Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Twelve years ago, Wen Jiao did not approve of the noble ladies' life of becoming nuns in the name of becoming monks, but in fact they were just single nobles under the guise of practicing Taoism. Naturally, her attitude has not changed now.

She felt pity for the slave girls who were forced to become Taoist priests together so that they could continue to serve them. The choices that the noble ladies had were always a thousand times better than those slaves who had no choice. They were used to single life, and once they wanted to get married again, they had a thousand excuses to return to secular life. But what about the slave girls they took to serve them? Could they be sent back to secular life?

Why couldn't the nun who had a love affair with Li Shangyin marry him? Because she followed the princess to practice Buddhism, and it was not up to her to return to secular life.

Although Wen Jiao didn't know who this princess was, it was obvious that she was going to discuss marriage. This marriage was most likely something she was not satisfied with. She wanted to oppose it, but it was not her turn to make the decision, so she came up with the idea of ​​becoming a Taoist priest. Later, Princess Taiping wanted to refuse the marriage to the Turks, and she used this method. But Princess Taiping was deeply loved by Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian, and she took advantage of this loophole with the support of the emperor and empress. In the case of this princess, if she wanted to refuse the marriage and become a Taoist priest, the first people she couldn't convince would probably be Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

It just so happened that Wen Jiao, the magician appointed by the emperor, had become very popular recently. If she was willing to ask the princess to be her apprentice, even Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun would not object. In this way, the princess could escape the marriage she hated and become a female Taoist priest for a few years. When she was tempted in the future, she could return to secular life and choose a satisfactory husband again.

Wen Jiao could only say that the situation in the royal family was unpredictable, and anyone involved would only be cannon fodder. Although she was deeply favored by the emperor for her so-called rescue, if she really intervened too much, who knew when the emperor would turn his face against her? Ming Chongyan had even helped Emperor Gaozong of Tang to cure his illness, but because he was too close to Wu Zetian, he was assassinated by the prince.

How you two, father and daughter, scheme against each other is your business, don't use her as a tool.

The princess was just trying to test him, but Wen Jiao had already rejected her. Her expression changed slightly, "I really want to take the Immortal Master as my teacher."

Is she devoted to Taoism? Although this possibility cannot be ruled out, and she doesn't look like it, it's not easy to really block her path.

Wen Jiao pondered for a moment, then said, "If we want to accept disciples, we must choose those who are determined, can endure hardship, have great perseverance, and have great ambitions. Princess, are you willing to give up your fancy clothes, beautiful servants, fat horses and fragrant carriages, and go into the mountains to lie down by the rocks and springs, and eat pine nuts, and do this for a year or so? If you are willing, I can take you away from Daming Palace now. The emperor and the queen will not stop you when they see that you are determined to do so."

Just talking about her own situation, in order to search for the immortals, she traveled thousands of miles from Chang'an to Shangyong County, gave up her treasures, let go of her glory, went into the mountains and practiced hard for twelve years, before she got to where she is today.

In fact, she had lowered her requirements a bit, only talking about hardship, not qualifications. If the princess couldn't even do this, it would be better to give up the idea of ​​targeting her as soon as possible.

Taoism should not be passed on lightly, and this is not just empty talk.

The princess was obviously shocked by the life she described and stammered, "Is it necessary to be like this? I see that many noble ladies in this dynasty have become nuns, and they all live very carefree lives."

"As a princess, you can do whatever you want and being a nun is no exception. However, by being a nun, you can avoid the marriage you hate and continue to live a luxurious life that is no less luxurious than that in the palace. Is this reason enough to convince His Majesty to let the princess become a nun?" Wen Jiao asked.

The princess was stunned.

Wen Jiao said gently, "Princess, you should think about it carefully. If you really make up your mind one day, send someone to inform the Duke of Yun's mansion. If you can't bear to give up wealth and honor, can't bear the hardship, and can't stand the loneliness, it's better to find another way."

The princess looked at her green figure disappearing into the distance, as if she was looking at a mountain landscape disappearing into the vast sea of ​​smoke, and she clenched her teeth for a moment.

"Gao Yang, what are you daydreaming about?" When Princess Yuying came out for a walk, she saw her still standing there, looking as dazed as a husband-waiting stone in folk legends, and she couldn't help laughing.

She and the little princess, who was born in the first year of Zhenguan, were nominally aunt and niece, but in reality they were close in age, just like sisters. They joked with each other in a friendly way. "I know. You are thinking about the second son of Prime Minister Fang's family, right? But there is no need to be so anxious. Anyway, the emperor will definitely grant you a marriage in a few days."

Princess Gaoyang's face slowly turned red, and she seemed to be as shy as every other girl who was mentioned about marriage, but her ten fingers were tightly buried in the hem of her skirt.

A few days later, the selection of famous monks from all over the country was finalized. Because Li Shimin insisted on holding the Luotian Grand Ceremony after the Xuantian Temple was completed, the Buddhist water and land ceremony was put first. The monk who was finally selected was not surprisingly Xuanzang.

He wore a Vairocana hat bestowed by Li Shimin, and a colorful brocaded cassock bestowed by the emperor. Under the sleeves of the monk's robe, the strong muscle lines could be vaguely seen. The whole person was three parts humble, three parts holy, and four parts proud. Standing on the throne, he was really as beautiful as a lily and more heroic, as bright as a jade tree and more resolute. At first glance, you can tell that he is a high monk who has achieved enlightenment, and also the kind with strong martial arts.

Li Shimin almost didn't save Xuanzang on the spot and asked him to return to secular life and join the army. Fortunately, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was not a reckless person after all. He finally resisted the urge in his heart and named Xuanzang as the Great Monk of the World, and ordered him to choose an auspicious day to hold a water and land ceremony.

Some people who knew the inside story well were very impressed when they saw that the mother and son were in charge of Taoism and Buddhism respectively, one organizing the water and land ceremony, and the other organizing the Luotian Grand Ceremony. They praised them, saying, "All the masters of the world's mysteries are the descendants of the Yin family." Some people had a narrow vision and thought that the mother and son had gained benefits by relying on the background of the Duke of Yun, and they also said a lot of sour words about them behind their backs.

Most people were unaware of the inside story. They only saw that on the day of the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, Xuanzang was in great shape, sitting high on the Dharma altar. When he preached the Dharma, his voice was clear and melodious. In addition, he looked like a jade statue. He was indeed a very elegant and handsome monk. People could not help but praise him, "He is worthy of being the great monk of the world. It is hard to believe how the court could pick such an outstanding person. He is so unified and has the style of our Great Tang Dynasty!"

Fu Yi, the Grand Historian, had always hated Buddhism, believing it to be the root of tax evasion and the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. When Li Shimin announced that he would respect Buddhism, Fu Yi strongly opposed it and had a big quarrel with Xiao Yu, the Minister of the Central Secretariat. However, he was powerless and could not stop Li Shimin.

Now, hearing that the common people were praising Xuanzang endlessly, Fu Yi was even more distressed. The old man in his eighties was so angry that he rode his horse to the Duke of Yun's Mansion that day and shouted that he wanted to see Wen Jiao. After seeing her, he said angrily: "Master Jingrong, those beasts of the Buddhist family who have no king, no father, and no mother are almost bullying the Taoist sect. You are the chief of the Taoist Scripture Department, the descendant of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and the disciple of Emperor Xuantian, how can you tolerate it?"