It is said that God has the virtue of good life.

The beginning of spring has passed, and all things are gradually recovering. The major Buddhist temples in Jinling have held activities called "Life Release Festival".

Under the leadership of a group of dignitaries, they advocated people not to eat meat, not to kill animals, and to devote themselves to praying to Buddha. Those who had money donated money and materials, distributed alms, and those who had no money had the right to burn incense sticks. The money raised,

Monks will buy a large number of cattle, horses, dogs, pheasants, turtles, birds and other animals. After a series of salvation and chanting sutras, they will sprinkle purified water on these animals, tie them with colorful ribbons, and tie them with red cloth strips with Buddhist sayings.

, to show that they were sent to the mortal world according to the will of the Buddha, and were finally taken to different places to be released.

Of course, after a series of tedious operations, no one knows the final fate of these tortured animals. Because people’s focus is always only on the red list posted on the wall of the Buddhist temple, which records

It is the name of the first hundred "destined people". As for the ranking, it is naturally based on the amount of money donated.

When Liu Shaojian arrived at Qingliang Temple, it was already dusk and he began to shiver involuntarily. However, he saw Queen Zhong from a distance, wearing a thin satin robe and standing with a smile on her face.

In front of the pool, the palace maids were busy putting in the turtles tied with red strings one after another. There were several monks nearby who were closing their eyes tightly, chanting sutras and meditating.

"Your Majesty! Be careful of the cold weather!" Liu Shaojian took three steps at a time and then trotted over.

Zhong turned around and smiled brightly, and saw that although the satin robe she was wearing today was simple in style and very pure in color, the soft robe around her waist was tied into a big bow. This is the girlish look that the queen has always maintained.

Heart.

"Shaojian Liu is here! Come and take a look, I have released a lot of animals today!" Mrs. Zhong was obviously in a good mood.

Liu Shaojian followed Zhong's instructions and stood up on tiptoes to take a look into the pool. Dozens of turtles, large and small, were slowly moving in the water. Although he had always been confused by this behavior, he was still cautious.

He smiled and said, "Your Majesty is amazing! If you are sincere and sincere, Buddha will definitely protect your Majesty and make her wishes come true!"

Then he shouted to several palace maids: "You guys, hurry up and put the cloak on the empress! It's not getting warmer yet. If the empress is cold, let's see how you deal with it!"

Mrs. Zhong smiled disapprovingly: "It doesn't matter! Liu Shaojian is determined, but I'm not cold at all! Look, these masters didn't say they were cold. Since I sincerely cultivate Buddhism, how can I be afraid of even a hint of coldness?"

Liu Shaojian couldn't help but glance to the side, and then smiled awkwardly. The queen did make sense. These monks were certainly not cold. Didn't you see that they were wrapped tightly in cassocks and had pads underneath?

Thick velvet futon.

At this time, Mrs. Zhong asked crisply: "What does Mr. Liu have to report to this palace?"

Liu Shaojian had no choice but to withdraw his attention, walked a little closer, and told Zhong everything about what he saw and heard when the emperor went to court during the day.

For a moment, Mrs. Zhong's eyes shone with a strange look, and she pursed her lips with joy and said with a smile: "Then Li Yuan is really so brave?! Your Majesty's guard, Huo? Well, it is rare for His Majesty to be so happy. Li Yuan has made great achievements."

, it’s not an exaggeration to grant him the title of Jiedushi!”

Liu Shaojian narrowed his eyes and echoed: "Yes, Madam, Your Majesty is so happy about this great victory in the Western Expedition! All the ministers are also greatly encouraged and support Your Majesty in continuing the Northern Expedition!"

Zhong suddenly asked: "Have you ever seen Feng Yansi's reaction?"

Seeing Mrs. Zhong frowning at this moment, Liu Shaojian paused for a moment before replying: "It is Prime Minister Sun and Minister Han who stole the show today. What about Prime Minister Feng? But he didn't say much, so maybe the old slave didn't pay much attention."

"Haha! Okay!" Zhong's brows relaxed a little for a moment, and he unconsciously covered his mouth and laughed.

Liu Shaojian probed for a while and said: "My Majesty, I heard that Minister Chen is preparing to move north. I wonder if your Majesty has anything to say——"

In the middle of the sentence, Zhong immediately interrupted: "I don't understand military affairs, what ideas can I have for the Northern Expedition? Chen Juegui is the privy envoy and is in charge of military matters. Since your Majesty has entrusted the army to him, he should be happy to share your worries.

Try your best to come back victorious."

Sure enough, a woman's heart is like a needle in the sea! Seeing that Mrs. Zhong's eyes were inexplicably impatient, Liu Shaojian was confused and a little frightened, so he quickly responded: "Yes, yes! Your Majesty is right!"

After a brief silence, Mrs. Zhong seemed to have something in mind and asked abruptly: "Young prisoner, do you know the situation in Li Yuan's family? Have you ever gotten married?"

Liu Shaojian hurriedly replied truthfully: "Back to you, Madam, this old slave has heard a little about Li Yuhou, ah, Li Jiezhi's family has an old lady and a brother of similar age, but they are not relatives. As for getting married,

It has been spread in Jinling city for a long time that Li Jieshi has been engaged to Zhou Zongzhou's daughter, Emperor Zhou E, and they are expected to get married in a few days!"

"Zong Zhou? This Li Yuan is very lucky! Not to mention that Zhou Liushou is Cong Long, I heard that the daughter of the Zhou family is so pretty that even I know a little bit about it." Zhong smiled and said,

But there is a faint sentimentality. Once upon a time, wasn't she just like Zhou Ehuang who stayed in the boudoir and became famous all over the city? But since then, her time and youth have been hidden in the deep palace...

Liu Shaojian showed a smile: "Your Majesty is right! But after all, Li Jiezhi is also an extraordinary person. Not only did the ministers in the court praise his talent, but his appearance is also first-rate. This pair is a perfect match.

A good match!"

Zhong seemed to say intentionally or unintentionally: "Shaojian Liu really appreciates this Li Yuan! But he did not disappoint me, which is really rare. Shaojian, you might as well have more contact with Li Yuan in the future. As for Chen Juena

Head, recently he and Feng Yansi can mess with each other as much as they like, and we won’t get involved!"

Hearing this, Shaojian Liu couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and then replied without thinking: "As you command! Your Majesty!"

"Do you have anything else to say to me, my queen?"

"Wait a moment." Ms. Zhong tilted her head slightly, raised her hand and gently took out the low-hanging jade Zan phoenix hairpin from her black temples, then placed it in Liu Shaojian's hand and said with a smile: "Since

Li Yuan will get married soon, so I will give this hairpin to the bride to give the newlyweds a good fortune."

Liu Shaojian held his hands respectfully, then looked at it for a while, and immediately reacted: "Mother, is this not it?"

Zhong nodded lightly and said with a smile: "Well, this is the hairpin I wore when I was crowned Queen. Li Yuan has made great achievements this time, and this is also my intention. I hope that after he gets married, the couple can work together to

Continue to be loyal to His Majesty and to the Tang Dynasty."

What an honor it is to have a congratulatory gift from the Empress and a sacred object used by the Empress in her coronation! Liu Shaojian was so jealous that he suddenly thought of Zhong’s attitude in today’s words, and he understood it to a certain extent, and then said: "Empress

Such great love for Li Jieshi! Li Jieshi must be grateful and serve your Majesty and the empress wholeheartedly!"

Hearing that Liu Shaojian specifically emphasized the words "serve the empress", Mrs. Zhong smiled noncommittally and just said "hmm". They were all people who had lived in the palace for a long time, so there was no need to say anything, everyone understood it.

That’s it.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Shaojian deliberately whispered: "Your Majesty, since you gave the bride a hairpin, why not also give something to the Li family. I heard that Li Jieshi is very filial and his mother is at his home in Jinling at the moment...

....”

"Well, Young Prisoner, you have thought it all." Mrs. Zhong thought quietly for a moment, and then said: "I will follow what you said, but I don't have leisure at this time. You can go back to the palace later.

Please select some suitable gifts from the treasury for me and send them over together tomorrow."

"As you command, empress!"

Mrs. Zhong seemed to have remembered something, frowned and sighed: "It's a pity that Hongji is not in Jinling! Those miserable children of this palace have happened one after another..."

After all, she still thought that the four princes under her knees had died young. Zhong was immediately worried. Then she stopped thinking about it and waved her hands and said: "That's all. The sixth prince Congjia is chanting sutras in the temple right now. Young Prisoner, you go.

If you pass the order to him, just say that in compliance with my decree, let him go with you tomorrow to give gifts to the Li and Zhou families!"
Chapter completed!