Li Shimin was stunned.
"That's right..."
He murmured to himself,
"This is a bit strange."
Xu Fenglei's behavior is indeed unusual. With his temperament, how could he be like this?
"The child also feels a little strange..."
Li Zhi said a little aggrievedly,
"Father, is it because Master doesn't like children, so he doesn't want them to kowtow to become his master?"
"My child is really sincere and well-behaved in front of Master. I don't know why..."
He was almost crying as he spoke.
"Uh...it's okay, it's okay, don't cry, don't cry."
Li Shimin wiped the soles of his feet and repeatedly comforted him,
"Father, I remember that when you were young, you did kowtow to your master."
"At that time, your mother was still awake..."
Li Zhi raised his head.
"real?"
Li Er nodded firmly.
"Of course it's true. Why did my father lie to you?"
He said,
"This is indeed the case. So, it's not that your master doesn't like you, but he has already accepted you."
"He has never paid attention to etiquette. This is the first time your eldest brother and eldest sister have kowtowed to each other, and they have never kowtowed again since then."
"He treats everyone equally."
For Li Shimin, making the children happy is the most important thing this time, who cares what Xu Fenglei thinks?
"Hmm... Then the kid can feel relieved."
Li Zhi sniffed and resumed his smile.
"Um……"
Li Shimin nodded and said,
"Then when does he plan to start teaching you?"
What he was most concerned about was Li Zhi's schoolwork.
The prince's education is a top priority and cannot be neglected.
"Master said he wouldn't teach me."
Li Zhi said a little confused,
"He said that some of the people he taught...were all corrupted."
"Either open a bank or become a Chinese medicine practitioner. My eldest brother also wants to travel around the world..."
"If I continue to teach children, I am afraid that I will teach them bad things, so I will simply not interfere."
Li Shimin glared.
"He..."
Li Er was stunned for a while, and finally turned into a bitter smile,
"It seems like this is really the case..."
"Each one, I can't say that the teaching was not good, they all became talented. I can only say that the teaching was too individual."
"To be a good emperor, you often have to sacrifice your personality. Take Wei Zheng for example. If it were before, I would have killed this old dog! But since I am the emperor, I have to pay attention to such remonstrances. You even have to use kind words to offer him up, even if he can’t spit out ivory from his dog’s mouth.”
Li Zhi nodded.
"Father, I understand your hard work."
He obediently stepped forward and squeezed his father's shoulders again.
This is both a foot wash and a shoulder massage. It is indeed a thick little cotton-padded jacket! Li Er was covered with warmth, very considerate!
"...Forget it, if you don't want to teach, don't teach. I know he is lazy, but on the other hand, this is indeed a fact."
Li Shimin squinted his eyes and said softly,
"Please tell me a rough summary of today's conversation and let Father listen to it."
"Let's see what his attitude is."
Li Zhi naturally responded obediently and spoke slowly while squeezing his father's shoulders.
Secret phrases including "throwing the blame" were spouted like beans.
With his father, Li Zhi had nothing to hide.
"Ha... this bastard!"
Li Shimin laughed and scolded,
"Isn't he trying to teach you a bad lesson?"
"Slave slave, if you hide this from my father, you might be able to do whatever you want secretly in the future, but now that you have told me everything, my father will have more arrogance!"
Li Zhi smiled shyly.
"My child knows, but my child doesn't want to hide it from his father..."
He smiled foolishly.
Li Shimin's heart almost melted at this moment!
"You kid, you are too honest and kind. How can you be a good emperor in the future?"
Li Er held his son's hand and couldn't help but said fondly,
"I will be bullied by those ministers with evil intentions..."
"Hey! My good boy, my father will definitely pave the way for you! If you don't set up a guiding light for you, your father will never close your eyes!"
This kid is good at everything, but he is too innocent!
While it is endearing, it is also indeed worrying.
The auxiliary minister must be chosen well!
"Long live my father, I just want my child to be by your side and waiting for me."
Li Zhi lowered his head and stood up.
Li Shimin smiled bitterly and waved his hand.
"What do you mean, long live? I get shouted at every day, let alone long live. Even if I don't live to the end of my life, my lifespan will be shortened!"
He laughed at himself,
"Father, he knows his own body well."
"Your master told me to cultivate my moral character and think less and worry less. This way I can live a few more years, but how can I do that?"
"He can be a hands-off shopkeeper, but I can't! When I open my eyes every day, I face the livelihood issues of the people of the Tang Dynasty! There are also military, education, laws..."
"If you don't worry about one thing, you might be fooled by someone below!"
"Tell me, how can you think less and worry less? Since ancient times, wise kings have been short-lived. They are really working hard and can't stop."
"I guess... if I live another ten years, I will burn high incense!"
Since turning 40, Li Shimin has clearly felt the decline in his body functions.
I used to stay up late and wake up feeling energetic again.
Now I stay up all night, and I won't be able to recover in seven or eight days.
He deeply realized that his vitality was decreasing and his life was passing...perhaps he really only had a few years to live.
It is precisely because of this that Li Shimin had to consider the issue of successor.
"The kid doesn't believe it."
Li Zhi said firmly,
"My father will definitely live long live!"
Li Shimin smiled, touched Li Zhi's head and said no more.
Indeed, there is no need to talk about such a topic with a child. How can he understand it?
"Let's not talk about this anymore...is your eldest brother here today?"
he asked,
"He said he wanted to travel around the world?"
Li Zhi nodded.
"Well, he also said that he would write a travelogue so that people all over the world can appreciate the magnificent mountains and rivers of the Tang Dynasty without leaving home."
"Eldest brother's condition really seems to be getting better. Master said that as soon as he left office, his complexion recovered a lot."
Li Shimin's eyes flickered.
"Travel notes...being a libertine."
"It's okay, it's okay, I used to restrain him too much, but now...he can do whatever he wants, as long as he lives a good life."
Li Er actually felt a little guilty about Li Chengqian.
Because of the special status of the 'Prince', he was always unreasonable and almost pervertedly harsh towards Li Chengqian, and suppressed him anytime and anywhere, always reminding him that he was not good enough and still far from good enough.
Now that I think about it... I have indeed gone too far towards this son...
All that can be done now is to let him go and give him the greatest freedom, which can be regarded as compensation.
"By the way, Master also has a daughter."
Li Zhi opened his eyes wide and said,
"The child calls her Sister Wu. Sister Wu is so beautiful!"
"She is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen!"
Li Shimin was startled.
"You mean your master's goddaughter, the girl from the warrior Xun family..."
He agreed,
"It's indeed quite beautiful."
"You're just a child... At such a young age, why do you care about whether someone else's sister is pretty?"
Li Zhi was startled, scratched his head, and blushed slightly.
"Hahaha……"
Li Shimin patted his shoulder and laughed and said,
"Everyone has a love for beauty! If you didn't have this love, my father would really wonder if you were a man!"
"Don't worry! In the future, your concubines will definitely not lose their beauty to Sister Wu! Father will carefully select them for you!"
"Okay, okay, it's getting late. You should go to bed early. My father will arrange for you to learn from a master tomorrow. You still need to have some Confucian skills."
Li Zhi nodded obediently.
"My child, please obey your father. Please leave."
He responded, stood up and bowed before retreating, but a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
Can't you just betroth that sister to yourself? How easy it is to do this.
…
A few days later.
Qinzhou, inside a teahouse.
Xu Fenglei touched the bald head of the monk in front of him and couldn't help but said with a smile:
"You have such a shiny head, you really don't have hair! How did you do it?"
In front of him was a monk.
The monk was sitting quietly in the tea room with his eyes downcast, like a breathing stone.
"A poor monk often shaves his head."
His voice was very soft, and his tone alone gave people a kind and warm feeling.
"Tsk tsk..."
Xu Fenglei turned around and looked at him, and said with some regret,
"Thirteen years have passed, and the white-faced monk in the past has now gone through many changes."
"Time is not forgiving, nor is the wind or sand!"
"Come! Xuanzang! Let's have a drink to celebrate your return to the Tang Dynasty!"
This monk is the holy monk Xuanzang who successfully obtained scriptures from Tianzhu and returned to the Tang Dynasty!
Now, the news of his return has spread overwhelmingly! It will spread to Chang'an soon, and it will definitely cause a frenzy!
Buddhism is about to flourish!
Buddhism will flourish!
And all this is because of this legendary monk in front of him!
"Okay, I'll take tea instead of wine."
Xuanzang raised his teacup, clinked it with Xu Fenglei, and then took a sip of tea.
His movements are neither fast nor slow, and have the power to reduce impetuosity and make people calm.
"Did you get the scripture this time?"
Xu Fenglei asked with a smile,
"Tianzhu, is it the same as you imagined?"
Xuanzang finally smiled after hearing this question.
He nodded first, then shook his head.
"I did get the scripture, but Tianzhu is different from what I imagined."
Xuanzang said seriously,
"I obtained from Nalanda Temple a total of 657 sutras, laws, and treatises, of which the Mahaprajna Sutra, the Heart Sutra, and the Theory of Consciousness-Only Sutra are the essence."
"The most extraordinary thing is the "Yogi Bodhisattva", which is the great treatise on the cultivation of Mahayana Bodhisattvas! Using "Yogini" as the foundation, one can achieve the status of Mahayana Bodhisattva, and even the Buddhahood! It is true and true !”
Xu Fenglei nodded slightly.
"As for Tianzhu, I originally thought it was a Buddhist country. After all, the Buddha was born there and the Dharma was preached there."
Xuanzang continued,
"But in fact, there are many heretic sects in Tianzhu, such as Brahmanism, Jainism, and various small sects and groups, too numerous to mention. Their situation is similar to the hundreds of schools of thought contending in our Spring and Autumn Period."
"Among these heretical sects, Brahmanism once surpassed Buddhism in popularity! This is very puzzling to me."
"Buddhism is the most special. How can any sect in Tianzhu surpass Buddhism?"
Xu Fenglei laughed.
"Why are you so competitive?"
He said,
"Aren't you monks pursuing the purification of the six sense organs? Are you fighting over who is stronger and who is weaker? Isn't this just causing trouble?"
Xuanzang looked solemn.
"The Grand Master is right, this trouble should not have arisen, but the poor monk is indeed curious - what is so magical about Brahmanism that it can gather so many believers?"
"In addition, many Buddhist eminent monks have failed in discussing Taoism with Brahmans. This has also made the poor monks puzzled. Is it really more sacred than Buddhism? No, I always believe that Buddhism is the most sacred. of."
"With this intention, the poor monk came to Tianzhu. In addition to studying Buddhism deeply, he also dabbled in many Brahmanical Dharma texts."
Xu Fenglei gave a thumbs up.
"Damn you, you really fulfilled that sentence - studying Buddhism is what a man should do."
A monk from the Tang Dynasty went through all kinds of hardships to reach Tianzhu. Although he did not understand the language and was not accustomed to the local culture, he not only had to learn Sanskrit in Tianzhu and study Buddhism, he also wanted to have intercourse with outsiders and rectify the name of Buddhism.
How much wisdom and perseverance does this require?
Not to mention other monks, Xuanzang was indeed a man.
"What happened next?"
Xu Fenglei asked with interest.
Although he roughly knew Xuanzang's experience, he still wanted to hear it from his own mouth.
This first-hand information is precious!
Xuanzang smiled slightly when he heard this.
"I have studied Buddhism deeply in Nalanda Temple for ten years. The more I studied, the more incredible and certain I became that the Dharma was the most sacred Dharma in the world."
He smiled and said,
"There is no other person in India who can compare with the Buddha's Prajna wisdom. There is only one person in China who can compare with him, and that is Lao Tzu."
"Come to think of it, the thoughts of truly enlightened people, those who have achieved the supreme enlightenment, are all similar."
Xu Fenglei raised his eyebrows.
"His Majesty must feel beautiful after hearing your words. After all, I am the holy ancestor of the Li family."
"I was very happy after hearing this, because I am a Taoist priest, haha."
Xuanzang nodded and said:
"I'm just telling the truth. I don't mean to belittle or elevate anyone."
"Several Brahmanical classics do have merit. If I had just arrived in Tianzhu, I might still be intimidated, but after studying Buddhism for ten years..."
The corners of his mouth raised slightly.
Seeing his expression, Xu Fenglei couldn't help but joked:
"Don't crook your mouth. If it's crooked, it won't fit your image of a great monk."
Xuanzang was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "The Grand Master is still so humorous."
He said, "After ten years of intensive study, I am convinced that Buddhism is superior to Brahmanism! I am confident that I can refute all heretics and safeguard the true Dharma!"
"So, I set up a dojo in Nalanda Temple and set it up for ten days, waiting for the heretics to come."
"I also made an oath that within ten days, if there is a heretic who can surpass me in discussing Dharma, I, Xuanzang, am willing to die and commit suicide on the spot!"
"Guess what the result will be?"
(End of chapter)
