Xu Fengnian and his party came to the foot of the mountain. There are 1,008 steps to climb the mountain. After Zhang Longjing got off his horse, he introduced the saying that there is also a worry-free road on this incense-burning road. . But Zhang Longjing added with a smile, if you want me to see it, you are just tired, even if you have worries, you can't take care of them. Xu Fengnian smiled slightly after hearing the words, Zhang Longjing then said with emotion: "Liyang destroys the Buddha, a thousand-year-old ancient temple with a long history is now occupied by a Taoist priest who is very close to the government, and now all the monks in the temple have run away Well, at that time the Taoist priest led the officers and soldiers to seal the temple, but the monks in the temple couldn’t take away even a single ancient book. The governor of our county didn’t worship Huang Lao at first, and even his alias was related to Buddhism in the early years. Singing in harmony with everyone's poems in Wenlin, the signature is the "old man who escaped from Zen". Not long after, he successfully established a relationship with Wu Lingsu, a real person in the capital. Last year, he got an outstanding "top" in the performance evaluation of the governor, and soon there will be rumors that he will go to the capital's Ministry of Rites to become a high official."
Xu Fengnian, who was leading the horse, frowned and asked, "Is there a stone arch at the front gate of the mountain, with the inscription 'Buddha is here'?"
Zhang Longjing nodded and said with a smile: "My lord is really knowledgeable. There used to be a stone workshop in front of me. The inscriptions and couplets were made by the great book sage of the previous dynasty. They are first-class good things. It's a pity that the Taoist priest this time Occupying the territory, I don’t know who and why, and pushed it to Shifang, so the prince won’t be able to see him this time.”
Xu Fengnian sighed, and said helplessly: "Xu Xiao had some stories here back then, this time he passed through Wucai County, and happened to be on the way, so he was wondering if he could try his luck and meet the old monk who once told Xu Xiao to 'put down the butcher knife' Forget it, let's go back."
Zhang Longjing said with emotion: "There is such a thing? It's a pity. I knew that my subordinates should have added tens of thousands of taels of sesame oil to Hanshan Temple."
Xu Fengnian laughed it off, and returned on the same road after getting on the horse, but there were faintly flickering lights on the side of the small road in the distance, which was not a sight when passing by before. The old spy Song Shanshui was instinctively alert, but soon Shi Ran, not to mention that the prince is one of the four great masters of martial arts who stand at the top of the rivers and lakes, who would dare to mess with Commander Yuan and Xu Yanbing who acted as his personal retinue? Even if these two masters were brought out individually, your court would not have the face to say hello if it didn't send out seven or eight hundred soldiers, right? Xu Fengnian has always had the talent of never forgetting his photographs. He glanced at the place where the flickering lights were a dilapidated earth temple at a fork in the road. He slowed down his horseshoes and saw an old man in a shabby clothes standing by the side of the road with his hand in his hand. Carrying an oil lamp, beside him was a sleepy child, who also wore a worthless fur hat. Yuan Zuozong let go of his heart, originally thought he was a hidden worldly expert, but now he looked closely at his demeanor, he was just an ordinary old man, but his physique was slightly stronger than his peers.
Xu Fengnian didn't dismount, but leaned forward, and asked in a gentle tone, "Old man, is there something wrong?"
After all, the old man was getting old, his eyes were not very good, and it was night, so he raised the oil lamp high, and then smiled, "Your surname is Xu?"
Xu Fengnian was stunned, and asked back: "Is the old man an old man of Hanshan Temple?"
The old man smiled and nodded.
Surprised by Zhang Longjing and Song Shanshui, Xu Fengnian quickly got off his horse, came to the elderly and children, took out a Buddhist scripture carefully wrapped in silk from his bosom, and said: "The Buddhist scripture that the master lent my father back then is now gone." After borrowing it for nearly twenty years, it’s time to return it to the original owner.”
The old man was not polite, took the Buddhist scriptures, and then said a common saying that disappointed Zhang Longjing. The old man held the lamp in his hand, touched the hat of the child next to him, and asked with a smile: "Can benefactor Xu give alms to the poor monk?" Two taels of silver? There are no more grains in the rice vat today."
Xu Fengnian was in a bit of a dilemma. Beiliang cavalry went all the way south, and there was nothing missing, except for this insignificant yellow and white thing. Zhang Longjing, the God of Wealth in Wucai County, was even more stunned. The nouveau riche are just playing with jade pieces, which are not worth a thousand taels of silver, and they are not eye-catching. Of course, this time Jinyi Night Walk will not carry gold and silver. Fortunately, the old spy found a few taels of silver from him. After Xu Fengnian took it It was handed over to the old monk of Hanshan Temple who wore a leather hat to keep warm. To be precise, he was the old presiding monk Faxian of a famous temple in the south of the Yangtze River. The old monk did not have the worries of ordinary monks not to touch money with their hands. He put it in his sleeves majesticly, with some undisguised smiles. The young monk beside the old man was even more open-eyed. How can you not be happy
After the old monk put away the money, he said with emotion: "The imperial court has a decree that no temple monks are allowed anywhere in the Central Plains, and Hanshan Temple is no exception. The newly recruited disciple was really young, with weak legs like a poor monk, so it was delayed. Later, I thought, it doesn't matter whether I go to Beiliang or not. When I arrive in Beiliang, it's just an old monk who has found a place to live. Going to Beiliang, maybe the poor monk can let a few more predestined people find a place of peace of mind."
Xu Fengnian said sincerely: "Master, I can send someone to send you master and apprentice to Beiliang. When the world is more peaceful, as long as the master still wants to return to the Central Plains at that time, Beiliang will definitely escort the master."
The old monk shook his head with a smile and said: "Benefactor Xu doesn't need to spend so much time and energy. Wherever the Buddha's fate is, that's where it is. Don't force it."
Xu Fengnian didn't force it either, and knew that he couldn't force it, so he just smiled and said: "My father often mentioned the master, saying that the master is an eminent monk who really has the great Buddha Dharma, and he admires it very much."
The old monk laughed loudly, "Young benefactor Xu is lying. Although we only met once, how can the poor monk not know the temper of old benefactor Xu? It would be great if he didn't call the poor monk a ignorant old bald donkey. "
Xu Fengnian was speechless, not to mention what was in his heart, indeed every time Xu Xiao mentioned the old monk of Hanshan Temple, he always talked about it like an old bald donkey, and privately nicknamed the old abbot the butcher knife monk. What happened back then, Xu Fengnian heard from his mother when he was young, that Monk Fa Xian was born in a wealthy family, he was an official in Western Chu and was a member of the Ministry of Officials Wailang. I practiced in the famous temple of Dashan, but chose a remote hilltop to live in seclusion for many years, and then converted to Buddhism for some reason. It is said that I had a debate with the previous host of Hanshan Temple, and in the eyes of the world, I became the host in a single step. Back then, the Xu family's iron cavalry rode across the Central Plains, and the horseshoes passed by, and the flames of war continued. Not to mention that the common people were afraid of the Liaodong tiger that came from the northeast, even the generals of the Central Plains' armies would turn pale. The Xu family's military camp asked Tu Xuxiao, who was in full swing at that time, to put down his butcher knife. If Wu Su hadn't stopped him, the monk wouldn't have said that the head fell to the ground, and he would have been served with sticks. With his wife watching, Xu Xiao had no choice but to hold his nose After reading the Buddhist scriptures, he chatted absent-mindedly with the monk, and then he was sent out of the camp as soon as possible.
Zhang Longjing can be regarded as Zhang Shoufu of Wucai County. He is a rich man counted in the whole state. How naughty, he said: "Master, there are many people in my family who eat vegetarian food and chant Buddha. Recently, I need to do a few Buddhist ceremonies..."
After waiting patiently for Zhang Longjing to finish his impeccable wording, the old monk slowly said: "The benefactor's kindness is appreciated by the poor monk, but it's a pity that what you do at the benefactor's house is not a Buddhist thing."
Just when Zhang Longjing thought that this matter was completely obsolete, he never thought that the old monk would change the subject and said with a smile: "But I still have to go, what if I meet someone with predestined relationship?"
Yuan Zuozong and Xu Yanbing looked at each other.
Xu Fengnian didn't look surprised by this, and said with sincere regret: "The reason for the court's extermination of Buddha this time is complicated, so I won't talk about such a bad thing, but I really hope that the master can teach more people about Buddhism."
The old monk who was struggling to carry the lamp changed his hand to hold the oil lamp, and said calmly: "It's one thing for a poor monk not to teach the Dharma. Buddhist temples, whether there are Buddha statues, Buddhist scriptures, monks, even Buddhas, and Western Paradise, are actually not the most important thing.”
The old monk paused for a moment and looked at the young man in front of him, "Just look at the hearts of all sentient beings, whether there is a square inch to put aside the Dharma. The Dharma exists, the temple exists, the monk exists, and the Buddha exists. Without the Dharma, even if all living beings in the world are monks, What's the use?"
Xu Fengnian nodded.
The truth that the old monk said is a bit big, but as long as the big truth has a place for people to settle down, it is the truth. The old monk said that putting the Dharma in a square inch is the habitat between the extremely large and the extremely small. In the past, Xu Fengnian hated the boastful scholars and hated the fortune-tellers who measured characters and divination. Looking back now, it was probably because he couldn’t stand the kind of words that didn’t fall into place. You have been told and listened to, and what you do next is up to you. When he was His Royal Highness, Xu Fengnian had a lot of opinions on the so-called literati and ministers, but before and after the hereditary succession, even if he had two unpleasant experiences in entering Beijing, his impression of Liyang scholars has gradually changed. Among them are Wang Jijiu, Huang Chang, Han Guzi, Qi Yanglong, etc. These are big figures who are not blindly hostile to Beiliang, and of course there are Zhang Julu Huanwen, who have always had the heart of cutting down Beiliang. Zhu, and then Xu Fengnian began to think about a question, is it possible for young scholars to grow up to be worthy of everyone's admiration when they get older and more experienced
Monk Faxian glanced at the people around Xu Fengnian, restrained his warm smile, and asked calmly: "Benefactor Xu, Beiliang has risen, are you determined to rebel?"
Xu Fengnian shook his head and said, "No rebellion."
The old monk, who was wearing a fur hat instead of cassock so as not to show his status as a monk, let out a little surprise, and continued to ask: "Your Majesty, is this an order to calm chaos?"
Xu Fengnian still shook his head and said: "There may be an imperial decree in Tai'an City, but I'm sure I won't see it. Probably the Lianghuai Road Jiedu envoy Cai Nan and Jinglue envoy Han Lin who are sick in bed have already received the imperial edict."
The old monk frowned and asked, "Then Guangling Road needs the Beiliang Cavalry Army to help the imperial army put down the rebellion?"
Xu Fengnian continued to shake his head and said, "No need. If necessary, behind me is not 10,000 Beiliang cavalry, but at least 20,000 Youzhou infantry."
At this point in the conversation, Yuan Zuozong narrowed his eyes with murderous intent.
After the old monk let out an ooh, he asked three questions in succession with no expression on his face: "Is Beiliang in the territory of Liyang? Are the people of Beiliang the people of Liyang? Is the frontier army of Beiliang the army of Liyang?"
Xu Fengnian also nodded expressionlessly and said, "It's all."
The old monk holding the oil lamp stood in the night, silent for a long time, and asked: "Dare to ask the king of Beiliang, the three emperors of Liyang, are there any foolish kings?"
Xu Fengnian smiled, "Not only did not, and regardless of the personal grievances of the Xu and Zhao families, in fairness and honesty, the three emperors of the Liyang Zhao family are all very wise emperors in the history books, and Zhao Lixiong is a great and powerful man. , It is better than the founding emperor of Liyang, Zhao Dun's diligence in governing the government, and his tolerance for people are also rare in a thousand years, Zhao Zhuan has high ambitions, but he has no suspicion of being superior and inferior, give him ten years of peace and morals, and the world will surely be peaceful."
The old monk sneered, and then the smile disappeared suddenly, and he said heavily: "What a strange thing!"
Xu Fengnian put his hands in his sleeves and said slowly: "Master must be wondering why you, as a survivor of Western Chu, as a monk who had to live in the earth temple at the foot of the mountain after being closed down and destroyed, can still look at the current world with peace of mind. Will you lead troops south for your own selfishness?"
The old monk stared at the young man, looking at his eyes instead of his face, "Does the prince have something to hide?"
Xu Fengnian laughed at himself: "Yes, but to everyone, it's not worth mentioning."
The old monk lightly raised the oil lamp in his hand, "Is it really not worth mentioning? The poor monk is old and faint, and he can't see the way, see people, and you without carrying the oil lamp. Isn't it also worth mentioning? Maybe God Everyone below is, but the poor monk is not at this moment."
Xu Fengnian hesitated to speak.
The old monk seemed to be talking to himself: "This world is very strange. The barren land in Beiliang had to be guarded by the tiger and wolf division under Xu's command. It had to be Xu Xiao who was in charge to deter Beimang. Otherwise, let's not talk about others. Even Gu Jiantang can't keep it. At the same time, cutting down the feudal clan is the general trend. If the Xu family is lucky enough to defeat Beimang, it will be as difficult as going to heaven to cut down the feudal clan. No matter what you think about the two successive kings of Beiliang, it is difficult to protect those who are directly related The generals contributed to the flames, and they wanted to do the work of supporting the dragon from the ministers of the dragon. Therefore, the emperor of the Zhao family in Liyang was very embarrassing for Beiliang and the Xu family. He was the emperor, but he could only let the civil and military officials Swearing at people with scholars, but Beiliang’s iron cavalry can only be surnamed Xu, and they can’t be beaten. Later, a scholar named Zhang became a high-ranking official, so he came up with a way to make Beiliang and Beimang consume each other, and it’s best to kill each other.”
Xu Fengnian said with a smile: "Yes, from the court's point of view, it's dog eat dog."
The old monk glanced at the young prince.
Xu Fengnian said frankly: "If it is said that my Xu family has been involved so that the imperial court does not treat the people of Beiliang as the people of Liyang, I will admit it, and so will Xu Xiao."
The old monk became silent.
Xu Fengnian stood there, a little dazed, "Take a step back and say, it was my Xu family who caused the Beiliang frontier soldiers to die generously, but they couldn't show their bravery. I also admit it."
A young vassal king and an old monk talked about this step, and the old spy subconsciously reached out to hold the cold knife in his waist, but Yuan Zuozong gently pressed the old spy's arm and shook his head at the angry old man.
With Xu Fengnian's sleeves in front of him, those young and strong farmers who looked like farmers in the countryside were chatting about the harvest with an elder. It means that the weather is about to rain, so hurry up and harvest the grain in the sun-drying field. This spring is rainy, so this year should be a few more loads of rice than last year.