Chapter 108 – White Clouds Rising from the High Mountains

The next day dawn, a team will leave the Tanyu Port. Since it was the Holy Driver, the formation was naturally extraordinary, although the various ceremonial weapons were not out, but the procession dragged nearly three miles before and after, and the densely crowded crowd, guarding the large carriage in the center that was full of nobility, looked astonishingly loud and powerful.

The people of Tanyu City knelt on the ground and respectfully kowtowed to His Majesty the Emperor who was leaving, perhaps this was the first and only time they would see the Emperor in this life, and as a citizen of Qing, no one would want to miss it.

Fan Xian rode his horse, dragging at the back of the procession, looking with a worried face at the procession walking above the official road in the distance. He would soon be accompanying His Majesty to the Qing Temple on Dadong Mountain to offer sacrifices to Heaven, yet his heart was filled with unease and confusion.

Last night, he had a private meeting with Ren Shaoan and realized that the reason why His Majesty chose to sacrifice heaven at Dadong Mountain was not just because His Majesty had begun to miss the free air, the meeting back then, and the sea breeze of Tanyu, but because …… the original initial intention of sacrificing heaven at the Celebration Temple in Kyoto had given rise to difficulties that were very difficult to deal with.

What difficulties? –There is no one in the Kyoto Celebration Temple who is qualified to preside over such a large ceremony of heavenly sacrifice!

This was a really ridiculous reason. The Kingdom of Qing has always believed in swords and soldiers, and although they fear ghosts and gods they are far away from them, especially under the influence of His Majesty’s present day, the power of the ascetic priests of the temple lineage has been weakening in the Kingdom of Qing, and the authentic Heavenly Paths, led by the Bitter Lotus of the Northern Qi, are even more incapable of entering the temple system of the Kingdom of Qing.

And the only few remaining highly respected great priests had a succession of problems in the past few years. First of all, that Great Sacrifice, after returning to the capital from preaching in the Southern Wasteland in less than a month, died due to old age and contracting a wind disease.

The Second Sacrifice, Master Sanshi, died tragically in the woods outside of Kyoto.

Fan Xian was vaguely able to guess that the death of the Great Sacrifice of the Temple of Celebration should have been the work of His Majesty in secret. Just so, if one wanted to offer sacrifices to the heavens, one could really only go to the Great Eastern Mountain, which after all was the worldly place that was claimed to be the most like a temple of the gods, the most mysterious place, and the place with the most incense in the world.

But …… just because of such a somewhat absurd reason?

Fan Xian clipped his horse’s belly and frowned as he followed the group. The escorting of the Holy Driver was being carried out methodically, and did not require him to worry too much, especially when looking at the long-sworded tiger guards that were sandwiched amongst the forbidden army and numbered upwards of a hundred, he should feel more at ease.

Seven tiger guards can defeat the Begonia Duo, what is the concept of a hundred tiger guards?

He should be at ease, but he was still not at ease. In many people’s concept, Fan Xian is about a good hand to play conspiracy and trickery, but his own family know their own things, he understands that his own calculations really can not be called how powerful, the reason why in the past in the South Qingbei Qi invincible, that is because he has a word Bingyun to help backing, have Chen Pingping care, the most critical is …… his biggest backstage is the emperor, to the mountain as a backing, the emperor is the most important. With this as a backing, encounter mountain open mountain, where will really afraid of what.

But if the object of a conspiracy is aimed at their own backing, Fan Xian thought he did not have enough wisdom to cope with such a big scene.

He sees himself very clearly, so extra careful and sensitive, think of that Tsubaki since yesterday has been hovering in the heart of the doubt, but also feel the slightest vigilance.

The emperor went on tour, this is what kind of big event, even if he was floating in the sea at that time, broken with the intelligence network between the Supervisory Yuan, but …… presided over the affairs of the Kyoto House of words Bingyun must have a way to notify himself, Qinian group of the internal line has been kept open, why did not the words Bingyun notify himself in advance?

He summoned Wang Qinian, asked a few what, got the return of the courtyard newspaper as usual, couldn’t help but scratch his head, didn’t say anything else, laughed to himself, felt that he was too paranoid, a little morbid.

Taking the land route, it only took a few days to see the mountain that hangs alone on the seashore, blocking the sea breeze for ten thousand years, blocking the sunrise in the east, and piercing into the sky like half a piece of jade in a lone, fierce and stubborn manner.

Fan Xian rode alongside the emperor’s carriage, subconsciously putting up a cooler, squinting at the mountain and marveling at it. This was the third time he had seen the Great Eastern Mountain by the sea, yet every time he saw it, he couldn’t help but sigh and marvel at the wonders of heaven and earth’s creation.

How could such a magnificent view not open one’s heart? While sighing, Fan Xian was also a bit sad and annoyed. He had lived in Tanshou for sixteen years, but had no idea that there was such a holy place on earth not far from his hometown, or else he would have dragged Uncle Wuzhu to come and play often.

Although the court sealed the jade excavation of Dadong Mountain, but does not strictly prohibit people from entering the temple to pray to the gods, if Fan Xian often came to play back then, I think no one will stop him.

But if he was still a child, it wouldn’t be so easy for him to enter Daedong Mountain today.

At the foot of the mountain, flags were displayed, and thousands of people were lined up in rows, blocking off all the paths into the Da Dong Mountain. In three days ago, the imperial decree has been on the datong mountain, the mountain temple worship monks at this time in front of the mountain gate respectfully waiting for the imperial chariot, and those who go to the mountain into the incense of the people have long been the local state army expelled from the mountain.

This lonely mountain, this time thousands of people converge voice silence, a kind of depressing solemn atmosphere shrouded the four fields, all this is just for that one person, that the world’s first person.

Yao eunuch stepped on the wooden frame, from the big car inside the emperor in a formal dress, bright yellow compelling from the car out, the emperor stood on the platform in front of the car.

No one commanded, thousands of people at the foot of the mountain knelt down in unison, shouting long live the mountain.

The Emperor calmly waved his hand, signaling the crowd to calm down, and after being helped out of the car by Eunuch Yao, he naturally detached himself from the eunuch’s hand, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the mountain gate that had been renovated and was reflecting light from white jade.

Elder Eunuch Hong followed behind His Majesty.

Fan Xian dragged back a few more steps, calmly keeping an eye on the situation between the scenes.

As they walked under the mountain gate, the several robe-clad priests respectfully saluted the emperor once more, and then extremely fawningly rickshawed, asking His Majesty to move up and listen to the heavenly decree.

Fan Xian watched this scene and secretly laughed in the bottom of his heart, the monks of Qing Guo really did not have as much status as those on the Northern Qi side.

The emperor, however, did not immediately move his steps, looking at the gorgeous mountain gate, smiling gently, he said: ”The first decree came a month ago, the exact time of my coming was set three days ago, the temple’s response was quite fast. Just don’t disturb the people’s life too much, a mountain gate will be so gorgeous, beware of the East Mountain Road has no silver.”

Those several priests face embarrassed, that East Mountain Temple’s main priest trembling voice explained: “Your Majesty, just a mountain gate, the peak of the temple is still as twenty years ago, has not changed in the slightest.”

The emperor smiled faintly and said, “That’s good.”

He Yongzhi, the governor of Dongshan Road who hurriedly rushed to the side to serve the emperor, wiped the sweat on his forehead, thinking that he should not pat the horse’s ass on the horse’s leg, but fortunately, His Majesty’s later words were still considered to be gentle.

The emperor looked at this governor general, frowned and said, “I gave you the letter is not said, let you do not come?”

Governor He Yongzhi is one of the seven road governors in the world, although slightly weaker than Xue Qing’s position, he can also be called a first class minister, but in front of the emperor, he did not have the slightest bit of the demeanor of a great man, and said with a bitter smile, “His Majesty rarely leaves the capital, and comes to the Dongshan Road, my ministers and officials of the road states feel honored, so how can I not come to serve.”

Obviously, the seven road governors are all the most trusted and trusted ministers of Emperor Qing, and the Emperor laughed and scolded, “Go back to your Tanyu State. The governor is in charge of one side of the government army, just do your part, when have I ever had fewer people around me to wait on ……” He glanced at Fan Xian behind him, and said, “There is a Fan Tisi to follow, so just go back.”

He Yongzhi didn’t dare to object, knowing that despite his gentle countenance, this His Majesty had always been a man of his word, and didn’t dare to tarry any longer, he knelt down again and bowed, nodded with Fan Xian as a greeting, and hurriedly led the men back to Tanyuzhou, the seat of the Governor’s Office.

Fan Xian smiled and watched, not saying a word.

Great Eastern Mountain was extremely high. If one were to use Fan Xian’s unit of measurement, it would be at least two thousand meters. The mountain was surrounded by plains in addition to the sea, and the contrast between the two made it appear that the mountain rose abruptly and towered into the sky. If you want to climb up, no one will not feel cold.

Good in the sea side of the datong mountain is smooth and incomparable jade wall, and in the side towards the land is the accumulation of hundreds of millions of years of clay life, stone steps on both sides, grassy, tall trees rise up to the sky, branches and leaves such as a green fan to cover the early summer sunshine, along with the mountain wind gently dance, like a myriad of small fans, to the people walking in between with the slightest bit of coolness.

Perhaps it is this secluded beauty that gives the people who go up to the mountain to add incense courage, so that they can walk through this seemingly never-ending stone steps.

Thousands of forbidden troops were deployed under the east mountain, along with the emperor boarding the east mountain to sacrifice to the sky is the old eunuch Hong, Fan Xian, ministers such as Minister of Rites, and several eunuchs attendant, more than a hundred of tiger guards are also vigilantly scattered in the emperor’s surroundings, but they are not walking on the stone steps but the path between the mountains, to be a little bit more difficult.

Ten thousand stone steps is really a test of perseverance and energy, the people are this long stone steps called the stairway to heaven, only to go up, only seems sincere, can rely on the miraculous role of the East Mountain Temple to cure the sick.

However, today this line is not the people to seek God, walking in the stone between the tiger guards can still support, even those eunuchs seem to still have the strength, but the Minister of Rites and Ren Shao’an, these ministers can not hold out, do not care about losing face in front of his majesty, one by one, holding the waist, gasping for breath.

Fan Xian has been climbing mountains and jumping off cliffs since he was a child, of course, these ten thousand stone steps are not under his words, that is, not even a heavy breath, he paid attention to these people, found that the eunuchs who follow the emperor are actually so heavy, can’t help but stagger in secret – of course, Eunuch Hong is a monster, and Eunuch Yao is equipped with martial arts he knows, but even the eunuchs who serve tea and water are good at it. were all good at it, and he had to feel that the emperor’s side was indeed a crouching tiger and hidden dragon.

He didn’t know how long it took, but the group of people finally climbed to the top of the peak. Including a few priests and a few civil ministers who were all helplessly paralyzed on the ground, half-refreshed.

The emperor mockingly glanced at these people, but didn’t bother to blame them for anything, and walked to the edge of the cliff at the top of the eastern mountain peak by himself with both sleeves, looking at the floating clouds in front of the cliff and the sun slanting upwards, his face incomparably calm, incomparably joyful, as if he had finally achieved, or was about to achieve, a goal.

Fan Xian followed behind him and smiled slightly, seeing that the Emperor’s chest was slightly heaving and his face was slightly flushed with flushed sweat, it seemed that although His Majesty’s body was strong and healthy, after all, he wasn’t the same young man who had conquered the battle on horseback back in those days, and was only forcing himself to endure it for the sake of the Emperor’s face.

After a few moments of rest, the accompanying personnel began to arrange a series of ceremonies as well as those very troublesome lodging and eating arrangements, while the emperor and Fan Xian were still standing on the edge of the cliff, father and son seemed to be attracted by this marvelous scene under the Dadong Mountain, not saying a word, but just staring blankly in front of their eyes.

In front of their eyes was the sea, an endless sea, only the sea they saw from this was different from the sea they saw at the pier in Tanyuzhou.

The sea at Tanshu is so close but not easy to get close to, flat or fluctuating, close to the feet, sound in the ears, white foam wet pants feet.

Dandong Mountain under the sea is that kind of distant and indifferent, standing in the cliff edge can not hear the sound of roaring waves, sight along the jade smooth mountain wall, can only see the sea a white line before and after, rushed to the east of the stone wall of the mountain, wet the foot of the east of the mountain, to do the useless work of eternity.

In front of the cliff was a layer of very thin and light clouds, like white paper, either high or low, flowing slowly between the cliffs. The red sun on the surface of the sea has long risen, but does not seem to be much higher than Dadong Mountain, standing on the mountain, the sun seems to be particularly close, the light penetrates through those white clouds, glowing with twisted and beautiful lines, gradually those pure white clouds become fainter and fainter, to the point of disappearing into the air.

Watching the clouds dissipate, watching the tide rise and fall? Fan Xian subconsciously rubbed his nose and laughed to himself, why was he standing here, at the emperor’s side? Then he saw the emperor’s body sway.

Fan Xian was startled, and reached out his hand like lightning, his left hand like a bushel of fingers, his fingers slightly flexed with force, and in an instant, all the big chopping coffins and small means came out, grabbing his majesty’s hand in a flash of lightning and pulling him back a step.

Under their feet was an abyss of ten thousand feet, if they fell from here, where could they live? After a moment of palpitations, Fan Xian felt that he had been a bit presumptuous and apologized, noticing that Elder Eunuch Hong behind him was giving himself a very strange look.

The emperor lightly stroked his forehead, naturally not angry, on the contrary, he laughed at himself and said, “It seems that I am really old, and I actually feel a little dizzy after looking at it for a long time.”

Suddenly, the emperor put down his hand, looked at Fan Xian with a smile and asked, “Do you believe that there are really temples in the world?”