The bustling and prosperous scene outside Jiankang City is no longer the same as before. The vegetation is withering, the war has burned the earth, and there is a scene of devastation. Liu Zhen'er supported Emperor Liu Yu and stood on the city wall. Looking at this scene, he couldn't help but feel sad in his heart. Emperor Song, who was not nearly middle-aged but turned gray overnight, looked at the sky and sighed. His fat figure could hardly stand. He pointed at the disciples and daughters of the Shangqing Sect not far away and said, "Zhen'er, if we hadn't gotten the desperate help from the Taoist priests of the Shangqing Sect this time, Jiankang City would have been in trouble." Liu Zhen'er looked over there. When he went there, he suddenly saw Tao Hongjing injured and lying on the ground, and his heart suddenly hurt.
When Liu Yu finished condolences to the soldiers and got on the dragon chariot to return to the palace, Liu Zhen'er begged to stay.
Tao Hongjing's face was pale at the moment, covered in blood, and he was sitting on the ground in pain. He seemed to have suffered internal injuries. Sun Youyue was treating his injuries beside him.
"Senior Sun, how is Mr. Tao's injury?" Liu Zhener asked worriedly.
Sun Youyue put on the air of an outsider and said: "This kid's internal organs were shocked when he fought just now, but I am using the secret method of Maoshan to clear his meridians. He will be fine after a few days of training. There is no serious problem."
"Great!" Liu Zhen'er took out the brocade handkerchief and wiped the dust on Tao Hongjing's face. Tao Hongjing slowly opened his eyes, only to see Liu Zhen'er wearing a lotus-colored dress, with clear and bright eyebrows like autumn water, slender and fair skin. Her neck looked even more elegant and dignified, and I was fascinated by it for a moment.
Seeing the situation between the two of them, Sun Youyue immediately understood and said with a smile: "Girl, to tell you the truth, my apprentice is good at everything, but he is a bit stubborn. Just before the battle, he only knew how to rush forward, completely ignoring his own safety. Now, When I wake up and stare at you like an idiot, I am stupid."
After hearing this, both of them blushed with embarrassment. Tao Hongjing cursed angrily: "You stinking Taoist priest, stop talking nonsense."
Sun Youyue said angrily: "I helped you but you scolded me, you are such a stupid idiot who doesn't understand the style." After saying that, he took out the wine bottle and flew away to drink by himself.
"Master Tao is so righteous that he risked his life to protect the people of Jiankang City. Zhen'er has thanked Master Tao on behalf of his father." Liu Zhener has a generous personality and did not care about Sun Youyue's rude words. He just looked at Tao Hongjing with a lot of emotion in his eyes. Some different emotions.
"What did the princess say? These are all matters that are within the bounds of a minister." Tao Hongjing coughed lightly and bowed respectfully, which also opened a little distance between the two.
When Liu Zhener saw him avoiding suspicion like this, a trace of disappointment flashed across his bright eyes.
Within the palace.
There are corridors on all sides of the palace, the floor is paved with gold bricks, the roof has a single eave with four pointed corners, and the roof is covered with yellow glazed tiles. The outer eaves of the main hall are decorated with paintings of golden dragons and seals, the ceiling is decorated with gold-leaf patterns, and there is a floor-screen throne inside the palace.
Ministers with outstanding military exploits in the Battle of Jiankang such as Xiao Daocheng, Liu Bing, Yuan Can, Chu Yuan and others, as well as young talents such as Tao Hongjing, Xiao Yan and others are kneeling in the main hall, and Emperor Liu Yu is sitting on the golden dragon throne.
Xiao Dao was promoted to General of Hussars, promoted to Duke... and Tao Hongjing was promoted to Lieutenant General of Zuowei Palace.
The high-pitched voice of the chief steward echoed in the Jinluan Palace. After the edicts were read out one after another, a celebration banquet was held and a good son was conferred!
Tao Hongjing and everyone else knelt down to express their gratitude. They had fine wine and light coats. They were promoted to noble positions. When they were young in bright clothes and angry horses...
At night, in Tai Chi Hall.
Emperor Liu Yu, dressed in bright yellow fur clothes, raised his head and drank a large bowl of black, bitter and thick soup, and sighed quietly. After the Battle of Jiankang, Liu Yu's health deteriorated. The rebellion of King Guiyang left a lingering shadow in his heart. If he died, how would the young prince Liu Yu deal with these people? What about the military-powerful clan feudal king?
Not long after, the chamberlain came to report, "Your Majesty, General Longxiang Yang Yunchang is waiting to see you." Liu Yu nodded.
Yang Yunchang knelt on the ground and waited for instructions. The empty hall was unusually quiet.
"I heard that Yang Qing possesses unique skills and is an outstanding archer?" Liu Yu said with a smile.
Yang Changyun lowered his head and kowtowed, not daring to raise his eyes, and replied respectfully: "I cannot deserve such praise from your majesty. If there is anything that I can do, I will do my best to relieve your majesty's worries." Yang Changyun was not very old, twenty years old. He has a thin face, strong brows, pursed thin lips, sharp profile lines, and a cold and stern face.
Liu Yu likes smart people, so he retreated and ordered Yang Yun-chang to be spared.
"I wonder what Yang Qing thinks of this rebellion by King Guiyang?" The emperor's eyes narrowed slightly, with a cold light in his eyes.
"Back to Your Majesty, I am ignorant and ignorant. Please give me some advice."
"You have always been cautious, simple, loyal and honest. How wonderful it would be if all my brothers and sisters could be as safe and sound as you! The heirs of the clan have lush branches and leaves. If you don't pay attention, some people will have delusions. It is my fault. It’s because I’ve been too indulgent to them that it caused such a disaster!”
Yang Yunchang seemed to have heard the implication of Liu Yu's words at this time, and was shocked in his heart. He knew that he must respond today, otherwise he would end up...
"As long as your Majesty has a mission, I am willing to go through fire and water, even to the death." He finally made up his mind and stood firmly on Liu Yu's side.
There was still no wave in Liu Yu's eyes, but his tone was much softer, "Yang Qing is so loyal to the country, I really didn't miss it. There are many ambitious people in this clan, but I have to trouble Yang Qing to help him." I’ve been on a journey for a while.”
"Please give your Majesty's order."
"Among my siblings, there are very few who are capable and famous in the court. Liu Xiuren, the King of Jian'an, is the most outstanding one. The power of the Jian'an Prince's Palace is intertwined, and there are many capable people and strangers. My imperial brother can be said to be the most outstanding one among them. The virtuous king of the dynasty, I wonder if Yang Qing is willing to go through this for me?"
Yang Yunchang's face remained calm, but his heart was filled with turmoil. Today's events had already exceeded his expectations. It was rumored that King Jian'an was deeply trusted by His Majesty and was a highly prestigious prince in the clan. Now the Emperor actually wanted to kill him. Seeing that Yang Yunchang didn't say anything immediately, the emperor picked up the tea cup and took a sip of the imperial tea. The fragrance hit his nostrils.
Yang Changyun then spoke, "Your Majesty's orders, I will obey with all my heart. But..." His words changed, as if he still had some unfinished meaning.
"Yang Qing said it's okay." Liu Yu raised his eyebrows slightly.
"In this battle of Jiankang, King Jian'an led the entire army and made great achievements in quelling the rebellion, winning praise from countless people. If anything happens to him at this time, the government and the public will be shocked." Yang Yunchang said after careful consideration.
The emperor thought for a while without saying a word, and then said, "Yang Qing, just go ahead, I will arrange all the rest."
Upon hearing this, Yang Yunchang had no choice but to take the order and leave.
The night was dark, the sky was full of stars, and insects were chirping in the corridor. Looking from a distance, there are palace lanterns hanging from every courtyard pillar. The pale yellow stream of light illuminates the garden brightly, and the branches of the jade trees reflect like smoke.
At this time, by the Xuanwu Lake, a feast was being held in the Hualin Villa of King Jian'an to celebrate the courtiers who had made contributions in the war. Liu Bing, Yuan Can, Chu Yuan and others were all seated, except for Xiao Daocheng. I declined politely and could not come.
On the dance pavilion and singing stage, the dancers were graceful and their dresses were fluttering. King Liu Xiuren of Jian'an was enjoying agar-agar wine, drinking wine and drinking wine with the courtiers, exchanging glasses of wine.
Tao Hongjing and Liu Hao were also invited to the banquet. At the banquet, he also saw several familiar young faces. Xie Tiao, Chu Xuan, and Jiang Jiao were following the family elders and toasting to the ministers. Looking at them with ease, perhaps such occasions are just a common occurrence for these high-ranking scholars.
But the three of them have arrived. Where is the kind princess who walked with them that day and saved the Tao family from danger? The figure of a young girl suddenly appeared in the amber wine in front of her, with a charming smile and beautiful eyes. Since that day when they parted ways at the city tower, the two have not seen each other again.
Bursts of laughter came from the crowd, and Tao Hongjing suddenly felt a little irritable, got up and walked out of the hall.
It was early autumn, and Tao Hongjing was walking alone by the Xuanwu Lake. The lake was sparkling, and the quiet lake reflected the dim lights of the people on the lakeside, shrouded in mist.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter like silver bells came from the flowers in the distance. A woman was catching fireflies with a small fan, and there was a young man beside her who was clapping her hands happily and saying with a smile: "Sister, this The fireflies are the biggest, don’t let them go!”
The young man's voice was somewhat familiar. Tao Hongjing looked closer and saw who it was if it wasn't Liu Zhun! The cheerful girl next to Liu Zhun is - Zhen'er! She almost subconsciously called out the girl's nickname. The girl looked back and saw a tall, tall young man looking at her longingly.
Seeing the biggest firefly flying into the distance, Liu Zhun was not in a hurry to chase it. The little guy looked at the expressions of the two of them, rolled his eyes, and said with a smile: "Sister, I'm playing with Sister Mei and the others." Let’s go.” Then he took a few palace maids and chased the fireflies in the grass.
The jade steps were cold, and just as Liu Zhener was about to sit down, Tao Hongjing took off his coat and put it on the ground, then allowed Liu Zhener to sit down. Liu Zhener smiled and joked: "Young master is still a caring person!"
"Look, there are two stars shining in the sky,
"That's the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. According to legend, the Weaver Girl is the granddaughter of the Emperor of Heaven. She secretly descends to earth and marries the Cowherd. She crosses the river to meet him once every year on Chinese Valentine's Day, with a magpie as a bridge. This year's Chinese Valentine's Day has just passed, and they want to meet again. We have to wait until next year’s Chinese Valentine’s Day.”
The scenery is so beautiful on a good day!
At this time, the banquet was coming to an end and all the ministers had almost left.
On the roof of the Villa, Yang Yunchang was dressed in black night clothes, with a black cloth covering his face, and was lurking quietly with a bow and arrow on his back. Anyone who is proficient in the magic weapons of the Immortal Family will be able to recognize at a glance that the bow and arrow he is carrying are the legendary Wanjie Bow and Ningsha Arrow, which are extremely famous in legend. They are also bows and arrows passed down by successive monarchs of Qiuchi Kingdom, but this Qiuchi The country was destroyed more than thirty years ago and disappeared into the dust of history.
Yang Yunchang held his breath, lifted a tile and looked into the hall. He saw that King Jian'an was very drunk and was sleeping on the case. Liu Bing gradually fell asleep with the support of his son Liu Ma. After walking out of the hall, there were only a few servants left in the hall. He pulled out a dark arrow and slowly stringed the bow. The Jian'an Palace has always been heavily guarded, and Liu Xiuren rarely left the palace today, so it was the best time to take action.
Just after several servants packed up and left, Yang Yunzhang seized the opportunity and shot an arrow at Liu Xiuren's head like a dead spirit. Silently, the arrow body made ripples in the void.
Just when the arrow was about to hit Liu Xiuren, a clear light burst out and instantly protected Liu Xiuren's whole body. It was the talisman that Lu Xiujing gave him before leaving to exorcise evil spirits and protect him, which saved him at the critical moment. life.
"Boom!" After the black evil energy collided with the clear light, it was difficult to move forward at all, but it also caused a huge shock, which shocked Liu Xiuren and woke him up. He looked up in confusion and saw several other condensed evil spirits. The arrow had already been shot at him. He was shocked and turned pale. He was sober in an instant. He shouted to his bodyguards, pulled out his sword, and used Buddhist techniques to resist. He studied under Master Puji of Donglin Temple in Lushan, and his cultivation has reached the state of impermanence.
Buddhism was introduced to the Central Plains from Tianzhu through the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. The cultivation methods and exercises system of Buddhist monks are very different from those of the Taoist sects in the Central Plains and the cultivation families in the north. Compared with focusing on practicing Qi, pursuing the unity of nature and man, and using the body to In the way of practicing the Way, Buddhism attaches more importance to the clear mind and nature, the ability to break through all appearances, the realization of Prajna wisdom, and the pursuit of the pure and peaceful Nirvana realm. If divided by the realm of the practice, they are the five aggregates, cessation of desire, suffering meditation, impermanence, breaking of attachment, the six paths, reincarnation, and nirvana.
In the Southern Dynasties, someone dared to sneak attack him. Liu Xiuren was furious and punched out, breaking a big hole in the roof. Then he flew out. His movement was so fast that Yang Yunchang had no time to escape, so he had to fight head-on.
Yang Yunchang's bow and arrow did not have an advantage at close range. Fortunately, he was very good at lightness. He borrowed the power of a corner of the eaves and cast a spell to fly more than ten meters away. He looked back and shot an arrow, then continued to dodge without waiting for the opponent's reaction. There was something hidden in this arrow. The curse caused the whole body to glow, and its intimidating power increased several times.
Liu Xiuren was good at close attacks, and he had deep internal strength. If he caught up with him, Yang Yunchang would definitely be killed on the spot.
But Yang Yunchang was obviously prepared, or it could be said that the emperor understood King Jian'an's weakness precisely because he knew him so well. He didn't avoid it for a moment, but a bloody hole was stabbed in his chest, and bursts of black energy came out. When Yang Yunchang heard his groan, he stabilized his body and shot several arrows from different directions flexibly, one of which hit his heart directly.
Liu Xiuren vomited out black blood with a "Wow-" sound, fell from the air, and fell into Xuanwu Lake. Seeing that Liu Xiuren was hit by two arrows and his life was hard to save, Yang Yunchang immediately turned around and left, and soon melted into In the dark night, he did not return to the palace until dawn.
Tao Hongjing and several guards dragged Liu Xiuren's body back to the shore. Liu Zhener saw with his own eyes that the emperor's uncle who had loved him most since childhood suddenly died tragically in front of him. He hugged Liu Xiuren's body and broke down crying.
The assassination of King Jian'an caused an uproar in the court. Emperor Liu Yu immediately ordered to find out the truth and hunt down the murderer. However, the thunder was loud and the rain was light. After several months of investigation, the imperial edict was announced to the public.
King Liu Xiuren of Jian'an worked hard for Emperor Liu Yu for several years, but Liu Yu downplayed his assassination. At the same time, he actually claimed that he was secretly plotting rebellion and demoted him to the king of Shi'an County.
After the death of King Jian'an, there was a bloody storm in the court. Emperor Liu Yu became more sinister and vicious, secretly killing the clan kings, and for a time the royal clan and family members were in danger.
