Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 657: January Tree Selection

"At this time of year, the willow branches have already sprouted." Zhao Baibi suddenly stopped and stared at a willow tree by the river. The scattered green moles on the gray trunk required a very sharp eye to spot.

"Yes." Li Yao said.

He was walking in front and responded, but his eyes were not on the willow tree the woman mentioned. He did not stop, but stared silently at the city in the distance.

"It's much warmer in the south after all." Zhao Baibi jumped up from behind and waved a slender sword in his hand like a cane. "Although this wind is also a knife, it is a gentle little knife."

The ten years seemed to have left few traces on her - she had indeed grown from a girl into a woman, but her soul seemed to have been imprinted, and her eyes were still the same as when she was a child, clear, smart, and free, as if she would never have any worries.

But Li Yao has changed a lot.

It was almost difficult to see the shell of the cowardly boy in him. He had completely grown back, like a young bud growing into a tall tree, with a sturdy trunk and hard bark. The sword hung at his waist, and he would never touch it unless he wanted to use it.

"It's even more broken," he said.

"What's more broken?"

"This city is even more dilapidated." Li Yao looked up at the sky. "For ten years, we have stopped the barbarians in the northern border, but it is even more dilapidated. There are still so many hungry people."

"Then we just need another ten years to cover it." Zhao Baibi used the scabbard to strike every willow tree that passed by, chanting, "... At dusk, the shrike flies, the wind blows the Chinese tallow tree... Hey, take it quickly."

Li Yao raised his head and was silent for a while: "The emperor is in the inner palace, and the eldest son is the regent. Is this how he acts?... When I entered the city, he sent someone to ask for military power."

"It's 'Under the tree is in front of the door, and the green hairpin is exposed in the door'... Don't you think this song is beautiful? The singer said it is a rare song. If I can't learn it, it will probably be lost." Zhao Baibi hummed for a while and said, "I want to go to the palace. Do you want to come with me?"

Li Yao came back to his senses and was slightly surprised: "Now? I have to go to the temple first, how about we go together tomorrow?"

"No need. In that case, I'll go and help you explore the way." Zhao Baibi smiled slightly, "See you at night."

"Okay, be careful and stay safe."

"I don't do anything sneaky." Zhao Baibi said with a smile, "For so many years, you've been the only one who's always insecure. When have I ever been insecure?"

Li Yao smiled, and at this moment, his face seemed to show some of that shy boy's look again: "Then let's not go for now."

Zhao Baibi waved his hand and left humming an unknown tune. Li Yao looked down at the ground and walked straight south.

Perhaps it is an illusion, this big temple seems a little dilapidated, but perhaps it has always been like this since it was built. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, it has long since faded away its glitz and left behind its original color.

This is the largest temple in Beijing. Li Yao's aunt was a Buddhist when he was a child, so he is not unfamiliar with this place. In other words, he is 22 years old this year and has been visiting Buddhist temples for a longer time.

Li Yao liked this place very much when he was a child, because the walls and curtains here are very thick, and the distance between people is far. Everyone doesn’t talk much to each other, but talks to the Buddha instead.

Hence it appears peaceful and tranquil.

Or maybe it's just because when my aunt comes here, everything becomes peaceful and calm.

Li Yao couldn't tell where the feeling in his childhood came from, but when he was in the blood and corpses in the northern border, he would sometimes think of this place, the indescribable smell on his aunt's skirt, and the old monk with a bald head and white beard.

It was hard to tell whether there were more or fewer people coming and going at the temple gate. Li Yao walked in and was persuaded by the monk to put down his sword. He could not remember, or perhaps he never knew, the name of the monk in his childhood memory. He did not know how to ask at this moment, so he just gave a rough description. Seeing that the monk was also confused, he smiled and waved his hand and went in by himself.

When he grows up and revisits the scenes of his childhood memories, he always feels a sense of alienation. Li Yao walks through the crowd of strangers. In the past, all he saw were waists and legs coming and going, some slender and some broad. Now, all he sees are shoulders, heads and faces, also some slender and some broad.

He walked through it while slowly identifying it, until he realized that the ordinary incense tripod in front of him was the tall and heavy thing that he used to like to play with and could never figure out its entire appearance. He suddenly smiled and sighed softly.

"Layman, if you want to burn incense, you need to go to the front hall to buy it." An old voice said beside him. Li Yao turned his head and lowered it again, and saw an old monk in gray.

Li Yao recognized him immediately because of his bald head and white beard. He was holding a broom and was sweeping at his feet.

Seeing Li Yao was startled, the old monk let go of the broom and smiled kindly: "Do you recognize me, layman?"

Li Yao clasped his hands and bowed: "When I was young and came to the temple with my elders, I remember that it was Master Meng who received me."

The old monk smiled and said, "That must have been at least ten years ago. In the past ten years, I have not served in the front hall."

"It was ten years ago."

"Since we are predestined, whether you are praying for blessings or fulfilling a vow, I will still guide you." The old monk said, "If you want to ask for a fortune stick, this temple charges 200 coins for each one."

Li Yao paused for a moment and said, "I don't ask for fortune or pray for blessings. I just heard from my elders when I was young that when you are in pain and trouble, you should come to the temple to worship Buddha, so I came here."

The old monk paused for a moment, looked up at him, leaned the broom on his shoulder, and put his palms together in front of him: "Buddha is merciful. All the sentient beings who enter the temple come here because of pain and sorrow. You are a handsome man, in the prime of life, and as tall as a dragon. What kind of pain is this?"

"I don't know either. According to the Buddhist view, what kind of suffering is there?"

The old monk smiled and said, "Do laymen also read Buddhist scriptures?"

"Sometimes I read some Buddhist and Taoist books."

"Buddhists have something called 'three kinds of suffering'."

"What are the 'three sufferings'?"

"Can the suffering of the laymen be caused by illness, hunger, cold, or the inability to obtain what one desires?" the old monk said. "Suffering is suffering, and it is called 'suffering suffering'. Living in this world, as a mortal, there is no one who does not suffer from suffering. Most of the sentient beings outside the temple are here for this reason."

Li Yao shook his head: "Although I also feel 'bitter', it is not because of this."

"Then, is it because perfection is destroyed and the living die?" The old monk said, "Life is limited, and the changes of things are endless. Beautiful things will always leave. Happiness will eventually bring sorrow, loved ones will turn against each other, and relatives and friends will die. The pain brought by happiness is called 'bad suffering'."

Li Yao was silent for a while. "If you say perfection is destroyed, it's probably like this. Ten years ago, my family was massacred because of the disaster caused by the emperor. In the past ten years, I have killed countless people on the battlefield in the northern border, and I have also seen many tearful separations of life and death. Now I return to the capital, the emperor is in a state of debauchery in the palace, and the eldest son Li Zhang controls the government. He is only interested in collecting money without limit. In the capital, families are broken up, wives and children are separated, and the scene of once living and working in peace and contentment has become so dilapidated."

"Amitabha." The old monk clasped his hands together, his face solemn. "Since this is the case, you have the heart to pacify the world, which is a blessing for the people. Do your best to kill the evil and protect the good, and purify the world. This will not be in vain."

"…But who are my enemies?"

The old monk was slightly startled and looked at his young face.

Li Yao raised his head and said expressionlessly, "One day, I will kill Li Zhang and the emperor on the throne, personally lead an expedition to the northern border, quell the disaster of famine, work hard to govern the country, and make the Tang Dynasty have long-term peace and stability... But Zen Master, when I replace the imperial power, I must clean up everything and kill all those under the old flag. Two years ago, I met a disabled girl who was living on the street in Jiaosifang. It turned out that her father was an official in his early years. He dared not disobey the power of the capital and delayed the supply of food and grass in the north. He was killed by our army as a warning to the monkeys. When I conquered the northern wilderness, the soldiers I led were all sons or husbands, and few of them came back. When the young recruits fought, the drums of war thundered, and some ran away crying. They could not run more than two steps before their heads were chopped off by the war supervisor... I have also killed countless barbarians. They are not beasts, but people. Some of them will flee and beg us to spare their sons or brothers..."

He paused for a moment and said, "Even if I were to destroy the world, what happened yesterday will happen again. Cutting the evildoers into pieces will not help to ease my mood."

The old monk looked at him quietly.

After a long while, he clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and said softly, "So, the layman is suffering from the 'suffering of action'."

"What is 'suffering through action'?"

The old monk slowly closed his eyes. "This world is so vast, the universe is so vast, it changes so much, we are just a drop in the ocean. Thinking of it makes me cry. The meaningless vastness is like the fate of a floating duckweed. We have already felt it, and it cannot be changed. This is the suffering of movement."

As he whispered, two lines of tears actually flowed from under his eyelids.

“Is there any way to solve this kind of suffering?”

The old monk shook his head: "You are so young, yet you have such deep feelings. You have a great mind of Zen. Since you feel sorry for the sufferings of all living beings, you can only enter the Buddhist sect, go to the Buddha's seat, and seek peace of mind." Li Yao was silent for a while: "I read the Taoist scriptures, which are the way to become immortals, regardless of the sufferings of all living beings. Now that I have entered the Buddhist sect, although I know this suffering, there is no solution, and I can only seek peace of mind for myself."

"Amitabha."

Li Yao sighed and whispered, "Since that's the case, I have another thing to do. The people in the capital are displaced. Although your temple provides charity porridge every day, it is just a drop in the bucket. Please donate some money to rebuild the various blocks."

The old monk clasped his hands together and said: "Our temple is willing to donate 100,000 ta

"Two hundred thousand taels, maybe."

"Should layman say so."

Li Yao said: "Your temple is a Buddhist temple, how did you accumulate so much money?"

"The rich and powerful, with their wealth, are only afraid of uncertainty, so they are willing to donate money; the common people, with their lives always having some uncertainties, are willing to seek peace of mind; even the poor, with only a few copper coins, are sometimes willing to throw them into the wishing well."

"What are you going to do with all the money your temple has collected?"

"Just wait until now, and hand it over when asked for." The old monk said, "In exchange, my temple can survive, and there will always be a Buddhist temple in the capital."

"So, you are also in the state of 'suffering in action'."

"Billions of lives are like this." The old monk clasped his hands together again and said, "You have seen the gate of the world. If you take half a step forward, you can enter the Buddha's light. The disputes in the world are endless. I hope you can escape from the sea of ​​suffering soon."

Li Yao did not speak. He took a stick of incense, bowed like his aunt did in his memory, and placed it in the incense burner.

He stood up and said, "I read the Ksitigarbha Sutra, which says, 'You will revolve through the five realms without a break... like a fish swimming in a net, it will be a long journey, you will escape for a while, but you will be caught again.' Life is just like this, there is nothing to be freed from."

"This means that 'all sentient beings who have not yet been liberated have an unfixed nature and consciousness... they are born according to circumstances, whether good or evil.' The layman's nature and consciousness are clear, and he knows that there is no distinction between good and evil. He actually has the spiritual qualities of a child of Buddha."

Li Yao did not reply, but turned around and said, "Prepare the silver within seven days, someone will come to collect it. I still have to kill Li Zhang, so I will not come to the temple anymore."

……

The palace is more magnificent than it was ten years ago.

The red walls, green tiles, and even the white jade bricks on the ground had been replaced with new ones. There were visibly many more eunuchs, and the palace maids were more beautiful. Any one in the queue had a youthful beauty.

Zhao Baibi understood this principle: more people were having difficulty surviving, so they sold their children and daughters, and orphans also sold themselves at a low price, so naturally there were more people to choose from in the palace.

She looked down at the flawless giant bricks that were half a meter in size. The soles of her shoes felt very hard, and she inexplicably felt like she was stepping on some kind of giant scales.

This illusion passed by in a flash, and she walked through here, swinging her sword, and entered the harem. There was no longer the majestic and vast grand place. Palaces of different sizes stood in the winter. The winding red walls connected them and also cut the view into pieces.

The second time Zhao Baibi came to this palace, she stopped humming and her expression became more serious. There were few places in the world that she didn't like, but this place simply disgusted her.

She knew that Li Zhang didn't like living in the East Palace. It was said that he often stayed in Xiangsi Palace, but she knew little about the news about Xiangsi Palace - according to some disgusting rumors, she couldn't help but draw her sword when she heard these three words.

After thinking for a moment, she was not willing to go any deeper for the time being, so she stood against the wall for a while, the hanging scabbard tapping lightly against her boots.

Then a man turned the corner of the alley and stopped in surprise when he saw her. Zhao Baibi turned her head and saw a thin and handsome young man. Since this place was relatively close to Acacia Palace, she didn't have some sinister thoughts and looked at him with pity.

But the next moment, the young man spoke first, standing up and asking, "Who are you, young lady, and why are you carrying a sword in the palace?"

Zhao Baibi smiled. This man was obviously startled when he suddenly saw her leaning here. He was obviously guilty, but after taking a quick look at her, he cleverly took the initiative to speak.

"I am the virtuous princess, who are you?"

"...I am a member of the Imperial Guards, serving here on official business. I am honored to meet you, Princess." The young man's voice suddenly became weaker. He hesitated and bowed, then said in amazement, "The wise king...hasn't he been fighting outside for a long time and just returned to the capital? I haven't heard that you have already gotten married."

"Well, but he will marry me in the future."

"……what?"

Then she is not a princess yet, he thought blankly.

Zhao Baibi made a sword flower, put the sword behind his waist, and said with a smile: "So you are from the imperial guards, how dare you sneak into the harem. Tell me, is that the servant room of Xiangsi Palace? I won't expose your secret meeting with so-and-so."

"I'm not having a private meeting... that one is."

"Okay, then let's say goodbye." Zhao Baibi glanced down at his badge, memorized the two-character name, and walked past him.

Zhao Baibi came to the servants' courtyard with a smile on her face. She was in a good mood to see a person who was both physically and mentally clean in the palace. Then she pushed the door open without saying a word, and her face drooped like frost.

A short eunuch with a sinister appearance was being pinned down in the corner of the courtyard by several older eunuchs. His clothes had been almost stripped off, and he was left with only his two thin, white legs struggling. Obscene and dirty words were hurled at him.

Someone asked in a sinister voice: "What did they send you again?"

There was only a slight "click" sound, and a flash of coldness passed by the skin, and everyone had lost an ear.

The entangled movements suddenly froze, and for a moment everyone just stared at each other's face with an expression of astonishment, but their hands reflexively pressed on their ears, and then they only felt wetness.

"Get down." Zhao Baibi said.

Several old eunuchs knelt and scattered in fear, revealing the young eunuchs who had gathered around them.

He had a pair of beautiful eyes, and his cheeks were flushed with anger and humiliation. When he saw Zhao Baibi, his legs were still apart, his clothes were in disarray, and his skin was covered with new and old marks of humiliation.

He was stunned at that moment. He twisted his waist as if it was burning to cover the defect under his crotch, and arched his body to pull up his clothes.

Zhao Baibi asked, "What's your name? Do you always get bullied by them like this?"

His body twitched violently as if he had received an electric shock. "Why am I being bullied?! These incompetent old bastards dare to mess with men. I have messed with several women in the laundry, all of them are twelve or thirteen-year-old virgins... What do you know!"

He straightened his flushed face.

"Do you also bully the maids?"

"If you don't call me grandpa, I'll slap you. You'll start crying after a few slaps!" He lowered his head and tried to tie his belt with trembling hands. He failed after several tries, so he just tried to straighten his back.

"Really? Then I'll help you drive these people away today, and they won't come again in the future. It's a fair deal. I'm the princess consort of the virtuous king Li Yao, and today is my first time entering the palace. Can you do me a favor as well?"

He was stunned for a moment, chewing over and over in his mind these wonderful words "Can you do me a favor?" Zhao Baibi looked at him. She was very beautiful and smart, and her eyes were a look that could never be seen in the palace.

Anything related to Acacia Palace always looks like a pile of rotten rats, Zhao Baibi thought. She lowered her head to wipe the blood off the blade of the sword, threw away the handkerchief, and did not show the disgust in her eyes.

The eunuch looked at her in astonishment: "You, this is your first time in the palace, are you lacking confidants? I, I can work loyally for you..."

"That's not necessary." Zhao Baibi smiled, "Just be loyal to Li Yao."

(End of this chapter)