Chapter 363 It’s settled! Let Xu Fenglei be my commander! Xuanzang’s visit, the mage’s demeanor
"Guanyin Maid, you are so smart!"
Li Shimin was full of praise and threw himself at his wife, but his attack was in vain.
But seeing Changsun Wujia dodge nimbly, he spat:
"What did I say? Don't be careless."
"Be careful of hurting the child."
"Yes, yes..." Li Shimin nodded repeatedly, retracted his hand nonchalantly, and said with a smile, "I forgot about this excitement."
He paused for a moment and said approvingly:
"Your idea sounds bold at first, but when you think about it carefully, it turns out to be very practical."
"I recognize Ting Ming's ability. Although he is good at strategizing, he has also made achievements in the military. He may not be able to lead troops in actual combat, but in terms of military strategy and tactics, he is completely comparable to Li Jing and the others!"
"I appoint Ting Ming as the commander-in-chief and Li Jing and Li Ji as the deputy commander-in-chief. If the three of them cooperate with each other, they will definitely achieve results!"
Changsun Wugou nodded.
"Yes, he has always been reliable. You can't go wrong with him."
She said,
"Actually, there is another point. Compared to Li Jing and Li Ji, Ting Ming is always the person we trust more."
"After getting along with each other for these years, we have a thorough understanding of his temperament. Even if he has military honors and honors, he will never be impetuous or arrogant."
"Thanks to his monstrous military exploits, Erfeng, you can have no worries."
Li Shimin showed approval.
"Indeed, this boy is the one I feel most at ease with! Although I feel a little sorry that he is not married, but on the other hand, it is more reassuring to have such a person with no family or power controlling power, isn't it?"
He nodded and said,
"I had a plan when I established the crown prince."
"Listen to this man, I want to take a closer look. If he still reassures me before the day of my funeral, then I will hand over the heavy responsibility of protecting the country to him!"
The heavy responsibility of protecting the country!
These four words are more important and more authoritative than "entrusting a lonely and important minister"!
It is precisely because of the huge power that even if you already have great trust in Xu Fenglei, you still have to look at it again and try it again. From this look, it might be ten or twenty years.
If anything happens in the middle, he will change his mind.
There is no way, this heavy responsibility must be placed in the hands of an absolutely trusted minister! If there is no suitable candidate, he will choose not to submit it!
"Okay, okay, don't go that far..."
Changsun Wugou brought the topic back and said with a smile,
"In that case, let's finalize the appointment of Ming Ming as the commander-in-chief first?"
"If this is the case, I'm afraid there will be an uproar in the court! Even if you hear me clearly, you will probably be shocked and desperately resign."
She could even imagine the expressions of the ministers at this moment.
"Hmph, there will definitely be some ups and downs, but what I have decided cannot be changed."
Li Shimin hummed softly,
"If you don't want me to give you this job, I can't quit it!"
"That's how domineering!"
He paused for a moment, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and said with a smile:
"Hey, Maid Guanyin, look, you still have a way, I really can't do without you!"
"Tell me, can Concubine Yang have such an opinion as you? She knows how to tinker with those rouge and gouache all day long! There are other concubines, can they give me such a clever trick to make me feel comfortable?"
"No one can! Only you!"
"So, you can't drive me away. I've been worried a lot lately! I need you..."
When the eldest grandson Wuji heard this, he couldn't help but rolled his eyes.
Yes, this is a bad thing!
"I'm not driving you away, you're pregnant with a child..."
She pinched Li Er's crotch, curled her lips and said,
"You are irritable and always want to make fun of others, so you might as well go to another concubine."
"My body is weak and I can't stand your torture. Also, I heard Ming said that I can't have any more children, or my life will be shortened."
"Even though I don't care about my life span, I always want to spend more time with you and watch my children grow up, get married and have children..."
Li Shimin looked solemn.
"Don't worry, I, Li Shimin, still have some restraint."
He looked serious and promised,
"From now on, you will strictly follow the instructions of Ting Ming and Master Sun. If they don't allow it, I will never lay a finger on you!"
"Actually... physical pleasure is only temporary, and becomes boring after a while, but spiritual resonance is eternal and can make you and I husband and wife love each other forever and be happy forever."
"I think we are spiritual partners, are you right? Maid Guanyin."
Changsun Wugou looked suspicious.
"You seem to be saying these words only after having fun somewhere."
she said.
Li Shimin stared: "#￥%...&*@!!!"
…
At noon the next day, Xu Guogong's mansion.
Uh-huh.
Xu Fenglei opened his eyes and jumped up from the bed.
He had a rest today, so he could sleep until noon and then get up and have lunch directly.
"Ho-tah!"
After spitting out a mouthful of sticky phlegm, there was a sound outside the house.
"Sir, are you awake?"
A maid wearing a goose-yellow gauze skirt pushed open the door and walked in. With a sweet smile, she fetched Xu Fenglei's casual clothes and dressed them for him.
Several maids in rough clothes also came in and brought him copper basins and towels.
There is no need to move, the maids have already taken care of him clearly, and they are all ready to wash their faces, brush their teeth and get dressed.
The daily life of a prince is so simple and boring.
"puff."
Xu Fenglei spat out the salt water in his mouth and said casually,
"I'm a little hungry. What do you want to eat today?"
The maid in yellow responded:
"There are beef with cabbage and shredded pork with celery. The freshly cut mutton was sent by the proprietress from the West Market early in the morning. The lamb meat doesn't have any fishy smell."
"There is also a bowl of pigeon soup. The pigeons were just shot this morning. The meat is very tender."
Three dishes and one soup, all meat dishes.
Even if it is to provide food for the prince, it can be said to be good.
"Beef? Which cow fell to death?"
Xu Fenglei joked,
"According to Tang law, it is illegal to kill farm cattle privately."
The maid in yellow smiled.
"As long as you want to eat, there are enough cows that have been beaten to death."
She joked,
"If you want to eat it every day, we can also arrange for a group of steak teams to jump off a cliff to their death."
"Hahaha..." Xu Fenglei laughed and waved his hand, "Goodbye, cattle are precious. From now on, we will cook less cabbage and beef. When will we occupy the Turkic grassland and take away all the food on that grassland?" Bring the yak and try it, then it’s beautiful.”
Even though this plate of beef was bought from regular channels, he still couldn't bear it.
The locust plague and drought have not yet passed, and the victims have not yet received their next meal.
In a year of great calamity, this is too much.
"yes."
The maid in yellow nodded obediently and said,
"Actually, those old farmers were very grateful when they sold their cattle. Our government buys cattle at a much higher price than the market price and never lowers the price."
"If we don't buy it, those black businessmen will also buy it. When the time comes, they will severely lower the price, and the farmers will suffer even more losses."
Xu Fenglei was startled.
This is true.
The so-called no buying and selling means no killing is pure deception.
The market is always there. If you don't buy, others will buy at lower prices. In the end, the farmers who are forced to sell their cattle will suffer the consequences.
"Oh well."
He smiled and said,
"Then we should just buy what we want without any psychological burden and respect the laws of the market."
With that said, Xu Fenglei got up and walked to the courtyard.
Several maids came forward and placed three dishes, one soup, and a bowl of fragrant wheat rice on the stone table.
"Sir, let's use the soup first."
The maid in yellow scooped out a bowl of pigeon soup, brought it to Xu Fenglei, and said softly,
"An appetizer."
"Yeah." Xu Fenglei sniffed and praised, "It smells good."
Gulu.
Gently swallow a mouthful of pigeon soup, and the fragrance is already lingering on your lips and teeth.
Just as I was about to finish the meal, a young boy suddenly ran over quickly and entered the yard to report:
"Master, Master Xuanzang, who came to visit you yesterday, is here again today."
"I'm just waiting outside right now. How about you call him in after you finish your meal?"
Xu Fenglei raised his eyebrows slightly.
"Xuan Zang..."
He smiled and said,
"It's okay. You can just call him in now. If you have something to do, it's okay to talk while eating."
"Yes." The boy ordered and turned to leave.
"Master Xuanzang?"
The maid in yellow said with some confusion,
"Sir, when did you have any contact with the monk?"
Xu Fenglei smiled and said nothing, minding his own meal and chewing meat.
"The beef and cabbage is good, quite tender."
He praised it twice and immediately took two big mouthfuls of rice.
Ta-ta, tap-ta.
As he was eating, the sound of gentle footsteps came.
"Amitabha."
A soft and steady voice came, and Master Xuanzang, dressed in plain clothes and with a bald head, saluted Xu Fenglei and said,
"Master, the young monk is polite."
The maid in yellow clothes looked at the monk in front of her, her eyes couldn't help but light up.
This monk... is so handsome!
"It's Xuanzang, come on, have a seat."
Xu Fenglei smiled and waved,
"have you eaten?"
Xuanzang clasped his hands together and shook his head.
"The young monk drank a bowl of porridge and left the temple early in the morning. He walked all the way to Chang'an without eating."
He responded honestly,
"So... the young monk has to be shameless and ask for alms from the Grand Master."
Xu Fenglei couldn't help laughing when he heard this.
"Hahahaha, easy to talk about."
He pointed to the food in front of him and said,
"What do you think of these dishes?"
Xuanzang's eyes fell on the stone table.
The cooks in Duke Xu's residence were also trained and brought out from the Tiance residence. In other words, the level of the cooks in his residence was comparable to that of the imperial chef.
Just smelling the fragrance can stimulate people's saliva secretion and intestinal peristalsis.
“All delicious food.”
Xuanzang responded.
"Okay, then please invite the Master to have a simple meal with me."
Xu Fenglei waved his hand and said,
"There are so many dishes that I can't finish them all by myself."
"Come, come, come quickly, get a pair of chopsticks for Master Xuanzang and serve a bowl of rice!"
The maid in yellow was stunned for a moment.
"Uh... sir."
She said tentatively,
"Isn't this monk a vegetarian? The table is full of meat..."
"Would you like to prepare some special vegetarian dishes for Master Xuanzang?"
In her opinion, this handsome monk should be an acquaintance of her husband even if they are not good friends, so she must treat him well.
At the very least, you can't make things difficult for others.
"Oh, what's this?"
Xu Fenglei waved his hand and said casually,
"The so-called wine and meat go through the intestines, but the Buddha keeps it in his heart!"
"The Buddha said that the food is meat and fish. It is called meat and fish, but it is not meat and fish. If you stick to the rules and precepts so much, then it is a sign."
"Master Xuanzang, do you think so?"
Maid in yellow: "..."
It seems that the gentleman is trying to make things difficult for this monk!
She looked at Xuanzang with curiosity. At this moment, she wanted to know how the monk would respond to such a situation.
"The Taishi's words, 'Wine and meat pass through the intestines, and the Buddha's heart remains', already reaches the state of an Arhat."
Seeing that Xuanzang was neither bored nor annoyed, he smiled lightly and said,
"An Arhat eats wine and spits out grain; eats meat, and changes his life. Naturally, he can pass wine and meat through his intestines, which is also a meritorious deed."
"The young monk is still far from this realm, so naturally he dare not break the precepts recklessly, otherwise, he will fall into the devil's path."
The corners of Xu Fenglei's mouth rose.
Xuanzang is indeed Xuanzang, his head turns so fast!
"From what the Grand Master said, you seem to have done a lot of research on the Diamond Sutra."
He said again,
"What you just said is the same as the saying in the Diamond Sutra, 'Buddha said Prajna Paramita, that is, it is not Prajna Paramita, it is called Prajna Paramita.' It means that people who learn Buddhism should not be obsessed with appearances. They should not feel that they are themselves." Once you have made some progress, you will get carried away. You must know that all appearances are false. If you see appearances but not appearances, you will see the Tathagata."
"However, the key to these sixteen words is actually the first sentence."
"Everything, the word "all" represents experience and insight. Only when a Buddhist disciple has a very high Buddhist insight, he has obstacles and he needs to break the delusion."
"Otherwise, the fantasy is just delusion, so why bother to break it? If you haven't seen the appearance, how can you classify it as non-appearance? Let alone see the Tathagata."
Xu Fenglei nodded slightly and straightened his body.
All the slaves and maids around listened with rapt attention.
When the master lectures, even people who don't understand will feel that they have some insights and gain from time to time.
"What the Master said makes sense, it's me who is being sophistical."
Xu Fenglei praised,
"Just as it is said in "Tai Shang Laojun Speaks of Chang Qing Jing Jing", 'Having entered the true way is called attaining the path; although it is called attaining the path, it is not gained; in order to transform living beings, it is called attaining the path; those who can understand it can pass it on to the saints. Tao.' are the same, there are similarities between the two."
Xuanzang chewed the scriptures, his eyes lit up, and he nodded.
"Yes Yes."
His smile became gentler,
"The meaning is the same. It seems that the Grand Master is not only proficient in Buddhism, but also has a deep understanding of the essence of Taoism."
Xu Fenglei was happy and waved his hand.
"I only know a little bit about it, but I can't compare it to a mage."
He said modestly and ordered,
"Come on, go prepare a vegetarian meal for the Master. No trace of meat or fish is allowed."
"Yes." The maid in yellow grinned.
Although this handsome monk is very powerful, our husband is also very good! You won't lose the slightest bit in discussing the mysteries with the other party!
"No need."
The maid was about to leave, but Xuanzang shook his head and said,
"Asking for alms, whatever the donor gives the young monk to eat is a matter of fate."
"Whether it's vegetarian or meatless, the monk is already grateful if he can get it, so how can he dare to be picky at all?"
"Give the young monk white rice, and the young monk will eat it; give the young monk delicacies from the mountains and the sea, and the young monk will also eat it. The Buddha has no discriminating mind, and the young monk has no discriminating mind, only a feeling of gratitude to the benefactor."
"This female donor, please give me a pair of bowls and chopsticks, and a bowl of rice will be enough."
When Xu Fenglei heard this, he couldn't help but be in awe.
"Master is a true disciple of Buddha."
He said,
"Xiao Huang, go and serve the Master a meal. The Master has been working hard all the way and must be hungry. Please pack the rice down a little."
(End of chapter)
