My enemies became my companions

Chapter 378: The Inheritance of the King of Dharma
Now that Zhou Yitang, the big Buddha, has left, Chen Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Even though the medicinal effect of the Yuchun ointment was still rising, he felt that he could still hold on for another three or four hours.

After that, I can celebrate the New Year with Yin and Yin alone.

When the time comes, fireworks will rise, creating a unique and beautiful scene.

Yin Tingxue turned her head and saw Chen Yi heaved a sigh of relief. She thought for a moment and said:

"It won't be hidden for long."

"I know"

How could Chen Yi not know what she said? Putting aside the Queen Mother's arrangement of marriage, the proposal to marry the Yin brothers was an open matter. Although Zhou Yitang had been staying in the yard, once he got outside, he would know what the situation was by asking around.

So Chen Yi didn't want to hide it from her for a long time. He would find a reason and an opportunity to tell her in the next few days.

But just explaining is not the solution.

Even if he had confessed, but didn't take action, then it would be useless to confess. It was just that he couldn't escape the marriage of Yin and Xiao Yin. Chen Yi thought about it and felt torn. In fact, he didn't make much distinction between wife, concubine, etc., but even if he didn't care at all, these women couldn't help but care.

Besides, he didn't want to let Zhou Yitang down like this.

In that case
An idea flashed through Chen Yi's mind like lightning.

If three people enter the house together and get married together, wouldn't they all be the legal wives?

Anyway, I love each of them!

Chen Yi's eyes lit up slightly, his thoughts gathered and swirled in his mind, unable to settle down. As time passed, he slightly suppressed the thoughts that kept coming up. Now the most urgent thing was to return to the banquet.

He returned to Yuanchun Hall with Yin and Yin Xiao. The candlelight was still on, the food was still warm, and a palace maid was warming the wine beside the empress dowager.

Chen Yi looked around and saw Donggong Ruoshu and Lin Wanheng standing beside the Queen Mother. It seemed that Queen An had said something to them in private.

Seeing Chen Yi's face flushed red from the Yuchun Cream, Donggong Ruoshu frowned and retreated behind Queen An...

He also secretly pushed Lin Wanheng forward.

Chen Yi noticed this detail and grinned.

Now, finally no one is competing for the position of the eldest lady.

Under the effect of Yuchun ointment, Chen Yi subconsciously patted Yin Weiying's buttocks. The latter's cheeks flushed again, but he still sat back in his original position sullenly.

Chen Yi and Yin Tingxue also returned to their original seats, while Donggong Ruoshu and Lin Wanheng also sat down again at the signal of Queen An.

After what happened just now, the atmosphere at the table was different. Although it was quiet, it was not the calm before the storm, but the deep silence after the calm.

In the candlelight, Queen An's eyes were as gentle as water. She looked at Chen Yi while recalling something.

Taking poison is certainly not the best option, but it is the most feasible option.

The fact that he could accurately judge the conflict between the two parties showed how well he understood the personalities of the women.

In this dilemma, he chose to sacrifice himself and take poison. How courageous was he?

An Hou recalled that he did the same thing during the sacrifice at the Temple of Heaven, stabbing the blade into his own chest to resolve the crisis by committing suicide, which was also a sacrifice of himself.

The more An Hou thought about it, the more his fingertips trembled.

The candlelight was about to go out, and the mural behind her seemed to be gradually dimming.

In the Shura battlefield, Indra has delicious food but no beautiful women, while Asura King has beautiful women but no delicious food. The reason why the two fight is nothing but because of the seven emotions and six desires.

The reason why there is a Shura Field is because love is real and desire is real. If the women have no desire or love for him, how can there be a Shura Field?

He already has a lot of true love, including Donggong Ruoshu, and those women have been more or less moved.

He...is no longer alone, and no longer alone.

A warm feeling flowed through her, and Anhou felt comforted for no reason.

The reason why Chen Yi resolved the crisis in this way was all because of the note she ordered the female official Su Xin to pass to her.

The note read...

[I know you want to leave Beijing, and I also know that the Tushan Underground Palace will be revealed again. If you are impartial today, I might be willing to make things easier for you.]

...............................

When the drinking game was going on, there had already been three rounds of wine and five kinds of dishes, and after the quarrel and the commotion, people were no longer in the mood for a feast.

When Miss Donggong saw him return to his seat, she silently moved her chair away a little, and covered the cleavage of her chest with the white jade bowl, for fear that this man would catch her and bring her double happiness.

Lin Wanheng had a melancholy look on her face. When she saw Chen Yi carrying the two girls away, she suddenly felt a sense of disappointment, but then she thought about it and was startled again.

As for Yin Weiying, seeing that Donggong Ruoshu was humiliated and dared not talk about who entered the palace first or later, she felt very proud in her heart, like a triumphant general. But after a while, she changed her mind and thought, why should she be so proud? Why should she be so entangled in temporary gains and losses? She secretly sighed that she had not cultivated herself enough, and her face became calm.

After a while, after symbolically picking up their chopsticks, the party ended with the announcement of the Queen Mother. The queen left first, followed by Concubine Dong. The other women also left one by one. The female officials came forward and took them to the side rooms to rest, as they had to accompany the Queen Mother to celebrate the New Year tonight.

When leaving, Yin Tingxue turned back with some worry and looked at Chen Yi. Chen Yi smiled at her and waved his hand, signaling her not to worry.

Chen Yi stayed in the banquet hall for quite a while before he was finally greeted by the female official Su Xin.

The Queen Mother is looking for him.

The female official Su Xin led Chen Yi through a long corridor. Through the carved windows of the corridor, one could see the prosperous scene of the imperial palace. Several lanterns were hung on the willow and apricot trees, and the crowns were decorated with flowers and leaves tied with silk. When the wind blew, people felt more happy about the New Year.

Occasionally along the way, palace maids were seen holding lanterns, illuminating the faces of beautiful girls of marriageable age. They curiously glanced at the foreign man, and when Chen Yi looked back, the palace maids shyly turned their eyes away.

Many buildings in the inner court of the imperial city are connected by corridors and have hollow carved windows for ventilation, so as to avoid the heat in summer and the cold in winter. Yuanchun Hall is no exception. Under the guidance of Su Xin, Chen Yi walked through the long corridor, turned a few corners, and came to a Buddhist temple.

There are golden windows and jade railings, and ambergris is burning in the incense burner. There is no Buddha statue in the temple, only a painting hanging from high up. There is no Buddha, Bodhisattva or Arhat in the painting, only a huge "卍" character hanging.

A plaque with the four characters "Lingtai Jingdi" hangs high above it.

Queen An stood in front of the painting, her hands flat on her stomach. She turned back and smiled when she heard the voice:

"Family happiness and excitement, this is what Chinese New Year is like."

Even when she was smiling, Chen Yi did not dare to let his guard down. He raised the corners of his mouth and smiled apologetically:

"Thanks to you, my lady."

An Hou came slowly:

"In ordinary private banquets in the palace, the concubines are afraid of me. When I am around, they dare not breathe. When I am tired and leave, it becomes lively and noisy. Alas, I also want to have fun with them, and I am curious about what it feels like to have fun together. Tonight I will experience it."

Chen Yi said with a fake smile: "Then... congratulations, Your Majesty."

An Hou asked back: "Oh, you are unhappy?"

"Your Majesty's grace is immense, and the banquet was filled with the love of the nation and the kindness of the people. How could I not be happy?" Chen Yi said slowly.

"How dare you be unhappy? Yier, do you think I treat you badly?" Queen An had an ambiguous smile on her face.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes and said directly: "Your Majesty, please don't beat around the bush with me."

The woman in the phoenix robe did not comment. She turned and walked towards the hanging painting: "You think I treat you badly, I want to know where I treat you badly."

"I don't think so."

"You feel it in your heart." She suddenly raised her voice.

Chen Yi was silent for a while, and then slowly said: "I want to talk about business."

An Hou turned her head and said without turning around: "What if this is the real business?"

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes.

Queen An was immersed in the unrequited love, with rippling water in her phoenix eyes.

She continued, "From my point of view, leaving the capital and the Tushan clan are not serious matters. As a parent, the most important thing is to find a partner for your children."

As soon as the words fell from his ears, Chen Yi uttered, "My Lady, you are too willful."

"The country is in our hands. We have handled all the political affairs of the past year cleanly. So what if we can do whatever we want?"

An Hou's voice kept getting louder.
"If you don't follow your heart, why would I be in power?"

Chen Yi frowned and asked:

"What about the Dayu Dragon Vein?"

After the words were spoken, there was silence in the Buddhist hall.

Queen An turned around, her eyes flashed with surprise, then turned into a smile and said:
“You actually knew that.”

"It doesn't matter whether I know it or not. What I want to say is, as the sages said, one can do whatever he wants without breaking the rules. Allowing the dragon vein to be cut off, isn't that a bit too much of a stretch?" Chen Yi emphasized his tone.

He came to see Queen An not for some specious mother-son affection. He had never considered Queen An as his own mother. Moreover, the poison in his body from the flesh relic soup was caused by her.

Queen An raised her eyebrows slightly and asked:
"Do you think that if the dragon veins are disrupted, the common people will suffer?"

"Is not it?"

Empress An said calmly, "Wrong, it is the harsh policies and heavy taxes that make this happen. I do not build Taoist temples, I do not build Buddhist temples, I do not engage in war and aggression, I have exempted corvée labor again and again, there are so many kings in the world who have abused the people's labor, but I am not one of them.

As for taxes, they are based on the Han Dynasty Emperor Wen's rule of 1 in 30, which has not changed in the past ten years. Even when the Lin Party was in power, they tried to make some trouble with it, but they were unsuccessful. If I were to become the emperor, I would be a ruler who would maintain the status quo."

After the last sentence was spoken, Chen Yi suddenly raised his head.

Even though he had guessed it in his heart, when Queen An said it herself, it still stirred up a lot of waves in his heart.

Chen Yi hesitated for a while and then said:

"You want to be Wu Zhao?"

An Hou did not deny it.
"If the destiny is in my palace, I am King Wen of Zhou."

The meaning of the words has been revealed without a doubt. King Wen of Zhou was not the ruler of the world when he was alive. He was posthumously conferred the title after King Wu Jifa conquered the world.

Queen An apparently wanted to pass Dayu to the An family, changing the dynasty as quietly and peacefully as possible.

She smiled again and said, "As for Wu Zhao, I have followed her example."

This statement is almost explicit.

These are not things Chen Yi should worry about.

After such a long discussion, Chen Yi said directly: "Your Majesty, after the last time, I didn't want to enter the palace again. This time I came to see you here because of the matter on the note. For me, that is the real business."

Chen Yi deliberately mentioned the last time.

A gloomy look flashed across the eyes of the woman in the phoenix robe, and her chest seemed to ache slightly.

"How could I not know? But I want to ask you first, will you listen to my arrangements?" she asked.

Chen Yi remained silent.

It was expected that his intention to leave the capital would be discovered by Queen An. Although he did not pack up his gold and silver jewelry, Min Ning's departure would inevitably arouse the suspicion of this scheming woman. In addition, knowing that she was going to grant him a marriage, he still openly asked for the marriage of Yin and Yin Xiao in Prince Jing's mansion. Combining these two clues, it was not surprising to speculate that he was going to leave the capital.

Seeing that Chen Yi did not answer for a long time, Queen An said in a tone of "as expected":
"It seems you don't listen."

There was a hint of loss in her eyes, but there was still a hint of tenderness.

The man asked leisurely, "I only listen to my wife."

Queen An's beautiful face froze, and when the words fell into her ears, her thoughts began to run wild.

The warmth that once brushed past his lips, the dull pain in his chest, and a sense of guilt surged up his spine.

She stopped immediately without making a sound.

After she recovered, she said leisurely:

"It seems that Jian Jia is regarded as your wife."

Chen Yi did not deny it.

Not to mention this time, even the last time she visited his mansion in disguise, she could more or less guess something from her conversation with Zhou Yitong.

Combined with the clues and the invitation to Zhou Yitang for a private dinner...

Completely determine the relationship between the two.

In the Buddhist hall, the air was filled with incense. Chen Yi looked around again and didn't want to say any more nonsense.
"I want to talk about something serious, Madam, will you tell me, or not?"

"Why do you have to leave Beijing?" asked Queen An.

"The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, the sky is high enough for birds to fly. I not only want to leave Beijing, but also to leave the shackles of the court." Now that things have come to this, Chen Yi has nothing to hide.

"Leaving the imperial court? Even a title of nobility, a beautiful face, and a lifetime of wealth and glory cannot keep you here?"

"Your Majesty wants to keep me here, but you are just treating me like a knife. There are so many people with the last name Chen in the world, and there are even more people willing to be a knife..."

Before he could finish his words, the woman in phoenix robe suddenly interrupted:
"I don't treat you as a knife.

I will give you the surname An and treat you as my own child."

Chen Yi looked at her coldly, only to see her turn around, pick up a piece of paper from the desk, and walk slowly towards her.

"An Yi, is this a nice name? An Yi, Anyi."

An later came up to him and stroked his temple with one hand.

"Marry Ruoshu as your principal wife, and after leaving the capital, go to the Western Jin Dynasty to avenge the An family and eliminate the powerful enemy in the northwest for Dayu. What I promised you was not false, and there is more. Destroy the Chen family of the Western Jin Dynasty. With such merit, you can be granted the title of Duke to ensure that Dayu will be passed down for thousands of years."

Chen Yi remained silent.

Empress An asked back, "What are you still worried about? Am I not going to let you leave the capital? Do you think I am using rewards to keep you here because I need you to be my sword?"

"Isn't it?" Chen Yi asked.

Queen An stroked his temples and said lovingly:
"Mother just doesn't want you to be left alone and bullied after leaving Beijing."

Chen Yi was stunned when he heard these familiar words.

In his pupils, the woman in phoenix robe smiled again.

"Is it similar?" she smiled.

"You are not after all."

Chen Yi shook off An Hou's hand, and An Hou turned around and walked to the huge painting again.

The phoenix-robed woman said noncommittally, "You are not my real son either, but so what. As the Buddhist teachings say: There is no law outside the mind. As long as I regard you as Yi'er in my heart, you are Yi'er. Similarly, you can also regard me as Tushanshi."

Before she turned around, the piece of paper she picked up from the desk fell into Chen Yi's hand.

Facing Queen An's words, Chen Yi replied:
"What's true is true, and what's false is false."

An Hou said:

"Take a look at the paper first before you talk about whether it's true or not."

Chen Yi lowered his head and glanced at the words on the paper.

When he saw the first line of words, Chen Yi's eyes narrowed.

“You should know that the method of beheading the three corpses that the late emperor mentioned is closely related to the Tushan Underground Palace.

In recent days, I ordered people to look through the daily records of the late emperor, and also went to the storehouse to look through the case files. I unexpectedly learned that... the Tushan Underground Palace floated around along the earth veins and appeared in various places on the land of China. Otherwise, there would not be so many anecdotes left behind by the Tushan Underground Palace.

There is no exact pattern to the time intervals at which the Tushan Underground Palace was discovered, but there is one thing that can be used to locate the underground palace.”

Queen An recounted the contents of the paper, took out a brocade box from her bosom, and opened it in front of Chen Yi. Inside was a bronze rust-stained box with an outline like a sword handle.
"It's for...Xia Qijian."

Chen Yi knew what it was without An Hou telling him.

During the "chaos in the world", traditions from all over the country emerged and ancient sites sprang up everywhere, including the Xia Dynasty tradition of the ancient Xia people.

Xia Qijian, who was scattered in four places, was one of them.

"You... don't want to see Tushan again?" Queen An asked, "Moreover, for someone as affectionate as you, don't you want her to be freed from the seal?"

Chen Yi said: "Of course I want to see you."

"Then... take this Xia Qi sword and obey mother's arrangements from now on." Queen An said in a gentle voice.

Chen Yi looked up and asked:
"What if I don't listen?"

Queen An smiled and said, "You can try to rob it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint Buddha's light emerged, lingering around An Hou's body, and circles of energy seemed to spread out.

Chen Yi's pupils shrank slightly.

After An Hou closed the brocade box, she placed her hands flat on her abdomen, twisted her thumb and middle finger together, and made the wheel-turning seal.
"I wish to be a Dharma King who turns the wheel of Dharma."

With her as the center, the "卍" character painting moves without wind, and the incense in the temple condenses into Buddhist temples.

At this moment, many clues intertwined in Chen Yi's mind.

When Chen Yi asked An if she wanted to be Wu Zhao, she did not deny it and even said she wanted to imitate...

The historical records clearly state that Wu Zetian once claimed to be the Dharma King of the Wheel of Dharma...

After An sent Master Zhihui, one of the incarnations of Medicine Buddha, to visit temples and monasteries all over the country to worship Buddha...

Ignoring the interruption of the dragon vein, promoting the change of dynasty...

Chen Yi realized one thing.

She has received the inheritance of the Dharma King of the Wheel of Dharma in Buddhism!

That is, using a female body to rule the kingdom.

(End of this chapter)