Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 161 Wang Li (Part 1)

Li Gongting smiled respectfully and replied, "Your Excellency is a pillar of the imperial family. We have long received the Emperor's decree and have prepared all the registers and documents of the prefecture in the government office. We will obey Your Excellency's orders without question."

Having said that, he turned to the side, raised his hand, pointed to the city, and said, “Your Excellency must be weary from your journey. I have already prepared an official banquet at the prefectural government. Once Your Excellency enters the city and rests for a while, you can then discuss the governance of Yongliang with your colleagues.”

Sima Wang Shilong took half a step forward, clasped his hands, and said in a deep voice, "My lord, I am Wang Shilong, the Sima of Liangzhou. We, your subordinates in Liangzhou, have already prepared a welcoming banquet for you in the prefectural capital. Please enter the prefectural city."

"Thank you all for your trouble,"

Lu Shang glanced at Li Gongting and Wang Shilong, nodded slightly, spurred his horse forward, and the sound of his hooves echoed in front of the city gate.

"Walk,"

Li Gongting and Wang Shilong immediately mounted their horses and followed, followed by their subordinates.

As Lü Shang rode his horse through the heavy city gate, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before him. The main road, paved with bluestone slabs, led straight to the prefectural government, lined with shops on both sides, their wine flags and sails fluttering in the wind.

At the street corners, merchants from the Western Regions set up their felt tents, and agate and amber gleamed in the sunlight. Camel caravans carrying spices and felt slowly made their way through the streets and alleys, with the sounds of camel bells and erhu intertwined.

Looking at everything before him, and recalling the desolation he had seen along the way, he sighed, "I never imagined that there would be such a prosperous scene on the western border."

Li Gongting, standing to the side, smiled and said, "My lord, although the northwest is bitterly cold, Guzang is not only the seat of Liangzhou, but also an important town on the eastern section of the Silk Road in the Western Regions, and one of the centers of the western frontier. Its prosperity is naturally incomparable to that of ordinary prefectures and counties."

“Wen Pengju of the Northern Wei Dynasty once wrote ‘Liangzhou Song’, describing Guzang City as ‘a bustling and prosperous city where carriages and horses crisscrossed and songs and music filled the air.’”

"Wen Zisheng!"

Lu Shang muttered something to himself, looked at the bustling street scene before him, and nodded.

Wen Zisheng, courtesy name Pengju, was a native of Yuanju, Jiyin. He was a great writer of the Northern Wei Dynasty during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period and rose to the rank of General of the Central Army.

He was a descendant of Wen Qiao, a general of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His family had lived in Jiangzuo for generations. Later, to avoid the war, Wen Zisheng's grandfather moved the whole family back to the Northern Wei Dynasty. Wen Zisheng then served in the Northern Wei court and became famous throughout the world at the age of twenty-two. He was known as one of the "Three Talents of the North" along with Xing Shao and Wei Shou.

However, this talented man from the Northern Wei Dynasty met a tragic end and encountered the mad king Gao Cheng, who threw him into the Jinyang prison, where he starved to death.

When the group reached the crossroads, Lü Shang reined in the horses.

To the due north, the state government building, with its soaring eaves and double pavilions, stands majestically in the sunlight, its vermilion gate flanked by glaring stone lions. To the left and right are government offices, with the inscriptions "Military Advisor to the Household Registration Office" and "Military Advisor to the Granary Office" clearly visible above the lintels.

"Ok?"

Just as Lü Shang was about to spur his horse toward the government office, a thought suddenly struck him, and he turned to look in the direction of the south of the city.

In the south of the city, a seven-story pagoda stands out conspicuously. Its spire pierces the clouds, and when the sunlight shines obliquely, the pagoda body radiates a purple-gold light, as if thousands of gold leaves are covering it, or as if the Dharma body of Buddha is hidden within it, shining brightly.

"Buddha's relics?" The light pierced Lü Shang's eyes, causing his expression to change slightly.

Seeing that Lü Shang's expression was unusual, Li Gongting said, "My lord, this is the pagoda of Hongzang Temple, built by Zhang Tianxi of the Former Liang Dynasty. The temple houses a palm-leaf scripture brought by a high-ranking monk from the Western Regions."

“Hongzang Temple,”

Upon hearing this, Lü Shang took a deep look in the direction of Hongzang Temple, then spurred his horse toward the government office.

As a seasoned tomb raider, how could he not know the name of Hongzang Temple?

Hongzang Temple, also known as Dayun Temple, is one of the earliest Buddhist temples in China with a clearly recorded date.

It was first built during the Eastern Jin Dynasty and the Former Liang period of the Sixteen Kingdoms. Zhang Tianxi, the king of the Former Liang, organized monks to copy Buddhist scriptures at Hongzang Temple and invited the Yuezhi layman Zhishilun and the Kucha monk Boyan to translate scriptures in Liangzhou.

For generations thereafter, Hongzang Temple held immense influence within the Buddhist community and even in the imperial court.

In his previous life, Lü Shang had also set his sights on Hongzang Temple in his quest for Buddhist teachings. After all, Hongzang Temple possessed the lineage of Buddha's bone relics, with its five-tiered encoffin, silver outer coffin, bronze box, stone casket, and glass bottle, which had been passed down until Lü Shang's previous life.

This is a relic of the Buddha's bone, and its preciousness to practitioners is self-evident.

However, before Lü Shang could make a move, after the dream, he became Xu Boshang and Lü Shang, the heir of the Duke of Qi.

When they arrived at the gate of the prefectural government, Lu Shang and his entourage, though outside the government building, could already hear the sounds of string and wind instruments coming from inside.

Li Gongting gestured for him, saying, "My lord, please come into the mansion to rest. I have prepared an official banquet to welcome you."

Lü Shang raised his hand and placed it on the saddle, gently pushed himself up, and dismounted. The soles of his boots slammed onto the bluestone slabs with a dull thud.

Li Gongting also dismounted from his horse. His gaze swept over the three-colored purple bamboo whip hanging at Lü Shang's waist, and he exclaimed in amazement, "Your Majesty's bamboo whip is famous throughout the northern frontier. Seeing it today, it is indeed extraordinary."

Lu Shang smiled faintly and remained silent, letting Li Gongting lead him towards the gate of the mansion. Behind him, Wang Shilong personally took the Purple Lightning Frost and handed it to the mansion soldiers waiting on the side.

The group crossed the vermilion threshold and entered the main gate of the prefectural government. After passing the screen wall, they saw rows of golden maces and axes on the left and right, and stirrups pointing upwards.

Lü Shang and Li Gongting walked straight along the bluestone path, with officials standing respectfully on both sides.

"Welcome, Your Excellency,"

Inside the main hall of the prefectural government, the long table was already laden with venison soup, flatbread, and wine. Dozens of officials from the prefectural government stood solemnly on both sides, bowing deeply to the ground after Lü Shang led his entourage into the main hall.

"Please take a seat, Your Excellency," Li Gongting said, gesturing with a warm smile.

"Please rise, everyone," Lü Shang said, taking the three-colored purple bamboo whip from his waist and placing it on the table. His voice was calm and unhurried, with a deep and resonant quality.

“I have been ordered by the Emperor to pacify Yong and Liang. I will naturally guard Liangzhou with you all, so as not to fail the Emperor’s grace and to be worthy of the people.”

He took his seat and tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, saying, "Since you have prepared the registers and documents, tomorrow at dawn, the officials in charge of household affairs, military affairs, and other relevant departments should submit the registers of money, grain, and military records. I will personally verify the numbers."

"promise,"

Chief Secretary Li Gongting and his subordinates responded in unison.

Lu Shang sat in the main seat, facing the wine and meat laid out on the long table, and said, "Let the feast begin."

"Let's have a feast,"

Chief Secretary Li clapped his hands with a smile and said loudly.

The sounds of string and wind instruments rose in response, with the erhu and pipa harmonizing, and the officials straightened their backs and took their seats in turn.

Accompanied by the sounds of string and wind instruments, a Hu woman carrying a large bronze platter gracefully entered.

The grapes on the plate were translucent purple, the candied amber fruit exuded the aroma of dates, and the roasted lamb leg was served on the jade table, with lamb fat dripping down the crispy skin into the charcoal brazier, sending up wisps of smoke mixed with the aroma of cumin and meat.

Li Gongting raised his rhinoceros horn cup and said loudly, "Your Excellency's pacification of Yong and Liang is a blessing for the people of Liang. We would like to first offer you a toast!"

"Your Majesty!"

The assembled officials and subordinates all raised their glasses.

"good,"

Lu Shang raised his glass and took a small sip; the wine's sweet and sour flavors, mixed with a hint of spiciness, spread across his tongue.

(End of this chapter)