chapter 0587 part 1
587. Chapter 569: Zhongnan
As the crow rose and the rabbit set, a faint fish-belly white appeared in the sky, and the rumbling sound of iron hooves echoed along the Imperial Highway.
Yuchi Jingde, who was at the front, looked at the Taoist Priests and Officials who had come to greet them. He pulled on his horse's reins, waved his hand, and the Xuanjia Army Knights behind him all reined in their horses.
Yuchi Jingde's gaze did not linger on these Taoist Priests and Officials, but fell upon the towering mountains that pierced the clouds.
Zhongnan Mountain, Zhongnan Mountain, also known as Taiyi Mountain, Earth Lung Mountain, Zhongnan Mountain, and Zhounan Mountain. Even a rough man like him had long heard of it, hailed as the number one Blessed Land and Cave Heaven of the Taoist School.
Since the establishment of the Great Tang Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu and The Emperor had given special support to the Taoist School, especially the Louguan Dao, which promoted the Theory of Laozi Converting Barbarians. Not only did the local Government pay for the construction of their Taoist Abbey, but they were also bestowed land, receiving exceptionally generous treatment.
Even His Majesty's current Favored Consort came from Louguan Dao.
Privately, His Majesty had also told his old brothers that the reason for favoring the Taoist School was because when the Li Tang Dynasty rebelled against the Sui, they were, after all, seizing the empire from their own cousins, which carried some suspicion of gaining the throne improperly.
Therefore, they pulled Laozi in to endorse them. Laozi's surname was Li, and the Li Clan of Taiyuan also had the surname Li. It was no problem for their Li Family to recognize Laozi as their ancestor.
However, Yuchi Jingde was not fond of these Taoist Priests. When Demon Monsters ran rampant within the territory of the Great Tang Dynasty, he had never seen these Taoist Priests display the Divine Ability of Subduing Demons and Vanquishing Monsters.
Among the Taoist Priests he knew, some truly had ability, like that old ox-nose Yuan Tiangang, whose Art of Divination was surprisingly accurate.
But most of the Taoist Priests he had seen were people who used sulfur, gunpowder, and Talisman Water to pretend to be divine or supernatural.
According to that old ox-nose Yuan Tiangang, the reason for the decline of the Taoist School was that five hundred years ago, there was great chaos between Heaven and Earth, and many Daoist Sects lost their cultivation heritage, which allowed the Buddhist Sect to grow powerful.
Riding his horse along the Imperial Highway, in order to welcome His Majesty the Emperor, the Imperial Highway had already been paved with loess and the streets sprinkled with water to clean them in advance. Both sides were full of people who had come to welcome the imperial carriage.
Yuchi Jingde warily swept his gaze over the Taoist Priests and Officials on both sides of the Imperial Highway, his eyes filled with wary. Having experienced repeated assassinations, he was constantly on edge.
His Long Lance remained in his hand. If he found anything wrong, his Long Lance would stab out directly.
The Great Tang Dynasty had an open social atmosphere, so there wasn't the scene of commoners kneeling along the way to welcome the Emperor's procession as in later generations.
As Yuchi Jingde walked along, among the Taoist Priests he saw, there were quite a few with full spirit and sufficient qi and blood. "There are indeed some experts among these ox-noses," Yuchi Jingde muttered in his heart.
Soon, a middle-aged Taoist standing among several Officials caught his attention.
Although this middle-aged Taoist's complexion was rough, his skin was incredibly delicate, and Inside the Body, he possessed pure Taoist School True Qi. The aura of the several Daoist Acolytes behind him was also very pure.
"Old ox-nose, you're still alive!" Yuchi Jingde's eyes lit up when he saw the middle-aged Taoist Priest, but as soon as he opened his mouth, it made the middle-aged Taoist grimace.
"Thanks to His Majesty's great fortune, this old Taoist's body is still quite healthy! I just don't know if General Yuchi can still eat?!" The middle-aged Taoist stared mockingly at Yuchi Jingde without showing weakness.
"Hmph, I eat three dou of rice, five jin of beef, and drink ten jars of wine daily now!" Yuchi Jingde rode his horse to the front of the middle-aged Taoist, not dismounting, and looked down from his horse at the middle-aged Taoist Priest.
The two stared at each other for a moment without showing weakness, and finally exchanged a smile.
Yuchi Jingde dismounted and patted the middle-aged Taoist Priest's shoulder with so much strength that it made him grimace. He immediately raised his whisk and swung it towards his hand.
It was clear that the two were old acquaintances. The middle-aged Taoist's name was Qi Hui, and he was the Abbot of Louguan Dao from the generation before last. When Emperor Gaozu raised troops from Taiyuan, lacking money and supplies, Qi Hui offered all the money and supplies from the abbey to assist the Tang Army.
In a sense, Qi Hui could also be considered one of the founding officials of the Great Tang Dynasty. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten a share of the Elixir of Immortality refined by the Great Protector-General of Tang.
"Where is His Majesty?" Qi Hui looked at the Imperial Highway behind Yuchi Jingde.
"The Central Army will be here in half an incense stick's time!" Yuchi Jingde rubbed the back of his hand, which was stinging from being hit by Taoist Qi Hui, grimacing.
Taoist Qi Hui glanced at the alert Xuanjia Army Armored Guards, his gaze falling on Yuchi Jingde's body: "I heard when His Majesty came, the road was in a troubled state!"
"It's those Bald Donkeys (derogatory) again. They actually gathered a bunch of Rebels and attempted assassination and regicide. Don't worry, they can't cause any trouble, they have all been captured."
Yuchi Jingde spoke very casually, but Taoist Qi Hui still saw a trace of fatigue in his expression.
"The matter happened too suddenly. By the time I was called out of the Meditation Room and brought people over, it was already over there. His Majesty wasn't startled, was he?" Taoist Qi Hui was silent for a moment.
"His Majesty is unharmed, it's just some old brothers are gone!" A trace of sorrow flashed in Yuchi Jingde's eyes.
The King of Ten Thousand Monsters' Staff was truly too vicious, simply not something Mortals could withstand. Hou Junji, Second Brother Qin, seven or eight old brothers were either dead or injured, and even Wei Zheng, whom he had never liked but greatly respected as a person, also fell.
"Alright, the matter is over, let's not talk about it anymore. I need to arrange manpower to guard this grand ceremony!" Yuchi Jingde waved his hand, feeling somewhat dispirited.
Taoist Qi Hui nodded in understanding, waved his hand, and called several Abbots from the Taoist Abbeys forward, dispatching disciples from each Taoist Abbey to assist the Xuanjia Army and do a good job of guarding this time.
The local Officials, after the two finished talking, only then cautiously stepped forward and bowed to this Duke of E.
Yuchi Jingde didn't waste words with them, gave an order, and led the Black Armored Soldiers along the road up the mountain, beginning to inspect strictly. He also ordered the Left and Right Wei Guards and the Xuanjia Army Armored Guards to take over from the Prefecture Army along the way, ensuring safety going up the mountain.
At the Mountain Peak, a group of Taoist Priests, along with many laborers and Prefecture Army officers and soldiers, were busily setting up Altars for Worshipping Heaven.
Up and down the mountain, there were bronze cauldrons and incense burners everywhere. Zhongnan Mountain was filled with bursts of sandalwood incense. Huge banner flags had already been set up, just waiting for the Son of Heaven to arrive here, choose an auspicious time, and go up the mountain for the heaven worship sacrifice.
At Ziwu Town at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, perhaps because the Son of Heaven's imperial carriage arrived here, this Small Town leading to Zhongnan Mountain, along the way, if not a post every three steps and a sentry every five steps, compared to before, it certainly had many more Prefectural Soldiers guarding.
A pure white horse carrying a Brocade-clothed Middle-aged Man with impressive momentum slowly walked into Ziwu Town. The Brocade-clothed Middle-aged Man was also holding a Toddler of about two or three years old in his arms.
The Prefecture Army Soldiers guarding the City Gate simply checked their travel permits and let the two into the city.
Having just walked through the City Gate Passage, one could feel a wave of excitement washing over them.
Although the sky had just brightened at this time and it was slightly cold, the wide Street was still bustling with people. The banners at the entrances of Taverns, Native Banks, Inns, etc., fluttered rhythmically, and along the Roadside, there was no lack of Peddlers hawking loudly.
A prosperous and flourishing era, like raging fire cooking oil!