In the thirty years of Hongwu, the world is peaceful.

Early in the morning on an autumn day. The breeze is refreshing and the sun is clear. The majestic Yuan Palace Chengtian Gate slowly opened, and the heavy gold paint reflected the early morning sunlight onto the water of the moat, and was projected by the water surface onto the neat embankment stones on the bank, and the dragon's light flashed.

Two tall and beautiful white horses stepped out of the palace gate and stopped.

"The son, please go back; The old man will come again to see the prince and His Royal Highness in the near future. Immediately on the right, a monk dressed in a coarse cloth monk's robe and with a short gray beard folded his hands and bowed his head to bid farewell to his companions who saw him off.

The young man on the left horse, no more than twenty years old, dressed in a Qinglan martial arts uniform, slightly chubby, white as fat, dragon eyebrows and phoenix eyes, full of heaven, also bowed and said: "Master is going to Yao Mansion, let's accompany you in vain." ”

The monk shook his head and said, "The son of the world doesn't need to be polite, go back and practice and study hard, and serve your father." The way to Yaofu is known to the teacher, so he will not send it far. ”

"Then I'll send you out of the door."

Zhu Gaochi got off the horse, walked to the master's horse, took the bridle, walked a long way, carefully led the horse across the Jinshui Bridge, and walked out of the Duanli Gate on the south outer wall of the Yanwang Palace before stopping.

And so he sent it. When the master comes back another day, he must send someone to tell the apprentice, and the apprentice should go to pick up the master into the palace. ”

The monk lowered his head and saw Yan Shizi's kind face and manners, docile and respectful, and he couldn't help but be secretly happy in his heart. He remained silent and said, "The old man has taken his leave." ”

"Master, go slowly." Zhu Gaochi stood by the bridge, watched the master lead the horse away, then turned around and walked back to the Duanli Gate, crossed the bridge and got on the horse, and galloped into the Chengtian Gate.

The tall and majestic Chengtian Gate closed heavily again.

The monk paced slowly, slowly passing through the early morning market. He was about sixty years old, with triangular eyes and a sickly face, not at all like the usual enlightened monks. Most of the shops on the street are open, and the servants are busy sprinkling and sweeping. On the stall outside the door, the hot ones began to be put out early, causing a burst of shouting when they passed by. There are already quite a few people coming and going. Those who saw him avoided him from afar. A frequent visitor to the Yanwang Palace, this high-ranking monk who lives in Qingshou Temple, is almost a well-known figure in Beiping City after the prince and the three princes, and Yao Biao is on an equal footing. However, while Lord Yao was highly respected, he did not make the people of Peking feel so fearful; This monk is really something that no one dares to mess with.

Everyone in the market, busy or idle, is equally at ease. This is the trace of the two-hundred-year-old imperial capital imprinted in Beiping City. Every common person at the feet of the Son of Heaven was born with a lazy richness and peaceful arrogance on his face. This is also the great achievement of Beiping in the seventeenth year of the Yan King Zhu Di's domain. Even, when asked about the people of Beiping, they knew that there was a king of Yan, but they didn't know that there was a son of heaven. In their hearts, Lord Yan is the Prince of Peace who protects them.

In the 30 years of Hongwu, the world is too peaceful and stable. The country that returned to the hands of the Han people was stable and solid. The old emperor Zhu Yuanzhang burned the anointment of the sundial for 30 years of diligent administration, rested with the people, and achieved great results. Heavy on the rule of officials, the official road of the Ming Dynasty has been the clearest in the past dynasties. Now that the four seas are peaceful, living and working in peace and contentment, this Hongwu year is coming to an end. If you say this, you will definitely be killed, and it is possible to wipe out the clan if you don't want to do it; However, up and down the Ming Dynasty, from the old emperor himself to the hawkers on the street, no one has thought about it many times.

The same is true of monks, of course. Of course, he thought a little more than the hawkers. Living in Beiping, entering and leaving the palace, his mind is no different from that of King Yan, the princes of the fiefs of the Ming Dynasty, the emperor himself, and the imperial grandson who is about to ascend the throne.

For two hundred years, the imperial capital is now only a vassal domain. Yanwang Palace, in the final analysis, is just the palace of the former Mongolian emperor. The capital of the Ming Dynasty is in Yingtian; The throne of the Ming Dynasty is in the palace of Emperor Ying.

The monk paced for a long time, and finally passed through the crowded market, came to the door of a magnificent and magnificent mansion, got off the horse, looked up and carefully studied the two golden characters above the vermilion lacquer gate for a while, raised his hand confidently, and knocked on the door of Yao's mansion.

"The poor monk Qingshou Temple Daoyan, begging to see Lord Yao."

Even if he didn't report his name, the doorman of Yao's family could see at a glance who the monk in front of him was like a sick tiger with murderous eyes, so he immediately invited him into the door, waited in the hall, and ran to inform the master. Not long after, Yao Biao personally came to the living room to greet him.

"Why is the master so polite, what are the orders, just teach someone to talk to Yao, I will definitely visit immediately, why bother with you." Yao Biao's politeness concealed extreme caution and caution, which was rare in the tone in which he spoke to King Yan. He knew very well what kind of opponent the monk in front of him was.

Dao Yan was well aware of this, only smiled slightly, folded his hands and saluted: "Master Yao is too polite. The old man is here, he has nothing to do, he just wants to talk to the adults. ”

Yao Biao knew very well in his heart what this "gossip" meant. He smiled and said, "That being the case, and invite the master to the study for tea." ”

He led Dao Yan into the study and instructed the tea servant to make the best tea.

"Master, please take a seat, just go back to your own home, don't be polite."

Dao Yan quickly and without missing a look, sat down, and took a sip of the hot tea served by the tea servant. The best green tea, hot in the mouth, slowly sinks into the abdomen, and then several hot streams pour into the blood veins, instantly flowing all over the body. He exhaled a deep breath from the dantian silently, and said with a faint smile:

"Lord Yao's tea has a tranquil entrance and a mellow aftertaste, which is quite similar to the new Gwangju tea in the palace before the moon."

Yao Biao said: "Master Huiyan, this is the Gwangju tea given to Yao by the prince." ”

Dao Yan took another sip and sighed, "Good tea." In the palace, even the tea is the same Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. ”

Yao Biao had already prepared and said with a smile: "The prince is very particular about everything, and tea is naturally no exception. Yao heard that the prince likes to study tea with the master, presumably the master is also quite accomplished in tea, Yao is not comparable. ”

Dao Yan said: "Where; Lord Yao has followed the prince for eighteen years, and everyone in the world knows that your medicinal tea is already an indispensable part of the palace of King Yan. The old man has no such ability. ”

Yao Biao smiled calmly: "The master is the one who has won the prize." Thanks to the prince's refusal to give up, Yao's medicinal tea is really effective, at most it is just the prince's body; The master can study tea with the prince, and the words are in the cooking of tea, which shows that the master's tea is the heart of the prince. ”

Dao Yan smiled and said, "Since Lord Yao said so, Lao Wei is not polite and says a few heartfelt words to the adult." ”

"Please."

"The Gwangju tea in the palace of the prince is the new tea of the previous year, and the local tribute was given to the imperial court, and the emperor ordered it to be given to the kings. Gong tea is different from the ordinary; Even if it is the same kind of tea, only the best of the best can be used as tribute. Such a good tea must be cooked with good water. Lu Yu's "Book of Tea" said that boiling tea is based on the mountains and rivers, the river water as the middle, and the well water as the bottom, and it boils until three times. In this way, we can give full play to this good tea to the extreme, sip bitter and sweet, and have an endless aftertaste; And just using well water to brew in the ordinary way actually spoiled these tributes. ”

Yao Biao smiled and said, "Yes; If you think about it, if you change it to mountain spring water, as the master said, boil it until it is boiled three times, the purple clay pot is warm, and the taste is not known how many times better. The master is accustomed to tasting the Xishan spring water drunk in the palace; It's a pity that in this Beiping city, there is a lack of water, not even well water, and all the drinking water has to be transported from outside the city. ”

Dao Yan said: "What the adults said is true; However, I don't know if you have noticed that although the palace has the spring water from the west mountain to pay tribute, the prince and the princess are reluctant to use it for other purposes because of the preciousness of the mountain spring, so they ordered that all the mountain spring water in the palace can only be used to make tea. ”

He put down the teacup in his hand and looked directly at Yao Biao. "The prince often said that he didn't want anyone around him to be buried. Therefore, since it is tribute tea, it should be treated as it should be, so as to produce the taste of tribute tea, no matter how rare the mountain spring is, it must also be used to make tea. In the same way, if a tea leaf is not selected as a tribute tea, but has the same or even better qualifications as the tribute tea, it should naturally be carefully cooked according to the best method and with the best mountain springs. Master Yao thinks, is this so? ”

Yao Biao said gently: "In principle, this is so; But it's hard to do that. There are countless good teas in the world, and if purely in terms of quality, those who are qualified to be selected as tributes may be far beyond our imagination. I think it can even be said that most of the good tea has been buried. ”

The smile in Dao Yan's eyes was confident: "Lord Yao, the old man has said a long time ago that we will not be people on the same path. Since you and I have the same opinion, Lao Wei wants to know, Lord Yao, what are you going to do so that you can make the best tea not be buried? ”

Yao Biao said lightly: "For tea, there is only one way, that is, to be at peace with the situation." ”

"Settle with the situation? The matter of the throne is the foundation of the country. I don't know why Lord Yao can 'go with the flow'? ”

Dao Yan suddenly turned to the point; Yao Biao only felt a cold air slip down his spine. Even if he was prepared, he couldn't stand the monk's tricks.

He thought for a moment, sighed, and asked:

"I don't have a deep friendship with the master, and I have never had a personal conversation; When the master first arrived at the humble house, you and I talked about these things, is the master really relieved? ”

Dao Yan bowed his body and said: "Amitabha; Lord Yao's name as a gentleman has long been heard, and it is indeed true today. You and I have been working together for fifteen years, and the old man has never had the opportunity to get close to adults, so he doesn't know you well. However, the prince's vision of people, the old man is still clear. I think that with Lord Yao's person, no third person will know about your conversation today. ”

Yao Biao was silent for a moment and asked, "Does the master know what the prince thinks about this matter in his heart?" ”

Dao Yan said: "Lord Yao has been the prince's confidant for eighteen years, how can he not know the prince's thoughts? ”

"Yao can only speculate, not sure yet."

Dao Yan said with a smile: "The prince is rich and ambitious, has great achievements, and has heavy troops; What is in his mind? ”

Yao said: "Yao thought this was the worst. Since the emperor has set up the emperor's grandson, and the prince has this intention, it is an out-and-out usurpation. ”

Dao Yan smiled: "Lord Yao would also be so rigid about etiquette. The old man wants to ask the adults, who is more suitable to take over the Ming Dynasty than a weak and inexperienced nerd, and a talented, mature and steady Yan Wang? I don't think adults don't understand the truth that the winner is the king and the loser is the loser. ”

Yao Biao sighed: "The master is bad; From an outsider's point of view, it seems that there is a world of difference between the prince and the grandson; But what about the emperor? The master seems to think that the emperor can't see the difference between the two, and the emperor has never considered King Yan. Is this possible? The emperor made a decision on the major matters of the throne after repeated considerations. Since he has set up a grandson, there must be his reason in it. ”

"I'm afraid not." Dao Yan said lightly, "The emperor chose the grandson just because he hindered the rules of the primogeniture inheritance system; The emperor is afraid that the grandson may not be as satisfied as the adults imagined. ”

"How so?"

"Do you still remember that during the Mid-Autumn Festival last year, the emperor held a banquet in the palace, saw the full moon in the sky, and ordered his grandson to write a poem; Taisun inscribed a five-character quatrain: 'Who will scratch the jade nails and scratch the blue sky marks?' The shadow fell on the rivers and lakes, and the dragon did not dare to swallow it. [1] When the emperor heard this, he was extremely displeased, and repeatedly reproached the grandson for being sour and weak, and that he had no gentlemanly spirit, and would only die studying. In private, the emperor also said to the auxiliary officer of the East Palace that the meaning of this poem is extremely ominous, and he is afraid that there will be a danger of poetry. ”

Yao Biao sighed: "Master, Yao is afraid that the emperor will say such a thing, which just shows that his heart is for the grandson and worried about the kings. If he is the emperor, King Yan is indeed quite paternal, and the emperor favors him for this reason. However, now it is different from the early years of Hongwu. Martial rule has been practiced for 30 years. The emperor punished the law harshly, and the punishment was too heavy; Hu Lan and Kongyin cases implicated innocent people, and many people died; The people dare not complain, and it is indeed time to restructure. The few things that Taisun did did have a very strong bookish anger, but the key was that he was kind and loving, deeply observed the hearts of the people, tried to lose weight, and was supported by his subjects. The harsh punishment has already had the effect it deserves; Everything is too much, and now only benevolence can resolve the people's grievances and win the hearts of the people for the court. The emperor must have thought about fully implementing benevolent government, but he was no longer able to do it himself, so he handed over the reform to the grandson to complete. Choosing a grandson may be more conducive to the future of my Ming Dynasty. ”

Dao Yan shook his head and smiled: "Dare to ask Lord Yao, the remnants of the Tatars have not disappeared, there are intrusions from time to time, and there are frequent border troubles that cannot be dealt with; To the west rose the tribe of Warat. The emperor is still like this now, and when it is the turn of the weak grandson to ascend the throne, won't it be impossible to clean it up? Moreover, at the present time the kings have their own heavy armies, and more than one of them has a different heart. None of them took their grandson seriously; However, he had nothing to say to King Yan, and looked at his horse's head. Therefore, it is necessary to have a battle-experienced, mature and capable emperor who has made great achievements in war to ascend the throne in order to suppress the Ming Dynasty. And this person is none other than King Yan. ”

"And what about King Jin?" Yao Biao retorted, "Even if it is a brother and a brother, there is still King Jin in front of King Yan; What's more, King Jin and King Yan are the same as King Yan, and they have heavy troops in their hands, and they have also led their troops to fight many times. The obstacle between the prince and the throne, King Jin is insurmountable. What's more, the kings are not as centrifugal as the master thinks, and only a few princes are like this. In terms of strength, although they have strong soldiers, they are also difficult to defeat the generals of the four seas, the soldiers of all directions, and the heart of the world. ”

Dao Yan said with a smile: "I don't think Lord Yao doesn't know that King Jin doesn't know how to control his desires, he has no excessive wine, and his body is extremely weak, so it's not an exaggeration to say that he is in danger." The strong, stoic and self-controlled Yan Wang did not have to worry that King Jin would be a threat. As for the generals of the four seas, Lao Wei also asked Lord Yao for advice, and the founding generals such as Xu Da and Chang Yuchun are gone; A young general like Lan Yu, who has the talent of Wei Qing and Huo Quai, was wiped out by the Nine Clans again. The heroes and famous generals have almost been killed by the emperor; Who is left in the DPRK and China who can lead the troops to fight now? ”

"The master is a generation of monks, and he should know more about the truth of this world than Yao. Since ancient times, those who follow the people have prospered, and those who rebelled against the people have perished. The prince raised an army to seize the throne, which was a great disapproval of the world, and the consequences were unpredictable. ”

Dao Yan smiled faintly and said, "Amitabha." But the old man knows that there is a providence, but he doesn't know that there is a people's will. Since ancient times, everything has happened, those who follow the sky prosper, and those who go against the sky die. Providence is in King Yan, but the people's hearts are scattered, a gust of wind passes, ashes are gone, where can the enemy be a real army of generals. ”

The words instantly choked Yao Biao. The other party said that it was no longer meaningful to continue talking. He didn't make a sound, quietly picked up the teacup, and took a sip slowly. The tea is already a little cold; Swallowing my throat, my heart seems to cool down a little and feel a little more comfortable. Dao Yan was on the side, patiently and confidently waiting for him to speak.

Finally, Yao Biao said: "In any case, everything is ultimately determined by the prince; Whether he raises troops or is a minister, it is not up to you and me to have the final say. We should not, and can't make decisions for Daming; Neither the master, Yao, nor anyone else has this right and ability. ”

Dao Yan said: "Lao Wei has never said that he wants to make decisions for the prince and Daming. However, as a courtier, he should see the future direction of the country clearly and have a clear goal, so that he can do his best for the country. ”

Yao Biao said lightly: "In Yao's opinion, this direction has been clear from the beginning, and Yao has never been worried about it. The country of the Ming Dynasty must be the world of the Zhu family; This is the only direction. Whether it is the prince or the grandson, they are all working hard for this goal. The same is true for Master and Yao. ”

"Lord Yao is bad. The same family, but they can lead Daming on different paths and lead to different prospects. How can a courtier not pay attention to these different 'directions'? Dao Yan smiled slightly, "Even if you put these aside, you and I, as courtiers, should also think that if the prince does not have troops, then he will only be destroyed; On the issue of the throne, he has never paid attention to the pursuit of the poor, and there has never been family affection at all. The future of you and me, and even our net worth and life, are already tightly tied to the prince. ”

Yao Biao said: "Since he has become a minister, his net worth and life should never be taken into consideration. Yao was originally a mountain and a wild man, picking herbs for 30 years, and he never had any ambitions, but he didn't want to be appreciated by the prince, so he kept me by his side and regarded me as a confidant. The prince's heart is naturally the country and the mountains; Yao did not have the slightest enthusiasm and good impression of this palace political affairs, but he should have been grateful to the prince no matter what, and repaid him with death. Does the master suspect that Yao is timid and greedy, ignoring the safety of the prince, and hoping to be a man riding the wall? ”

Dao Yan smiled and said, "The old man has always known that the prince will never look at the wrong person. I'm just a little surprised, I don't know why Master Yao is so worried about things and too cautious; Lao Qu originally thought that with the character of the prince, all the people he valued should dare to think and act like him. ”

Yao smiled elegantly: "In the end, the master is still scolding Yao for being cowardly and afraid." Yao really doesn't know, with my stupidity, what does the prince like about me. I only know that I should assist the prince with all my heart and do my best; And what Yao can do, that is, the word 'cautious', does not dare to think carefully and repeatedly at all times, and is extremely cautious, for fear that it will be unfavorable to the prince, let alone such a shocking event. It is natural to be inferior to a master. The master is a monk, but he can also not be afraid of the mortal dust, with his own wisdom, the world is alive, even if it involves court struggles, he will not retreat. The master is the same as the prince, a real person who dares to think and do. ”

Dao Yan didn't care, easily accepted this trick, and smiled and said:

"Amitabha. Lord Yao won the award; If you really dare to think and dare to act, no one can compare with the holy ones today; I didn't expect that there was such a genius in my Buddhism, an ordinary little novice in Huangjue Temple, but now he is the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. ”

It's a dead game; Checkmate yourself. Yao Biao admitted in his heart that this monk was really a too difficult opponent. In this battle just now, he actually had the upper hand.

He had no choice but to divert the topic and ask, "The master has just come out of the palace, right?" Yao hasn't seen the prince for a few days, I don't know if he is in good health? ”

Dao Yan knew exactly what he meant. The conversation shifted to something innocculate. But it didn't take long for the conversation to unconsciously return to the question of the throne. Yao Biao complained bitterly in his heart, and became more and more annoyed on the other; Conversation should never be speculative. He diverted the topic several times, but in the end, everything had no choice but to return to the old topic. In the end, when even Dao Yan got bored, the two finally stopped talking. It was noon.

"Why doesn't the master stay and have lunch with Yao?" Yao Biao said, "I'll go and tell Uchiko to make a few light vegetarian dishes, which must be in line with the master's taste." ”

He really wished that the monk would leave quickly; However, when the time comes, it is the minimum etiquette to keep guests for dinner. Over the years, he has hidden his emotions to the fullest.

Dao Yan didn't appreciate it at all, and smiled arrogantly: "Don't bother Lord Yao; The old man went back to the temple to eat. Every time the prince gave a banquet, the old man never accepted it. Please forgive me for being rude, and I will take my leave. ”

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[1] "Yuan Poetry Chronicle", the original source is not examined