Taiping Inn

Zen Master Hu originally wanted to invite two people to talk to his thatched hut, but there was no place to sit in the thatched hut, so he patted the tiger's head. The tiger stood up, first arched and stretched, and then shook it. Remove the grass clippings from his body and leapt down the mountain.

Not long after, the tiger returned, holding a bag in his mouth, and a rolled piece of felt cloth and a small table tied on his back. Tigers have no hands, so naturally they cannot do this. They can only be done by monks at the foot of the mountain. This is also the tacit understanding between Zen Master Hu and the monks of Dabaoen Temple. Dabaoen Temple has a close connection with the Confucian Sect. When the monks at the foot of the mountain saw the tiger, they knew that the Zen Master Hu on the mountain was entertaining guests, and then the Qinghe lay Buddhist in the Confucian Sect also knew about it.

Zen Master Hu first took off the felt cloth on the tiger's back, spread it on the ground, then placed the small table in the middle of the felt cloth, and finally took the bag from the tiger's mouth. After untiing it, it turned out to be a set of exquisite tea sets. There is a gourd containing clear water and a small box containing tea leaves.

The three of them sat on the felt cloth, and Zen Master Hu personally cooked tea for the two guests. His technique was a little unfamiliar, and it was thought that it was because he had not done this for many years. Zen Master Hu poured three cups, pushed two of them in front of Zhang Jingxiu and Li Xuandu, and said, "Tea was before the Ming Dynasty last year, it was nothing, but the water was the snow water this year, which was pretty good."

Li Xuandu picked up the small teacup and took a sip, "Thank you for your kindness, but you are a vulgar martial artist. He is used to fighting and killing, and he cannot understand the elegant way of these literati."

"Mr. Qingping is too modest." Zen Master Hu did not sit cross-legged like a Buddhist monk, but instead crossed his left leg, bent his right leg and stood his knees with his right hand casually on his knees, which was quite elegant. Some things are in the heart, and they cannot be changed by changing clothes and changing the statement.

Zen Master Hu said, "I heard that Mr. Qingping is well-informed and knowledgeable. He is not only proficient in various classics, but also dabbled in the learning of various schools, has eloquence and extraordinary courage. It is better to say that he is a martial artist, but he is both civil and military. A person who comes out and becomes a general should be a general of Confucianism."

"The Zen Master is too famous." Li Xuandu shook his head and said, "There is a common problem in the world. As long as you are a famous person, you seem to know everything. You dare to say anything and talk about anything. It's like I knew someone before. Proficient in calligraphy is for the great masters of the world and is highly praised by the world. Therefore, he developed a sense of arrogance. He did not study calligraphy well and began to talk about major issues in the world. He didn't even know the amount of taxes paid by the court for a year, so he began to give guidance to the country. There is another person who writes beautiful articles about mountains, rivers, men and women, and is also a little famous, so he is arrogant and speaks about the emperors from ancient times to the present. When he keeps talking, people's hearts are like water and people are like smoke. Little do he know the skills If you have a specialty, you can comment on calligraphy and comment on articles. Don’t rashly point fingers at other things that are not proficient in, and make a laughing joke."

Li Xuan paused and looked at Zen Master Hu, "So I often remind myself to have self-knowledge, not be confused by others' praise, and forget how much I have. To talk about the classics of Taoism, there is a great sky Teacher, when will there be so many real people who have studied the scriptures and left me alone? If you want to talk about other knowledge, take Confucianism as an example. If I really want to go to the imperial examination, it will be difficult for me to pass the imperial examination, not to mention the imperial examination, even if I pass the imperial examination, it will be difficult for me to pass the imperial examination or scholar. It's just a little bit of knowledge and deceiving children with little experience. As for the eloquence of the Zen master, I don't mention it. I'm just a bit of sophistry and can't be on the table. I'm just By chance, I gained some cultivation. The most important thing I have done in recent years is to fight bravely with others, just a martial artist."

Zen Master Hu listened carefully. After listening, he gently patted his knee with his palm and smiled and said, "What a martial artist. Just by this, it would be fine for the teacher to be a high priest in the palace. Some people It is just that you regard yourself too high and others too low. This is a common problem among literati. Otherwise, you should say that literati are inferior to each other. But you still have to be humble in your face, which is so false. ”

Li Xuandu said, "If you talk about the truth or falsehood, I heard that there are seven hermits in the Confucian sect, including Zen masters. I wonder if these seven are true hermits who do not care about the world, or are false hermits who use the sham to gain a reputation for their reputation?"

Zen Master Hu's face remained unchanged, and he seemed to have no sarcastic meaning in Li Xuandu's tone. He said calmly: "The reason why Mr. Qingping knew about the 'Seven Hermits' was heard from Master Zhang Tian?"

Li Xuan nodded and did not deny it.

Zen Master Hu said, "But even Master Zhang Tian, ​​he doesn't know the identities of the seven people."

Zhang Jingxiu, who had not spoken much, said: "If it weren't for the Zhang family's inheritance for a long time, it was not inferior to the Yan Shenggong family. There are many records of the world, so I don't know. I was from the Dazhen Mansion back then. Some clues were found in the classics, and thus I met Zen Master Hu who had not yet become a monk, and met with the lay Buddhist Qinghe who walked the most frequently in the world. "

Zen Master Hu asked with a smile: "I don't know if there are any other reasons. I don't know what clues have been discovered by the Great Heavenly Master?"

Zhang Jingxiu smiled slightly, "For example, the incident of Emperor Wuzong falling into the water, and the incident of Emperor Shizong almost being harmed by palace maids, I was shocked and couldn't help but think deeply, Who is the world in this world? Is the world in the world? Is it the Xu family's world or..."

The smile on Zen Master Hu gradually faded away and he said, "Since the great master has already made a guess, I can also say it bluntly. It's just that today's affairs can be heard from me and enter the ears of two people. If we pursue it in the future, I don't recognize it."

Zhang Jingxiu nodded and said, "Of course."

Master Hu said, "These old stories, if I remember correctly, from Emperor Wuzong to Emperor Shizong, and then from Emperor Shizong to Emperor Muzong, until now, it has been sixty years. Sixty years, things have changed, people have changed, the Great Heavenly Master has changed, and three people have changed on earth, but some of the old people are still there, such as the drowning incident mentioned by Heavenly Master Zhang just now, which was the work of the Golden Toad Old Man, and as for the palace maid, it was the work of the Red Sheep Old Man."

If these words were spread outside, I don't know how much of a storm would be set off. Compared with this, the Golden Horde Khan being harmed by the National Master is nothing.

Zhang Jingxiu said, "But Emperor Shizong survived."

Master Hu took a sip of tea and said lightly, "All conspiracies in this world are not foolproof. This kind of thing is like stringing beads. If there are too many beads, it looks exquisite, but the string is easy to break. If the string breaks, the beads will fall to the ground, and the plan will fail. There was also the fire in Emperor Shizong's bedroom. At first, the palace people did not put out the fire. Seeing that Emperor Shizong was about to be buried in the sea of ​​fire, no one expected that the queen arrived and ordered everyone to put out the fire, but it was also a failure."

Zhang Jingxiu said, "I heard that when Emperor Shizong was unconscious, many imperial doctors with family backgrounds and generations of inheritance in the entire Imperial Hospital were No help was given, and finally an ordinary imperial physician with no foundation and a common origin risked his life to revive Emperor Shizong. So when Emperor Shizong woke up, he sent Chen Jingfa from the Imperial Hospital to the Jingjun of Xijing, Zheng Hongfa to the Guangning Guard of Liaodong, and Wu Yu to the nearby guards. Tong, Haogu, Bangzhi, Zhi, Jie, You, and Ying were all dismissed and made civilians, and never re-employed. "

Master Hu laughed and said, "So among all the emperors of my Great Wei, Emperor Shizong should be ranked first in terms of political tactics. He was able to find a way out of so many traps, which is something that ordinary people cannot do. However, Emperor Shizong was a man who knew how to advance and retreat. He only vented his anger on those beads, and would not vent his anger on the people who strung the beads, so Emperor Shizong was able to sit on the throne and be relatively Peaceful for many years. "

Li Xuandu interjected: "I thought that the assassination of the Golden Horde Khan by the Golden Horde National Master was a shocking event, but after listening to the Zen Master's words today, I realized that I was just looking at the sky from a well and was surprised by what I saw. "

Tiger Zen Master smiled and said, "It is not without reason that Emperor Shizong respected Taoism and practiced Taoism and Xuan for more than 20 years."

Li Xuandu asked again: "Emperor Wuzong seized the military power and personally led the troops to fight against the Golden Horde army, so he fell into the water. Emperor Shizong was very ceremonial and practiced Taoism, so he suffered a palace coup. May I ask, what was the reason for Emperor Muzong's death in Yanbo Palace?"

Tiger Zen Master shook his head and said: "When Emperor Muzong died, I had already lived in seclusion here In the Great Baoen Temple, I don't know why Emperor Muzong died. However, Zhang Suqing was in power at that time, so it shouldn't be the Confucianists who took action. It seems that someone from the evil sects took the initiative to take action. If Emperor Muzong hadn't died, the Northwest Five Sects would not have taken advantage of the civil strife in the court to establish their own regimes. The Confucianists would not be so ignorant of the general situation. So you shouldn't ask me about this matter, but ask the Empress Dowager. After all, Empress Dowager Xie has been with Emperor Muzong from his serious illness to his death. If he really wants to do something, it is Empress Dowager Xie who is most suspicious. In fact, it is Empress Dowager Xie who now controls the power of the court. "

Li Xuandu had to admit that Master Hu was right. Judging from the situation at the time, there was no reason for the Confucianists to take action. The people who benefited the most are often the most suspicious. In the whole process, including the later change of the imperial capital, the biggest beneficiaries were Empress Dowager Xie and the Northwest Five Sects. Later, the appearance of the geomancer Xu Wugui in the deep palace also confirmed this.

Li Xuandu said, "But from beginning to end, the Confucianists neither protected Emperor Muzong nor helped Zhang Suqing, but just stood by and watched."

Master Hu said, "It's very simple. Whether it was then or now, the Confucianists are very weak and don't have that much power to change the situation. Zhang Suqing also offended too many people, which made him isolated in the Taoist sect and made him have no friends. At that time, Zhang Suqing relied on the imperial power, but the emperor was dead. If he wanted to seek external help, he could only look to local tyrants."

Li Xuandu looked at Master Hu, "So he chose the Qingwei Sect."

"Confucianism flourishes in prosperous times, and Taoism flourishes in troubled times." Master Hu sighed, "Since the end of the Ming and Yong dynasties, the Confucianists have been declining. Although Taoism is fragmented, it is growing stronger. Seven out of ten local tyrants are related to Taoism. Under such circumstances, the change in the imperial capital has become a situation where the two major Taoist camps are fighting each other."

Li Xuandu said, "But there are still seven hermits in the Confucian sect."