Solitary Palace.

On the table in front of a large clay Buddha that has been in disrepair for a long time, there is a candle standing on a wax wick, shaking.

The swaying candle flame caused the two unmoving figures in the hall, an old man and a young man, to sway left and right.

Ouyang Rong remained motionless, his long sleeves drooping and his eyes drooping.

When people in the Buddhist sect encounter this, they can sigh and say Amitabha.

And he is a Confucian scholar, so naturally he cannot do it.

But silence itself is a statement.

Master Shandao raised his slender white eyebrows slightly, and couldn't help but glance at the silent young man in front of him:

"The imperial edict will arrive in two days. The Ming government should think about how to respond appropriately and hurt the people as little as possible."

The old monk sounded a little guilty, chanted the Buddha's name again, and exhorted:

"The matter of building the Sifang Buddha statues and the Songde Tianshu was clearly decided by His Majesty when I was in Luoyang Palace.

"It's not like the Ming government doesn't know His Majesty's thoughts as a saint. What's more, the imperial edict has been issued and all parts of the world have been mobilized one after another. It's hard to turn back the bow.

"If the Ming Dynasty wants to blame, let's blame Lao Na. But when His Majesty asked where the Donglin Giant Buddha would be located, he proposed Xunyang City in Jiangzhou...

"I have gained a little from this trip to Luoyang. On behalf of Donglin Temple, I am willing to donate all of it to build a Buddha, so as to relieve some of the pressure on the Ming Dynasty."

Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his head:

"I'm confused about the next thing. Why does Your Majesty, who is so well-behaved, waste so much national power on building this center of praise and the four great Buddhas?"

Master Shandao pondered for a moment:

"When I was in Luoyang, I didn't know much about the movements of the government and the public, but your majesty decided to build Tianshu and Buddha statues. It seems that after the kings of Wei and Liang united with envoys from all countries to write a letter praising the Great Zhou Dynasty, during that time, she also frequently summoned Shangyang Palace

The Yin Yang family Qi practitioner."

He tried: "Maybe it was the idea of ​​the two princes of the Wei family? Those Qi practitioners also instigated it?"

Ouyang Rong didn't even raise his eyelids, he shook his head slightly, and after being quiet for a while, he asked:

"Has Your Majesty ever asked you about anything weird?"

"His Majesty mostly asked Lao Na about Zen Buddhism and strange things... Huh." He seemed to think of something and said thoughtfully, "It seems that he asked about some slightly weird things."

"for example?"

"One day, His Majesty summoned the old man in the palace at night and asked him how the great Zhou Dynasty's national destiny could last forever and prosper forever."

Ouyang Rong asked gently: "How did the master answer?"

"Old monk naturally advises your majesty to implement benevolent policies widely, the people will return to their hearts, and the world will be virtuous, and the Zhou Dynasty will naturally continue to be unified."

"Is this what Your Majesty wants to hear? Will you be satisfied with this?"

"I don't know." Master Shandao shook his head, hesitated for a moment, looked around the Loneliness Hall, then looked at the kind-faced Buddha, and confided:

"His Majesty seemed to have nodded and asked me a strange question."

"what is the problem?"

"A small, trivial thing.

"Your Majesty asked, when His Royal Highness King Xunyang prayed day and night at the Donglin Pagoda, was it your Majesty alone, or was it the memorial tablet of the late emperor along with her?"

"How the Master answered."

"Of course I'm telling you the truth, there are tablets for both saints."

Master Shandao raised his palms and said softly:

"His Majesty also asked how King Xunyang wrote the titles of His Majesty and the late emperor. In the title, he mentioned Dazhou several times and Daqian several times."

When it came to the last few words, the abbot of Donglin Temple's pronunciation became a little longer.

Ouyang Rong asked calmly: "Master, do you think this is a trivial matter?"

Master Shandao sighed: "Of course not."

Ouyang Rong looked at the old monk with white eyebrows and asked, "Master, what's your answer?"

The eminent monk from the Southern Kingdom, who was titled "Great Wisdom", slightly lowered his eyelids:

"I told you the truth, and the Ming Dynasty specifically emphasized the regulations before praying."

At this point, he faced north and his voice became more serious, as if imitating the palace question that day:

"His Royal Highness King Xunyang prayed for his parents as children at the Donglin Pagoda, not as a subject for the emperor. Naturally, the tablet did not have any emperor's title engraved on it, and..."

Ouyang Rong turned his ears and closed his eyes: "And what?"

"Furthermore, the late emperor entrusted His Royal Highness King Xunyang to His Majesty long ago. For His Highness, he is naturally the biggest orphan in the world. He must try his best to support her, obey his advice, pray for her blessings and fall ill, which also shows her pure filial piety."

After Ouyang Rong listened, he was silent for a while and couldn't help but look deeply at Master Shandao.

"Thank you, Master, for clarifying my doubts. I have something else to do, so I will say goodbye for now."

He shook his sleeves, took a step back, and gave a big salute.

"What is Mingfu doing? There is no need to be polite." Master Shandao immediately avoided it.

Ouyang Rong shook his head and insisted on finishing the ceremony. He suddenly turned around and left the hall.

Before walking out of the door, there was a sigh left behind:

"As expected of the eminent monk Mahamati."

…

Quiet night.

In Xunyang Prince's Mansion, Juxian Garden, in a study room with dancing candlelight.

The atmosphere was equally silent.

There were several figures sitting or standing, silent and motionless.

"Creak" sound,

The study door was pushed open, and Shi Shiran, Li Bao'er, who was dressed in a homely plain-colored ruqi, walked in and closed the door again.

She was the last to arrive and looked back.

Ouyang Rong, Xie Lingjiang.

Li Xian, Li Dalang, Wei Mei.

The five people had already arrived, and now they all turned their attention to her.

Feeling the strange atmosphere, Li Guoer's eyes passed over Ouyang Rong as if he were ignoring him, he lowered his eyes and raised his hands, and asked everyone:

"I'm late?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head: "No, please sit down, Your Highness."

Li Guo'er still didn't look at the person who responded to her, walked over and sat down next to Xie Lingjiang.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze.

After chatting secretly with Master Shandao in the evening, Ouyang Rong quietly followed the carriage of Zhen Shuyuan and his junior sister back to the Huaiye Lane mansion.

Late at night, he rushed back to Prince Xunyang's Mansion together with his junior sister who stayed overnight.

Tonight is special, there is something important.

He looked around and said softly: "Everyone is here, let's start early."

Before Ouyang Rong could talk about Master Shandao, Li Xian had already spoken first:

"Tan Lang, Guo Yu is here again this afternoon."

A certain thin face with a goatee suddenly appeared in Ouyang Rong's mind. He nodded and asked, "What did the Prime Minister's Mansion say?"

Li Xian said in a serious tone:

"Guo Yu replaced the Prime Minister's Mansion and brought important news from the court and palace. The Queen Mother is going to build a Songde Tianshu and four Buddha statues..."

He recounted a piece of news that Ouyang Rong had already known.

Wei Mei frowned: "How can you repair this thing so easily?"

Li Xian sighed: "Eighth brother said that now the Wei family has finished solving the rebellion in Yingzhou and has begun to free up energy to cause harm to the court.

"The construction of the center of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Buddha statues in all directions is the so-called national policy of the kings of Wei and Liang who took advantage of the grand occasion of the coming of all nations during the Yuanzheng period to call on foreign envoys to sing praises and praise the virtues together.

"It was said that he wanted to commemorate the merits of the founding emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. On the Tianshu Pillar, the words of praise offered by envoys from all countries and the subjects of the Great Zhou Dynasty were engraved... The queen mother Long Yan was very happy, and the eighth brother and Chang Le could not object to this matter in public."

Xie Lingjiang's pretty face looked a little unhappy:

"It's not convenient for my children to say, but what about the courtiers? It's a matter of the country. How can they be single? Isn't there anyone who has stated the pros and cons and opposed this matter?"

"There were some who objected, but they were all suppressed by the Queen Mother. During the Yuanzheng holiday, even the objections in the political hall were suppressed by the Queen Mother one by one. It seemed difficult to stop it.

"Eighth brother and the princes also felt that the wind was going in the wrong direction. The queen mother's attitude was a bit tough and she did not dare to speak."
To be continued...