Lotus lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
The experiences of these days are like clear picture pages, sliding through my mind one by one.
When I first met King Yan in the desert, I thought he was just a careless prince. After seeing him easily defeating the Mongolian pursuers and leading the team to escape the sandstorm and cross the vast desert, they decided that he was a brave and skillful general. He led his troops to run for two days and two nights, and attacked the Mongolian garrison camp at night. He commanded the battle calmly and domineeringly. Well, he was an overlord.
However, yesterday I saw him smiling and questioning the Mongolian prisoners one by one, the purple-tang-colored figure listening attentively under the gorgeous pomegranate forest, and the sincere and warm smile facing the enemy, the captive, and the alien. . He is a prince, a prince of the Celestial Dynasty who has won battles. Why would he do this? In his heart, he truly believed that all living beings are equal and compassionate.
In the view of King Yan, the war was to quell the border wars so that the people of Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty could go home to "graze and farm" and "live a good life." In this tent, he talked about the Mongolian tribes and the Jurchen people with the same sincerity as when he talked about the people of the Ming Dynasty; he just imagined how to benefit all sentient beings, without self-interest, no discrimination against other races, and no hatred and revenge. Think about yourself. I have been a convert since I was a child, but I can't get rid of my ego. When I see the Mongolian Jurchens, I only treat them as enemies or at least aliens.
King Yan does not believe in Buddha, but he has the heart of Buddha and Bodhisattva. His kind and compassionate face in the fiery red forest yesterday was just like the Vajrapani Bodhisattva.
Lotus thinks of the temples and pagodas she saw in the desert. Are they really just mirages and natural phenomena? Is such a clear and tangible pagoda really just a temporary illusion? The Yanwang team watched the pagoda walk out of despair. Is this really just his karma and blessing? With a moment of solitude and hatred for his country and his family, he rushed to heaven to rescue troops, but when he arrived in the desert and saw a pagoda, was the Buddha implying something
King Yan's fallacy is at least right. There must be a reason for the pagoda to appear in the desert.
He sat up in the lotus position and lit the candle. Touching the glazed pagoda on the table beside the couch, he murmured and asked: "Are you trying to tell me something? What is it? Do you want me to be kind to all living beings like King Yan? Do you want me to help him perform charitable deeds?" "
In the flickering candlelight, the warm and transparent precious light of the glazed tower circulates, seeming to say something.
Lianhua got dressed and got out of bed and walked out of the tent.
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In the early morning, the distant hillsides were lush and green, with wind-blown grass and cattle and sheep appearing low. The school ground by the lake is open and spacious, with grass on the ground falling and dust flying. The Ming army's brigade is getting ready to go.
Zhu Di stood tall on his green horse, looking at the people and horses in front of him, his face still nonchalant.
The pointed helmets of the cavalry gleamed in the orange-red sun, and their silver armor shone. The young faces were full of joy after victory and new expectations. The war horses lined up neatly, and from time to time they snorted and sprayed out streams of white mist in the morning light.
Deputy General Chen stepped forward and bowed: "Your Majesty! The time has come, let's go!"
Zhu Di nodded but said nothing. Deputy General Chen was a little anxious and did not dare to rush, so he had to turn his horse aside and wait patiently.
Zhu Di looked around and saw the lake was green and the hillsides were green. The curtains of tents of all sizes were closed tightly and there was no movement. Only the colorful flags and banners on the top of the tent fluttered in the morning breeze, and the sound of hunting was heard.
Zhu Di sighed softly in his heart and waved to Deputy General Chen for a long time.
Deputy General Chen refreshed himself, picked up the reins and ran to the front of the formation, loudly shouting: "Form the team! Let's go!"
The cavalrymen who had been preparing for a long time responded in unison: "Let's go!" The team slowly started, and the sound of horse hooves sounded. Gradually, the sound of hoofbeats became denser and turned into a rumbling sound.
The team passed in front of Zhu Di one by one, and it didn't take long to reach the end. Zhu Di looked around again, but there was still silence. He shook the horse's reins helplessly and followed the team. Starting from the school grounds, walk through the campsite and walk to the lake.
The morning light passed through the trees by the lake, and it was thrown intermittently. After crossing the lake, we will reach the desert not far away. Zhu Di sighed softly in his heart.
Suddenly, there was the rapid sound of horse hooves and Ma Sanbao's angrily shouting: "Your Majesty! Wait a minute!"
Zhu Di felt happy and turned around.
I saw two horses, one white and one black, rushing from the camp in the distance. The pale blue figure on the white horse, the left shoulder is slightly lowered and still a little crooked. Zhu Di couldn't help but smile on his brows.
The two of them arrived in front of Zhu Di's horse in a blink of an eye. Lianhua was out of breath and opened his mouth but could not speak. Ma Sanbao bowed and saluted: "Your Majesty!" and presented a cloth bag to King Yan with both hands.
The dark blue homespun cloth with a white background was tied up in a square shape, and it was hot to the touch. Zhu Di asked: "Eat?" Looking at the lotus, his bun was a little messy, a few strands of black hair were scattered on his shoulders, and there were several spots of black ash on his snow-white jade face.
"It's scallion pancakes and pickles. Miss Lian, no, Princess Yining went to the kitchen in the middle of the night, and then she got busy." Ma Sanbao still often calls him a fool.
Zhu Di smelled the fragrant aroma and seemed to see Lianhua busy in the kitchen. The smile on his brows and eyes became stronger, and he waved to Ma Sanbao. Ma Sanbao urged Xiao Hei to go far away.
Lian Hua blushed under King Yan's fixed gaze, lowered her head and whispered softly: "Bo'er is only cunning and cunning, the prince will cherish it all the way." Then he took out a small bag wrapped in cotton handkerchief and said slowly: "Please bring the glazed tower with you, prince. The Dharma of Buddhism is boundless, and the prince will definitely be able to lead his army to success and return home in triumph as soon as possible."
The four corners of the light blue cotton handkerchief were neatly tied into double knots, like a flying butterfly landing. Zhu Di took it carefully, as it seemed to weigh a thousand kilograms. He understood that this pagoda was her belief. Before he could ask her why she came to Daming and what her wish was, he thought it was probably related to this pagoda. This pagoda holds all her hopes.
Zhu Di was moved in his heart and gently held Lianhua's little hand. His fingers were slightly cold and his palm was as soft as a bone.
Lianhua struggled to break free, so she had to be held by Zhu Di. She blushed to the point of her neck and whispered: "You will come back in triumph as soon as possible." The voice was almost inaudible.
Zhu Di was so happy that he couldn't help but laugh loudly: "Okay! Wait for me here!".
Their eyes stared at each other, entangled in a stalemate for a moment. It’s the surprise of meeting someone new, the incredible joy, the inseparable sweetness, and the gratitude of knowing each other.
After a long time, Lianhua gently pushed her hand away: "Your Majesty, please come."
Zhu Di composed himself, his eyes still staring at the lotus. He shook the reins and turned the horse's head. The green horse plowed the ground with its four hooves, as if wondering why King Yan was still here after the army had gone far away. Zhu Di reluctantly looked back and stared, and finally with a cruel heart, he clamped his legs tightly on the horse's belly, and the young horse flew away like a flying horse.
The lotus looked at King Yan's back in the distance, the summer breeze was caressing, and a few birds were playing and singing on the top of the tree. Will he really be able to make a triumphant return? Thinking of Bor's strange and cold eyes, Lianhua couldn't help but shudder.
Ma Sanbao stood beside her at some point. He seemed to have noticed her worries and said with a smile: "Princess, don't worry. The Mongolian cavalry is far from the way it used to be when it swept the world. Besides, the Uliangha Bald City can only be defended so little." Bing, although Bo'er and Haragu are thorns in the side, they are definitely no match for our prince."
Ma Sanbao spoke confidently and smiled brightly: "In the past ten years, the prince has only been unable to find the Mongols, but there has never been a time when he couldn't defeat them. Even the Mongolian Prime Minister Jie Zhi and the Taiwei Nairbuhua were defeated by our prince. . Otherwise, His Majesty the Emperor would not have handed over such an important place like Peiping to our prince. The Mongolian soldiers in Wulianghatu City are already grasshoppers after the autumn, and they can’t even survive for a few days.”
Lianhua nodded slightly, looked at Ma Sanbao, and asked curiously: "How many princes are there in the Celestial Empire?"
Ma Sanbao said: "His Majesty the Emperor has a total of twenty-six princes. Except for the prince and the twenty-sixth prince who are young and have not yet been crowned, the twenty-four princes have been crowned kings and are spread all over the land of China."
Lianhua opened her eyes wide: "So many?"
Ma Sanbao continued: "That's right. His Majesty the Emperor's edict said, 'The establishment of vassals and auxiliaries will lead to the peace of the rock; the land will be enlarged, so the family members will be thick'." At this point, he looked at the lotus and hesitated: "Emperor Your Majesty trusts his Zhu family more."
Lian Hua was silent. Even though he was in North Korea, he had heard of the tragedy in China.
Since the beginning of Hongwu, the emperor has tried to eliminate the veteran generals one by one. The Hu Weiyong case, the Li Shanchang case, the Kongyin case, and the Guo Heng case killed tens of thousands of people in total. Except for the Duke of E, Chang Yuchun, and the Duke of Wei, Xu Da, who died of illness, most of the famous generals Not a happy ending. In the past few years, the Duke of Ying, Fu Youde, the Duke of Song, Feng Sheng, and the rising star, Duke of Liang, Lan Yu, were also executed one after another. At this time, there were no generals in the dynasty.
Lianhua couldn't help but think that the North Korean king Li Chenggui was the same. He did not hesitate to kill his former colleagues and friends for the throne. The tragedy of Zheng Mengzhou and Zheng's family was just one example. Thinking of Zheng Zongze, I felt great sadness in my heart.
Ma Sanbao saw that Lianhua was sad, and deliberately spoke in a light tone, and continued with a smile: "The nine Sai kings in the north are to guard against the Mongols. The prince's Peiping is the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and of course the most important; the other eight are the Qin kings in Xi'an. King Jin of Taiyuan Prefecture, King Liao of Guangning Prefecture, King Qing of Ningxia Wei, King Dai of Datong Prefecture, King Gu of Xuanfu of Shanggu Prefecture, King Su of Ganzhou Prefecture and King Ning of Daning Prefecture. His Majesty the Emperor said,' The northwest is far away, and non-blood children are not enough to pacify and defend foreign invaders. These nine Sai kings are the most brave and capable among the princes. In addition, the King of Zhou in Kaifeng Prefecture, the King of Lu in Yanzhou Prefecture, the King of Shu in Chengdu Prefecture, and the King of Jingzhou Prefecture King Xiangxian and others are not small either."
Lian Hua marveled in her heart, first sighing at the greatness of the Celestial Dynasty, and secondly sighing at the number of princes. The emperor happened to have so many sons that he could entrust various places. No wonder the people of the Celestial Dynasty believed that more sons would bring happiness. He opened his mouth and asked, "Do all these princes have their own country?"
"No, according to the system, 'nobles but not the people, vassals but not the land', there are officials from the imperial court outside the royal palace to manage local administration. However, the prince is awarded a gold book and gold treasure, a salary of ten thousand stones per year, and an official office in the palace. When you wear the chariot and flag, you will be ranked first among the emperors. Dukes and ministers pay homage to you, and you must not pay homage to them."
Lianhua stuck out her tongue when she heard this: "Oh no, I don't worship your prince like that."
Ma Sanbao patted her to indicate that it was okay: "The kings can only have 3,000 to 99,000 guards in their palaces, but they have the power to mobilize local troops. When we return to Daning Mansion, we will see King Ning and the troops under his command." At most, there are 80,000 soldiers and 6,000 chariots."
Ma Sanbao said with a smile, looked at the lotus and comforted: "In the past ten years, our prince has been victorious in the northern expedition, and has beaten the Mongols to the point where they have lost their temper. Don't worry."
Lianhua looked at Ma Sanbao's smile and recalled King Yan's domineering laugh, his broad chest, his solid hands, his calm battle, his seemingly careless calmness... His heart gradually calmed down. He turned to Ma Sanbao and smiled brightly: "Okay, I'm not worried. Come on, let's walk the horse!" Shaking the reins, Xiaoxue ran out happily shouting.
Xiao Hei also raised his head and hissed, following closely behind.
Will King Yan be able to return in triumph? Can Wang Jinghong convey the news of his safety to the King of North Korea? How is it at the court? Where has Wang Shi gone
The lotus smiles and gallops, but how can it be so easy to forget the worries in my heart