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Not talking about Zhao Junchen's psychological imbalance at the moment, Zhang Daoquan also discovered that Emperor Deqing was unexpectedly easy to deceive, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.
Before that, when Zhang Daoquan faced Emperor Deqing, he was still quite nervous. Although his performance was relatively calm, his expression was always tense and his behavior was a bit reserved. Although Zhang Daoquan had been trying his best to pretend, he was familiar with him. Zhao Junchen and Li Muhe could still see his abnormality.
But at this time, after Zhang Daoquan discovered that Emperor Deqing believed deeply in the matter of "immortal fate", he also understood that Emperor Deqing had a deep obsession with the matter of seeking immortals and visiting Taoism. Because of this obsession, In addition, he had personally witnessed two unexplainable phenomena: the auspiciousness of the fairy fruit and the golden light phenomenon. He was actually more susceptible to being bewitched than ordinary people, so his mentality was much more relaxed and his mind was more flexible.
After hearing Emperor Deqing's words of self-pity, Zhang Daoquan smiled and consoled him: "Dear guests, there is no need to feel sorry for yourself. Since the immortal has given you the opportunity, it will not be easy to understand the deep meaning, but it will never be impossible. No head or tail, no chance at all... In the opinion of the mountain people, the golden light vision that the guest saw before may be just a part of this opportunity, or maybe it is just a reminder before the real opportunity comes! Therefore, in the future, the guest will Maybe I’ll encounter something else!”
When Emperor Deqing heard this statement, he couldn't help but perked up and said excitedly: "In other words, I will still have a chance in the future?"
Zhang Daoquan nodded lightly and said: "Maybe, maybe not. The mountain man has not yet attained enlightenment, so naturally he cannot understand the profound meaning of God. Now it is just the opinion of the mountain man's family! However, your distinguished guest must pay special attention in the future. , if you encounter it again, don’t miss it in a hurry like today.”
Although Zhang Daoquan was vague, his tone was very firm, which made Emperor Deqing even more excited. At the same time, he secretly reminded himself that he must pay special attention to all abnormal situations around him in the next few days.
In fact, Zhang Daoquan's vague statement is also a deception method commonly used by religious swindlers.
As the saying goes, "Think about it every day and dream about it at night." Since Emperor Deqing was so obsessed with the matter of seeking immortals and visiting Taoism, there is a high probability that he will dream about related things in the next few days. If it were in the past, Emperor Deqing would dream about it. He doesn't pay much attention to related things, but now that he has heard Zhang Daoquan's guidance and hints, if he dreams about gods, Buddhas, immortality, God, etc. again in the future, Emperor Deqing will definitely regard it as a dream from an immortal. , thinking it is his own opportunity.
At the same time, there is also a saying that "what the heart thinks, what the eyes see", once Emperor Deqing repeatedly reminded himself to pay special attention to the abnormal situations around him, he would inevitably subconsciously make far-fetched interpretations of what he encountered every day. Many coincidental phenomena are interconnected with their own "chance", and they believe that all of them are due to God's arrangements.
To put it bluntly, it is still the trick of guiding the deceived target to deceive himself, but this method is indeed tried and tested, and it is especially useful for a shrewd person like Emperor Deqing, because Emperor Deqing will use what he discovers in the future. All "abnormal phenomena" are all conclusions drawn by one's own personal observation. There is no possibility of outsiders deceiving them, so they become more and more convinced.
At that time, Emperor Deqing will not only become more and more convinced that he is a person with immortal destiny, but also trust Zhang Daoquan more and more, who "foreseen" all this in advance and reminded him "kindly", and regard Zhang Daoquan as his He is a master of Taoism who hides his secrets.
In fact, Emperor Deqing now trusts and values Zhang Daoquan very much.
After hearing Zhang Daoquan's reminder, Emperor Deqing felt rare gratitude. He raised his hands to Zhang Daoquan and said, "Thank you, Taoist Master, for the reminder. I will pay special attention to it in the future and will never miss any signs again."
Having said this, Emperor Deqing finally recalled the original reason for his visit to "Tongji Temple" today, which was to investigate the whereabouts of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea".
In Emperor Deqing's view, since he saw the golden light in the side hall dedicated to the "Three Saints of the South China Sea", his "opportunity" was most likely to be closely related to the "Three Saints of the South China Sea". The matter of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" has become more and more important.
Therefore, Emperor Deqing thanked Zhang Daoquan for a while and then asked again: "Daozhang Zhang, the main reason I came to visit Tongji Temple this time was to hear the news that a person is secretly enshrined in this side hall. True immortal, his immortal name is 'Three Saints of the South China Sea', but is that so?
I had heard of this immortal by accident, and had received the favor from him, so I came here specifically to offer incense to the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" to fulfill my vows! But I don’t know whether the immortals enshrined in this side hall are the "Three Saints of the South China Sea"? "
Zhang Daoquan looked a little surprised and said: "I didn't expect this distinguished guest to have heard of the immortal name of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea'. Although this immortal has great supernatural powers, he has always been invisible and rarely appears in the world. Therefore, in this world, Very few people know about the existence of this immortal... But in recent times, for some reason, there have been an especially large number of people seeking information about the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea'... Yesterday, there was a pilgrim who forced his way into this place. Let’s investigate in the side hall and find out that the source of this noble man’s information must be the pilgrim who forced his way into the temple yesterday, right?”
Emperor Deqing immediately guessed that the "pilgrim who forcibly broke into the temple" mentioned by Zhang Daoquan should be Xu Sheng, the eunuch in charge of the Royal Horse Supervisor. In an even rarer gesture, he apologized and said: "That person is from my house." When a steward learned that I cared about the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea', he wanted to please me. If there was any offense, I hope that Master Zhang would forgive me! When I return to the house, I will be severely punished. To him."
Zhang Daoquan shook his head slightly and said: "That pilgrim was so generous. He gave him a thousand taels of incense and silver as soon as he made a move. Although he forced his way into the temple, he solemnly apologized afterwards, so you don't have to punish him... In fact, Without the information he provided, the noble man would not have been able to come here today to witness the vision. Although what he did was disrespectful, it was also part of the noble man's chance, and perhaps it was God's arrangement, so now that this matter has passed Well, let it pass."
After hearing what Zhang Daoquan said, Zhao Junchen's expression moved slightly, and he turned his head to carefully observe the changes in Emperor Deqing's expression.
At the same time, Emperor Deqing's eunuch Zhang De also made the same move.
Then, Emperor Deqing was seen thinking seriously for a moment, and finally nodded and said: "In that case, I will not pursue his offense against Daozhang Zhang."
In fact, Emperor Deqing did more than just "not investigate"? Just Zhang Daoquan's words, "Although what he did was disrespectful, it was also part of the opportunity of being a noble person" was enough to make Emperor Deqing look at Xu Sheng differently in the future.
It can be predicted that Xu Sheng's holy family will be prosperous from now on, and he will soon completely overtake Wu Xinquan, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and become the number one figure in the inner court.
Of course, this is also due to Zhao Junchen's plan. After all, Xu Sheng is not like Wu Xinquan who follows the seventh prince Zhu Hejian as wholeheartedly. He himself is not as smart as Wu Xinquan, and Zhao Junchen can also communicate with Xichang through Li Ruan To influence Xu Sheng's judgment, if Xu Sheng becomes the number one figure in the inner court, it will naturally be of many benefits to Zhao Junchen.
At the same time, Zhang De, who saw the change in Emperor Deqing's expression, also secretly decided at this time that the first thing he would do after he returned to the palace was to pay a special visit to Xu Sheng and get closer to Xu Sheng in advance.
Not talking about the little ones in the hearts of Zhao Junchen and Zhang De, Zhang Daoquan said again at this time: "It stands to reason that the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' does not like the excitement, so although I, the 'Tongji Temple', secretly enshrine him The idol is never open to outsiders, and information related to the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' will not be leaked at will. However, since this noble man is related to the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' and is still worshiping the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' The golden light vision seen in the side hall must be a person who is destined to the "Three Saints of the South China Sea", so there is no need to hide it from the noble... The immortals enshrined in the side hall here, their immortal names are indeed the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" '."
While speaking, Zhang Daoquan had already raised his hand to lead Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen into the side hall.
At this time, the side hall was still dark, so the first thing Zhang Daoquan did after entering the side hall was to light the candles in the hall.
Therefore, as a few candles were lit, Emperor Deqing gradually saw clearly the true appearance of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" enshrined in the temple. This was corroborated with the information previously provided by Zhao Junchen, but he discovered the appearance characteristics of the statues in the temple. , was exactly the same as what Zhao Junchen said, and he became more and more convinced that the statue in front of him was the legendary "Three Saints of the South China Sea".
While Zhang Daoquan started to light the candle, he also told everyone in detail about the deeds and legends of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea", their supernatural powers, and their relationship with the "Tongji Temple".
According to Zhang Daoquan, the "Three Sages of the South China Sea" are a true immortal who existed before the creation of the world. This true immortal is not just as simple as having the best of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. In fact, Confucius, Laozi, It was based on the guidance of the "Three Sages of the South China Sea" that the three Gautama Buddhas founded the three religions of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
All in all, in Zhang Daoquan's words, the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" are simply the first of the gods, immortals, Buddhas and saints in the world, and their praise is so exciting.
After all, Emperor Deqing is the supreme being in the world. If you want him to truly believe in a deity, the deity must be as tall as possible - in Emperor Deqing's heart, if he is an ordinary door god, kitchen god, or city god, Gods like him would bow their heads when they saw him.
As for the relationship between the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" and the "Tongji Temple", according to Zhang Daoquan, his ancestor was once a woodcutter, and he accidentally saw the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" while cutting firewood in the Taihang Mountains. "I heard half of the meaning of the scriptures, and then I realized the great enlightenment, so I founded the "Tongji Temple", and from then on, I secretly enshrined the statues of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea".
In fact, Zhang Daoquan's ancestor was indeed a Chaifu, but in the long speech he was talking about at this moment, this sentence was true.
This kind of wanton compilation of fairy tales and exaggerated claims has always been what Zhang Daoquan is best at. At this time, he is also very skillful and realistic. The yearning and enthusiasm that occasionally flashed across his expression while telling the story added to the It gained a lot of credibility and made Emperor Deqing even less suspicious.
However, when Zhao Junchen saw Zhang Daoquan's performance, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
Perhaps he felt that Emperor Deqing was too easy to deceive. Although Zhang Daoquan was no longer nervous at this time, he was too complacent. If he kept facing Emperor Deqing with this mentality, mistakes would sooner or later occur.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen stood up again and said slowly: "Oh? I didn't expect that the 'Tongji Temple' and the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' would have such a relationship... To be honest, I have actually met this immortal before. One side, but some details are different from the description of the Taoist Priest! According to the Taoist Priest, the mount of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' is a white bull, but the mount of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' I saw is It’s a green donkey, and it has an ordinary old man’s bun on its head instead of a gold and jade crown, but I don’t know why there are these differences?”
Zhao Junchen's questioning was ostensibly to prevent Emperor Deqing from getting deeper into trouble, but in fact it was to warn Zhang Daoquan not to get carried away.
After hearing Zhao Junchen's question without warning, Zhang Daoquan couldn't help but be stunned, and for a moment he didn't know how to explain it.
However, Emperor Deqing was convinced at this time and immediately reprimanded: "Junchen, don't be ridiculous! Can what the Taoist said be false? Since the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' are so powerful, naturally they will not There is only one mount, and it will not wear a high crown at all times. Now that we have finally found the wizard's trace, why bother nitpicking these little details?"
Following Emperor Deqing's reprimand, Zhao Junchen immediately fell silent and just took a deep look at Zhang Daoquan.
After Zhang Daoquan was repeatedly beaten and tamed by Zhao Junchen, he was deeply in awe. At least for now, he did not have the courage to disobey Zhao Junchen. When he noticed Zhao Junchen's eyes, he felt a chill in his heart. He finally restrained his complacent mentality, and then talked with Zhao Junchen. Emperor Deqing became increasingly cautious when getting along with him.
In this way, under Zhang Daoquan's arrangement, Emperor Deqing saluted and offered incense to the statues of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea". His demeanor and behavior could be described as unprecedented piety and seriousness.
After the worship session came to an end, Emperor Deqing first took a serious look at the statues of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea", and then suddenly said: "Actually, my family wealth is quite rich, and now I also want to sincerely repay the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' Given the favor and opportunity given, I wanted to spend a sum of money to build the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' temples in various prefectures and counties within the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, the bigger the scale, the better, so as to promote the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' to the world. He has vast supernatural powers and profound teachings, but he doesn’t know Zhang Daochang’s intentions?”
After a pause, Emperor Deqing also wanted to make friends with Zhang Daoquan, and then said: "Of course, I am only responsible for providing the money for this matter, and the specific matters will be left to the 'Tongji Temple' and Zhang Daozhang."
Hearing what Emperor Deqing said, Zhang Daoquan was shocked at first - to build a new temple in every prefecture and county of the Ming Dynasty, and the bigger the better, how much money would it cost? I'm afraid even a million taels of silver won't be enough! The emperor's move was indeed extraordinary.
After the surprise, there was great joy! Emperor Deqing's approach not only gave Zhang Daoquan enough support, but also was very beneficial to spreading the teachings and influence of "Tongji Temple". If everything goes well, the influence of "Tongji Temple" will soon be as strong as that of "Tongji Temple". Zen, Sanlun, Tianshi, Maoshan and other great Buddhist and Taoist sects are on a par with each other! And he, Zhang Daoquan, will successfully become a great master and become famous throughout the ages.
Zhang Daoquan naturally couldn't refuse such a beautiful thing from heaven and couldn't wait to agree.
However, just as Zhang Daoquan was about to agree, he suddenly noticed that Zhao Junchen's cold eyes were staring closely at him, full of warning!
For Zhao Junchen, after he saw that the surplus money in the imperial treasury was increasing, he tried every means to increase the expenditure items of the household department and wanted to maintain the state of the treasury being unable to make ends meet in order to maintain his stable position. However, Zhao Junchen chose this Several new expenditure items, whether it is to stabilize the Loop, or to go to sea, or to increase the salaries of officials, or to purchase vassal land from Emperor Deqing, in the long run, they will benefit both the country and the people. It is of great benefit, not a pure waste - this is one of Zhao Junchen's only bottom lines.
But if Emperor Deqing wanted to invest tens of millions of taels of money to build temples in various places, it would be detrimental to the country and the people. Zhao Junchen could not accept that the money he had saved so hard in the treasury was wasted like this.
Therefore, Zhao Junchen immediately warned Zhang Daoquan with his eyes.
In the end, under the pressure of Zhao Junchen's eyes, Zhang Daoquan just shook his head and refused: "This noble man's intention is naturally good, but the mountain man also said just now, 'The Three Saints of the South China Sea' 'I don't like the excitement, he is an ancient true immortal, and he doesn't need incense to offer sacrifices like other gods, so noble sir, just follow your wishes, there is no need to build temples at all... In fact, the existence of the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea', It’s better if only a few people know about it.”
As he spoke, Zhang Daoquan couldn't help but feel his expression twitching, and felt his heart dripping with blood.
What a great opportunity? But because of Zhao Junchen's pressure, he had to give up, which inevitably planted the seeds of dissatisfaction with Zhao Junchen in Zhang Daoquan's heart.
You know, even when Zhao Junchen forced him to kill someone with his own hands a few days ago, he did not dare to be dissatisfied with Zhao Junchen.
On the other side, Emperor Deqing looked at Zhang Daoquan more highly and respected him more and more when he saw Zhang Daoquan rejecting the favor he offered so easily.
Then, Emperor Deqing discussed the teachings of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea" with Zhang Daoquan in this side hall. This was also what Zhang Daoquan was best at, and he was quite able to deal with it, and then gave Emperor Deqing a gift. This hand-written scripture, called "Three Treatises", was written by his Chaifu ancestor based on the sermons of the "Three Saints of the South China Sea", hoping to help Emperor Deqing understand the destiny of immortality.
After receiving the "Three Treatises", Emperor Deqing felt as if he had found a treasure. He was not even willing to hand it over to Zhang De for safekeeping, but carefully kept it in his arms.
In this way, while talking about classics and Taoism, Emperor Deqing and Zhang Daoquan both wanted to make friends with each other. The atmosphere was harmonious, and time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already afternoon time.
Seeing that it was getting late, Emperor Deqing finally stood up and left reluctantly, but said that he would visit again in a few days.
With this sentence, Zhao Junchen's plan to use "Tongji Temple" to seduce Emperor Deqing has been basically achieved. Just look at Zhang Daoquan's unintentional words today to change Xu Sheng's future destiny, and we know that Zhao Junchen can use it in the future. How many things have been accomplished by "Tongji Temple" and Zhang Daoquan - of course, the premise is that Zhang Daoquan can always be controlled.
Seeing Emperor Deqing say goodbye and leave, Zhang Daoquan naturally did not want to stay, but personally sent Emperor Deqing and his party outside the "Tongji Temple".
It is worth mentioning that before Emperor Deqing left, he asked Zhao Junchen to leave a sum of money for incense to the "Tongji Temple". Zhao Junchen initially took out a thousand taels of silver notes, thinking it was enough, but unexpectedly Emperor Deqing was still very dissatisfied, saying that Xu Sheng had left a thousand taels of silver yesterday, and he had to get ten times more.
In desperation, Zhao Junchen had no choice but to take out all the banknotes he had, and finally managed to collect 10,000, and then left them all in the "Tongji Temple".
When he put a thick stack of silver notes into the incense box, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but complain in his heart: "This money came from me, and I don't know if I can reimburse it later from the internal funds... With Emperor Deqing's temperament, Nine times out of ten, there is no way to reimburse...
Since you firmly believe in the 'Three Saints of the South China Sea' and are so pious, you should pay for this money yourself! Why do you want to kill my fat sheep again? Could it be that it has become a habit? ...That’s all, I’m not at a loss anyway, I opened the Tongji Temple, so it’s just my left hand and my right hand! "
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PS: In the past few days, my physical condition has been poor, and various inflammations have occurred. The most important thing is that I can’t sleep well at night and my brain is groggy. In this case, if you force the code to be written, the quality will definitely be poor, so the update speed will be slowed down in the near future. Slow down, sorry.
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