Ga ga~~ Ga ga ga~~~
The sky was brightening, and the first ray of golden autumn sun shone on the water of the Hibiscus Pond, spreading sparkling ripples. A flock of ducks swimming among the reeds flapped their wings and neighed in the water. Soon, the sound of horse hooves came from afar and approached, heading towards the pavilion of Wanshou Temple standing in the morning sun.
Ding ding ding ding…
Wind chimes swayed gently on the eaves.
Sunlight shone through the window. Lu Liangsheng sat on the edge of the bed and stretched his arms. He saw a short figure sitting on the windowsill with his legs drooping, staring blankly at the rising sun outside.
"Master, why did you get up so early today?"
The toad, immersed in the golden light, turned his head slightly with drooping eyelids: "Master, I couldn't sleep... When I woke up, I felt sore in my waist and back, as if I was pressed down by someone all night. Maybe I took too many pills."
Looking at his master's confused look, Lu Liangsheng was worried whether the Huimeng Pill he had refined would have other effects. But then he changed his mind and thought that since his master could eat corpse qi as a snack, a few pills shouldn't be a problem. He turned around to put on his robe, and the sounds of footsteps and voices were heard outside the window.
"We would like to see the Grand Master."
The Toad Taoist priest who was sitting on the windowsill poked his head out to take a look, then turned his head and shouted to the other side of the screen: "Liangsheng, I'm looking for you."
Behind the screen with the changing scenery of the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter, Lu Liangsheng stuck his head out, tied his belt, walked to the window frame to tie up his hair, and transmitted the Dharma sound to the outside.
"Get up and talk."
A row of half-kneeling soldiers below looked up in astonishment, but did not see the imperial teacher himself. The voice was just lingering in their ears, as if it was right in front of them. They bowed respectfully and stood up straight.
After a while, the door to the attic hall opposite opened by itself. A scholar in a light blue robe with water patterns walked down from the wooden stairs opposite, looking at them with a smile.
"What do you want from me?"
"Reporting to the Imperial Master, the 212 orphans are already in the government office. Please move on." The leader looked around, took two steps closer, and lowered his voice: "Your Majesty is here too."
Lu Liangsheng was stunned for a moment, then he figured out the key point and laughed. He asked them to go back and report first and he would be there soon. After giving them a few more instructions, he sent them away, went back to the room, washed up, had breakfast, and looked at the Toad Taoist who was still sitting on the windowsill in a daze.
"Master, do you want to go with me to the Chang'an government office?"
"No, I'll bask in the sun for a while longer." The Toad Taoist raised his flippers and waved them towards his disciple behind him. He looked at the golden morning sun, yawned listlessly, and then crawled down and curled up to expose the pimples on his back to the sun.
Seeing that the toad was not leaving, Lu Liangsheng had to go there alone. As for Hong Lian and Qi You, the two girls had disappeared early in the morning. It was possible that they had secretly gone out to go shopping before dawn.
After packing up, he greeted the eight big men holding iron chains in the square outside, then went out of the mountain gate, got on the regular carriage, walked through the bustling streets, and came to the Chang'an government office located between the East Market and the West Market. From afar, many nearby people were standing on this long street, looking at the government office over there with fully equipped weapons with an eye for watching the excitement.
"Why are the guards so strict today? Do you know what's going on?"
“… Early in the morning, before daybreak, when I got up to empty the urine bucket, I saw a group of children being escorted inside. They looked quite miserable.”
"A bunch of kids are in trouble too?"
"That shouldn't be the case. How could so many children commit crimes together? I feel like they have lost their relatives. It's really pitiful to see them."
"Stop talking, let me tell you something. My wife's cousin's second uncle is working there. He stayed at my house last night. When we were drinking, I heard him say that the Wanshou Temple over at Furong Pond received a group of orphans from the imperial court. They were all from families that had suffered disasters and lost their parents."
"Oh, the Imperial Master has done a great thing."
"That's right... If I can enter Wanshou Temple, I will definitely have enough food and warm clothes."
Amid the buzzing noise and whispers, a horse-drawn carriage came from afar through the street and stopped in front of the government office. Lu Liangsheng lifted the curtain and got out. The imperial soldiers guarding the door naturally recognized this scholar. They straightened their chests and put away their weapons with a neat and orderly "whoosh".
Lu Liangsheng walked straight into the gate of the mansion. There were many patrolling soldiers passing by, or guarding various places. When they saw the scholar coming in, they couldn't help showing a little excitement on their faces. They leaned forward slightly, probably thinking that getting closer to the enlightened master would bring them good fortune.
"National Master!"
"Meet the Imperial Master!"
Lu Liangsheng smiled and nodded in response to the whispered greetings. He walked to the courtyard in front and saw a group of dishevelled children of different ages standing in several rows in tattered clothes. They looked timidly at the soldiers and yamen runners around them who were holding knives and sticks, and their skinny bodies were trembling.
The morning breeze blew gently across the courtyard, and the leaves rustled and fell down.
Lu Liangsheng looked at the timid little faces in front of him, and quietly cast a spell on his palm, stroking the heads of these children.
"Don't be afraid, you will all have a home in the future."
Somehow, each of the children felt warm in their hearts. They raised their little faces, and their previous confusion and uneasiness gradually disappeared. They just stared blankly at the scholar in front of them who spoke gently.
But I still didn't dare to speak.
"National Master!"
Not far away, Yang Guang's voice rang out from the open door in front. Lu Liangsheng smiled and turned his gaze away from the child, looked over there, shook his sleeves, went over to salute, and was immediately invited by the emperor in casual clothes to sit inside.
The two men entered the room and sat down. The prefect waved his hand to have the servant serve tea, and then he left. Only the current emperor and the imperial teacher were left in the hall.
After taking a sip of tea, Yang Guang spoke first: "Master, can these children practice Taoism?"
Lu Liangsheng looked at the children outside who had lost their parents, heard the emperor's words, pursed his lips and shook his head.
"No, I have mentioned in the letter I sent to Your Majesty before that I intend to teach these children how to deal with demons and monsters."
"Isn't magic a way of cultivation?"
"Your Majesty, the two cannot be confused." Lu Liangsheng explained: "In fact, it is not much different from the martial arts learned by the knights in the martial arts world. The moves are moves, and the internal strength is internal strength. If there are talented children among these children, I might as well teach them some methods of cultivation."
With so many orphans who have lost their parents, how could Lu Liangsheng not know that there are actually some fake ones among them? Otherwise, why would the emperor run out of the palace just to find him for this matter
Of course, he had to speak beautifully as well. Whether these children of noble families who were passing themselves off as the real ones could hold on depended on their ability. As for the methods of cultivation, he had actually explored them when he came in, and none of them was qualified.
On the other side, Yang Guang, as the emperor, could hear what Lu Liangsheng said, and he raised his hands and said, "Master, you have worked hard for our Great Sui Dynasty. Please accept my greetings."
"Your Majesty, you cannot."
Lu Liangsheng stood up and went over to support the emperor who was about to bow down. "I am a minister of the Great Sui Dynasty. It is my duty as the imperial teacher to train a group of talented people for the people of the world and to eliminate the demons and monsters that cause trouble."
After helping Yang Guang up, he chatted with him for a while, then changed the subject: "By the way, Your Majesty is on a private visit, are you just here to see these children?"
"Not entirely. I came here to tell you a piece of good news." Yang Guang thought of the message he received last night, and his face was full of excitement. "Master, you don't know that the northwest sent a military report last night. We won a great victory a short time ago. The first battle brought me honor. I was so happy that I didn't sleep all night..."
Since he ascended the throne, he has been restricted by Yang Su, Duke of Yue, in everything he does. Now that he has won his first battle on his own, how can he not be happy? This way, his prestige will be accumulated, and he will have fewer words of advice when doing other things in the future.
"… In a few days, I will also go to the northwest. I may not be able to reach Tuyuhun, so I will supervise the battle in Xipu. If I can conquer Tuyuhun, I can finally be like my father, and no one will talk about me anymore."
Lu Liangsheng naturally would not try to persuade the emperor, who had tasted the sweetness, or say anything unlucky. After casually responding with a few words, he took his leave and the prefect also asked the officers to take the two hundred orphans to Wanshou Temple to help with their resettlement.
Two days later, outside the city of Chang'an, the disheveled Taoist priest used magic to hurry up with Mingyue, whose face was black, and finally arrived at the huge city. They found a place to wash themselves and then walked into the city.