The fifth day of the first lunar month of the 10th year of Baoda.
Just after the New Year, the various states in the Southern Tang Dynasty posted announcements everywhere, which had nothing to do with the festive celebrations. People everywhere were helpless because Emperor Li Jing ordered various places to urgently raise military rations. Since the first year of Baoda, wars have been going on for almost eight of the past ten years. The heavy burden of required taxes, money and food has finally fallen on the common people. Naturally, there was a lot of discussion for a while, and the people were quite critical, but it was not overwhelming. .
It's not that Li Jing is prestigious because of his repeated victories, it's just because he has a good father. The national policy of recuperating and recuperating after the founding of the Tang Dynasty by Li Min, the great martyr of the Tang Dynasty, accumulated an extremely wealthy family for the Southern Tang Dynasty. The population was extremely prosperous, and the Jianghuai industry and commerce were developed. Compared with the chaotic Central Plains, there were very few wars in the local area, so the lives of the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty were considered stable. .
It's just that after Li Jing came to the throne, he went on an expedition. Although he had great ambitions to revive the Tang Dynasty, the results were far from the results. Over the years, the hearts of the people have been fluctuating a lot. At this time, in addition to expressing gratitude for the kindness of ancestors, he actually just wanted to return the favor. It's just that it hasn't been squeezed to the extreme.
The situation in the capital city of Jinling is quite different from that in other state capitals. Li Yuan was ordered to be on duty at the south gate of the palace today. After leaving the palace, just after crossing Yinhong Bridge, he heard hundreds of students and merchants gathering on the street. It seemed that the crowd was excited, so he ordered his soldiers to come forward to inquire. It turned out that this large group People were gathering to petition, and all kinds of generous and passionate words were condensed into one sentence, asking your Majesty to send troops to pacify the Chu Territory as soon as possible...
The power of public opinion these days cannot be underestimated! Li Yuan couldn't help but sigh. And then, when he raised his eyes and saw the gates of the various offices on Yufang Street not far away, the usually aggressive guards were uncharacteristically uncharacteristic and did not come out to stop such a large-scale noise. Li Yuan shook his head, smiled knowingly and went straight to the palace gate.
Just after the morning session, Li Yuan was resting in the south gate dormitory. At this moment, Shaojian Liu hurried over. He was always polite when meeting acquaintances, and then passed on the emperor's oral instructions. Today is Liezu's birthday. Empress Zhong wants to go to Qingliang Temple to worship Buddha and pray for blessings. She ordered the palace to directly Li Yuan, the Marquis of Duyu, led four teams of infantry and cavalry to serve as guards of honor and carefully escort them.
Li Yuan immediately took the order, sent his own soldiers to quickly gather the four groups of infantry and cavalry, inspected the appearance and clothing of the sergeants, and followed Liu Shaojian's instructions to wait in front of Xiaohong Bridge at the west gate of the palace.
Buddhism flourished in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and there were dozens of temples, large and small, in Jinling City alone. The Qingliang Temple that Queen Zhong is going to visit today can be said to be the most representative one.
Qingliang Temple is located on Qingliang Mountain in the west of Jinling City. Across the city wall is the famous Stone Mountain. It was first named Xingjiao Temple and was built in the third year of Wuyi of Yangwu (921). It is said that when Li Ming, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, went to Qingliang Mountain to escape the summer heat, he found this place so comfortable. Long Yan was so pleased that he renovated the Qingliang Temple. Long name: Stone Qingliang Avenue. Since then, Qingliang Temple has become a unique existence among Buddhist temples in the Southern Tang Dynasty. While it is popular in incense, it also serves as a summer palace for the royal family of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
After Li Jing came to the throne, he liked to devote himself to worshiping Buddha here, and even invited the famous eminent monk Wenyi Zen Master to open the hall and receive people. Whenever there were natural or man-made disasters or wars in the country, Li Jing and Queen Zhong would come here to ask Buddha and pray for blessings. The emperor took the lead, and the ministers and the people even more so. In the end, the number of believers in Jinling accounted for sixty-seven out of ten, which was really too many. So the Xiaojiuhua Temple and Shanqing Temple on the left and right also prospered. The prosperity of these three temples was described by later generations as One of the forty-eight scenic spots in Jinling is "Qingliang Asking the Buddha".
But today's "Qingliang Asking Buddha" made Li Yuan feel a little uncomfortable. After picking up the queen's phoenix chariot from Xiaohongqiao, he was shocked by the huge formation that was dispatched. So I had to disperse the four teams of infantry and cavalry, and I personally led half of the cavalry and soldiers to clear the way. All the infantry were assigned to guard on both sides of the team. Hundreds of eunuchs and maidens followed closely behind, and the queen and a group of relatives of the emperor , officials of all sizes were firmly guarded in the center, and finally the remaining half of the cavalry was left to hold down the formation.
With such a mighty team, the queen's chariot had to be kept steady, so the pace was naturally very slow. As the leading escort general, Li Yuan had no choice but to hold on to the reins tightly, deliberately control the speed, and from time to time, vigilantly observe the large number of people around him who were joining in the fun. Fortunately, Li Yuan's horse-control skills are now quite proficient under the strong training of Ebony Special Qin. He can clamp the horse's belly with ease, but he can't gallop while riding the war horse, which makes him feel very unhappy.
Walking from the west gate of the palace to Qingliang Temple usually takes less than half an hour, but in compliance with the Queen's order to celebrate with the people, large groups of people walked in and out of various streets, and walked for nearly two hours.
Finally arriving in front of the Qingliang Temple, the abbot and a group of monks were waiting outside the door. After everyone cheered and cheered the queen into the temple, Li Yuan dispersed his cavalry around the temple to be on guard, and led his own Guard the soldiers inside.
Witnessing the scenery in this temple with his own eyes, Li Yuan said that it was a feast for the eyes. In addition to the Buddha statues and incense burner tables that are part of the temple, as well as the exotic flowers and plants cultivated in it, as well as the ingenious pavilions and pavilions, this place is probably comparable to the imperial palace.
"How much money does this cost!..." Li Yuan couldn't help but look at the exquisite and eye-catching gilt carvings at the door of the palace and exclaimed.
Liu Shaojian came over and said with a smile: "Li Yuhou did a good job in escorting you today. The Queen is praising you! When the Queen returns to the palace, she will definitely be rewarded."
Li Yuan quickly moved towards the direction of the palace, respectfully raised his hands and said: "This is the responsibility of the general. I would like to thank the queen!" Although he was not sure whether the queen could hear it in the thick sound of chanting sutras lingering inside, But some etiquette still needs to be done.
Liu Shaojian nodded with satisfaction, then pointed to a pavilion outside and said: "Li Yuhou, today is the birthday of Liezu. It will take a long time for the empress to listen to the Dharma and pray for blessings. After a while, the Zen master will close the door of the palace after reciting the Amitabha Psalm. Let the queen pray. As a rule, you don’t have to stay here all the time. Just leave the sergeant to patrol, but don’t go too far.”
Li Yuan nodded in agreement. Nearly a quarter of an hour later, when the sound of chanting Buddhist scriptures surrounded his ears, Li Yuan felt a little dizzy. It’s not that I have been enlightened by Buddhism, but that this large series of looping and obscure tones is constantly shuttling in my ears like a stereo, coupled with the smoke that is almost making people cry when they are waiting at the door of the temple. The incense kept coming towards him, and Li Yuan secretly cried out in his heart, Wukong will not deceive me!
Finally, after the palace door was closed, Li Yuan gave instructions to the soldiers several times. He looked up and found a seemingly quiet pavilion not far away, and prepared to go there to seek some peace and quiet.
After walking a few steps, an extraordinary young man came forward. Li Yuan took a moment to look at him. This man was dressed in purple silk and had a caesarean section. Around his waist was a belt hook inlaid with gold and jade, and on his head was a crown with gold cicadas. The most eye-catching thing is the seven colorful jade beads on it.
This is a real prince level! Li Yuan hurriedly bowed and saluted, but when he was about to speak, he really didn't know the name of this person, so he had to shout wisely: "General, I will pay my respects to the king!"
I saw that this man was quite friendly, and he smiled lightly and said, "Are you Li Yuan, the Prince of Yu, the capital of the palace?"
"Back to your Majesty, it's the last general!"
The man's eyes were filled with admiration: "I have heard of Li Yuhou's reputation for a long time. Well, when I saw him today, he is indeed extraordinary! No need to be polite! I wonder if Li Yuhou can go with me?"
Li Yuan did not dare to agree immediately. It was not because he had never met the prince before, but because there were so many people in the temple today. As a general of the Forbidden Army, he had the responsibility to protect him. So he went with him rashly. If he went too far, he would be in trouble later. If something happened, wouldn't it be clear? But after all, with his position here, he couldn't offend himself, so he hesitated for a moment and said: "This general is ordered to guard here, I'm afraid he won't be able to leave easily -"
The man snorted softly, and then laughed heartily: "What's the harm? The palace door is closed, and the queen is praying inside, so she can't be disturbed. As a rule, you don't have to wait here, just leave the sergeant to patrol. , besides, I have also set up guards, which is enough to ensure that my mother is safe!"
Then he showed a sly look and said jokingly: "Moreover, wasn't I just about to leave when I saw Marquis Li Yu? Don't worry, I won't let you go too far, just go to the pavilion in front." "
Having hit the mark, Li Yuan could only smile awkwardly and said: "I will obey your orders!"
The man nodded with a smile on his face, and then said: "By the way, Marquis Li Yu may have never seen this king before. I am ordered by my father to guard Runzhou, and it is rare for me to return to Jinling."
Runzhou? Li Yuan thought about it quickly, and called the queen "mother queen" and guarded Runzhou. She looked eighteen or nineteen years old. How dare she be?
This time, Li Yuan saluted without thinking: "General, I will pay my respects to His Highness King Yan!"
