296, Princess Taiping Was Executed, the Reign of Kaiyuan (Seeking Full Order)

This matter, to be honest, is not too dangerous.

Even if he disobeyed, Tang Ruizong and Li Dan would not make things too difficult for him. The political struggle in the Tang Dynasty was bloody, but when it came to these trivial matters, he was extremely tolerant. You can't just put him in jail as soon as he's the top scorer in a new subject.

But... don't be afraid of ten thousand, just be afraid of the worst. It is true that Tang Ruizong Li Dan was weak, but that was when facing Princess Taiping and Li Longji. Although he, the ninth-grade schoolmaster, had many scruples, who knew whether he would Be stupid.

"Father said that he wants to recruit you as the Prince Consort..."

"The poems you wrote for me in Youxian Temple have been spread throughout Chang'an, and everyone knows... You and I have a secret affection. Therefore, although it is a bit reluctant to recruit you as the Prince Consort, it is reasonable... "

Princess Jinxian turned red and said embarrassedly.

After she finished speaking, she carefully took a look at Bai Gui's expression, and saw that there was no surprise or anger in him, and felt a little at ease. After all, marrying a princess of the royal family is an honor for most people, but for a top scholar like Bai Gui, it is really not an honor.

Who doesn't love a handsome man with Pan An's appearance and Song Yu's talent? !

At present, Bai Gui's poetry and calligraphy are the best in Chang'an, and it is difficult for ordinary people to compare with him in both civil and martial arts. He is also a true immortal in Taoism. It can be said that such a husband is difficult to find throughout the ages. It is normal for her to be in love with him.

"The saint thinks so, then... what does the princess mean?"

"You are only nineteen, and your parents died early. If you get married, and your eldest brother is your father, you need to take care of your elder brother..."

Bai Gui saw the charming Golden Fairy Princess, dressed in a girl's crown, her plain face was flushed, and the affection in her eyes was like dripping water, making people couldn't help but feel swayed.

But he calmed down and thought about the disadvantages of becoming the Prince Consort.

He said politely.

Parents' orders, matchmaker's words. When a wealthy family makes a marriage arrangement, it is never that simple. They must consult both parents in advance. As his parents died early, he needs to consult his eldest brother Bai Huang to see what his opinion is.

There are very few people from aristocratic families willing to marry royal princesses, and his brother Bai Huang would probably not agree either.

"Brother Bai Dao is more talented than Chang'an..."

"There's nothing to criticize about Jinxian, as long as Brother Bai Dao doesn't dislike it."

Princess Jinxian hesitated for a while and then boldly confided.

"But you and I have been given the gift, and we are cultivators. What we expect is nothing more than the word immortality..."

"According to what my master said, the poor Taoist is expected to become an immortal in this life, but what about you, princess? If you stay with the poor Taoist forever, when the princess is old and old, even if the poor Taoist treats you as before, won't the princess be wary of the eyes of others?"

"Twenty years, thirty years, fifty years, a hundred years later... the princess will be nothing more than a pile of bones!"

"Is it necessary for a poor man to look at the tomb in vain and become lovesick to the point of illness?!"

"Please forgive me for not being able to do this!"

Bai Gui took a deep breath and scolded Princess Jinxian.

After he finished cursing, he stood up and flicked his sleeves, leaving only his back facing Princess Jinxian, and then silently looked out the window.

The cold moon is like a hook, and the night wind is silent.

He could not refuse this marriage directly. Once he refused, Tang Ruizong and Li Dan might accuse him, so he had to step forward. But if the eldest brother Bai Huang comes forward, he probably won't get any favors.

Therefore, the best way is to let Princess Jinxian "repent" and go to Li Dan to intercede.

Be prepared with both hands and grasp with both hands.

"Yes!"

"Brother Bai Dao is expected to become an immortal in this life!"

"I am now three years older than Brother Bai Dao. Even if I have the skills to keep my appearance and my youth will last forever, what will happen when I am fifty or sixty years old? Brother Bai Dao is still so young, and I have become an old woman..."

Princess Jinxian's pink face suddenly turned pale, and she felt cold sweat break out from behind her.

Now even if Bai Gui is recruited as the consort, he can only keep happiness for a few decades. When she is old and has no appearance, can the consort still treat her as before? Thinking about it makes me feel suspenseful.

And Bai Gui is not an ordinary person. It is estimated that his appearance will not change much after a few decades.

She is a royal princess, said to be a noble person from Tianhuang, but compared to the true immortals, she is undoubtedly inferior.

"Brother Bai Dao, what he said makes sense..."

"Last year, my father wanted to recruit a prince-in-law for my sister Yuzhen and me, but we were pushed back by the fact that we had practiced Taoism since childhood. Therefore, my father ignored the advice of the ministers and spent money and money to marry Yuzhen and me. My sister built the Jinxian Temple and the Yuzhen Temple, and received many rewards to make up for her debt to the two of me."

"It would be unsightly if I suddenly regretted my decision now."

"Tomorrow, I will enter the palace and report back to my father. I will concentrate on cultivating Taoism in this life and not care about worldly affairs. This can be regarded as fulfilling my promise."

Princess Jinxian calmed down and said.

What she said was true.

Originally, according to her status as a princess, she and Princess Yuzhen should have settled on a husband a long time ago, so it's not like they still don't have a consort and a marriage contract.

The age of marriage for women in the Tang Dynasty was generally around fifteen or sixteen.

In the first year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, issued an edict stipulating that men over 20 and women over 15 must get married. However, due to various reasons, the marriage was delayed because of Taoism as a way to protect oneself. Later, after Tang Ruizong ascended the throne, he was ready to marry her, but she refused, so she decided to continue practicing Taoism.

This delay has ended now.

It's really hard to go back on your promise.

Of course, if Bai Gui agreed at the beginning, he would go back on his promise. The ministers would not be ignorant enough to advise the emperor to let the princess not get married.

I would rather demolish ten temples than ruin one marriage.

Encouraging marriage and remarriage has always been the main purpose of the feudal dynasty, and this cannot be violated.

…

Princess Jinxian also understood what kind of person her father Emperor Li Dan was, and it was difficult for her to persuade him alone. So she persuaded Crown Prince Li Longji to go to the palace to meet the emperor and explain the matter, saying that she was determined to practice Taoism in this life and refused to marry.

Although Crown Prince Li Longji felt sorry for his sister, a forced melon is not sweet. If Princess Jinxian was willing, Bai Gui's melon would be twisted, but the key is that Princess Jinxian herself is unwilling now, and he, as a brother, cannot really force his sister to marry.

So after a while, this matter was silent and no one mentioned it again.

Bai Gui was the same as before. He went to the Secretariat to punch in when he should, and the rest of the time he went to Haotian Temple to do homework as a Taoist priest, learning the rituals of offering, fasting rituals, etc., and learning all kinds of knowledge that a Taoist priest of Louguan Dao should have.

He would not underestimate the rituals of offerings. Their existence must be reasonable. If there were no demons or laws in the world, the rituals of offerings and fasting would probably be useless. But now that there is Taoism, the rituals of offerings and fasting must be of great use.

In addition to going to Haotian Temple and the Secretariat, he would also take out three days a month to teach Liu Jinyuan and fulfill his duties as a teacher.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye it was the second year of Xiantian, also the first year of Kaiyuan.

About a year and a half had passed.

In the third year of Jingyun, that is, the first year of Xiantian, Li Dan, Emperor Ruizong of Tang, abdicated to Crown Prince Li Longji and established himself as the emperor due to the appearance of a comet.

Baoningfang, Haotian Temple.

Backyard.

"Take advantage of the righteousness of heaven and earth to control the debate of the six qi."

"The six qi refer to yin and yang, darkness and brightness, wind and rain, and the word "bending" is a homophone for "change". The righteousness of heaven and earth refers to the rules of the universe. For more than a year, I have been specializing in the change of wind and rain, which is also one of the two best qi to start with..."

"I can take advantage of the wind and rain to rise, and I won't fall for thirty breaths..."

While Bai Gui was speaking, he sprinkled a few drops of rootless water from his sleeves.

This rootless water is rain that falls from the sky without touching the ground. It contains the spirit of wind and rain and is most suitable for casting spells.

When performing rituals at the Taoist altar, rootless water is also often used. It is believed that this water is top-grade water.

In a moment, he took advantage of the wind and rose. It seemed that there were invisible steps under his feet. He stepped up and walked more than thirty steps. His Taoist robe rustled. When he was about to reach thirty breaths, he slowly descended from the air.

"Junior brother, it seems that you have mastered the three yins, three yangs and six qi."

"Today you can stay in the air for thirty breaths, and tomorrow you can stay in the air for a long time."

A young Taoist priest approached from the corridor, saw Bai Gui falling from the sky, chuckled and said.

This person is Zhou Wenxuan, Hou Shaowei's eldest disciple, and also Bai Gui's senior brother.

"Senior brother, you are too kind."

Bai Gui turned his head and bowed.

That day, Hou Shaowei asked him to choose three volumes of Taoism. The reason why he chose "Turtle Mountain Strategy" was not only because "Purple Cloud Wonderful Principle" was not suitable for him, but also because he was worried that his senior brother Zhou Wenxuan was also practicing "Purple Cloud Wonderful Principle". If they chose the same, it was inevitable that there would be conflicts. As he thought, Zhou Wenxuan was accepted into the temple by Hou Shaowei since he was a child and practiced "Purple Cloud Wonderful Principle".

Because the two chose different Taoism, there was no core conflict, so they got along well.

"The six qi are the soul of the five elements, and the five elements are the spirit of the six qi."

"In Su Wen, Gui Yuqu said that cold, heat, dryness, dampness, wind and fire are the yin and yang of the sky, and the three yins and three yangs are above. Wood, fire, earth, metal, water and fire are the yin and yang of the earth, and growth, transformation and storage are below. The sky gives birth to yin and the earth kills yin and hides yin with yang..."

"The method of controlling the six qi that Master has taught you is definitely not just a Taoist technique of controlling the sky."

Zhou Wenxuan lightly pointed to the dead tree beside him, and the dead tree suddenly came back to life, and the old branches sprouted, which was really magical.

However, when he took back the Taoist method, the dead tree died again.

"I saw the purple star shining brightly last night, and the stars moved. The saints may have made some moves recently."

"Junior brother, you are now the secretary of the Central Secretariat. This is a confidential task that cannot be escaped. You need to make plans early..."

He said slowly.

"Junior brother, save it."

Bai Gui nodded.

What Zhou Wenxuan said was right. In a few days, it would be the time for Li Longji to attack Princess Taiping, his political enemy. It was recorded in history books that this coup was called Xiantian Zhengbian because it happened during the Xiantian period.

After Princess Taiping was executed, the Kaiyuan era would come, when Li Longji would work hard to govern the country.

And because he was on good terms with Li Longji and had an inexplicable relationship with Princess Jinxian, he was favored by the emperor and was promoted rapidly, from the ninth-rank proofreader to the sixth-rank secretary, and then to the fifth-rank Zhongshu Sheren.

Zhongshu Sheren also did the work of a secretary, and was in charge of drafting and painting imperial edicts, imperial seals, and imperial decrees.

Compared with others, Li Longji trusted him more as his "brother-in-law". After all, he and Princess Jinxian and Princess Yuzhen were brothers from the same mother. Once Princess Taiping gained power, his lineage would not have a good harvest.

Although he was promoted rapidly, it was also within common sense.

The Secretary Lang is a sixth-rank official, and is the superior of the Proofreader Lang of the Secretariat. When the Proofreader Lang is promoted, he will be promoted to Secretary Lang. The Secretary Lang and the Zhongshu Sheren of the Zhongshu Province have similar official positions, one is a sixth-rank official, and the other is a fifth-rank official, but the former generally does not serve as a mechanical engineer, while the latter is the emperor's confidant.

"It's good that you know."

Zhou Wenxuan nodded. He was quite satisfied with this junior brother. He did not fight for anything, had a calm mind, and had high power in the court. It was natural for him to be friends with such a person. He thought for a while and said, "You have always had your own opinions. Yes, it’s hard to say much as a senior brother, but you need to remember that the law does not respect people, and when things happen, you can’t do it without doing it.”

"But it's not that we can't kill the powerful, but the luck of the powerful is accompanied by purple energy. If we kill them rashly, we will inevitably damage our own moral conduct..."

He warned patiently.

The powerful are all wealthy and powerful. When disasters turn into disasters, killing a powerful person will definitely result in a much higher loss of moral integrity than killing an ordinary person.

If you want to become an immortal, you must accumulate virtue.

Unless he is a heinous person, there will definitely be consequences for killing him.

"Junior brother, I am from Zhongshushe, and I am not a fighting general. It is not my turn to kill people."

Bai Gui laughed dumbly and shook his head.

…

In July of the second year of Xiantian.

Princess Taiping plotted a change, and used the Yulin Army from the north and the Nanya Army from the south to seize power. After being reminded by Bai Gui and other confidants, Li Longji, together with Guo Yuanzhen, Wang Maozhong, Gao Lishi and others, took the initiative and falsely conveyed that the Supreme Emperor had summoned Prime Minister Dou Huaizhen and others, leading the 500 Yulin army to kill them.

Princess Taiping saw that all her party members had been killed, so she fled to Nanshan Buddhist Temple.

The Supreme Emperor Li Dan came forward to plead for mercy, but was rejected by Li Longji. He gave Princess Taiping Bai Ling and Jiu wine and ordered her to die.

Chang'an Imperial Palace, Zichen Hall.

"Meihe, most of the Taiping gang members have been executed. Shi Chongxuan is a disciple of Princess Taiping and is now Jinxian's master. I can't decide on this matter. You and Jinxian... have a close relationship. Go and persuade her."

Li Longji sat on the throne, hesitated for a moment, and said.

He still cares more about the relationship between brother and sister and doesn't want to cause too much trouble.

However, Shi Chongxuan had a very close relationship with Princess Taiping. He was a famous retainer of Princess Taiping. He relied on Princess Taiping's power to become Hongluqing. Now that Princess Taiping was executed, Shi Chongxuan must also be executed.

"Your Majesty, I am from Zhongshushe, not a lobbyist. Please don't make things difficult for me."

Bai Gui flatly refused.

He is not afraid of Li Longji.

Li Longji wants to be a good emperor, and now is when Li Longji's foothold is not stable. He has contributed a lot in this positive change and is regarded as a major contributor to the Li Longji Group. Even if he refuses this small thing, Li Longji will not Will care too much.

If he cared too much, he would not be Emperor Tang Ming.

As an official, as long as you don't make mistakes in important matters.

The reason why he was willing to serve as an official in the court was because he wanted to show off his skills in the Kaiyuan rule, so as to achieve more Taoist achievements.

It is easier for the rich and powerful to accumulate good deeds.

If Li Longji is really so narrow-minded, the worst he can do is give up his official position and return to Zongshenguan to continue practicing Taoism. Anyway, becoming an immortal sooner or later is not a big deal to him.

"you……"

"Forget it, you draft an edict for me and I will speak personally, so I won't ruin your relationship with Jinxian."

"No! No! I am a good person and will do it to the end. I will find someone else from Zhongshushe to draw up the decree."

Li Longji was furious, but after thinking about it, he realized that Bai Gui was right. He would not seek political advice if he was not in his position, so he had no choice but to reply.

Deep down in his heart, he regarded Bai Gui as one of the future virtuous ministers.

Compared with persuading Shi Chongxuan, Bai Gui's "uprightness" impressed him more.

Bai Gui drafted the edict.

In the evening, when he returned to Jinxian Temple.

"The historian was captured by the saint's troops in Taiqing Temple and taken to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment."

"I should have thought of this a long time ago. Sooner or later, Princess Taiping and the Saint will fight against each other. Fortunately, the Saint won and Princess Taiping failed this time..."

In the Jinxian Temple, Princess Jinxian looked a little haggard. When she saw Bai Gui coming in, she said.

Shi Chongxuan is the master of Taiqing Temple in Beijing.

"Taoist Master Shi relied on Princess Taiping to gain power. Now that Princess Taiping is gone, the purple energy in his luck has exhausted, and the Taoism is blocked, so it is difficult to escape. Otherwise, with Taoist Master Shi's Taoism, he might be able to escape and ascend to heaven."

"Princess, you should take this as a warning."

Bai Gui sighed and said.

Although Shi Chongxuan didn't have a close relationship with him, seeing Shi Chongxuan like this made him feel sad. This is why he categorically refused to listen to Li Longji's wishes and persuade Princess Jinxian. Not only was he worried about his relationship with Princess Jinxian, but it was also related to this matter.

Shi Chongxuan's Taoist practice was actually similar to his. When he reached the stage of raising a holy fetus, which was similar to that of ordinary pregnant women, he began to raise the mysterious fetus condensed by Huang Ting, which is what the Dan Sutra said: "warm nurturing pearls, long nurturing "Holy Fetus", when you reach this state, although you have supernatural powers and can perform Taoist magic, you cannot achieve the ultimate calamity with swords and weapons.

At this stage of cultivation, he is also very fragile. If Princess Taiping loses power, he will be like a duckweed without roots. The purple energy will dissipate and he will no longer be able to support Xuan Fei.

Only when you reach the latter state, that is, the elixir is completed, and the golden elixir is condensed, can you be considered to have a foundation.

"When the three families meet and have a baby, they know that Taiyi contains the true Qi, and the fetus will be full in ten months and enter the Holy Foundation." - "Wuzhen Chapter"

"Brother Bai Dao is right."

"Although Jinxian is a royal princess, if she loses her power, she may not be as good as a commoner... The right way is to cultivate Taoism and cultivate oneself."

Princess Jinxian came back to her senses and nodded.

"It's good if you understand this."

Bai Gui breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Princess Jinxian was fine.

But this was within his expectations. Princess Jinxian said that she worshipped Shi Chongxuan as her master, but it was not clear that they had a deep relationship. The ordination was only in the past two or three years. Before that, Princess Jinxian was imprisoned in the deep palace, so how could she come into contact with Princess Taiping's followers.

Speaking of sadness, after all, they had been together for some time.

But it was not really to the point of grief.

Otherwise, Li Longji would not have been so decisive when dealing with Shi Chongxuan.

"Thank you for your advice, brother."

Princess Jinxian thanked her.

Being able to see the fame and wealth of the world through this incident, she felt that she had improved her character.

"You and I are Taoist companions, and we support each other."

Bai Gui held the whisk and shook his head.

The two entered the inner courtyard of the back garden, shielded the left and right, and asked Xuanxuan.