There is a hill less than a hundred feet high in Zhuoshui City, called Baoen Mountain. At the foot of the mountain is a large-scale Baoen Temple. This Baoen Temple is backed by a cliff, with rugged rocks, majestic temples, and solemn Buddha statues. It is magnificent from a distance.

It looks majestic up close, surrounded by water pavilions and corridors, lined with green pines and cypresses, and planted with cherry blossoms, peaches and plums. Therefore, there are blooming flowers in spring, abundant fruits in summer, strong incense all year round, and an endless stream of tourists and pilgrims.

Baoen Temple's green hills, clear water, Zhu hall, yellow tiles, and white bridges are as picturesque as a garden in the south of the Yangtze River. It is the largest temple on the Hedong Road of the Shang Dynasty. The presiding monk, the old Zen Master Hui Yong, is even more famous, even from the Western Regions who come to Beijing to pay tribute.

When envoys from various countries pass by Zhuoshui County, they also visit the temple and listen to Zen teachings.

In the past two days, two unusual guests came to Baoen Temple. One was a middle-aged uncle who was thin and rode a skinny donkey. Looking horizontally and vertically, he looked as thin as a donkey. The other was a young man riding a donkey.

He was riding a white horse and carried a big sword on his back. His weapon was majestic and he looked like a son of aristocratic family, but he did not bring any followers. The abbot of Baoen Temple, Monk Hui Yong, called the one riding the skinny donkey Luo Donor, and the one riding the white horse was Tang Shaoxia.

The donor surnamed Luo was extremely ungrateful. He was laughing and joking all day without saying anything serious, and he would touch the old monk's bald head at every turn. The young monks in the temple were a little angry, and everyone in the temple admired him.

How could Master Huiyong be insulted like this? But this Donor Luo didn't seem to care about Master Xiaoshi at all. The strangest thing was that Monk Huiyong was not angry even if his bald head was touched in public by Donor Luo.

Monk Huiyong was known for his bad temper when he was young. In the past, a fellow monk from another temple once touched Huiyong's bald head as a joke. As a result, Huiyong's palm touched Huiyong, and a corner of the Baoen Mountain behind the temple was missing. Also, in the past few years, Huiyong

The monks were traveling abroad, and there was a sword sage from the north named Zhu Jiafu. Because he touched Hui Yong's bald head, Hui Yong grabbed the steel knife and kneaded it into dough.

But the man surnamed Luo touched Master Huiyong's bald head, but he didn't get angry and just endured it. The sun really came out in the west. Later, the head monk Huiming of the Discipline Academy who knew the truth said that the two were close friends, and Master Huiyong was a layman.

When we were still called Nangong Yuchang, we were already good friends with Donor Luo.

In front of the meditation hall of Baoen Temple, Luo Fengyang, who was smiling playfully, touched the bald head of monk Hui Yong again. Hui Yong looked helpless, and then opened his eyes, "Donor Luo, if you touch the monk's head again, the monk will get angry!"

"Luo Fengyang teased: "Oh, why don't you become a monk and stop being angry?"

Luo Fengyang knew that Monk Huiyong loved the things in the cup, so he deliberately took out a wine bag from his arms, unscrewed the lid and took a sip, with an intoxicated expression on his face, "Bald Donkey, do you want to take a sip? This is from the palace.

The tribute wine was given to a kid from Tang Dynasty when he came to Beijing a few days ago. It was given to him by the emperor. I couldn’t bear to drink it even though I had just shared it! This is the best wine I have ever drunk in my life. It is mellow and intoxicating, making people happy.

Forget about worry!"

Hui Yong hesitated for a moment, his face was a little tangled, he simply closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and said loudly: "It's so good, this poor monk has been abstaining from alcohol for many years. Donor Luo should know that alcohol is the first abstinence in my monk family! I can't drink it!"

"

Tang Jiusheng said with a smile: "Everyone has various ties. We in the world are also in the world, and we can't help ourselves. It is said that wine and meat have passed through the intestines, and the Buddha has left it in his heart, but there is really no worries in this world.

There are too few people! This meditation hall is deep, and you can hear the ringing of bells and the sound of wooden fish every time. But if you enter Buddhism but your mind is still in the secular world, can you be regarded as a monk just by putting on cassocks?"

Hui Yong opened his eyes and looked at Tang Jiusheng with a smile on his face. He pointed at his chest and said, "It's so good. Tang Shaoxia and I are Buddhas."

Destined! You must know that the real Zen room is never in the temple, but in the human heart!"

Luo Fengyang laughed loudly and flicked a chestnut on Hui Yong's head. Hui Yong had an angry look on his face. Luo Fengyang laughed and said: "Bald Donkey, don't pretend to be an expert all day long.

You can't stand the common people playing tricks on you, so what kind of monk are you?" Hui Yongyong said nothing and led the way. The three of them passed through the hand-chaosou corridor and arrived in front of the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats.

Luo Fengyang smiled and said: "Balu, your Nangong family has changed to a new head. Are you really not going to go back?"

Hui Yong shook his head and picked a half-green and half-red plum from the plum tree in front of Luohan Hall, put it in his mouth and chewed it, "Donor Luo was joking, the poor monk was admitted to Buddhism, and his Buddhist name was Hui Yong. He was no longer from the Nangong family.

people."

Tang Jiusheng was a little surprised. It turned out that Monk Huiyong used to be a disciple of the Nangong family. The three of them were talking. A young novice monk who was sixteen or seventeen years old ran over in a panic from the direction of the Tianwang Hall in front of the temple. When he ran in front of Huiyong, he was already out of breath.

, the little novice monk shouted: "Master! Master! Something happened! Some officers and soldiers broke into the temple!"

Monk Huiyong had a straight face and lectured: "Wuji, a monk should be unfazed by favors and humiliations, and should not be affected by the eight winds. Why are you panicking?"

The young novice monk Wuji then lowered his head and clasped his hands to salute Hui Yong, "Master, soldiers and officials broke into the temple, followed by high-ranking officials from the capital! I don't know who heard that the Tang benefactor was in our temple.

He broke in to find Don Don Tang and was making a fuss in the front hall when Uncle Ming Yi asked me to ask Master and Don Don Tang to go out!"

Monk Huiyong looked at Tang Jiu Sheng in surprise. Tang Jiu Sheng smiled and said, "Let's go, let's take the order!"

In the small square in front of the front hall of Baoen Temple, Tang Jiusheng received the edict. The ones who came to announce the edict were Song Peiting, the minister of etiquette, and Wei Dehai, the deputy general manager of the palace. Not far behind Wei Dehai, followed by the young eunuch Yu Fu and others. Tang Jiusheng had a gold medal bestowed by the emperor on his body, so there was no need to kneel down.

They just bowed and saluted, and several monks in the front hall also knelt down to listen to the imperial edict. Song Peiting and Wei Dehai showed humility to each other, and finally it was Wei Dehai who read the edict.

Wei Dehai held the bright yellow jade scroll imperial edict in his hands, with a smile on his face. The little novice monk Wuji didn't know much about literacy, so he just heard Wei Dehai read about what it means to establish a vassal, to show relatives and virtuous people, what to be talented, intelligent, loyal and generous, and what are the points?

Mao Ritu, Yuwei Dashang, and little novice monk Wuji looked bewildered. They knelt on the ground and secretly looked at Tang Jiusheng's back, thinking that they would ask Donor Tang what the imperial edict said.

After the edict was read out, Wei Dehai smiled with a smile on his face. He held the edict in both hands and handed it to Tang Jiu Sheng. Tang Jiu Sheng took the edict and turned around and handed it to Monk Hui Yong who was standing behind him. Song Peiting, the minister of etiquette, stepped forward again and presented the book and seal. In front of

The eunuchs, officials, and soldiers who came to convey the order all knelt on the ground and said in unison: "See King Wei!" Tang Jiusheng quickly bent down to help Wei Dehai, who was kneeling on the ground, to help him up, and then waved his hand, "Get up, everyone.

!”

Wei Dehai, the deputy general manager in purple clothes, stood up, with an old face smiling as brightly as a chrysanthemum, "Your Majesty, I have to congratulate you, you are now a very human minister!" Tang Jiusheng asked Wei Dehai in a low voice, "Vice Deputy Wei

Steward, didn’t His Majesty agree before that there would be no fiefdom? Why is there a fiefdom again?”

Wei Dehai whispered: "Your Majesty, logically speaking, the title of king should not be so hasty, but the opposition in the court was very loud. His Majesty argued with some ministers who opposed the title of king at the court meeting. In the end, the emperor was furious.

He said, Dashang is my Dashang. As an emperor, I still want to look at your face even if I can make you a king?

I had a lot of fun playing with Tang Jiusheng, so what does it mean to make him a county king? Since you are all opposed to it, then I will make him a prince!"

Tang Jiusheng smiled and patted Wei Dehai on the shoulder, "Being crowned king is a big deal! I'm ashamed to say it, but I actually deserve this throne. Some people will inevitably feel unbalanced because of this, which is human nature! Deputy Manager Wei is far away.

Come here, you have had a hard time on the road! Stay and have a few glasses of water and wine. I still have something to ask the deputy general manager!" Wei Dehai said repeatedly, "Don't you dare, just ask. Wei Dehai will definitely tell you everything!"

Yu Fu came over to congratulate Tang Jiusheng with a smile on his face. Tang Jiusheng saw that Yu Fu's expression was unnatural, so he walked over and put his arms around Yu Fu's shoulders, lying next to Yu Fu's ears, with a smile on his face, pretending to be affectionate, and asked softly: "Eunuch Yu, are you?

Don’t you still have a knot in your heart, and you have always suspected that I was the one who went to assassinate the emperor that early morning?”

Yu Fu was startled, then nodded. Tang Jiu Sheng whispered again: "How about we find a place where no one is around to spar at night? You will know if I am the one who assassinated the emperor!"

Yu Fu whispered: "Okay! Our family has been doubting this issue for the past few days. Although the emperor absolutely trusts you and made you a prince, our family is always afraid that you will deceive the emperor!"

Hu Cheng'an, the governor of Zhuoshui County who came to announce the decree, came forward and begged, he must invite the prince to visit the county governor's house, otherwise the news spread that the county governor's house would be disgraced. Tang Jiusheng laughed and joked: "

Mr. Hu, according to the regulations of the Great Shang clan, the vassal king is not allowed to make friends with foreign officials. I am afraid that the emperor will find out and blame you!"

Hu Cheng'an bowed his waist and said with a flattering smile: "The prince has not yet become a vassal, so this should not be the case! I just want to help the prince to wash away his dust and express my respect for the prince. He has no other intentions!"

A few people were talking, and there was a shouting outside. It turned out that Shui Ruyue, Ximen Yushuang, Fatty and others came to Baoen Temple to find Tang Jiusheng, but they were blocked by the officers and soldiers. They waited until the officers and soldiers heard about the two beautiful women.

When she turned out to be the thousand-year-old wife of King Wei, she was so frightened that she knelt down to say hello and quickly let the group into the temple. Tang Jiusheng was overjoyed to see Shui Ruyue and others.

The fat man stepped forward with a playful smile and said in a strange tone: "Oh, my old brother Tang, you are now a real prince. Come, little Jiang Zhenyu pays his respects to the prince! The prince is a thousand years old!"

Tang Jiusheng smiled and kicked Fatty Jiang, pretending to be angry: "It's so insincere to greet me, come here, I will drag him out and behead him!" Everyone laughed wildly.

Tang Jiusheng said he still had something to do, so he asked Wei Dehai, Yu Fu, Minister of Rites Song Peiting, County Governor Hu Cheng'an and others to return to the County Governor's Mansion first. Hu Cheng'an bowed and smiled and said: "Your Majesty, wait until the afternoon, and I will send a car to pick you up."

?" Tang Jiusheng nodded in agreement and asked the fat man to send everyone out. Shui Ruyue, Ximen Yushuang and others took a tour in the temple. Before Tang Jiusheng and monk Hui Yong came to the main hall, little novice monk Wu Ji followed behind for some reason.

Just now, Luo Fengyang didn't want to see these officials who came to announce the decree, so he didn't go out. He was watching the fish by the pond in front of the main hall of Bao'en Temple. Seeing Tang Jiusheng and Hui Yong come back, Luo Fengyang cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Congratulations to the prince.

Say hello!" Tang Jiusheng smiled and shook his head, "Uncle Luo, I am not a prince in front of you!"

The two were joking when they heard someone shouting from the main ridge of the hall: "Your Majesty! I am willing to follow the lord!" Everyone raised their heads and looked at the main ridge of the main hall, and saw a young man in his twenties sitting on the main ridge of the hall.
Chapter completed!