dognovel Chapter 126: Old Stories at Tianshi Mansion
Chapter 126: Old Stories at Tianshi Mansion
Last time we talked about Li Yi going to the imperial study with Tong Qing, so what did Tuoba Jun talk about with Li Yi this time? Let’s continue reading.
As Li Yi walked, he analyzed the Queen Mother's intentions, and said in an apologetic voice, "Lord Yuefu, we didn't run away because we were afraid of trouble, but we went to ask for help. Manager Zhou was invited by us."
Li Yi waved his hand and said, "It's okay. I know the princess' temper. Although she is not unruly, she is still willful. In addition, the queen mother loves her so much. No one cares about her even though she is so active in the palace. I think she has been like this since she was a child."
Tong Qing nodded and said, "The princess has been active since she was young, and the martial arts training ground was built specifically for you to stretch your muscles. Not only the Queen Mother, but also His Majesty and the Queen Mother dote on our princess very much. According to etiquette, a princess who is over 20 and has not yet married should have left the palace and started her own residence long ago, but the Queen Mother and His Majesty were reluctant to let her go, so she has been staying in the palace."
Li Yi smiled and said, "I am reluctant to let you go, or I am worried. I am afraid that Your Highness will get into trouble outside, and I am also afraid that Your Highness will be attracted by the outside world. I am not afraid that you will be abducted by some people with ulterior motives."
Tong Qing turned around, bowed deeply to Li Yi and said, "Master Yuefu, could you not be so direct in your words? I dare not listen to you."
Li Yi waved his hand and said, "You are someone who follows His Majesty. You know everything and cannot see clearly what is going on. But you want to pretend to be a mediocre person. It is really hard and difficult for you."
Tong Qing begged for mercy: "Master Yuefu, please stop talking. If you continue, both of us will lose our heads!"
Li Yi smiled and said, "Okay, I won't tease you anymore, let's go!"
Just like that, Li Yi came to the imperial study. As usual, the small table was already set up, and fruits and tea were all prepared. After Li Yi entered the room, he bowed and saluted, then sat down opposite Tuoba Jun and said, "I accompany you to read books every day. This is considered overtime. You have to pay me three times the salary later!"
Tuoba Jun was stunned for a moment and then smiled: "Why, are you, Mr. Li, short of money?"
Li Yi grabbed a handful of dried fruit and ate it while saying, "This is what I deserve. It's the Spring Festival, and I have to come and chat about the Three Kingdoms with you every afternoon!"
Tuoba Jun thought for a moment and said, "It seems that Ziyi's matter has put a lot of pressure on you. I can't help you with this. I'm sure you also know the prophecy. The Queen Mother has chosen you."
Li Yi nodded and said, "Yes, I followed the Eighteenth Son out of the Imperial City. But I want to ask who this Tianshi Zhang is?"
Tuoba Jun said, "Zhang Tianshi is the second most powerful god in Tianshi Mansion after Zhao Tianshi. He is an old god who is over 200 years old. He goes down the mountain to travel once a year, just to eradicate evil spirits and save the people. When the old man passed by Shangjing on his tour, he found a sign of heavenly calamity in the palace. He calculated with his fingers and learned that Ziyi was in trouble, so he came to inform her."
Li Yi asked in confusion: "Isn't the Tianshi Mansion the Tianzong Daoist temple? Would the people of the Tianzong also care about such mundane matters?"
Tuoba Jun took a sip of tea and hesitated. Li Yi could see it and said, "If there is something else hidden here that cannot be spread, then just pretend I didn't ask."
Tuoba Jun put down his teacup and said seriously, "The Tianshi Mansion in Zhongnan Mountain is in the territory of our Great Wei. Every year, the imperial court sends a sum of Jingtian silver. Although the amount is not large, but..."
Li Yi smiled and said, "I am grateful for the food I eat and the money I take. I guess the local officials have been very supportive of the Tianshi Mansion, so Zhang Tianshi specifically told me about this."
Tuoba Jun shook his head and said, "It can only be said that this played a role, but it is not the main reason. In fact..."
Li Yi knew that what Tuoba Jun was going to say next was the crux of the matter. The Taoist Tianzong, which had always been indifferent to worldly affairs, intervened in human affairs. Not only did it interfere in mundane affairs, but it also interfered in the imperial family, which inevitably aroused suspicion. So Li Yi pricked up his ears and waited for Tuoba Jun's next words.
Seeing Li Yi's expectation, the latter picked up the cup and took a sip of tea, then slowly said: "Actually, it's mainly to repay the favor of my mother."
Li Yi's eyes widened as he asked, "What? The Queen Mother can even make the Taoist Tianzong Tianshi Mansion owe her a favor. My God, the Queen Mother is too awesome!"
Tuoba Jun asked blankly: "What does Niu Bi mean?"
Li Yi coughed and said seriously, "It means very powerful, very, very powerful. It's a word of praise."
Tuoba Jun gave Li Yi a look of disdain and asked him to understand for himself. Li Yi shrank his neck and smiled, "Go on, go on, what means did the Queen Mother use to deal with all the Taoist priests in the Taoist Temple?" After saying that, he picked up the teacup and looked at Tuoba Jun with an expectant and excited expression. The latter glanced at Tongqing, and the young eunuch immediately turned around and went out to disperse the imperial guards guarding the door, and stood guard outside the door himself.
Li Yi looked at Tuoba Jun with more expectation, and Tuoba Jun said softly: "More than ten years ago, Zhang Tianshi's son met the Queen Mother when he went down the mountain to travel..."
Li Yi couldn't help but complain, "Fuck, Master Zhang has a son? Can you get married and have children in the Master's Mansion?"
Tuoba Jun replied: "Of course it is possible. The Taoist sect also has Taoist couples. Marriage is not an option, but having children is possible. How come you don't know about this?"
Li Yi blushed and said, "Oh, so that's the case. I am just ignorant. Please continue."
Tuoba Jun lowered his voice again and said, "Zhang Tianshi's son is named Zhang Ziliang, also a Taoist priest of Tianshi Mansion. When he went down the mountain to travel, he met the queen mother by chance. As a result, the two of them fought. The queen mother severely punished this playboy, tied him to a flagpole, and hung him outside the gate of Zhongnan Mountain for seven days and seven nights. Tianshi Mansion sent three waves of people to discuss, but they were all beaten back by the queen mother. One of them was a particularly domineering Taoist priest named Zhao Zhiming, who was also broken his hands and feet by the queen mother and hung outside the gate.
Later, the Tianshi Mansion felt that it could not hold back its face, so it mobilized a large group of troops to come and ask for the people. The Queen Mother was prepared and dispatched the three battalions of the Zhenbei Army to surround the Tianshi Mansion, saying that if the Tianshi Mansion did not give an explanation, she would bring people to flatten Zhongnan Mountain and smash the Tianshi Mansion. "Li Yi exclaimed that it was awesome and asked what happened next.
Tuoba Jun said helplessly: "If they really fight, the three battalions of soldiers will not be enough to kill the masters of Tianshi Mansion. The Tianzong Daoist leader can turn those ten thousand people into ashes in a snap of a finger."
Li Yi interrupted, "Does the Queen Mother dare to challenge the Tianshi Mansion openly just because she is right?"
Tuoba Jun said: "In fact, all of this is the calculation of my father and mother. Although the Tianshi Mansion is in the territory of our Great Wei, it has always been an exception and does not take the court seriously, so my mother found a way to design all this."
Li Yi reacted and said, "So the meeting between Zhang Ziliang and the Queen Mother was not accidental, but was specially arranged by the Queen Mother?"
Tuoba Jun said: "Didn't I tell you that it was a coincidence, not entirely the Queen Mother's plan. Zhang Ziliang is a lecher like you."
Li Yi interrupted, "Hey, hey, hey, let's talk business, don't drag me into this! Besides, being lustful but not lewd is the way of a gentleman. Although I am lustful, I will never do anything against a woman's will. Everything is the result of mutual affection! How can you lump me in the same category with those lustful people!"
Tuoba Jun rolled his eyes and said, "You? Come on, stop being so self-righteous. Just look at what you wrote in your book Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Cao Cao favored someone else's wife, Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu couldn't even move a step when they saw Diao Chan. You wrote these chapters so vividly. It's obvious that you are too embarrassed to say your dirty thoughts directly, so you use the book to express them!"
Li Yi felt so wronged, thinking: Damn it, who can I go to for justice? It was obviously not written by me. I don’t know if Luo Guanzhong had this idea, but there is a famous saying in our previous life that everyone is cursing Cao Cao, but everyone wants to be Cao Cao!
You, Tuoba Jun, are the emperor after all, and you have at least 1,000 beauties in your harem. You say I'm lustful? Ah, then why are you so infatuated with Nangong Xue? Do you like her reckless temper and her unyielding character?
You are attracted by her beauty, and then you say I am lustful. Do you have any shame? You are the emperor. If you are not the emperor, I will teach you a lesson today!
Tuoba Jun saw Li Yi's dissatisfaction and said with a smile: "But you are indeed different from them. At least you are good at superficial work." Li Yi could hear Tuoba Jun's pun, but he couldn't get angry, so he could only drink some tea to suppress his anger.
Tuoba Jun laughed and said, "My queen originally planned to use a few beautiful palace maids to lure Zhang Ziliang into the trap, but she never expected that Zhang Ziliang was so bold that he actually did that to my queen..." Li Yi spat out a mouthful of tea. Fortunately, he did not mock Tuoba Jun, otherwise this day next year would be his death anniversary.
Li Yi wiped his mouth and said, "Is there something wrong with Zhang Ziliang's brain? How could he still like this?"
Tuoba Jun said unhappily: "Li Yi, what do you mean by that? When my mother was young, she was also a stunning beauty, and she was also very skilled. If it weren't for my father, who would be worthy of her?"
Li Yi quickly bowed his hands and apologized, "Yes, yes, even now the Queen Mother is still..." Li Yi closed his mouth for fear that he would make things worse. This is what is called "too much talk leads to mistakes". He thought for a while and said, "Then this Zhang Ziliang's end is pretty miserable, right?"
Tuoba Jun said coldly: "Not only did my mother break his hands and feet, she also cut his tendons. Otherwise, how could he be hung on the flagpole?"
Li Yi was shocked: Damn, is this queen mother so cruel? She killed him for fun? Why did she dig out his eyeballs? It was obviously you who plotted against him, but you ended up being the victim! It was also Zhang Ziliang who was blind. It would be fine if you were a playboy, but you chose the most ruthless character. Alas! Why did you do that?
Tuoba Jun continued, "After the Tianshi Mansion found out the truth, they knew they were in the wrong, so they lowered their stance and had Tianshi Zhang come forward in person. My father and mother acted out a play together, and finally Tianshi Xu, who ranked third in the Tianshi Mansion, was given the title of Imperial Master in the court, symbolizing that the Tianshi Mansion agreed to the court's jurisdiction and obeyed the government's management, and only then did they let him go."
Li Yi asked, "How could the Tianshi Mansion not know about this conspiracy? Are they just going to admit defeat like this?"
Tuoba Jun laughed and said, "Do you think that you, Li Yi, are the only one who can scheme, and that everyone else is a fool? Father, mother, and teacher are all involved in this matter. If there were no Confucianism and Taoism to support you, would those old Taoists agree with this? The situation at that time was also very tense. Father sent all the masters out of the palace to guard mother. Just think about it!"
Li Yi nodded and said, "It is indeed not easy to say so."
Tuoba Jun said proudly: "Also, if your "Plan for Governance" had not been appointed as the Grand Master of Wei by Master Xu, it would not have been so easy to implement. It would have needed a lot of trouble like what happened at the Vajra Temple."
Li Yi cupped his hands and said, "The Queen Mother is truly wise and powerful, a rare woman of the time! So is this how Tianshi Zhang owes the Queen Mother a favor?"
Tuoba Jun smiled and said, "Otherwise, the Queen Mother has given the Heavenly Master's Mansion a huge honor by not killing Zhang Ziliang directly!"
Li Yi smiled and asked, "Then you are willing to put aside your status and compete with me fairly. Isn't that giving me a lot of face?"
Tuoba Jun said cheerfully: "You have a conscience. You know I gave you a huge favor. Shouldn't you thank me?"
Li Yi bowed and said, "Thank you!" After that, the two of them smiled heartily.
Tuoba Jun said, "Xiuyuan, Zhang Tianshi said that Ziyi will have to pass the tribulation next year. You still have more than a year, so please do your best. Ziyi is more than just a daughter and sister to my mother and me."
Li Yi sighed and said, "I know. Manager Zhou told me about the dragon energy. I won't say much. In the next period of time, I will try to figure out the matter of the heavenly tribulation."
Tuoba Jun patted Li Yi on the shoulder and said seriously: "Good brother, then Ziyi will be handed over to you!"
Li Yi asked: "Have you asked the Taoist sect?"
Tuoba Jun shook his head and said, "None of the three sects of Taoism can go against the will of heaven. It is rare for Zhang Tianshi to reveal the secret of heaven..."