The next day, it was a crisp autumn day.
It should have been a good time to go out of the city and climb high to see the distance, but the twelve city gates of Chang'an City were closed tightly, making it impossible to enter or exit.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, but the huge Chang'an City has no festive atmosphere at all. Everyone's hearts seem to be covered with a shadow, just like the bleak autumn.
"Your Majesty, the demons outside Chang'an City have been completely evacuated overnight. The general sent out scouting horses, and no trace of the demons was found within a hundred miles."
Su Dingfang, who served under Qin Shubao, hurried into the Jin Palace. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw Li Shimin sitting in the middle.
"Oh, are you serious about this? In the past two months, the demon clan has fought countless battles with us, and both sides have their own victories and defeats. We managed to hold on, but the other party actually withdrew?"
Li Shimin asked suspiciously, his eyes passing over everyone in the hall and finally resting on the "Three Holy Mothers" Yang Chan.
Today, Yang Chan, after experiencing the war for the past two months, has become the real head of the Jin Palace. With the "Lotus Lantern" in his hand, he has repeatedly saved everyone from danger.
"What my father said is true. Now that heaven is out of balance, demons are rampant in the three realms, and humans are now the protagonists of the three realms. I think the demons will never abandon Chang'an and leave easily."
"Although we have suffered heavy losses in the past two months, quite a few demon soldiers and generals have died in our hands. There must be something fishy about the sudden withdrawal of the demons."
No matter how clever "Three Holy Mothers" Yang Chan was, she couldn't guess the mystery behind it, so she could only tell Su Dingfang to investigate again and report again.
As a result, Su Dingfang once again expanded the scope of the investigation and searched as far as three hundred miles away from Chang'an City, but still could not find any trace of the demons.
Two on one day, three on two days. After three days, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival.
There had been no fighting for several days, and the more courageous residents of Chang'an even took to the streets of Chang'an, hanging out with friends, and going in and out of restaurants and teahouses in twos and threes.
Maybe it's because I'm really holding it back, or maybe it's because of the arrival of the August Festival. Even the weather seems to be much better.
Prince Jin's palace also began to prepare for the festival. After all, the August Festival is a relatively big festival during this period.
The Jin Palace is the backbone of the fight against the invasion of demons. Even if it is a show to make the people in the city feel at ease, Yang Chan still has to arrange it in an orderly manner.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, it is always more lively at night.
It's just that in the current situation, it's impossible to celebrate grandly. Li Shimin made the decision and asked Prince Li Chengqian to draw up a list and set up three or five tables in the Jin Palace, which could be regarded as a celebration between the emperor and his ministers.
It seems that the Jin Palace has never had such a big scene in all these years. Even on the wedding day of Li Zhi and Yang Chan, so many people were never invited.
Early in the morning, Prince Jin's Mansion became busy. Worried that the cooks in Prince Jin's Mansion would not be busy, Li Shimin directly transferred all the people in the imperial dining room.
Anyway, over the years, Li Shimin has lived more in the Jin Palace. There are only a few less favored concubines living in the palace, and it is common to transfer the imperial dining room.
As the guard commander of Prince Jin's Palace, Bai Zhi did not dare to take it lightly. Fortunately, he had a chance to breathe these days. With the help of Yang Chan's "Baolian Lantern", Bai Zhi's injuries were almost healed.
Today, Bai Zhi, who is in the stable early stage of "Taiyi Golden Immortal", has a surprise attack by the demons. Yan Chixia simply takes the thirty most capable people from the "Li Jing Sect" and temporarily serves as the Jin Palace. The guards are under the unified management of Bai Zhi.
Qin Shubao also followed suit and selected the thirty most powerful people from the entire Royal Forest Army to serve as guards for the Jin Palace.
In this way, Bai Zhi, who was originally regarded as a bare commander, truly fulfilled his responsibilities as the guard commander of the Jin Palace.
However, Bai Zhi's main focus was to control the defense of the entire Jin Palace. The sixty people were divided into two, with Luo Tong and Qin Huaiyu commanding thirty people each.
Yang Chan, the "Three Holy Mothers", is directly responsible for guarding the inner house, with the eldest grandson Pingting, Ao Ling and Xue Qian assisting from the side.
"Commander Bai, this is an invitation from Daci'en Temple. It says it's from China.
On an autumn night, Master Xuanzang is going to give a lecture and invites two demon generals from the Asura clan in our house to come. You see..."
While Prince Jin's palace was busy preparing for the evening banquet, a guard from Prince Jin's palace approached the guard commander Bai Zhi with an invitation.
"Oh, what else did the visitor say? Did we just invite the two of them?"
Bai Zhi was a little confused.
It is said that Master Xuanzang has a special status. Whether he is with Emperor Li Shimin of Tang Dynasty or with his own master, Prince Li Zhi of Jin Dynasty, he has a close friendship.
Since Master Xuanzang settled in the "Big Wild Goose Pagoda" of Daci'en Temple, it has been a common thing to open forums and give lectures. However, the invited people are usually Buddhists. At most, they are just men and women who believe in Buddhism.
At least it has been more than a year, and no official from the court has ever been there, let alone sent invitations to Prince Jin's Mansion.
What’s even more puzzling is that even if the invitation was sent to Prince Jin’s Mansion, why were only two demon generals from the Asura clan invited?
"Commander Bai, the little novice monk said that Master Xuanzang originally said that Princess Jin was also the one to be invited, but now the situation is special. Princess Jin has to be in charge of the palace, so we only invited two 'Daluo Jinxian' level The Demon General."
Bai Zhi knew clearly in his heart that the young novice monk on the other side could directly break the realm of the two Asura Demon Generals in this way. He thought that this invitation might only be related to his cultivation level.
Naturally, Bai Zhi cannot make the decision without authorization. After all, the two demon generals of Asura have the cultivation level of "Daluo Golden Immortal", but they just live here as guests.
They came to protect Prince Jin's Mansion under the orders of their masters. Not to mention Bai Zan, I'm afraid "Three Holy Mothers" Yang Chan wanted them to do something, so she had to use the word "please", right?
"Just wait and guard here. I, the commander, will go in and report to Princess Jin——"
Bai Zhi did not dare to neglect, holding the invitation full of Buddhist atmosphere in his hand, he hurried into the house to find the "Three Holy Mothers".
...
"Mother, how do you think this matter should be handled?"
In a side hall, Yang Chan looked at the invitation in his hand and didn't see any flaws.
It's just an ordinary invitation. Master Xuanzang has left his personal Buddhist imprint on it. Anyone who touches this invitation will receive a certain amount of Buddhist power and will be immune to all diseases for at least a few years.
In addition to Yang Chan, the "Three Holy Mothers", the eldest grandson Pingting was also present in the side hall.
This is an old man from the Jin Palace. After Yang Chan officially takes charge of the family, many matters in the palace must be discussed with the eldest son, Sun Pingting, in advance.
For one thing, after all, the eldest grandson Pingting is a real human being, and she has spent several years in Prince Jin's palace. She is much more familiar with Yang Chan than Yang Chan, no matter how she is involved in things or how she is worldly.
Secondly, whether it is Li Zhi's identity or his current and future achievements, it is inevitable that Yang Chan will not be the only woman in the harem.
The eldest grandson Pingting was chosen by the empress eldest grandson Wugou personally for Li Zhi many years ago. There is also a little princess from the "Tianmo Palace" and even a daughter.
"Third Holy Mother" is an open-minded person, or in other words, she is not a woman who takes matters between men and women so seriously.
For the so-called peace in the backyard, she naturally needs her own helpers, and her eldest grandson Pingting is undoubtedly the best choice.
Therefore, in addition to Yang Chan and his eldest grandson Pingting discussing major and minor matters in the Jin Palace, Yang Chan also made small arrangements for her eldest grandson Pingting during the journey of cultivation.
Otherwise, given Changsun Pingting's talent and circumstances, it would probably be much later before she could enter the realm of "mysterious immortal".
"Commander Bai, it is not easy for me to make decisions on my own at this time. Please send someone to invite the two demon generals here to discuss it."
After thinking for a moment, Yang Chan answered.
Although Rutuolo and Indra, the two demon generals of Asura, are now regarded as Li Zhi's subordinates, Yang Chan knows very well that in addition to Li Zhi himself, the one who can really command them should be the one who has not yet Meet the little princess Asura.
In a short time, Rutro and Indra came to the side hall together.
"I will eventually join Princess Jin——"
The two did not address each other as "Three Holy Mothers", but directly as "Princess Jin", which meant they met as retainers.
"You two demon generals are exempt from the ceremony. This is an invitation from Master Xuanzang of the Great Ci'en Temple to you two. There will be an opening lecture at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda after the official time today."
"I think I admire your reputation. Now that the demons besieging the city are gone, Master Xuanzang wants to stabilize the hearts of the people through this move. What do you think?"
Yang Chan did not make a decision for them, but she also named the things she thought of. After all, no matter how Master Xuanzang looked at it, he should stand from the standpoint of the Tang Dynasty.
"Brother, I, Lao Lu, have no intention of going to this lecture by Lao Shizi. Let alone listening to his lecture, even seeing those bald donkeys makes Lao Lu's brain hurt."
Rutoro glanced at the invitation first, then threw it to Indra aside.
In the Netherworld and Blood Sea, in order to compete for resources and voice in the underworld, the Asura clan often had conflicts with Buddhism represented by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
I don’t know how many times I have fought big and small battles. It is said that the Buddhist masters who died at the hands of these two are not even counted. Do you want to listen to Master Xuanzang’s lecture now?
Rutrana was a straight-tempered Lord who said whatever he thought, but Indra was not like that.
Although his instinctive reaction was to refuse directly, after all, the entire Asura clan had never had any friendship with Buddhism.
However, Indra is, after all, the leader of the four great demon generals of the Asura clan, and the actual manager of the "Temple Demon Palace". Naturally, he is much more sophisticated in dealing with people than Rutoro.
Now, the entire Netherworld Blood Sea has undergone changes. If it weren't for the little princess Luo Jia, the two of them might not be able to escape here.
There was even an order from Demon King Zi Zai Tianbo Xun, asking the two of them to accompany the little princess Luo Jia and join the command of His Highness the Human Race King Jin.
The person sitting in the side hall is the concubine of His Royal Highness Prince Jin and the "Three Holy Mothers" who is famous in the three realms. The few words he just said lightly were not a reminder to them.
"Princess Jin, according to your opinion, Master Xuanzang's lecture is not a purely Buddhist act?"
Indra heard the implication of Yang Chan, but still asked respectfully. He wanted to further confirm his guess.
"I have said that this is an invitation from Master Xuanzang to you two. Whether it is a simple Buddhist service or a real prayer for the Tang Dynasty, the entire Chang'an City is looking at the Jin Palace. If it is convenient for you two, please come There’s no harm in going and taking a look.”
Seeing Indra's sincere inquiry, Yang Chan didn't hesitate anymore and directly stated his attitude.
"Okay then, I will go to the Great Ci'en Temple. As for the third child, if his temperament goes there, it may lead to bad things, so he should stay in the mansion to protect the princess."
Indra also weighed it and felt that it seemed inappropriate to ignore the matter at all.
Putting aside everything else, Master Xuanzang's current cultivation level is higher than that of their two brothers. He is also the younger brother of the Tang Emperor and the clan uncle of his master.
In public and private matters, in terms of emotion and reason, it seems that one cannot refuse too simply.
"In this case, I would like to ask Taoist Priest Yuan to accompany you. Although Taoist Priest Yuan is a Quanzhen Taoist, he has a high reputation in the Tang Dynasty. If he goes to represent the Jin Palace, he will naturally not lose the reputation of the Jin Palace."
Seeing that Indra agreed, Yang Chan proposed again, and the matter was settled.
...
"Come on, come on, Brother Yao, Xuan Ling, Shu Bao, Fu Ji, Yao Jin, and all my ministers and ministers, today coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the demons outside the city have temporarily retreated. I am taking a break from my busy schedule to accompany you to drink and enjoy the feast. moon."
In the main hall, three tables were filled with people, all of them were civil and military ministers of the Zhenguan Dynasty. Many of them had not even had a banquet with Li Shimin in several years.
At the same time, in the inner house, headed by the eldest grandson Wugou and Yang Chan, a banquet was held for the female relatives of the ministers of the court, and they were also seated at two large tables.
"Hahaha, Your Majesty, I, old Cheng, have been craving for the fine wine from Prince Jin's Mansion for more than a day or two. I will drink it to my heart's content today."
No matter whether civil or military, others may be more reserved. After all, this is in front of Emperor Tang and in such a special environment.
It's a pity that Cheng Yaojin is a different kind of person. He is obviously at the peak of "Nascent Soul", but he still likes this kind of food.
"You, old man Cheng, have you ever been so drunk that you got under the table? I dare not say anything else, but the wine in Pheasant Nu's house cannot be found anywhere in the Tang Dynasty."
Li Shimin has abdicated. At least he no longer regards himself as an emperor in his heart. Most of the three people in front of him are old brothers who have followed him in the country.
The days when we licked blood together, drank heavily, and ate meat seemed like just yesterday.
Later, when he entered the dynasty and ascended to the throne of emperor, these people were also among the princes, wearing red and purple, but they lacked the most sincere feelings.
At this point, Cheng Yaojin, the elder, showed the most concern for Li Shimin, which is why Li Shimin admired and even valued Cheng Yaojin so much.
Speaking of the wine in Prince Jin's Mansion, not all of it was brought from Heaven. How could there be so much immortal wine for him to bring.
It's just that in the two or three years since the "Three Holy Mothers" Yang Chan has been stationed in the Jin Palace, she has also cooperated with Sun Simiao to brew a lot of fine wines, most of which are considered medicinal wines, which have the effect of strengthening the body, nourishing qi and quenching the muscles.
Of course, Yang Chan could come up with the recipe for wine making, and Sun Simiao could bring Luo Tong and Qin Huaiyu to do the wine making work. Naturally, it was Tang Emperor Li Shimin who took charge of naming the wine.
As Li Zhi expected, his father was really unpopular, and finally named the medicinal wine brewed by the Jin Palace "Zhenguan Brewing", which did not ruin the Tang Emperor's good reputation throughout his life.
...
At the beginning of the day, the lanterns were lit, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse, people were drinking wine, and the Buddha's voice was trembling.
The monarchs and ministers in the Jin Palace were enjoying themselves together, and the sound of Buddha was lingering under the "Big Wild Goose Pagoda". When the entire Three Realms were almost plunged into a smog, only in Chang'an City, there was still a sense of festival.
"Gao Ming, the pheasant slave is not here, so you, the eldest brother, will take my father's place and serve bowls to all your uncles and uncles——"
After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian, who was becoming more and more steady, and suddenly made a request.
Logically speaking, this request is nothing. Even if it is said on such an occasion, it is completely reasonable.
But Li Shimin mentioned Li Zhi's name again. In other words, it was because Li Zhi was not here that he, Li Chengqian, had the opportunity and qualification to toast.
This sentence was clearly heard by the three tables present, and for a while some people were already whispering.
Li Chengqian looked at his father with some surprise. After a long time, he finally understood what his father meant.
Are you still beating yourself up? ——
Li Shimin officially announced his abdication, and Li Zhi traveled far away from Chang'an City from time to time. In the past few years, it was Li Chengqian who managed the country in his capacity as the prince.
Of course, Li Chengqian knew very well that he could not compete with Li Zhi no matter what, and he had long since given up on that unrealistic idea.
It's a pity that he doesn't think that way. It doesn't mean that the ministers and workers of the Tang Dynasty don't think that way. How many people really know the inside story?
Even, every once in a while, some middle- and lower-level civil and military officials would write letters, requesting that the position of the king be established as soon as possible. The Tang Dynasty could not live without a king for a day.
In the eyes of most of the ministers, since Li Chengqian was the prince and had overseen the country's administration for many years, not to mention how outstanding he was, at least he had not made any major mistakes, so he deserved to be in the Ninth Five-Year Plan.
This is true for the civil and military ministers, let alone the ordinary people of the Tang Dynasty or the thousands of soldiers in the army.
Take the civil and military personnel in the hall today. Except for the dozen or so important ministers at the core, others really think that Prince Li Chengqian must be the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
Therefore, the words of Tang Emperor Li Shimin immediately confused many people, and some people woke up from the alcohol.
"Yes, I will go and toast all the ministers on behalf of my father and the pheasant slave——"
Now that his father has written the script, Li Chengqian naturally has to cooperate with the performance. He even has to recite Li Zhi's name every time he greets a minister.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?..."
Changsun Wuji, who was relatively close to Li Shimin, approached Li Shimin and spoke softly.
This man was not only Duke Zhao of the Tang Dynasty, but also Li Shimin's brother-in-law, and the biological uncle of Li Chengqian and Li Zhi.
Although he had silently recognized Li Chengqian in his heart for so many years and supported Li Chengqian in practice for so many years, the eldest grandson's uncle's heart still hadn't completely cooled down.
"Auxiliary machine, have you seen the moon in the sky?"
Li Shimin did not answer Changsun Wuji's words. Instead, he raised his head and asked Changsun Wuji an irrelevant question.
Li Shimin did not suppress his voice, so the people around him also put down their wine glasses and chopsticks and looked over.
"Your Majesty, today is the night of the full twelfth lunar month. The bright moon is in the sky and shining on the earth. We, the emperor and the ministers, are enjoying this together. It is really a blessing for the Tang Dynasty——"
Seeing so many eyes looking at him, Changsun Wuji suddenly realized that he was a little reckless and should not have said such words on such an occasion.
Unfortunately, the matter has come to this, and it is too late for Changsun Wuji to regret it. He has no choice but to follow Li Shimin's words and make an official statement.
"Haha, auxiliary machine, your mind and vision are still too limited. What I want to say is that we can only drink here and admire the moon, but the pheasant slave is a person who can go to heaven and be on the same level as the moon palace. .”
"Danglanglang——"
Li Shimin seemed to say something casually, but Changsun Wuji failed to keep the wine bottle in his hand and it fell to the ground with a clang.
...
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, a bunch of people who don't know how to live or die, actually still have the heart to eat and drink here, I will send you to hell tonight——"
Just as the civil and military officials were drinking, they suddenly felt that their eyes were darkened. The bright moon hanging high in the sky was blocked by something dark.
When everyone looked again, they found a large group of masked men in black floating in the air. Aren't these the demons who had disappeared for three days?
Looking up, the invading demon clan was probably no less than a few hundred people. Standing at the front were "Black Robe" and "Ying Yao", followed by four commander-looking people, each with a hundred demons. Soldiers, demon generals.
"Everyone, please don't leave the main hall. Prince Jin's palace is guarded by a large formation. Sons and gentlemen, please follow my commander to face the enemy——"
The first one to leap into the sky was naturally Bai Zhi, the guard commander of Prince Jin's Mansion.
I saw the "Purple Sky Divine Thunder Spear" swinging in his hand. After several years of tempering, Bai Zhi was finally able to use the gun given by Li Zhi normally.
A set of "Bloodthirsty" Spear Techniques and a set of "God-Destroying" Spear Techniques are definitely ranked number one in the entire Jin Palace.
On the left and right sides of Bai Zhi, there were Luo Tong and Qin Huaiyu.
As for the other sixty guards, well, although those people are also strong men in the army or "Li Jing Sect", none of them have broken through to "Celestial Immortal".
According to the formation, these people can guard the gate quite well, but if they really confront the invading demons, they will still be a little worse.
Just as Bai Zhi and the other three flew into the air, several more people flew out of the back house of Prince Jin's Mansion. A lotus lantern was raised high and the light shone down repeatedly, seeming to be guarding the entire Prince Jin's Mansion.
"Lingtuo, Shengnati, Gu Yang, and Brahmin, the four of you go to challenge and see how these weak humans respond-"
Seeing that Prince Jin's Mansion seemed to be well prepared, "Black Robe" waved the iron staff in his hand and called the names of the four demon leaders.
These four people are exactly the four people behind "Black Robe" and "Ying Yao" who command the demon soldiers and demon generals. They are also four of the "Six Spiritual Generals" of the demon clan.
In the early days of the uniform "Daluo Jinxian", when they were in the demon world, three of the "Six Spiritual Generals" set up the incomplete "Three Talents Formation" and could be trapped in Nezha for a long time.
Unexpectedly, after disappearing for three days, the demon clan unexpectedly showed up with four more "Daluo Jinxian" level warriors.
"Princess Jin, let's let Lao Lu take the lead. Lao Lu really knows some of these little bastards."
At some point, Rutoro also appeared in mid-air.
The moon was at the top of the sky, and the king and his ministers were enjoying themselves, but this Rutoro did not go over to join in the fun.
After all, he is not a human race, and he has such a dignified appearance. Not every civil and military officer in the court can face this demon general of the Asura clan calmly.
However, Rutuolo, who was addicted to alcohol, was naturally not idle. Instead, he took Hou Junji, who had come to the Jin Palace to deliver a letter, and they were having a drink in a side house.
As soon as this group of demons showed up, Rutoro knew about it, so he hid in the dark and watched. It wasn't until the other party sent out four masters of the early stage of "Da Luo Jinxian" that Rutoro showed up to meet them.
"Haha, you are the only ugly ghost from the Asura clan. You really think I am afraid of you. Even if I completely wipe you out today, your ancestors cannot blame me."
After confirming that there was only one Lutoro left at the level of "Daluo Jinxian" in Prince Jin's palace, "Black Robe" also let out a sigh of relief.
He even regretted his decision three days ago. If he had known that the "Six Spirit Generals" could come to support him, there would be no need for him to use the Buddha.
"Bah, you bunch of evil bastards, grandpa will save you all tonight——"
Well, a murderous god from the Asura tribe accidentally wanted to steal the jobs of the monks?
They were all old rivals. Where could there be so much nonsense? Rutoro just killed him. Otherwise, would he have really waited for these four to form a formation and wait for him?
"General Lu, give one to three of us, and you can deal with the other three."
Seeing that Rutuolo was at a disadvantage as soon as he stretched out his hand, Bai Zhi gritted his teeth and led Luo Tong and Qin Huaiyu to kill him too.
Today's Bai Zhi is only in the early stage of "Taiyi Golden Immortal", while Luo Tong and Qin Huaiyu quickly improved their realm to the middle and late stages of "Xuanxian" in brutal battles.
However, with the three of them having such cultivation levels, how is it different from seeking death if they want to take out a master who is in the early stage of "Daluo Jinxian"?
Fortunately, these three people came well prepared. A set of pure "Three Talents Formation of Heaven, Earth, Man," learned from the "Three Holy Mothers" raised the combined strength of the three people to the peak of "Taiyi Golden Immortal".
At least for a short period of time, he was barely able to deal with a person in the early stage of "Daluo Golden Immortal".
"Hmph, you ignorant humans, do you want to use the human sea tactic? Come on, a hundred demon soldiers-"
Good guys, Bai Zhi and the others are just three against one. Here, the "Black Robe" waved his iron staff, and a hundred demon soldiers came directly behind him.
These one hundred demon soldiers are basically from the "Nascent Soul" stage to the "Transcending Tribulation" stage. They are similar to the sixty people guarding the formation in the Jin Palace. They don't seem to be very eye-catching, but the key is that there are so many people.
"Ouch——"
Before the one hundred demon soldiers could rush in front of Bai Zhi and the others, there was a high-pitched dragon roar in mid-air, and a huge crimson dragon flew out of Prince Jin's palace, opened its bloody mouth, and illuminated the The Hundred Demon Soldiers swallowed it.
"Wow, sister Ao Ling is so handsome——"
The fight between the two sides was intense. Perhaps only Yun'er beside Yang Chan had this rare childlike innocence...
