Chang'an City, East Palace.
"ah--"
A miserable cry came out, and the maids guarding outside the palace of Prince Li Chengqian all turned ashen and trembled all over.
"What number is this?"
He Ganchengji, the commander of the East Palace Guards, happened to be passing by, and he naturally heard the screams coming from inside.
Just after the second watch, the entire East Palace was silent, and the screams spread far away.
"Back to the Commander-in-Chief, this month is the second one, and there are already seventeen this year..."
Hegan Chengji was followed by a team of guards, part of the night guard, who seemed to be used to things like the prince's palace.
Not long after, the door of the palace was opened, and four young eunuchs came out, carrying a bloody palace maid in their hands. It looked like she had been dead for a long time.
"Hey, I know this palace maid, she is less than fourteen years old this year, and she is the one who agrees. She..."
One of the guards sighed, but was glared at by Hegan Chengji.
"If you want to live a long life, shut up that stinky mouth of yours. If word of what happened in the East Palace is spread, you should be careful with your head!"
In fact, He Qian Chengji was also very conflicted in his heart.
Since the arrival of the man named Chengxin, Li Chengqian rarely left the door of the palace. Even if he did, it was in the courtyard of the East Palace, setting up tents, roasting whole sheep, and drinking mare's milk, just like the Turks.
Hegan Chengji sometimes asks himself, what should he do?
Should he think about the prince Li Chengqian, should he be unswervingly loyal to his young master, or should he be responsible only to the master of the sect?
His skills came from the careful training of the master of the sect, but his family had been greatly favored by the young master and his father, and the prince Li Chengqian himself had been following him for thirteen years.
A high-spirited Crown Prince who was first among his peers in literary and military skills at a young age, but now indulges in drinking and sex all day long, and looks like he is about to become a cripple.
"Let's go, let's go check somewhere else. Don't leave anyone here in the palace..."
He Qian Chengji always felt that Li Chengqian should not collapse so easily. He was an extremely persevering person.
However, with the situation in front of him and his lame leg, Hegan Chengji's confidence was shaken again.
…
Huasheng Temple, the second day of the Water and Land Conference, was even more lively than the first day.
As the news spread, many people flocked outside Chang'an City. Even if they couldn't enter the venue, it was worthwhile to listen to it from a distance.
Decades after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, Buddhism had never had such a grand event, which invisibly attracted many new believers.
There were crowds of people inside and outside Huasheng Temple, and Li Zhi's "Lizheng Hall" was equally lively.
Since Sun Simiao settled in Li Zhi's "Lizheng Palace" yesterday, several people have also expressed their interest.
The first is Li Shimin and Qin Qiong who came with them. At their level, they are even more eager to become stronger, especially when there is such an opportunity right in front of them.
Li Shimin did not act like an emperor and his father, but simply asked for an independent courtyard, the first courtyard on the east side to the north, and the courtyard next to the south was the courtyard of Princess Li Mingda of Jinyang.
Then there is Changsun Pingting's, and there is still a courtyard left on the east side.
Qin Qiong was embarrassed to open his mouth. Li Zhi saw his desire and simply let Qin Qiong live in the courtyard next to Sun Simiao on the west side.
Of course, since Qin Qiong has moved in, whether his two sons will come or not depends entirely on his own arrangements.
As a result, the status of "Lizheng Palace" in the palace seems a bit embarrassing. After all, these few are grown men who often go in and out of the palace, and even live here, and they always talk about it or not.
Fortunately, although "Lizheng Palace" is a deep palace, close to the north end of the palace, it is closer to the east side of the palace. After leaving "Lizheng Palace" and heading east, there is a side hall, and outside the palace wall is "Yongchangfang" .
Simply, Li Shimin directly assigned the side palace on the east side to Li Zhi, closed the original west palace gate of "Lizheng Palace", and opened a new palace gate on the east side as the main gate.
After this operation, "Lizheng Palace" was effectively isolated from the palace, and even its name was changed by Li Shimin, directly calling it "Prince Jin's Palace".
Originally, Li Zhi was only thirteen years old, not yet old enough to open a palace, but he did something special, but it was much smaller than other people's palaces.
Since both Sun Simiao and Qin Qiong lived in the "Prince Jin's Mansion", Li Shimin immediately appointed Qin Qiong as the recorder of the "Prince Jin's Mansion" to join the army and be in charge of the defense of the "Prince Jin's Mansion", while Sun Simiao was appointed as the director of the "Prince Jin's Mansion". title.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this is a cover-up. There are no guards in the "Prince Jin's Mansion", and there are not many servants in the "Prince Jin's Mansion". The person who records the affairs, joins the army and is in charge of the job should not be too relaxed.
The establishment of the "Prince Jin's Mansion" still caused a commotion in the court. Some people even felt that Li Shimin's handling was a bit hasty, but they did not dare to say it directly.
When Old Wei Zheng saw Qin Qiong and Sun Simiao, his eyes were full of envy. Unfortunately, he already belonged to the East Palace.
On the second day after the establishment of the "Prince Jin's Mansion", Qin Qiong couldn't wait to take office, and actually brought four "guards", namely Qin Huaiyu, Cheng Chumo, Cheng Chuliang, and a handsome boy of fifteen or sixteen years old.
Qin Huaidao was the eldest son in the family. He was going to inherit Qin Qiong's title in the future, so he was left at home.
But the old Cheng family was slightly different. Cheng Chumo was originally going to inherit the title of Cheng Yaojin, but he saw that Qin Huaiyu, who had followed Li Zhi for just a few years, actually reached the state of "martial arts and spirituality".
Cheng Chumo was so envious that he took advantage of Li Zhi's opportunity to open his palace and recommended himself to Qin Qiong. For this reason, he was willing to give up the position of Duke that would be easily available to him in the future.
Li Zhi couldn't help but smile when he saw that they could come. These brothers were all young princes, but they wanted to come to him to be guards of the palace. He was very moved.
"Uncle Qin, who is this brother? He's very sharp, as if he's never seen him before? He's so energetic -"
Looking at the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, Li Zhi seemed particularly friendly, mainly because the boy was so good-looking.
Even if Li Zhi is a person with outstanding appearance, after practicing, he has gained a bit more heroic spirit, but if compared with the person in front of him, he is still half a step behind.
"Haha, Your Highness Prince Jin, this son is not an outsider, but he is a miserable child. He is the son of my miserable cousin, and his name is Luo Tong."
Qin Qiong looked at Luo Tong with eyes full of love, just like looking at her own child.
"Oh, is this the son of Duke Yue? Sure enough, he is very handsome. He is also here..."
Luo Tong's famous name, Li Zhi, naturally knew that his father, Qiao Luocheng, the "cold-faced cold gun", was even more unstoppable, and his skills were especially superior to those of Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong and others.
It's a pity that the character who was so angry at Xiaojiao and refused to let him alone died young, leaving Luo Tong as his only son.
"Yes, Tong'er arrived in Chang'an City not long ago. I brought him here this time. I hope His Highness the King of Jin can take Qin's consideration into account..."
Entering the "Prince Jin's Mansion" to serve as a guard is not as simple as being a guard.
This place is simply a treasure land for cultivation. If it weren't for the fact that Luo Tong was so pitiful, Qin Qiong might not be able to win over him. What's more, one of his sons, Qin Huaiyu, has already come in.
He is not like the old Cheng family, who are thick-skinned and unparalleled in the world. Even if Cheng Yaojin is not in Chang'an City, the old Cheng family still sent two large cars of gifts.
Mrs. Cui's original words were that this was "food money" for her two sons.
Following suit, Qin Qiong couldn't afford so much wealth, so he simply told Li Zhi that he would join the army as a clerk and would only do practical work without receiving a salary.
"What did Uncle Qin say? Brother Luo Shi is willing to come to my 'Prince Jin's Mansion'. It's too late for me to be happy. How can I dislike him?"
"However, we are not short of manpower now. There is only so much spiritual energy in the mansion. If we want to have enough for everyone, I'm afraid we really have to pray for Sun Laodao's peach tree to grow, haha——"
Speaking of this, both Qin Qiong and Li Zhi couldn't help laughing.
Just the day before yesterday, when Sun Simiao took out a "peach stone", everyone had already laughed at him.
However, Li Zhi was willing to believe that what Sun Simiao said was true.
According to Sun Simiao, this "peach core" was left behind by a senior in their sect hundreds of years ago. It is said to be the "peach core" of the Queen Mother's peach.
As for whether it is true or false, no one knows, and no one can verify it.
If we say the only magical thing, I'm afraid it's that this peach stone, after being stored for hundreds of years, is still as bright and flesh-red as if it had just been eaten.
It's a pity that Li Zhi's "Destroying Golden Eyes" has just reached the red level. He can only see that this peach core is unusual, but he can't find out further.
Even without this, Li Zhi still supported Sun Simiao and carefully planted it on the black soil, occupying half of the position.
Now that everyone is here, Li Zhi still needs to check it first.
Li Zhi was well aware of Qin Huaiyu's realm, which was a perfect "martial arts and spiritual realm", but the two Cheng brothers were far behind.
The eldest, Cheng Chumo, is already twenty-two years old and has just reached the "Hua Jin" stage. The second oldest, Cheng Chuliang, is also twenty-two years old and cannot catch up with his elder brother. He only has the skills of the late "An Jin" stage.
On the other hand, Luo Tong, who is extremely handsome, is not yet seventeen years old. He is the same age as Qin Huaiyu but half a year older than him, and he has reached the middle stage of innateness.
Moreover, Li Zhi discovered that Luo Tong's cultivation talent was especially superior to Qin Huaiyu's. It was only because Qin Huaiyu had followed Li Zhi a few years earlier that he reached his current level. What if it were Luo Tong?
Thinking about Li Zhi, I felt very excited.
"Four dear brothers, I believe that Uncle Qin has told you all about the beauty of this place. Those who are experienced practitioners are teachers. For the time being, the four of you should take Brother Huaiyu as your leader."
"Let him teach you the 'Five Animal Opera'. Brother Chu Mo and Brother Chu Liang, let's teach the 'Tiger Opera' and the 'Bear Opera' respectively. It won't be too late to practice the other three operas when their realms have reached the innate level. .”
"Brother Luo Shi is already in the middle stage of Xiantian, so I can teach him all the 'Five Animals'. In addition, I will ask Taoist Sun to refine a few 'Foundation Pills'. Although they are just imitations, they can still have a certain effect."
Speaking of Sun Simiao, Li Zhi asked him if he could refine elixirs based on the principle of grabbing two ounces of oil even if he caught a toad?
When it came to elixirs, Sun Simiao was certainly very confident, and he regained his demeanor as a miracle doctor.
"Your Highness Prince Jin, although Pindao is not as good as those of the 'Alchemy Sect', ordinary pills are still not difficult for Pindao."
In order to show his importance, Sun Simiao naturally would not hide his secrets.
"Master Sun, are you telling the truth?"
Well, as soon as he heard that Sun Simiao could make elixirs, Li Zhi respectfully called him "Master Sun" again. His power and influence even made Li Shimin, his dearest brother, look down on him.
"Haha, of course, Your Highness Prince Jin, although you are far better than Pindao in cultivation, when it comes to alchemy, Pindao must be more professional."
Sun Simiao seemed to enjoy the feeling of being watched by these people. Unfortunately, he did not hold a whisk in his hand like Yuan Tiangang to show off.
"That's great! In that case, would you please Master Sun to refine a furnace of 'Nine Transformations Golden Elixir' first? If you need any materials, just ask, and the Pheasant Slave will definitely handle them for you."
Before Li Zhi finished speaking, Sun Simiao's face turned dark.
"His Royal Highness Prince Jin, you...you will easily lose friends if you talk like this-"
Sun Laodao was so angry that he turned around and walked away. He went into the room without even coming out to eat dinner.
"'Nine Transformations Golden Pill', is it difficult to refine it?"
Li Zhi murmured to himself, but no one could answer him.
However, after turning around, Sun Simiao told Li Zhi that if there were enough materials, he could imitate a few "Foundation Building Pills".
Although it is not as good as the real "Foundation Building Pill", it is still 60 to 70% effective.
Unfortunately, this pill is only useful for people below the realm of "tongshen". Naturally, there is no need for people like Li Zhi to take any more "foundation-building pills".
Even so, it is still a good thing. There are many people in the Tang Dynasty who are stuck under the realm of "tongshen", so there is no need to worry that this elixir will be useless.
Even so, with Sun Simiao's ability, even if the materials are sufficient, he can make at most ten or eight grains in one year.
Expanding the palace, renovating the gates, and passing on skills, Li Zhi seems to be completely immersed in his own world.
It wasn't until the night of the sixth day of the Land and Water Conference that Li Zhi couldn't sleep.
Coincidentally, Li Shimin couldn't sleep that night, so he wandered to Li Zhi's "Prince Jin's Mansion".
The gate of "Prince Jin's Mansion" was moved to "Yongchangfang", which does not prevent a corner door from being left at the original site of the gate of "Lizheng Palace".
However, this corner gate was only left for the convenience of Li Shimin, Li Mingda, Li Zhi and other few people entering and exiting the palace.
At Li Zhi's suggestion, the portraits of Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde were posted at the door of Li Shimin's palace, and Li Shimin slept soundly.
From then on, people in the Tang Dynasty also liked to paste the portraits of these two people on their doors during the New Year, becoming the second generation door gods, gradually replacing Yu Lei and Shen Tu.
"Pheasant slave, why are you still up so late?"
There were only a few people in the "Prince Jin's Mansion". As soon as Li Shimin entered through the corner gate, Li Zhi, Sun Simiao, Qin Qiong and others knew who was coming.
Naturally, no one stopped him, and no one came out to greet him. If he came here so late, he must be here to see Li Zhi.
"Father, didn't you sleep too? You came to my son so late. Do you have something to say?"
It was inconvenient to drink tea at night, so Li Zhi poured Li Shimin a glass of ginseng wine collected by Sun Simiao.
By the way, Sun Laodao's family is really rich, and Li Zhi can always find good things from him.
"Pheasant slave, there is something that my father has been thinking about for a long time, and I have always wanted to tell you, but I am still hesitant."
Li Shimin took the wine glass and drank it in one gulp. He suddenly felt that the blood in his body was a little swollen, and he quickly secretly circulated his internal energy. After walking for a long time, he felt that his Dantian was warm.
"What a great wine. Why haven't I drunk this kind of wine before?"
Looking at the empty cup, Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi greedily.
"Father, this wine is not the point. The point is what is it that you are embarrassed about? Is it about the throne or the secret of the royal family?"
Li Zhi suddenly felt that he was a little short of money. He could only get less than half a kilogram of medicinal wine from Lao Suntou, and he foolishly poured a glass for his father. Isn't this asking for trouble?
However, seeing Li Shimin's "poor" look, he had no choice but to pour another glass.
"Pheasant slave is really smart. What my father wants to say is the throne and the secrets of the royal family. I wonder which one does Pheasant slave want to hear first?"
Li Shimin didn't have the slightest objection to Li Zhi's direct question. The relationship between his son and me should be so candid.
"Father, if your son doesn't want to hear either of these things, what would you think?"
"this……"
Li Shimin was stunned, why didn't this guy act according to common sense?
