After passing the main gate, you have truly entered the Upper Palace.
The main entrance is connected to a long straight bridge with the same width as the steps outside, with railings half a person's height on both sides. Looking from the railing, there are continuous roofs and tree crowns under the bridge, as well as roads like a chessboard. It can be seen that there are people walking among them, that is
Off to the palace.
From a visual inspection, the bridge is about nine feet high. If you stand below and look up, it will look like a flying bridge in the sky. This is also the reason why Qi Xuansu had never been to the Shang Palace and could not go up.
Taoism is about equality, at least on the surface, so the upper and lower palaces of the Wanxiang Taoist Palace do not refer to the level of status, but the actual position in the literal sense - the upper palace is built at a high place, so
It is named Shanggong, while the Lower Palace is built on flat ground, so it is named Lower Palace. It is very straightforward and simple, with no profound meaning.
In the past, Qi Xuansu could only stand below and look up at the flying bridge, but now he finally stepped onto the flying bridge. His complex mood, various feelings, and many emotions were something Zhang Yuelu could not understand.
Zhang Yuelu's mood was more like revisiting her old place, but she had just left for a few years, and there really wasn't much change here.
At the end of the bridge is the main building of the Wanxiang Taoist Palace, the Mingtang. It is three hundred feet high, three hundred feet each in the north and south, and three hundred feet in the east and west. It has three floors: the four sides of the lower floor correspond to the four seasons, that is, spring, summer, autumn and winter; the middle floor corresponds to the twelve o'clock, and the upper floor is a circle.
The cover is held by nine dragons; the upper level is based on the twenty-four solar terms, which is also a round cover, with a golden phoenix on it, one foot high. In the middle of the Mingtang, there is a huge wooden stake, which serves as the backbone of the Dougong beam frame, running up and down, and calling everything.
From the earliest Wanxiang Shrine of Empress Mingkong, to the Wanxiang Academy of Confucianism, to today's Wanxiang Taoist Palace, various peripheral buildings have been changing, but Mingtang has never changed. Just stand in Longmen Mansion and watch the vicissitudes of the world.
.Many heroes came and went, and eventually they all disappeared.
Qi Xuansu looked at the bright hall at the other end of the long bridge and was speechless for a long time. Although he had looked at the bright hall countless times, this was the first time he saw it from the front. Just like a beautiful woman, Qi Xuansu had seen her back many times and also
I have seen the side profile many times, but I have never seen the front face. This time I got my wish.
Zhang Yuelu also stopped to admire it for a moment. Due to the Wanxiang Dao Palace's "dare not to be the first for the world", she could not come here often. It was now the semester break, so she could come in. After June 15th, this place would be closed, so she could only
She was waiting outside, so she didn't have many chances to see Mingtang. It was no exaggeration to say that she had more chances to go to Jinque than to Mingtang.
Zhang Yuelu said: "When I came here last time, I happened to meet Yan Mingchen who also came to study. Do you still remember this person?"
"Of course I remember, he was shot by me in Yunjin Mountain." Qi Xuansu made a gun gesture, "Since Xuan Sheng revitalized Taoism, five of the six generations of Celestial Masters came from the Zhang family. The only Celestial Master with a different surname is
Yan, you are considered family friends."
Zhang Yuelu continued: "I don't have any thoughts about Yan Mingchen. Due to the friendship between the two families for many years, I just treat him as an ordinary friend. But somehow my mother found out about it and started planning a marriage. After all, I was not married at that time.
Being recognized as a successor by Master, his importance in the Taoist sect is far less than it is now. If it were me now, my mother would never agree. So she is very grateful to you, it saves her the trouble of thinking of ways to get rid of Yan Mingchen."
Qi Xuansu wanted to make a few taunts, but suddenly felt something was wrong. He swallowed back the words he blurted out and asked carefully: "Qingxiao, what do you want to say?"
Zhang Yuelu glanced at him and said with a half-smile, "I want to say that in the next three months, you should not mess around with women and keep yourself clean."
Qi Xuansu said sadly: "Qingxiao, how can you not believe me?"
"Of course I believe you." Zhang Yuelu said in a calm tone, "I just want to remind you that many people were interested in my identity at the beginning. Even if I was not easy to get along with, they insisted on getting close to me. They did not care about their intentions.
You know. So if it were you, it would be the same thing. Such a young Taoist priest of the fourth grade of Jijiu, even if you did nothing, you would attract bees and butterflies. In the past, it was okay, only the Taoist priests of the fourth grade of Jijiu came here to study.
, most of them are elderly, but this time they include fifth-grade candidate sacrificial wine and sixth-grade preparatory sacrificial wine. There are many young women here. They are also considered outstanding, but they are inferior compared to you.
Far away, it’s reasonable to want to have something happen with you. Whether you can’t control it yourself or you’ve been set up by someone else, all you need to do is cook the rice before the woman uses it as a threat to make things worse.
, either your reputation will be ruined, or you will become a Taoist couple with that woman."
Qi Xuansu looked solemn.
This is not unfounded worry, but something that is actually possible.
If you can become a sixth-level Taoist priest before the age of thirty-five, you will be listed as a "preparatory wine sacrifice" by the Taoist sect. If you can become a fifth-level Taoist priest before the age of thirty-five, you will be listed as a "candidate for sacrificial wine" by the Taoist sect.
of ranks.
In other words, there are quite a few people who are twenty-seven or seventy-eight years old, and those who are thirty-two or thirty-year-old, who are candidates for sacrificial wine. In the eyes of others, they still have a bright future, but they can’t compare with Qi Xuansu, a fourth-grade sacrificial winemaker who is under thirty years old.
Compared with wine Taoist priests, they are far behind. Even if they are the same age as Qi Xuansu, there is a huge gap between them. There are few people who can be promoted like Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu.
Just as many people think that Qi Xuansu got a position by being a pretty boy for Zhang Yuelu, many women don't mind dedicating themselves to Qi Xuansu for their future, and even seek to become the wife of a young handsome man, which is much faster than slowly climbing the ladder on their own.
The so-called changing one's destiny by getting married is still the dream of many women. They do not want to marry a certain man, but to marry a powerful person.
And the moral requirements of the Taoist sect make it difficult for men to start chaos and give up. As long as a woman makes things big, except for powerful people like Li Tianzhen, most people can only choose to submit, otherwise they will be ruined.
If Qi Xuansu wants to flirt with someone, once he gets stuck, even if he doesn't die, he will have to shed a layer of his skin. In the end, his future may be gone, and Zhang Yuelu will become a stranger to him.
This is no joke.
Qi Xuansu tightened his collar: "I never thought that I, Qi, would become a hot cake one day. It seems that I have to be more careful and keep this pure and pure body for my Tantai girl."
Zhang Yuelu heard what he said becoming more and more outrageous, and couldn't help laughing and scolding: "I found that you are getting bolder and bolder. When you used to talk to me, you behaved like a quail, with your neck tucked up. Now you are like
It's just a golden pheasant, it just wants to flutter its wings and tail, but it still wants to fly to my head and make a nest."
Qi Xuansu plausibly said: "The best hunters often appear in the form of prey. If I don't shrink back and stay low, how can I lure this big fish like you to take the bait?"
Zhang Yuelu just smiled and didn't agree with him.
If Qi Xuansu had dared to speak so frivolously when the two of them first met, she would have definitely aroused her disgust. However, after experiencing so many ups and downs, the two have known each other and got to know each other. Naturally, things are different. Not only will she not be angry, but she will also be angry.
Will enjoy it.
Furthermore, don't look at Qi Xuansu now as if he had premeditated it. Zhang Yuelu is not blind. When they first met, Qi Xuansu had no rules at all. She was more proactive, but she didn't want to expose him.
While talking, the two of them walked across the more than three hundred feet long flying bridge and arrived in front of the Ming Hall.
At this time, the door was open, and you could see inside. The place where the dragon chair was originally placed was no longer there. First, a statue of a saint was placed by someone from the Confucian sect. Later, the Taoist sect took the statue of the Confucian saint out and replaced it with a statue of a saint.
The statue of Taishang Daozu.
In addition, the Daomen has also been remodeled to a certain extent. In addition to the original main entrance, the other three directions have also opened their doors to connect different areas, making the hall here become a place similar to a transit place.
Zhang Yuelu said: "Pei Zhenren said that the so-called advanced training is actually just a formality. It is not wrong. Many things are of little significance. It is nothing more than finding some knowledgeable old Taoist priests to teach a group of young Taoist priests. The content is somewhat similar to Confucianism.
Loyalty and filial piety means teaching you to be loyal to Taoism, but how can those children from aristocratic families listen to it? As for you... your problem is not here. You came from the lower palace of Wanxiang Taoist Palace. After more than ten years of nurturing, for
The sense of belonging to the Taoist sect is very strong, and the feelings for the Taoist sect are still deep, but I just don’t take it seriously with various rules and some high-quality Taoist priests.”
QI
Shen Yuxi and his ilk, and the Jiangnan case, are really disappointing.
Zhang Yuelu led him to a signing room located in the southwest corner, which was responsible for registration. Qi Xuansu showed the ultimatum and the piece of ivy paper given by Pei Xiaolou, and received a jade pendant. It was not worth much, and was mainly used for proof.
Your identity and access control to your residence must be handed in when you leave.
Then Zhang Yuelu took Qi Xuansu and left the Mingtang through the east gate. The east gate was also connected to a flying bridge. This flying bridge was much shorter. At the end of the bridge was a continuous courtyard, like a castle in the air.
In fact, when viewed from above, the entire Wanxiang Dao Palace looks like three "kou" characters nested together, that is, there is another "kou" outside the word "hui". The innermost "small mouth" is the Mingtang, which wraps the Mingtang.
The "middle entrance" is the upper palace, which is connected to the second floor of the Mingtang by a bridge. The outermost "big mouth" is the lower palace. Because it is not a suspended building, bridges are omitted and it is directly connected to the first floor of the Mingtang.
Because of this, if viewed from the front, the Wanxiang Taoist Palace looks like a mountain divided into three levels.
This area is the place where people live daily. As a fourth-grade Taoist priest, Qi Xuansu certainly won't have several people crowded into one room like in the lower palace in the past, nor does he have to have only one room like a sixth-grade Taoist priest or a fifth-grade Taoist priest.
He finally lived in a suite. There was a small courtyard outside. In addition to the bedroom, it also had a study room and a living room. It could be said to be quite good.