A few days after the winter solstice, it was Zhu Yunxuan's birthday. The first year of the new emperor's ascension to the throne should have been celebrated, but since the death of the previous emperor had not been more than a year, Zhu Yunxuan pressed the proposal of the Ministry of Rites, and simply did it, and only personally He went to Yuanji Temple in the southern suburbs to do a ritual, but it was for Queen Xie, who had been dead for many years.

Queen Xie died in childbirth when she gave birth to Zhu Yunxuan's second son. Zhu Yunxuan's birthday was her death anniversary. It was never a good day for Zhu Yunxuan. He lost his mother from the first day he was born. When he was young, he was repeatedly told behind his back that he killed his biological mother. Sometimes he even thought that he might really be an ominous person. His mother died early, his father was not happy, and his brother suffered again. , In the end, leaving him alone in this huge imperial city, alone and helpless, is just retribution.

Now that can do this for mother, it's just for peace of mind.

The old abbot of Yuanji Temple and Empress Xie knew each other. In the early years, Empress Xie would donate a lot of sesame oil to the temple every year. Zhu Yunxuan didn't know until after listening to an old lady in the palace who served Queen Xie.

This ritual was done for a whole day, and when the last statement was lit in front of Zhu Yunxuan, it was already waning.

He went to the Buddha statue again, knelt down and worshipped the incense, Liang Zhen followed, and also worshiped the incense stick.

The dinner was the vegetarian meal in the temple. The dishes were simple and delicious. Zhu Yunxuan didn't choose, and Liang Zhen was also very happy to eat. Zhu Yunxuan's eyes fell on the Buddha beads on his wrist, and for a while, he couldn't help asking: " Didn't you say you don't believe in gods? Why did you follow me to offer incense before, and why do you always wear this string of beads?"

Liang Zhen smiled: "Your Majesty observed carefully, should I feel flattered?"

In response to Zhu Yunxuan's displeased expression, he coughed lowly, restrained his jokes, and explained seriously: "I believe this string of beads is also my father's, and this is the only thing I have. "

Zhu Yunxuan thought about it seriously, Liang Zhen's arrogance and arrogance may be really dismissive of anyone, or maybe he is not afraid of death as he said, but it can be replaced by someone else, always Will be holding on to luck, begging for a little bit of blessing from the gods, at least...he is like that.

They stayed in the temple at night. It was quiet here. Zhu Yunxuan liked it and planned to stay for three or two days before returning to the palace.

In the quiet winter night of the temple, there is only the sound of the sparks in the brazier jumping. Zhu Yunxuan sat in the meditation room, reading a book under the starlight of the fire, and his heart was unprecedentedly calm.

Liang Zhen came here in the dark, and when he entered the door, he brought in a burst of cold air. Zhu Yunxuan raised his eyes and looked at him with calm eyes: "Why did King Zhao come here?"

He wasn't worried that Liang Zhen would pester him today, even if Liang Zhen was bold, he wouldn't dare to blaspheme the pure place of Buddhism.

Liang Zhen squatted by the brazier and roasted for a while. When his body was warm, he approached Zhu Yunxuan to talk to him: "What is your majesty looking at?"

"Just some Buddhist scriptures."

Liang Zhen sighed in his heart, he was really afraid that Zhu Yunxuan would become more and more restrained on himself, and the shackles would be put on his body, and eventually he would become a rigid and stubborn emperor, who was like the Buddha statue that was offered to him.

"Your Majesty's birthday today, I have prepared a birthday gift for you, so let's take a look at it."

Zhu Yunxuan's gaze shifted from the book to Liang Zhen's hand. He was holding a warm yellow jade in his hand. Liang Zhen smiled and stuffed the thing into Zhu Yunxuan: "Touch it."

Zhu Yunxuan held the jade in the palm of his hand suspiciously, and it didn't take a moment for him to feel the slightest warmth rising, and then he heard Liang Zhen explain from the side: "This jade is a bit special, it is really warm in winter and cool in summer, a very rare kind of jade. , Your Majesty can take it as you like."

Zhu Yunxuan's mood was a bit complicated. Last year, Liang Zhen also gave him a birthday gift, saying that it was a treasure inkstone used by a great scholar in the previous dynasty. In the entire palace, Liang Zhen was the only one who was still thinking about this matter. Unfortunately, Fang Baoyan was placed on the case of the imperial study. The last time he swept it to the ground in a fury and broke it.

"What is your majesty thinking?" Seeing Zhu Yunxuan stunned, Liang Zhen called him softly.

Zhu Yunxuan's thoughts returned to the cage, and said lightly: "This is very good, then thank King Zhao."

Liang Zhen hooked the corners of his lips, and was about to say something when the temple bell suddenly rang, lingering, deep, and endless.

Gao An reminded Zhu Yunxuan in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it's time to turn off the lights."

This is the rule in the temple. Zhu Yunxuan had no intention of breaking it, nodded, and said to Liang Zhen, "King Zhao, go back."

Liang Zhen smiled slightly: "Your Majesty should rest earlier, and tomorrow I will take you around the temple."

This sleep, Zhu Yunxuan slept soundly, and didn't wake up until dawn. He didn't see Liang Zhen come over after breakfast, so he wandered around the temple by himself.

Yuanji Temple is built on the mountain, occupying the whole mountain, there are mountains and waters, the scenery in the temple is very attractive, just to enjoy the scenery, those dignitaries in Beijing sometimes come to stay for a day or two, Only two days after the emperor came to practice, the temple was closed and no longer received other foreign guests, so it was more quiet and quiet.

Zhu Yunxuan climbed up a high-rise building overlooking the panorama of the temple. The monk who led the way was a smart one. He introduced the past history and allusions of the various halls and pavilions in the temple to him eloquently. Zhu Yunxuan played with the jade that Liang Zhen gave yesterday. His eyes swept over, and he listened very carefully.

After a while, Gao An suddenly stepped forward and reminded Zhu Yunxuan in a low voice, "Your Majesty, King Zhao is over there."

Zhu Yunxuan looked in the direction he said, and sure enough, he saw Liang Zhen sitting in a pavilion below, playing chess with the old abbot who was quite old and kind.

Zhu Yunxuan narrowed his eyes lightly, looked at it for a while, and then saw the chess game dispersed, Liang Zhen got up and walked towards him.

As soon as he approached, he smiled at the convenience and said to him: "I saw that Your Majesty was still awake, so I didn't disturb Your Majesty, and came over to play a game of chess with the old abbot. I didn't expect His Majesty to be up at this moment, and he went out to visit the garden. "

Zhu Yunxuan nodded lightly, Liang Zhen asked the monk who was leading the way to go back, and then asked the accompanying guards to fall behind by more than ten steps, and continued to walk forward with Zhu Yunxuan.

Hearing him talk about all kinds of things in this temple, he knew no less than the monk just now, Zhu Yunxuan asked casually out of curiosity: "King Zhao seems to be very familiar with this place, and the old abbot seems to have known each other for a long time? "

Liang Zhen did not hide it, and Zhu Yunxuan answered whatever he asked: "I have known each other for a long time. When I was eight years old, I came here with my grandmother to give incense, and I met the old abbot. He just hid here and gave birth to a minister."

Zhu Yunxuan was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect to get such an answer at all. He actually had a lot of guesses about Liang Zhen's real life experience, and he also pieced together some information from his few words. It was verified that there was indeed a Marquis of An Le beside him when he was young. The companion reading from the mansion, but he didn't want to understand, since Liang Zhen's biological father was the son of Hou's mansion, if the late emperor really liked it, there was no need for a male concubine, how could Liang Zhen be reduced to an illegitimate child, and his flesh and blood were separated. several years?

For more than 200 years since the founding of the dynasty, although there was only one male queen, the founding queen, the six or seven emperors in the middle had men in almost every harem. They had high and low positions, and some had given birth to children, but Emperor Zhaoyang was the only one. Exceptionally, in the first ten years, she favored Concubine He, and in her later years, she only favored Concubine Chen. She also treated Empress Xie with courtesy. After Empress Xie died many years ago, the Fengyi Palace where she lived in the past still maintains its original appearance and enshrines her tablet. , until the crown prince was abolished, and the emperor was disheartened and withdrew it.

Everyone thought that Emperor Zhaoyang was not good at Nanfeng, but the illegitimate son he took care of and cared for was born by a man.

Seeing Zhu Yunxuan hesitating to speak, at a glance, he saw through what he was thinking about Liang Zhen's lips, an indistinct arc raised, but there was a lingering irony and gloom in his eyes: "The first emperor is the adopted son of the Empress Dowager Qinghui, for the sake of The throne, following the mother's instructions, married the daughters of the powerful Xie and He families at that time, one was the latter and the other was a concubine. After ascending the throne, he was not satisfied with this. He wanted to include my father in the harem, but the Queen Mother Qinghui refused to agree. , quietly sent my father to this temple, when my father was pregnant, and later..."

Liang Zhen's words were both true and false, Zhu Yunxuan's heart tightened, and he always felt that what Liang Zhen said might not be what he wanted to hear, so he heard Liang Zhen snicker: "Not long after my father gave birth to me, I was caught by others. I found out, someone was worried that his son would threaten the position of the prince, and forced my father to a dead end. He jumped off the cliff in the back mountain and shattered his bones. I was rescued by the old abbot and sent back to the Marquis of Anle. The son of Mrs. Houfu Shizi at that time."

Zhu Yunxuan clenched the jade stone in his hand unconsciously: "Threat... the position of the prince?"

Liang Zhen looked at him, with a strange and inexplicable smile on the corner of his mouth: "The former Xie Guogong Xie Chongming, is your majesty your uncle?"

The jade fell to the ground, Zhu Yunxuan stared at Liang Zhen in a daze, his lips trembling, and he was speechless for a long time.

Liang Zhen bent down to pick up the jade and was nibbled on by the hard stone slab. Although the jade was not broken, the originally smooth surface had a crack that stretched across it.

He stuffed the jade back to Zhu Yunxuan, as if he didn't care, and said, "The former grandfather of the state is now so dead that there is nothing left, so he deserves it."

Yes, how arrogant the Xie family was in those days, forcing people to death at will to protect the position of the prince, but in the end, he killed the prince and himself. It was really unpleasant for retribution.

Zhu Yunxuan's mind flashed a lot of past events, and suddenly he understood why the late emperor removed the tablet from Fengyi Palace after his brother had an accident and Liang Zhen came back, and why he refused to let him go again when he knew that his brother was wronged. When he came back, he not only wanted to pave the way for Liang Zhen, but he was also taking revenge on the Xie family. Even though the elder brother and he were both the biological sons of the late emperor, they still had the blood of the Xie family on their bodies, and they were the enemies who killed the late emperor's loved ones. .

"... What you did to me was... for revenge?"