Yuan Zuozong did not say anything and even closed his eyes to concentrate.
— —
It was a chance meeting, but they still wanted to continue. At the same time, they did not leave happily.
The five of them rode slowly. Yuan Zuozong suddenly smiled and said, "Do you feel better now?"
Hsu Fengnian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was as if there was a refreshing spring breeze. He smiled and said, "I feel much better now that I've poured out all my complaints. I can't say that in Beiliang. After all, everyone who follows me is bullied, especially my second sister and Xu Beizhi. They are kind enough not to use me as a punching bag. "
Yuan Zuozong smiled, but soon he was worried, "Because of the defeat of the Border Army of Huai and Huai, and the banner of Jingnan, our journey to the south is safe. But soon, the elite cavalry of Ji Bei, the infantry of Western Shu, and the army of Qing Province will converge. Plus, we are getting closer to the battlefield of Guangling. Wu Zhongxuan's army of Northern Borderline is eyeing us covetously. I'm afraid that someone will jump out to disgust us so as to flatter the imperial court. It won't hinder us, but it will be troublesome."
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and said, "Since we've decided to go south, we don't expect to have a good reputation in the Central Plains."
Xu Yanbing joked, "Prince, you've helped Beiliang build a good reputation in the past two years. Most likely, you'll be beaten back to the original."
Hsu Fengnian curled his lips and said, "It's not a problem."
Xu Yanbing clicked his tongue and said, "That's what the King of Beiliang said."
Yuan Zuozong echoed, "That's what the grandmaster of Wushu said."
The old spy and Zhang Longjing said at the same time, "Yes!"
Hsu Fengnian put on a serious face and said, "How dare you! Drag This King out and behead him!"
A burst of hearty laughter spread far and wide in the night.
As one of the Ancestral Temples of Buddhism, the Cold Mountain Temple had always been famous for its "small temple but big Buddha". Unlike the Two Zen Temples, which occupied a large area and had many monks, the Cold Mountain Temple had no more than a hundred monks in its history. As one of the three founding ancestors of Buddhism, Monk Kuanxin was highly respected by the emperors and ministers of Dafeng Dynasty. The last emperor of Dafeng Dynasty even honored him as the Bodhisattva of Flesh. The origin of the Buddhist prayer beads today was also the soybean count that Monk Kuanxin first proposed. This ancient temple was able to escape the calamity of the Spring and Autumn War, preserved in perfect condition. However, the imperial court destroyed it with a single order.
After the five riders disappeared into the night, the old monk, Fa Xian, let the young monk return to the Earth Temple with the oil lamp to sleep. The old man strolled alone on a small path that was soaked with night dew, like a wandering ghost in the wilderness. After about an hour, he finally returned to the Earth Temple. Unlike the small temple from before, which was as cold as a grave, the Earth Temple had been decorated with lanterns and colored banners in just an hour. It was grand and magnificent, and had the air of a noble family. Not only were there stone steps laid out to add charcoal to the stove, there was a middle-aged man who was as elegant as an immortal sitting by the stove. There were also several maidservants who were as beautiful as fairies serving him attentively by his side. The old monk was not surprised. He walked up the steps and squatted by the stove to warm himself. The middle-aged man was like a man in a painting. He asked softly, "How is it?"
The old man took off his leather hat and put it on his knees. He said softly, "He's more reasonable than his father. Moreover, when he talks about reasons, he also has a way of talking. In short, he's better than his father, Xu Xiao. "
The old man raised his head and looked at the man who could be said to be the only remaining schemer of the Spring and Autumn War. "Mr. Nalan, are you really going to incite the Gangnam-do scholars and the people of Jianghu to go against the Beiliang cavalry? Aren't you afraid of overreaching yourself? I don't think that young man is someone who can be easily fooled. Aren't you afraid of going too far? "
The middle-aged man called Mr. Nalan by Fa Xian lowered his head and fiddled with the charcoal. His face was like jade, glowing with a beautiful luster. He did not answer the question. "You Buddhists have sixteen visualizations. Is there a saying about visualizing oneself? I don't think so. It's too late to sacrifice oneself, so what's the point of visualizing? "
The old monk sighed helplessly. "You're more like a monk than I am."
Nalan Youci sneered. "Fa Xian, don't forget that you were supposed to be an important chess piece in Hong Jia's escape to the north. You were supposed to go to Beimang to be the head of the Buddha. You nodded and agreed at that time, but you went back on your words. That person can forget about this, but I'm not as narrow-minded as him!"
The old monk touched his bald head. "I can't help it. Back then, I couldn't find a place to belong in the Confucian books. After that, I couldn't find a place to stay in Elder Huang's teachings. Originally, I was just making a last-minute effort to escape with everyone. I didn't think that I would really treat this foreign land as my home. Since I've really become a monk, I shouldn't care about the secular world anymore. "
Nalan Youci said angrily, "Not caring about the secular world, not caring about the secular world? Not caring about the common people in the world? "
The old monk chuckled. "Living in the secular world, I'm just throwing away my skin in this life. All living beings have their own happiness, and all living beings have their own suffering … "
Nalan Youci suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, "Uncle!"
The old monk stared at the basin of charcoal fire in a trance.
Nalan Youci said angrily, "Cao Changqing secretly contacted the old people of the Southern Dynasty. Even Wang Sui and Gu Jiantang were persuaded by him. He promised that after West Chu was done, Wang Sui would be allowed to restore Dongyue. He promised that Gu Jiantang would become the most powerful person in the world, not just the Liyang Pillar State that Xu Xiao didn't want. Once the Central Plains were pacified and Beimang was annexed, he also promised that the Jiang family of West Chu would only exist for one generation. Then, Jiang Yi would abdicate and the descendants of the Gu family would be the emperor. This was the end of the Spring and Autumn Period that Cao Changqing had set in his heart! "
The old monk sighed. "All living beings are suffering."
Nalan Youci stood on the steps and pursed his lips. His eyes were gloomy.
The old monk no longer called the younger generation of the family teacher. Instead, he asked straightforwardly, "You forced Hsu Fengnian to oppose the imperial court and forced the Central Plains to regard Beiliang as an enemy. Are you plotting for King Zhao Bing or Crown Prince Zhao Zhu of Yan Dynasty?"
Nalan Youci's face was cold and hard. He said in a deep voice, "As long as Beimang loses the power to go south in the future, the Xu family with the powerful army will not be allowed in Liyang. Beiliang, which is like a feudal town, will not be allowed to exist in the world. This is the general trend. Anyone who becomes the emperor will do the same thing. Not to mention the current emperor, Zhao Zhuan, even if Zhao Zhu, who is assisted by Nalan Youci, becomes the emperor, even if he and Hsu Fengnian have been sworn brothers since childhood, as long as Hsu Fengnian is still the King of Beiliang, the situation of Beiliang won't change at all. It might even be worse than twenty years ago. Liyang can't do anything to the Beiliang cavalry now, but it doesn't mean that it will still be helpless five or ten years later. "
Monk Fa Xian flipped his palm and changed his palm to the back of his hand to warm the fire. "Your plan is quite long-term. You even took into account the friendship between Hsu Fengnian and your young strategist. But let me ask you, it's the principle of an emperor to get rid of the hounds when they're dead. So is it also the principle of a desperate dog?"
The old monk didn't wait for Nalan Youci to speak and continued, "Why didn't Beiliang send its left and right cavalry to go south to the Central Plains? Why did it have to be the core of Beiliang cavalry, the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry? Was it this ten thousand cavalry that went deep into the hinterland? Was it that young King's impulsiveness? Did he want to show off the power of the Xu family and show off in front of his neighbor, the Central Plains? I don't think so. The Xu family has been outside the Northwest Pass for twenty years and has fought with the Beimang barbarians for twenty years. They have never coveted the Central Plains, whether in the past or in the future. Especially the twenty families that you said are secretly relying on Beiliang. They are openly appearing in the eyes of the imperial court. In this way, isn't Beiliang telling Great Peace City that they are not rebelling this time? Using the banner of pacifying Great Peace City, they are taking a step back. In this way, they are taking another step back. Beiliang's propriety is obvious. Now, you, Nalan Youci, want to break the propriety of both sides. Aren't you afraid that your actions will reduce the relationship between Hsu Fengnian and Zhao Zhu? At that time, Zhao Zhu will reveal his dagger. Do you really think that Hsu Fengnian won't rebel in anger? At that time, Beimang will most likely be crippled. Who will win the Central Plains? Maybe Hsu Fengnian's Beiliang cavalry will be able to go all out … "
The old monk suddenly stopped talking and slowly turned his head. He looked at the slender figure with a face full of shock. "You … You, Nalan Youci, want Hsu Fengnian to be the emperor?!"
Nalan Youci didn't admit or deny it. He began to laugh.
Nalan Youci stretched out two fingers and gently twirled a strand of hair hanging down his ear. He gritted his teeth and said, "The only disciple of Li Yishan, why can't he be the emperor?!"
The old monk lowered his head and murmured, "Crazy, crazy …"
— —
At that time, when the Administrator of Lianghuai, Han Lin, who was knocked out, woke up, he was already on the way back to the Administrator's mansion. This second-rank official was lying in the carriage. After sitting up, he leaned against the wall of the carriage and was lost in thought.
There were many things he couldn't figure out. Just like how he couldn't figure out why his teacher didn't choose Zhao Youling or Yin Maochun in Zhang Lu, but only chose Wang Xionggui, who obviously didn't have the prime minister's temperament, as his successor. Now, Han Lin, who was placed high hopes on by the imperial court, also couldn't figure out why the young man personally led the troops to the south to wade in the muddy water when there was a progress in the transportation of water and the imperial court had already loosened up. It was true that it was the duty of the vassal king to quell the rebellion, but now the emperor was not so miserable that he couldn't even send an imperial edict out of the capital. How could the Beiliang cavalry dare to leave the territory without permission? Han Lin also couldn't figure out why Jiedushi Cai Nan, who didn't have any personal friendship with him, wanted to withdraw himself and safely stay away from this monstrous storm that was enough to end his official career, instead of dragging him into the water and suffering together.
Only at this moment did Han Lin, who had been promoted step by step in the capital's officialdom, understand one thing. No matter how knowledgeable a scholar was, he was not the same as a group of warriors on the battlefield, because you never knew what shocking action they would do next.
Han Lin lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the vast expanse of white snow outside. He felt cold all over.
He felt a little guilty for Cai Nan, but he hated the King of Beiliang who didn't follow the rules.
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