It is said that God has the virtue of good life.
The beginning of spring has passed and all things are gradually recovering. The major Buddhist temples in Jinling have held activities called "Release Festival".
Under the leadership of a group of dignitaries, they advocated people not to eat meat, not to kill animals, and to devote themselves to praying to Buddha. Those who had money donated money and materials, and distributed alms. Those who had no money had the right to light incense sticks. With the money raised, the monks will buy a large number of cattle, horses, dogs, pheasants, turtles, birds and other animals. After a series of salvation and chanting sutras, they will sprinkle purified water on these animals, tie them with colorful silk ribbons, and tie them with Buddha's name written on them. The red cloth strips with words on them indicate that they were sent to the mortal world according to the will of the Buddha, and were finally taken to different places to be released.
Of course, after a series of tedious operations, no one knows the final fate of these tortured animals. Because people's focus is always on the red list posted on the wall of the Buddhist temple, which records the names of the first one hundred "predestined people". As for the ranking, naturally it is based on the amount of money donated.
When Liu Shaojian arrived at Qingliang Temple, it was already dusk and he began to shiver involuntarily. But he saw Queen Zhong from a distance, wearing a thin satin robe and standing in front of the life-release pool with a smile on her face. The maids were busy putting the turtles tied with red ropes one by one into the pool. . There are several monks nearby who are closing their eyes tightly, chanting sutras and meditating.
"Empress! Be careful of the cold weather!" Liu Shaojian took three steps at a time and then trotted over.
Zhong turned around and smiled sweetly, and saw that although the satin robe she was wearing today was simple in style and very pure in color, the soft robe around her waist was tied into a big bow. This is the girlish look that the queen has always maintained. Heart.
"Shaojian Liu is here! Come and take a look, I have released a lot of animals today!" Mrs. Zhong was obviously in a good mood.
Liu Shaojian followed Zhong's instructions and stood up on tiptoes to take a look into the pool. Dozens of turtles, large and small, were slowly moving in the water. Although he had always been confused by this behavior, he was still cautious. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty is amazing! If you are sincere, your heart will shine. Buddha will definitely protect your Majesty and make her wishes come true!"
Then he shouted to several palace maids: "You guys, hurry up and put the cloak on the empress! The weather hasn't warmed up yet. If the empress is cold, let's see how you deal with it!"
Mrs. Zhong smiled disapprovingly: "It doesn't matter! Liu Shaojian is determined, but I'm not cold at all! Look, these masters didn't say they were cold. Since I sincerely cultivate Buddhism, how can I be afraid of even a hint of coldness?"
Liu Shaojian couldn't help but glance to the side, and then smiled awkwardly. The queen did make sense. These monks were certainly not cold. Didn't you see that they were wrapped tightly in cassocks and had pads underneath? Thick velvet futon.
At this time, Mrs. Zhong asked crisply: "What does Mr. Liu have to report to this palace?"
Liu Shaojian had no choice but to withdraw his attention, walked a little closer, and told Zhong everything about what he saw and heard when the emperor went to court.
For a moment, Zhong's eyes shone with a strange look, and she pursed her lips with joy and said with a smile: "Then Li Yuan is really so brave?! His Majesty's guard, Huo? Well, it's rare for His Majesty to be so happy. Li Yuan has made great contributions. , it’s not an exaggeration to grant him the title of Jiedushi!”
Liu Shaojian narrowed his eyes and echoed: "Yes, empress, your Majesty is so happy about this great victory in the Western Expedition! All the ministers are also greatly encouraged and support your Majesty in continuing the Northern Expedition!"
Zhong suddenly asked, "Have you ever seen Feng Yansi's reaction?"
Seeing Mrs. Zhong frowning at this moment, Liu Shaojian paused for a moment before replying: "It is Prime Minister Sun and Minister Han who are in the limelight today. Prime Minister Feng? But he didn't say much. Maybe the old slave didn't pay much attention."
"Haha! Okay!" Zhong's brows relaxed a little for a moment, and he unconsciously covered his mouth and laughed.
Liu Shaojian probed for a while and said: "My Majesty, I heard that Ambassador Chen is preparing to move north. I wonder if your Majesty has anything to say——"
In the middle of the sentence, Zhong immediately interrupted: "I don't understand military affairs, so what ideas can I have for the Northern Expedition? Chen Juegui is the Privy Councilor and is in charge of military affairs. Since Your Majesty has entrusted the army to him, he should be happy to share His Majesty's worries. Try your best to come back victorious."
Sure enough, a woman’s heart is like a needle in the sea! Seeing the inexplicable impatient look in Mrs. Zhong's eyes, Shaojian Liu was confused and a little frightened, so he quickly responded: "Yes, yes! Your Majesty is right!"
After a brief silence, Ms. Zhong seemed to have something on her mind and asked abruptly: "Young Supervisor, do you know the situation in Li Yuan's family? Have you ever gotten married?"
Liu Shaojian hurriedly replied truthfully: "Back to you, Madam, this old slave has heard a little bit about Li Yuhou, ah, there is an old lady in Li Jieshi's family, and a brother of similar age, but they are not relatives. As for getting married, It has been spread in Jinling city for a long time that Li Jieshi has been engaged to Zhou Zongzhou's daughter, Emperor Zhou E, and they are expected to get married in a few days!"
"Zong Zhou? This Li Yuan is very lucky! Not to mention that Zhou Liushou is Cong Long, I heard that the daughter of the Zhou family is so pretty that even I know a little bit about it." Zhong smiled and said, But there was a hint of sadness. Once upon a time, wasn't she just like Zhou Ehuang, who lived in a boudoir and was famous all over the city? But from then on, her time and youth disappeared into the deep palace...
Liu Shaojian showed a smile: "Your Majesty, you are right! But after all, Li Jiezhi is also an extraordinary person. Not only the ministers in the court praised his talent, but also his appearance is first-class. This pair is a perfect match. It is a perfect match." A good match!"
Zhong seemed to say intentionally or unintentionally: "Shaojian Liu really appreciates this Li Yuan! But he did not disappoint me, which is really rare. Shaojian, you might as well have more contact with Li Yuan in the future. As for Chen Juena Head, he and Feng Yansi can mess with each other as much as they like these days, and let’s stay out of it!"
Hearing this, Shaojian Liu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and then replied without hesitation: "Yes! My Majesty!"
"Do you have anything else to say to me, my lady?"
"Wait a moment." Mrs. Zhong tilted her head slightly, raised her hand and gently took out the low-hanging jade Zan phoenix hairpin on her black temples, then placed it in Liu Shaojian's hand and said with a smile: "Since Li Yuan will get married soon, so I will give this hairpin to the bride to give the newlyweds a good fortune."
Liu Shaojian held it with both hands respectfully, then looked at it for a while, and immediately reacted: "Mother, is this not it?"
Zhong nodded lightly and said with a smile: "Well, this is the hairpin I wore when I was crowned Queen. Li Yuan has made great achievements this time, which is also my intention. I hope that after he gets married, the couple can work together to Continue to be loyal to His Majesty and to the Tang Dynasty."
What an honor it is to have a congratulatory gift from the Queen and a sacred object used in the Queen’s coronation! Liu Shaojian was so jealous that he suddenly thought of Zhong's attitude in today's words, and he understood it to a certain extent, and then said: "The empress loves Li Jieshi so much! Li Jieshi must be grateful and serve your Majesty and the empress wholeheartedly!"
Hearing that Liu Shaojian emphasized the words "serve the empress" specially, Zhong smiled noncommittally and just said "hmm" softly. They are all people who have lived in the palace for a long time, so there is no need to say more, everyone can understand it.
Immediately afterwards, Liu Shaojian deliberately whispered: "Your Majesty, since you gave the bride a hairpin, why not also give something to the Li family. I heard that Li Jieshi is very filial, and his mother is at home in Jinling at the moment... ....”
"Well, Young Prisoner, you have thought it all." Mrs. Zhong thought quietly for a moment, and then said: "I will follow what you said, but I have no time at this time. You can go back to the palace later. Please select some suitable gifts from the treasury for me and send them to you tomorrow."
"As you command, concubine!"
Mrs. Zhong seemed to have remembered something, frowned and sighed: "It's a pity that Hongji is not in Jinling! Those miserable children of this palace have happened one after another..."
After all, she thought that the four princes under her knees had died young, and Mrs. Zhong suddenly became worried. Then she stopped thinking about it and waved her hands and said: "That's all, the sixth prince Congjia is chanting sutras in the temple at the moment. Young Prisoner, you go. If you pass the order to him, just say that in compliance with my decree, let him go with you tomorrow to give gifts to the Li and Zhou families!"
Liu Shaojian saw Zhong's distress and did not dare to disturb him with any words. He quickly bowed and replied: "Old slave, I obey!"
