Everyone expected Li Jing to rearrange Mr. Geng, and no one, not even the court historians, stood up to question it. After all, she has created too many miracles since Mr. Geng entered the court.
In addition, Mr. Geng was not a domineering person. He was also a strange person with magical skills. From the princes, generals, ministers to traffickers and footmen, they all respected her. A female crown who practices and pursues the way of heaven will not have any impact on the government, so Li Jing's admiration for Mr. Geng is considered normal by everyone.
It was the young man who came with her, whom everyone thought was just a servant. Unexpectedly, it is said that he is the disciple of her elder, and according to his seniority in the Xiaoyao Sect, he is her junior brother. This young man's real name is Xiao Cheng, and he is handsome but majestic.
Although Emperor Li Jing had not yet heard him magnify Dafa, since it was Mr. Geng who introduced it, the emperor did not neglect it at all. However, as Honglucheng, Pan Chengyou had some concerns, because Xiao Cheng's age should not have reached his prime. However, the emperor looked at him differently and personally asked Gao Sixi to order him to sit behind Mr. Geng. Pan Chengyou dared not be negligent in the slightest.
Seeing that Xiao Cheng was also seated and followed closely behind Mr. Geng, many red-robed officials in the hall were jealous.
You must know that since the end of the Tang Dynasty, the royal family has only been a small number. They are all sitting on the left hand side of the imperial steps wearing bright yellow embroidered dragon robes. There are only seven or eight people in the hall. There are more than 20 people; the rest are mostly officials of lower than third rank and fifth rank or higher. Although these people are also divided into red and light red, they are at least the middle class of the Tang Dynasty court.
Most of the purple-robed bosses sat in the first rows on the left and right, showing their special identity and status, and no one dared to raise a voice or object. Next are the vermilion bosses from various ministries. They are actually the real decision-making group of the imperial court.
Mr. Geng's seat was arranged by the people from Honglu Temple, and he sat on the right side under the imperial steps, sitting side by side with the previous cultivators. Second only to a few Grand Masters, Grand Tutors and Lieutenants, these big men in purple robes sat in the first row.
After all, Mr. Geng also received the purple robe of Emperor Li Jing that day. Although he did not exercise real power, he still had a real title. He is more prominent than the so-called ministers and generals, but the people in the hall can only envy him.
Although Mr. Geng has no make-up and is light-colored, her skin is as smooth as cream and as pink as pink. Everyone who sees her can't help but look away, but when they think of her relationship with Li Jing, everyone just glances at her and then looks at her nose. . But she smiled slightly and nodded in greeting to everyone she passed.
After sitting down, the person on her left is the representative of the largest Taoist Zhengfa sect in the Tang Dynasty in Jinling City. The Taoist priest who was given the title of Mr. Ganggu with a purple robe, gold and jade belt is Hong Tianci, the head of the Nine Heavenly Thunder Zhengfa disciples.
He was one of the most outstanding disciples of Drunken Immortal Tan Qiao. Tan Qiao, the Drunken Immortal, lived in Lushan all year round and practiced Taoism. He also opened the largest Chinese traditional culture dojo in the Tang Dynasty in Lushan. Although he came to the palace from time to time to preach to Emperor Li Jing, his immortal name was already famous all over the world. However, all the affairs of the Dharma Party in Jinling City and negotiations with the imperial court were handed over to Mr. Ganggu, who was implicitly the Taoist representative of Jinling City.
Arranging Mr. Geng's seat next to Hong Tianci naturally seems a bit subtle and reasonable. Because as the largest Taoist Zhengfa sect in the Central Plains, it is naturally more famous than the Xiaoyao sect.
What's more, Mr. Ganggu is currently the main manager of the Zhengfa Sect, and the purple clothes given by the emperor represent his identity and status. Although his master is still in the world, and the leader is still his master Zuixianren. But Mr. Geng is the head of the Xiaoyao Sect. Although his seniority in Taoism may not be as good as Zuixianren, he is not inferior to Mr. Ganggu, not to mention she is also the talker of the Xiaoyao Sect.
It is estimated that Pan Chengyou, the boss of Honglu Temple, had a headache when he heard Li Jing's arrangement. After all, the emperor initially invited Mr. Geng to sit next to him. Although Mr. Geng finally declined, it could only mean that Mr. Geng himself was modest and cautious. From this, we can naturally imagine her importance in the mind of Emperor Li Jing.
If Mr. Geng is a picky cultivator, he will definitely compete with Mr. Ganggu for the first place among cultivators. After all, the purple-clothed tycoons in the imperial court are ranked next to these cultivation positions. Although it is said that cultivation does not care about worldly affairs, as long as one has not attained immortality, it is inevitable that one will not be competitive with the worldly world. What's more, now that Taoism and Buddhism are extremely prosperous, propagating the Dharma is the most important thing for cultivation.
Being able to get the support of a local vassal town, let alone the support of the largest vassal town in the southern part of the Central Plains, is a top priority for any cultivation sect. But what made Pan Chengyou relieved was that Mr. Geng did not show the slightest displeasure about this matter.
The person sitting on her right now is Ting Fengzi, the current leader of the Taoist Shangqing Sect, and Wei Fengting, the eldest disciple of Wang Qixia, Mr. Zhensu.
Wei Fengting originally sat next to Hong Tianci. Logically speaking, his identity was the most suitable for Hong Tianci's current situation. Although he has not received the imperial gift of purple clothes from the emperor, the Shangqing Sect is the most prosperous Taoist sect in the area since Yang Wu.
Since Mr. Nie Shidao, Mr. Zhensu, and Mr. Wang Qixia, they have been favored by Yang Xingmi and Li Min and given purple clothes, gold and jade belts. Tingfengzi Wei Fengting, as the current leader of the Shangqing Sect, is also famous in Jinling City. But after Mr. Geng entered the Daming Palace, Li Jing asked someone to rearrange the seats, so someone must give up his seat.
I began to see Mr. Geng refuse to sit next to the emperor. This huge honor had no precedent for Mr. Geng in the past. However, Mr. Geng actively refused this honor and favor and asked to sit with the Taoists and other cultivators. This can only be said that Mr. Geng has an extraordinary mentality.
Although cultivators have no objection to worldly affairs, there are thousands of Taoist sects, and no one wants to think that his sect is superior to others. What's more, after all, everyone is in Jinling City. Although they can't compete for face blatantly, everyone knows how to give face to Li Jing, but it can make their sect proud, which is what everyone wants in their hearts.
Everyone was enlightened, and when Wei Fengting saw that Hong Tianci was humble at first, he naturally knew that Hong Tianci was showing an attitude, so he decisively stood up and invited Mr. Geng to sit in his seat.
Pan Chengyou was naturally relieved by Wei Fengting's wiseness, and Mr. Geng naturally understood Wei Fengting's overtures, but she did not refuse anymore, because considering the Xiaoyao Sect's state in Jinling, it was not suitable for her to give in anymore.
After Wei Fengting sat down, the people around him naturally moved back and moved their seats again. The next talent is the Guigu Sect wizard, the one who is known as Tan Yiyu, Mr. Wine Cooker, who is both secular and unorthodox. And the last Taoist elder is Yin Yuanduo, the low-key deacon of Tianshi Mansion.
Although it cannot be said that there are tens of millions of Taoist sects in the capital, there are at least no less than ten sects. As for the casual cultivators whose reputations are not well known, there are countless of them. But in the end, only these four people who were invited by Honglu Temple were able to attend.
Li Jing did not invite Mr. Geng, but it was because she had been living in the palace and suddenly went into seclusion two days ago to practice. Li Jing naturally did not expect that she would come out of seclusion so soon, so she did not even invite her eldest disciple Yan Yuxian who lived in Xiaoyao Palace.
It's not that Yan Yuxian's identity is not enough, but it is rumored that Yan Yuxian had a very good personal relationship with the former prince Hongyi, and Li Jing had just issued an order to abolish Hongyi, which could easily arouse people's suspicions at this juncture. However, Mr. Geng was temporarily out of seclusion, so even Li Jing had to put down her attitude and invited Mr. Geng to show her respect to the civil and military officials. Although the seats have been rearranged now, it is not too unexpected.
As for this young man, Xiao Cheng, who could sit behind Mr. Geng, he naturally sat in the same row as those officials in red clothes. He was wearing a white Taoist robe and a black gauze halter Taoist crown. He was particularly eye-catching in the crowd, but no one dared to object.
Although the banquet in the main hall has basic seating arrangements, it is actually relatively free without strict restrictions. What's more, the wine table at this time is simple, just placing fruits, wine and vegetables. Everyone gathered around the palace dancers in the middle of the hall, watching them dance gracefully to the palace music, and some even composed impromptu lyrics and poems.
Soon everyone seemed to have forgotten Xiao Cheng's accident. After all, it was Li Jing who everyone wanted to please who was sitting on the imperial steps.
This kind of free banquet has become popular since Li Jing, the leader of the Tang Dynasty, came to power, because Li Jing liked poetry and songs, and he was a poet of this era. Everyone can have fun with Li Jing, drink and have fun freely, and communicate and chat in private.
This Xiao Cheng is naturally Xiao Jiulang who followed Mr. Geng and Feng Biwei back to Jinling. Because Feng Biwei had been living in Xiaoyao Palace since he came out of seclusion, Xiao Cheng returned to Xiaoyao Palace with Feng Biwei and Feng Yuchan. Geng Xiansheng, on the other hand, went back to the palace on his own. What surprised Xiao Cheng was that Su Hou disappeared without even saying hello.
When he arrived at Xiaoyao Palace, he met Yan Yuxian, who was in charge of palace affairs. He was a little surprised when he heard that he was a generation older than Yan Yuxian. But when she thought of Feng Biwei's status in the Xiaoyao Sect, An Ran was naturally relieved a lot.
Before his buttocks were warm from sitting in Xiaoyao Palace, Feng Biwei was brought into the palace to attend some palace banquet with Geng Xiansheng. Although I don’t know what Feng Biwei’s intentions were, why did Feng Biwei arrange for herself and Mr. Geng to participate when she didn’t come?
Seeing Geng Xiansheng chatting with a few cultivators for a few words, he turned around and introduced himself. Although Xiao Cheng was a little surprised, he had a vague feeling that he might have to deal with it. Xiao Cheng stood up and greeted several cultivators. Everyone seemed to be very kind. On the other hand, when Xiao Cheng looked at Tan Yiwu, the wine-cooking gentleman from Guigumen, he noticed something was different in his eyes.
Xiao Cheng, however, couldn't get a word in. He could only listen to everyone chatting and watch Li Jing compose two short poems, but he didn't know whether they were good or bad. The banquet was in a lively atmosphere, especially for Duke Anding. He also responded to Emperor Li Jing's little words and saw everyone applauding and applauding. It must have been very good.
Han Xizai, the Minister of Household Affairs, also took the lead in responding. Seeing that his height stood out from the crowd, Xiao Cheng took a second look. However, what surprised Xiao Cheng was that after Han Xizai responded to two poems, an old man in purple robe got up to pour cold water on him. Only after listening to the comments from people around him did he know that this man was the prince and tutor Feng Yansi.
Although Xiao Cheng didn't know what arrogance Feng Yansi had, when he saw that even Li Jing gave him high-fives after he composed two short poems, he knew that this man still had some talent. However, he seemed to have some issues with Han Xizai, and it was rare for him to publicly ridicule Li Jing in front of him.
Seeing that Han Xizai didn't seem to care, Xiao Cheng saw a hint of anger in his eyes. Xiao Cheng couldn't help but look outside the main hall. He remembered that there was a person with this look just now. That person seemed to be standing beside the rockery outside the hall.
At this moment, the person could no longer be seen. Although Xiao Cheng was a little surprised, he didn't pay too much attention. After all, banquets in the palace are relatively rare for Xiao Cheng. Although it was not about the fine wine and delicacies on the table, at least the crowd of civil and military officials in the hall was still a bit eye-opening for Xiao Cheng.
Xiao Cheng had seen so many civil and military officials in a place once, and the people there seemed to be kinder than here. The man sitting on the royal steps could roll up his trousers and drink and sing with everyone.
There is the place where Xiao Cheng once studied, there is the place that Xiao Cheng yearns for, and there is also the place where Xiao Cheng dreams about him!
But for an ideal, Xiao Cheng left there and came to Raozhou thousands of miles away. Who knew that things were unpredictable, and he actually came to Jinling again. Although he doesn't know how much changes his changes will bring to his mission, Xiao Cheng will definitely find a way to make up for it.
What surprised Xiao Cheng was that after listening to Geng Xiansheng and others chatting, he found out that the man in yellow who was just outside was actually the recently deposed Crown Prince Hong Yi. This made Xiao Cheng particularly surprised, because it was generally difficult for deposed princes in the past to be seen by others. He did not expect that he could freely enter and leave the palace banquet.
Perhaps out of instinct of status, Xiao Cheng was a little more curious about Hongyi. Seeing that many officials were freely entering and exiting the hall, no one paid attention to the Honglu Temple officials who were near the imperial steps, and the palace guards standing on both sides did not interfere, so they were a little ready to go out and take a look.
Geng Xiansheng seemed to sense Xiao Cheng's uncertain thoughts, so he sent a message telling Xiao Cheng that he could go out and take a look, because this was the palace, and no matter how curious and fresh he was, it was only limited to the vicinity of Daming Palace. Because the palace is no better than the outside, there are still strict safety regulations for outsiders.
When Xiao Cheng walked out of the main hall, the lights were still brightly lit outside even though it was late at night, and the surrounding lights and candles illuminated the Daming Palace as if it were daytime.
I feel a hint of moisture in the air, maybe the weather is going to change! Looking around at the laughter and laughter, the sound of silk and bamboo can be heard endlessly, and it is a scene of singing and dancing in a peaceful and prosperous age. Imagining what he saw all the way from the south, Xiao Cheng couldn't help but be filled with emotions.
As expected, Hongyi was not standing next to the rockery. Xiao Cheng was a little disappointed. Xiao Cheng was still very curious about the fact that the deposed prince could appear at the palace night banquet. I wonder what the emperor Li Jing’s psychology is? When he was initially forced to retreat by the state of Zhou, he claimed to pass the throne to Hongyi. After being appeased by the state of Zhou, he actually deposed Hongyi.
After deposing Hongyi, it would be reasonable to put him under house arrest. But now it seems that it is not that simple. Hongyi can actually enter and exit the palace without hindrance. This matter is not that simple. After all, banquets like this are usually attended by envoys from various countries stationed in Jinling City. Isn't Li Jing afraid that Zhou Guo will know about this?
Xiao Cheng couldn't figure it out for a while, but when he thought about his identity, he was just a pawn brought by the leader. Not to mention whether he has the right to speak, even walking in the palace is currently difficult. Xiao Cheng didn't dare to cause trouble to Geng Xiansheng. After all, he had just joined the Xiaoyao Sect.
I wonder how Hongyi is doing now. No one dares to approach him! Xiao Cheng was a little disappointed, but when he saw that there were many people outside the Daming Palace, he wondered if he couldn't get used to the atmosphere in the palace. Many of them also gathered together in twos and threes and chatted in low voices. The Tang Palace must not have been too strict about such banquets, so Xiao Cheng started walking around in front of the palace.
But after walking for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up because he saw the figure he wanted to see.
There is a square of half an acre in front of the Daming Palace. The ground is paved with square stones and rockeries. Although there are also trees of various shapes planted, none of them exceeds about 1.5 meters. The square was surrounded by walls like dragon spines. The barrier of the walls distinguished the Daming Palace from the surrounding palaces.
There is a full moon gate on the right side of the square. Under the light, even from a distance of dozens of meters, Xiao Cheng can clearly see that the abandoned prince Hong Yi is standing there aloof, and A short, middle-aged man in purple robe stood together.
Because the Daming Palace was surrounded by palace guards, and there were also chamberlains standing by the Full Moon Gate, so the guards in the palace would not ask if someone was chatting with them. There were many people invited to the banquet, and it was originally placed in the corridors and steps outside the Daming Palace. There are many officials in the courtyard at this time, which is reasonable.
However, Xiao Cheng was still curious, because Hongyi was already the deposed prince after all, and the middle-aged man was actually chatting with Hongyi. Xiao Cheng was very curious and surprised. He didn't know how this Tang Palace was different from other vassal towns. But considering my current status, I wanted to go over and have a look but I had some concerns.
Humans are curious animals. Although he knew clearly that he couldn't do anything, Xiao Cheng still moved his feet slowly over.
Not to mention that Hongyi was now the deposed prince of the Tang Dynasty, even though it was said among the people that he poisoned his own imperial uncle that day, most people did not dare to mess with him. Xiao Cheng is not an ordinary citizen. The training he received that day made him view things differently from ordinary people. It is believed that Emperor Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty was on the throne, and Hongyi was the prince at the time. If he wanted to poison the emperor's uncle, there were only two possibilities.
One is that Hongyi has matured, and he can ignore the existence of Emperor Li Jing and boldly kill his own uncle, the emperor's younger brother. Now it seems that this is impossible; the second is that Hongyi has become a man. He killed someone else's killer, and someone else used Hongyi's hand to get rid of the emperor's brother. But who in the Tang Dynasty would want to kill the original emperor's brother?
Xiao Cheng felt a little shocked in his heart, and vaguely felt that he seemed to have caught something.
When I first came to Tang Dynasty, I naturally studied the members of the current Li family royal family. Hongyi's brothers are the eldest among him, and they are usually capable and very strong. However, it is obvious that Yu Zi is an incompetent person, and how can he dare to compete with Hongyi for the position. The current Duke of Anding is the best example. In order to fear that Hongyi would target him, he hangs out with monks and Taoists every day. His biggest hobby is reciting poems and having fun.
As for those who could compete with Hongyi for the throne, it was Emperor Li Jing's brothers, especially Li Jingsui, who had been designated as the crown prince under his family's motto. Thinking of this, Xiao Cheng suddenly seemed to understand something in his heart, and a bold hypothesis formed in his heart.
Starting from the fifth year of Baoda (947), Li Jing was only in his thirties, the age when youth and high spirits were high, but he made his younger brother the emperor's younger brother, and his other brother the military marshal. This was undoubtedly the biggest influence around him. threats.
Externally, they are naturally brotherly and friendly, but for people who are crazy about pursuing power, this may be the biggest worry. Xiao Cheng believed that Li Jing, who liked poetry and poetry, might not have had any worries at first, but in his last years in Baoda, he had different thoughts in his mind.
Because of the success of the conquest of Fujian and Chu, Li Jing's desire expanded. Not only did he want to sit on his current status for a long time, he also wanted to conquer the entire world. But apparently things later turned out to be counterproductive. From Wu Yue's constant harassment to Zhou's invasion after the regime change in the Central Plains, he saw his hopes gradually dashed.
Even his current status is not guaranteed. Although there is no public opposition to him in the court, abnormal voices are inevitably inevitable. Xiao Cheng knew that it might be a good thing if he had been in power. Zhou Guo's attack caused him to see the danger of his position, so he first consolidated his position from within.
The emperor's younger brother Li Jingsui undoubtedly became a victim. Regardless of the reason for his death, Xiao Cheng speculated that it was inseparable from the internal strife in the royal family.
The sudden death of Hongyi, the deposed emperor's brother, was an inducement. Li Jing herself was ashamed to surrender to Zhou and wanted to continue to retain her position. It was another inducement. Li Jing slowly told Zhou Guo that he would pass the throne to Hongyi, but Hongyi was very ambitious to lead his troops to resist Zhou Guo. Unexpectedly, the information was intercepted by spies of the Zhou Kingdom. This may be the main reason why the Lord Zhou did not allow Li Jing to pass the throne.
Xiao Cheng thought about these things quickly in his mind. Now that Hongyi was deposed by Emperor Li Jing, it must have a lot to do with his intransigence. Li Jing wanted to retain her position, so she naturally didn't want any voices to interfere with her.
Power is a scary thing sometimes!
Looking back at Hongyi's status in the Tang Dynasty, although it was even a little embarrassing because of the presence of the emperor's younger brother. Later, the emperor's younger brother died suddenly, and Hongyi's rights were no longer in suspense. But the reality is cruel. Once he loses power, those who want to flatter him that day want to hide away.
Xiao Cheng now looked at the purple-robed man standing and chatting with him. Although he was not as tall as Hong Yi, he looked powerful. Especially on that Aohei face, the clear outlines and lines are impressive. Especially his confident eyes make people feel that he should be a righteous person.
What kind of person is this? Knowing clearly that Hongyi had lost power and been deposed, he still communicated with Hongyi in full view of the public?
Not only was Xiao Cheng inexplicably surprised, but many officials in green clothes in the courtyard looked at the two people sideways from time to time. But the man in purple didn't seem to care at all. Standing next to Hongyi, he spoke softly and softly, neither humble nor arrogant, which seemed to cause Hongyi, who looked melancholy, to respond from time to time.
What is particularly surprising is that he is wearing the noble purple robe of a civil servant with gold and jade belt. He should obviously be a civil servant with a high rank in the court. But looking at his strong and powerful appearance, you can still feel that his whole body seems to be full of power, making people feel that he is an extremely explosive strongman. From this point of view, he must also be a person with this inexplicable feeling that is not commensurate with his appearance.
Doctor Jin Ziguanglu inspected Peng Shihao, the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment!
When he heard the name, Xiao Cheng stood there without moving. Hearing the comments of the officials in green, Xiao Cheng's heart was turned upside down.
Although I never thought that I would come to Jinling one day, I still knew some of the main officials in the Tang Dynasty like a thunderbolt.
I didn't expect that this middle-aged man was actually Peng Shihao, who was a powerful figure in the Chu region back then! Although he has served in Jinling City for a long time now, in fact, he was a fierce general from the Chu region. He was born into a barbarian family in western Chu. Later, he was moved to Jinling along with the descendants of the Ma family.
He served as the military envoy of Wu'an Army, and after entering the Tang Dynasty, he also served as the border envoy of Chongshajing Town, the direct commander of the palace, and also served as Fuzhou Biejia and Yushi doctor. Now he is the famous Tang Dynasty's Chancellor of the Ministry of Justice, Jue He is called Doctor Jin Ziguanglu.
