The fifth day of the first month of the 10th year of Baoda.

Just after the New Year, the various states in the Southern Tang Dynasty posted announcements everywhere. It had nothing to do with the festive celebrations. People everywhere heard it and had no choice but because Emperor Li Jing ordered various places to urgently raise military rations. Since the first year of Baoda, there have been almost

After eight years of war, the heavy burden of required taxes, money and food finally fell on the common people. Naturally, there was a lot of discussion and criticism among the people, but it did not get boiling.

It's not that Li Jing has a lot of prestige because he has won many battles, just because he has a good father. The national policy of Li Min, the martyr of the Tang Dynasty, to recuperate and recuperate after the founding of the country, accumulated an extremely rich family for the Southern Tang Dynasty. The population was extremely prosperous, and the Jianghuai industry and commerce were relatively developed.

In the chaotic Central Plains region, there were very few wars in the mainland, so the life of the people of the Southern Tang Dynasty was considered stable.

It's just that after Li Jing came to the throne, he went on an expedition. Although he had great ambitions to revive the Tang Dynasty, the results were far from the results. Over the years, the hearts of the people have been fluctuating a lot. At this time, in addition to expressing gratitude for the kindness of ancestors, he actually just wanted to return the favor.

It's just that it hasn't been squeezed to the extreme.

The situation in Jinling City, the capital, is quite different from that in other state capitals. Li Yuan was ordered to be on duty at the south gate of the palace today. After leaving the palace, he just passed the Yinhong Bridge when he heard hundreds of students and merchants gathered on the street, which seemed to be a mass sentiment.

Excited, he ordered his soldiers to come forward and inquire. It turned out that this large group of people were gathering to petition. All kinds of generous and passionate words were condensed into one sentence, asking your Majesty to send troops to pacify Chu as soon as possible...

The power of public opinion these days should not be underestimated! Li Yuan couldn't help but sigh. Then, when he looked up and saw the gates of the various offices on Yufang Street not far away, the usually aggressive guards were uncharacteristically uncharacteristic today.

He came out to stop such a large-scale noise. Li Yuan shook his head, smiled knowingly and went straight to the palace gate.

Just after the morning session, Li Yuan was resting in the south gate dormitory. At this time, Shaojian Liu hurried over. He was unavoidable in politeness when meeting acquaintances. He then passed on the emperor's oral instructions. Today is Liezu's birthday. Empress Zhong wants to go to Qingliang Temple to worship Buddha and pray for blessings. She ordered the palace to directly

Li Yuan, the Marquis of Du Yu, led four teams of infantry and cavalry to serve as guards of honor and carefully escorted the troops.

Li Yuan immediately took the order, sent out his own soldiers to quickly gather the four groups of infantry and cavalry, inspected the appearance and clothing of the sergeants, and followed Liu Shaojian's instructions to wait in front of Xiaohong Bridge at the west gate of the palace.

Buddhism flourished in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and there were dozens of temples, large and small, in Jinling City alone. The Qingliang Temple where Queen Zhong is going today can be said to be the most representative among them.

Qingliang Temple is located on Qingliang Mountain in the west of Jinling City. Across the city wall is the famous Stone Mountain. It was first named Xingjiao Temple and was built in the third year of Wuyi of Yangwu (921). It is said that Li Min, the lord of Tang Dynasty, came to Qingliang Mountain

When I was enjoying the summer heat, I found this place to be really comfortable. Long Yan was so happy that he gave this Qingliang Temple a long name: Shitou Qingliang Daochang. Since then, Qingliang Temple has become a unique existence among the Buddhist temples in the Southern Tang Dynasty. While the incense is strong,

, it was also the summer palace for the royal family of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

After Li Jing came to the throne, he liked to devote himself to worshiping Buddha here. He also invited the famous eminent monk Wenyi Zen Master to open the church to receive people. Every time there were natural and man-made disasters, great ceremonies and wars in the country, Li Jing and Queen Zhong would come here.

Asking Buddha and praying for blessings. The emperor took the lead, and the ministers and the people even more so. In the end, the number of believers in Jinling accounted for sixty-seven out of ten, which was really a lot. So the Xiaojiuhua Temple and Shanqing Temple on the left and right also prospered, and the incense of these three temples was

Later generations described it as one of the forty-eight scenic spots in Jinling, "Qingliang Asking the Buddha".

But today's "Qingliang Asking Buddha" made Li Yuan a little uncomfortable. After picking up the Queen's Phoenix Chariot from Xiaohongqiao, he was shocked by the huge formation. So he had to disperse the four groups of cavalry and lead them himself.

The first half of the cavalry and soldiers led the front line to clear the way, and all the infantry were assigned to guard on both sides of the team. Hundreds of eunuchs and maidens followed closely behind, while the queen, a group of relatives of the emperor, and officials of all sizes were firmly guarded in the center. Finally,

The remaining half of the cavalry was reserved to hold down the formation.

With such a mighty team, the queen's chariot had to be kept steady, so the pace was naturally very slow. As the leading escort general, Li Yuan had to hold on to the reins tightly, deliberately control the speed, and vigilantly observe the people around him from time to time.

A large number of people joined in the fun. Fortunately, Li Yuan's horse riding skills have improved under the strong training of Wumu Teqin. He can clamp the horse's belly easily, but he can't gallop while riding the war horse, which makes him feel very unhappy.

The walk from the west gate of the palace to Qingliang Temple usually takes less than half an hour, but in compliance with the Queen's order to celebrate with the people, large groups of people walked in and out of various streets, and walked for nearly two hours.

Finally arriving in front of the Qingliang Temple, the abbot and a group of monks were waiting outside the door. After everyone cheered and cheered the queen into the temple, Li Yuan dispersed his cavalry around the temple to be on guard, and led his own

Guard the house with your own soldiers.

Seeing the scenery in this temple with his own eyes, Li Yuan exclaimed that it was a feast for his eyes. In addition to the temple's proper temples, Buddha statues, incense burners, incense burners, and the exotic flowers and plants cultivated in it, as well as the ingenious pavilions and pavilions, this place is probably the same as any other.

Comparable to the Royal Palace.

"How much money does this cost!..." Li Yuan couldn't help but look at the exquisite and eye-catching gilt carvings at the door of the palace, and exclaimed in amazement.

Liu Shaojian came over and said with a smile: "Li Yuhou did a good job in escorting you today. The Queen is praising you! When the Queen returns to the palace, she will definitely be rewarded."

Li Yuan quickly moved towards the direction of the palace, respectfully raised his hands and said: "This is the responsibility of the general. I would like to thank the empress!" Although he was not sure whether the empress could hear it amid the thick sound of chanting sutras lingering inside,

But some etiquette still needs to be done.

Liu Shaojian nodded with satisfaction, then pointed to a pavilion outside and said: "Li Yuhou, today is Liezu's birthday. It will probably take a long time for the empress to listen to the Dharma and pray for blessings. After a while, the Zen master will close the door of the palace after reciting Amitabha.

Let the queen pray. According to the rules, you don’t have to stay here all the time. Just leave the sergeant to patrol, but don’t go too far.”

Li Yuan hurriedly nodded in agreement. After nearly a quarter of an hour, when the sound of chanting Buddhist scriptures surrounded his ears, Li Yuan felt a little dizzy. It was not that he had been enlightened by Buddhism, but that this long series of cycles was obscure.

The tones of the sound were constantly buzzing in his ears like a stereophonic sound. In addition, he was standing guard at the palace door just in time for the impact. The incense that could make people cry kept coming towards him. Li Yuan secretly complained in his heart. Wukong couldn't be honest.

Bully me!

Finally, after the palace door was closed, Li Yuan gave instructions to the soldiers several times. He looked up and found a seemingly quiet pavilion not far away, and prepared to go there to seek some peace and quiet.

After walking a few steps, a young man with extraordinary bearing came towards him. Li Yuan took a moment to look at him. He was wearing purple silk and had a caesarean section. Around his waist was a belt hook inlaid with gold and jade, and the crown on his head was decorated with gold cicadas.

The most eye-catching thing is the seven colorful jade beads on it.

This is a real prince level! Li Yuan hurriedly bowed and saluted, but when he was about to speak, he really didn’t know the name of this person, so he had to shout wisely: "General, I will pay my respects to the king!"

I saw that this man was quite friendly, and he smiled lightly and said, "Are you Li Yuan, the Marquis of Yu, the capital of the palace?"

"Back to your Majesty, it's the last general!"

The man's eyes were filled with admiration: "I have heard about Li Yuhou's reputation for a long time. Well, when I saw him today, he is indeed extraordinary! No need to be polite! I wonder if Li Yuhou can go with me?"

Li Yuan did not dare to agree immediately. It was not because he had never met the prince before, but because there were so many people in the temple today. As a general of the Forbidden Army, he had the responsibility to protect him, so he went with him rashly. If he went too far, he would be in trouble later.

If something happened, wouldn't he be able to explain it clearly? But after all, with his position here, he couldn't easily offend himself, so he hesitated for a moment and said: "This general is ordered to guard here, I'm afraid it won't be easy.

Leave——"

The man snorted softly, then laughed heartily: "What's the harm? The palace door is closed, and the queen is praying inside, so she can't be disturbed. As a rule, you don't have to wait here, just leave the sergeant to patrol.

, Besides, I have also set up guards, which is enough to ensure that my mother is safe!"

Then he showed a sly look and said jokingly: "Moreover, wasn't I just about to leave when I saw Marquis Li Yu? Don't worry, I won't let you go too far, just go to the pavilion in front."

"

Having hit the mark, Li Yuan could only smile awkwardly and said: "I will obey your orders!"

The man nodded with a smile on his face, and then said: "By the way, Marquis Li Yu may have never seen this king before. I have been ordered by my father to guard Runzhou, and it is rare for me to return to Jinling."

Runzhou? Li Yuan thought about it quickly and called the queen "Queen Mother" and guarded Runzhou. She looked eighteen or nineteen years old. How dare she be?
Chapter completed!