"Vice Supervisor Zuo and Assistant Minister Yan said that Zhao Chun's' Longevity Painting 'couldn't be compared to the painting of the young master of the Li family. Moreover, the other party is a few years younger than Zhao Chun. Could it be that the Li family really has a monster in this generation?" The guests were all amazed when they talked about what had just happened.
Zhao Chun was successful at a young age. Although he didn't have any dazzling achievements in the imperial examinations, his calligraphy and painting were top notch. He was famous in the capital and left his peers far behind.
Of course, Zhao Chun was still too young and inexperienced, so he couldn't be compared to real masters like Zuo Qiu and Yan Zhang. However, an even younger talent had surpassed Zhao Chun in calligraphy and made Zuo Qiu admit that he was not as good as him. Other than a monster, no one knew what else to describe him.
It was actually a good thing for a big family to have such a monster. It would be of great help to the spread of fame and the continuation of the family. However, the situation of the Li family was different. The eldest branch had disappeared 20 years ago, and the one in power now was the second master of the Li family. If the younger generation of the Li family was as mediocre as before, the position of the head of the family would still be passed to the eldest son of the second branch even if the family declined.
At such a critical moment, the eldest grandson of the Li family, who could be called a monster, had returned. The attitude of the Old Mistress was unclear. Who would be the next head of the family?
Of course, these were not things that they should worry about.
Anyone with a sharp mind would be able to tell from the gloomy expression of the Matriarch's wife that there was an undercurrent beneath the calm.
The Li family had already declined, and the Fang family wasn't easy to get along with. No one knew how they would settle this family matter.
Li Yi wasn't too interested in whether or not there was an undercurrent. At this moment, he was thinking about something else.
He had made an agreement with the old monk that after the old woman's birthday, someone from the Cold Mountain Temple would go down the mountain to get the scriptures. Xuanzang had gone through eighty-one difficulties and traveled thousands of miles in order to get the scriptures. He had suffered a lot and suffered a lot. He had been put in a steamer by various fairies and was almost steamed into a bun. Only then did he succeed. The old monk had only been delayed for a few days. It was too easy to get the scriptures.
The capital was a place where anything could happen. Just as Li Yi was hesitating about how many days he should drag things out, a huge bald head appeared in his line of sight.
At the same time, the surrounding guests also felt that their surroundings seemed to have brightened up.
"That is …"
"Grandmaster Tan Yin, that's Grandmaster Tan Yin!"
"Why is Master Tan Yin here? Could it be that he is also here to celebrate the old madam's birthday?"
…
…
The sudden appearance of a bald head in a room full of guests was very eye-catching. If this bald head was a famous monk in the capital who had received the royal family's hospitality many times, it would be difficult not to attract attention.
There were countless Buddhist believers, and there were also many devout believers present. How could they not know Grandmaster Tan Yin of the Cold Mountain Temple?
After receiving the servant's report, the old madam did not dare to delay and immediately came to greet him. She first bowed respectfully and then said, "I didn't know that Grandmaster would come and I was not able to welcome you. It is really impolite of me."
At this time, Li Mingze, the master of the Li family, could only stand aside and did not have the right to speak.
The old monk had his trademark smile on his face and said, "Madam, you don't have to be so courteous. I have come specially to celebrate your birthday. I don't have anything valuable on me, so I have a small gift. A handwritten copy of the Diamond Sutra is for you."
A little monk behind him immediately handed over a simple wooden box. Grandmaster Tan Yin presented it with both hands and personally handed it to the old madam.
Not to mention the guests, even the people of the Li Clan were flabbergasted when they saw this scene.
Grandmaster Tan Yin was a famous monk who usually meditated on Zen and Taoism. It was extremely difficult for ordinary people to meet him. Even the nobles of the royal family had to make an appointment in advance if they wanted to see him. In comparison, the small Li family was really not worth mentioning.
But it was such a small Li family that Grandmaster Tan Yin came in person just to celebrate the old madam's birthday. Who dared to say that Grandmaster Tan Yin's handwritten sutra was a small gift? It was a small family. They might even treat it as a family heirloom.
"Grandmaster, quickly take a seat." The old madam was also shocked and surprised. She did not dare to be negligent and personally led the old monk to the main seat. The old monk insisted on only sitting next to the old madam. Li Mingyuan tactfully sat at another table.
The guests couldn't help glancing over. Except for the Empress Dowager's birthday, Grandmaster Tan Yin was invited. They had never heard of him celebrating anyone's birthday. What did the Li family do?
Moreover, it seemed that the Grandmaster had great kindness to the Li family.
Although Buddhism never participated in secular affairs, no one would ever look down on them because of this. When the news that Grandmaster Tan Yin had personally celebrated the old madam of the Li family's birthday spread out tomorrow, it would definitely cause a stir in the capital.
After Grandmaster Tan Yin took his seat, Li Mingze immediately ordered the servants behind him, "Hurry up and change all the dishes on this table to vegetarian dishes."
"There's no need …" Grandmaster Tan Yin smiled and said, "Today is the old madam's birthday. This old monk will send a small gift and meet my young friend. I'll be leaving soon."
"Young friend?" Li Mingze's expression froze. Everyone at the banquet had a puzzled look on their faces.
The old monk stood up and gestured for the old madam to ignore him. He walked straight in a certain direction.
How could the crowd really ignore him? They all looked in that direction.
"Don't be impulsive. Now is not the time!" Li Yi hugged Miss.Liu's sword and refused to let go. If she ran to the old monk to learn martial arts now, the old madam's sixtieth birthday would be ruined.
"Young friend Li Yi, this old monk came uninvited. I hope you don't blame me." Under everyone's gaze, the old monk walked over slowly and said with a smile.
The young novice monk, who was following behind the old monk, looked up and saw the beautiful woman in front of him. His face suddenly turned pale and a little panic appeared on his face. He hurriedly stood to the other side.
"I haven't seen you for a long time, master. You're still as elegant as ever …" Li Yi thought about the scripture and said something carelessly. He thought to himself that this old monk was an eminent monk. Why didn't he have any calmness? Wasn't there still two days before the deadline to hand in the manuscript?
"The scripture hasn't been copied yet. There's no need to worry, master. I'll send someone to deliver it to the temple when the time comes."
The old monk smiled and said, "This matter is not urgent. This old monk just feels that young friend has a deep affinity with Buddhism. If there's a chance, it would be interesting to debate with you about Buddhism. Although the Cold Mountain Temple is small, there will always be a place for you. "
Li Yi didn't know how deep his affinity with Buddhism was. He only knew that if this old monk wanted to debate with him about Buddhism, with the experience of countless predecessors for thousands of years, he would definitely be able to fool the old monk until his worldview collapsed and he started to doubt his life. He might even give up being a monk and there would be one less eminent monk in the world. This was a great sin. No matter how many pagodas he built, it would not be enough to repay the debt. It was better not to do such a sin.
"Hehe, Buddhism can't be debated. In terms of Buddhism, master should find other eminent monks."
Li Yi always felt that this old monk also wanted to trick him into becoming a monk. He was too bold. He dared to make Ruyi a living widow. Even if Ruyi didn't do it, Miss.Liu would cut off his bald head and kick it like a ball.
When Li Yi and the old monk were discussing whether he had a fate with Buddhism, he didn't realize that the atmosphere around them had become a little strange.
Just now, he was still curious why Master Tan Yin would personally come to Madame Dowager's birthday with his identity. Now that he saw the master and the young man talking happily, how could he not understand that the two should have known each other for a long time?
Madame Dowager celebrated her birthday every year. Why didn't he come even once? It was true that he came to celebrate Madame Dowager's birthday, but his main purpose was probably that young man.
Didn't he see that the master just exchanged a few words with Madame Dowager and walked straight over there?
He was probably the only person in the entire capital, or even the entire Jing Kingdom, who could be called a "little friend" by Master Tan Yin.
Who exactly was the eldest grandson of the Li family? First, he used the Longevity Painting to suppress Zhao Chun, and then he made Master Tan Yin lower himself to attend his birthday. Was this really the child of the Li family who had been living outside for twenty years?
"This …"
As the master of the Li family, Li Mingze was at a loss in the face of such a situation.
If he neglected Master Tan Yin, it would be bad for the Li family's reputation. However, the master walked over on his own. Did he have to invite him back?
At this moment, Madame Dowager said, "Go and invite Yi 'er and the master over."
Master Tan Yin was of noble status. No matter what the master thought, as a member of the Li family, it was not good to neglect him.
Looking at Li Mingze getting up and walking over, Madame Fang lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth so hard that they were about to break.
She originally wanted to borrow Zhao Chun's Longevity Painting to make him a joke at Madame Dowager's birthday banquet, but she did not expect that it would become a stepping stone for him to become famous. It turned out to be a clumsy move, causing more people to notice him. Monk Tan Yin's appearance pushed everyone's attention to him to a new peak.
If this continued, even her stubborn husband would think that he was the most suitable candidate to be the next master of the Li family.
Madame Fang's face was gloomy. The current master of the Li family was her husband, and the future master of the Li family would definitely be her son. No one could take him away. Not to mention Li Minghan's son, even if Li Minghan came back to life, he could forget about it!
"I appreciate Assistant Minister Li's kindness. I've already delivered the gift, so I won't stay any longer. I'll take my leave now. There's no need to send me off." The old monk left with the little monk. Under everyone's gaze, he was extremely high-profile. He wasn't as quiet as when he came.
"Yi 'er, come with me." Monk Tan Yin left, but Li Mingze did not intend to let Li Yi stay here any longer. He and Madame Dowager still had a lot of questions about Monk Tan Yin.
"Ruyi, come with me." Li Yi grabbed Miss Liu's arm and decided to take her with him. He didn't want her to keep staring at the direction of the old monk. He was afraid that once he turned around, she would chase after him with her sword and fight with the old monk for three hundred rounds in the name of learning kung fu.
Li Mingze did not say anything about this. Madame Dowager liked Miss.Liu very much. Madame Dowager would only be happy if she went with him.
The little fatty looked at Li Yi enviously. Those sitting there were all his elders. If he sat there, he could be the first to eat.
Originally, he wanted to sit in the corner peacefully, but after being disturbed by the old monk, and seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Li Yi knew that he couldn't sit still even if he wanted to.
"Little Yi 'er, what's going on between you and Master Tan Yin?" Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, his aunt asked with a face full of gossip.
Li Yi was depressed. This question was very unprofessional. What could happen between him and an old monk? He said helplessly, "Nothing much. Last time when I went to Cold Mountain Temple with Grandma, I happened to meet Master Tan Yin. We chatted for a while, but we're not very familiar. I don't know why he came to our house …"
It was not convenient to tell them about the scriptures, so Li Yi could only say so.
"Is that really the case?" The beautiful woman's face was full of disbelief. Thinking back to the situation just now, the two of them could not have just "chatted".
Li Yi nodded and said, "That's how masters are. They like to pay attention to fate. Master Tan Yin once said that I have fate with Buddhism. Maybe it's because of this …"
The beautiful woman frowned and said, "What fate with Buddhism? Big Brother only has one son, so we can't cut off the line. Even Master Tan Yin can't do that. You should go to the temple less in the future. Your second uncle will soon transfer you to the capital, and the family has already sent someone to pick up your wife. She's already twenty years old, and she doesn't even have a child. This matter has to be settled quickly …"
Hearing Li Yi's words, Madam Fang's heart moved. She looked up and said, "You can't say that. To be able to have fate with Master Tan Yin is a blessing that can't be cultivated for several lifetimes. Nephew, you have to seize this opportunity. This is also beneficial to our Li family."
Madam Fang looked like she was thinking of the Li family. In her heart, she hoped that Li Yi would stay in the temple and not come back. The Li family would not let a monk be the family head.
"What?" Li Yi ignored Madam Fang's words. The family had sent someone to Qing 'an Prefecture to pick up Ruyi. When did this happen? How come he didn't know?
If Ruyi came to the capital, what was the point of him going back? Was he going to live with Ruyi?
Aunt Li Anrong looked at Li Yi and said reproachfully, "Look at you. As a granddaughter-in-law, how can I not come for the old madam's sixtieth birthday? By the time you think about it, it's already too late. The old madam has already sent someone to Qing 'an Prefecture. If it weren't for the rain that delayed the journey a few days ago, I'm afraid they would have arrived in the capital by now."
Faced with his aunt's accusation, Li Yi was momentarily speechless.
What should he say? This time, when he came to the capital, he had no intention of staying for long. He just wanted to replace the original owner of this body to come here and have a look. After that, he would go back and have children with Ruyi …
Who would have thought that so many things would happen after he came here? His original plan was completely disrupted. Now that they had picked up Ruyi, his own plan — what other plan could there be!
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