Yang Fan only found out that Xue Huaiyi was the arsonist on the tenth day of the palace fire.
Xue Huai Yi regarded his act of arson as an achievement, a supreme glory, and proudly told his disciples about it. His disciples followed suit and regarded it as a great achievement of their Master, and proudly flaunted it to the outside world.
Although Wu Zetian had tightly sealed the news from the palace, she did not expect the person involved to leak it out. However, the news was only spread in the streets and had not reached the ears of the upper echelons.
Yang Fan had been using Lai Junchen's sharp teeth and claws to destroy Young Master Jiang's last foundation in Luoyang. He did not notice the news related to Xue Huaiyi until the tenth day, when the head of the Ministry of Justice, Yuan Han, came to visit. Yang Fan chatted with him for a while and heard Yuan Han mention it by accident.
Yang Fan was shocked when he heard it. He never thought that Xue Huaiyi was the culprit. Although the palace was secretive about this news, he quietly sent Yuan Han away and immediately prepared a horse to go straight to White Horse Temple!
"He was the one who burned down Wanxiang Divine Palace? Is this true or just a rumor? If it was him, other people might not know, but Wan 'er has no reason not to know. How come there is no news from the palace? "
However, after thinking about it, Yang Fan smiled bitterly.
He already understood why Wan 'er kept his mouth shut.
With Wan 'er's understanding of Wu Zetian, she probably knew that the Empress wanted to kill him when the fire started.
Why did Wan 'er tell him this news? If he did not care about it, then it had nothing to do with him. If he wanted to save Xue Huaiyi, the person who wanted to kill him was the Emperor. Yang Fan was bound to go against the most powerful person in the world. Would Wan 'er let him take such a risk for Xue Huaiyi?
Not to mention Wan 'er's impression of Xue Huaiyi …
When Yang Fan arrived at White Horse Temple, he saw many officials coming in and out. Yang Fan could not help but be secretly shocked. He did not know what happened here.
He was currently suspended at home. Today, he only wore a casual robe when he came to White Horse Temple. He did not know any of the officials coming in and out. Yang Fan braced himself and walked to the backyard of White Horse Temple. The further he walked, the more officials came in and out. Many of them were carrying things like scrolls under their ribs and were in a hurry.
Yang Fan went to the backyard and looked around. He happened to see a monk sitting under the west mountain wall and basking in the sun. He had his eyes closed as if he was resting.
Yang Fan knew at a glance that this monk was silently chanting the Dao Scriptures to his Three Pure Daoist Ancestors. After being a monk for so long, his infatuation with Taishang Laojun had never changed. If he was chanting Daoist scriptures in his room, it would be inappropriate for other martial brothers to hear him. Therefore, he came out to find a place to do his homework every day.
Yang Fan walked over. He wanted to wait for him to finish his homework before asking about the situation. He could not rashly go see Xue Huaiyi. He did not expect Monk Yi Zhuo to be wearing a monk's robe and chanting. He felt a little guilty. When he felt someone approaching, he immediately stopped his homework and opened his eyes.
"Ah! Erlang is here! "
Monk Yizhuo quickly stood up and cupped his fist in greeting.
Yang Fan returned the greeting and said, "Master, don't be so courteous. Is Master Xue here? What are these officials doing?"
Monk Yi Zhuo said, "Master Xue is in the abbot's meditation room. These officials are from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites. They are here to rebuild Ming Tang and Heaven!"
Yang Fan suddenly understood. No wonder he did not know any of these officials. They were from the two yamens that he had never dealt with before.
Yang Fan nodded and said, "I understand. I was worried that something might have happened. I shall not disturb Master Yi Zhuo anymore. I will go see Master Xue first!"
Yang Fan bowed to Monk Yi Zhuo and walked towards the abbot's meditation room. Monk Yi Zhuo sat cross-legged and flicked his forehead. He mumbled, "Where was I chanting?"
He rolled his eyes and thought about it. He could only start from the beginning, "There are three grades of medicine. Spirit, Qi and Essence. Vaguely and indistinctly. Exist without defend. Be formed in an instant. Return wind mixed. Be spiritual in a hundred days. Silently pray to God. Ascend in one era. The wise understand easily, the ignorant find it difficult. Tread on the light of heaven. Breathe in purity. Enter the profound. Be alive or dead … "
Inside the abbot's meditation room, there were blueprints everywhere. The officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Works treated this place as their office. The bustling and messy atmosphere was comparable to the scene when Xue Huaiyi gathered the ten eminent monks to study the Great Cloud Sutra. Among them, Master Craftsman Xiao Leng was the busiest.
At that time, the status of the craftsmen was lower than that of the peasants. However, the truly capable craftsmen, like Great Minister of Musical House like Master Mei, had a high status. Master Craftsman Xiao, as the Master Craftsman, was an imperial court official of the third grade. The first and second grades were just nominal positions. The third grade was the highest grade among the officials with real power. His official position was indeed not low.
However, Master Craftsman Xiao was also being ordered around by Xue Huaiyi.
Xue Huaiyi sat cross-legged on the couch. There was wine and meat in front of him. He was drinking to his heart's content. "It shouldn't be that hard, right? In my opinion, Mingtang and Heaven should just use the original blueprints and make some slight changes. Just leave the nine cauldrons and the twelve zodiac statues. The other rules and designs will remain the same. There is no need for the Ministry of Rites to get involved. "
Xue Huaiyi picked up the bowl and took a big gulp. He looked at Master Craftsman Xiao and said, "Old Xiao, you don't have to worry too much. Once the planning is done, we will start immediately. As for the size and appearance of the nine cauldrons and the twelve zodiac statues, you can take your time to discuss. Just leave some space first.
Xue Huaiyi regarded the reconstruction of Mingtang and Heaven as an opportunity for him and the Empress to reconcile. He was very serious about it. Before the first lunar month, he called the relevant personnel from the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites to start planning for the reconstruction.
Just as he was pointing, he suddenly saw a person appear at the door, standing there motionlessly. Although there were many people going in and out of the meditation room, there were very few people standing at the door. Xue Huaiyi took a closer look, and his eyes immediately lit up. He laughed and said, "Seventeen … huh?"
The person at the door hurriedly made a gesture and turned to leave. Xue Huaiyi was very surprised. He scratched his bald head and said to Master Craftsman Xiao in a rough voice, "You guys go ahead. I will go out for a walk!"
Xue Huaiyi hugged his loose monk robe, put on his monk shoes and stomped out of the meditation room.
Yang Fan was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. When he saw Xue Huaiyi coming out, he did not say anything. He only made a gesture to Xue Huaiyi and continued to walk forward. Xue Huaiyi followed behind in confusion.
Under the west mountain wall, Monk Yi Zhuo opened his right eye and glanced at them. He continued to recite while groaning, "The reason why all living beings can't achieve the true path is because they have delusions … Worry and delusion, pain and suffering in body and mind. They will suffer humiliation, wander between life and death, sink into the sea of bitterness, and lose the true path forever …"
Yang Fan led Xue Huaiyi into the Tranquil Zen Forest. Only then did he stop and turned around to look at Xue Huaiyi quietly.
Xue Huaiyi smiled, "Seventeen, why are you so sneaky?"
Yang Fan said, "I heard the rumor that it was Master Xue who burned down Mingtang and Heaven?"
Xue Huaiyi was startled and laughed, "That's right! You also know about this. Haha, in a fit of anger, I … "
Yang Fan stared at him quietly and interrupted his words, "It is said that the Emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Ding An, was strangled to death by her biological mother when she was still a baby. Master Xue, do you think this is true?"
Xue Huaiyi was startled and frowned, "Why did Seventeen suddenly mention this?"
Yang Fan said, "Please answer me, Master Xue!"
Xue Huaiyi scratched his head and said, "That … is just a rumor. Didn't they say that the little princess was strangled to death by Empress Wang? As the biological mother, why would the Empress kill her own daughter? "
Yang Fan nodded and asked again, "The late Crown Prince Li Hong had an audience with the current Emperor at the Harmony Palace and died immediately. It is said that he was poisoned to death by the current Emperor. Master Xue, do you think this is credible?"
Xue Huaiyi still didn't understand what Yang Fan meant. He said slowly, "Didn't the court say that Li Hong died of a sudden illness? It shouldn't … shouldn't have anything to do with the Emperor?"
Yang Fan smiled and asked again, "The late Crown Prince Xian was banished to Bazhou and was later ordered to commit suicide by the Emperor. Is this true?"
Xue Huaiyi's face began to turn ugly. He subconsciously rubbed his head and said, "That … that was God Qiu's mistake …"
Yang Fan followed up with another question, "The late Crown Prince Xian's two sons, the two grandsons of the current Emperor, were beaten to death with iron whips by the current Emperor. Is this true?"
Xue Huaiyi's face turned ugly, "Seventeen, what are you trying to tell me?"
Yang Fan said, "Also, the Emperor's four cousins died after being banished for less than a year. The Emperor's eldest sister-in-law was whipped to death. The Emperor's sister, Madam of Han, and niece, Madam of Wei, died before they could leave the palace. The Emperor's daughter-in-law, the Crown Princess and Concubine of the current Crown Prince, were beaten to death …
I won't mention the Li Tang's royal family who were eradicated one by one. I also won't mention the civil and military officials who made great contributions to the court. These people I just mentioned are the closest people to the Emperor. Other than a few of them who once threatened the Emperor's power, the rest have no influence on the Emperor!
In terms of closeness, they are all much closer to the Emperor than you, Master Xue. Master Xue, they are all souls now. When will you die suddenly, or because someone misunderstood the Emperor's will, or because you are not acclimatized, or because of any other random reasons? "
Xue Huaiyi's face turned red, then white as a sheet. He roared angrily, "Seventeen, what are you talking about? Do you know that if the Emperor hears what you just said, even a hundred heads won't be enough to chop off!"
Yang Fan said, "I know! But will Master Xue report me? "
Xue Huaiyi was furious, "Bullsh * t! You are underestimating me. You know I won't be such a despicable person! Besides, how can I not know that you are saying this for my own good? Why would I … "
Yang Fan once again cut him off, "That's why I came here today to tell you the truth! Master Xue, you are in big trouble! "
Xue Huaiyi laughed and waved his hand, "Alarmist! Alarmist! Seventeen, I understand your good intentions, but I am different from them. I did not offend the Emperor. I only burned two houses. The Emperor is rich, will he hate me for this? I am her man … "
Yang Fan was stunned. He did not expect Feng Xiaobao to be so naive. Even though he was eloquent, he was speechless when faced with such a hooligan.
…
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