Mountains and rivers pray for peace

Chapter 171: Great Calm and Meditation
Huo Qi didn't think deeply about it. He only recounted the gossip in a few words before he said seriously: "That's why I ventured to guess whether there is any secret passage hidden in the Xifo Hall?"

"No." Shen Yuning sneered, "Secret passages must be opened everywhere in the palace for your own use. Only gods can do this."

This is true. If it were so easy to dig tunnels in the palace, those treacherous villains could go straight to Xingqing Palace and take Emperor Xiaowen's life.

Huo Qi followed him step by step, "Then did you really stay up for three days and three nights without eating?"

"Seriously." Shen Yuning replied good-naturedly.

Huo Qi glanced at the string of red sandalwood beads on his wrist, which were engraved with six-character Sanskrit inlaid with gold lacquer and shone in the reflection of the oil lamp.

She hesitated for a while and said: "Your Highness is sincere, but when it comes to worshiping Buddha, as long as you are respectful, there are no taboos. Fasting is a bit harmful to the body."

As Shen Yuning listened to the woman's gentle words, his thoughts suddenly drifted away.In the hazy night, the usual casual coldness on his face faded away, replaced by a kind of silence and loneliness trapped in long memories.

Shen Yuning went into seclusion in the West Buddha Hall and did not come out for three whole days without even touching a drop of water.The day he went into seclusion was the day of Qiu Ju's night banquet three years ago.

The irony is that it was also the first death anniversary of his mother and concubine Jing Guifei since he returned to the palace from Qingzhou.

Everyone from the Qi Dynasty to seventy-year-old women and three-year-old children know that the Qiu Ju Night Banquet is the biggest royal event of the year.On this day, lanterns would be lit in the palace and poems would be recited, songs would be played in the jade palace, ministers and concubines would drink and drink, and even the always poor palace maids and eunuchs would beg for a bowl of fine wine.

That day, as soon as the genius was revealed, Li Dequan, who was beside Emperor Xiaowen, came to Fuyun Palace in person, hiding his sword in his smile: "Your Majesty, Seventh Prince, Your Majesty specially ordered your servants to give you this prince's dragon coat. You stayed away from the capital and wasted several years in Qingzhou. How are you now? When Yi Yi comes back, he will wear this dragon gown to the banquet so that no one will dare to look down upon you."

"What if I don't go?" Shen Yuning sneered.

Li Dequan was an old man who followed Emperor Xiaowen. In his eyes, Shen Yuningzuo was just a prince who had lost power for many years.I invited myself to Qingzhou three years ago, just for a job in charge of trade transshipment.For such a prince, even if the Queen Mother shows pity and upbringing, it is only at the end of her efforts.

Hearing this, he only smiled maturely: "Your Majesty has always been kind, so naturally he won't do anything to you, but he will inevitably be disappointed in his heart."

The chief eunuch of Jing'an Palace at that time had just been assigned and knew nothing about the old events. He was stupid enough to think that Li Dequan came because Emperor Xiaowen wanted to save his face so that others would understand. Even though the seventh prince has been away from the center of power for several years, he has not lost the emperor's sacred heart.

Seeing that he was unmoved, and fearing that he would offend Li Dequan, the eunuch immediately took the decision without permission and took the dragon coat from Li Dequan for him, saying, "Your Highness, this is a great favor. I will treat you seriously." Happy."

He watched all this happen coldly, feeling extremely ironic.

When a person dies, the light goes out, but the living still carry the will and memory of the deceased alive.

The emperor did this just to force him to obey, to force him to smile in front of others on the anniversary of his biological mother's death, in order to take revenge on the woman who had died long ago and completely wipe her out of the world.

What the emperor wants is that the palace is filled with joy, but no one remembers that a woman died quietly in this high gate of Emei.

Shen Yuning did not believe in gods and Buddhas, let alone fasting and praying to seek blessings from gods and Buddhas.But that day, except for the quiet Buddhist hall, there was nowhere to escape.His loneliness and frustration also became a sin in front of those smiling faces.

He went to the West Buddha Hall, and before retreating, he told Cheng Chang: "I want to pray for Daqi in the West Buddha Hall, and I don't want to see anyone."

What a seamless excuse.

Even if he disobeyed the imperial edict and refused to attend the banquet, the emperor could not criticize his behavior.After all, in the eyes of the world, it seems more sincere than lighting lamps and chanting poems at the Qiuju Banquet or sitting in the Buddhist hall praying for blessings.

Cheng Chang followed his instructions and even Aunt Lu, who was sent by the Queen Mother to deliver meals, did not dare to let in.

Some people said that he was sincere, while others laughed at him for using such a childish way to vent his anger on the emperor.

Only he knew that under the gaze of the Buddha, his hatred and loneliness finally found a place to rest. He fell into deep tranquility and forgot to eat and drink for a while.

After a long silence, Huo Qi noticed Shen Yuning's absence, "Your Highness?"

Shen Yuning suddenly looked back at her and said in a teasing tone, "Are you concerned about me?" Coincidentally, the first time he and Huo Qi met face to face was on the day of the Qiu Ju Banquet last year.He did not enter the Buddhist hall again, but lay boredly on the plane tree and looked at the moon.And this seemingly calm woman suddenly appeared in front of him like a huge wave, which actually made him forget his frustration.

Huo Qi pursed his lips and said, "That's right."

A part of Shen Yuning's cold and hard heart gradually collapsed. As the days passed, the darkness and embarrassment eventually returned to dust like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

He concealed this brief hesitation very well: "I didn't expect that I would make mistakes sometimes."

Huo Qi was stunned, "What?"

"I thought you didn't mind your own business." Shen Yuning said coolly.

Huo Qi: "..."

It’s so kind to feed the donkey’s liver and lungs!
There was no more conversation along the way, and after walking for about half a cup of tea, Huo Qi heard the reminder from the person in front of him: "We're here."

Huo Qi was slightly stunned. He looked past Shen Yuning and realized that the two of them were in front of a stone door.This stone door is about one foot long, covered with dark green moss, and is integrated with the stone wall. If you don't look carefully, you would think that this is a dead end.

Shen Yuning put his finger into a groove on the right side of the stone door. There was a slight "click" in the tunnel, and the stone door slowly opened, revealing a few rays of light.

Huo Qi walked out with him, only to find that he was already in a square house. Huo Qi looked at it for a week, "Is this the house in the alley to the east of the city?"

Shen Yuning nodded slightly and pretended to have answered.On one side of the room was a rosewood shelf. There were no antiques or porcelain on the shelf, but a power fence.

Shen Yuning took it and slapped Huo Qi on the head.

Huo Qi lifted up Mi Li's hanging veil and widened his eyes: "Why are you wearing this?"

"Now that you are a registered female official, it would be bad if someone saw you wandering the streets of the capital." Shen Yuning answered matter-of-factly.

"Then why don't you wear it?" Huo Qi muttered, "Logically speaking, it would be even worse if His Highness was seen by others."

"Do you really think I built this secret passage because I was afraid of the emperor?" Shen Yuning couldn't believe it.

"Isn't it?" Huo Qi asked.

"I'm just too lazy to embarrass the guards guarding the palace gate." Shen Yuning mocked.

Huo Qi was speechless again.

When we arrived at our destination, we saw a medium-sized copper door in front of us. Through the copper door, we could hear the faint laughter of men and women in front of us, which made our faces flush.

She wondered: "Where is this?"

Shen Yuning stepped forward and pushed the door open, "The back door of Yixiang Courtyard."

Huo Qi understood. No wonder the laughter seemed to come from a romantic place. She followed quickly: "Why did you bring me here?"

Before Shen Yuning could answer, Gou Yue had already come forward to greet him.

Like a magic trick, one second she was a charming and delicate flower, and the next second she became solemn and steady. When she saw Shen Yuning, she bowed and said, "Master, Doctor Tang has arrived." Then she turned towards Huo Qi. Nodding, "Miss Huo."

Huo Qi smiled back, but also became suspicious, Doctor Tang, Tang Zhiyao?
(End of this chapter)