Eastward Flow

Chapter 27

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On the 22nd day of the first month, outside the city of Yuanzhou, on the shore of Liangshui. Colorful flags are planted all over the river bank, and fresh peach blossoms are spread on the coffins of the deceased. The Shao Si ordered Xiang Sinian to walk in front of him with an ever-bright lantern in his hand, and step by step he guided Taidao who was carrying the coffin behind him to the pyre built on the bank of the river.

The funerals on both sides of the cool water in Chu State were all cremated by the river, and the ashes were scattered into the river. The people of Chu firmly believed that along the water flowing eastward, the souls of the ancestors would reach the place of return to the ruins. Or ride a cloud ladder in the midst of fire and board the kingdom of God.

The funeral procession was mighty and mighty, headed by the Queen, who personally led the civil and military officials to practice the orders of the Great Secretary. After the Baiguan, there is a team of people who send their own way.

After a short sacrificial speech, Shao Siming handed the arrow feathers stained with divine fire to Xuan Jingchen's hands. The divine fire roared in the wind, and the queen held the arrow feathers, put on the bowstring, and shot an arrow at the divine wood holding the coffin. The firelight fell on the sacred tree, and a large area suddenly burned, covering the coffin in just an instant.

Everyone stared at the twisted coffin in the firelight and mourned in silence.

Shao Siming looked at Da Siming, who was swallowed by the fire, and raised his hand to the Taiyi people in the east, and a low-pitched "Like the Wind" sounded leisurely by the river. On the bank of the cool water with the gust of cold wind, the sacrificial speech of the Taoist Taiyi sect sounded very desolate.

Disperse like the wind, or go to the kingdom of God, or flow to the ruins, this is a song to say goodbye to the old.

Suddenly, a shakuhachi floated over from the vast river while chanting in a low voice.

This shakuhachi sounds cool and vast, as clear and powerful as a deer in the depths of a forest, ethereal and natural. Baiguan, who was attracted by this shakuhachi, could not help but looked towards the river, but saw a leaf boat floating on the misty river, and a man wearing a cloak was standing on the river playing shakuhachi.

Her face was hidden in the fog, no matter how you looked at it, it couldn't be seen.

Xuan Jingchen looked at the people on the river, listening to the raging fire that was torn by the wind in his ears, and vaguely felt that this shakuhachi was somewhat familiar. Shao Siming, who was standing beside the queen, explained in a timely and thoughtful manner, "It's the old friend of the master who came to see him off."

Xuan Jingchen nodded clearly, and let the sacrifice words of Shakuhachi and Tai Taoist floating on the river compose a desolate soul-sending song.

That shakuhachi is vast and ethereal, as if blowing the chill of early spring into my heart, and it seems to have planted warmth in the cold that urges all things to come back to life.

It must be extremely cold to set foot on the way home alone. But there are relatives and friends to send, and the warmth of the previous life is preserved. In this shakubali, everyone seemed to see Da Siming dressed in a blue shirt and climbing the ladder of the kingdom of God with his hands behind him. The kingdom of God is high and cold, but a ray of light falls on the cloud ladder, guiding the soul to a warm home.

Unconsciously, many people had their eyes wet and raised their hands to wipe the corners of their tear-stained eyes.

"His Royal Highness..."

Among the hundred officials, someone couldn't help but say that, that person was Cheng Wen standing in the row of Hongwen Pavilion. He is the Lezheng of the Music Bureau of the Ministry of Rites. Because of his superb qin tone and high attainments in folk art, he was appointed by Emperor Zhao as the Lezheng of the Music Bureau.

The high-pitched tone of this song "Like the Wind" is the same as the high-pitched sound that Prince Zhaoming is best at. Cheng Wen has listened to many people's songs, but in the shakuhachi category, he feels that no one in this world can match His Highness the Prince.

It is desolate and vast, and the tunes played by His Royal Highness are magnificent yet graceful and affectionate. Prince Zhaoming, who has been immersed in this way for many years, poured his soul into the shakuhachi that he was playing.

Therefore, it is possible to move people with sound.

When I heard the second paragraph, I felt more and more like a tune played by Prince Zhaoming, and Cheng Wen couldn't help but blurt out the title.

As soon as he finished speaking, a colleague next to him asked him, "What is His Royal Highness?"

Cheng Wen closed his mouth and was startled to realize that he had called a name that he should not have called, but he did not know that among the officials, those who had heard the Prince's tune and heard his words, His Royal Highness, suddenly realized: "It is His Highness. "

They were all wondering who the style of this piece was similar to, and whose shakuhachi could be so impressive, except for Prince Zhaoming's shakuhachi.

The older generation of Chu people who believed in the Eastern Emperor thought of the special status of Da Siming at this time, and a strange thought came to mind. Could it be that Emperor Zhao's soul came from Guixu in a flat boat and practiced it for the Great Secretary

You must know that at that time, Da Siming Qinglan was full of praise for Prince Zhaoming's shakuhachi. Da Chu officials, who respect and love the gods very much, cast the corner of their eyes on the vague outline on the river, and looked at the person standing on the water with both respect and awe.

The people who came back from Guixu had a gloomy color, and the world could not avoid it. What's more, Emperor Zhao died in the fire, and finally failed to sprinkle it into the water to wash away his grievances.

There are always many bad guesses about the fallen monarch.

The whispers of the hundred officials reached the top, and Xu Renqing, the servant of the household, frowned slightly when he heard the words, thinking that the people below made such an inference about Emperor Zhao, and if His Majesty knew about it, he would not know how he would feel.

Xuan Jingchen, who led the hundred officials, was fascinated by this familiar shakuhachi. She was not a professional quyi master like Cheng Wen, but she still thought of a familiar person in this tune. Prince Zhaoming's voice and face floated in her mind, and she couldn't help but set her eyes on the river. She looked at the figure, the fog gradually dissipated, and a thin, pale young man stood alive in the boat.

Just one glance made her heartbroken.

She remembered that face vividly, unforgettable in her life.

It was Prince Zhaoming, her wife, a deceased person.

The heart seemed to be hit hard, and the queen felt short of breath for a while, and her head was dizzy. In a blink of an eye, the Queen could no longer see the figure of the person in the boat. The sound of shakuhachi lingered and echoed desolately on the banks of the Liangshui River.

This extremely familiar voice rang in her ears and fell into the heart of the queen. The queen turned back and whispered to Commander Su Yanqing, who was waiting by the side: "Seal the river bank and see who is on the boat. , don't be disturbed."

Su Yanqing, who also had this thought, nodded and quickly ordered the golden robe guards according to the will.

Noticing all this, Shao Si Ming sighed lowly and set his eyes on the place where Taiyi Sect Taoist sat.

There was a young man there, wearing a Taoist robe and a white turban, blowing shakuhachi horizontally, dedicated to seeing off the old man. Those who play are among the Taoists, not on a river boat.

That flat boat, the people on the boat, are just the phantoms played by the shakuhachi as a gift from Da Siming.

No one could find the trace of that person and boat on the shore.

Da Si Ming spent a lot of time and energy, all he wanted was for this young man to play a song for her with peace of mind. Although I don't know the reason, but when I realized that the master was so protective of the little son named Le Zhengsu, the young secretary ordered Xiang Sinian to make a decision to protect the young man's life no matter what.

The funeral of Da Siming was held in the cold wind. The wind blew her ashes into the cold water river, and the rest were picked up by the Taiyi people, crashed into the golden pagoda, and placed in the Taiyi Temple for worship.

After the ashes were annihilated, the queen led her hundred officials toward the imperial city. Zhong Lishuo, wearing a blue Taoist robe, was walking among the last Taoists in the team, looking at the bright red flag belonging to the Qing Kingdom in the distance, and reading the distant glance that he had just inadvertently looked up at the Queen, his sigh became more and more intense.

The world is impermanent, this is what she has always understood. She doesn't know which day, when she is parting, all she can do is to live every day well. Just when can I get close to the queen at one time

Zhong Lishuo felt a little regretful that he hadn't gotten closer to the Queen during his lifetime.

She thought about things in her heart, and gradually slowed down and fell behind. Shao Siming, who was walking in the front, did not know when he walked into her. Seeing her like this, he said softly, "Thank you, Young Master Lezheng, today. I wonder if Young Master would be willing to join me?"

"Huh?" Zhong Lishuo, who was suddenly asked such a question, raised his head and looked into the girl's sincere and innocent eyes, slightly surprised.

At that time, Zhong Lishuo, who only thought that Shao Siming was asking casually, did not expect that after school the next evening, he would see Shao Siming wearing the red and white sacrificial uniform of the superintendent at home.

This evening, it was a little deserted. The girl in formal dress sat on the guest seat in the main hall of the Marquis of Zhenbei, looked at the Marquis of Zhenbei who was sitting in the first seat, and said solemnly and solemnly: "Master told me before his death that Senior Brother Lezheng is the Sixteenth Uncle Ran Ran. The lay disciple I recognized years ago, she started earlier than me, so I want to call her senior brother. Well, to be precise, senior sister.”

"Uncle swiftly left early, and there is no successor behind him. When the master saw Young Master Lezheng that day, he remembered what Uncle Master said by chance, so he gave him a jar of treasures to recognize him as an apprentice."

"Little Senior Brother Lezheng has a relationship with my Taiyi, and has deep roots in Taoism. If you enter my Taiyi, you can have a safe and smooth life." The girl's expression was serious, and she clearly stated her master's instructions before her death, and finally said sincerely: "Hou Hou The Lord also knows the rules of my Taishen. Even if you serve the gods, you can marry freely. The East Emperor and all the gods are free and romantic to come and go with you, so you don’t have to worry about the lifelong affairs of little brother Lezheng.”

"So, dare to ask Marquis if you can allow Junior Brother Lezheng to be included in my Taiyi Clan?"

The high-ranking girl pointed out her intention, and when she arrived, the Duke of Zhenbei was caught off guard. You must know that in a few days, this girl who is only sixteen years old will be the chief minister in charge of the important affairs of the imperial court. As the senior brother of Da Siming, even in name, Le Zhengsu does not talk about glory and wealth, at least he is well-off.

But what Zhenbei Houtu did was not what the identity of Shao Siming could bring, but the fact that he entered Taiyi's door to make Lezheng look healthy. He only wanted the child to be safe, but even though he so earnestly hoped that the child could enter Taiyi, the Zhenbeihou couple, who were parents, handed over the choice to Le Zhengsu and said, "Su'er, what do you think? "

What else could Zhong Lishuo think? As early as yesterday, when Shao Si ordered Qing Lan's letterhead to hand over to her, Zhong Lishuo could only go as Qing Lan said.

Qing Lan said that she could avoid many hardships by entering the Taiyi Sect. Then, after listening to the words of her old friend, she should enter the Taiyi Sect and become a Taoist priest.

So she replied, "Su is extremely happy."

Shao Si Ming, who finally got the permission of the other party's parents, breathed a sigh of relief, set his eyes on Zhong Lishuo, and said with a light smile: "Then little brother, every day after class, I will go to Hongwen Hall to look for you after class. I teach "Tai Yi Ji" on behalf of me."

Zeng Lishuo shook his head and said, "No, I've read Tai Yi Ji thoroughly."

It's more than just reading it. Before the age of eight, the explanations her mother explained to her day and night were Taibenji. After the rebirth, Mrs. Le Zheng still read "Tai Yi Ji" to her. According to her ability, it has already been cooked.

So, let's learn something else.

The author has something to say: Da Siming: The disciple is handed over to you.