Yu Xingrui nodded, "That's right. When you are wholeheartedly seeking Tao, you don't know how many steps you've taken. Only when you forget yourself can you have the opportunity to step into Tao. As for how to forget yourself, Master is inflexible and inflexible. He doesn't dare to mislead others, but at least he knows one thing. He works hard every day, but he doesn't forget to calculate how many steps he has taken. This is also where Junior Brother is wiser than us. I don't seek Tao, but Tao comes naturally. "
Li Yufu nodded, "Tao can't be Tao. Wonderful beyond words. "
Yu Xingrui slowly left the top of Little Lotus Peak. He glanced back at his disciple who was talking to the green ox and smiled.
Since Junior Brother was Lu Zu, his last words were equivalent to Lu Zu's own words.
When Wudang thrives, Yu Fu thrives.
— —
Jing 'an Palace. It was said that Princess Pei was focused on meditation and didn't show up for a long time. The already deserted palace became even more desolate.
The sky was cloudy but not rainy. It was cold but not cold, as if a woman wanted to say something.
The King of Jing 'an, Zhao Heng, who spent half his life in the capital and half in Xiangfan, sat under the eaves of the temple, gently twirling a string of agarwood prayer beads wrapped around his hand.
There was only one person sitting opposite to this great vassal king.
It was Lu Xu, the young and blind zither player who stabbed himself in the eyes to end his career. He came from a scholarly family and his father's generation were great scholars. However, because he wrote the history of West Chu with a straight pen, the younger generation took advantage of the loophole and was punished by the imperial court. For ten years, he played the zither for a famous prostitute in a brothel to make a living. For ten years, he made a living by gambling in Yongzi Alley. Somehow, his luck changed. Not only did he enter Jing 'an Palace, but he also became an important advisor of the father and son. Even today, the young people who were brought into the imperial family from Yongzi Alley still felt like it was a lifetime ago. As the saying goes, a carp jumps over the dragon gate. Thousands of carps fight until their heads bleed, but how many can jump over the dragon gate? Lu Xu, who was a criminal, was favored by the King of Jing, Zhao Heng. It was really unexpected.
Zhao Heng closed his eyes and turned the prayer beads on his horse to calm his mind. He asked indifferently, "Lu Xu, do you know why I did not allow you to enter the capital with Xiao'er?"
The blind young man shook his head. "I don't know."
King of Jing An opened his eyes and looked at the dusky sky. He laughed and said, "These days I made you conceal your surname and identity and move you around to become a low-ranking government official. Have you ever complained?"
Lu Xu shook his head and smiled. "Lu Xu is very content."
Zhao Heng turned his head to look at the young scholar. "You've come up with two strategies and thirteen strategies. You're determined to pacify the world for the Emperor. The first strategy is to establish the Crown Prince, the Temple Oracle, and the removal of the feudal vassals. Shang 'er was trembling with fear and was forced by me to bring him to the capital to meet a stranger, incurring the wrath of the emperor. The second strategy is a total of ten strategies. It only talks about the strategy of using troops to deal with Beimang. The first is to talk about the two surnames of Beimang and the two dynasties in the north and south. The second is to predict the intention of Beimang to divide their troops. The third is to talk about how to deal with the enemy's attack. The fourth is to prepare horses for the border. The fifth is to mobilize troops and generals. The sixth is to talk about two Liao, the seventh is to reconcile with Qin, the eighth is to give away fortune, the ninth is to reclaim Longyao Prefecture, and the tenth is to eliminate Beimang. The emperor was furious again. However, Shang 'er sent a secret letter back to Xiangfan, saying that even Zhang Julu and Gu Jiantang attached great importance to it. Even the old West Chu's Grand Preceptor, who usually didn't like to praise others, said a few good words in the imperial court. Of these three people, Zhang Julu chose to give away fortune to promote righteousness, to pave the way for his own political reform. Gu Jiantang favored the ninth strategy of reclaiming Longyao Prefecture greatly. Meanwhile, Sun Xiji, who was in charge of the province under the sect, even more so accepted the two strategies and thirteen strategies. Once he praised the two strategies, these fellows standing in the main hall all felt ashamed of their inferiority, calling my imposter Shang 'er a great talent in managing the world and helping the people, not the least bit inferior to Grand Secretary Zhang. Zhang Julu was unexpectedly not the least bit angry. Xiao Yan's words were not only not inferior, it was already difficult for him to look up to him. Only then did he suppress the anger on His Majesty's face. In reality, This King understands clearly that of these two strategies and thirteen strategies, apart from the matter of appointing a crown prince, which violated his reverse scale and made him truly angry, the other twelve strategies, especially the strategy of removing vassals, simply hit the bottom of his heart. Towards this elder brother, This King truly understands him too well. "
The blind man quietly said, "Lu Xu's original intention was to wait a few more years, when the dust of the seventh war between the two dynasties had settled, before handing over these two strategies and thirteen strategies."
King of Jing An, Zhao Heng, stopped turning the prayer beads.
Lu Xu lowered his head a bit.
Zhao Heng laughed and said, "You are worthy of being called an intelligent person. This King has killed countless idiots. In this lifetime, only you and a youngster were able to see that This King would press the prayer beads before killing people. But don't worry, I can't bear to kill you. If I did, half of the Jing An Palace would collapse. This time, my killing intent surged only because of my gloomy nature. I don't really want to kill you. This King can't wait until the seventh war is over. He is afraid that he will lose the bet. Lu Xu, you are a smart person. Can you guess the meaning of This King's words? "
Lu Suan clenched his teeth, got up and knelt down. He said in a low voice, "If our dynasty loses, the thirteen strategies can still benefit Jing An Palace. But if we win, they will become two pieces of useless paper. In this way, His Royal Highness will have no chance of being passed down from generation to generation! "
Zhao Heng laughed and said, "Get up and talk."
Lu Xu got up and sat down again.
Zhao Heng said softly, "This King has always been unlucky in gambling. Back then, in that big gamble, he lost the world. That's why he asked Xiao 'er Cang to move to the capital. It's just a small gamble. People say that small bets are good for the mood. He thinks he can win. "
Lu Xu suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
Zhao Heng continued to turn the prayer beads and said with a smile, "You thought of it? That's right. If This King doesn't die, or slowly dies of old age, this gamble, even if I, Zhao Heng, win, it will be useless. Xiao 'er won't be able to become King of Jing An. He will only be demoted by one rank and demoted to a Duke. "
Lu Xu knelt down again.
Was it fun to indirectly kill a Duke who had no illness and no disaster? How many lives did a mere aide like Lu Xu have?
Zhao Heng got up and said, "Don't kneel. This King only wants one person to kneel in front of him. Who is that person? You and I both know it. Of course, it won't be you. "
Prince Jingan personally helped the blind young man from the estate up. He smiled amiably and said, "Back then, that person relied on the scholar Xun Ping, who could be considered a peerless scholar, to achieve what he has today. With you, father and son, presumably, we won't be too far behind. Let's go. You've seen the splendor of Jing An Palace. This King will take you to see some filthy things. "
Lu Xu was brought by the King of Jing An, Zhao Heng, to a secluded private house in the city. After getting out of the carriage, the King of Jing An, who was the most proficient in both the pen and the sword, revealed an imperceptible bitter smile.
Zhao Heng gently pushed the door open and entered.
The small courtyard was filled with orchids. A woman was lazily leaning against the wooden railing under the eaves. She was graceful and refined.
Zhao Heng said indifferently, "When ordinary people see this woman in the courtyard, they will most likely mistake her for Pei Nanwei."
When Lu Xu heard this, he was stunned for a moment. After confirming that the woman in the courtyard was not the Princess Jing An, Pei Nanwei, he was shocked by Crown Prince Zhao Xun's rebellious behavior. For someone as rich as His Royal Highness, it was normal for him to keep a mistress in a golden house. Even if he had a Crown Prince Consort and kept a beautiful woman, no one would see it as rebellious. However, when this woman looked too much like a Crown Prince Consort, it was somewhat shocking. Lu Xu immediately understood why the King of Jing An, Zhao Heng, would say that it was a filthy thing. He looked down and no longer "looked" at the beautiful woman who was in a daze.
The woman finally woke up. When she saw Zhao Heng, who looked seventy to eighty percent similar to Zhao Heng, she immediately knelt down. Her delicate body trembled and she couldn't say a word.
Zhao Heng slowly walked to her side and reached out to hold a string of wind chimes under the eaves. He didn't say anything.
The woman's face was covered in tears. After trembling for a long time, she raised her head and bit her lip until it bled. She said, "I'm not afraid of death, but I beg the King of Jing An not to punish His Royal Highness."
Zhao Heng released the wind chimes and gently flicked them. They jingled. He didn't lower his head to look at the woman who was crawling on the floor. He sneered softly, "Are you worthy of speaking to This King?"
The woman lowered her head and tears streamed down her face.
The King of Jing An listened to the sound of the wind chimes and slowly said, "This King already knew from the first day you stepped into the courtyard. However, this scandal is nothing to This King. Xu 'er didn't cross the line."
The woman was still trembling like a delicate orchid in the wind and rain.
Zhao Heng continued, "Now, for Xu 'er, you have to die. Are you willing?"
The King of Jing An and Lu Xu walked out of the courtyard.
Before Zhao Heng boarded the carriage, he paused and laughed softly, "This King treats you like a scholar."
Lu Xu, who didn't speak, bowed deeply.
The woman waited until the sound of the door closing. She wiped away her tears and went to the jewelry box to choose a pearl hairpin that Zhao Xun had given her. She came under the eaves and lay on the floor with him. She raised her head and looked at the wind chimes.
Before the hairpin pierced her neck, she said softly, "Xun."
When the King of Jing An's Crown Prince, Zhao Xun, was in the capital, there was a piece of news that shook the world. The King of Jing An, Zhao Heng, died of a chronic illness. Princess Jing An, Pei Nanwei, committed suicide.
The news spread to the capital. It was rumored that the Crown Prince, Zhao Xun, vomited blood and fainted.
That day, the Emperor's grace was vast and mighty.
The Emperor decreed that Zhao Xun was to be the King of Jing An.
Among the seven vassal kings, he was the second to be granted a hereditary title. However, he was the first to become a vassal king, His Royal Highness.
After Zhao Xun thanked the Emperor in the palace, he quickly returned to Xiangfan City. After meeting Lu Xu, he put on mourning clothes.
In the dead of night, Zhao Xun, who was about to become the new vassal king of the dynasty, sat alone in the mourning hall. He expressionlessly threw a handful of yellow paper into the brazier.
After the mourning period was over, Zhao Jie, who was now Prince Jingan, had his maidservants wait on him and put on his official robe. He dismissed the servants and stood in the room with his hands clutching his face. His expression was twisted and sinister, as if he was crying but not crying, as well as smiling but not smiling.
He covered his face and lowered his head in tears.
If there was someone watching, His Royal Highness would have an incomprehensible expression at this moment.
It was a pity that the new noble Lu Xu could only stand outside the door. Moreover, he was blind.
Inside the room was the King of Jing An, Zhao Xun.
He covered his face and the corners of his mouth curled up.
— —
The capital.
When a woman marries into the imperial family, no matter what her previous status was, she would have no choice.
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