The sixth day of January in the sixteenth year of Hanchang was the birthday of the Empress Dowager.
Today is the day of the dynasty. A group of courtiers first discussed state affairs with the emperor in the Taiji Hall. When the dynasty came down, the ministers sent the prepared gifts to the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Rites made a unified register for registration.
After Emperor Qianwen went down to court, he went straight to the Empress Dowager's Jixiang Palace. In the soft sedan chair, he asked with some concern, "Yan Fu, have you presented all the gifts to the concubines? How is the Empress Dowager's mood? ?”
"When I returned to the Emperor, the concubines went to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager early in the morning and presented them with gifts. The Empress Dowager was also very happy. But the gift that satisfied the Empress Dowager the most was the Prajna Heart Sutra given by Concubine Zhao.
"Prajna Heart Sutra? Why don't I have any impression?" Emperor Qianwen asked curiously.
Because of the Empress Dowager, Emperor Qianwen also had some knowledge of Buddhist scriptures. For example, he had read the Infinite Life Sutra, but he really had no impression of the Prajna Heart Sutra.
"I don't know, I only know that after Concubine Zhao presented this Prajna Heart Sutra, even Master Awakening agreed to it." Yan Fu answered respectfully.
"Oh?" Emperor Qianwen was a little surprised. He knew about this awakening master. Not only was he superb in Buddhism, he was also a master of kung fu. He currently lived in Hanshan Temple next to Daliang City. Because of his extremely high attainments in Buddhism, many people came to seek blessings. Hanshan Temple has a very strong relationship with each other. Such a person will not tell lies. Even if he says it well, it must be an incredible scripture. "I have not heard that Concubine Zhao has such preferences. This book Where did you get the scriptures?"
"It seems that it was presented to Concubine Zhao by Duke Zhongguo for delivery." Yan Fu is worthy of being the chief eunuch. He has no detailed information, and there is rarely any information that can be kept from his ears.
"That's it." Emperor Qianwen nodded. If it was sent by Shen Ao, it would be normal. This boy can always surprise people and create miracles that no one knows. It seems that anything can happen to him. It's all reasonable.
The Prajna Heart Sutra was indeed provided by Shen Ao to Concubine Zhao. The full name of this book is the Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra. It is one of the Buddhist classics. Because the sutra is short and concise, it is easy to recite. This sutra is very popular in mainland China and Tibet. In modern times, It has been translated into many languages and spread around the world.
Such a good thing did not exist in the world at that time. Shen Ao stole it and gave it to Concubine Zhao. Then it was sent to the Empress Dowager in the name of Juhe Palace. It fell into the hands of Master Awakening and was immediately cited as a holy book. , was so impressed that Concubine Zhao won a jackpot.
At this moment, in the Jixiang Palace, the Empress Dowager was asking Concubine Zhao with a kind face, which probably meant where the Prajna Heart Sutra came from.
Concubine Zhao knew that the matter could not be concealed. Fortunately, he had no intention of hiding it and said directly: "This is my nephew's nephew. It was written by Duke Zhongguo. I just borrowed flowers to offer to Buddha."
"Okay, I borrowed flowers to offer to the Buddha. When I see Duke Zhongguo, I will definitely ask him for advice." Master Awakening, who had always been reluctant to speak, took the initiative to speak. This was also when he saw the Prajna Heart Sutra and was very happy to see him.
"The Awakening Master's wishes will be fulfilled soon. The loyalists will pay their birthdays to the Empress Dowager in person soon, and they will satisfy all the Master's requirements." Concubine Li Huang suddenly spoke, with a smile on her face, but hatred in her heart. The roots of my teeth are itchy.
The black coal in Jinzhou under the jurisdiction of his brother King Jin used to be the favorite thing of the wealthy people of Liang State in winter, and they could make a lot of money. But Shen Ao came up with some kind of briquettes and bought them After moving to Xishan, Jinzhou's coal became unsalable. The King of Jin even wrote to her directly about the matter, expressing his dissatisfaction with the loyal Duke.
In order to calm her brother down, Imperial Concubine Li specially sent people to spread the rumor, saying that Duke Zhongguo, in order to make a lot of money, forced Bai Shenghou to sell Xishan to him without telling him, and then planned to expel him from Daliang City.
Originally, when such news spread, Shen Ao's reputation would definitely be dealt a blow. If he got a bad reputation because of this, it is not impossible that he would be in trouble. As long as others fail, the briquette business will be affected. Brother's It is inevitable that Jinju’s black coal will be profitable again.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the rumor came out, Yan Fu stood up on behalf of the royal family and first showed the receipt for the purchase of Xishan. The date on it turned out to be the day before Bai Shenghou left Beijing, which instantly shattered the rumor. After Concubine Li Huang learned about it, she naturally She was very angry, but considering that Yan Fu had already stood up, if she did some small tricks, she would inevitably hurt herself, so she had to swallow it in the end. But now, she had the opportunity to put eye drops on Shen Ao, she She was not polite at all. She didn't believe that Shen Ao, at such a young age, still knew a lot about Buddhist scriptures. He must have bought the scriptures from others with money and wanted to make meritorious deeds.
As soon as Concubine Li Huang opened her mouth, Concubine Zhao secretly said that it was not good. She did not believe that this was written by Shen Ao himself. She had the same mentality as Concubine Li Huang. If Shen Ao appeared later, she would not be able to match the awakening master. The question is, everything is about to be revealed. What should we do?
Shen Ao originally wrote this book for herself. Don't be implicated by it, otherwise she will not be able to forgive herself. She was about to speak to help Shen Ao refuse. But before she could speak, Concubine Yuan Guifei on the side also said something. He said, "Dong Zhongguo is a great talent, but I didn't expect that he would even be involved in the scriptures. He is really a hero. I also want to see his style for a while."
"Haha, even if everyone has this intention, Duke Zhongguo will come soon and let him confront Master Awakening on Zen. It will also open our eyes." The Empress Dowager made the final decision, and Concubine Zhao could not say anything more. What, I just looked at Concubine Li Huang and Concubine Yuan with some anger in their eyes. Your two sons failed to live up to expectations and hit a snag in Shen Ao's hands. That's because they are incompetent. Could it be that they beat the younger one and got old?
This was just a small episode. After the concubines in the harem presented their gifts, it was the turn of the princes and grandsons to present their gifts. At this time, Emperor Qianwen also happened to arrive at the Jixiang Palace, and with him were the loyal king Tang Qingchuan and Zongren Mansion Zongzheng Tang Qinghe.
Tang Qinghe was the brother of Emperor Qianwen Tang Qingshan, and was also one of the popular candidates to compete for the throne. Later Tang Qingshan became Emperor Qianwen, and he was in charge of the clan mansion, that is, people of the Tang family. It can be said that if he is a member of the royal family, he If you make a mistake, the clan government has the right to punish you.
The Zongren Mansion is also the foundation of the Tang family. Many people in the mansion hold important positions in the court, and they help the emperor manage the Daqian Dynasty.
The loyal king Tang Qingchuan, the younger brother of Emperor Qianwen Tang Qingshan, was also one of the popular candidates to compete for the throne. Later, something happened, and he became the current loyal king, in charge of Ji and Liao states. The security of the north of Daliang City was also one of the important foreign vassal kings in the Daqian Dynasty.
The three of them came to the Jixiang Palace together. Zong Zheng and Prince Zhong followed Emperor Qianwen a step behind and appeared in front of the Empress Dowager. Then the three of them knelt down together and congratulated the empress mother on her health and longevity.
"Everyone, please get up. Come and watch your seat." The Empress Dowager's eyes were smiling, as if she liked everyone she liked. The eunuchs had already moved the chairs and asked Emperor Qianwen and the three of them to sit down on both sides.
The principals came, and then the dedication ceremony began. Emperor Qianwen acted as the emperor, and Yan Fu walked to the stage holding a gold Zen robe.
Emperor Qianwen had sixty beautiful women work and weave for sixty days to complete this work. Countless gold was used and it looked so golden that it made the Empress Dowager squint her eyes and say "good things".
Zong Zheng also presented a gift, which was a wooden fish made from the trunk of a ten-thousand-year-old tree after searching all over Mingchuan Mountains. It was as exquisite as heaven's workmanship, and attracted many people's admiration.
King Zhong's gift has nothing to do with Zen, but it still took a lot of thought. It is an old ginseng that has been around for thousands of years. It is said that King Zhong went up to the mountain to pick it himself. It took him half a year, during which he was slightly injured. This sentiment is enough to move people, and there is already some moisture in the eyes of the Empress Dowager.
After the three men presented the gifts, it was the turn of the eldest princess. She walked up to the palace with a smile on her face, knelt down in the tunnel and said, "I wish my mother the best, and wish her happiness like the ever-flowing water from the East China Sea, and longevity like the immortal pine trees in the Southern Mountains. "
"Haha, Lan'er, get up quickly and sit next to the Queen Mother." The Queen Mother chuckled, showing her unique love for this daughter.
"Thank you, Queen Mother." The eldest princess smiled brightly, stood up and came to the back of the Queen Mother. The mother and daughter seemed to be in a happy mood.
This appearance makes others envious. Who doesn't know that the current emperor attaches great importance to filial piety. Being liked by the empress dowager is equivalent to gaining more status in the eyes of the emperor. This has also attracted a lot of jealousy. For example, Concubine Yuan Guifei is extremely She couldn't stand this scene. She was originally an outspoken character, so she opened her mouth and said, "Hey, everyone has given gifts to the Queen Mother. Why don't you give gifts to the eldest princess? It's not just a few festive words and that's it. Bar."
When Concubine Yuan opened her mouth, the hall felt as if it was blown by a cold wind, and there was an instant silence.
Emperor Qianwen's expression remained unchanged, but if you look carefully, there was a trace of anger in his eyes. At this time when he was enjoying himself, Concubine Yuan Guifei's words were really out of place and made people upset.
Emperor Qianwen behaved well, at least his face didn't seem to change much. Some people no longer concealed their anger, especially some of the unfavored concubines, who showed their anger on their faces, as if they wanted to This was used to tell Emperor Qianwen that the concubine and the emperor were on the same side. Concubine Yuan Guifei ruined the good atmosphere and should be punished.
There are also some people whose expressions remain unchanged, as if they are indifferent or as if they have not heard anything, but in fact they listen very clearly. It is just that they are deep in the city and will not express their opinions easily.
The Empress Dowager was still smiling. She reached out and patted the eldest princess's hand and said, "Wufang, the Ai family is very happy that Lan'er can sit next to the empress."