October 29th is the day when the prince Liu Qi is full moon. According to the old rites, the world regards pregnant women giving birth as an unclean thing, and even the heavenly family is not exempt from the custom. Therefore, in September, Concubine Dong Guifei
She was forced to move to the Taiye Pond in the west of Chang'an City to wait for her childbirth. It was not until the prince was one month old that he had to return with his son.
Only then could Emperor Liu Xie see his own son for the first time.
When he became a father for the first time, the emperor was overjoyed and invited officials of more than 600 kilograms from the court to gather at Changle Palace for a banquet. Chen Chong, as the Sili school captain, was naturally among those invited.
Li Yi, Yang Xiu and others in the palace advised Chen Chong that since he thought the emperor was plotting, the palace was a dangerous place and could be arranged by Zhao Zhao. It was not appropriate for Chen Chong to go there in person. But Chen Chong thought about it and said to his staff:
"The emperor has seen the deaths of He Jin and Dong Zhuo. Don't you know that no matter whether it is success or failure, once trouble occurs, the mastermind cannot be hidden. When there is chaos in the capital, he, as the emperor, will bear the brunt of it, and it will be difficult for him to save himself. I will definitely go to the banquet this time.
No worries." So I decided to go to the banquet.
The weather was good at this time, the sky was amazingly blue, the bright white sun was shining in the sky, and the leafless branches were gently swaying in the breeze. There was neither heat nor winter coolness in the air, and it was breathtaking.
There is an aura of tranquility and desirelessness, which makes people feel as if they are in a pure land world that is boundless, without beginning or end, soundless, colorless, carefree and joyless.
By the time Chen Chong arrived at Changle Palace, most of the people had already arrived.
The banquet place is in the open space in front of a pavilion. There is a bamboo shelf around it, which is covered with yellow vines. Only a few leaves have not fallen. There are also plum bushes planted around the shelf, which are all hung at the moment.
There are pink or white flower bags, which must be blooming soon.
Seeing the dragon head coming, a group of people came forward to exchange greetings and try to inquire about the war on the front line. Chen Chong managed to cope with it, and then asked a Huangmenlang for directions, intending to meet the emperor and congratulate him personally.<
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When he saw the emperor, he couldn't help being surprised. It turned out that the emperor was sitting in the pavilion, with more than a dozen monks sitting around him, singing Buddhist chants and chanting sutras beside him. The emperor was lying next to the eucalyptus, writing something with his hand.
And Chen Chong also recognized an acquaintance among the monks. Wasn't the leader Kang Mengxiang, the abbot of Yuanjue Temple?
Kang Mengxiang smiled slightly at Chen Chong, and then stopped the wooden fish in his hand. The monks around him also stopped, and the emperor came back to his senses. In a blink of an eye, he saw Chen Chong, a look of surprise flashed across his face, and then he put down the pen and paper and said to
Chen Chong held the disciple ceremony and said: "Sir is here."
Chen Chong nodded slightly and followed the courtesy of a courtier. After the ceremony, he stood up and smiled at Kang Mengxiang: "I didn't expect to see the master here today." Kang Mengxiang replied humbly: "It's all the favor of the noble man."
It turns out that after the Yuanjue Temple was built, a monk said to the believers: "If you really want a son, you can recite Guanyin Bodhisattva, so that you can have hope for the future." Then gradually spread the reputation of Guanyin Bodhisattva for giving birth to children, and when the people heard about it, they all flocked to it.
Concubine Dong Guifei heard that it was quite efficacious, so she also sent her maid to the temple to pray for blessings, and asked monks to copy the "Avalokiteśvara Sutra" a hundred times in order to give birth to a boy and live a long life. Concubine Dong Guifei gave birth to a prince this time.
Thinking that he had got his wish, he asked the emperor to invite monks to the banquet to chant sutras and fulfill the wish for his eldest son.
What the monk just recited was the "Ten Sentences of the Avalokitesvara Sutra". Funny to say, this sutra was translated by Chen Chong and his friend Kang Ju when he was in Luoyang. Chen Chong said to Kang Ju: "If you want Buddhism to flourish, you should spread the small This sutra can be widely remembered by the common people." Kang Ju greatly agreed and chose this sutra. There are only ten sentences in the whole text:
"Avalokiteśvara, Namo Buddha. I have a cause and a predestined relationship with the Buddha. I have a predestined relationship with the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and I am always happy. I recite Avalokitesvara in the morning, and recite Avalokitesvara in the evening. The thought starts from the heart, and the recitation of the Buddha never leaves the heart."
After hearing the whole story, Chen Chong couldn't help but sigh to Kang Mengxiang: "Now that your Majesty's worship of Buddha has spread, the world will follow suit. It seems that Buddhism is about to flourish!"
Kang Mengxiang replied with a smile: "I still remember Longshou's wonderful talk about the past and afterlife in the temple. It can be seen that Longshou has a profound knowledge of Buddhism. There is just one question that I have always wanted to ask, but I haven't had a good opportunity. Today I will take your Majesty's opportunity. , I just want to ask, I wonder if Longshou is willing to answer?"
Chen Chong glanced at the Emperor and saw that he was sitting upright and looking at him, so he turned back and said, "Master, it's okay to ask."
"Among all the sutras, I don't know which sutra Long Shou likes the most?"
Chen Chong said: "I once translated the Diamond Sutra, and it was probably this sutra that left the deepest impression on me."
"What do you think?"
"Looking at the cliff with calmness, facing the huge waves with calmness."
Kang Mengxiang was greatly impressed by it. He said: "The difference between great hope and great hope is just a thought, a thin line. In front of the huge sea of Jue Ren, there is no color or loss of color. The dragon's head is very close to my Buddha!"
When Chen Chong heard Kang Mengxiang's words, he couldn't help but feel a faint pain in his heart when he thought that Tian Yu had answered in the same way. The young man had died in Longshouyuan, but he was still alive. How cruel the world is.
He had no intention of talking to Kang Mengxiang anymore. Monk Hu obviously noticed this, and after a few more pleasantries, he said no more. The emperor then interjected: "Sir, you haven't seen my son yet, why don't you come with me to see him?" Look."
Chen Chong nodded slightly, and the two of them immediately led a dozen guards to the palace behind the pavilion.
When they walked to the side hall of the palace, the maids along the way saluted them. When they opened the door again, Chen Chong saw an old maid surrounded by two girls and holding a small baby. Obviously, this was the prince Liu Qi. And in the palace In the center, there were two richly dressed women, kneeling on a futon, chanting to the scriptures in the temple. Chen Chong recognized that the one on the left was Concubine Dong Guifei, and the one on the right was Princess Wannian.
Chen Chong looked at the child, who was sleeping soundly at this time. Although he had no worries about food and clothing, his face was still a little wrinkled, but he looked very well-behaved, with a vibrant red color on his face. Chen Chong congratulated Liu Xie and said: "Your Majesty, Your Highness With blessings, I am sure you will have peace and longevity in the future."
Liu Xie smiled and suddenly said: "Sir, did you come to congratulate me today just to say this?"
Chen Chong was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Liu Xie with his piercing eyes. Unexpectedly, Liu Xie did not shy away and continued: "In recent days, the guards in the palace have scolded me a lot. It must be what Mr. Wang meant."
Chen Chong nodded slightly and said calmly: "General Jianping openly cut the country's throat, and the harm is far-reaching. I have long-term plans with Qianjun. I am afraid that there will be changes in the palace, so I strengthen the guards to protect your majesty."
Liu Xie said: "What happened in the palace?"
Chen Chong said: "There are widespread rumors among the people that your Majesty wants to kill me and Xuande. I wonder what your Majesty thinks?"
Liu Xie asked back: "I have also heard that there are widespread rumors among the people that the master and the general covet the sacred weapon and want to take it from me. I wonder what you think, sir?" He paused and said to Chen Chong: "Sir, if
If you still want to assist the left, then try your best to assist the left; if you don’t want to assist the left, please ask your kindness and let me go!"
Chen Chong suddenly felt a little enlightened. Only now did he realize that the childish face he saw when he rescued the driver seven years ago has now become angry and angular. He also noticed that Concubine Dong Guifei's whole body trembled slightly when she heard his words.
, the sound of chanting sutras also faded.
He was a little uninterested, and at this point, the two of them had almost nothing to say. Chen Chong could only think sadly in his heart: He could not be his minister, nor could he be anyone's minister. So he bowed
He cupped his hands and said, "Then please take care of yourself, Your Majesty." He glanced at Concubine Dong Guifei, who was biting her lips and looking pale. He sympathized with the young mother in his heart, and said, "Your Highness, please rest assured. No matter what happens to Hongnong, Jianping is
Whether it’s war or surrender, I won’t involve my family.”
The seventeen-year-old girl stopped chanting, her eyes touched Chen Chong, and then they separated for a moment. She obviously didn't know what to say, so she could only hold the corners of her sleeves and look down at the masonry on the temple.
Chen Chong sighed and apologized to Liu Xie: "Until the Hongnong matter is resolved, please do not leave the palace at will." Then he turned around and walked away. The emperor and the imperial concubine stayed in the palace to watch him leave. p>
When passing the aisle, a palace maid saw Chen Chong passing by, and when she got close to Chen Chong, she pushed something into his hand. Chen Chong was shocked. He saw that the palace maid was just a girl he didn't know, and he didn't know what her purpose was. The thing was held in his hand.
In his hand, it seemed to be rolled up into a ball of silk. He was afraid of being seen, so he quickly held it in his hand.
After he came out, he reluctantly exchanged greetings with everyone, left everyone, and went straight out of the palace. He got on the carriage, called the waiter and waved his whip and hurried forward. On the rickety carriage, he held a sweaty hand
I opened the silk and saw several lines of beautiful small characters written on it. I looked carefully and it said:
"The house is thousands of miles deep, and I can't live with you. I show mercy to the royal family, and my concubine's love is only for me." The signature on the end of the silk is "Wannian".
Chen Chong was quite surprised after reading it. The meaning of Princess Wannian writing this letter was that someone wanted to assassinate him. Did "Thousand Miles of Grass" refer to Dong Zhuo's remnant party? Or someone else? He then thought again, she wanted to use this method to...
Are you pleading for the emperor? But you are thinking too much. No matter whether Xuande succeeds or not, it will not harm the emperor's life.
Chen Chong immediately felt even more sad. Princess Wannian was just a woman, but she had to mediate for two people in this situation. How difficult the world is! He thought for a moment, folded the thin silk and put it into his sleeve robe.
Don't think about it anymore.
When he returned to Sili Mansion, Chen Chong bumped into Qianzhao, Chen Deng, and Chen Qun. They saw that Chen Chong was safe and sound, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. Qianzhao stepped forward and persuaded: "I am responsible for the safety of the whole country. You can't do it."
Don’t be careful, please do less of this kind of thing in the future.”
Chen Chong did not answer, but asked: "Zijing, is there any progress recently?"
Qianzhao knew that he was talking about secretly investigating the emperor's accomplices. He shook his head and said: "I'm afraid as I said before, no one else is around your majesty, and I haven't heard of any conspiracy. I'm afraid the person who conspired is not in the palace. If you want to investigate,
If you find a traitor, you may have to resort to extraordinary measures."
Chen Chong was silent for a moment, walked towards the depths of the trees, waited for them to catch up, and then asked in a low voice: "What do you think?"
Qianzhao said: "There are two relatives in the country, one is Jianping and the other is Situ. Now that Jianping is in trouble, Situ may not be able to get away with it. Now it is urgent to obey the power. How about we arrest Situ, interrogate him with severe torture, and loot him?"
His family is not afraid that he will not be able to reveal that he is conspiring with the same party."
Chen Chong frowned slightly and said cautiously: "With the current situation, if there is no real evidence, arresting the three men will have little impact on the gangsters. And torture and interrogation can easily lead to defeat. If he is really involved, it would be fine if he confesses honestly, but if he starts biting randomly, I'm afraid
It’s hard to end it. If you don’t have to, don’t do it again.”
Chen Deng was anxious after hearing this, and immediately admonished him: "Your Majesty, this is the moment when the country is in danger of survival. How can we treat it as normal? If your Majesty does not want to bear this reputation, you can privately give me people, and I will do it on my own!"
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Chen Chong wandered back for a while, thinking of Princess Wannian's silk in his sleeves, and finally made up his mind and said: "Lynching is not an option in the country. Even if the matter is serious, let it be widely publicized, and 600 soldiers from the Si Li Mansion will be dispatched to conduct a thorough investigation."
Situ Mansion. You, Yuan Hai, are in charge of investigating this matter. You can separate and interrogate them, and correspond to the confessions. Remember! Be cautious! If there are any discrepancies, it will not be too late to impose punishment."
Speaking of this, Chen Chong felt deeply that the troops in Xijing were stretched thin. He had originally mobilized some of Jinyang's troops, but now it seems that they may still be insufficient. So he waved to Chen Qun and told him: "Chang Wen, you go there in person."
Go to Jinyang, first find the general’s wife, and then go to Meiji to mobilize 5,000 Helian tiefu cavalry and 5,000 royal court light cavalry.”
Chen Chong suddenly had a hunch that he seemed to have overlooked something, but he was busy with everything and had no time to take care of it.