The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 229 Enlightenment
Three days later, Zhao Ti changed into a plain robe, asked Tong Guan to prepare the carriage, took the Azhulan sword, and called Bai Zhan and Su Da to go straight to Shenxiao Temple.

The Shenxiao Temple, which was built with money from Zhao Ji, is located in the inner city of Tokyo, on Junyi Bridge Street in the southwest of the inner city. It is very close to the Yuqing Temple and is just across the road.

Yuqing Temple was once a branch temple of Yuqing Zhaoying Palace. The groundbreaking ceremony of Yuqing Zhaoying Palace was in the second year of Dazhong Xiangfu of Emperor Zhenzong, and it took eight years to complete. At that time, it was not only the largest temple in Tokyo, but also the largest temple in the world, even larger than the Taoist temple in Longhu Mountain.

However, it was burned down in a fire in the seventh year of Emperor Renzong's Tiansheng reign and was never rebuilt. Only the Yuqing Temple, which was several times smaller than the Yuqing Zhaoying Palace, remained.

Shenxiao Temple was located next to Yuqing Temple, perhaps with the intention of taking advantage of its location to attract more worshippers. Although Yuqing Zhaoying Palace no longer exists, its name has always remained in the gossips of Tokyo residents after dinner. Naturally, Yuqing Temple was very popular and attracted many pilgrims.

The carriage entered Junyi Bridge Street and headed southwest. At this time, Taoists could be seen walking on both sides of the road, all wearing bright clothes and new shoes.

There were also some carriages that violated the rules, and strings of sweet laughter like silver bells came from inside, adding a touch of liveliness to the slightly solemn street at the moment.

Lan Jian wondered, "Sister Ah Zhu, who are the people in those cars outside laughing so loudly?"

Ah Zhu's eyes sparkled: "Since they are Jurchens, they are all very charming. Your Highness has dealt with them before. Lan'er can ask Your Highness."

Lan Jian immediately looked at Zhao Ti. Zhao Ti glanced at Ah Zhu and said calmly, "They are all concubines of some well-known families in the capital. They have learned some poetry and books, are fond of Buddhism and Taoism, and are unrestrained. There is no need to say anything."

Lan Jian immediately lowered his head and said, "I see."

At this time, a temple can be seen in the distance ahead. It looks brand new, with blue bricks and colored glaze, upturned eaves, and three open doors.

There were quite a few vehicles parked opposite the temple, mostly donkeys and mules, with a few horses. Some beautifully dressed women in Taoist robes, with drawn eyebrows and rouge on, were getting off the vehicles.

Lan Jian looked out the car window, but had never seen such Jurchens before. He was so surprised that he covered his mouth with his hands.

At this moment, Tong Guan was driving the car and saw the commotion ahead. The female Taoists were chattering, dawdling, pulling and tugging at each other in the middle of the road. Some of them even took out small bronze mirrors from their bodies and looked at something.

He could not help but shake the whip vigorously, making a "crackling" sound like popping beans, and shouted loudly: "Everyone, get out of the way, don't block the road, my long whip has no eyes."

Upon hearing this, the Jurchens all looked over. Some of them just opened their mouths and shouted, "If you have the guts, then go ahead and hit me..." But the next moment, they saw the shape of the carriage, their faces changed drastically, and they quickly hid to the side of the road, then lowered their heads and dared not look up.

Their family backgrounds may not be high, but they are definitely not low. They know a lot from reading and often hang out outside, so they have a lot of horizons.

The regulations on horse-drawn carriages in the Song Dynasty were extremely strict. The emperor drove six horses, the prince drove five, officials of the first and second ranks drove four, and ordinary officials could only use two horses at most. Common people were not allowed to use horse-drawn carriages unless under special circumstances, but could use donkey, mule, or ox carts.

They then saw clearly that the carriage coming from the front was actually driven by four horses. They were immediately frightened and their hearts began to pound, and they kept hiding behind people.

In fact, it was because Zhao Ti did not want to be too ostentatious that he did not use five horses to drive the carriage. On weekdays, he would use four horses at most, and sometimes only two horses.

Tong Guan, sitting on the shaft of the cart, could not help but say smugly, "You are really too unruly. Fortunately, you saw the opportunity early, otherwise I would have made you suffer a beating from my long whip."

At this time, the Taoist priest in front of the temple came running over, smiling and saying in a low voice, "Master Duan, has His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan arrived?"

Tong Guan glanced at him and said: "No wonder he can be a receptionist, he has a good eye."

The Taoist receptionist smiled even more tightly, and quickly gestured to the back, and immediately a young Taoist priest went to report to the temple.

At this moment, Bai Zhan and Su Da jumped out of the car and lifted the curtain to the front. Zhao Ti got out of the car and looked above the gate of the temple. There were the three big words "Shenxiao Temple" written by Zhao Ji himself.

He said: "Prince Duan has put in a lot of effort."

The Taoist priest hurriedly bowed and moved forward to the side: "Your Highness, please come in, Your Highness, please come in. Someone has been sent to inform that Prince Duan and Abbey Master Lin will come out to welcome you soon."

Zhao Ti nodded and walked forward. At this time, a Jurchen man with a lazy look in the crowd beside the road said in surprise: "Hey, I have seen this young official."

Another female Zhenren nearby said, "Miaoyu, you saw it in a dream, didn't you? That was a carriage drawn by four horses, which you don't see on the road normally. How could you have seen it?"

The True Woman named Miaoyu said, "I have indeed seen him. Last year, I pulled the sleeve of this young official in the residence of His Royal Highness Prince Duan..."

Another Jurchen said with a chuckle, "Really? I don't believe it. Would an official of this status let you touch his sleeve? Before you even get close, I'll whip you so hard that you can't move at all... Look, Prince Duan and Abbey Master Lin are coming out to greet us."

At this moment, Zhao Ti arrived at the gate of the temple and saw Zhao Ji and Lin Lingsu walking out quickly.

"My dear brother, it's great that you came." Zhao Ji, wearing a half-Taoist and half-secular robe and holding a white jade lotus whisk in his hand, stepped forward and said, "I haven't seen my dear brother for a long time. I miss you very much." Zhao Ti said, "I am here, but I have no money recently and cannot burn incense."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'll pay for the incense for the starling." Zhao Ji said with a wry smile.

Zhao Ti thought about it and realized that this was like transferring money from one hand to the other. This temple is yours, and all the money collected from incense offerings went into your pocket. You paid for me, but after that, the money went into your own pocket.

Lin Lingsu bowed his head and said, "I am Lingsu, the Taoist priest, and I pay my respects to His Majesty the Prince of Yan."

Zhao Ti looked at Lin Lingsu, who was wearing the Five Mountains Heavenly Master crown and a dark blue satin Taoist robe. He looked ruddy and had a smile on his face. He nodded and said, "Master Lin, you look good."

Lin Lingsu hurriedly said, "Thanks to His Royal Highness Prince Yan, everything is fine."

Zhao Ti said: "That's not right. It should be thanks to the Three Pure Ones."

Zhao Ji said, "My dear brother, I will take you in to have a look. I can enshrine many immortals and gods in this temple."

He then led the way forward and entered the first major hall, where he saw that the one enshrined here was the Great Emperor Changsheng, the head of the Great Emperors of the Nine Gods of Shenxiao.

Zhao Ji said: "My Shenxiao Sect believes in the Great Emperor Jiuchen, who is the master of our sect. The one worshipped in the first hall is the Great Emperor Shenxiao Changsheng."

Zhao Ti nodded. Jiuchen was indeed the main god of the Shenxiao Sect. The other eight emperors included the Dongji Qinghua Emperor, the Jiutian Yingyuan Leisheng Puhua Tianzun, the Jiutian Leizu Emperor, the Shangqing Ziwei Jade Palace Taiyi Emperor, and so on.

The hall was extremely bustling at the moment, with many Taoists and servants busy at work. As the lighting ceremony had not yet begun, everything was rather casual.

Then we arrived at the second hall, where the Three Pure Ones are enshrined. Yuanshi Tianzun is in the middle, Lingbao Tianzun is on the left of Yuanshi Tianzun, and Daode Tianzun is on the right of Yuanshi Tianzun.

Each statue of the Heavenly Lord is ten feet tall. Yuanshi Tianzun wears a cloud crown and a high bun, his brows are solemn and majestic, his robes are carved with falling clouds, and his body is carved with innate spiritual light, giving him a sacred appearance.

Lingbao Tianzun has an elegant temperament and a calm and deep look in his eyes, as if he can see through everything. He holds a ruyi in his hand, which is carved with auspicious beasts and fairy patterns, and he seems to have infinite magical powers.

Taishang has a kind face, flowing white beard, a whisk lightly placed on his arm, and his robe is painted in a simple and heavy style, as if it carries the long years and the true meaning of morality.

Zhao Ti looked at it for a moment and suddenly asked, "Why do I think Lingbao Tianzun is a little bit higher than Yuanshi?"

Zhao Ji was stunned when he heard this: "My brother, this is impossible, how could it be possible?"

There are rules for the placement, height and position of the Three Pure Ones. Yuanshi must be in the center, and it is impossible for the statues of Lingbao and Daode to be higher than Yuanshi. Doing so would be inconsistent with the overall teachings and norms of Taoism.

Zhao Ji looked up and saw that the statues of the Three Pure Ones were tall and majestic. He stared for a long time but could not see how the Lingbao statue was taller than the Yuanshi. He could not help but say, "My dear, I think you are dazzled. Why can't I see it? The craftsmen would not dare to do this, and Taoist Lin has checked it."

"Really?" Zhao Ti did not comment. He could indeed see that Lingbao was a little taller than Yuanshi, but the three statues were too tall for people looking from below to compare and distinguish them. Although Taoism had rules for such matters, it was hard to say if the craftsmen were lazy and made a slight difference.

Then we walked to the third hall, where the Jade Emperor, Ziwei Emperor and Gou Chen Emperor were enshrined.

This hall has the most people in it, because it is connected to wide side halls on both sides, where the Taoist priests and temple masters who come to participate in the Qiguang Ceremony from nearby Taoist temples rest.

Some of them who recognized Zhao Ti immediately stood up and came over to greet him. Even if they didn't recognize him, when they heard that it was His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan who came, they shamelessly stepped forward, bowed and saluted, just to make themselves familiar with him.

Zhao Ti smiled and nodded. These people were all from Taoist temples on Jingji Road, many of which he had been to before.

Then continue walking backwards, this layer of palace is dedicated to the Four Saints of the North Pole, namely Marshal Tianpeng, Marshal Tianyou, Marshal Yishen and Marshal Zhenwu. They are the commander-in-chief of Shenxiao Thunder, responsible for mobilizing troops and exorcising demons.

After visiting this place, it was the end. There were some Taoist temples and the like. However, there were some large halls on both sides of the front, which also enshrined statues of gods. After walking through them all and returning to the main hall, the time was almost up. Lin Lingsu burned incense, washed his hands, and rang the bell. The Taoists chanted scriptures together, and the Shenxiao Temple's Enlightenment Ceremony officially began...

At this moment, just outside the southern city of Tokyo, a tall figure was standing not far from the city gate, looking forward with his hands behind his back.

This man had flowing silver hair, white beard, bright eyes, and an extraordinary aura. It was Murong Longcheng.

Then he was heard muttering in a low voice, "After a hundred years, I'm revisiting the old place. I'd like to see what changes have taken place in Kaifeng under the rule of your Zhao family..." As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the city gate.

(End of this chapter)