Chapter 8: The Queen of Heaven who worships Buddha, the Saint who practices Taoism

Inside the carriage, Monk Shenxiu and Zhao Taisui sat opposite each other.

Zhao Taisui was still unwilling to give in, and told Shenxiu what happened in the attic tonight.

When he talked about the emergency, his eyes were red, "He almost killed me!"

Shenxiu looked at Zhao Taisui calmly, "He is just an ordinary man, you are the reincarnation of Buddha, he can't kill you."

Zhao Taisui's eyes were gloomy and he fell silent. There were only him and Shenxiu in the gold-covered and colorful carriage.

After a while, Zhao Taisui said, "You have been saying that I am the reincarnation of Buddha and asked me to practice Buddhism, but after a few years, I can't even enter the first level of meditation. Why do you still think I am the reincarnation of Buddha?"

Shenxiu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Because you look so much like the Queen of Heaven. When I see you, it's like I see the Queen of Heaven."

Zhao Taisui said self-deprecatingly, "If I were like my aunt, no one from the Zhou family would be able to escape tonight!"

Shenxiu looked at Zhao Taisui, who was full of the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance, but still believed that Zhao Taisui was the reincarnation of Buddha.

As the saying goes, if you don’t see the red dust, you won’t see the Tathagata.

Buddha was originally achieved through human cultivation.

His nose twitched slightly, "What fragrance are you using tonight?"

Zhao Taisui didn't know why Shenxiu asked this, but he still answered honestly, "I used Linshuixuan Ambergris Musk."

Shenxiu nodded. Ambergris and musk are both tonic substances that can invigorate the blood circulation. It is normal for Linshuixuan to use them. However, a little too much of this incense will make ordinary people irritable and easily angered, especially a Buddhist like Zhao Taisui who has not yet realized himself and is deeply trapped in the three poisons of greed, anger and ignorance.

“Is there something wrong with this incense?”

Shenxiu smiled and said, "It's not a big problem."

The Zhou family is the backbone of the military merit, and the deputy commander of the Yulin Guard is the center of the current undercurrent.

Even if there was no ambergris, the Zhao family would have clashed with the Zhou family. It was all just a coincidence. A few evil spirits could not stop the Dharma from shining like the sun across the sky.

······
"Second Uncle, have you opened up the Spider Tower?!"

On the official road, Zhou Tieyi looked up at the huge monster in front of him, and finally understood why Gongshu Sheng was as combative as a young man when he was in Linshuixuan.

The art of military strategy is about deception. If you don't move, then nothing happens; but when you move, it's like a thunderclap.

Although Gongshu Sheng was nominally the manager of the Zhou family, he had fought in the battlefield with Zhou Tieyi's father and they were as close as brothers. The two sons of the Zhou family usually respectfully called him "Second Uncle".

However, when there were outsiders around, Gongshu Sheng insisted that the Zhou brothers call him "Gongshu Guanshi".

Gongshu Sheng uttered a light grunt.

The huge mechanical creature in front of them moved its eight spider-like legs to come in front of the few people, and then the joints of the spider legs sank lightly, lowering the main body of the spider building that was three stories high.

The entire Spider Tower is forged with wood and steel, and is densely engraved with Yin-Yang School talismans, each with its own magical powers, making the Spider Tower the most top-notch combat force below the third rank.

In order to carve these talismans, a total of 100,000 taels of silver and 10,000 taels of gold were melted, and gold and silver had to be spent every year to make up for the loss, not to mention the various treasures inside the Spider Tower. Even though General Huwei's Mansion was wealthy and powerful, it could only afford four Spider Towers.

One is in Tianjing and three are in Luori Pass.

The belly of the spider tower was opened, revealing a huge space inside, which could even accommodate several people leisurely drinking tea.

It’s really black technology.

After Zhou Tieyi sat down cross-legged, he didn't feel any shaking at all except for the scenery flying by outside the window.

Spider Tower, the Gongshu family's top mechanical creation, can climb mountains and cross rivers as if it were flat ground.

Unfortunately, Gongshujia had the Spider Tower and Mohist school had the Flying Peng, so they were always suppressed. Among the top nine schools, it was the Mohist school, not the Gongshujia, that was famous for its mechanical arts.

Even the spider tower was used at home. How should I explain this to my second uncle Gong Shusheng?
Zhou Tieyi thought silently. Even if he was favored, he couldn't easily get away with using the family's most important weapon. He was afraid that he would be beaten. "It's not your fault. Someone is behind this."

"Ok?"

Zhou Tieyi looked up at Gongshu Sheng in disbelief. This is not the way you should spoil a child.

Not only did he use the family's most powerful weapon to help him with just one call, but he also used it to help him.

When something goes wrong, they don't hold anyone accountable and instead take the initiative to make excuses.

He makes himself look like a third-rate villain, no wonder the original owner became a playboy.

Unfortunately, Gongshu Sheng was wearing an iron mask, and he couldn't see Gongshu Sheng's true thoughts at all.

Gongshu Sheng sighed in frustration, "Don't you understand yet?"

"The emperor has been ill for a long time and has not attended court for more than two months. The palace said that in order to cure his old illness, the emperor invited the master of the Daming Taoist Palace to come to the capital to preach Taoism and prepare to concentrate on practicing the art of longevity."

There really is a technique for achieving immortality in this world, and Taoism is undoubtedly the best.

"What about government?"

Thinking of the Zhao family's arrogance, Zhou Tieyi subconsciously asked, "You won't leave it to the Queen Mother to deal with it?"

Gongshu Sheng nodded and looked at Zhou Tieyi. Although Tieyi had been indulged and become a little naughty over the years, he had extremely high talent. When he touched Zhou Tieyi's bones, a Taoist master asserted that he saw a dragon in the abyss.

If the family had not needed a Confucian scholar, Zhou Tieyi would probably have already made a name for himself in martial arts.

"The emperor has only revealed a little about this matter, but the government and the people are already undercurrents. What do you think the queen should do in the face of such great power and such a turbulent government and the people?"

"military power!"

Zhou Tieyi said affirmatively, powerful military power, especially the military power in Tianjing.

Political power can only come from the barrel of a gun!
"wrong!"

Halfway through his speech, Zhou Tieyi refuted himself.

It is said that when Wang Mang was humble and had not yet usurped the throne, if the Queen of this world was not a political idiot, then she should have been more cautious and even humble at this time, and should not have rashly used military power, which would have been a way to death.

Therefore, the evil woman instigated sowing discord between herself and Zhao Taisui just to shatter the Queen Mother's idea of ​​secretly controlling the military power, expose this matter to the public, and make the Queen Mother be caught in a dilemma.

Is she a witch or a warm-hearted patriot?
"Then why didn't Monk Shenxiu stop Zhao Taisui today, and continued to test our Zhou family? Isn't he afraid of affecting the Queen Mother and causing the Emperor to be suspicious?"

Gongshu Sheng shook his head and said, "You only know one side of the story, not the other."

"What was Zhao Taisui's original name?"

"Zhao Fuer."

Zhou Tieyi vaguely grasped some key information.

Gongshu Sheng continued, "The Zhao family has worshipped Buddha for generations, so the Queen Mother is naturally very close to Buddhism. Although the emperor is in Tianjing, as high as the sun and the moon in the sky, if he wants to practice Taoism, he needs the consent of Buddhism, so the Queen Mother is in charge of government."

Zhou Tieyi opened his mouth slightly, but was unable to speak for a moment.

The emperor wants to practice Taoism, and the pro-Buddhist empress wants to govern the country. If this country happened in the previous life, it would be over sooner or later, but in this world, it seems reasonable and logical.

After all, Buddhism and Taoism are both sects that have produced saints, so naturally they have to be impartial.

Gongshu Sheng tapped Zhou Tieyi's forehead with his cold mechanical finger, "Your Majesty is like the sun and the moon, and he does not need military power in Tianjing, but the Empress needs a certain amount of military power if she wants to govern."

"But what is this 'certainty'? That is the game between the emperor and the queen, Taoism and Buddhism. My Zhou family is just the first to bear the brunt."

(End of this chapter)