Empress Dowager Xiang was originally a person from Hanoi, and later the family moved to Xunyang due to changes, and the great-granddaughter of Prime Minister Xiang Minzhong, Empress Zhao of Song Shenzong. In 1085, Song Zhezong succeeded to the throne and was honored as the empress dowager. In 1100, Song Zhezong died, and the empress dowager listened to the government and took charge of all military and political powers in the court.

Prime Minister Zhang Dian supported Zhao Yi, the king of Chu, and Empress Dowager Xiang supported Zhao Ji, the king of Duan, so the two were also controversial inside and outside the court. Although the Empress Dowager Xiang is the empress dowager of the Great Song Dynasty and holds great power in her hands, the prime minister Zhang Dian is not afraid, just because he is loyal to the emperor, not the queen mother, so he argues with reason.

At this time, the Empress Dowager Xiang was in the imperial study to review the chapter, and heard that the eunuch came to report that it was Duan Wang Zhao Ji who came to ask for a meeting. Even though the Empress Dowager Xiang was a little surprised, she still asked Zhao Ji to come to see her. Generally speaking, Zhao Ji has always lived in Duanwang's Mansion and has never stepped out of the mansion, if it weren't for her will, he rarely went out, and he didn't know why he came today.

"Minister, please Queen Mother Sheng'an!" Zhao Ji knelt on his knees and bowed down and said.

"Get up!" Empress Dowager Xiang smiled slightly and said, "King Duan still calls the Queen Mother!" You don't have to call it the queen mother, it's not in the court right now, you don't have to be so restrained! ”

"Command!" Zhao Ji stood up and continued: "Queen Mother, Erchen met a chivalrous man in the mansion, this person is strong in martial arts, and he is a rare talent. The son wants to ask the queen mother to summon him to the palace to serve the court! ”

"Oh, what is this man capable of, let's take a look!" Xiang Empress Dowager said curiously when she heard this.

So, Zhao Ji told Fang La's deeds, and even Zhao seemed to be not his opponent in the competition, and he also mentioned that this person's competition with Zhou Tong was only slightly inferior. Moreover, the insights that Fang La had mentioned before were also said.

Xiang Xiang pondered for a long time, and she also felt that Fang La was indeed a rare talent. However, she was worried that Fang La was born recklessly and didn't know the etiquette of the court, so she was afraid that there would be more things in the future. Then, Zhao Ji said that he could be sent as a general to expand the territory of the Great Song Dynasty.

Empress Dowager Xiang felt that the proposal was good, so she allowed Zhao Ji to recruit this person, and said with a smile: "King Duan came to find the mourning family today, there should be other things!" ”

"The queen mother is like a god!" Zhao Ji smiled, told the Queen Mother what he was thinking, and then said, "This person has left the capital and headed to Yunxin Temple. Erchen wants to go to recruit him in person, and Erchen will have friendship with him, and he will be able to persuade him with affection and reason. In addition, Erchen also wants to go to Yunshan Temple to pray for the queen mother, according to legend, there is a blessed earth, which will surely bless the queen mother's good health. ”

Xiang Empress Dowager nodded with satisfaction, and said: "It's rare that my son has this intention, then I will allow you to go to Yunxin Temple, you must remember to go back quickly, don't stay too long, otherwise the prime minister and other adults will definitely have opinions, and the pressure on the queen mother will be doubled at that time!" ”

"After thanking the mother, the son will go back as soon as possible!" Zhao Ji was overjoyed, hurriedly got up to say goodbye and left, and hurried back to Duanwang's mansion.

Xiang Xiang saw Zhao Ji leave anxiously, and saw him so filial, and felt comforted in her heart. Although Zhao Ji is not her biological son, this filial piety does make her a little gratified. Zhao Ji's mother was Chen, and she died soon after the death of Song Shenzong, so Zhao Ji did not enjoy maternal love, and was mostly taken care of and raised by the Queen Mother.

It just so happened that the Empress Dowager Xiang had no heirs, so she regarded Zhao Ji as her own son. Of course, there are also several princes under the knees of the Empress Dowager, but it is a pity that the most favored is Zhao Ji, only because of his literary talent and filial piety, so the Empress Dowager Xiang will be able to override public opinion, and insist on making Zhao Ji the future emperor of the Great Song Dynasty.

Although the Empress Dowager knew that Zhao Ji went to Yunxin Temple to pray for her own blessings, her real idea was to go there to help Fang La. However, the Empress Dowager Xiang is not telling the truth, just because Zhao Ji is still a little moved by her filial piety. As for her own lifespan, she knows it.

"Cloud Heart Temple? I think I've heard of this somewhere! ......" Xiang Xiang muttered to the Queen Mother, as if she remembered something, but she forgot about the specific affairs and couldn't help frowning.

"Brother Huang, how are things going?" Zhao seemed to have stayed in Duanwang's mansion, pacing back and forth, fidgeting, and when he raised his head and saw Zhao Ji coming, he hurriedly asked.

Zhao Ji said excitedly: "Thirteenth brother, we can leave immediately, the queen mother has already agreed." ”

"Really?" Zhao asked incredulously.

He saw Zhao Ji nodding firmly, so he believed it, so he also returned to the Chu King's Mansion to clean up and got up to leave. Then, he left with Zhao Ji. If Zhao seems to go with Zhao Ji, he will not get permission, just because the Queen Mother Xiang does not want to see him.

The reason for everything is his mother Zhu, her father died when she was a child, and her mother remarried, so she can't make decisions about everything and follow the arrangement, so her character is docile and respectful, and she is very gentle to people, even if she is favored by the emperor, she never interferes in court politics.

Moreover, Zhu is also Song Zhezong's biological mother and Zhao Ru's mother. However, after Song Zhezong ascended the throne, he was not named the queen mother, but respected as the imperial concubine. Just because her character is not liked by the Queen Mother, she often reprimands, but she never takes it to heart, which makes the Queen Mother Xiang even more disliked.

Empress Dowager Xiang was born in a famous family, everyone is beautiful, proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and has her own opinions, what she respects is not the kind of lady show, but like a generation of empress Wu Zetian, who is methodical and has her own unique opinions, so she is a little dislike of Zhu's character, so that she doesn't like Zhao Xiang.

On the one hand, it is because Zhao seems to be from the Zhu family, and on the other hand, Zhao seems to like martial arts, is obsessed with martial arts, is idle all day long, and interacts with people in the rivers and lakes, which also makes the Empress Dowager Xiang dislike. Moreover, Xiang told the Queen Mother that Zhao Ji should not be with him, lest he be the same as Zhao, and her hard work would be in vain.

Zhao Ji and Zhao seemed to ride horses straight to Yunxin Temple, and the two of them did not stop along the way, and they arrived at Yunxin Temple after seven days of rushing day and night. Zhao Ji was attracted by the scenery of Yunxin Temple and lingered; Zhao seems to be well-informed, and he is deeply shocked when he sees the scenery in front of him.

Until I came here, I knew the meaning of "ten doors and nine locks", only to see that what caught my eye was the continuous rock cliffs, just like the stone gate group that stood for thousands of years, the momentum of the road was extraordinary, it can be described as a unique in the sea. On the stone gate, there are many clever stones, like people and things, vivid, among them, Nuwa and Fuxi, Rulai, Guanyin and other ten heads are even more ghostly, breathtaking.

And, from a distance, you can clearly see the waterfalls flowing straight down, stirring on the rocky cliffs, even if they are far away, you can hear the deafening sound of the waterfall, and the beautiful seven-colored rainbow formed by the condensation of the water mist, which makes the two of them stunned.

Zhao Ji couldn't help but sigh: "It's really a good place, it deserves to be a blessed land, it's really a beautiful scenery in the world!" ”

Zhao seemed to nod in agreement and said, "Brother Fang listed this place as the main altar, which is really a very good strategy. There are endless mountain peaks, rocky cliffs, waterfalls and other landscapes as far as the eye can see, which is really easy to defend and difficult to attack, and if you want to climb up, you are afraid that it will be difficult to climb into the sky. ”

"Thirteenth brother, this place is so big, how can we find Brother Fang La?" Zhao Ji looked at the fact that this place was round and vast, and it was a lofty mountain, and it was tantamount to looking for a needle in a haystack to find someone, and he couldn't help but make a difficulty.

Zhao Ru smiled bitterly: "Brother Huang, I didn't know that this place was so big, if I really went to look for it one by one, I wouldn't be able to find it at all if I didn't find it for three or five years." If it really doesn't work, let's go to Yunxin Temple and wait, as mentioned before, there must be people living there, and then go and inquire about it and someone should know! ”

"For now, I can only go to Yunxin Temple to make plans again, and I also have to pray for the queen mother!" Zhao Ji nodded helplessly.

Then, Zhao Ji and Zhao Ru went up the mountain to Yunxin Temple. However, the two of them did not know that they would meet a person this time, and it was this person who also broke the relationship between them and Fang La, from a close brother of the opposite sex to a mortal enemy.