On the twenty-seventh day of the first lunar month of the fifteenth year of Yuanhe, Emperor Li Chun of the Tang Dynasty, who had always wanted to live forever and rule the country, died after all. The Buddha's bone relics and Buddha's teachings that were welcomed into the imperial capital after causing a great uproar seemed to have no effect at all.
With the help of his biological mother, the noble concubine Guo Shi, Liang Shouqian, Wang Shoucheng and others, the prince Li Heng eliminated the second son Li Yun, who was usually more favored by his father Li Chun and once seriously threatened his position as heir apparent, and became the king of the world in the 95th year of his reign.
After Li Heng came to the throne, he first respected his biological mother Guo as the empress dowager, and then followed the practice of "one emperor and one courtier". He had an official title in one hand and a steel sword in the other. Either kill or demote him, thereby consolidating his newly acquired imperial power.
In order to highlight the majesty of the Supreme Huanghuang, he also decreed that all place names in the world that "offend" his name should be changed. Therefore, Hengyue in the north, one of the five great mountains, had to rename himself "Zhenyue", and even the one south of Hengyue The small and inconspicuous county town named "Hengyang" will also be renamed "Quyang".
After some operations, he seemed to have secured his position. However, the new king, who ascended the throne at the age of twenty-six, did not work hard to reorganize the country and the people who had been harmed by his old and dim father. Instead, he Blindly seeking comfort and indulgence.
This lasted for more than a year, and the loyal and upright ministers in the court gave advice countless times, but they were still unable to persuade Li Heng to change his mind.
On this day, the official Zheng Tan suddenly asked to see Prime Minister Duan Wenchang, saying that the local report said that although there was little rain this year, the water level of the Yellow River continued to rise, and there was a sign of a serious danger that it would collapse across the Central Plains, change its course into the Huaihe River, and merge into the sea. He also said that this matter has been reported to many times, but all the memorials have been buried in the mud and the sea, and has never been approved by the palace.
Before Duan Wenchang came up with his proposal, Lu Sheng, the supervisor of Si Tian Jian, came to the house to ask for an audience. He said that several old ministers of Si Tian Jian expected that there would be changes in He and Huai. If they were not handled properly, the fertile land of the Central Plains would be wiped out and hundreds of millions of lives would be destroyed. They turned into fish and turtles, and tried to figure out the source of the trouble, but there was a big demon causing trouble at the source of the Yellow River, causing more and more sediment to be carried in the Yellow River, gradually raising the river bed and raising the water level.
At this moment, Duan Wenchang could no longer sit safely in the Prime Minister's Palace, so he hurriedly brought the two of them into the palace, asked to see Li Heng, who was indulging in sensual entertainment, and stated the relevant situation in detail.
Li Heng was dubious, frowned and asked, "Duan Qing, are the consequences of this matter really so serious?"
Duan Wenchang hurriedly bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the Yellow River has been plagued by flooding since ancient times, and now evil spirits are causing trouble. If we don't plan countermeasures as soon as possible, it may lead to an unprecedented catastrophe."
Li Heng asked again: "In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"
When Duan Wenchang came, he had accepted the case and replied calmly: "I thought that we should adopt a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, we would send cadres to rectify the river affairs and strengthen the river embankments to prevent floods, and on the other hand, we would send envoys to Tibet. However, I secretly invited several officials from Si Tianjian to I enshrined you and accompanied you to the source of the Yellow River to subdue the demons and eradicate the source of the disaster."
Li Heng pondered for a long time, and finally nodded and said: "In this case, I will follow your instructions and pass it on to the Hanlin to draw up the decree!"
The next day, the imperial court issued a decree and ordered Liu Yuanding, the imperial censor, to be the envoy of the alliance and lead a delegation to Tubo to reaffirm the previous alliance and consolidate the alliance between the two countries forever.
Liu Yuanding set off on the same day in a somewhat hasty manner. When leaving the imperial capital, he touched another secret decree in his sleeve with his hand, feeling heavy with pressure in his heart.
The mission headed westward and reached the border between the two countries in more than one day.
It was getting late, so the delegation rested in a post house.
Liu Yuanding had something on his mind and could not fall asleep even late at night, so he could only read under the lamp with a book in hand. .
Suddenly, the flame of the candle on the table flickered. From the corner of his eye, Liu Yuanding saw a dark shadow appearing out of thin air beside him. He subconsciously turned his head and looked around. He immediately saw a Taoist priest with a face like a full moon and a light body looking at him with a smile.
"Come here!" Liu Yuanding changed his color and shouted.
The Taoist calmly waved his hand and said, "Don't scream, Mr. Liu. The poor Taoist used some tricks so that people outside can't hear what's going on inside."
Liu Yuanding's expression changed several times, and he said in a deep voice: "Who is the Taoist Priest? What do you want to do here?"
The Taoist made a sign and said with a smile: "I am a poor Taoist named Hu Long. His Tao name is "Taipu" and I am the leader of "Tao Shang Tao". However, here I come with the heart of heaven and compassion for the common people. I want to help Mr. Liu achieve that goal." pile
Great merit. "
Liu Yuanding's heart skipped a beat: "How did you know..."
Hu Yuan smiled and said: "The black air in the southwest flows through the sky, and the rivers and Huaihe rivers generate waves. Not only the masters of the Tianjian can see it, but also the poor and inexperienced can see it."
Seeing that Liu Yuanding was still hesitant, he took out the jasper gourd from his sleeve and held it in his palm: "Mr. Liu only needs to carry this gourd with him. If the few experts in the envoy can make great achievements, there is no need for a poor man to add anything to the problem; if something happens, Come on, Mr. Liu can lift the lid of this gourd, and you will see Pindao’s method of conquering demons."
After that, he sent the gourd to Liu Yuanding.
"In this case, I would like to thank Taoist Master Gao Yi in advance!"
Liu Yuanding hesitated for a moment, and finally thanked the other party and took the gourd.
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Hu Long laughed and turned into a breeze and left quietly.
Liu Yuanding saw that there was still no movement outside. It was obvious that the several Si Tianjian priests hiding in the mission had not noticed the coming and going of this man. He couldn't help but pay more attention to the gourd in his hand and carefully kept it with him.
The next day, the Tibetan side also sent envoys to greet the Tang delegation. The two sides joined forces and continued to march northwest. In more than one day, they arrived at the "Purple Mountain" pass where the source of the Yellow River is located.
Since the Tang Dynasty, the exchanges between the Central Plains and Tubo have become increasingly frequent, and the source of the mysterious Yellow River has gradually become known. It is determined that it is located in a valley at the northern foot of the Kunlun branch called "Purple Mountain". The Tubo name is "Ka" "Riqu" means "copper-colored river".
Liu Yuanding discussed with Tubo officials and explained that the Yellow River was the ancestral line of civilization in the Central Plains. Since he had arrived at the source of the river, he logically should go there to worship and pray for blessings, so he stayed here for a day.
The Tubo officials had no objections and accompanied the Tang delegation to station at the mountain pass.
Liu Yuanding was lightly armed, taking only a Tibetan guide and four ordinary-looking guards with him, and went all the way to the end of the Kariqu River Valley to find the location of the five springs.
He chose a smooth boulder as an offering table in a decent manner. After placing wine, food and offerings, he lit three sticks of incense and held them between his fingers. He looked up at the sky and prayed silently for a long time.
While he was praying, the four guards behind him spread out in all directions, faintly forming a bucket-shaped formation, with the mouth of the bucket facing the five springs.
Suddenly, one of the guards shouted: "Do it!"
The four people raised their hands at the same time as they shouted, and an ancient pine-patterned sword, a bronze mirror, a vajra, and a bamboo-jointed steel whip flew into the air, each shining with a scorching light, and tumbling towards one of them. The fountain falls.
