After that day, the Five Buddha Hall was never haunted again.
I don’t know if it’s because of the Silver Armor Guard’s strength or some other reason.
However, Gu Yunqiu failed to move to the back mountain immediately. The princess thought about it again and again and told her husband about the matter. After King Ning found out, he said that he would send another batch of cold and wind-proof items up the mountain.
In this way, it was delayed for another three to five days.
It was not until May that Gu Yunqiu moved into the small courtyard in the back mountain as he wished.
The day before his move, he made a special trip to avoid everyone and went to the Back Mountain Zen Monastery to look for Li Congzhou. Not only did he not find anyone in the small courtyard, he also found that the dark-skinned boy in the main room was also missing.
The house was kept very clean, as if no one had ever lived there.
Gu Yunqiu found the monk's house again, but was told that Li Congzhou had been summoned by the prince and had been in the palace for three days.
"so……"
Gu Yunqiu thanked the monk and had to go back to the small courtyard first.
But then again——
After the Buddhist meeting, Lu Yuanji disappeared, along with his two martial arts masters.
At first, it was an old layman who lived with them in the same hospital who discovered that Lu Yuanji had not returned home all night.
According to the rules of the temple, even laypeople must abide by the access control - they must return to the temple before Haishi every night. If the patrolling monk is found staying out at night, he will face the risk of being expelled.
The old layman was afraid of being implicated, so he directly reported Lu Yuanji's failure to return.
Afterwards, the monks in the temple checked, and they all said that the last time they saw Lu Yuanji was when he and two martial artists appeared sneakily near Yuezhao Peak.
The monks were also afraid that he would fall, so they sent several monks down the mountain to look for him. But after searching the entire Dragon Sacrifice Mountain, they could not find any trace of Lu Yuanji and the others.
In this way, everyone thought that Lu Yuanji went home in anger, after all, he had lost face. As a result, Baoguo Temple sent someone to report the news to the Lu family, but they learned that Lu Yuanji had never returned home at all.
Only then did everyone know: Lu Yuanji was missing.
After the old lady of the Lu family heard the news, there were several riots in the temple. Before she could figure out the trouble, she ran into the imperial guards who came to the temple to check on the order. The general of the imperial guards punished her on the spot for disturbing the holy master and sent her to jail.
After that, without waiting for Lu He's connections, he found someone to get his old mother out of prison. The official of Yushitai wrote a letter to impeach more than ten officials of the Ministry of Revenue, among whom Lu He, the inspector, was the first to bear the brunt.
Lu He was punished for several crimes and was taken to Dali Temple and detained. The Lu family's property was seized.
Gu Yunqiu curled his lips: It can be regarded as evil being punished.
○○○
Prince Qing Palace.
Under the plaque of "Renhe Jingde" is a long low table made of red sandalwood.
There is an azure futon placed behind the short table, and the current prince Ling Yutan is kneeling on it. In front of him is a vase of "Yongjing Red Plum" tied with velvet grass. Under the vase, there is a furnace of smoke. of incense.
Behind the incense burner, the prince is imitating "Autumn Colors of Rivers and Mountains" by Zhao Boju of the Song Dynasty.
Two palace maids stood behind the prince holding ceremonial fans, while the other two served tea and burned incense behind a small table under the Dongshou caojing.
Li Congzhou knelt down behind the small case, holding a rosary in one hand and a wooden fish in the other. Facing the Dhammapada on the case, he told the prince: Get rid of the obsession with sex, body, fragrance, and the law.
The Dhammapada, also known as the Dhammapada Praises the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, is actually the same classic as the Moko Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra translated by Master Xuanzang.
The content of the scriptures is not much, but the core essence of Prajna-like classics can be explained in just a few words.
Li Congzhou actually knew why the prince wanted to pick up this sutra. There were many words and many things... He was deeply involved in it, and it was common for him to be unable to uncover it.
The current prince is the eldest son of the queen and the first son of His Majesty.
He had high hopes when he was still in the palace. Later, when His Majesty ascended the throne, he was only sixteen years old and had not yet reached the crown.
Unfortunately, later on, Empress Wen became seriously ill, and the imperial concubine Xu gave birth to children one after another. Among them, the emperor obviously favored the fourth son of the imperial concubine, Grant Quan.
The Xu family is a family of meritorious military generals. The concubine's brother controls hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers in the northwest, and her sister is Princess Ning. A prominent family makes the princelings panic.
Although the imperial concubine Xu had always respected Empress Wen, the fourth prince was respectful and humble to his brother, and the Xu family had never wanted to seek power from their direct descendants, but... they couldn't bear the instigation and alienation.
In his previous life, if Li Congzhou remembers correctly:
Queen Shangwen passed away sadly next year, leaving the prince even more isolated and helpless.
The Marquis of Xiangping used this opportunity to separate the crown prince, his concubine, and the fourth prince, forcing the fourth prince to ask himself out of the palace at the age of seventeen and go to the northwest.
At that time, the northwest was at its most dangerous time.
Even with the protection of General Xu Zhenyu, his uncle, the fourth prince was attacked by Xirong the following year, was seriously injured and died. .
The prince was kind-hearted. After hearing the news of his brother's death, he fell ill and became heartbroken.
In the end, he was used by the party members to create a quarrel with His Majesty. He was eventually deposed and lived in seclusion in Tingzhu Pavilion, where he died in depression.
The Marquis of Xiangping was far away in the southwest. He easily calculated on people's hearts and got rid of the two princes.
At this moment, the prince had doubts. Li Congzhou could not do much to solve the problem, so he could only do his best.
With the last stroke of the brush, the autumn scene is painted.
Although it is not as grand and freehand as Zhao Boju's, the details of the mountains, rivers, trees, and characters are all harmonious and peaceful.
However, Zhao Boju's use of colors is richer and more magnificent, while the prince prefers azurite green for coloring and does not use ocher as a base like the original work, so the entire autumn scenery of the country looks gray.
——It can really reveal the artist’s heart.
Looking at the finished painting, the prince shook his head and said with a slight smile: "I see, let go of your attachments and have no worries. I will remember what the young master said today."
Then, he winked at the little eunuch who was in charge next to him, and the little eunuch took out a bag of silver from the back and handed it to Li Congzhou.
"These are my thoughts on delaying the little master for a few days. I hope that I will have the opportunity to ask the little master to give lectures in the future."
Li Congzhou couldn't say goodbye again and again, so he accepted the reward and thanked him.
After being sent out of the palace, Li Congzhou did not report directly to the national temple. Instead, he walked around the capital, bought some food and clothing, and then rode straight to Luochi Mountain in the western suburbs of Gyeonggi Province——
Wu Ying's injury had healed well, so he didn't force him to stay. He only gave him a small payment and let him decide where to stay.
Originally, Li Congzhou wanted to find a place for him to live in Beijing, but Wu Ying took the money and ran away, disappearing for several days.
Li Congzhou didn't chase him, because he knew that Wuying had gone down the mountain on the surface, but in fact he had been secretly observing him in the dark. After staring at him for three days, he appeared in front of him again and took him to Luochi Mountain.
It turned out that the group of Miao boys and girls he let go did not leave, but found a nearby cave to live in the mountains.
I don’t know what method they used to contact Wu Ying. When Li Congzhou was brought, they were gathered around the campfire and looked at him with bright eyes.
Wuying walked over, took the lead and knelt down on one knee, touched his chest with his right hand, and bowed his head to greet Li Congzhou.
——Thank him for saving his people.
Apart from that, Wuying didn't say anything about staying or leaving.
The Miao people were cautious, and Li Congzhou knew that if he wanted to get their help, he had to work slowly.
He did not stay in Luochi Mountain for long. He only put down his things and money and returned to the temple.
○○○
On the third day of May, the Buddhist meeting for offering grains to eliminate disasters and extend life was finally held successfully.
After the Buddhist meeting, everything in the temple remained as before, and Li Congzhou went to the Back Mountain Zen Monastery as usual to copy scriptures and carry classics for his master.
On Dragon Boat Festival, there are many pilgrims in the temple offering incense and praying for blessings.
Master Yuankong wanted to be pure, so he simply went to the Back Mountain Scripture Pavilion with Li Congzhou to translate and annotate the scriptures.
The back mountain was originally a pure place, but as soon as the two of them rolled out the scriptures, they heard bursts of noisy voices outside. Along with the voices, there were also loud noises like the neighing of cars, horses and horses.
Master Yuankong had no other thoughts, but he was still startled by the sudden explosion and misread a line.
The scriptures are in one volume, and if you make a mistake in a line, you have to start over.
The master sighed, put down his pen, and pinched his eyebrows.
"Master, take a rest," Li Congzhou stood up, "I'll go take a look."
He walked down the stairs and walked around the main hall. As soon as he left the temple gate, he saw a dozen porters moving boxes and placing furniture on the ground:
The furniture has complete sets of pear wood tables, chairs and benches, as well as single items such as smoker cages, hot boxes, and heaters. Several large boxes are filled with countless warm quilts and brocade quilts.
Several craftsmen were using hammers to replace the new bamboo curtains and gold-carved windows. In the courtyard, the bricklayers were building a new stove, the roof bricklayers were reinforcing the green tiles on the roof, and there was a steady stream of porters carrying charcoal to the mountain.
Next to the crowd, two children stood:
One looks like a young boy, with his waist slightly bent, and the other is dressed in goose yellow, with his face blocked by the shadow of a tree.
Without looking, he knew it was Gu Yunqiu.
…
The expression on Gu Yunqiu's face was lifeless:
He obviously just wanted a small, remote and empty yard to plant trees...
As a result, how could it become like this? !
Seeing the two porters staggeringly carrying a brand new camphor wood bookcase on their backs, he couldn't help but groan and squat down on the spot, burying his head in the crook of his arms:
Father, is he... going to be too exaggerated?
Dian Xin stood beside him, and when he was about to squat down to persuade him, he saw the princess walking over from a distance.
But as soon as Dim Sum patted Gu Yunqiu's shoulder, the princess over there shouted first, but it wasn't them who shouted, but——
"Xiao Mingji?"
Gu Yunqiu was stunned and jumped up from the ground with a look on his face.
Being watched by the princess, Li Congzhou couldn't turn around and leave, so he could only step forward.
The princess originally went up the mountain to take care of Yunqiu, but unexpectedly she saw a young monk behind the tree.
"Will Mingji come up and move the scriptures?"
Li Congzhou shook his head and explained that he was translating scriptures with his master in the Jing Pavilion.
Although she didn't mention the noise, the princess suddenly understood, covered her mouth with a fan and apologized: "Oh, it's too noisy, isn't it? I'll tell them to be quieter."
The princess was so considerate that Li Congzhou had nothing to say.
He stood there silently, and before he could think of another word, Gu Yunqiu suddenly spoke up again: "Translating scriptures... Then will you also stay on the mountain at night?"
His idea was simple. His father brought him too many things.
If the young monk lived on the mountain, he would just give him half of the favor as a favor.
The relationship with the young monk has also improved, and he has made plans for his future survival.
As a result, Li Congzhou shook his head: "I have to go back to the monk's room at night."
"ah?"
The princess also exclaimed: "You want to go back down the mountain at night? Yunqiao is very dangerous when it gets dark. What if you fall and bump into each other while walking alone, or encounter a jackal, tiger or leopard?"
"The young monk knows how to hold a lamp," Li Congzhou bowed, "and is also familiar with the roads in the temple."
The princess frowned and looked at Li Congzhou for a while and suddenly said: "How about this? Xiao Mingji, you will be late in translating scriptures in the future, so why don't you just come and live with Qiuqiu?"
"The main room has a big space, and the things his father prepared for him..." At this point, she smiled and shook her head, "You've seen it too, there are so many... Anyway, it's convenient for you to live there."
"Qiuqiu is studying here, and I can feel more at ease if I have company at night."
Li Congzhou subconsciously refused.
Before he could say a word of refusal, the old monk's slow and steady voice came from behind him: "What Xu Jushi said is true."
——It’s Master Yuankong.
Li Congzhou turned to look at his master.
A faint smile flashed across the face of the old monk Gujing Wubo: "The night is dark and the wind is strong, and the mountain road is rugged. If I can find a convenient place to live nearby, I can feel more at ease as a teacher."
Li Congzhou opened his mouth to say something else, but Master Yuankong signaled him not to mention it again:
"You and Donor Xiao Gu are destined to be together."
Li Congzhou: "..."
After Gu Yunqiu heard this sentence, he knew that the matter was settled.
Although it was different from what he expected, but——
Isn't this a perfect opportunity given by God to gain favor with him!
Whether Li Congzhou will let him go in the future depends entirely on the present.
So, he lowered his eyes and happily rushed over: "Great!"
Li Congzhou suffocated, his whole body stiffened, and he only felt a ball of warmth rushing into his arms:
Soft, with a scent of osmanthus.
