Tao Hongjing hid in the dense forest and felt a little relieved when no one was chasing him. Tao Hongjing felt extremely regretful when he thought that Liu Guangshi had failed to catch him when he was robbed, and would even use criminal methods on his father.
After returning home, it was already dawn, so he changed his clothes, and then went to the Ministry of Civil Affairs to submit a letter to pay a visit. However, he was of low status and could not even see the corner of Liu Bing's clothes. He submitted the letter three times in a day. Every time, he would be stopped and ridiculed by the steward of Shangshu Mansion.
"Since my father asked me to come to Liu Shangshu, there must be hope." Tao Hongjing comforted himself in his heart.
The next day, the wind was light and the clouds were clear. Tao Hongjing came to the door of Shangshu Mansion again, but this time he refused to move even if others tried to persuade him. The housekeeper thought that there were distinguished guests coming to his door today, so he called several strong men from the mansion to drive them away.
After a while, an expensive carriage came and stopped at the door of Shangshu Mansion. Sitting in the car was a girl wearing a pink dress. A boy's head popped up behind the girl. It was Princess Liu Zhener of Jian'an and her younger brother Liu Zhun.
Behind the motorcade, three high-spirited young men also got off their horses. They were Chu Xuan, the younger brother of Shangshu's right servant She Chu Yuan, Xie Tiao, the son of the Xie family in Chen County, and one was Jiang Xiao, who was also a member of the royal family. These three young masters were all outstanding young men in the Southern Dynasty and attracted much attention from the court.
Liu Zhener saw the pale Tao Hongjing at a glance, stepped forward and asked, "Why do you look like this?"
Tao Hongjing and the others were together, and he remembered that Liu Zhen'er should be a noble daughter of the royal family, so he bowed and saluted, "I am in trouble at home, please help me, young lady, to save my father's life!"
Looking at Mr. Qingya, whom she had met by chance in the past, standing anxiously outside the house waiting to be introduced, she patiently listened to Tao Hongjing's words, and while listening and thinking, the girl Huijie's eyes rolled, and she already had an idea in her mind. .
They came to Liu Bing's mansion today to find Liu Bing's son Liu Ma, Qingguang Langlang, who was visiting Jianchu Temple with him. Liu Zhen'er planned to take this opportunity to bring Tao Hongjing into the mansion together.
"Master Tao, there is no need to worry. Just follow us and I will find a way." Liu Zhen'er said playfully. Tao Hongjing was deeply grateful, but due to the large number of people, he could not express it in words. He had no choice but to bow his hands and thank the young lady for her kindness.
"Your Majesty...Miss, you have a bodhisattva heart, why bother with such worldly things." Chu Xuan originally wanted to address him as "Your Majesty," but after thinking about it, he quickly changed his mind and waved the cattail leaf fan slightly, feeling a little dissatisfied with Tao Hongjing, a sinner like him, who wanted to beg the princess.
Although Tao Hongjing has an elegant appearance, a Taoist aura lingering around him, and a gentle and jade-like character, Liu Zhener's eyes are attracted to him from time to time. It can be seen that he is dressed simply, and his youthful spirit has been hit by the successive changes. He has a vicissitudes of life. Chu Xuan is unruly and unruly by nature. He hates gentlemen being humble and petty. At this time, seeing Tao Hongjing in such a miserable state, he felt a little contemptuous in his heart.
Liu Zhener was not upset and explained: "Master Chu, Master Tao and I have had a relationship. Now that his family is in trouble, we should try our best to help him."
The girl smiled sweetly, her brows were clear and lively, the light and shadow were sparse, and the colors of the world seemed like dust. Tao Hongjing felt moved in his heart, and the friendship of giving someone a helping hand in times of need became even more precious.
After hearing this, Chu Xuan didn't feel like saying anything else. He swung his sleeves and stepped into the threshold of Shangshu Mansion ahead of others.
With a hairpin and a noble family background, the Liu family has a great momentum that can reach the sky. The mansion is spacious and gorgeous, with splendid carved beams and painted buildings. When you walk to the front of the hall, the four corners of the eaves fly high, like an eagle with spread wings ready to fly to the front of the hall.
Several young talents seemed to come here often and did not need to be led by a servant. They followed the bluestone path lined with green trees and blooming flowers to the courtyard of Mr. Liu's house. Liu Zhener took him with him. Tao Hongjing went to meet the head of the family, Liu Bing.
Sandalwood lingers, and delicate flowers with morning dew are placed in the vase to add a touch of elegance. The furniture and utensils are elegantly furnished. Liu Bing is practicing calligraphy in the study.
After the servant made the announcement, not long after Liu Bing came to the door of the study with hurried steps to welcome Liu Zhener in, "Your Majesty..." Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhener interrupted him, "Mr. Liu, greeting. "She blinked her eyes and meant something. When Liu Bing saw this situation, he understood it and hurriedly changed his words and said with a smile, "Miss, please come in quickly." He led the girl sideways and said to her The slightly embarrassed young man followed behind him entered the room.
Liu Zhen'er sat down at the main seat. Tao Hongjing originally thought that the young lady's status was extraordinary, but never imagined that she was really a wealthy princess. She explained Tao Hongjing's identity in a few words. Tao Hongjing bowed respectfully to Liu Shangshu, explained that his father was in jail and was in trouble, and begged Liu Bing for help.
Liu Bing gently sipped the fine Junshan Silver Needle tea, said nothing, looked at Her Royal Highness the Princess on the throne, and then quietly looked at the Tao family's already famous Tan Lang, thinking that this descendant would actually Can win the favor of the princess.
The height displayed on the engraved arrow that filled the water in the pot gradually became higher. Liu Zhener coughed lightly and looked at Liu Shangshu, waiting for his next words.
With a spring-like smile on his face, Liu Bing sighed inwardly at his son's failure. He waved his hand and agreed to the matter, promising that Tao Hongjing would intercede for his father in front of the Holy Emperor. Tao Hongjing thanked her again, and there were tears in his eyes when he looked at the girl.
Not long after, the young people gathered together. After studying some poetry and calligraphy knowledge in front of Liu Bing, the group wanted to go to Jianchu Temple to have fun and relax. At Liu Zhener's invitation, Tao Hongjing happily accompanied him even though he had no intention of playing.
"There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasties, and there are so many towers in the mist and rain." The ancient temple has a fresh atmosphere, with incense lingering at the main entrance, a kind-faced Buddha statue looking down at all living beings, and good men and women worshiping Buddha devoutly. The sound of Buddha is lingering, the bells are ringing far away, the tree of life under the bodhi tree is evergreen, and the glazed tower stands like a golden wheel towering over the clouds. A few people traveled around, recited poems and composed poems, drank and chatted happily, and after getting to know each other, they found that Tao Hongjing was actually somewhat talented and learned. He was not from a high family background but was very good at writing. Their grudge against him was also eliminated. Xie Tiao They even talked about poetry and poetry with him. Both of them were people who loved landscapes. Over the course of the day, they inspired each other and developed a sense of sympathy for each other.
In the mountain behind Jianchu Temple, Murong Zheng, the second son of the northern cultivator family, was searching for the whereabouts of the magic beads around the temple together with the secret guards.
Since the magic beads in Ashoka Temple briefly awakened more than ten years ago, monks from all walks of life have begun to search frantically for them, hoping to obtain the magic beads and refine them to improve their skills to the next level. But since that day, the magic bead fell into deep sleep again, and the various sects were unable to sense the spiritual power of the magic bead and lost their clues.
The magic bead has always been regarded as a sacred object by the five major cultivation families in the north. The Murong family will not miss the opportunity to go south to find the whereabouts of the magic bead. Taking advantage of this cooperation with King Guiyang, they want to kill three birds with one stone. However, over the years, despite sending countless monks, they only vaguely learned that the magic bead was suppressed in a Southern Dynasty Buddhist temple. The long-term operation has caused the fear and suppression of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The two major families of the Murong family and the Tuoba family The hatred between them is getting deeper and deeper.
"Your Majesty, we found nothing in the back mountain." The man in black knelt on one knee respectfully in front of Murong Zheng.
There were many temples in the Southern Dynasties. Murong Zheng had been here for more than a few months, but still found nothing. He looked worried and his tone was extremely cold, "Have you searched the front door of Jianchu Temple?" He played with the sapphire finger on his thumb and said coldly. asked accusingly.
Since his eldest brother became seriously ill, most of the knowledgeable people in the family have been recruited by him, and he has been able to succeed as the head of the family for a long time. This time, he couldn't return without success. His subordinates had seen Murong Zheng's viciousness. He shook his body and shook his head, explaining: "My lord, the people at the front door are too many and confused, so we act rashly for fear of inconvenience." Murong Zheng snorted and walked towards the front door.
It was almost dusk, and Xie Tiao and the others were having a great time. Liu Zhener was worried that they would not be able to make it in time for the palace curfew, so they prepared to say goodbye and go home. Today, after accepting Liu Zhener's favor, Tao Hongjing offered to send Liu Zhener and his younger brother back home. The young man's face turned red when he spoke. Liu Zhen'er only found it interesting, but he concealed his true identity and asked the young man to send him back to Jian'an Palace.
Under the sway of the parasol tree, Murong Zheng passed by Tao Hongjing. Not far away, the magic bead in Murong Zheng's hand suddenly lit up with a dark cyan light. Looking at the figure of the young man in green, Murong Zheng was overjoyed and immediately Gathering his men, he followed the luxurious carriage invisibly.
Walking to a desolate place with few people, Murong Zheng flipped his hand gestures and signaled with his eyes to take action. The black figure flew by, and the sweaty horse was frightened, raised its hooves, and screamed to the sky. The car fell backwards, and the people sitting in the car rolled together in a heap.
Murong Zheng stood on top of the canopy of the carriage, and a Yin-Yang blade suddenly appeared in his hand. He aimed it at the figure in the carriage and slashed it hard. Liu Zhener was startled by the sharp blade that suddenly appeared, hugged his brother and shouted Screams.
Tao Hongjing held the fatal knife with his right hand, dripping with blood. He then grabbed the reins of the carriage with his left hand and used his inner strength to stabilize the carriage. At this time, Murong Zheng's five fingers formed into claws and violently grabbed Tao Hongjing's heart, no matter what. No matter how Tao Hongjing gathered his energy to turn into a sword, he was unable to withstand the attack at all. The carriage's compartment had already been torn apart in the fierce fight.
Just when Tao Hongjing was ready to die, there was a "whoosh" sound, as if a guqin that had been silent for a hundred years was playing again in the Qing Shang Dynasty. The strings were warm and strong, with a deep and deep rhyme. The reverberation made Murong Zheng's chest tremble and he almost fell off the carriage.
Xiao Ziliang, who was appointed as the prefect of Kuaiji, was sitting in a carriage not far away, stroking the guqin. The sound of the qin sounded like gurgling water, but its moves were deadly. Next to him was his younger brother Xiao Yan, who was carrying a sword box, with bright eyes and a majestic air. Murong Zheng's men quickly surrounded him, and both sides formed a court to resist.
"Your Excellency, please don't meddle in other people's business." Murong Zheng said with a cold expression. The other party's strength was unpredictable and might even be better than his. In order to avoid unnecessary complications, he wanted to test the other party's purpose.
"Nosy? Do you know that the people you kidnapped are the princes and princesses of the current dynasty, and they should be punished for their crimes." Xiao Ziliang held down the strings of the piano and looked at Murong Zheng in the same way.
Murong Zheng was startled. He was worried that his true identity would be exposed and he would not continue to fight here. He cursed in his heart that this man was actually next to a member of the Southern Dynasty royal family. He roughly wrote down Tao Hongjing's appearance in his mind and waved his hand. , "Retreat!", and then flew away into the distance.
Xiao Ziliang didn't want to have any more entanglements with him. He didn't bring many people with him on this trip, and he didn't want to act rashly when he didn't know the details of his opponent to avoid being deceived. He ordered Xiao Yan to go forward to meet Liu Zhen'er and Liu Zhun. The pretty girl's face was already full of tears. Tao Hongjing was shocked when he heard the conversation just now. The girl next to him was actually more noble than he imagined. ! She is actually the daughter of that family. After experiencing Wang Hao's death, he couldn't explain his feelings towards the Tianjia in his heart, but the princess was a loyal person and could not be confused with the Tianjia. He comforted the princess and her brother Liu Zhun softly from the side.
Xiao Yan looked at Tao Hongjing's injured right hand and said, "This dear man is very brave. I have a few green blood pills here. Take them quickly to heal the injury."
Tao Hongjing thanked him and immediately took the elixir. After a while, the wound on his hand scabbed and healed.
"May I ask what your name is, brother?"
Xiao Yan smiled heartily and said: "My lord, Xiao Yan, this is Xiao Ziliang, the prefect of Kuaiji, Mr. Xiao."
"It turns out that they are two outstanding men from the Xiao family in Lanling! Thanks to the rescue today, I will ask the emperor to commend you two!" After saying that, Liu Zhener pulled his younger brother Liu Zhun into another carriage and said goodbye to Tao Hongjing. go.
Today, Xiao Ziliang happened to go to Jianchu Temple with Xiao Yan to offer incense and worship Buddha. When he came out, he saw the two His Highnesses traveling. He wanted to go up to say hello, but found that an unknown monk in black was following him. The two decided to follow them quietly to escort them. , thus saving several people in critical moments.
Tao Hongjing thanked the two Xiaos for their life-saving grace, but deep down he was still frightened by Murong Zheng's stern look when he left.
