The spring day is bright and the sky is clear and green.
The early morning breeze stirred up the peach blossoms beside the Xintang Bridge. In the rain of flowers, a four-wheeled carriage painted gold slowly left the Yongning Gate in the inner city, crossed the Wangxian Bridge, and exited the Changle Gate heading straight for the capital.
The square carriage is engraved with a blue bird curling cloud pattern, the wheel bearings, shafts and frame are all painted and gilded, and copper bells are hung at the four corners of the eaves. The bell rang, and dozens of carts followed, flanked by silver-armored guards.
Gu Yunqiu convinced Princess Ning as he wished.
However, the condition for the princess to take him into the temple was——
Gu Yunqiu could not travel lightly, he had to bring all the servants and servants in Ningxintang, as well as the nuns and guards. There are several carts full of food and clothing.
In addition to the original guards of the palace, Prince Ning even worriedly dispatched two teams of silver-armored guards to follow him.
This battle was as noisy as a big shot in the palace going on a tour.
Fortunately, Ning Wang and his wife were quite knowledgeable and knew that there would be too much noise, so they calculated the time and left the city before dawn. The streets were quiet and they avoided being watched and commented on.
Gu Yunqiu was not used to getting up early. Not long after getting into the car with great excitement, he fell asleep while the carriage was rocking.
The princess saw him leaning against the car wall and the chicken pecking at the rice. She had no choice but to reach out and take the child over, lay him down, and then pulled a small blanket to cover him.
The breeze blows slowly, and the kingfisher or warbler sings in the Dragon Sacrifice Mountain.
Dozens of miles up the mountain road, there are ninety-nine stone steps in front of the Baoguo Temple.
The early morning light cleared away the fog in the mountains, and there was a young novice monk holding a broom on the stone steps.
He wears monk's robes and leggings. He is not tall, has broad shoulders and narrow back, and looks very strong. The red light of morning glow illuminated his little bald head, but also highlighted his deep eye sockets and high bridge of nose.
The broom in the temple was taller than him, but he straightened his back and swept it carefully.
Today is April 17, the eighth year of Chenghe, and Princess Ning is coming to the temple.
In previous years, the princess came as soon as spring started, but this year it was delayed by a month for some reason.
Sweeping away the dust and fallen leaves on the stone steps, the young monk stopped and suddenly sighed deeply——
It is now the eighth year of Chenghe, and an epidemic will break out in the palace next year.
The eighth prince and the sixth princess will all die young from this epidemic, and the queen of the middle palace, who has been sick for many days, will also die due to the unbearable shock of losing her son and daughter one after another.
In due course, the Marquis of Xiangping will come to Beijing.
There is not much time left for him.
The little monk lowered his eyes and looked at his hands. A cold light suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he almost crushed the broom. After waiting for a while, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and continued sweeping the floor.
The deep mountains are empty and the brooms are rustling.
Suddenly, there was the clatter of horse hooves and the sound of bells from the bottom of the mountain——
He put up his broom and looked at the sound, and saw a magnificent carriage in the sparse shadows of the bamboo bushes and elm trees.
At the same time, the mountain gate opened behind him.
The temple supervisor hurried out with five or six disciples from the outer courtyard and stepped down the stone steps to greet him.
The young monk frowned and gave way. When he turned around, he bent down and bowed to them.
Hearing this, the chief temple supervisor smiled at him and said, "Ming Ji is polite."
…
Baoguo Temple is located on Jilong Mountain, seventeen miles southeast of Gyeonggi Province.
Jilong Mountain is steep and steep, with strangely protruding rock peaks. The mountains are full of ancient and curved trees rooted in dangerous rocks. Clouds of clouds cover the mountain at sunrise and sunset, and the surrounding mountain walls are as bright as fire and as dark as pine ink.
Gu Yunqiu also woke up at this moment, and was opening the car curtain and leaning against the window to look at the scenery.
Hundreds of miles up the mountain road, there is a solemn ancient temple hidden behind green pines and green bamboos: red walls and green tiles, a majestic gate tower, and the word "Serve the Country" painted in gold on the door can be seen from a distance.
Baoguo Temple has a long history, dating back at least a hundred years.
The earliest Zen temple was built on the cliff at the top of Mount Jilong. Later, the Three Treasures Hall, Five Buddhas, Bell Tower and Drum Tower, and Sutra Pavilion were also built among the solitary peaks and rocks according to the mountain terrain, with flying bridges, iron cables, cloud ladders and stone stacks. connected.
Later, about fifty years ago, there was a civil war in the royal family of the Jin Dynasty. Emperor Sejong was forced by the rebels to have no choice but to hide in the Dragon Sacrifice Mountain and Baoguo Temple.
After his successful restoration, he designated Baoguo Temple as Dajinguo Temple, and built the current magnificent temple on the gentler slope of the southern slope of the original Zen monastery.
After going around the last two sharp bends on the muddy mountain road, the driver reined in his horse and stopped the car steadily in front of the mountain gate.
Master Yuankong, a worldly master, did not come out to greet him. He only sent the temple supervisor, a fat Tutuo, to take care of everything.
At that time, the princess gave birth in the temple. In order not to cause trouble to Baoguo Temple, King Ning invested in the monk's house that was used as the delivery room and built a new monk's room in the back mountain for the masters.
The original location of the monk's residence was vacated, and a Heavenly King's Hall was built, with a garden behind the hall.
A moon cave door is opened on the west wall of the garden. There are two straight rooms beside the door. The straight rooms connect the cloister, the rockery lotus pond and a nine-curved bridge.
To the north, a wide courtyard is surrounded by the lotus pond.
The courtyard is equipped with the main hall and the left and right wing rooms, which are regarded as the private residence of the prince and are specially used for the princess to worship Buddha.
There is no access control at the Moon Cave Gate. Monks can also pass here to the monk's residence and sutra pavilion in the back mountain. However, there are royal guards on duty in the direct room to ensure the safety of the princess.
Prince Ning's Mansion sent people to take care of this small courtyard from time to time, but the temple supervisor still took the disciples from the outer courtyard to clean it inside and out again.
The coachman brought a stepladder, and the nanny stepped forward to help the princess out.
After the temple supervisor called the Buddha's name, he smiled and bowed down.
The princess hurriedly helped them up and returned the Buddha's salute, "Master, you're welcome. It's me who has disturbed them."
Just as the temple supervisor was about to speak, the car curtain behind the princess moved, and another furry head poked out, "Brother Shun, help me——"
He was stunned when he saw a young man in brocade robes getting out of the carriage. He looked to be about eight years old, with a handsome face, a fair complexion, and a pair of slender willow-leaf eyes.
The temple supervisor understood and looked at the princess, "This time, the young prince is here too?"
The princess nodded and smiled apologetically, "It was a last-minute idea and I didn't inform the master. I hope it won't cause any trouble to the temple."
The temple supervisor waved his hand, "What did the princess say? Buddhism has helped the world, and the young prince is very welcome to come."
Over there, Gu Yunqiu got out of the car. He ran to the princess in two steps. He looked up at the fat tutu. After a moment of pondering, he raised his palms and bent down, "Gu Yunqiu has seen the master!"
The voice was crisp, and the wide sleeves slid down to the crook of the arm, revealing a tender lotus root-like forearm.
The temple supervisor was amused and said a Buddha's name, "Your Majesty, you are polite."
The princess also smiled, but her eyes were filled with joy.
Gu Yunqiu groaned, stretched out his hand to hold the princess's hand, and mentally rated his performance as Grade A: He not only managed the mood of an eight-year-old child, but also gained the favor of the temple supervisor, so good!
In this way, the temple supervisor said a few polite words to the princess before stepping forward to lead the way, "Princess and the Crown Prince are tired from traveling and traveling, so it is better to rest in the courtyard first. The senior monk in charge will go there and the poor monk will go and report."
"Then there's Master Lao."
The group of people walked up the mountain, and after climbing more than a dozen steps, they heard a swishing sound in the distance.
The princess paused and saw a young novice monk on the platform.
"That is……?"
The temple supervisor followed her gaze and smiled, "It's Mingji."
"Mingji?" The princess' voice was slightly higher, "Is it... that child?"
The temple supervisor nodded in agreement.
Gu Yunqiu was walking beside the princess and didn't react when he heard her name. After the princess said this, his eyes suddenly widened and he looked up suddenly——
It was a young monk in gray robes, holding a large broom and sweeping the fallen leaves.
That, that is... Li Congzhou when he was a child?
Gu Yunqiu swallowed, a layer of sweat forming on his palms.
"I think the princess and this child are also destined," the temple supervisor said cheerfully, and suddenly shouted in the direction, "Mingji——!"
The young monk who was sweeping the floor with his back to them paused for a moment. When he turned around, Gu Yunqiu saw that he had sharp features, a pair of tiger eyes that looked very much like Prince Ning, and his thin lips that were tightly pursed were more like those of a princess.
"Come to meet Princess Ning and the Crown Prince," the temple supervisor shouted, looking down at Gu Yunqiu. "There are many young novices in the temple who are similar to the Crown Prince. They can also be playmates in their free time."
The princess nodded and smiled, and the young monks of Baoguo Temple each made a challenge. If her son could make good friends with them, she would laugh out loud in her dreams.
Moreover, she didn't know if it was because of her childbirth that she always felt close to the young novice.
However, Mingji only looked at them quietly, turned around, scooped up the fallen leaves on the ground, and walked away.
"..." The temple supervisor was a little embarrassed. After coughing, he explained to the princess, "Don't blame me, this child was not like this before. He had a serious illness two years ago and his temper changed when he woke up. He was not intentionally rude."
The princess shook her head and didn't care, but Gu Yunqiu suddenly whined and hid behind her.
"Qiuqiu?"
Gu Yunqiu clenched the hem of the princess's skirt and buried his head. He clenched his teeth and trembled all over. Cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
Well, that little monk was obviously half a head shorter than him, but the look in his eyes was as cold and terrifying as in his previous life.
——No, he is indeed the real prince who committed many murders in his previous life.
Gu Yunqiu was so frightened that his calves were shaking a little.
The princess thought he was afraid of strangers, so she couldn't help but joke a few words, then bent over and picked him up, "How old is Qiuqiu? Isn't it embarrassing?"
Gu Yunqiu lay on the princess's shoulder, thinking that it would be better to lose face than to lose head.
He was so scared that he decided to hide Li Congzhou in the temple.
When the royal family walked away, another gray figure walked out from behind the banyan tree at the entrance of the temple. Li Congzhou looked calmly at Princess Ning in the crowd and the little goose-yellow thing on her shoulder.
After looking at it for a long time, I didn't know what to think of, but a sinister smile suddenly appeared on the young monk's face.
Those eyes that were as cold as stars on a cold night showed the fierce light of thirst for blood.
…
Although he was a little frightened, Gu Yunqiu regained his energy after everything was settled.
The princess gave him a room in the east wing to live in. This is a room facing the sun and facing the lotus pond:
In the middle of the entrance is the Medicine Buddha, with a plaque saying "No worries" hanging on the statue. The room is filled with sandalwood, and bamboo curtains are hung on the windows. There is a writing desk under the window, an earthen kang next to the desk, and two azure futons on it.
Brother Shun was holding his luggage and looking around, his eyes slightly disgusted.
It should be noted that he has his own independent living room in Ningxintang. In the current situation, he is afraid that he will have to squeeze into the several bungalows at the door with others.
Gu Yunqiu happily threw himself on the earthen bed, picked up the futon and rolled around.
Seeing the young master like this, Brother Shun had no choice but to swallow his complaints. He looked happy on the outside, but in his heart he was calculating how long it would take for the prince's new energy to wear off.
In this way, Gu Yunqiu successfully settled in Baoguo Temple.
But the plan to pick up elm money did not go as smoothly as he expected:
The princess cared about him and sent him five guards, ten silver-armored soldiers, plus Brother Shun and several other servants and nuns. Wherever he left the courtyard, he was followed by a group of people.
Moreover, the monks treated him very warmly. No matter where he went, even if he only took one more look at the ancient well, a monk would come up to him and ask him if he wanted to drink water.
In this way, how could he have the nerve to squat down and pick up other people's money?
Gu Yunqiu tried several times, but for the time being he couldn't come up with any good ideas to avoid people. He had no choice but to go back to his room, lie on the desk in front of the window, hold his chin in his hands and look at the lotus pond outside in a daze——
The spring water was blowing with the wind, and the new lotuses in the pond had not yet bloomed. Brother Shun made an appointment with a few boys to play sepak takraw by the pond.
He came to invite him, but Gu Yunqiu was upset and didn't respond.
Watching Brother Shun's movements, Gu Yunqiu curled his lips: Brother Shun is indeed a good player when it comes to playing and playing. Unfortunately, he has too many thoughts and is not the choice of a loyal servant.
He was thinking wildly here, and the boys over there suddenly exclaimed.
Brother Shun hit a certain ball high, but the one who caught the ball failed to catch it. The sepak takraw ball bounced out and happened to hit a young novice monk on the Jiuqu Bridge.
As a result, the angle of the sepak takraw ball was changed. After jumping twice on the bridge, it slid into the lotus pond.
When the breeze blows from the lotus pond, the whole ball floats to the middle of the water.
Brother Shun became anxious on the spot. He rolled up his sleeves and walked over aggressively. He stretched out his hand and grasped the front of the little novice monk: "I'll pay for my takraw ball——!"
The young novice monk was blocked by the two boys brought over by Brother Shun. Gu Yunqiu could not see his face and could only vaguely see a corner of his gray monk's robe.
The little novice monk said nothing.
Brother Shun was even more annoyed. He let go of his front and pushed hard with his backhand: "What are you doing, you're mute?!"
The little monk was forced to take a step back, but he stood upright. He raised his eyes and said, "The donor knocked the takraw ball into the water by himself."
"Pah!" Brother Shun slapped him hard, "You fucking fart!"
"How could my sepak takraw ball be boiling in the water if you didn't show up suddenly?!"
The young monk's cheeks were slightly red from the beating. He pushed his cheek with his tongue from the inside, his eyes slowly narrowed, and the look he looked at Brother Shun became increasingly dangerous.
Brother Shun was so frightened by this sight that he felt a surge of evil fire. He raised his foot and kicked him, "What are you looking at?! Believe it or not, I'll dig out your eyeballs!"
The little monk received a kick, but looked at him and slowly laughed.
In a pair of cold eyes, four words were clearly written: You should try it.
Brother Shun was anxious, "Hold him down. If I don't beat him to death today, my surname is not Zhang! You ignorant little bald donkey, do you know who I am? Let me tell you that I am the personal assistant to Prince Ning." Sis! Can you afford to offend me?!"
Gu Yunqiu, who was sitting far away in the east wing: "..."
Why didn't he know that Brother Shun was doing this kind of thing in his name secretly?
The little monk was held down by a group of boys, but there was no fear on his face.
Hearing the words Prince Ning, he even couldn't help laughing.
Brother Shun had never seen such a crazy person before. His face turned red with anger and he punched the little monk in the stomach.
The little monk roared, looking at Brother Shun as if he were a dead man. He used his skill to break free, got out of the shackles, and walked towards the rockery without looking back.
"Eh?!" Brother Shun punched him in the air and fell to the ground.
A few people next to him helped him up, and he slapped them angrily, "A bunch of idiots! You can't even stand a fucking person, so what use do you have?!"
The followers did not dare to speak.
Brother Shun was furious, pushed them away and continued chasing, "Where the hell are you running!"
However, as soon as he took a step, Gu Yunqiu's voice called him from afar behind him:
"Brother Shun——!"
He paused and exclaimed first. Just as he was about to tell the two boys to follow the young monk, Gu Yunqiu called their names again:
"Where are you people?! I have important instructions! You asked everyone to come to my room!"
Brother Shun couldn't help but clicked his tongue, scratched his head irritably, stamped his feet for the last time, and glared at the young monk from a distance, "You're lucky! I won't argue with you about this sepak takraw ball for now, but please remember it for me - "
The little monk looked at him with a half-smile, his face full of mockery.
Brother Shun felt that he had been provoked, so he jumped on him regardless and wanted to hit him again. However, Gu Yunqiu urged him again, so he snorted heavily and turned around to lead the others back.
The little monk was left standing on the Jiuqu Bridge, with a pair of cold tiger eyes and a sarcastic smile on the corner of his mouth:
pity.
The group of rockeries behind him were undulating and scattered, like towering mountains. The lower ones were covered with moss and vines, while the tops of the two higher ones had a few crumbling boulders.
The stone weighed more than a thousand gold, and no matter what it hit, it would turn into a puddle of bloody rotten flesh.
The breeze blew up the young monk's robe, revealing the word "Ji" embroidered on the inside.
…
Gu Yunqiu just didn't want Brother Shun to do evil, but he actually didn't have anything important to give him.
After he rambled a lot, he made an excuse and said he wanted to eat sweet-scented osmanthus cake, and sent Brother Shun and the two boys down the mountain.
——I just hope that the little monk outside is gone and nothing happens again.
The next day in the afternoon.
Gu Yunqiu woke up in the afternoon after a full sleep. He looked around and saw that Brother Shun was not there. He didn't call anyone else, so he got dressed and got up.
There were two stacks of freshly baked sweet-scented osmanthus cakes placed on the desk next to the Tukang. It wasn’t Brother Shun who bought them, but Brother Shun happened to meet Prince Ning’s confidant at the door of Tao Ji after he came down from the mountain yesterday.
When he heard that his son wanted to eat, King Ning immediately sent someone to deliver it up the mountain twice a day.
Unwrapping the twine outside the oil paper, Gu Yunqiu thought about yesterday's events while eating:
It is understandable that human nature pursues profit.
But Brother Guanshun's behavior is obviously not the first time he has done this kind of thing.
Now at a young age, they dare to bully others in the name of Prince Ning. When they grow up, they don't know what kind of heinous evil they will do.
Brother Shun is smart, but thinking too much can make him appear cunning.
Gu Yunqiu finally lived a new life, but he didn't want to have such a hidden danger around him.
He had to find a way to replace Brother Shun, and then find a reliable and loyal servant to lead him.
Just as I was thinking about it, there was a sudden noise outside the window.
Opening the bamboo curtain, Gu Yunqiu saw Brother Shun leading a few boys to block a young monk in gray robes near the rockery of Jiuqu Bridge.
hiss.
Gu Yunqiu bared his teeth as if he had a toothache, and all the unchewed cake bits fell onto his front.
Brother Shun, is he so capable of causing trouble?
He didn't care about the people around him. He wrapped the flower cake in his hand and kicked it into his arms. He opened the door and ran towards the bridge——
On the Jiuqu Bridge, Brother Shun was still holding a wooden stick he picked up from nowhere in his hand. He looked at the little novice monk in front of him and smiled maliciously, "Hey, you little bald donkey, you still dare to go here?"
He raised the wooden stick and poked the young monk's shoulder rudely, causing him to stagger, "Didn't you get enough beating last time?"
The little monk still looked at them expressionlessly.
His eyes are like tiger eyes, and his fish tail naturally points upward, and he is naturally sharp.
In addition, he had no emotions, so his eyes that glanced over him seemed particularly oppressive.
Brother Shun didn't like the look in his eyes, as if he was looking at a dead person or an ant.
He's just a little bald donkey, where does he have the confidence?
Originally, a sepak takraw ball wouldn't be a big deal, but he just couldn't stand the look in his eyes.
Brother Shun spat, "I think you're giving me a toast instead of eating as a penalty!"
He raised the wooden stick in his hand and was about to hit someone without any reason.
However, as soon as the stick hit the young monk, there were hurried footsteps behind him. Along with the footsteps, there was an angry voice:
"Brother Shun——!"
Brother Shun turned around, and the young prince who had gotten up at some point was looking at him angrily:
"Any slave or servant of the royal palace who bullies others, insults or beats the common people will be punished with a hundred sticks or sixty floggings."
Gu Yunqiu slowly walked forward and spoke like ice, "Brother Shun, do you want to be whipped?"
Brother Shun's face turned pale. No matter how powerful he was, he was still a servant and a slave. If Gu Yunqiu really cared about him, he would not only beat him and punish him, but also betray him.
He panicked, threw away the wooden stick in his hand and knelt on the ground, "Mr. Gongzi, this villain is just confused for a moment, this villain..."
Gu Yunqiu glanced at him, "I'm not the one you beat and insulted."
Upon hearing this, Brother Shun immediately turned towards the young monk.
His movement made Gu Yunqiu see the young monk's face clearly.
"..."
As soon as they looked at each other, Gu Yunqiu's calves began to tremble, and there was a dull pain on the back of his neck.
It's going to be fatal.
How, how could it be Li Congzhou? !
His breathing became short and he broke into a cold sweat. After a while, he thought that Li Congzhou was only eight years old now, Baoguo Temple had not been destroyed, or... maybe he had not contracted the murderous madness.
If he has a good relationship with Li Congzhou now...
Gu Yunqiu quietly raised his head to glance at the young monk, and was frightened away by those cold eyes:
What does it matter? Life is more important.
In the panic, he didn't think much about it. He just wanted to find a way to escape. He raised his hand and touched the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in his arms, and stuffed it involuntarily, "This, this is delicious, here, here you--!"
After saying that, he didn't dare to look at Li Congzhou anymore, turned around and ran away.
Brother Shun looked at each other in confusion. After a while, he remembered to chase after him, "Young Master——!"
The little monk who stayed on the spot moved his dark eyes slightly and looked coldly at the oil paper bag in his hand. The osmanthus cake inside had obviously been bitten:
There were round teeth marks, and an incisor was missing in the lower row.
