Chapter 72: Refuge

Empress Dowager Xu patted Qian Hongzuo's hand, pulled him to sit on the couch together, and said: "Weiniang knows that you are filial, but just like your filial piety to your father, unlike ordinary children, it is not a matter of etiquette such as mourning and filial piety, and your filial piety to your mother is the same." ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "You said that my filial piety to my father is to inherit his will and govern Wu Yue well, and the child will definitely do it." And my filial piety to you is to let you spend the happiest and most comfortable old age. ”

Empress Dowager Xu smiled and asked: "What is the happiest and most comfortable old age?" ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "I know that you believe in Buddhism, but as long as you are sincere, there is no difference between being a monk and being at home. I will build you the most suitable place for your cultivation in the palace. ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "Holy wisdom, in a word, if you really believe in Buddhism, there is no difference between being a monk and being at home. For me, being a monk is more conducive to purification. ”

Qian Hongzuo just wanted to argue, but Empress Dowager Xu said: "There is a drawback in the Wuyue Kingdom, and even an upright minister like Lord Zhen Fu has never pointed it out. ”

Qian Hongzuo asked: "What are the drawbacks?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "The palace is huge, there are many palace maids, and the royal family consumes a huge amount, which has caused a heavy burden on the people. The prosperity of Wu Yueguo is not to benefit a family and a surname, even if it is the surname of the royal family. Since the ancient saying 'become a king and lose a villain', children must not believe this statement. The royal road is the royal road, God has not given Dai Yun a chance, but even if he wins the royal power, he is just a robber. Because he only values one family and one surname, he does not hesitate to bring disaster to the country and the people for the sake of one family and one surname. The robbers may succeed for a while, but they will never become true kings. ”

Empress Dowager Xu gently took Qian Hongzuo in her arms and said: "Your grandfather founded the country by force, and your father intermarried with the countries and the founding heroes in order to stabilize the royal power. Every concubine has to bring a lot of cronies to the palace of Wuyue. Here for their backstage, strive for the greatest interests. You have lived here since you were a child, and even if you don't say it as a mother, you will definitely be able to appreciate how tragic the dispute between your father's concubines is. These battles directly affected the previous dynasty and almost pushed the kingdom to the brink of danger. The territory of the Wuyue Kingdom is not large, but the scale of the inner courtyard of the palace is comparable to that of the Central Plains court. Your father has many princes and princesses, each of whom has to be pampered, and they have to reproduce, so how can they be born? ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "The matter has come to this, even if you become a monk, you can't get anything back." ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "If you want to reduce the number of people in the palace, the fastest way is to release the palace maids." But many palace maids have already exceeded the age of marriage, and if they are released from the palace, they will have no livelihood and no support. You will soon choose a concubine, and these old palace maids will only cause trouble in the palace. Teach your concubines those tricks of competing for favor. Instead of this, it is better to let Wei Niang take them out of the palace. ”

Qian Hongzuo was stunned and said, "Do you want to take them to become a monk together?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "I believe in Buddhism, they may not, you just need to issue an order to release, and let them choose their final whereabouts." If they are willing to go to their relatives and friends, then let them go, if they are willing to leave the palace with Weiniang, then Weiniang will be responsible for them to the end. ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "Queen Mother, I beg you to stay. I promise that I will take fewer concubines and reduce the cost of the palace, as long as you are willing to stay, and let me do whatever I want. ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "In fact, what I want to do for my mother is a merit, although there are many temples in Wu Yueguo, but most of them are built in the deep and secluded mountains, and the female donor worships the Buddha is inconvenient, I want to build a nunnery in Hangzhou City, at the beginning, it is natural to use my private money, but the future expenses are supported by the embroidery workshop attached to the nunnery. The spinning and embroidery of my Wu Yue Kingdom was originally the most famous in the world, but in recent years, the Shu Kingdom and the Tang Kingdom have a tendency to come from behind, and most of the old palace maids in the palace are proficient in spinning and embroidery skills. Those who are willing to become nuns will become nuns; Those who do not want to become monks will become female workers in the embroidery workshop, and the nunnery and the embroidery workshop will provide for them in old age. In this way, not only these old palace maids, even if they are childless people, also have a place to defect. ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "Queen Mother, you have been working hard for Wu Yueguo for many years, and there are so many concubines in the palace, why do you have to complete this drudgery in the end?" You have a holy decree, which concubine dares to disobey? ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "Holy Lord, the Queen Mother is a monk to pray for the blessing of the country, and the other concubines are monks, but they believe in Buddhism, and the surprise is huge." And if you have to support yourself for your mother, you can cut the supply of other concubines and clan children, so as not to cause complaints. The children of the clan have studied and practiced martial arts for many years, but if they only know that enjoying a rich life is a burden to the people, and it is a waste to themselves, but many people regard it as a blessing. In the future, the clan of Wu Yue Kingdom will not raise useless idlers, those who can engage in politics, those who can do learning, those who can do business, and those who can serve in the army. ”

Qian Hongzuo saw that Empress Dowager Xu was speaking in an orderly manner, and seemed to have already thought about it, and asked, "Queen Mother, have you been planning for a long time?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu nodded and said truthfully: "That's true, do you remember Jinxuan Lane?" ”

Qian Hongzuo said: "Remember, that alley is on the way from the palace to Lord Zhen Fu's mansion, there was originally a large mansion, which was the mansion of a wealthy merchant, but in order to ambush me, Dai Yun killed all the owners of that house and threw them at the bottom of the pond in the house. ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "Therefore, it has become a murderous house, and I have bought it at a low price in the name of others." It is going to build a golden hazel and a golden hazel workshop there. The Golden Wisp Nunnery is dominated by the Guanyin Palace, and there are palaces such as the Marriage Palace, the Sending Child Palace, and the Fushou Hall for the female benefactor to pray for blessings, and I believe that the incense must be extremely prosperous; The Golden Wisp Workshop is a place where those old palace maids who do not want to become monks and abide by the rules and precepts of the Qing Dynasty do spinning and embroidery, work and stay. ”

Qian Hongzuo still said: "It's really inappropriate, although the situation is stabilizing now, if there are really fanatics, they will intrude on the Golden Hazel Nunnery." After all, the garrison there is not as good as the inner courtyard of the palace, in case of a mistake, how can it be good? ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "After I became a monk, I am no longer the queen mother, but just an ordinary Buddhist, what I want to understand is life and death, and I don't need special protection originally, not to mention the palace maids in the palace, there have always been many martial arts practitioners, don't worry, saint." ”

Qian Hongzuo still disagreed in his heart, and thought hard about the reasons for dissuasion.

Empress Dowager Xu said: "In fact, there is another layer of intention for my mother to become a monk in a hurry. ”

Qian Hongzuo asked, "Does the queen mother have any hidden intentions?" ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "As far as I know, the political situation in Fujian is unstable, the government is chaotic, and there may be a civil war soon. After all, I am a native of Fujian, and no matter what I say when there is civil strife in Fujian, it will arouse the suspicion of Minister Wu Yueguo. Dai Yunyu's party, the possibility of public rebellion is not very large, but the hundred-legged insect is dead but not stiff, and there are many people who use the topic to play, which is not conducive to the saint. ”

Empress Dowager Xu is scheming, and her long speech is reasonable, which may not be the real reason, but in just one sentence, it may be the key point.

Qian Hongzuo comforted: "Don't worry about the queen mother, with me, I will be able to protect the queen mother and protect the Fujian country." ”

Empress Dowager Xu smiled sadly and said, "Child, at any time, you must remember that you are the monarch of Wu Yueguo, not the son of Concubine Min." What you want to protect will never be Fujian. ”

Qian Hongzuo snuggled in the arms of the Empress Dowager Xu, and said with tears: "But I am the son of Concubine Min and the child of my mother, if I can choose, I would rather only be my mother's child." ”

Empress Dowager Xu said: "As long as the Xu clan flees to Wuyue Kingdom in the future, you can take it in properly, even if it is not for the mother to come and kiss in vain." National affairs were originally not for women like Niang, who could manage and should be managed. ”

Qian Hongzuo cried: "Don't say that, the queen mother. I will live up to the cultivation grace of the queen mother. ”