Gao Cheng's heart felt like he had been hit hard. He entered her to protect him, and he retreated from her to protect him. Princess Xiao Qiongju of Liyang turned out to be the person who knew him best.

She's probably already guessed, right? As an envoy of the Great Wei, he must not be summoned without entering the meeting. Even if he knew that tomorrow was about to kill him, he could only go and not retreat. Otherwise, how could he gain a foothold when he returned to Great Wei? She knew all of them, thought of them all, and tried to remove all obstacles for him. He couldn't help but miss her in his heart.

"Does the general have a reply? I'm going back to get back to the princess. Even if Yang Shunhua couldn't see Gao Cheng clearly in the dark, he could also sensitively know his thoughts. She endured the sourness in her heart and got up from the couch.

When Gao Cheng woke up, Yang Shunhua was already outside the bed tent. Little did he know that it was her father who had planned to kill him. How did she risk disobeying her father and betraying her family and country to leak the news? Since it is impossible for her to go back to Yecheng with him, it is impossible for her to be with him, and she has nothing to worry about the rest.

"Take care." Gao Cheng's concerned voice came from the bed tent.

By the time he lifted the bed tent and got up, it was empty, except for the half-open windows that suggested that someone had been there.

Gao Cheng immediately called the slave and maid in, and ordered to invite the waiter Cui Jishu.

There are green tiles and white walls on Jilong Mountain, in which the strong fragrance comes to the nose and permeates the surroundings. Tongtai Temple is built on the gentle slope of Jilong Mountain, according to the mountain situation layer by layer, the highest place suddenly rises higher, is the Medicine Buddha Pagoda. From the pagoda to the back of the Tongtai Temple wall, out of the wall is no longer the boundary of the Tongtai Temple.

From the back of Tongtai Temple, go down layer by layer, and go down the mountain not far from the Black Dragon Lake. The palace is like a mountain and water.

Tongtai Temple is magnificent, as soon as you enter the mountain gate, you will see the square of dozens of zhang square and empty, and behind you is several zhang high platform. The high platform is surrounded by an intricately carved fence, and a grand Buddha hall is built on the platform.

The Buddha Pavilion hall is overlapped. Sometimes the main hall is solemn and solemn; Sometimes it is like a secluded house, a thatched hermitage. It is dotted with scattered flowers and grasses, and small bridges of lakes and stones. In the distance, a tall tower was faintly visible, towering above the clouds. Sometimes the wind blows, and the bell of the tower is sparsely heard, as if far and near. It's a quiet place.

Today's weather is sunny and the sky is clear. In the temple, it seems that even the summer heat has been relieved.

The guards in the palace outside Tongtai Temple and the Liang soldiers who don't know where they came from, surrounded the Tongtai Temple, almost impermeable. There were no guards in the temple, and it was very quiet. It seems that it is to protect the safety of Emperor Liang and the Wei envoy, and it will not disturb the conversation between Emperor Liang and the Wei envoy because of the large number of people.

Chen Yuankang and Cui Jishu were both placed in the empty square in front of the main hall and waited. Chen Yuankang was still calm, standing under the side corridor pillars and scanning the scene in front of him, refusing to relax for a moment, as if he was ready to respond at any time. Cui Jishu couldn't hold his breath, and kept walking around under the porch, like ants in a hot pot.

There is a bamboo forest behind Tongtai Temple, the forest is full of fine broken white stones, there is a hut under the bamboo, and several pieces of bluestone outside the house are compared to several cases of sitting. Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang and Gao Cheng, the general of the Wei envoy, were sitting opposite each other in the hut at this moment. There was no longer a single figure in the bamboo forest or in the vicinity.

Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang wore coarse cloth Buddha clothes and went to the emperor's crown clothes, and he was really like an old monk at this moment.

Gao Cheng is also not wearing an official uniform, with a scarf on his head and a wide shirt on his body, if he doesn't look carefully, he looks like a scholar of the Southern Dynasty, but it looks similar to Xiao Yan's outfit.

"The general has not come to Tongtai Temple for a long time." Xiao Yan personally poured tea juice with a slightly reddish color in the enamel celadon bowl, and then handed it to Gao Cheng with his own hands.

Gao Cheng knelt up and took it in thanks. He had only heard of this kind of prayer tea, but had never drunk it. This tea juice is dark in color and strong in spirit, which is different from the mask he was used to in the past.

Xiao Yan saw that he had the cup in his hand, looked at it but did not drink it, and said with a smile, "I am a slave of the Three Treasures, and drinking this tea has become a habit, so don't be surprised by the general." ”

Gao Cheng looked up and smiled, "Don't dare." Your Majesty has been fasting for a long time and does not think it is bitter, how dare the minister abandon it? With that, he lowered his head and sipped.

"The general is also a good Buddha, right? I heard that a Buddhist temple has been built in the dense forest of Shaomu Mountain, and the incense is vigorous, and the Bodhidharma Patriarch lives in it, talking about Zen and Buddha to cross sentient beings. How is the patriarch? Xiao Yan stared at Gao Cheng and asked.

There is a breeze in this bamboo forest, passing through the hall and entering the room, and the sound of the wind passing through the bamboo can be faintly heard in the ears, and the silence can not be described. This is the quietest world in Tongtai Temple, like being isolated from the world.

Gao Cheng said with a smile, "The good Buddha of the minister is different from Your Majesty, the Buddha is only in the heart of the minister." The minister is a mundane body, and he can't get rid of it, and it is difficult to compare with His Majesty. The patriarch is different, and the patriarch himself is a Buddha. If Your Majesty misses the ancestor, now that Liang and Wei are married, the ancestor can also cross the river to cross the river to cross the sentient beings in the south of the Yangtze River. ”

Hearing Xiao Yan mention his master, Gao Cheng felt in his heart that he had always been thinking about the fact that Patriarch Bodhidharma refused to be the national teacher of Daliang and abandoned the south and went north. This emperor remembered old grievances so much, and his heart was narrow-minded, Gao Cheng suddenly had a whimsical idea in his heart.

"The Buddha can sacrifice himself for sentient beings, and I have also sacrificed myself in the temple several times." Xiao Yan stared at Gao Cheng and said with a smile, "The general is in charge of the authority of a country, and he is a living citizen, if he sacrifices his life to take righteousness, is the general willing?" ”

"Your Majesty's sacrifice is just a waste of money and labor, what is the benefit of the people?" Gao Cheng was not polite at all, and also stared at Xiao Yan and said with a smile, "The minister is only this one, the people are not tigers, and they don't eat, can the ministers still serve the tigers with their bodies?" If power is not used for the benefit of a nation, it can be used for the benefit of all people. ”

"For whom does the general benefit?" Xiao Yan asked with a cup of tea in his hand.

"Although the minister is Wei Chen, Liang is on Wei's side. If you want to stand up to people, you want to reach people, Liang and Wei stand together, and there is no difference between the thin and thick of the ministers. Gao Cheng replied calmly.

Xiao Yan was a little surprised.

Gao Cheng has such a heart, he can't compare to the emperor of a country, and his heart is suddenly lost. But for a moment, I thought of him making friends in the clan, and then I thought about what Yang Kan said, and suddenly my murderous intent rose again.

"I believe what the general says." Xiao Yan suddenly sighed, "It's just that I have been in charge of the country for a long time, and I am old, and now the affairs are all handed over to the prince." His eyes flashed, "Don't blame the general, don't blame." It seems that he feels that he has done something that he should not do, and he is afraid that Gao Cheng will resent him. Xiao Yan silently recited a Buddha name in his heart to calm down.

"Your Majesty is a British son, chasing troubled times and making meritorious deeds, just at the peak, how can you be called old?" Gao Cheng didn't seem to be able to see Xiao Yan's thoughts, and said with a smile, "On that day, General Yang Kan sent an envoy, and the emperor praised His Majesty's virtue above the Great Wei Temple. The prince is generous and tolerant, benevolent. My lord was very pleased, and gave General Yang Kan a gesture of goodwill, and wanted Liang and Wei to work together. The people of the Northern Dynasties know that the emperor of the Southern Dynasty is a good Buddha and has the virtue of crossing all living beings. The state politics belongs to the prince, and the prince has the style of Yao Shun. When it comes to the Southern Dynasties, everyone yearns for it. Gao Cheng knelt down and said loudly, "Your Majesty Chenghe has benevolence and virtue like a prince, and a loyal minister like a sheep." ”

Congratulations in such a solemn and solemn way, on the surface, Emperor He chose the right prince and used the right loyal ministers, but these words sounded completely different to Xiao Yan. Gao Cheng said such a thing precisely because he knew that the emperor of Liang was suspicious and narrow-minded.

Xiao Yan's heart was like a thorn. It turned out that Yang Kan actually praised the prince Xiao Gang to Emperor Wei in the temple of Wei. The prince is generous and has the capacity to accommodate people, doesn't he? The crown prince is Renjun, isn't he? He is a good Buddha, and the state affairs belong to the prince, so who is the emperor of Daliang? The crown prince also succeeded to the throne, and Yang Kan praised him for having the style of Yao Shun, did this Yang Kan still take him, the real emperor of Liang, in his eyes? Everyone in the Northern Dynasties yearns for it, isn't it true that everyone yearns for the virtue of the prince and the benevolent monarch?

The more Xiao Yan thought about it, the more confused he became. This Yang Kan, who was sent to the Northern Dynasty to make a claim, was going to send protons, who gave him the power? Now he wants to kill Gao Cheng again, and if something goes wrong, it's not a gap between Wei and Liang, so what does it have to do with him? Anyway, the Yang clan is also a second minister, from south to north, and from north to south, with uncertain intentions. Could it be that Yang Kan has a different heart again?

Xiao Yan's heart was uncertain, but he smiled on the surface, "The general praised it falsely. ”

Gao Cheng sat back. A pair of green eyes looked at Xiao Yan with a smile.

Xiao Yan saw that his eyes were clear, and he didn't dodge or dodge, as if he didn't realize it, and couldn't help but sigh, "Since the general also knows that the state affairs belong to the prince, why don't you go and negotiate an alliance with the prince?" ”

Gao Cheng was stunned and said, "Why did Your Majesty say this?" Others associate with the prince because they admire the prince's demeanor. Since the minister is an envoy of Wei and discusses state affairs, he naturally knows the truth that the government comes from the king, how can he be so rude? The minister only knows that His Majesty has been ruling the country for a long time, his achievements are great, His Majesty is eloquent, and he has a long-term vision, and the minister can only discuss his affairs with His Majesty. ”

Who is this "other"? Xiao Yan suddenly had doubts in his heart. I remembered that the crown prince Xiao Gang and the deputy envoy of Wei Hou Jingju were not there at this moment, would they also discuss privately? And did the prince see Hou Jing behind his back before? Otherwise, why is the prince's attitude towards Hou Jing inconsistent? Thinking about it again, the prince's attitude towards Gao Cheng is also inconsistent. What's changing?

"What does the general have in mind? What do you want to talk to me about? Xiao Yan poured himself tea again, and his expression was calm as usual.

Gao Cheng didn't speak for the time being, and also drank a cup of tea. Only then did he raise his head and smile, "Don't hide it from Your Majesty, when the prince also summoned his ministers before, he said that since the two countries are friendly, why talk about sending protons." When the prince talked about emotion, he almost burst into tears, and he was very moved by the feeling of being reluctant to give up his brother. Gao Cheng said things out of nothing vividly.

Xiao Yan was unhappy in his heart, if he said that the prince did not approve of sending protons, he was reluctant to give up brotherhood; If he agrees to send protons, won't he have a father-son relationship?

"After all, the prince is more important to family affairs." Xiao Yan said lightly.

Gao Cheng immediately heard it, and this sentence was clearly praised. Emphasizing brotherhood and not social thoughts, doesn't it mean that the prince did not benefit the country from the perspective of the prince?

"The minister also thinks, why send protons?" Gao Cheng's words were astonishing.

Xiao Yan was stunned, and his face slowly became gloomy. Could it be that Gao Cheng meant that he was going to act as the prince wanted?

Gao Cheng paused deliberately before smiling, "It's really inappropriate to send protons. Since they are friends, why should they be so cold and ruthless and have to take His Majesty's sons and nephews as hostages? The world is unpredictable, if there is really a case, will it really be impossible for His Majesty's nephews to be killed? ”

Gao Cheng saw that Xiao Yan's face was a little pale, and knew that it was in his heart, so he happily knelt down and asked, "On behalf of my Great Wei lord, I invite His Majesty's son and nephew to Yecheng as a guest." Since it is a distinguished guest, it must be treated as a guest of honor, in order to show the friendship between the two countries. His Majesty also knows that now the merchants of Liang and Wei have exchanged businessmen, sent envoys to each other, and the literati have interacted very harmoniously, and the prince of the clan has added to the auspiciousness of visiting Yecheng. ”

In fact, the meaning is the same, but in another way, Xiao Yan feels much more comfortable. The crown prince was reluctant to send protons, but Xiao Yan seriously considered the matter. And why not?

"What the general said is very true." He couldn't help but nod his head in praise.

Gao Cheng happily promised, "Since you are a guest, you will come and go unrestrained, if you want to return to Jiankang, the minister will definitely be safe." ”

Xiao Yan knew that Gao Cheng was qualified to say this, if it was said that Great Wei was the world of the Lord of Wei, it would be better to say that it was Gao Cheng's world.

"The general is thoughtful, and I am very moved." Xiao Yan finally smiled.

"This is Your Majesty's fatherly heart. Lingzi and nephews are guests in Dawei, which is also the intention of assisting the prince in the future. Gao Cheng mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally.

Xiao Yan's heart moved. If it is a guest, it is not a hostage, I believe that no matter which nephew is willing to go, this is an excellent opportunity to increase his qualifications. I believe that the prince is also willing, this was originally to train him as a minister of the auxiliary state, and it is also a great benefit to the Liang clan. How could he let go of such an opportunity? How can it be given to the prince? Xiao Yan already had an idea in his heart.

"Who does the general want?" Xiao Yan looked at Gao Cheng and asked.

Gao Cheng was overjoyed in his heart, knowing that Xiao Yan had already agreed. "Your Majesty is too polite. Although Yang Kan Shangshu promised to my Lord of Great Wei that Yun Chen would choose the protons, such matters are naturally ruled by His Majesty. ”

It's Yang Kan again, Xiao Yan hates in his heart. Xiao Yan stared at Gao Cheng and asked, "What does the general think of my Qilang?" This refers to Xiao Yi, the king of Xiangdong.

Gao Cheng knew that Xiao Yan was suspicious, so he excused himself, "The minister can't say anything. The minister and the Seventh Highness are not acquainted, but they met by accident by the river. Or Your Majesty's self-determination. ”

Xiao Yan didn't speak again, smiled and nodded.

Gao Cheng didn't answer again, it seemed that Emperor Liang agreed in his heart.

In the shadows under the wall behind the Daxiong Treasure Hall of Tongtai Temple, Xiao Zhengde, the king of Linhe County, and Jing Jing, the prince of Puyang County, stood in a whisper. There was no one around.

Hou Jing pressed the mood of violent fluctuations, and listened to Xiao Zhengde say that the Duguan Shangshu Yang Kan had been arranged, and he wanted to lead Gao Cheng to the back door of Tongtai Temple under the Medicine Pagoda, and then kill him on Jilong Mountain.

Hou Jing thought, Xiao Zhengde said that this was Yang Kan arranging. He expected that Emperor Xiao Yan of Liang and Prince Xiao Gang must know about this and acquiesced. Otherwise, with the heart of Yang Kan's loyalty, he will not rashly assert himself.

This is great news, if Gao Cheng dies here, then he will not only clear the trouble in his heart, but also do not have to bear the consequences at all. The responsibility for killing Gao Cheng will be borne by Emperor Daliang, the crown prince, and Shangshu Yang Kan.