"There have been constant incidents in Fuzhou City recently. All Taoist priests are here today. I would like to ask you all to review the details together."
Geng Jingzhong made a full gesture of submission and toasted everyone in the audience a glass of wine before sighing and speaking slowly with a hint of worry.
"My father moved to Fuzhou City at the beginning of the year in compliance with the decree of the imperial court, to prevent the Zheng family pirates from causing trouble and killing Li Shu, and to restore peace to the center of Fujian. But in the past few months, weird things have happened one after another in Fuzhou City, and monsters have occurred frequently.
, has almost reached the level of heaven, but it seems that our Jingnan Palace has lost its moral character..."
It was getting late at this time, and the last ray of sunset on the West Lake outside the door was sadly swallowed up. The water and sky were all blue and dark. The wicker hanging along the lake suddenly waved and entangled due to the strong cold wind, as if it was a rhythmic frequency.
Different dancers perform randomly on the stage.
The stars in the sky have not yet brightened up, and the tourists who have not dispersed have already lit up water lanterns, and the stars are floating on the West Lake, as if they can float to the deepest part of the starry sky with the waves of the lake.
Chang Qingzi is a tall and thin Taoist. With his hands folded in his sleeves, it can be seen that his shoulders are broad and his back is broad, and his arms are long. He does look like a good hand with swords and fists. It is a pity that he has a reserved look on his face and does not give any
Why are people so proud?
"Your Majesty, you're welcome. I heard about the ancient temple at the bottom of the lake before I came here."
Qingcheng is a famous Taoist mountain. As the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, Taoist Hui Lv is naturally also a high Taoist, and he returned to his own work in an instant.
"On the way, I heard that the ancient temple in the lake was shining brightly at night. I couldn't see it, but there was a strange sound like roaring. I am afraid that this is caused by the souls of the dead in the water. There may be an epidemic in the near future. The three of me, master and disciple, should make a water ceremony together.
All day and night, I prayed for blessings, so that I could avoid disaster."
In the past, there were many terrible things like miasma and plague in Fujian. Since ancient times, it has been believed that plagues are controlled by ghosts and gods. Plague ghosts are ghosts that spread plague. Once discovered, they must be dispersed as soon as possible.
Geng Jingzhong nodded: "Then Taoist priest Lao will set up a memorial ceremony at the lake. That ancient temple is very weird. I will send troops to protect it to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Then he sighed again, "In order to appease people's hearts, the palace also sent fishermen into the water to investigate, but the ancient temple is clearly in front of us, but they can't find it, let alone what is causing trouble inside."
Lin Zhennan heard clearly and immediately guessed what Geng Jingzhong meant by saying this.
"Your Majesty, I have something curious. The bottom of the water is only a few feet deep. Why don't you send someone to drop an anchor down, hook it to the eaves of the corridor pillars, and then follow the cable across?"
Lin Zhennan put forward a very practical plan, and Jiang Wen also agreed with it.
How deep can an artificial lake dug by the Jin Dynasty be? Wouldn't it be enough to dismantle the temple?
"The navy thought so too, but after fishing for several days, they only pulled up weeds and strange rocks from the bottom of the lake, not even an ancient tile."
Geng Jingzhong waved his hands in low spirits and said, "Think about it, no matter how much people Yan Gao, the governor of Taikang County in Jin Dynasty, used, how could he carve out a huge lake with a radius of more than ten miles? How could he attract so much lake water without flooding the city?"
Geng Jingzhong's words were a little erratic, as if he was waiting for something.
"People in Fuzhou city say that this West Lake was originally a depression outside the city. It was a sea eye that was dug out and the West Lake rose up. This ancient temple seems to be close at hand, but in fact it has already
Sinking into the eye of the sea at the bottom of the West Lake..."
As young Geng Jingzhong finished speaking, several people present also fell silent, feeling a little surprised and a little in reverie.
Suddenly, there was a noise outside the door, and many people made a sound of astonishing admiration. It seemed that someone wanted to get close to the lake, but was blocked.
Geng Jingzhong took the lead in rushing out of the tent, passing through the best position guarded by the guards, and came to the lake to have a panoramic view.
Others also walked out one after another, and they all saw the center of the West Lake outside Fuzhou City, which was emitting a faint fluorescent light. The dense chaos was like the aura of the Hongmeng when the world first opened, as if it contained all the obscure creations, and was opening as the Eye of the Sea.
, revealing a hint of maddening mystery.
Geng Jingzhong's eyes were full of intoxication, and he murmured to himself: "The flood spring is extremely deep, why is it flowing... The eastward flow does not overflow, who knows why..."
Jiang Wen also saw this scene.
The center of the lake in the distance is actually hazy, so you can't see it clearly, but you can probably tell it's a temple.
But it was this obscure and distant light that made all reality blurred, and the illusion in his mind penetrated the air. What emerged in his mind was a temple covered with moss and overgrown with water plants, with extremely solemn decoration and carvings. Cigarette smoke curled up in the hall.
It had been extinguished long ago, and the furnace was filled with lake bottom silt.
The golden Buddha in the ancient temple has its eyes lowered and its eyebrows lowered. Under its stone throne is a deep sea eye. And every night when people are quiet, if you put your ear against the cracks in the stone wall of the throne, you will hear the Buddha statue.
The sound of the surging waves of the sea below...
Chang Qingzi came up with his apprentice at the end, looked at the crazy tourists and soldiers by the lake, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, be careful, this may be a trick of the lake spirit to confuse people, it is better to have a water ceremony as soon as possible!"
Geng Jingzhong was a little annoyed when his thoughts were interrupted by the voice, but he tolerated it well.
Jiang Wen had always been wary of this Chang Qingzi, fearing that he would be unfavorable to Lin Zhennan due to some destined fate.
But now it seems that this man is more upright than clever. He obviously didn't understand, or didn't bother to understand that Geng Jingzhong's statement about worrying about the people was just a polite way of saying that what he really wanted was what was in the middle of the lake.
"The prince seems to be very fond of this West Lake? Why don't you step forward to take a look?"
Jiang Wen was more evil, and urged Geng Jingzhong to go along the bridge to the middle of the lake to have a look, so that he could avoid any plot to kill someone with a borrowed knife and use them to explore the way.
But at this test, Geng Jingzhong sighed: "Jiaxuan layman also visited here, and there is a poem saying: 'Ten miles of crystal pavilions, the road is full of clear nights.' It's not just me, King Yanjun of Fujian loves this place the most.
The lake was built in the west of the city, and the Crystal Palace was often built across the lake."
Then a true message emerged.
"I don't know if the thing sunk in the middle of the lake is the Crystal Palace built by the King of Fujian back then?"
Jiang Wen remained silent, a little curious in his heart. Why did Geng Jingzhong so firmly believe that the ancient temple at the bottom of the lake was related to the Fujian Kingdom of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms? This lake has obviously been around since the Jin Dynasty, so there is no suspicion in other dynasties?
But Jiang Wen also recalled an item in the book in Huixianguan.
According to "Chunxi Three Mountains Chronicles", when Zhao Ruyu was in charge of Fujian in the Southern Song Dynasty, he wrote a letter without any details asking for the dredging of the old West Lake outside Fuzhou City, and hurriedly launched the campaign without waiting for the imperial court's approval.
At that time, everyone suspected that this matter cost more and benefited less. However, Xin Qiji used the song "Congratulations to the Bridegroom: Traveling to the West Lake in the Rain in the Three Mountains" written by Geng Jingzhong to express cautious objections to the discussion at that time about the dredging of the West Lake.
The cold night was still long, and after standing for a long time, the tourists slowly dispersed. Geng Jingzhong reluctantly walked back to the big tent, ordered his men to warm the rice wine again, and started the banquet.
Lin Zhennan saw that Geng Jingzhong was inexplicably depressed, so he took the initiative to ask for help and said: "This West Lake matter should not consume military force for too long. If the prince is at ease, our Fuwei Escort Agency can take full charge of this place, and it will be properly guarded!"
"Mr. Lin's eagerness for justice is really admirable! However, this ancient temple in West Lake is just a scabies, and the weird things in Jipi Lane are the real trouble."
Geng Jingzhong's brows gradually softened, and he picked up a glass of warm wine and handed it to Lin Zhennan.
"Now, Prince Jingnan has sent troops to guard the entrance of the alley. For seven consecutive days and nights, the sound of repentance can be heard in the alley, but no one has come out. This matter requires you to share your worries..."
Chang Qingzi frowned: "Is there such a thing? Was the alley being poisoned by thieves with weapons, or was there a treacherous group gathering to cause chaos?"
Geng Jingzhong and Lin Zhennan looked at each other with embarrassed expressions, which was very difficult for the four Taoist priests who were kept in the dark to understand.
"This matter... starts from the time when the owner of the Eryouzhai Bookstore in Jipi Lane bought a Buddha statue in She County for five thousand yuan, with his abdomen disemboweled and blood flowing all over the ground..."