue Huaiyi waved his hand. "You don't need to say anything, I understand. There are three competitions in total, and I've already won two of them. That's enough! Haha, tomorrow's victory will most likely be from the Tufan people again. Others won't be able to do anything. Don't worry, go ahead and fight tomorrow. It doesn't matter who wins or loses. That's why I'm holding this celebration feast today. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan and Chu Tiange secretly heaved a sigh of relief, secretly happy. If Xue Huaiyi forced them to steal the limelight one day, it would be too much for them. If Xue Huaiyi used this reason to forbid them from entering the imperial army, Chu Kuangge's lifelong dream would be hard to realize, and it would be extremely difficult for Yang Fan to get close to Qiu Shenji.
Everyone let go of their worries and drank to their hearts' content. Because tomorrow's outcome was no longer a concern, no one restricted their drinking capacity. Chu Kuangge, in particular, drank to his heart's content after his dream of several years had been fulfilled.
Only Yang Fan lowered his head and drank, thinking to himself, "After tomorrow's matter, entering the imperial army is already a done deal. It won't be difficult to get close to Qiu Shenji. However, I still need Shanghai Wan 'er to find out Miao Shenke's whereabouts. How can I get Miao Shenke's whereabouts from her? Recently, although I've been entering the palace frequently, it's difficult to get in touch with her. With her status, it's really difficult to get in touch with her alone. Once I enter the imperial army, I won't have a chance to enter the palace anymore. I have to find an opportunity to make my move as soon as possible … "
…
On the third day of the Upper Prime Era, the Emperor and Empress Dowager arrived at the Longwu Army's camp with their palace concubines, servants, foreign envoys, and civil and military officials to watch the bow-fencing competition.
The Longwu Army was the only all-cavalry unit in the imperial army, and bow-fencing required high horsemanship. Therefore, the Longwu Army had the most soldiers who were good at bow-fencing, and they also had the largest bow-fencing field in Luoyang.
However, the bow-fencing members of the imperial army were selected from the best of the best, and most of them were not from the Longwu Army. Those who served as generals in other imperial army units naturally had as many opportunities to ride horses as those in the Longwu Army. Moreover, they had more free time to do bow-fencing, so their bow-fencing skills were better than most people in the Longwu Army.
On the field, there was a goal at each end. The goal was made of wooden frames and was five feet apart. It was much smaller than the modern goal, so there was no need for anyone to guard the goal.
The competition was divided into six periods, and each period used an incense stick. It lasted about ten minutes, and the field had to be changed after each period. Because of the intensity of the competition, one or two horses had to support the entire competition. Towards the end, it was inevitable that the horses would be exhausted and affect the contestants' performance. Therefore, horses had to be changed for each competition.
The high platform used by the Imperial Army commander to inspect the three armies naturally became a stage for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, as well as the various officials, nobles, and concubines. The high platform had long since been covered with a red carpet and surrounded on three sides, leaving only the side facing the bow-fencing field open. The Emperor and Wu Zetian sat in the middle.
However, everyone was only looking at Wu Zetian. Li Dan was just a decoration. Everyone knew that even if Empress Wu didn't remove Li Tang's orders and continued to wield power as the Empress Dowager, he would still be a decoration. No one paid any attention to him.
The Emperor of the Tang dynasty was also very conscious of this. Perhaps the fact that his two brothers and many members of Li Tang's imperial family had been killed had frightened him. He was unbelievably humble and docile. He was constantly paying attention to his mother's expression. He didn't dare to sit until Wu Zetian sat, and he didn't dare to speak until Wu Zetian spoke. His cautious demeanor was even more casual than the eunuchs by Wu Zetian's side.
This kind of mother and son could be considered as a weirdo. Although it was said that the royal family had no family ties, they still had to put up a front in front of their subjects. However, in front of this mother and son, they didn't even bother to put up a front. The officials who were loyal to Li Tang saw the Emperor's appearance and couldn't help but feel even more depressed.
In the past two years, only three teams were qualified to participate in the bow-fencing competition: the Tibetan team, the Uighur team, and the imperial army of the Tang dynasty. Due to the tense relationship between the Turks and the Tang dynasty in recent years, they hadn't come to pay homage for a long time, let alone participate in the bow-fencing competition.
The White Horse Temple's participation in the tournament was not a bad thing. They would draw lots to select their opponents and there was a two-thirds chance that they would be matched against either the Tubo or the Uighurs. This way, they would be able to fight on behalf of the Tang Imperial Army and deplete their opponent's strength. If they drew the imperial army of the Tang dynasty, the competition would not be too tragic. Every year, there would be many people who were injured and fell to the ground.
The results of the drawing were out. The first match: White Horse Temple versus Uighur!
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