"coming--"
I don't know who shouted softly, and the waiting crowd suddenly became restless.
Emperor Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty and Queen Yang Chan led hundreds of civil and military officials to wait ten miles outside the "Mingde Gate" of Chang'an City. Naturally, there were many people here.
In addition to the three thousand forbidden troops who maintained order, countless Chang'an people who had received the news in advance spontaneously came to greet them.
Thirty thousand men from Guanzhong went north to slay the demons, and nearly 20,000 were lost. Up to now, the people still don’t know whether their sons are safe?
Sure enough, a group of people came from the official road. The group was only a few hundred people. It was Li Yaoshi, the "Generalissimo of Conquering Demons" who had returned to the court.
"Generalissimo, Your Majesty and the Queen are leading the civil and military officials ten miles out of the city to pick you up——"
Cheng Wuting, the deputy general of the Chinese army, is now temporarily serving as the captain of Li Yaoshi's bodyguard, walking at the front of the team.
"Wu Ting, please take the others and move slowly, allowing me to go and give orders -"
Pharmacist Li also saw the dark crowd in front of him. He had experienced such a scene before, but it was far less embarrassing than today.
There were at least tens of thousands of people waiting for him, but less than 600 people came to the victory. This strange scene of more and less made even the experienced and well-traveled Pharmacist Li sigh.
"Old minister Li Yaoshi's class has returned to the court, His Majesty and the Empress are here. It's my fault—"
Li Yaoshi urged his horse forward, and when he was only a hundred paces away from the waiting crowd, he hurriedly kicked off the saddle and strode to the front of Emperor Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty.
The class teacher is a class teacher, but it cannot be said to be a triumph. According to Li Yaoshi's idea, although he also wiped out the demons in the north this time, the price paid was too high.
After everything happened, Li Yaoshi finally understood the truth behind it, and he was being led by the other party's nose.
If the young lady from the Wu family hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.
Therefore, along the way, Medicine Master Li did not hesitate to slow down his progress in order to take care of Mrs. Wu's injury.
But even so, no matter how far the journey is, it will eventually be reached. Chang'an is in sight, but Li Yaoshi's heart is beating a drum. How will the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty treat him, a person who has "miserable victory like defeat"?
This is also the reason why Medicine Master Li came back with only 500 personal guards.
"Mr. Medicine Master, please wake up quickly! I have learned clearly what happened in the northern border and even in Zhenguan City from the military report brought by Hou Junji."
"Although our soldiers of the Tang Dynasty are brave, they are not as powerful as the demons. Lord Yaoshi was able to almost annihilate the entire demon clan in the north. It is the Tang Dynasty that deserves the credit——"
Li Yaoshi only brought his personal guards back to Chang'an. Tang Emperor Li Zhi had known about this for a long time, and he also understood why Li Yaoshi acted like this.
It was precisely because of this that Li Zhi insisted on traveling ten miles out of the city with his queen Yang Chan and hundreds of civil and military officials to greet her.
Once on the battlefield, the battle is in danger, especially when the opponent is a ferocious and powerful demon who will use all possible means.
The Tang Dynasty lost more than 30,000 sons and hundreds of thousands of people in the first battle. It would be false to say that Li Zhi was not angry.
However, no matter how angry he was, he couldn't take it out on Medicine Master Li?
"Your Majesty, I am scared, I am..."
Seeing Tang Emperor Li Zhi treat each other like this, Li Yaoshi felt warm in his heart.
He thought that Li Zhi would comfort him, but he did not expect that today's situation would occur. From a purely military perspective, thirty thousand versus five thousand was a failure no matter how you looked at it.
"Ministers of civil and military affairs, fellow citizens of Chang'an City, this is Li Yaoshi, the Military God of the Tang Dynasty, and my Grand Marshal for Conquering Demons."
"This time I led 30,000 men from Guanzhong to attack the evil demons in the north. It lasted more than half a year, and finally gathered the demons in Zhenguan City and annihilated them all."
"There are no immortals in war. In order to completely annihilate the demon thieves, I, Guanzhong Erlang, also paid the price with my life. I will remember this in my heart, and so will the people of the Tang Dynasty."
"I decided to stay in Chang'an
On the outskirts of the city, a 'Loyal Soul Garden' was built. All soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the safety of our Tang Dynasty and the well-being of the people of our Tang Dynasty can enter the 'Loyal Soul Garden'. "
"A loyal soul will never leave, enjoying the incense offerings of our Tang Dynasty for generations. Anyone who enters the 'loyal soul garden' will be given twenty acres of Yongye field, one son of shade or one hundred taels of gold."
More credit is reserved for the survivors, while the dead soldiers, especially the unknown soldiers, have received pitifully little pensions in all dynasties.
Li Zhi also knew that Guanzhong had lost so many men in this battle, and that Guanzhong might have also lost some of its vitality. After discussing with several prime ministers, he made such an arrangement in public.
The living will benefit, and the dead will be named. He cannot let the soldiers who died on the battlefield and the souls of the dead after death be uneasy.
"Long live your Majesty——"
"Long live the Tang Dynasty——"
I don’t know who shouted the first sound, followed by civil and military officials from all over the court, and more than ten thousand people from Chang’an who came to greet him. They were excited and cheered.
"Your Majesty is truly the Lord of benevolence and virtue. I, Medicine Master Li, bow down to you——"
Pharmacist Li was the closest, and when he saw Li Zhi, he had an excited face, and even his eyes were a little wet. Pharmacist Li, who had white hair and beard, suddenly felt that it seemed that following such a master all the time, compared to returning to heaven...
...
When Li Yaoshi's class returned to the court, Tang Emperor Li Zhi led his troops ten miles out of the city to greet him. The scene was not too grand, but equally touching.
There was no big banquet, and the necessary rewards were simply made in the "Hanyuan Hall", which also took a lot of time.
After all, Qin Shubao's journey had ended long ago, and the one who had made a great contribution was still pending, and he had been waiting for news from the north.
The ones who made the greatest contribution in this battle were of course the two coaches. Li Yaoshi took the lead, followed by Qin Shubao, and many meritorious soldiers emerged from below.
The most eye-catching among them is naturally the Lady Wu.
"Your Majesty, I am not lying. The northern demon thief is too vicious and cunning. If the wife of the Wu family had not risked her life to help him this time, the consequences would have been disastrous."
"The demon clan in the north has been defeated, but Lady Wu is now dying. Although this woman is a beauty, she has a spirit that is not inferior to that of a man. You see..."
The list of rewards was announced in the palace. They were all based on the achievements reported by the various military commanders in advance. After joint verification by the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, they were approved by the ministers and assistants.
However, only Lady Wu, who ranked second in merit among the demon-conquering army in the north, was not reflected in the canonization just announced by the old eunuch Zhang Anan.
"Mr. Medicine Master, I already know about the Wu family's wife. Just now, the Third Holy Mother went to check her injuries. If she still can't be cured, I will take action myself."
"As for what kind of reward she should receive, I actually want to wait until she wakes up and ask her her wishes in person."
"In addition, I have asked the Ministry of Industry to start the construction of the Loyal Soul Garden. It was originally hard for Medicine Master to go to the north, but there is still a lack of a leader in this matter. You see..."
"Loyal Soul Garden", as the name suggests, is the place where the tombs and memorial tablets of the martyrs of the Tang Dynasty are placed. For the soldiers who died in battle, this is undoubtedly the highest courtesy of the military.
Of course, as His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi could come forward to take care of this matter himself. Anyway, he just needed to show his face. The people from the Ministry of Industry were the ones who really did the practical work.
However, Li Zhi wanted to give this opportunity to Li Yaoshi.
After more than half a year of fighting against demons, Pharmacist Li had done a great job and was only rewarded with some gold, silver and land. He couldn't be crowned king, right?
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am still a strong old man. I will definitely create a comfortable place for the souls of our fallen brothers in the army."
Knowing the elegant meaning after hearing the string song, it is obvious that Li Zhi is not willing to discuss the matter of Lady Wu in public in the "Hanyuan Hall", and the "Loyal Soul Garden" is the greatest reward Li Zhi gave to Li Yaoshi.
...
"Master Xuanzang, can you really summon the souls of the more than 30,000 Tang soldiers who died in the battle at Zhenguan City, and the hundreds of thousands of Tang people who died because of the demons?"
The court meeting at the "Hanyuan Hall" dispersed, and officials from the Ministry of Rites sent out several groups of people to convey the rewards from the imperial court.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Affairs is also busy preparing for autumn plowing. Especially in some places in the south, there is still a need to grow some miscellaneous grains.
In the past two years, too many places have been invaded by demons, and a lot of good farmland has been wasted.
In addition, as for the bureaucracy, the structures of various local governments have been disrupted, and anarchy has emerged in large areas. It will probably take several years to fully restore to the state before the demons were raging.
Li Zhi did not go back to the harem, but rushed directly to the "Da Ci'en Temple" in the south of the city.
Master Xuanzang agreed to his request and even went to the outskirts of the city to greet him in person, but did not specifically say what he would do.
That was a major event involving hundreds of thousands of dead souls. If we look at it in future generations, summoning their souls would look like empty talk. However, in this world where gods and Buddhas are flying all over the sky, Li Zhi believes that it actually exists.
"Amitabha, monks don't tell lies. Since the poor monk has promised to the Emperor of Tang, how can he lie to him?"
It is still on the fifth floor of the "Big Wild Goose Pagoda", and it is still the futon that Li Zhi is familiar with. The only change is that this time Master Xuanzang actually arranged for a fragrant tea.
"If you need my help, I hope the Master will tell you in person, so that I can make arrangements in advance——"
Seeing Master Xuanzang still looking calm and relaxed, Li Zhi felt a lot more relieved for no reason, and even actually picked up the tea cup in front of him.
"Amitabha, this is easy to say, but it will be more troublesome to do. After all, it involves tens of thousands of dead souls."
"In the humble monk's view, these hundreds of thousands of people should have returned to dust and dust to dust. Are there not too many living beings in the three realms who died at the hands of the demons?"
"However, since the Emperor of Tang insists on doing this, he has to pay some price, such as the luck of the Tang Dynasty or the longevity of the Emperor of Tang..."
Master Xuanzang's eyes shone brightly and he stared closely into Li Zhi's eyes, as if he wanted to see something from them.
"Haha, it seems that your Majesty is really 'Jin Chanzi' and is no longer my clan uncle. Forget it, let's talk about your conditions -"
The two looked at each other for a long time, then Li Zhi raised his neck and drank all the tea in the cup.
A hint of bitterness came over, like the bitterness of tea, but probably more of the unforgettable feeling in Li Zhi's heart, right?
"Amitabha, His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty does not have to be like this. The poor monk has already said, 'Golden Chanzi' or 'Xuan Zang of the Tang Dynasty' are nothing more than a title."
"When the poor monk arrived at Lingshan, the Buddha himself said, 'The Sutra should not be passed down lightly.' The poor monk went through countless hardships and traveled hundreds of thousands of miles to reach Lingshan, in order to spread the Buddha's teachings throughout the Eastern Land."
"Now His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty is wise and his soldiers are brave. He has exorcised the evil spirits in the Tang Dynasty. At the time when everything is prosperous, the poor monk has been staying in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda for several years and wants to take his disciples everywhere. Take a walk..."
Master Xuanzang sifted another cup for Li Zhi, and a wisp of fragrance rushed towards him.
Yes, the refreshing fragrance actually tastes bitter when it comes to your mouth.
"Forget it, since Master Xuanzang has the heart to save all sentient beings, I will do my best to help. After hundreds of thousands of dead souls have been laid to rest, I will issue an edict that all the provinces and states in the Tang Dynasty that have the conditions can build temples to guide the people. good."
After all, the human race is the protagonist of the fate of the world at this time. Being as powerful as Buddhism is just to spread Buddhism among the human race and develop believers.
Master Xuanzang was able to put forward such a condition, which was completely within Li Zhi's expectation. Just saying it from this familiar "skin bag" made Li Zhi feel a little desolate.
"Amitabha, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty deserves to be the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. The poor monk admires him. In six days' time, the 'Hungry Ghost Festival' will
"The poor monk should set up an altar here to chant sutras. After seventy-seven forty-nine hours, the wish of the Emperor of Tang Dynasty will naturally come true. "
Li Zhi gave his bargaining chip. Although he also made some restrictions between the lines, Master Xuanzang didn't seem to hear it. Maybe he trusted the Dharma too much?
"Then I'll take my leave first. This tea... is a bit bitter, so I don't mind drinking it-"
The "deal" between the two parties has been reached, and Li Zhi feels that there is no need for him to stay any longer. In other words, if there is nothing unsolvable in the future, he really does not want to climb this tower again.
...
"Chan'er, how is the wife of the Wu family doing?"
Li Zhi left the "Da Ci'en Temple" and returned to the harem for a walk, but found no trace of the "Three Holy Mothers" Yang Chan.
After using the "Broken Golden Eyes" to scan around, I saw that my daughter-in-law had actually returned to the "Lizheng Palace".
Although Li Shimin "occupied" the "Lizheng Palace", he still left a courtyard for Li Zhi, the same courtyard where he originally lived.
As for the others, Sun Simiao and Yuan Tiangang are still there, but Qin Shubao has moved out. After all, the protagonist of this palace is now the Supreme Emperor Li Shimin.
Qin Shubao was also very busy. He first led the army to sweep away the demons in Guanzhong, Henan, Hedong and even the south, and then arranged garrison guards in various places. He also held the title of General of the Forbidden Army.
Naturally, the original women all moved out.
Yang Chan, Ao Ling and eldest grandson Pingting went to the "Daming Palace" with Li Zhi. Sizi Li Mingda also grabbed a palace in the "Daming Palace" and dragged Bai Suzhen to live in it.
This time, Lady Wu had made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty but was dying. She was accompanied by four Buddhist disciples, so naturally she could not be taken directly into the Daming Palace.
After thinking about it again and again, and with Li Shimin's consent, Yang Chan brought Lady Wu and the four monks into the "Lizheng Hall".
"Kiuro, I'm afraid it's a little tricky. I just tried my best with the lotus lantern, but it was only able to save her life. It would take at most one day or at least half a day to revive her."
"However, I can't keep her cultivation at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm for her, and I'm not sure whether she will be able to practice in the future."
When Yang Chan said these words, the Supreme Emperor Li Shimin, Sun Simiao, Yuan Tiangang, and the four monks who followed Lady Wu were also present in the main hall.
"Amitabha, the young monk knows that you are the 'Three Holy Mothers'. You have the famous Lotus Lantern in the three realms. Please save our Lady Wu. If she knows that all her cultivation is gone..."
The person who asked for help was none other than Senior Brother Alai who was following Madam Wu. He was at the peak of the "Taiyi Golden Immortal"'s strength. How could he have the magnanimity of a Buddhist monk in his eager look at this time?
"Pheasant slave, aside from the merits of this wife of the Wu family, the warrior Yu of Ying Guogong back then also had a great help to our Tang Dynasty. We must not let her fall into such a situation."
Li Zhi might just listen to what Senior Brother Alai said, but when his father spoke, he had to take it seriously.
What's more, who is Mrs. Wu? That was his "former" wife in the physical body.
As for where the "historical" Queen Wang or Concubine Xiao Shu are now, Li Zhi has no interest in finding them, but this Lady Wu who "came to her door"...
"Your Majesty, the old Taoist has just checked the situation of the martial lady. In my humble opinion, it seems that the only way for her to return to the path of practice is to reborn."
"It's a pity that the old Taoist can't remember where he heard a few words, but he doesn't know how to act. Alas, the old Taoist, the 'King of Medicine,' really failed..."
After suffering several "blows" in a row, Sun Simiao no longer dares to listen to others calling him "miracle doctor". He has truly become a god. But this "miracle doctor", whoever he loves...
"Baizhu, please take these four eminent monks down to rest first. When there is news here, we will naturally notify you as soon as possible."
At this time, Yuan Tiangang, who had been sitting next to him silently, suddenly stood up and shouted outside the hall.
Luo Tong and Qin Huaiyu both followed Qin Shubao to the army. Although the demons in the Tang Dynasty were basically wiped out, many places still needed capable people to guard them after two years of demonic calamity.
Bai Zhi, on the other hand, was very simple and could even be considered homeless. Naturally, he followed Li Zhi wholeheartedly.
"Young masters, you have heard just now that your martial wife's life is not in danger, but we still need to think carefully about how to restore her cultivation."
After listening to Yuan Tiangang's words, and looking at the way he was hesitant to speak, it was clear that he had something to say, or did he have to say it behind the back of these four monks?
"Amitabha, this is my humble monk. This lady of the Wu family really sacrificed herself for the sake of the Tang Dynasty. His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty must come to your aid. My dear monk, please take your leave first——"
Senior Brother Alai led the three people in a circle of salutes to everyone in the hall. Especially when they arrived at Li Zhi, they clasped their palms together and chanted the Dharma chant.
Senior Brother Alai also came out of the army. He was more than a few hundred years older than the people in this palace. He didn't react well to being called "little master" by Li Zhi.
Alai and the other four monks retreated, leaving only themselves in the hall, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Yuan Tiangang.
"Old Taoist Yuan, why do you need to be so mysterious? Is there any way you can help the lady of the Wu family recover her cultivation?"
Sun Simiao was the first to stand up. He and Yuan Tiangang were both Taoists, but their fields of study were completely different. Sun Simiao practiced medicine and asked about medicine, while Yuan Tiangang made fortune-telling interviews.
The two of them had stayed together in the original "Prince Jin's Mansion" for more than ten years and had become good friends who talked about everything. How could they not know each other's abilities?
Even Sun Simiao was helpless. Could Yuan Tiangang, who was looking for fortune-telling, really be able to say that he was ugly?
"Well...that's not what I meant. I just thought of a past incident. I wonder if I should talk about it at this time?"
Seeing everyone looking at him, Yuan Tiangang's face turned red.
Among the people here, one is the Supreme Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, two are the current emperors and empresses, and Sun Simiao is a Taoist friend who he knows very well. He really has nothing to do with it.
"Daozhang Yuan, do you want to talk about the face of the wife of the Wu family?"
Seeing Yuan Tiangang's embarrassment, Li Zhi's heart moved and he asked casually.
"Your Majesty, you...do you also know physiognomy?"
This time it was Yuan Tiangang's turn to be surprised.
Originally, he was still thinking about whether he should say it in front of the Supreme Emperor and the current emperor and empress, but after so many years of getting along with each other, they had already surpassed the feelings of ordinary monarchs and ministers.
It's okay that we haven't encountered it before. Now the Tang Dynasty has gone through three generations. Although it has gone through the chaos of the demon clan, fortunately, with the emergence of the hero Li Zhi, the Tang Dynasty will be able to regain its strength and prosper.
However, at this moment, the wife of the Wu family who had been away for many years was actually carried directly into the "Lizheng Palace", which made Yuan Tiangang couldn't help but think of what happened many years ago.
"Of course I don't know how to do physiognomy, but this lady from the Wu family is a bit different. I just wonder if her appearance has changed now?"
After guessing what he said, Li Zhi understood what Yuan Tiangang was going to say, and he was grateful to Yuan Laodao from the bottom of his heart. It seemed that he really regarded Li Zhi as one of his own.
However, what Li Zhi knew was of course "historical". As for the changes in reality, he really wanted to hear what Yuan Tiangang had to say.
"Your Majesty is indeed very powerful, and the old Taoist admires her. This lady from the Wu family is the second daughter of Ying Guogong's warrior Xun. When she was just born, she happened to pass by the Wu Mansion."
"To be honest, the old Taoist was shocked when he saw this woman. She has the body of a woman but was born with the appearance of a true dragon. How can she be the master of the world?"
When Yuan Tiangang said this, he still couldn't help but
He glanced at Li Zhi and Li Shimin.
There is no way, in front of these two people, you say how a woman should be the master of the world. Isn't this just making you feel uncomfortable?
Unfortunately, he couldn't see a trace of surprise on the faces of Li Zhi and Li Shimin. The only one who was really surprised was Sun Simiao on the side.
It's normal for Li Zhi not to be surprised, because he "already" knew about this.
It was normal for Li Shimin not to be surprised. He felt that he was already the emperor. Even if he should have a headache, it was their Xiaojiu's problem. And what about him? Just listen to it as an interesting story.
"Just now when the Empress was treating the Wu family's wife, the old Taoist gave her a fortune-teller, but... she couldn't see anything clearly."
Seeing that the two generations of emperors had no reaction, Yuan Tiangang was inexplicably a little disappointed. However, at the end, he seemed to feel the same feeling as Sun Simiao just now.
This is the second time that Yuan Tiangang has felt helpless in the field that he has been good at all his life. As for the first time, it was naturally when he ran into a wall with Li Zhi.
...
"I understand what Master Yuan means. In other words, this lady of the Wu family should be a member of my royal family, right?"
"In that case, let's leave the affairs of Mrs. Wu to the pheasant slaves. Noble, virtuous, virtuous, and virtuous, there is just one missing. Let's go, you have been busy for a long time, you two accompany me to have a drink. ....."
Li Shimin stood up, waved to Yuan Tiangang and Sun Simiao, and the three of them left the hall.
"Chan'er, listen to me, I don't know what's going on. This...this is all what my father said casually, Chan'er——"
The three elders turned and left. "Three Holy Mothers" Yang Chan looked at Li Zhi meaningfully for a long time, and then...then left the hall and went back to the "Daming Palace" on her own.
