The people of Chenjiazhuang, who came a little later, stood on the bank of Tongtian River and looked toward the east. Although they saw only an empty blue sky, they seemed to believe that Master Sanzang felt their sending glances.
The sun is shining high at the moment.
The wind and waves just now are long gone.
"well."
After a while, Chen Cheng let out a long sigh, turned around and said to the villagers behind him: "Okay, don't look at it. You're late. You're just late. People are traveling on clouds. I'm afraid they've all returned to the big city by now." It’s gone.”
Chen Guanbao and a scale of gold bowed respectfully to the east again, but they could not hide their disappointment.
If Master Tripitaka hadn't passed by Chenjiazhuang and subdued the Inspiration King who occupied the Tongtian River, the two sisters and brother would have been buried in the belly of the fish.
When Master Sanzang went west, he agreed that when he passed by Chenjiazhuang, he would come to the village as a guest. They had been planning for several years, just to entertain Master Sanzang and his disciples again. Unexpectedly, they still missed it.
Gududu——
A vision was seen in the water. It was the river god coming ashore in the river that reaches the sky.
Everyone in Chenjiazhuang hurriedly saluted to meet each other. The river god naturally did not dare to neglect him, especially since Chen Guanbao and the weighing gold were still there, so he returned the gift without any fuss and dissatisfaction. Then he said slowly: "Don't be impatient, everyone. Master Sanzang just now said, He said that he had obtained the scriptures and had to rush back to Chang'an, and then return to Lingshan. After everything is completed, he will fulfill his promise."
When everyone in Chenjiazhuang heard this, they immediately beamed with joy.
Tang Dynasty, Chang'an.
The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, received Wang Xuance's return and knew that Sanzang had gone to Lingshan Mountain and would be returning to Beijing soon, so he stayed directly in Wangjing Tower for the past few days.
In fact, this Wangjing Tower also has an origin. It was the three days before Wang sent Monk Tang out of the city in September of the 13th year of Zhenguan. He heard Sanzang say when he left that it would only take three years to return. Therefore, in September of the 16th year of Zhenguan, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty Li Shimin waited outside the city for more than a month, waiting for his imperial brother to return.
Unfortunately, there is no news.
Thanks to the timely arrival of envoys from the Baoxiang, Wuji and Chechi countries, Li Shimin knew that not only was his journey to the west unimpeded, but he was also on the verge of "expanding the territory", this made him feel relieved and also Tell those black-armored cavalry who are ready to march west at any time to stay put for the time being.
This scene frightened the envoys of the Three Kingdoms so much that they said privately, thanks to our good relationship with Master Tripitaka, we never had any evil intentions, otherwise, disaster would have been imminent!
It was exactly after the 16th year of Zhenguan that Li Shimin, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, sent officials from the Ministry of Industry to build a scripture-reading tower outside Chang'an Pass to receive scriptures. They came to live here for a month every September.
The emperor of the Tang Dynasty was unusual. He even led his troops to gallop on the battlefield, conquering the north and south. The palace may have trapped other emperors, but it could never stop him.
Where I am is the country.
Throughout the ages, there have been very few emperors who could say this.
He was at Wangjing Tower, which was the emperor's palace, and all the officials were supposed to accompany him. But now, all the officials were left in the palace to assist the prince in governing the affairs, and only Xue Rengui and Wang Xuance were accompanying him.
"Your Majesty, look west!"
Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui were both at the top of the human race. At a glance, they saw the sky full of auspicious mist and the fragrant breeze in the west. They immediately called to His Majesty who was practicing calligraphy in the building to take a look.
Li Shimin was carrying the imperial aura of Ziwei, and he was no ordinary person. He saw all the good fortune coming from the west at a glance, and he shouted with joy: "My imperial brother has returned! Hahaha——"
Immediately afterwards, Li Shimin laughed and went down from the attic, waving to the two courtiers: "Two dear friends, please follow me to greet you."
Seeing that he was approaching the border of Chang'an, Fahai stopped his cloud head and said to several disciples: "As a master, it is disrespectful and rude to ride on a cloud when returning to my hometown. Please hold down the cloud head and let's walk over."
Of course the disciples had no objection.
The Great Sage, in particular, said with a smile: "Master's appearance is huge. In front of him is Ziwei Imperial Qi, which is soaring into the sky, but it blocks all the clouds."
"The Tang Dynasty is different from other countries. When you meet His Majesty, you must be polite and courteous." Fa Hai gave them a rare instruction.
"Yes." As a senior brother, the Great Sage naturally expressed his stance on behalf of several junior brothers and responded in one breath: "I will definitely not lose Master's face."
The five masters and disciples went in the direction of Wangjing Tower.
Li Shimin also led his two beloved ladies to greet him halfway. When he and Sanzang looked at each other, he walked a few steps closer. When he saw that Sanzang wanted to greet him first, he reached out to hold Sanzang's raised hand, and then firmly It was tight, and there seemed to be a thousand words to say at this moment, but when it came to his lips, he only said one sentence in the end: "My dear brother, you have worked hard all the way."
"Let's go home."
Li Shimin took Master Sanzang's hand and went directly to Chang'an City instead of going to the Scripture Viewing Tower.
"Your Majesty." Fa Hai paused for a moment.
"Huh?" Li Shimin straightened his face and glared at Sanzang.
Fahai paused and could only say: "Brother Emperor."
"Haha -" Li Shimin smiled again, "Why did you have to be apart from me after fourteen years of separation?"
"How dare you, little monk."
"Humph." Li Shimin said: "Don't you think I don't know? The heads of the countries in the Western Continent along the way have tried their best to win over your younger brother. You are a teacher or a national advisor, entrusted with the government's affairs; you are even offered a country as a betrothal gift to recruit you as the wife of the country's leader. The emperor of the Zhu Kingdom that day had a very good plan. First, he wanted my imperial brother to be his son-in-law. What else does he want to do?”
After listening to His Majesty's words, Fa Hai could not help but recall everything along the way. When he heard his last sentence, he pretended to be angry. So he still explained: "Your Majesty has learned clearly. Just now, Your Majesty, The young monk did not follow what he said."
That was true, but he still felt warm in his heart.
If His Majesty hadn't always been concerned, I'm afraid he wouldn't have known about these things.
In fact, Tripitaka and His Majesty were not acquainted with each other at first, but their acquaintance resulted in the formation of such a golden orchid friendship because of the matter of studying Buddhist scriptures.
If it comes to Fahai himself, this is the first time he has seen this talented and strategic emperor.
After all, he came from the "Later Song Dynasty", so he inevitably made some comparisons with the then Emperor Zhao. But after a moment, he silently recited a few sins in his heart, but he should not have insulted Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty like this.
This is also inevitable.
Fa Hai was a close friend of the same Taoism, and they were all eminent monks of the Southern Song Dynasty.
"The sins of the poor monk are serious." Fa Hai said in his heart at this moment: "If he hadn't focused all his attention on slaying demons and exterminating demons back then, maybe he should have looked more at the human world."
Although it is said that practitioners should not stain the court, we ordinary monks should do something and not do something.
Moreover, Fahai once heard a saying - "Small things can be changed, but big trends cannot be violated." This is used to describe the rules of heaven.
Thinking of this, Fa Hai made a decision in his heart: If the wheel of history will still move forward according to its established trajectory, then why not try using these mantis arms to steer the wheel further?
Just like this trip to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures, haven't some of the things I know already changed?
After a few words, the two parties had become familiar with each other. There was no need to mention the personality charm and methods of Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, he treated Sanzang sincerely.
How could Fahai not be able to tell the difference?
Fahai readily accepted His Majesty's enthusiasm.
Wangjing Tower was still some distance away from Chang'an City, and the two "brothers" were walking and talking in front of them. Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui naturally started chatting with the Great Sage and others.
As for the Great Sage and Bajie not being human-like, it is quite ordinary for them.
One has been abroad for a long time, and there are many monsters and ghosts; he is a veteran on the battlefield, and many monsters have died in his hands. Relatively speaking, the Great Sage and Bajie are still in human form.
Both Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui are heroic people, and they are quite in tune with the temperament of the Great Sage. Especially the Great Sage saw that the extraordinary thing about General Xue was that the white tiger star in the sky came down to earth.
It is not the White Tiger Star Lord on the list of gods, but the White Tiger Star who accompanied Ziwei Star to the earth.
As for the imperial carriage, that is still coming later.
Someone has already returned to the city to report. At this moment, His Highness the Crown Prince, who oversees the country's uprightness, issued a series of orders, preparing to open the city gates and lead hundreds of officials out of Chang'an to greet the emperor and his younger brother.
Li Shimin may also be controlling his pace. He saw smoke and dust outside Chang'an City from a distance, and knew that something was happening in the city, so he left in no hurry. He wanted to give the city some time to prepare, and it was also time to see how the prince's response ability was. .
It was not difficult for Fa Hai to detect His Majesty's intention, so he readily cooperated, and his steps gradually slowed down in line with His Majesty's rhythm.
"Good brother." Li Shimin paused for a moment, but at this moment he turned around, looked at the people behind him who were getting along well with each other, and asked with a smile: "I guess these are some high disciples, right?"
"These are some bad disciples." Fahai waved to them. When they came closer, Fahai said to His Majesty, "Your Majesty, you don't know that when you left Chang'an, you followed two disciples when you passed Shuangcha Ridge. But they were eaten by the demons in the mountains, and they were the disciples I took on along the way."
"This is the Great Disciple Sun Wukong." Fa Hai led the Great Sage to his side and introduced to His Majesty.
"I also know the name of the Monkey King who caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace five hundred years ago." Li Shimin bowed his hand to the Monkey King.
When the Great Sage saw that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was about to salute, he quickly jumped in front, performed a Buddhist etiquette, and said: "I have seen your Majesty, I am polite. It's just the matter of causing trouble in the Heavenly Palace. Please don't mention it again in the future." .”
"Oh?" Li Shimin asked curiously: "Why is this?"
"At that time, my old grandson was young and energetic, and acted recklessly. Besides, I didn't have a good reputation."
"Youthful and vigorous." Li Shimin listened and said, "Isn't this what young people should look like? When I was young, I followed my father in revolting against the Sui Dynasty and galloped on the battlefield. No matter what the world thinks about it. , but in the beginning, I’m afraid it was just the passion and recklessness of my youth. Now, as I get older and become more mature, I still miss the spirit of the past in my heart.”
"It's a pity" Li Shimin sighed again: "My human race has a short lifespan. If we can be glorious for a moment in these three realms, we can be considered to have lived a splendid life, but in the end it will not be as good as you immortals."
Fahai saw that he was getting sentimental while talking, so he enlightened him: "Brother Your Majesty, there is no need to be so sad. The end of a human being is not death. Those who leave their names in history will be immortal. With Brother Huang's great talent and great strategy, don't say A hundred years, even a thousand or ten thousand years from now. It should be remembered by future generations of the human race."
"Just like Emperor Qin and Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty." Li Shimin suddenly smiled and said: "Although his body is dead, his spirit that remains in the world has not died, and it is the goal for us to pursue and surpass."
All the successful kings in the past dynasties, especially the founders of the country, have always wanted to surpass Emperor Qin and Han Wu. One completes the great unification, and the other seals the wolf and lives in Xu.
However, there are only a few emperors in later generations who can complete the great unification and found a country. No matter how unsatisfactory the future generations are, it will be very difficult to protect the integrity of the territory, let alone expand the territory and seal the wolf as a vassal.
But at this time, Li Shimin believed that he had accomplished both.
Apart from the Xuanwu Sect, I have actually done enough in my life. No matter what the cause of the Xuanwu Gate incident was, killing his brother and his father was a stain that he could not erase.
Perhaps it is precisely because of this that I can continue to push myself to achieve what I am today and create the prosperous age of the Tang Dynasty.
Fahai on the side was still very keenly aware of a strange fluctuation in His Majesty's heart, but he did not say much.
Fahai introduced Bajie and Wujing to His Majesty, and explained their life experiences in detail, which also attracted Li Shimin's repeated praise.
Especially after knowing that Bajie ate a lot, he said directly: "Since the elder came to Chang'an, there is no need to worry about food. When I got back, I told the imperial kitchen that as long as I, the Tang Dynasty, are still here, the elder's fasting does not need to be handed over to others. ”
"Your Majesty is indeed open-minded!" Although Bajie was happy after hearing this, he also knew the depth. After thanking His Majesty for his kindness, he said seriously: "But there is no need to support me like this. Otherwise, I will waste my practice. I'm afraid Master will use it. The Buddha's flames refine my body."
This is strange to say.
Bajie doesn't eat meat, and he has to fight with the Great Sage or the Little White Dragon every day. He does a lot of exercise, but he still can't get out of shape.
Finally I met Xiao Bailong.
After knowing that the Dragon King of Jinghe River was Xiao Bailong's uncle, Li Shimin also apologized to Xiao Bailong: "I'm sorry. Back then, the Dragon King of Jinghe River asked for help, but due to my negligence, I killed the Dragon King. I also asked the Third Prince Don’t be surprised.”
"Your Majesty is serious. My uncle secretly changed the rainfall time and points back then, which was a violation of heaven. Your Majesty is grateful for your help. How dare you blame me?"
Li Shimin was also quite emotional about this. After all, in his opinion, the incident of the Jinghe Dragon King was the beginning of going west to learn scriptures.
When he thought of this, Li Shimin remembered to ask: "Brother, when we first met, I felt that something was wrong. But what exactly was wrong? I couldn't figure it out for a while. It wasn't until this moment that I suddenly realized why. Don’t you see the scriptures that my dear brother brought from Lingshan?”
The Great Sage pointed to the human race bag on his waist and said with a smile: "Because there are too many scriptures, they are all contained in this spiritual treasure."
While they were talking, everyone was almost outside the gate of Chang'an City.
Seeing that His Majesty wanted to show off in front of others, the Great Sage released four cabinets from the human race bag, and then blew his finger, and the cabinets turned into carts carrying scriptures. They were supposed to be their brothers. Four vehicles per person
But when Wang Xuance and Xue Rengui saw that Bajie and Wujing were still bowing, they took it over.
(End of chapter)
