In addition to Qingliang Mountain in the west of Jinling City, there is also a famous peak about 30 miles east of the city.
Therefore, the shape of the mountain resembles an ancient bell, and in spring and summer everything is green. People named it "Zhongshan" after its shape. When the Three Kingdoms were established at the end of the Han Dynasty, Sun Quan, the emperor of Wu, built a temple on Zhongshan for Jiang Ziwen and named him Marquis of Jiang. He worshiped and enjoyed it for generations, hence the name "Jiangshan". (Note: Jiang Xin, courtesy name Ziwen, was a Moling Lieutenant in the late Han Dynasty. He was buried at the foot of Zhongshan after chasing robbers. According to folklore, he became King Qin Guang, the first of the ten palaces of Yama in the underworld)
Zhongshan has been known as one of the four famous mountains in the south of the Yangtze River since the Tang Dynasty. It has Jinling Mansion in the west, Yanque Lake in the south, dense forests in the east, and the river in the north. Such excellent Feng Shui that hides wind and gathers energy is rare in the world. . (Note: "Geography" of the Tang Dynasty records: "Jiangnan Road, its famous mountains are Heng, Lu, Mao and Jiang")
However, few people care about this excellent landscape at this time. To be precise, no common people dare to approach it. This is because Li Congjia, the Sixth Prince of Anding County in the Southern Tang Dynasty, has been "living in seclusion" here openly since he was twelve years old.
According to what the sixth prince told Li Jing and his wife a few years ago, although he was a prince, he knew that his qualifications were mediocre. One day when he was obsessed with scriptures, he finally discovered that he was born with Buddhism. In a dream, the Buddha taught him how to achieve purity. Find a pure world in nature. So Li Congjia asked to move out of the palace, saying that he was willing to hide in the mountains and rivers, stay with the ancient Buddha of Qingdeng all his life, and pray for his father, the emperor, and his mother.
Emperor Li Jing, who believed in Buddhism, actually believed the words of his twelve-year-old son... Not only was he deeply moved, but he also specifically asked Queen Zhong to find a pure place for Li Jing to retreat. The queen initially chose Qingliang Temple, which was often visited by the royal family of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but Li Congjia was unwilling to do so, saying that Qingliang Temple was located in Jinling City after all and was too close to the hustle and bustle of the world.
In the end, Li Jing could only personally issue an order to give Zhongshan, the place with the best feng shui, to his good son. Li Congjia did not live up to his ambition. In the past three years, except for going to the palace to pay homage or going to Qingliang Temple to chant sutras, he never left Zhongshan.
This "Zhongshan Hermit" not only studied Buddhist scriptures all day long, but also made appointments with fellow Taoists to express their love for the landscape, recite poems and write lyrics. The poems written by a man who recited Buddha's name were about romantic affairs, and his colleagues were almost all Hanlin scholars in the Southern Tang Dynasty. The most famous among them was that he was called "Han Xu" together with Han Xizai. Xu Xuan, the official minister of the Ministry of official affairs.
As luck would have it, Xu Xuan, who always relied on his aloofness, was also being ostracized in the court, so he just happened to place his house on the east side of Zhongshan.
Today, Li Congjia ordered people to invite Xu Xuan early because he was tossing and turning last night. After three years of close relationship, Xu Xuan had already developed extremely deep feelings for this free and easy-going sixth prince. He even fantasized about it, but it was a pity that Li Congjia had no intention of political affairs since Liezu had made a decree that brothers should live together forever. Otherwise, if Li Congjia had the opportunity to compete for the heirloom, he would support it without hesitation.
As soon as he entered the mansion, Xu Xuan bowed his hands respectfully towards Li Congjia and said, "I pay my respects to Duke An Ding!"
"You're welcome, Mr. Xu, please take your seat quickly!" Li Congjia was born with a generous forehead, so the wrinkles when he was worried were clearly visible.
Xu Xuan was concerned in his heart. As soon as he sat down, he quickly asked: "What is Mr. An Ding worried about?"
"Alas!" Li Congjia waved his hand to dismiss the attendants in the hall, and then with a look of embarrassment on his face, he repeated the empress's edict delivered by Shaojian Liu last night.
After hearing this, Xu Xuan said with some doubts: "Since the Queen has given the order, what's the harm in An Ding going to obey the order? Zhou Zong is a veteran of the founding of the country, and he has watched the princes grow up! And Li Yuan is also a star in the world. Now he is highly valued by His Majesty. As these two powerful families are getting married, it is in line with etiquette for Duke An Ding to be the sixth prince and go to give gifts and words on behalf of the empress!"
"Xu Shangshu doesn't know something! What worries me is Li Yuan."
Xu Xuan was even more confused: "Li Yuan? Could it be that Lord Anding has some quarrel with this person?"
"Oh! It's hard to explain in words!" Then Li Congjia clapped his hands, and suddenly a slim girl walked out of the back hall. She was quite beautiful, but unfortunately she walked a little crookedly. I don't know if she was born disabled or had an injury on her leg.
"This? How could there be a woman in this pure and peaceful place like Duke Anding?" Xu Xuan didn't react for a moment, thinking he was dazzled, so he whispered quickly.
There were clearly two traces of tears in the corners of the girl's eyes. When she saw Li Congjia winking at her, she quickly said in panic: "My little girl, my little girl was ordered by others to seduce Duke An Ding..."
Caught off guard, Xu Xuan paused and immediately got angry and said, "Who is so bold? How dare you seduce the prince?"
"Yes, yes..." The girl kept biting her dry lips tightly, and while she was hesitating, she saw Li Congjia glare at her fiercely, as if she was extremely frightened, and hurriedly knelt down on the ground, crying: "Yes King Yan! His Highness, King Yan, ordered my daughter to come here!"
"That's nonsense! Prince Yan is the eldest son of the emperor and the eldest brother of Duke An Ding. How could he do such a despicable thing? I advise you to recruit him truthfully, otherwise you will be taken to Jinling for questioning!"
The girl did not dare to raise her head after hearing this, but continued to cry in panic: "My little girl is from a lowly background, and she knows that her sin is unforgivable! How dare you deceive a noble person now? Everything you say is true!"
At this point, Li Congjia said coldly: "Come, take her down first!" Then, the two attendants who had been waiting outside the door dragged the girl back, and then closed the door tightly. good.
Xu Xuan, who is straightforward by nature, couldn't help it anymore: "Mr. An Ding, is this really the work of King Yan? I really can't believe it!"
Li Congjia looked at a loss and said sincerely: "The woman pretended to be lost in the mountains at night and came to my house again to ask for help, so I took her in out of kindness. Unexpectedly, this woman actually happened many times. Seducing me! But since I sincerely worship the Buddha, how can I be tainted by women? In short, this woman may have been influenced by me in the end, so she truthfully reported that it was my eldest brother who did it!"
Xu Xuan shook his head, pursed his lips and asked, "What does King Yan mean by this move? Doesn't he know that Duke Anding vows to practice Buddhism, will this cause injustice to Duke Anding? Also, this and that Li What does the source have to do with it?"
Li Congjia always looked confused and said slowly: "Oh, I don't know! After all, the emperor and I are brothers, and we have been friendly and respectful for many years! Until the birthday of the emperor's grandfather last month, when I was worshiping Buddha with my mother in Qingliang Temple, I once heard that Li Yuan met my imperial brother, and less than a month later, this woman appeared in front of my house!"
"Dong An Ding's intention is that Li Yuan instigated His Highness King Yan to do this?"
"Xu Shangshu, I can't be sure, I just feel confused..."
Suddenly, Xu Xuan's racing thoughts came to an abrupt end and he slapped the case: "It's broken! Mr. Anding is probably going to cause trouble!"
"What does Xu Shangshu mean by this?"
"Mr. An Ding, you are naturally kind and have no interest in political affairs. Naturally, you don't know the dangers of the court!" Xu Xuan said worriedly: "Since ancient times, it is only natural for the legitimate son to ascend the throne, and the emperor's brother is cowardly and incompetent. Even if the ancestor died and his brother succeeded him, After all, King Yan is your Majesty's eldest son. In recent years, he has been favored by all the saints. He has made friends with many ministers and has been granted the title of king and commander of armies! There has been rumors about Yi Chu in the court for a long time! I'm afraid King Yan can't wait now!"
Li Congjia suddenly frowned: "What does this have to do with me? Now I have hidden myself in the mountains and rivers, concentrating on practicing Buddhism. The affairs of the country are just passing smoke."
Seeing that Li Congjia still looked suspicious, Xu Xuan explained eagerly: "My Lord An Ding! Among your Majesty's princes, four princes died young, and the elders are no more than King Yan and Duke An Ding! Once the crown prince If you lose your throne, you are a serious problem for King Yan! This girl must have been used by King Yan to test Duke An Ding! If Duke Anding really falls into the trap and has an ordinary heart, King Yan will be jealous from now on. Once he seizes the throne in the future, Lord An Ding is in great danger!"
Li Congjia then acted astonished and said in a voiceless voice: "Is this so? But I didn't do anything to that woman! Have I ever had an ordinary heart?"
Xu Xuan turned his head, carefully observed that there was no movement of people outside the door, and said seriously: "Mr. An Ding, if it is true as you said, it was Li Yuan who instigated King Yan to become suspicious of you. I'm afraid that this By that time, they were already in the same party! King Yan's wings were growing day by day, and his reputation in the court was also rising. Now Li Yuan is the most popular general in charge of the army in the Tang Dynasty, and he has the support of wealthy families such as Zhou Zong.
Lord Anding, it is inevitable for King Yan to seize the throne! Since I have become suspicious of you, if the first test fails, there will be a second time! How can you sleep peacefully if you guard against it day and night and are on tenterhooks? "
Li Congjia stood up in panic and shouted: "Please Xu Shangshu save me!"
Seeing the pale-faced sixth prince about to bow to him, Xu Xuan hurriedly supported him, his heart seemed to be surging, and then gritted his teeth and said: "Mr. An Ding, I'm sorry to speak frankly! Since ancient times, brothers in the emperor's family have fought for the throne. All the blood will flow like a river! Now that King Yan has listened to the slander, he has become suspicious. If he kills him in the future, and Duke An Ding has no soldiers, no power and is alone, how can he protect himself? According to the wishes of the minister, instead of sitting back and waiting for death, it is better for Duke An Ding to plan in advance and fight with Fight for the king of Yan!"
Li Congjia's eyes obviously flickered a little, but he quickly looked back, still maintaining a panicked look: "What does Xu Shangshu want?"
"Don't you, Duke An Ding, hear about the story of the Xuanwu Gate of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty? I really don't want Duke An Ding to be so obedient and virtuous, and he will die in vain without knowing it! I am willing to help Duke An Ding to fight for the position of crown prince!"
"Alas!" Li Congjia seemed to be in a huge struggle. After holding his forehead with a frown for a moment, he finally spoke: "I'm not saying this, but I'm trying to protect myself! Since my brother won't tolerate me, I I have no choice! But Xu Shangshu, you just said, now that I have no soldiers, no power, and am alone, how can I compete with my brother?!"
Xu Xuan, who finally got a response at this time, was overjoyed and continued: "Don't worry, Duke An Ding! According to the old royal rules, all princes of the Tang Dynasty can be crowned kings! As long as Duke An Ding is like the King of Yan, Jin will be crowned king. If we look for an opportunity to go to another town, aren't the so-called soldiers and power readily available?
As for being alone, Mr. An Ding doesn't need to worry too much! There are many people among the Hanlin scholars who admire Duke An Ding. For example, I have a student named Zhang Jie. This man is rare and talented, both civil and military. Although he is only eighteen years old, he has been promoted to Jinshi and is now a member of the Ministry of Rites! I have long been attracted to An Dinggong!
From now on, I will also help An Dinggong and win over many capable people! When competing for reserves, you should plan step by step and plan carefully, don't rush! "
Li Congjia seemed to be relieved and said softly: "I am lucky to have Xu Shangshu! But I have been living in seclusion for a long time, how can I be crowned king?"
"This is not difficult! Duke An Ding, the matter of making the king a king, just depends on His Majesty's will! Duke An Ding has been away from the court for a long time, and now he must find a way to return to His Majesty and the Queen, but he cannot directly express his intention to return to secular life. After all, Mr. Anding has made a vow to cultivate Buddhism, so he will be criticized by others and it will be detrimental to his reputation!"
"Then what do I do?"
Xu Xuan came close to Li Congjia's ear and whispered: "Didn't Mr. Liu deliver the edict for the Queen last night? Mr. An Ding could not be better..."
...
After Xu Xuan left the mansion and went away, Li Congjia immediately ordered everyone in the mansion to close the door tightly, and then turned around and entered the inner hall.
An extremely rugged-looking attendant wearing plain robes walked out of the darkness, cupped his hands and said, "Mr. An Ding, what should I do with that woman?"
Li Congjia was uncharacteristically uncharacteristic at this time, and said with a hint of coldness in the corner of his mouth: "No need to torture her anymore! Send her back to my room first! After tonight, let her go to the underworld to meet her sister!"
The attendant seemed to have become accustomed to it, and replied calmly and sternly: "As you command!"
In the study room, Li Congjia showed a faint smile. In front of him was an extremely exquisite rosewood table, on which were accumulated various celebrity dharma stickers, ten-party inkstones, and various brush holders, and the middle of the table was spread out. A painting with bright colors.
I saw him lovingly caressing the pretty girl with delicate lines in the painting, his eyes full of tenderness: "Sister Ehuang, I haven't seen you for three years, but do you still remember Chongguang?"
