This is what happened when Zhou Guanzhao was not long in power and had not yet ascended the throne.

The Buddhist temple is solemn, the bell rings leisurely, the vermilion gate of the temple slowly opens, bringing a light breeze, rolling the golden ginkgo biloba all over the ground, and slowly turning and falling. The monk holds the Buddha beads in front of him and recites the Buddha with his eyes closed.

And in front of him a long staircase covered with ginkgo biloba leaves extended down the mountain, the Buddha gate pure land, for a while only the temple faintly heard the sound of chanting scriptures, the monk because of the closed eyes, the auditory teaching is usually much more sensitive, he heard someone stepping on the ground full of fallen leaves step by step slowly walked up, and finally stopped at the position of ten steps away from the gate.

"Master Hou." The monk said respectfully.

Song Chuanbai had a slight cyan color under his eyes, and he looked very tired, and the posture in which the two of them stood made Song Chuanbai look up at him, but even so, the monk could feel a sense of oppression.

That was when Song Chuanbai was already extremely unhappy, and he was too lazy to hide the emotions he showed.

He said: "The people only say that when the family and country are in danger, the Taoist priest goes down the mountain, but I didn't expect that you, the monks who talk about the six pure roots all day long, also came to mix in the things on the dragon chair." ”

The monk didn't say much, nor did he mean to state his position and attitude, bowed with his eyebrows down, and let Song Chuanbai in sideways.

The presiding officer of this temple never showed up, only this silent monk took Song Chuanbai around the main hall and crossed a very narrow, small bridge made of wooden trunks. Song Chuanbai glanced at the stream at his feet, there was a small round lotus floating on the clear water, the real flowers with roots and stems had been grateful, and a lamp was resting in a paper-folded lotus flower, which slowly drifted down the stream to Song Chuanbai's feet, and then floated forward along the water.

Song Chuanbai glanced at it and suddenly ordered: "Pick up the lotus lantern back!" ”

His tone was so strong that the monk was stunned for a moment, and then turned his head to look at the lotus lantern that was drifting farther and farther away.

"Pick it up!"

The monk didn't know why he suddenly attacked, so he took the order in silence, caught up with the lotus lantern in a few steps, and waded into the water to pick it up.

Song Chuanbai pinched the lamp, followed the monk to the side room with a calm face, and an older man with gray temples eagerly greeted him, and said, "Master Hou......"

Song Chuanbai threw the lantern in his hand in front of him, and the man was startled and said, "Master Hou, why is this?" ”

"Ge Lao," Song Chuanbai said coldly: "I also call you Ge Lao, you grew up watching the prince, you have done your best for so many years, but after all, you are old, and you are so stupid that you want to take the prince's only heir to die!" ”

Guo Ge's shriveled lips trembled for a moment, and he said, "Hou Ye is very young, and the prince also loves Hou Ye very much. often talked about the wisdom of the Hou Ye in front of us courtiers, and I just hated to teach the Hou Ye to stay in the East Palace for a few more days. ”

He ignored the old man's emotion, pointed to the broken lotus lantern on the ground and said: "This is what I saw in the stream in this temple, do you know where this water will eventually converge?" ”

"Moat!" Song Chuanbai barely pointed at his nose: "How many rivers and canals will pass through it." The river lantern festival held in the year of Prince Huangkou is known all over the city, and people throughout Kyoto are looking for the lantern folded by the prince in the river. At that time, people all over Kyoto were putting river lanterns, and all kinds of river lanterns were spread all over the water, but the prince's one was still found. That's because he's so special! Because it was His Royal Highness the Little Prince's original folding method, no one dared to learn from him! In order to find his lamp, the folk even specially drew the system of his lamp, and at that time, almost everyone had one, standing on the bank of the river to find the lotus lamp. ”

"I ask you, if this lamp, which only the prince folds, drifts out, who among the people will find out? Even if one of the secret guards in the dark department of the Mitian Division recognized it? Hordes of secret guards will immediately search the current here! Song Chuanbai said sharply: "None of the monks here don't have to live!" ”

Guo Ge Lao understood the mystery inside, and immediately a layer of cold sweat came out, and he said in a low voice: "The crown prince has been in a very low mood recently, and the old minister just wants to ask him to fold and play and relax, but he didn't stop asking the crown prince to let him go, is it the old minister's, the old minister is confused!" ”

Song Chuanbai rubbed his brows and asked, "Only you are here?" ”

Guo Ge Lao replied and said: "There are many people, there are not many people who know at present, Buddhism is pure, and the fewer people who come, the better." ”

"The Buddha Gate is pure," Song Chuanbai sneered and said, "Isn't the next advisor of the old sect of Guo Ge a monk in this temple?" ”

"Yes, but that was a very early on, how did Master Hou learn about this?"

Outside the wing grew an old tree with a thick and low trunk, and its branches spread out like a cloud, and the leaves grew together in clusters, and it looked even better than ordinary trees. As soon as the wind blew, the clouds on the earth squirred, and the yellow leaves came out with the wind and fell into the well under the trees. Song Chuanbai didn't look at the elder again, looked at the tree, and said half-loudly: "When I entered the palace before, the prince would tell me stories. I didn't listen to the myths and legends that coaxed the child, so he had to tell some interesting stories about his own life. I didn't see the prince very often, so I remember the few times I only few. ”

When Yang and Hou had not yet been sealed, and his father's military exploits had not been so prominent, Song Chuanbai still often went in and out of the East Palace, but at that time it was too young, and the prince could easily pick him up with two hands. After the general shook the northwest, and after returning to the palace to receive a banquet, Song Chuanbai no longer went often. When they met again, the prince still coaxed him as a child, but Song Chuanbai was no longer a person who could simply listen to stories with peace of mind.

"It can be seen that the Hou Ye is still thinking about the prince!" The old man's eyes were red as he spoke.

Song Chuanbai's eyes swept away, and he replied coldly: "It's just that I have a good memory, isn't it famous for my good memory?" ”

"Elder Guo Ge called me here today, is it just to catch up with the past?"

"Of course not, now the chicken is ......"

Song Chuanbai raised his hand and made a blocking gesture, and said: "Si Chen, you are insulting and ashamed of your ancestors, okay, I have heard this nonsense countless times, just say it directly." ”

Guo Ge Lao sneered for a while, shook his head himself, and then said directly: "The reason why Guan Zhao was able to take charge of political affairs unscrupulously this week, in addition to the increasing number of secret guards in this city, is also an important reason for the support ......of the generals."

At this juncture, the hussar general led his battalion back to Beijing, and a large army was stationed outside Kyoto.

"This is what my father meant," Song Chuanbai interrupted him: "It's useless to look for me. ”

Back then, the crown prince did not simply pass the throne to Zhou Guanzhao, which had only been in his hands for a few days, and it clearly stated that if he had an heir, he would still pass it on. The crown prince has always had a side concubine who did not return to Kyoto, as soon as this order came out, the henchman who could not enter the palace to serve in front of him immediately thought of going out of the city to find someone, and finally preempted Zhou Guanzhao before the prince's side concubine, and the child who was sealed as the crown prince in the edict issued by his father before his death took away from the residence.

At that time, Zhou Guanzhao didn't know what this child meant, but Guo Ge Lao and others would never take the child in front of her eyes to take risks.

They even suspect that in the end, the crown prince passed the throne to her, not his own son, because he was coerced by Zhou Guanzhao when he was critically ill.

This child, who saw his father less than his courtiers, was involved in open and secret battles because of an edict.

At this moment, the window of the wing room suddenly creaked, and someone opened it from the inside, revealing a immature, white little face. The child looked at Song Chuanbai curiously, and then was reprimanded: "Ming Ze!" And he was dragged back.

Song Chuanbai seemed to feel something, and asked Guo Gelao: "How old is the crown prince?" ”

Guo Ge was already excited to hear him admit the identity of the crown prince, and hurriedly said: "It's only eight years old, but it's very smart, and it's ...... with the crown prince."

"How smart?" Song Chuanbai said mercilessly: "Can you be smart enough to govern the country and control the ministers, and fight against Zhou Guanzhao?" ”

Guo Ge was suffocated.

Asking the eight-year-old Huangkou child to compete with Zhou Guanzhao, who holds the Mitian Division, is like a joke to say.

However, Song Chuanbai didn't smile, he said: "Don't do useless work anymore, if he can't sit in that position, it may not be a bad thing." ”

Guo Ge said hurriedly: "Zhou Guanzhao, that demon girl, will not let the crown prince go!" The prince's edict has been established, the words have been spoken, as long as Ming Ze is still alive for one day, Zhou Guanzhao will miss him for a day! The courtiers will remember him for a day! Could it be that Ming Ze is also like the prince of the previous dynasty, locked in the deep palace at a young age, begging for the moon as a cake, and living alone all his life on leftovers, watching other people's faces! ”

Song Chuanbai's face froze.

The former abolished prince was locked up for a problem, and the palace people were treated badly, and one day he begged and cried at the full moon, thinking that it was a cake brought by the palace people.

"You don't have to explain the allusions to me here," he quickly recovered his original expression: "The crown prince will not be locked in the deep palace, and it is impossible to fall to the point of begging for the moon as a cake, as long as you dispel the idea of fighting for power for me, stay honestly, Zhou Guanzhao will not be killed." ”

"Guo Ge Lao," he finally said, "I know you are unwilling, but how many lives are this unwilling?" ”

He turned around and wanted to leave, but the door behind him was pushed open, and a woman ran out and knelt down in front of Song Chuanbai, and said: "Ming is young, but when the emperor is young, the regent supervises the country and assists the young emperor, is there no precedent?!" ”

Song Chuanbai turned around in astonishment, only to see a plainly dressed woman bowing deeply to herself, followed by a boy in a brocade robe, hesitantly walked over to take the corner of her mother's clothes, but when she saw the broken lantern on the ground, her eyes immediately overflowed with tears.

"You guys are really ......," Song Chuanbai sighed and said, "It's so bold." ”

"Ming Ze," he squatted down and asked, "do you want to be emperor?" ”

Zhou Ming looked at him, but he didn't cry, the child's eyes were frightened, his voice was very soft, and he said softly: "I want to ...... I want to see my father. ”