Chapter 2: The First Meeting with Mahayue

  The next morning, Yang Zhao, who had not slept all night, got up early. After washing and dressing with the help of the palace maids, he walked out of his residence and headed straight to the main hall of the Crown Prince's East Palace. As the saying goes, "filial piety is the most important of all virtues," and as a son, it was an essential etiquette in this era to pay respects to one's parents every morning, which absolutely could not be neglected.

  The Sui Dynasty imperial palace was called Daxing Palace, which was divided into three parts: east, west and central. The western part, Yeting Palace, was the imperial workshop, while the central part, the Great Interior, was where Emperor Yang Jian lived and held court. As for the eastern part, it was naturally the Crown Prince's East Palace. Last year - that is, in the 19th year of Kaihuang - the occupant was still Yang Jian's eldest son, Yang Yong. However, Yang Guang gained the support of Yueguo Gong Yang Su and gradually won over Yang Jian's favor. Also, because the Orthodox Oneness sect leader, Chaoyang Tian Shi, who supported Yang Yong from behind, was defeated by Mochi Ye, the master of the Extremely Joyful Orthodox Sect, Yang Yong lost his backing and his forces were thrown into chaos, finally enraging Yang Jian and causing him to be deposed and imprisoned as a commoner. Yang Guang was established as Crown Prince and entered the East Palace. As Yang Guang's eldest son, Yang Zhao's status rose with the tide, and he followed his father out of the Jinwang Fu and had a small courtyard in Daxing Palace.

  The life of Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty was simple and frugal, so compared to the large-scale construction of the Great Ming Palace in the Tang Dynasty, it was far inferior. However, after walking for about ten minutes, Yang Zhao arrived at the main hall of the East Palace. Looking at the time, his cheap father Yang Guang should have gone to court by now, and there was only the crown prince's wife, who was also Yang Zhao's biological mother, Xiao Shi. Although they were mother and son, he had actually traveled through time and suddenly gained a mother, so it was inevitable that he felt tense. At this moment, Yang Zhao did not enter as casually as he did in his memory, but instead instructed the eunuch in charge of the palace: "I want to go in and see my mother. You, yes, quickly go and announce me."

  That eunuch had just bowed down to try to curry favor with Yang Zhao, when he suddenly received such an order and couldn't help but be perplexed. Not daring to delay, he hastily responded repeatedly and turned around to enter the palace. Yang Zhao stood quietly beside him, watching with a serious expression.

  After a while, the sound of footsteps was heard, and seven or eight people came out of the palace in a row. The first one was a woman in her thirties, dressed in simple but elegant palace attire. From memory, Yang Zhao knew that she was none other than his father's wife, Consort Xiao. With a prepared mindset, Yang Zhao immediately knelt down on both knees and bowed his head, saying: "Your son greets you, Mother Empress. I wish you good health. Why have you come out to welcome me, Mother? I am not worthy of such an honor."

  A man has gold under his knees, and he shouldn't casually kneel to others. However, the five kinds of people in the world - heaven, earth, ruler, parents, and teachers - are exceptions. After merging with Yang Zhao's memories, Xiang Shi is now at least her own real mother, so kneeling to her doesn't count as anything.

  Xiao's expression changed, and she suddenly smiled, helping Yang Zhao up by the arm. "No need for formalities," she said softly. "Zhao'er, what's wrong today? Is there something important you want me to take care of?"

  Yang Zhaoshun stood up, his eyes inadvertently sweeping over Xiao Shi's full and towering chest, and he couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart. It was said that during the Sui and Tang dynasties, social customs were open and women's clothing was very bold. Although Xiao Shi's attire was simple, it was not much different from the female lead's outfit in Zhang Yimou's movie "Curse of the Golden Flower". Moreover, she was a renowned beauty in her youth, and now, although she had become the mother of two children (according to Yang Zhaoshun's memory, he still had a younger brother Yang Mi, who was only five years old this year), her figure was still elegant and refined, not inferior to those young palace maids, but with more mature charm. It was no wonder that Yang Zhaoshun, an inexperienced young man, couldn't hold back his emotions for a moment.

  His thoughts flashed and disappeared, Yang Zhao quickly gathered his emotions, and said without looking sideways: "The child didn't have anything big happen. It's just...just that I slept poorly last night and had a nightmare. So this morning I wanted to come find Mother Empress...find Mother Empress..." He intentionally held his breath until his face turned bright red, pretending to be embarrassed, and refused to continue speaking.

  Xiao's face turned gloomy and he lost his smile, stretching out his hand to stroke Yang Zhao's hair, saying: "This child is already fifteen years old, but still seems like he hasn't grown up." He also asked: "Since that's the case, why not just come in directly? Why bother calling someone to announce you? In the past, you didn't have so many formalities."

  Yang Zhao said seriously, "Confucius said: I was fifteen and set my heart on learning. It can be seen that after the age of fifteen, one is considered an adult and cannot act as freely as before. In the past, children were still young, but now they are growing up and cannot violate etiquette."

  Since the Jin dynasty moved south, the world has regarded the Southern Dynasty as the orthodox school of Confucianism. The aristocratic families of the Southern Dynasty often passed down poetry and etiquette to their descendants. The Xiao family was a renowned family in Jiangnan, and naturally, they were no exception. Lady Xiao had been teaching her children since they were young, and she deeply agreed with these words. She smiled and said, "A scholar is different after three days; we should treat him with new respect. Zhao'er has made great progress in his studies recently. Come, let's go into the hall and talk, just the two of us."

  As the mother and son walked hand in hand into the hall, they sat down. Mrs. Xiao knew that her son hadn't eaten breakfast yet, so she immediately ordered the servants to bring out various pastries. She also asked him a few questions about his studies, which were all about the Four Books and Five Classics. Yang Zhao, a 21st-century university student, was originally familiar with these texts - except for one aspect that he didn't understand. Fortunately, Yang Zhao had studied them before in the Sui Dynasty, and after merging memories, he found that he not only remembered all the content of the classics but also understood every sentence. It's unknown whether it was a residual effect from crossing over or the result of practicing "The Mysterious Mirror of Changes". At this time, answering questions was effortless, like reciting from memory. Mrs. Xiao was even more delighted and wished she could hug her son tightly and show him affection.

  In the midst of casual conversation, they gradually brought up Mengzi's theory of "men and women not being intimate when giving or receiving things." Suddenly, someone interrupted, saying, "Your Highness, this statement is greatly mistaken." The voice was full of dignity and coldness, coming from the corridor outside the door. Xiaoshi exclaimed, "Ah, has Guoshi arrived? Please come in quickly." She immediately stood up to welcome him.

  Yang Zhao suddenly felt a severe shock throughout his body, and subconsciously followed Xiao's movements like a wooden puppet. In an instant, his throat became dry, his heart rate accelerated, and the tension was even more intense than when he first entered the high school examination hall, multiplied by a hundred times. For a moment, that person walked to the front of the gate, stopped in his tracks, and looked around with a piercing gaze. The gaze was sharp enough to feel like a physical blow, and Yang Zhao felt as if he had been cut by a knife when it swept across him. Sneaking a peek, he saw that the man was tall and large, with dark skin, a shaved head, wearing monk's robes, with prayer beads around his neck, a short beard curled under his chin, high nose and deep eyes, not resembling a person from this land.

  No need to take a second look, Yang Zhao already knew that the person in front of him was the behind-the-scenes black hand who supported Yang Guang's ascension to the throne, the current master of Tianzhu Fojiao Xile Zhengzong, Mahayana Ye!

  To know that Moheye is not a trivial matter. Not only is his martial arts in "Tianzi Four" one of the top-notch masters, but his mind and means are also excellent. In the comic book, he first supported Yang Guang to ascend to the throne, and then because he saw that Yang Guang's life was not long, he decided to find another true dragon son as a puppet, while he himself manipulated state affairs behind the scenes as the emperor.

  Yang Zhao also remembered that in the later search for Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, Mohai Ye unexpectedly took advantage of Yang Guang's absence to establish a holy and great army with the core of Xiangle Zhengzong believers within three months, occupying all the land north of the Yellow River. Later, he used this as a foundation to eliminate the Wagang Temple and the remaining forces of the Sui Dynasty, and then supported Li Yuan in establishing the Tang Dynasty. With a flick of his hand, he could change the course of events; truly a mighty and unparalleled hero.

  Yang Zhao didn't dare to look at Mohe Yedu, and immediately shifted his gaze to the two attendants behind him. The one on the left had a ferocious face, with muscles bulging, and was Fa Xing, one of the five members of the Five Branches under Mohe Yedu's seat. The one on the right had golden hair flowing, tall and slender, with an exotic air between her eyebrows, but she was Sha Ye, the only female member of the Five Branches. Noticing Yang Zhao's sneaky gaze, Sha Ye didn't get angry, instead, her eyes sparkled, and she gave him a charming smile, full of enchanting intentions.

  Younger brother, son can all see things, teacher, father naturally more. The master of the Pure Land sect glanced at Yang Zhao with a sideways glance and didn't care. He turned around to face the Xiao family, raised his palm in greeting, and said: "Homage to Amitabha Buddha. Mahayana asks if the Crown Prince's consort is well, if the Grandson is well."

  At this time, Yang Guang had just overthrown the abandoned crown prince Yang Yong, and his relationship with Mohuai Ye was at its best. The Xiao family did not dare to neglect this Dharma Master of the Pure Land sect, so they hastily made a gesture of respect, smiled and said: "Master, please sit down." At this time, the palace maids set up seats, and both sides sat down as host and guest. Xiao started speaking and asked: "Master, just now this child was explaining the 'Mencius'. Those are the words of ancient sages, but Master said it was wrong, yet I don't know why? Please enlighten me."

  Mohe Ye said in a deep voice, "The great desire between men and women is human nature. Forcing the suppression of desires with etiquette and education will only make things worse, just like Yu's attempt to control the flood with earth. Only by following Da Yu's method, using openness to replace blockage, can we find the right solution. In this mundane world, all living beings suffer. To seek liberation, one must pursue the ultimate bliss. The so-called ultimate bliss is not about luxurious clothes and food, fame and wealth, but rather the great desire between men and women that everyone can attain. Advocating the way of union, we don't have to be bound by human relationships and etiquette; as long as there is a common source of joy, it is ultimate bliss."

  This remark seems to be but is not, and there are many loopholes. But with Mohuiye's very majestic voice, it's quite persuasive. However, after all, it's too shocking and unconventional, Xiao Shi couldn't help but frown and say: "According to the sect master's meaning, everyone can unite in joy, isn't that no different from beasts?"

  Mohe Ye smiled slightly and explained, "To know that the ultimate pleasure is only a means, but not the goal. In the end, it's still about seeking liberation. And to be liberated, one must learn to 'let go'. Laozi also said 'the sage does not die, the great way does not stop'. It can be seen that the things of etiquette and morality may have some small benefits for the country, but they are greatly harmful to individuals, this point cannot be ignored."

  Mohe Ye spoke eloquently, citing classics and canons, and even Xiao's family nodded frequently in agreement. However, Yang Zhao was not convinced and secretly thought to himself: "You speak well, but aren't you still being deceived by the beauty trick? Not to mention that you eventually gave up on this absurd theory yourself." Suddenly, he remembered something and stood up without thinking, bowing deeply to Mohe Ye. He said sincerely: "Having heard the truth in the morning, one can die in the evening with no regrets. After hearing National Master's words, I finally understand now. Please accept me as your disciple out of respect for my father, so that I may learn from you day and night and improve my knowledge." Without waiting for Mohe Ye to respond, he knelt down and kowtowed three times.