Chapter 823: Incense in the Taoist Palace (Part 2)
Ying Caihe shook his head, "To be honest, I don't know the purpose of the princess coming to Yuzhen Palace. If it is just for His Highness Prince Jin's affairs, I think there is no need for the Princess to make a special trip to Yuzhen Palace. I am just His Highness Prince Jin."
A subordinate who faithfully executes all his orders."
"What a loyal follower of orders?"
Xue Tao sneered and said: "Prince Jin has many female subordinates, why don't I go find them? Palace Master Ying, you and I know this very well."
Ying Caihe sighed, "The princess didn't understand what I meant. Maybe there are many women in Chang'an who dream of becoming one of the concubines of His Highness Prince Jin, but that has nothing to do with me. I have been used to being free all my life. No.
I like to be bound by various rules. I don’t have much complicated relationship with His Highness Prince Jin. I am his slave and driven by him, that’s all. That’s why I said there is no need for the princess to make a special trip to Yuzhen Palace.”
Xue Tao understood what she meant. She had no intention of becoming King Jin's concubine. Maybe that was the case now, but what about in the future?
Ying Caihe added: "It can only be said that everyone pursues different goals. The most important thing in my life is practice. The princess should also know that women who have practiced martial arts like us cannot stop practicing in this life.
My master is like this, Guo Yuniang is like this, and Daoming Daoyue is like this. Once you stop practicing, you will lose your strength, and all your efforts in cultivation will be wasted, and no one can bear it."
Xue Tao was silent for a moment and said: "I believe what you said and what you pursue, but Palace Master Ying may not be able to understand it yet. Once you have your own child and become a mother, your mind will change. By then,
You might come to Jin Palace with your child in your arms, after all, you are only thirty years old."
Ying Caihe shook his head with a smile, with a trace of sadness in his smile, "It turns out that the princess is worried about this, so there is no need. I can't have a child, and I can't have a child. From my master to my senior sisters
, and then to my disciples and grandchildren, who do you think can have children?"
Xue Tao was stunned, a trace of guilt surged in her heart, and she quickly said: "I really don't know, I'm sorry!"
Ying Caihe let out a long sigh and said: "We were all adopted since childhood. When we were about six years old, we started to drink a kind of medicine. I don't know the formula of this medicine. After Master emerged, the formula of this medicine was also unknown.
It has not been passed down. In my memory, it is a very bitter medicine. I have to drink it until I am sixteen, for ten years. Our physique is gradually changed. Our body is as light as a swallow, and we have the skills to maintain our appearance. It sounds like
They are all beautiful, but the other side of the beauty is very cruel, that is, we can no longer have children, so everyone including Master finally chose to become a monk. This is the heavy price we must pay to practice martial arts like ours."
Xue Tao said in a deep voice: "To destroy humanity, it's okay if we don't practice this kind of martial arts!"
Ying Caihe was silent for a moment and said: "This involves why we were adopted. Hidden Sword Pavilion is a special institution that trains female guards and female assassins for the emperor. Once we embark on this path, we will not be able to control it. If we can survive in the cruel
If we survive the assassin career, then monasticism is the best destination for us. Princess, I have said everything I need to say. I hope you don’t have to worry about anything anymore."
Xue Tao finally let go and nodded, "So everyone needs to sit down and communicate. Instead of me sitting in the Jin Palace and thinking nonsense, why not have an honest talk. I don't think I will come again in the future. Palace Master Ying, I hope
Take care of yourself!"
"Thank you, Princess!"
Xue Tao stood up and said goodbye. Ying Caihe walked to the entrance of the courtyard and asked Jingyu to take the princess to the front hall.
Watching the princess walk away, Ying Caihe also breathed a long sigh of relief. The things she had been worried about were finally relieved...
Xue Tao got on the carriage, and abbot Lingbi Zhenren led a large group of Taoist nuns to see him off at the door. The reason why the courtesy became so grand was because Xue Tao had formed a relationship of giving, and offered three thousand guan to Yuzhen Palace every year, which made everyone in Yuzhen Palace overjoyed.
, even the palace owner Ying Caihe had to put on a curtain and come out to see her off.
Ying Cai and Xin were like a mirror, and the princess's generous donation was entirely for her own sake. She hoped that she could live in Yuzhen Palace in peace and contentment.
Liu Caichun's eyes were red and her tears were still wet. When she saw her master, she cried loudly and sat silently in the carriage.
Ying Caihe clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your worship, the princess. If the princess has any religious needs, we are willing to serve her at any time!"
Xue Tao smiled lightly and said: "Palace Master Qinglian, we had a good talk today. I hope the palace master can keep his promise."
"You should obey me if you are a poor man!"
The carriage started slowly, and as the Taoist nuns bid farewell, the two carriages gradually drove away.
"Sister, how did the conversation go?" Dugu Youlan asked.
Xue Tao sighed softly, "Don't worry, we will go back to each other and we won't have any intersections in the future."
"Is this her promise?" Dugu Youlan continued to ask.
"She did commit, but more importantly, she is different from us. We have children, but she won't have them. We have husbands and families, but she doesn't need them. Yuzhen Palace is the best home for her."
"That husband and her..."
"Actually, it's nothing!"
Xue Tao interrupted Dugu Youlan's words and said with a faint smile: "She is a knife in the husband's hand. He also needs this knife. When the world is peaceful, they will forget each other in the world."
Xue Tao has indeed figured out that this woman is not the same as them at all, and her husband will never bring this woman into his family.
.........
Time passed slowly, and in a blink of an eye it was January of the following year, the second year of Yongzhen.
Just after the New Year, more and more scholars came to Chang'an from all over the world. They came from all over the world with various accents.
Almost everyone knows that this year's imperial examination in Chang'an will have the largest number of people in history, so many scholars came to Chang'an early and found an inn to stay, fearing that they would be late and not even have a place to stay.
In fact, the accommodation problem has been solved. In addition to inns and temples, the government also allows ordinary people to rent bed and breakfasts. This is the most powerful way to solve the housing problem of tens of thousands of scholars.
But in general, it is still early for the imperial examination. It will not be until spring starts in February that a large number of scholars will come from all directions. It has only just begun.
That morning, a carriage came rushing from a distance and stopped in front of the Jin Palace. The door opened, and Zhang Lei, who was tall and fat, got out of the carriage. He looked anxious and walked quickly to the main gate of the official office.
Walk everywhere.
Two soldiers patrolling the square stopped him and said, "You are not allowed to trespass into the palace!"
Zhang Lei quickly took out a silver medal. This was the guest card of the King of Jin. Guo Song issued a total of twenty medals to famous people, businessmen and scholars. With this guest card, you can ask to see Jin Wang Guo Song. Of course, you can't see him immediately.
I, or at least the King of Jin's office, will join the army to receive you, and record the following request.
Of course the soldiers knew this kind of honorary silver medal. When they saw that the number on it was actually 001, they couldn't help but stand in awe and said, "Please follow me!"
Zhang Lei followed the soldiers to the waiting area. There are comfortable seats here where you can drink tea and wait. This is usually the place where local officials wait when they come to the Jin Palace to do business.
A reception official came forward and clasped his fists and said: "Sir, what's your surname? Which department are you looking for?"
Zhang Lei handed him the silver medal and said, "Your surname is Zhang. If you have any urgent matter, please contact His Highness the King of Jin!"
The official took the silver medal and said, "Please sit down for a moment and I will report it for you."
Although Zhang Lei was anxious, he also knew that King Jin's rules were very strict. Not everyone could meet King Jin at will, but King Jin had to agree to meet.
Not long after, Wen Miao came over in a hurry, "Does Zhang Dong want to find His Highness the King of Jin?"
"Yes! Where is he? I have something very urgent to find him. The matter is of great importance and cannot be lost for a moment."
"His Royal Highness is discussing matters in the Counselor Hall. I have sent someone to inform you. Boss Zhang, please come with me."
Zhang Lei followed Wen Miao to the palace of King Jin. As soon as Zhang Lei sat down in the guest hall, Guo Song came back and asked with a smile: "What trouble did senior brother encounter?"
Zhang Lei jumped up and said anxiously: "Something big has happened. The batch of saltpeter has been impounded!"
Guo Song was startled, the smile on his face disappeared, he pointed to his official room and said: "Go in and talk!"
The two walked into the official room and sat down. Guo Song asked: "Where was he detained?"
“In Hanzhong!”
Zhang Lei sighed and said: "Together with more than a hundred men transporting goods and nearly two hundred large trucks, they were all seized by the Hanzhong military."
At present, the source of saltpeter for the Jin Army is Longxi, but the quality of the saltpeter from Longxi is not very good. Zhang Lei bought more than ten kilograms of saltpeter from Laojun Cave in Mianzhou three years ago. The Firearms Department of the Jin Army found that the quality of the saltpeter here is better than that from Longxi.
Much better, the gunpowder produced burns more fully, and the explosive power and combustion power are increased by 30%, which can reduce the weight of large iron fire mines to about a hundred kilograms.
Guo Song asked Zhang Lei to collect and buy it for him in Mianzhou. The output of saltpeter in Laojun Cave was not large, and it took him two years to save a batch. Unexpectedly, something happened.
Guo Song asked with a cold face: "How much saltpeter was seized in total?"