Inside Yang's carriage
"Grandma, mother, where are we going?" In the carriage, Li'er, who was only eight years old, opened the curtain and looked outside, asking with wide-open curious eyes.
Since following his parents to the Song Dynasty, Li'er and his brother Wu'er have stayed in the Yang Mansion every day. They have been accustomed to living an unfettered life in the grasslands since they were young. Although life is much more comfortable when returning to the Yang Mansion than in Liao, it also makes people feel uncomfortable. The little girl who is naturally playful is extremely bored. She is very excited to have the opportunity to come to the city today, and her mind is filled with delicious and fun things.
Mrs. She stroked her granddaughter's head with her old wrinkled hands, and said lovingly: "Today we go to Daxiangguo Temple to burn incense, and wish your father a safe return from Baozhou..."
Hearing this, Li'er's eyes looked a little lonely, and Shi Shiran said: "When will daddy come back? I miss daddy..."
Yelu Jin'e on the side also had hot eyes. After arriving in the Song Dynasty, Yang Yanzhao only stayed at home for two or three months before going to the border to guard the border. She also missed her husband very much, but she still forced a smile to comfort her daughter.
"Li'er, be good. Daddy will be back soon. Daddy loves you the most. Then he can take you and your brother to ride horses together..."
While everyone was talking, the carriage kept moving forward. What no one noticed was that beside the carriage, there was a person quietly following the carriage at a speed unimaginable to ordinary people, and kept everyone talking. When I heard it, I found out that this person was Huo Ji who wanted to do something wrong.
The carriage stopped near the Daxiangguo Temple. The street in front of the Daxiangguo Temple was already crowded with people. Everyone got off the carriage. Yang Hong parked the carriage next to the willow tree on one side of the street in front of the Daxiangguo Temple.
"Old lady, fourth lady, you, the young master and the young lady, please go to the temple. The old slave is here to look after the carriage..." Yang Hong said.
Taijun She gathered up the cloak on her body, nodded, and walked towards the Daxiangguo Temple with Yelu Jin'e, Hu'er and Li'er.
Daxiangguo Temple has a long history. It was originally the former residence of Wei Gongzi Wuji Xinlingjun. The temple was founded in the sixth year of Tianbao, Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and was called Jianguo Temple. It was later destroyed by war. In the first year of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty, the monk Huiyun came to Bianjing and saw the aura here. He raised money for incense and donated land to build a temple. When the construction started, the old sign of Jianguo Temple in the Northern Qi Dynasty was dug out, so it was still named Jianguo Temple. In the first year of Yanhe in the Tang Dynasty, in order to commemorate his ascension to the throne from King Xiang, Li Dan, Emperor Ruizong of the Tang Dynasty, changed the name of Jianguo Temple to "Xiangguo Temple" and wrote a plaque "Da Xiangguo Temple" in his own handwriting.
During the Song Dynasty, Daxiangguo Temple was repeatedly renovated and became the largest Buddhist temple in the country. The whole temple covers an area of more than 500 acres, has 64 Zen monasteries and temples, and has more than 1,000 monks. Its buildings have been built in several dynasties. , splendid and magnificent, known as "the golden green shines, the clouds disfigure the face". At the same time, the abbot of Daxiangguo Temple was granted a title by the emperor. The emperor's daily visits, prayers, thanksgiving, and even the inscription of Jinshi scholars were often held here. Therefore, Daxiangguo Temple is also called "Royal Temple".
Several people came to the Mahavira Hall in the Daxiangguo Temple. Sanskrit chants were chanted in the hall, and incense smoke was lingering. A tall bronze Buddha statue stood directly behind the hall. The Buddha statue was more than ten feet high. The Dharma was stern but also revealed the compassion for all living beings. They watched everyone. A person who comes here.
Taijun She and Yelu Jin'e came to the Buddha statue, took three sticks of incense, knelt under the futon and bowed solemnly three times. Wu'er and Li'er behind them also imitated the adults' movements in a decent manner.
After praying to the Buddha to bless the prosperity of the family and the safety of the family, She Taijun inserted three sticks of incense into the incense cauldron. At this time, Master Huifang, the abbot of the Daxiangguo Temple, also came to the Main Hall and chatted with Taijun She. She Taijun often came to the Daxiangguo Temple. Xiang was already familiar with the abbot, and Yelu Jin'e had no choice but to stand aside.
Although Wu'er felt bored, he was still a young adult and did not show it. However, Li'er had already been attracted by the vendors selling candied haws on the street outside. After burning incense, he kept looking outside the temple. , seeing that my grandmother, mother, and brother were all listening to the old monk explaining Buddhist scriptures, they slipped outside without noticing.
After the little girl ran outside the temple, the shouts of the candied haws sellers had faded away. The little girl looked disappointedly at the figure of the vendor disappearing into the crowd and pouted.
"Little girl, your name is Li'er, right?" At this time, a middle-aged man walked towards Li'er with a smile, holding a bunch of candied haws in his hand.
"Here, I'll give you this candied haws on a stick! I'm your father's personal soldier. Your father missed you in Baozhou and sent me to pick you up and go to him..." The middle-aged man said while handing the candied haws to Li'er. before.
The little girl's resistance to delicious food was very low. Seeing this uncle smiling amiably and buying candied haws for herself to eat, she felt a little convinced. In addition, he also knew that her father was guarding the border in Baozhou, which made her even more helpless. Suspicion.
Li'er took the candied haws and said happily: "Really, dad really asked you to pick me up to find him? Hehe, I want to tell my mother and brother the good news..." After saying that, Li'er He was about to walk towards the Daxiangguo Temple, but was stopped by the middle-aged man.
"Wait a minute, I am here this time to ride only one horse, and your father said that he would only let me pick you up alone. After you are settled, I can pick up your mother and brother..."
Outside the north gate of Bianjing City, a fast horse carried two people, one large and one small, galloping towards the back. The two people on the horse were Li'er who had been deceived and Huo Ji who was planning something big.
The Daxiangguo Temple was already in chaos. The news of Li'er's disappearance had spread. Yelu Jin'e's face was full of anxiety, and Wu'er was so anxious that she was about to cry. Only She Taijun quickly regained his composure after the initial panic and shock.
While Taijun She sent the housekeeper Yang Hong and his daughter-in-law Yelu Jin'e to search around the Daxiangguo Temple, he explained the situation to Master Huifang and asked for help in the search.
This matter is of great importance, because it is Yang Yanzhao's beloved daughter who is missing, and Yang Yanzhao is fighting the Liao army at the border at this time. It would be okay if Li'er just got lost, but if he was kidnapped, then this matter would be a big or small matter.
The Kaifeng Mansion was also alarmed. After understanding the serious consequences of the incident, the Kaifeng Mansion reported the matter to the court, and at the same time began to conduct strict checks on people passing by at the four city gates.
Huo Ji, who had already left the city at this time, was very excited. He did not expect that the matter would go so smoothly. After he deceived Li'er's trust, he led the horses prepared in advance and headed north of Bianjing City. Huo Ji, who was originally worried that the little girl wouldn't be able to adapt to the bumps on the horse, didn't expect that this little girl was very good at equestrian skills at such a young age. Not only was she not uncomfortable, but she also really enjoyed the feeling of galloping on a horse.
Only then did Huo Jicheng realize that this little girl had grown up on the grassland and riding horses was a common thing.
