The Grandmaster Strategist

In June of the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Yongwu, the emperor issued an edict to offer sacrifices to the Yellow Emperor, set up an altar at Qiaoshan, and ordered the prince to accompany him in the sacrifice in Chang'an. Unexpectedly, the prince's behavior failed during this period, and the emperor was shocked and angry, and placed the prince under house arrest.

——"Yong Shi·Biography of King Li"

Seeing this, Cizhen smiled faintly and said: "Don't worry, Your Highness, Shaolin has no choice but to do this. Although His Highness the Crown Prince's actions have not yet been revealed to the world, they cannot be hidden from the people of the world. What's more, Fengyi Sect's recent perverse actions have caused the black and white groups to Shaolin is the largest sect in Bai Dao and cannot see such a situation happening. His Highness has always been kind to our temple and is diligent and caring for the people. Although our temple cannot get involved in political disputes, Fengyi Sect is a Jianghu sect. Our temple There is still something we can do.”

King Yong and I felt relieved. It turned out that Shaolin could no longer stand the arrogance of Fengyi Sect, so let’s forget all the old and new grudges. However, I thought to myself that because of the “Huo Jicheng” person who caused chaos in the world, Fengyi Sect could not stand it. The machine swept across the martial arts world, this matter cannot be leaked, at least it cannot be known to everyone, otherwise I am afraid that I will become the culprit of causing trouble in the world.

At this time, Cizhen said again: "I have one more thing to do here this time. Your Majesty recently planned to pay tribute to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum. Senior Brother Cixiu of Lao Na was ordered to come and preside over one of the ceremonies. Although senior brother has profound Buddhist teachings, he is not familiar with martial arts, so Lao Na specially Come to protect him.”

Li Zhi and I both nodded secretly. We knew about this. Master Cixiu was a famous official in the previous dynasty. After the country was destroyed and his family was destroyed, he joined Buddhism. Now he is one of the most eminent monks in Buddhism. He is profound in Buddhism and proficient in Sanskrit. He has translated more than a thousand volumes of Sanskrit classics over the years and is the number one contributor to the promotion of Buddhism. This man deserves to be personally escorted by Cizhen when he leaves the temple. You must know that although Cizhen is a great master, his status in Buddhism is not as high as that of Cizhen. Honorable Master Hugh. Thinking of this, I can't help but feel a little apologetic. I'm afraid this ceremony to commemorate the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum will not end well.

Since the founding of Dayong, many ceremonies have been held to worship the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum, but this time it was a bit unusual. The emperor naturally had to go to Qiaoshan to worship the Mausoleum in person, but at the same time, he also had to set up an altar in Chang'an to worship the Yellow Emperor at the same time. The country is prosperous, and naturally only the crown prince can serve as the person to accompany the sacrifice. Therefore, starting from June, His Majesty ordered the prince to fast in the East Palace, and he himself fasted in the Zhai Palace. On June 14th, the emperor would drive to the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum. The grand ceremony was held on June 15th. The imperial edict was accompanied by King Yong, King Qi and a group of important civil and military ministers. The prime minister Wei Guan and the attendant Zheng Xia were ordered to assist the prince in offering sacrifices to heaven.

Fasting is not an easy matter. It requires not eating meat, not drinking alcohol, not listening to music, not being near concubines, not mourning, and not paying attention to criminal matters. It is also necessary to be calm and not be agitated. But how can Prince Li An endure it? It's just that the soup is watery and has no taste at all. This has made him unable to eat, and he can't deal with government affairs. He is tired of these trivial matters, but not being able to listen to music and watch singing and dancing has made him depressed and even more unbearable. What's more, he is not allowed to stay alone every day. Not being around women makes him irritated and distressed, but he still has to endure it for half a month. He also has to abide by various prohibitions under the supervision of the servant Zheng Xia.

If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter, he would have refused to endure it. Just when he was thinking that if he ascended the throne in the future, holding sacrifices would not be so troublesome, the eunuch who delivered lunch had already arrived and put the green vegetables, radishes and other vegetables. He went to the table and brought out a bowl of brown rice and a pot of tea. Li An cursed God again, then picked up the chopsticks and ate hastily. Then he started drinking tea. As soon as the tea was in his mouth, he There was a burst of joy in my heart.

As early as when he entered the East Palace to fast, he had considered that the coarse tea would be too bitter, so he had already ordered someone to secretly replace the coarse tea with ginseng tea. This was Xia Jinyi's idea. Without this ginseng tea, he would have died early. He felt haggard because of his unsatisfactory diet. Unfortunately, it would have been nice to have a bottle of wine. After drinking a glass, he felt much better, so he put the ginseng tea aside and prepared to drink it while reading the Bible in the afternoon.

The little eunuch who came to take away the meal was quick with his hands and feet and quickly completed the work. Then Zheng Xia personally delivered the scriptures that he should recite in the afternoon. Li An looked at the scripture box impatiently and went to take a nap first. However, after many days Recuperating his energy since then made Li An miss those beloved pets even more. He tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep. He couldn't help but think of Chun Bin. He hadn't seen her for many days and didn't know what her condition was. The more he thought about it, the more he felt itchy in his heart. I couldn't help but sit up, thinking that I might as well go for a walk outside to avoid tossing and turning like this.

Walking out of the dormitory, I saw the guards of the East Palace standing around, but Zheng Xia, the servant, was nowhere to be seen. He was replaced by an official from the Ministry of Rites. He casually asked: "Where is Mr. Zheng?" The official said with fear and fear: "Your Highness, Wei Xiangpai Master Zheng was invited to discuss the memorial matter, and he will not be able to return until the end of the period."

Li An was overjoyed. If Zheng Xia was here, he would not dare to be presumptuous. But if Zheng Xia was not here, then it would be okay for him to take a walk in the palace courtyard. When he looked up, he saw that his trusted bodyguard Xia Jinyi was standing beside him. He whispered: "Jin Yi, I want to play hutong. Go and get it quietly. Don't let others see it."

After hearing this, Xia Jinyi looked around for a moment and said: "Your Highness, wait a moment, I will go and get it right now." But after a moment, Xia Jinyi actually brought the throwing pot. This is Li An's favorite thing. It is used for entertainment at times. This silver pot is in the shape of a wide mouth, a big belly, and a slender neck. It contains some beans, but it is designed to increase the difficulty. If you use too much force, the arrows thrown will bounce out. The arrows are all carefully carved and beautiful. Xia Jinyi handed over the arrow and said with a smile: "Your Highness, please show mercy. I lost miserably last time."

Li An smiled and said: "When it comes to throwing pots, you are not as good as me." As he said that, he threw the arrow, and sure enough, he hit the target. He smiled proudly, but after winning several games in a row, he felt that the meaning was boring. In the past, Xia Jinyi always made Li An lose a few games just right. In this way, Li An could always turn defeat into victory, and he was naturally very happy. Today, Xia Jinyi made consecutive mistakes, making it very easy for Li An to win. He couldn't help but lose interest. He couldn't help but said angrily: "Jin Yi, are you perfunctory?"

Xia Jinyi said quickly: "Your Highness, how dare I deal with you? I really have something on my mind."

Li An asked doubtfully: "What is it that makes you so worried?"

Xia Jinyi said: "Today I received a token. I should have presented it to the Crown Prince, but now is the time when the Crown Prince is fasting, so I dare not present it."

Li An smiled and said: "I'll take it as nothing, just bring the things."

Xia Jinyi did not dare to refuse and quickly took out a brocade sachet from his arms and presented it to him. Li An took it and saw that the sachet was very exquisite, with lotus flowers embroidered on it. His heart moved and he opened the sachet. In addition to the sachet, there was an emerald green silk handkerchief as thin as a cicada's wings. He put the silk Unfolding the handkerchief, one could see a pair of cross-necked mandarin ducks with red feathers and white heads embroidered on the silk handkerchief. There was also a line of poem below, "Looking across the clouds and mist from the sky, I miss the waning moon. Tonight there is a promise of red beans, jade dew and golden wind." Come to the pillow." Li An felt a surge in his heart. This silk handkerchief was full of affection. Could it be that Chun Bin asked someone to send it to her.

While he was daydreaming about it, Xia Jinyi had already said: "Your Highness, the person who came to present this thing is the eunuch who is close to Empress Chun. However, Your Highness is fasting now, so this thing is inappropriate, so he dare not present it. But if Withholding it is another disloyalty to His Highness, so my subordinates are in great embarrassment."

Li An smiled and said: "You have merit and innocence. Okay, you can go down. It's time for me to recite sutras." Xia Jinyi quickly put away the throwing pot and retreated.

In the afternoon, Li An looked at the scriptures on the surface, but he was thinking in his heart, Chun Bin must have invited me to have a private meeting tonight, but I can't approach women now. This is absolutely impossible, but when I think of Chun Bin's charming beauty His appearance and charming figure from long-term dance practice made him feel itchy. Besides, after the last dispute with Concubine Xiao, he had not entered the palace to have a private meeting with Concubine Chun. He had been fasting in the East Palace for twelve days now. I have been alone and unable to sleep for a long time. When I think that Chun Bin will be waiting for me to meet her tonight, I can't help but have my thoughts wandering around.

At night, lying on the bed, the more Li An thought about it, the more he couldn't sleep. Finally he stood up and put on some clothes. He saw that the little eunuch waiting outside was already asleep. He walked quietly outside the palace and saw several guards keeping vigil. , he arrived at the side hall and saw Xia Jinyi sleeping with his clothes on. This was the rule for guards serving in the East Palace. He stepped forward and gently pushed Xia Jinyi. Xia Jinyi woke up immediately. He was not qualified to wear a sword in the palace, and raised his hand to Touching the waist, Li An knew that there was a hidden weapon hidden in his waist, and quickly whispered: "It's me."

Xia Jinyi woke up immediately and quickly stood up and bowed down. Just as he was about to say hello, Li An waved his hand to stop her. He whispered: "Come with me to see Chun Bin. Don't disturb outsiders."

Xia Jinyi was shocked and said: "Your Highness, you must not do this. If this matter gets spread, I'm afraid the emperor will be angry."

Li An smiled and said: "It's okay, no one will know, let's go and come back quickly, there won't be any hindrance." Xia Jinyi tried hard to persuade, but Li An said angrily: "On weekdays, you are very obedient to Gubai. Why are you so stubborn today, why don't you get up and go with Gu Gu?"

A trace of determination flashed in Xia Jinyi's eyes, and he said: "I obey, but it's a bit inappropriate for Your Highness to go out like this. Why don't you change your clothes." Li Anxin thought it was reasonable, so he put on a guard's clothes and secretly took Xia Jinyi and the two of them secretly. Sneaking towards Chunbi's residence, although there were many guards in the palace, Xia Jinyi was the best at sneaking around. He took the prince with him and didn't encounter many people. Once he ran into the imperial guards patrolling the night, Xia Jinyi also took the badge of the guards of the East Palace. , use sweet words to deal with it.

When he arrived at Chun Bin's residence, Li An couldn't wait to open the palace door. As expected, the palace door was not closed. Li An walked in, but there was no one there. He only said that Chun Bin had sent away the palace maids and eunuchs, and hurriedly walked into the bedroom. I saw a silver lamp placed on the table and on the brocade couch. Chunbi was sleeping soundly, wearing only tulle pajamas. Her two lotus-root arms were exposed outside the brocade quilt, making her even more attractive. However, her confidant palace maid Without accompanying each other, it can be seen that Chun Bin must have been waiting for a long time and couldn't help falling asleep. Li An felt more and more guilty, and the desire aroused by Chun Bin became even more unbearable. He took off his clothes indiscriminately and went to the couch. Pounce.

Chun Bin was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt someone pressing on her. She was half asleep and could not resist. After a while, she woke up from her passion and found that someone was wreaking havoc on her body. She was about to scream, but the familiar feeling made her Without shouting out, she saw the man's identity clearly through the dim light, and she couldn't help but be shocked. Why did the prince come to have a private meeting with her during the fasting period? However, within a few moments, the prince's madness made her addicted to it. He didn't even bother to cross-examine.

They were fighting to the death, but Xia Jinyi was panic-stricken. He checked secretly and found that all the eunuchs and maids were sleeping deeply. It was obvious that someone had tapped their sleeping holes. It seemed that this was a trap that had been set. . The prince was the elk who fell into this trap, and he was the accomplice who helped tighten the rope. But then he thought about it, why should the prince deserve sympathy for his behavior? He had better take the medicine quickly to avoid a tragic death.

He quickly took out the pills Jiang Zhe gave him, and first took the pills in the green wax coat. A refreshing and light aroma made him feel relaxed and happy. Then he hid the pills in the black wax coat, so as not to accidentally lose them. He stood outside the dormitory and waited silently, but he didn't know whether he was waiting for the prince to come out or the violent storm when the matter was revealed.

Not long after the prince entered the Chun concubine's palace, Li Yuan, who was guarding the fasting palace, was sleeping peacefully. He was old and had only been fasting for many days as a recuperation for a pure and ascetic mind. Suddenly, half asleep, he saw something on the window paper. It was all red, and he couldn't help but put on his clothes, stood up, and asked loudly: "Gaohou, what happened outside Lengchuan?"

An eunuch in Xingyi, who was in his forties, hurried in and reported: "Your Majesty, the East Palace is flooded. The guards are currently putting out the fire, and Manager Leng is escorting him outside."

Li Yuan was shocked. Today is already the twelfth day. How could something like this happen before the festival? It was really unlucky. Thinking that the East Palace was in trouble, he had an unusual premonition in his heart and asked, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince." What? Go and pick him up quickly, don't let him make a mistake."

Gao Hou looked a little uneasy and glanced furtively, but did not dare to speak. Li Yuan was slightly angry and asked: "What's wrong? The prince is injured?"

Gao Hou had to say: "His Royal Highness is fasting in the East Palace, and it is Zheng Shizhong who is responsible for it. However, tonight there was a flood in the East Palace. Zheng Shizhong sent someone to rescue the prince, but found that the prince was not in the palace."

Li Yuan felt a basin of cold water pouring down from his head, and his heart felt cold. He asked slowly: "Where did the prince go?"

Gao Hou was dripping with cold sweat and said: "I don't know, but Shizhong Zheng sent someone to inquire just now. He said that two guards from the East Palace went to Hanxiang Hall." At this point, he was already trembling with fear.

Li Yuan was dumbfounded and said: "Hanxiang Palace, Chunbi, hum, Lengchuan, come with me to Hanxiang Palace."

As soon as the figure flashed, a middle-aged man wearing the uniform of the imperial guard general walked in. This middle-aged man had an ordinary appearance, but he was graceful and graceful. His eyes were open and closed with a cold light. He was a trusted guard of Emperor Yong. He has reached the pinnacle of martial arts and is the most trusted by Li Yuan. Now he is the head of the imperial guards and is favored by the emperor. He said calmly: "Your Majesty, please don't worry too much, lest you hurt your body."

Li Yuan said coldly: "Okay, hurry up to Hanxiang Palace and instruct Xiahou to imprison all the guards, eunuchs and maids in the East Palace without any mistakes."

When Li Yuan took Leng Chuan, Gao Hou and several eunuch guards and hurried to Hanxiang Hall, the place was still calm. I had no idea there was a problem at the East Palace. Li Yuan winked, and a guard stepped forward and kicked open the palace door. Xia Jinyi, who was guarding in front, was startled. He looked up and saw Emperor Yong Li Yuan staring at him angrily under the moonlight. , but he calmed down in his heart, turned around and shouted: "The Emperor is here."

A fierce light flashed in Li Yuan's eyes, and without his instructions, Leng Chuan flashed and hit Xia Jinyi's vest hard with his palm. The internal energy poured into his own meridians instantly, and Xia Jinyi's vision turned black and he fainted.

Without even looking at the killed guard, Li Yuan broke into the dormitory and saw his eldest son's face pale. On the brocade couch, there was a naked concubine who was frightened to death. Li Yuan felt that everything inside was burning, he was dizzy, he staggered and was about to fall, but he was supported by Gao Hou and several eunuchs. Li Yuan didn't say anything and said angrily: "Leng Chuan, why don't you kill this traitor?"

Leng Chuan's eyes flashed, but he did not dare to follow the order and remained silent. Li Yuan said angrily: "What, you don't even listen to what I say?"

Leng Chuan said calmly: "Your Majesty, the prince is the crown prince. Even if he is guilty, he must be punished by the world. How can he be dealt with like this?"

Li Yuan was just furious at first, but Leng Chuan's words calmed him down. By this time, Li An had come to his senses, rushed forward and kowtowed repeatedly: "Father, have mercy on me, father, have mercy on me."

Li Yuan glanced at him with disgust, kicked Li An aside, and said: "Gao Hou, send this traitor to the 'Jin'an Palace' under house arrest, and no one is allowed to visit. Also, I will put everyone in Hanxiang Palace to death, Chun Bin, Chun Bin, I don’t want to see her again." After that, Li Yuan turned around and went out. Leng Chuan quickly followed.

Gao Hou stayed behind according to the order. He went outside the palace and said hello. A group of guards rushed into Hanxiang Palace like tigers and wolves. Within a moment, all the eunuchs and maids in Hanxiang Palace had been strangled to death. Most of them had just woken up from their sleep. Come and die before you know what happened. Xia Jinyi woke up when Li Yuan and others entered the dormitory. He took out the pills in black wax clothes with difficulty. Inside was a pill with a weird smell. Xia Jinyi thought to himself, whether I live or die depends on you. After taking the pill, Xia Jinyi only felt numb in his limbs, unable to move his whole body, and unable to open his eyes, but he still had a slight feeling. Not long after, Li Yuan left, and the guards began to silence him. When it came to Li Yuan, a guard checked his breathing and said, "This man is dead. In fact, there is no need to look. How can Mr. Leng have a living person on his hands?" exist."