It is necessary to kneel when meeting the emperor, but he is a monk, so he does not have to kneel. The emperor does not have to kneel, and other officials certainly do not have to.
This was one of the reasons why he chose to become a monk in the first place, to laugh at the emperor and be proud of the prince.
The emperor's surname was Guo, his first name was Muchuan, and his current title was Shengqi. He was dressed in bright yellow clothes, sitting steadily on the dragon throne, looking down at Li Muchan, without saying a word, and with a majestic and solemn demeanor.
Li Muchan lowered his eyes slightly and focused his gaze three feet in front of his feet, motionless, as if the abyss was still and the mountains were standing still.
There was no movement for a long time. The palace was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop. It was as if invisible forces were squeezing the air from all directions, making it suffocating.
"Haha..." Emperor Shengqi suddenly laughed, broke the silence, nodded and said: "Master Mingkong really has extraordinary concentration, very good!"
His voice was as loud as a bell, and he was full of energy. Li Muchan secretly thought that this Emperor actually had good martial arts and was considered a master.
"Your Majesty is smiling." Li Muchan bowed slightly.
Emperor Shengqi stood up and walked down the steps, came to Li Muchan, and said with a smile: "Master Mingkong assassinated the famous Dongchu general Ximen Zhan. It is really a great merit. I want to thank you very much!"
Li Muchan said: "Your Majesty's excessive praise is just a fluke."
Emperor Shengqi chuckled and shook his head: "Eastern Chu's martial arts is far superior to ours. The master is the first person to successfully assassinate the general. It's not a fluke... Besides, Ximen Zhan is a genius in this world. Without you, Yi Ping's ability can't defeat him.
Then Ximen Zhan!"
Li Muchan said: "General Hua is extremely intelligent and handsome. He fell into the trap because of his carelessness. The soldiers will win. Even without me, General Hua can win a great victory!"
General Hua's real name is Hua Yiping, but few people know it. Most generals call him Hua. He is the only one in Shenguang Camp with the surname Hua.
The old eunuch next to him bowed slightly, slowly moved a bright yellow embroidered piece over, placed it behind Li Muchan, and then retreated to the original position with calm movements.
After thanking him, Li Muchan sat down and continued: "The Dongchu cavalry is indeed elite, but it is not wise to engage in a decisive battle with our city."
Emperor Shengqi sat back on the throne and talked about the battle with Li Muchan, discussing the pros and cons. Li Muchan didn't say much, but only a few words, all of which were insightful and sensible.
He could feel several powerful auras around him, as if a giant dragon was spying and would pounce at any time, exuding an overwhelming aura.
An ordinary person might not be able to feel it, but his spiritual sense is sharp, far better than that of martial arts masters, and he can clearly sense their power, far better than himself.
He took it for granted that it would be abnormal if the emperor did not have a strong force behind him to protect him.
Although he knows that there is heaven outside the world and there are people outside the world, but after seeing so many powerful existences, Li Muchan has a deeper understanding and realizes that he is far behind.
If you want to be number one in the world, you still have a long way to go and you need to work harder and more unremittingly.
After the two talked about the battle, they began to talk about Buddhism again. Emperor Shengqi had extremely insightful views on Buddhism, and Li Muchan couldn't help but admire him.
In his view, Buddhism is like the philosophy of later generations. If you want to gain something, you must have experience, and you must have a calm mind and be able to think deeply and continuously.
This world is similar to the original world, but there are some slight differences. Buddhism has developed differently, with more sects, like stars in the sky, but no Zen lineage.
Li Muchan believes that Zen Buddhism has the best way to study Buddhism - Shen Huatou.
Shen Huatou means to grasp a problem and think about it non-stop and deeply, like digging a well, until you understand it.
Just like a piece of blue tile thrown into a pool of water, it sinks to the bottom, and finally the foundation can be seen.
This method of understanding Buddhism was of great help to him.
He experienced life and death, and the Buddhist teachings were turned over and over again, and what he talked about was the two words life and death.
I have personally experienced it, and it is completely different from what I imagined. The language and writing are sometimes very poor and helpless. I have not experienced life and death, and I will talk about it in a colorful way, but in the end I will not be able to understand it. It is like swimming. No matter how precise you think about it, you will not be able to experience the feeling of being in the water until you get into the water yourself.
.
Once you have experienced life and death, you can read Buddhist scriptures and you will understand them as soon as you read them. Every sentence is like your own heartfelt voice, and there is a wonderful way to understand the Buddhist scriptures easily.
Therefore, although he is young, his attainments in Buddhism are better than those of Buddhist monks who have devoted their lives to hard work. As an emperor, Shengqi Emperor has such a profound understanding of Buddhism, which is rare.
Emperor Shengqi was astonished in his heart. He liked Buddhism and felt that Buddhism was profound, profound and wonderful, no less beautiful than a beautiful woman. He was intoxicated by it.
There are several eminent monks around him, with whom he often talks about sutras and sermons. In addition, he is talented and wise, and his Buddhist attainments are not inferior to those of ordinary eminent monks.
He chatted with Li Muchan for a while, and realized that Li Muchan's profound attainments in Buddhism were so comprehensive and comprehensive, and his insights were unique and novel. He was greatly inspired, and felt that listening to your words was worth ten years of reading.
.
Emperor Shengqi said: "Master Mingkong, please stay in the capital."
Li Muchan pondered for a moment, shook his head and sighed: "Your Majesty, forgive me, but I still want to go back to the mountain."
"Huh -?" Emperor Sheng Qi looked at him in surprise and raised his eyebrows.
Li Muchan said: "I left the mountain to join the army in order to realize Buddhism. Now I have gained a lot. I want to go back to the mountain to retreat for a while. Your Majesty will forgive me."
"In this way..." Emperor Sheng Qi looked at him, shook his head and said with a smile: "The capital is prosperous, Master has not seen it, right?"
"Yes, I just came here and haven't seen the prosperity of the capital yet." Li Muchan nodded.
Emperor Shengqi chuckled and said: "Master, I won't force you to do anything. Master, let me stay for now and then make a decision after a month. I will never force you to leave or stay!"
After saying a few more words, Li Muchan said goodbye and left.
Emperor Shengqi stood up and said with a smile: "I heard from Yi Ping that Master, you have been hit by the Snow Fragrance Powder. Mingfu, please bring me the Void Transformation Pill."
"Your Majesty..." The kind-hearted old eunuch was startled and hesitated: "This Void Transformation Pill..."
"Okay, stop rambling, I'm in the Forbidden Palace, there's no chance of getting poisoned!" Emperor Sheng Qi waved his hand.
Li Muchan said hurriedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty. There is no need to transform the void pill. I want to go to Dongchu in a few days and go to Yuhan Palace in person to get the antidote."
As soon as he heard it, he knew that there should not be many of these Void Transformation Pills, probably only one or two. They were used to prevent Emperor Sheng Qi from being poisoned, and they were given to him, so naturally he couldn't accept them.
"You want to go to Yuhan Palace in person?" Emperor Shengqi shook his head with a smile and said: "Master, although your martial arts are strong, Yuhan Palace is not a weakling, so you should use the Void Transformation Pill!"
"Your Majesty knows about Yuhan Palace?" Li Muchan asked.
"Know a thing or two." Emperor Sheng Qi waved, and the old eunuch turned around and walked to the red lacquer cabinet in the northeast corner. After opening it, he moved a stack of memorials to the case.
Emperor Shengqi pointed at the pile of memorials and said with a smile: "These are the information of Yuhan Palace. Master, you might as well take a look, it may be helpful."
Li Muchan was not polite. He read through these memorials one by one before arriving at the case. He read them very quickly. There were about twenty-five of them, and he finished them in about ten minutes.
He could read ten lines at a time and never forget it. After reading it, he pondered thoughtfully.
Emperor Shengqi raised his eyebrows, secretly thinking that it was no wonder that he was profound in Buddhism. He was indeed extremely talented and rarely seen in the world. If such a person could serve the imperial court, he would surely achieve extraordinary things.
"How?" Emperor Shengqi asked with a smile.
Li Muchan nodded: "This Yuhan Palace is indeed extraordinary. I still want to try it. Please give me your permission."
"Okay then, I'll send some Forbidden Palace Dragon Guards to help you." Emperor Sheng Qi nodded.
Li Muchan hurriedly shook his head: "It's enough for me to be alone. If things don't work out, I can come back and shamelessly ask Your Majesty for the Void Transformation Pill."
"...Well, it's better to be careful. If you can't fight, run away. Don't show off." Emperor Sheng Qi seemed very easy-going. Although he was rejected by Li Muchan many times, he still looked kind and cheerful.
The old eunuch Zhou Mingfu sighed secretly, it seems that Monk Mingkong has fallen into His Majesty's eyes.
Although Emperor Shengqi was wise and tolerant, he also had weaknesses. Once he liked someone, everything he did was good. Once he looked at someone, nothing he did was pleasing to his eyes.
Zhou Mingfu thought to himself: Monk Mingkong has now gained favor from His Majesty. Unless he does something treacherous and unethical, he will not be able to escape his success in the future. He is lucky.
Although His Majesty is kind-hearted, he has a broad vision. He is neither fond of nor disliked by most people. A very few people are disliked and expelled from the court. A very few people are favored and occupy high positions. The rest are mostly cold-eyed.
Zhou Mingfu sighed with emotion, but had no intention of making friends. He knew very well that his status seemed low and high, and he only had to serve the emperor well, and the rest was all in vain.
Li Muchan left the Forbidden Palace. General Hua was waiting outside. Seeing this, he hurriedly came up to greet him and said with a smile: "Master, are you seeing your Majesty?"
Li Muchan nodded, and General Hua smiled and said: "Master, you are profound in Buddhism and will be favored by His Majesty. I wonder what your Majesty's plans are?"
Li Muchan said: "I wanted to go back to the mountain, but Your Majesty asked me to stay for a month."
"Master, are you really going back to the mountain?" General Hua sighed, with a look of helplessness on his face.
Li Muchan nodded.
General Hua smiled bitterly and said: "Master's strong heart is impressive, but practice does not have to be in the mountains. The world of mortals can also be a place for practice."
Li Muchan smiled and said: "Those eminent monks and great virtues can cut off worldly thoughts. Although they are in the world of mortals, they can't touch a leaf. I can't do it."
"I think the master's profound cultivation is better than theirs. It's better to stay in the capital!" General Hua urged.
Li Muchan smiled: "Besides,...I will leave for Dongchu in a few days. I want to explore the reality of Yuhan Palace, so I can't go with the general."
"I will leave tomorrow for the Shenwu Camp." General Hua sighed: "Although Yuhan Palace is powerful, it must not be able to stop the master."
Li Muchan smiled bitterly and shook his head, but didn't say much.
General Hua had always admired and had deep confidence in Li Muchan, and felt that he was invincible. However, Li Muchan knew that he was far behind, and this trip to Yuhan Palace would not be easy.