***
It didn't snow in Nanjing, but it was very cold.
The royal family had just welcomed a new prince and a princess, which was supposed to be a very joyous occasion. But now the atmosphere in the palace was as cold as the weather.
In Kunning Palace, the wet nurse was feeding the third prince who had just turned one month old. The little guy was easy to take care of and would fall asleep after eating.
Queen Yang Zhi stared with a look of deep worry, looking slightly thinner than before. When the nurse took the child away, she could not help but sigh.
She had never been concerned about state affairs, but that didn't mean she knew nothing. The memorial from the censor Li Jiqing had made her restless and worried these days.
When Li Jilian submitted this memorial, Guazhou had just been lost, Hetao had fallen, Lanzhou had been broken, and the situation in the entire northwest had taken a sharp turn for the worse. When the news came that the emperor was forced to lead 6,000 troops into battle, people all over the world were in an uproar.
If the emperor was in Nanjing, it would be fine for the censors to submit a memorial urging the prince to move to the palace and appoint officials. But at that critical moment, doing so was too sensitive.
To put it bluntly, this is clearly preparation for the emperor's death.
From the perspective of being prepared for any eventuality, doing so may be a good thing for the entire world, but will the emperor himself feel comfortable with it
If the emperor gets angry, the consequences will be unimaginable.
Momo saw that the queen was worried all day long and couldn't bear it, so he stepped forward to comfort her: "You don't have to worry too much, His Majesty is wise and will definitely not blame you and the prince for this."
Yang Zhi shook her head and said, "It would be great if that were the case."
This matter involved the prince and her father, both of whom were her closest relatives. Moreover, her father had a "criminal record". Although Qin Mu did not pursue the matter of Ganzhou, it had always been a concern for her.
Li Jiqing and his father were teacher and student. What would others think if he submitted such a memorial at this time? What would the emperor think
The women in the palace now, except Yun Qiaoer and Xu Ruoshi, have no family background. However, the affairs of the harem have always been inseparable from the affairs of the world, and the disputes in the palace are often fueled by outsiders.
Who can be sure whether someone will take advantage of her and the Yang family's misfortune at this time
Thinking of the danger, Yang Zhi's face turned pale, and she quickly ordered: "Mo Mo Ruoruo, the two of you don't need to worry about anything else for the time being, just take turns to look after Jing'er. Don't make any mistakes."
"Yes, madam."
Momo and Ruoruo are now both sixth-rank female officials, assisting Yang Zhi in managing the entire harem. With a lot of experience, they naturally know why the queen suddenly took this action.
There are only three sons in the royal family now, two of whom are born to the Queen. If something goes wrong with the second prince born to Lan Zhaoyi at this time, the Queen and her family will never be able to clear themselves even if they jump into the Yellow River.
Ruoruo, who was standing next to her, had a simpler mind. She made an intuitive analysis. There were only two and a half people in the palace who could threaten the queen's position. One was Concubine Xiang, the other was Concubine Xu. Concubine Gu was half a person.
In addition, if other women wanted to replace Yang Zhi as the mother of the country, the ministers in the court would definitely not agree.
Among them, Xiang Fei is the biggest threat. Now Xiang Fei has grown up, and is as beautiful as a flower. These are secondary...
Yang Zhi seemed to know what she was thinking. She immediately warned: "Qiao'er and I are like sisters, you must not have any evil thoughts."
Many people adopt the approach of shifting the crisis to others.
For example, if we fabricate some evidence now and turn Li Jiqing's petition to urge the crown prince to move to another palace into someone else's attempt to frame Yang Tinglin, the Yang family will be safe and sound, and the crown prince will also be worry-free.
But Yang Zhi was kind-hearted by nature and was not used to such underhanded means. Moreover, she knew very well that she could target anyone except Yun Qiao'er.
The special place Qiao'er holds in Qin Mu's heart is irreplaceable by anyone.
An imperial censor once submitted a memorial to the emperor, criticizing Qiao'er's frequent absences from the palace, and he was immediately demoted to Liaodong.
Qiao'er is a dear piece of flesh and blood to the emperor. Anyone who targets Qiao'er is asking for trouble, and even she, the queen, will not get away with it.
Momo thought for a while and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you ask Xiang Fei to discuss it? She may seem heartless, but she is actually very clever. Maybe she can find a way."
At that time, Qiao'er was still young and Qin Mu was away fighting. Qiao'er had always been with Yang Zhi. Yang Zhi took care of her like a younger sister, and the friendship between the two was very deep.
This matter is too sensitive. If the emperor is really furious, if there is anyone in the world who can save the Yang family, perhaps it can only be Qiao'er.
Yang Zhi nodded and said, "Momo, go and invite Qiao'er over."
"Yes, madam."
***
Stop at the pavilion to view the Fu Palace, and then gaze out over the imperial capital.
The Dharma Wheel rotates with the sun, and the flower canopy holds the flying clouds.
The green smoke and the fragrant pavilion, the red clouds and the precious clothes.
The rainbow flags are colorful in the distance, shining brightly in the sky.
After ascending the ten stages quietly, you will naturally achieve the three returns.
Qin Mu stood in front of the stone tablet with his hands behind his back, chanting slowly and loudly. Zen Master Faqing and other monks from the Da Ci'en Temple who followed him all bowed, clasped their hands together, and chanted the Buddha's name in a low voice.
This poem was written by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Zhi, and is titled "Visiting Ci'en Temple and Writing to Master Xuanzang's Room". Master Xuanzang was the title given to the monk Xuanzang by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty. The monks in the temple carved the poem into a stele and built a pavilion to preserve it.
Today the emperor said he was here to meditate, but in fact he was not sitting in the meditation room playing chess with Master Faqing. After visiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda where the successful candidates of the Tang Dynasty came to write their names after passing the imperial examination, he moved to this stele pavilion.
The emperor had never received any monks, and did not even set up a royal temple as was customary. It can be said that he was very cold towards Buddhism, which brought a great sense of crisis to Buddhist disciples.
This time the emperor suddenly wanted to come to Da Ci'en Temple. As the abbot, Master Faqing thought this was a godsend opportunity.
However, all the preparations he had made were of no use.
After the emperor arrived at the Da Ci'en Temple, he did not accept his kind arrangements. No matter what he said, he just listened with a smile and did not express any opinion.
This made Monk Faqing and Gu Junen a little confused, and they couldn't guess what the emperor's purpose was.
In the sky, the vast snowflakes were still flying, sticking to everyone. Qin Mu turned around and said to his attendants, "Master Faqing is old, there is no need to be bound by conventional etiquette. Quickly get an umbrella to help Master Faqing block the snow."
"Amitabha, thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." The white-bearded Zen Master Faqing looked solemn. He clasped his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name, then said self-deprecatingly, "It's just that I'm holding an umbrella. If it gets out, it will always cause gossip."
"Hahaha..." Qin Mu couldn't help laughing. He never thought that this solemn old monk had such a humorous side.
Self-deprecation is an art of communication that can quickly bring people closer together.
Zen Master Faqing was an old and experienced man. He cleverly used the proverb "a monk holding an umbrella" and "lawless" to mock himself, and at the same time indirectly expressed the Buddhist attitude of following the rules, hoping to win the emperor's trust.
Qin Mu couldn't insist on him holding the umbrella, so he smiled and said, "Walking in this Buddhist pure land, I feel much more peaceful."
"Amitabha, when Master Yinzong was giving a lecture, the wind blew the flag and fluttered it. One monk said it was the wind that fluttered, and another monk said it was the flag that fluttered. The Sixth Patriarch Huineng said it was not the wind that fluttered, nor the flag that fluttered, but your mind that fluttered." Master Faqing put his hands together in greeting, and snowflakes from the sky fell and touched his body, making him look as if he had merged with the wind and snow. "Your Majesty, everything in this world is like this, there is no such thing as wind, no such thing as flag, and no such thing as what is active and what is passive. All dharmas are created by the mind alone."
Qin Mu listened and seemed to have some realization. As an emperor, he dominated the life and death of the people in the world. He must always maintain a calm state of mind and must not be moved by the wind, the flags, or be confused by the outside world.
At this time, Gu Junen, who was following behind, felt relieved. From Qin Mu's words just now, especially the word "as expected", he keenly understood the purpose of the emperor's visit.
The only thing that worries people now is that the tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop.
At this time, Qin Mu said with emotion: "A son wants to take care of his parents but they are no longer around. Old Zen Master, I owe a lot to my ancestors in this life. I would like to ask you to perform a ritual to pray for them."
"Your Majesty has ordered me to do this, so I dare not refuse." The old monk Faqing was as excited as if he had heard the voice of an angel. Even though he had a high level of cultivation, he could not suppress his excitement. He clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, good! Good!"
Gu Junen's heart finally settled down. The emperor was performing a ritual to pray for his late father. No one should be so blind as to stir up trouble at this time.
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ps: I still want some recommendation votes, and I hope that the number of recommendation votes can reach 100,000. As a small-time author, I care about every data of my book. Seeing that it is almost 100,000 recommendation votes, I feel a little timid. Can you understand me? Give me the recommendation votes in your hand. (To be continued..)
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