Long live Emperor Wu!

Green smoke curled up in the Buddhist hall, and the sacrificial tablet of Emperor Taizong looked as lofty and ethereal as the Buddha statue in the smoke.

Li Shan knelt on the futon. Amidst the chanting, he held sandalwood, looked at the writing on it, and shouted with a choked voice:
"Royal father.

The abbot and several old monks and nuns were kneeling beside him, chanting scriptures in unison, their voices high and low like music.Seeing this, the abbot said a word of comfort:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

Li Shan lowered his eyes slightly, bowed solemnly, and inserted the burning incense into the incense burner in front of him.

He turned around and knelt down on the futon again, with his hands on his thighs, sitting dignifiedly and elegantly, looking at the tablet and said:

"Abbot... I want to have a few words with my father alone."

Upon hearing this, the abbot responded quickly, stood up, bowed, and went out with all the bhikkhunis.

He was the only one left in the main hall, along with the huge Buddha statue in the hall and the tablet enshrined under the Buddha statue.

He looked around at his surroundings, opened his mouth slightly, and wanted to say something, but suddenly he laughed self-deprecatingly and said to himself:

"What are you talking about to my father?...I've said it a thousand times in my heart, so why bother coming to Ganye Temple to say it."

He sighed helplessly, his face slightly raised, as if like a child asking for help, and he frowned slightly and said:
"I don't dare to lie to my father's spiritual throne. In fact, I just want to come and talk to her."

His eyes flickered for a while, as if he was struggling with something, and then he added:

"It's just talking. I'm too lonely. She happens to...have nothing, and she doesn't belong to anyone."

Then there was a long silence.

The door of the main hall behind him was closed, and the sunlight filtered through the lattice of the window lattice, shining warmly on his back.

He finally plucked up the courage and shouted loudly:
"Shaojian Xu."

Xu Huaian was standing outside the door of the hall. When he heard the shouting, he quickly opened the door and walked in. Seeing Li Shan still kneeling there, he had to walk a few steps to the side, knelt down as well, and asked in surprise:

"What's your majesty's order?"

Li Shan turned his head to look at him, his usually calm eyes shining brightly, as if he was forcing others as well as himself, and said:

"Let Wu Rou come over, let her come alone, I have something to say."

Xu Huaian was shocked for a moment, but under such intense gazes, he finally obeyed and went outside.

The waiting time was long. I don't know how long it took before I heard the sound of the door opening again outside.

Xu Huaian reported in a low voice:

"Your Majesty, the Wu family is here."

Then there was the sound of the door closing.

He could feel the sunlight behind him, half blocked, and suddenly there was shade.

Li Shan didn't look back, and Wu Rou didn't step forward either. The two of them seemed to be shy in their hometown, and they were a little uneasy and didn't dare to look at each other directly.

There was a stalemate like this for a while, and then the two of them spoke at the same time:

"Come and sit."

"Why did your Majesty call me here?"

Surprised, there was another moment of silence.Li Shan finally turned his head slightly, revealed his profile, looked at the cyan figure behind him with the corner of his eye, and asked with some surprise:

"you do not want to see me?"

Wu Rou stood behind him, looking at his thick hair on the back of his head, his broad shoulders, thin waist, and the two hair ribbons hanging on his waist. Suddenly his eyes turned red and he said bitterly:
"I want to see her, but unfortunately I don't want to see her like this. Which woman would want her sweetheart to see her ugly appearance with a shaved head?"

Because of the word "sweetheart", Li Shan's whole body was shaken, his heart was beating wildly, and his cheeks turned red instantly.

He quickly turned his face away and looked straight ahead. After a while, he spoke:
"You're bolder than ever."

It already has a gritty feel, like a piano string, tickling people's hearts. The sound becomes more hoarse.

Wu Rou, like a piece of meat on a hob, replied directly and nonchalantly:

"Your Majesty, haven't you heard of the folk saying that those who are barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes? Now I have nothing but my life, so naturally I have nothing to be afraid of. I can say whatever I want.

Unlike His Majesty, who is responsible for the national destiny of the Tang Dynasty, he must think twice about every step he takes and every word he speaks, because His Majesty is too rich and cannot afford to lose. "

When Li Shan heard this, he smiled bitterly, but he also felt relieved. He smiled and said:
"you're right."

Wu Rou was still standing behind him, five steps away, just like before.

Wearing a blue nun's robe, she stood upright with her hands in front of her, dignified and stubborn, and asked again:
"Why did your Majesty call me here alone?"

Li Shan was silent for a while, lowered his voice, and whispered softly:
"I want to talk to you. I have a lot to say but can't find the right person to talk to."

"Don't Your Majesty know what impact you will have on me? There are so many bhikshunis in Ganye Temple, and they all have profound Taoist teachings, but you only recruited me, a newcomer, to see you alone.

Your Majesty found the right person, finished speaking, patted his butt and left with satisfaction. When the time comes, I will be left alone. I don’t know how many rumors I will have to face, and I may even lose my life because of it.

I only have this life left, but I don’t want to give it away easily. "

When Li Shan heard this, he felt more and more guilty in his heart. He lowered his head slightly, regretting his selfishness, and then said:

"I'm sorry, I have some..."

He wanted to say, I can't control it. I really miss you and want to see you. Even just talking is okay.

But he didn't say anything. He swallowed the rest of his words and changed his words:
"...But you're still here...Don't worry, I won't let anyone harm you."

Wu Rou said directly:
"I'm not worried about others harming me. I'm worried that His Majesty will look back and think that I have dragged down His Majesty's reputation and send someone to kill me personally."

When Li Shan heard this, he immediately felt hurt and was about to turn his head away, but Wu Rou stopped him excitedly:
"You are not allowed to look at me!"

She had been speaking these words to him in a cold, rational and even complaining and blaming tone, but now she suddenly seemed like a shy ordinary woman, a little squeamish and resentful.

Li Shan's heart moved, and he was secretly happy because he felt the kindness of his sweetheart. His hurt anger instantly turned into helplessness, and he said softly:
"...Does it have to be like this? Come here and let's talk."

Wu Rou hesitated for a moment and said:
"Your Majesty, please cover your eyes."

Li Shan was speechless. He hesitated for a while and said:

"Stop making trouble, I'm not that kind of person...why should I hide it? If someone finds out, how will it be done?"

"Take the hairband to cover your eyes. Your Majesty's remaining hairband is so long that it almost hangs down to your buttocks. Isn't it easy to pull it up to cover your eyes?"

When Li Shan heard this, he turned his face slightly, the hair tie behind his back swayed with his movements, and he said in surprise and shame:
"Vulgar! I order you to come over!"