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Murong Hanzhu arrived at Huichang Temple to pray for blessings, only to encounter the ostentatious carriages and horses of Princess Gaoyang. The attire of the bodyguards and servants clearly indicated they were part of her entourage.
Princess Gaoyang was favored by the emperor and was betrothed at the age of twelve to Fang Yi'ai, the second son of the renowned statesman Fang Xuanling. She was one of the earlier princesses to be officially married, and now, at sixteen or seventeen, she had already been a wife for four or five years.
This princess was notorious for her spoiled behavior, quick temper, and unpredictable nature. Even Fang Yi'ai found it difficult to manage her.
However, Murong Hanzhu had never heard of Princess Gaoyang having any inclination towards Buddhism. Thus, he remained alert and stepped aside as the procession passed. Once the carriages had gone by, he followed Princess Gaoyang's group into Huichang Temple.
Huichang Temple was a well-known temple. Some time ago, Master Xuanzang returned from his journey to the West, and a grand welcoming ceremony was held by the sovereign. At Chang'an Hongfu Temple, a translation venue was established, where Bianji, a talented monk from Huichang Temple, was recommended by King Wei Li Tai and recognized by the master for his knowledge of both Mahayana and Hinayana scriptures. He was selected as one of the nine esteemed translators at Xuanzang's translation site, which brought fame to Huichang Temple.
Murong Hanzhu was well-versed in various subjects and had interacted with eminent monks during his time in Tuguhun. Although Tuguhun's practices differed from orthodox Buddhism, they shared a common origin. Murong had explored this field extensively and, due to his position as an aide in Jin Wangfu, had met with the renowned monk Bianji several times.
Bianji was an impressive figure, known for his noble lineage and high aspirations from a young age. He was handsome and possessed unique wisdom with deep Buddhist connections. He became a monk at fifteen under Master Dao Yue at Dazongchi Temple in Yongyangfang, southwest of Chang'an. Later, when Master Dao Yue became the abbot of Puguang Temple, Bianji settled in Huichang Temple to devote himself to Buddhist practice and gained considerable renown.
As a cultured scholar who had experienced much in life, Murong Hanzhu enjoyed engaging conversations with Bianji and frequently visited him. Therefore, he was somewhat surprised to see Princess Gaoyang at Huichang Temple today.
Since he was familiar with Bianji, the monks in the temple did not stop him but allowed him to come and go freely within the inner chambers. When he saw Princess Gaoyang enter the back courtyard of the main hall with her close attendants, Murong Hanzhu hurriedly followed her.
After walking through several courtyards, Princess Gaoyang dismissed her attendants and headed alone toward the back mountain. Murong Hanzhu was even more astonished and took a secluded shortcut to stealthily follow her until she entered a secluded Zen Room. Only then did he stop.
The owner of that Zen Room was none other than Bianji!
Regardless of whether Gao Yang was a princess or a married woman—or even just an ordinary girl—meeting with a monk in such a secretive manner would tarnish her reputation. If this were to spread, it would surely become a significant scandal!
Murong Hanzhu could not bear to see Bianji suffer because Princess Gaoyang was the wife of Fang Yi'ai, who was one of King Wei Li Tai's most trusted aides. If this matter were linked to King Wei, how could one not worry about the implications for the crown prince's position?
Li Chengqian was well-read and knowledgeable, deeply interested in Buddhism. The Sage recognized his eagerness to learn and appointed him as a Receptionist under Master Xuanzang. Li Chengqian often visited Huichang Temple and other monasteries, engaging in discussions with many enlightened monks and forming a close relationship with Bianji. It was precisely for this reason that he recommended Bianji to Master Xuanzang.
Murong Hanzhu, due to these connections, pretended to be virtuous and befriended Bianji, hoping to find flaws in Li Chengqian through him. However, he did not expect that Bianji had such illicit dealings with Princess Gaoyang!
It seemed that Murong Hanzhu was fortunate to encounter such a situation. To verify it, he cautiously sneaked through the Hidden Path into the adjacent Zen Room. Pressing against the wall, he indeed heard indecent sounds coming from next door, confirming that Princess Gaoyang was indeed involved with the Debate Master!
Bianji was handsome, tall with fair skin, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips, and white teeth. He was also well-educated and talented. On the other hand, Gao Yang had long been married but was weary of trivial household matters. Fang Yi'ai feared Gao Yang's capricious nature and could only dote on the female servants in his household while frequenting brothels for diversion, leading to a situation where he and Gao Yang were living separate lives under the same roof.
Upon first meeting Bianji, Gao Yang was already smitten. Bianji, having been away from worldly affairs for so long, could hardly resist Gao Yang's allure. With various seductive tactics employed by her, Bianji, who had never experienced a woman's touch before, quickly became her devoted admirer. The two engaged in an affair for quite some time, deeply infatuated with each other.
Having learned of this shocking secret, Murong Hanzhu hurried back home to carefully consider his plans. He then went to Li Zhi's Jin Wangfu and relayed the entire matter to both Li Zhi and Changsun Wuji. The two were overjoyed as they finally held leverage that could bring Li Chengqian down!
Li Zhi knew well that Princess Gaoyang had a proud and aloof personality; however, she was not of low birth and had won the Sovereign's favor. Li Zhi had long harbored resentment towards her. Now that he received this news, he felt as if heaven was favoring him. He immediately ordered people to guard Huichang Temple and dispatched spies to follow Princess Gaoyang day and night, determined to catch her red-handed.
However, after observing for several days, it turned out that Princess Gaoyang did not frequently visit Huichang Temple but instead entered Brave Duke's Mansion!
After receiving the spy's report, Li Zhi was both surprised and suspicious. Could it be that Xu Zhen had also become one of Princess Gaoyang's lovers?
This accusation against Xu Zhen was unfounded; although Princess Gaoyang was young, her looks were not particularly striking compared to Xu Zhen. In fact, she could hardly be considered attractive in Xu Zhen's eyes.
Xu Zhen needed Li Chengqian's support to drive Murong Hanzhu away from Li Zhi's side; thus, she grew closer to Wei Wangfu. Li Mingda disliked Li Zhi and instead supported King Wei Li Tai. Gradually, Xu Zhen began to associate more with Li Chengqian and others.
Although this somewhat contradicted her original intentions and she knew that Li Zhi would eventually ascend to the throne, Xu Zhen genuinely disapproved of Li Zhi's actions. She also feared that Changsun Wuji and Murong Hanzhu might use Li Zhi as a puppet for regency in the future; therefore, she had no choice but to utilize Li Chengqian to exert some pressure on them.
Princess Gaoyang is an eccentric person who secretly commanded Court Official Chen Xuan Yuan to perform secret rituals in the Forbidden Palace, seeking guidance from spirits and interpreting the stars. She also misused witchcraft to frame many princesses and consorts, which is nothing short of treasonous. It is said that Xu Zhen is a priestess of Zoroastrianism, so she often visited Brave Duke's Mansion to seek her insights.
Although Xu Zhen is well-versed in the Zoroastrian scriptures, she cannot truly predict the future; her knowledge relies merely on her memory of Historical Records and various unofficial accounts.
Despite Princess Gaoyang's unpleasant personality, she became somewhat familiar with Xu Zhen over time, generously bestowing gold and jewels upon her without hesitation. Xu Zhen, unwilling to see her fall into misfortune, subtly advised her to distance herself from the Buddhist realm, warning that otherwise, she would attract deadly calamities.
Princess Gaoyang had been involved with Debate Master for some time. Upon hearing Xu Zhen's hints, she immediately regarded her as a divine figure and began visiting her frequently, while also restraining her actions and refraining from further contact with Bianji.
Li Zhi's people had been watching for ten days or half a month but saw no illicit interactions between Gao Yang and Bianji. Instead, they only observed Gao Yang frequently entering and exiting Brave Duke's Mansion, leading them to suspect that Xu Zhen was Gao Yang's lover. They kept a close watch, hoping to gather evidence.
The servants in Brave Duke's Mansion were originally recruited by Li Zhi; however, during the Tubo Eastern Palace incident, Hou Polu set fire to Brave Duke's Mansion and killed all those servants. The replacements were people from King Wei Li Tai.
As a result, Li Zhi found it impossible to place his trusted aides within Brave Duke's Mansion after more than ten days of fruitless surveillance. He then summoned Murong Hanzhu and others for discussion.
Murong Hanzhu was inherently malicious; initially sympathetic towards Bianji’s innocence, he now harbored deep resentment upon seeing Gao Yang infatuated with Brave Duke's Mansion and neglecting Bianji. He shifted his anger towards Xu Zhen and secretly ordered someone to infiltrate Huichang Temple to injure Bianji!
Upon hearing that Bianji was gravely injured, Princess Gaoyang could no longer heed Xu Zhen's advice. In a panic, she disguised herself and entered Huichang Temple to meet Bianji in the Zen Room.
Their reunion was filled with joy; unable to contain their emotions, they shared an intimate moment. After the storm passed, Gao Yang warned Xu Zhenzhi that Bianji also believed in spirits and did not dare to insist on further meetings. They exchanged cherished items as tokens of their affection.
Bianji had little to give and thus gifted the gem he wore to Gao Yang, while Gao Yang presented him with a precious pillow. They lingered together reluctantly before parting ways.
The spies reported back with detailed accounts, causing Murong Hanzhu and Li Zhi to rejoice. Changsun Wuji then urged the Imperial Historian to go to Huichang Temple to investigate Bianji’s stabbing incident. After a thorough search, they discovered the precious pillow gifted by Gao Yang!
This precious pillow belongs to Gao Yang, a private possession of the palace. Bianji cannot conceal it and can only openly state that it was bestowed by Princess Gaoyang. The gifting of such an intimate item to Bianji exposed their illicit relationship.
The Imperial Historian reported this to the Sage, who was furious and ordered Bianji to be executed, killing more than ten of Princess Gaoyang's servants in the process. As a result, Princess Gaoyang fell out of favor.
This scandal also implicated Bianji and Gao Yang's close friends. Before his execution, Bianji sought help from King Wei Li Tai, as he had become one of Xuanzang's nine esteemed scholars thanks to King Wei Li Tai's introduction.
Under the deliberate embellishment by Murong Hanzhu and others, the Sage increasingly believed that without King Wei Li Tai's mediation, Gao Yang would never have met Bianji, nor would such a disgraceful incident have occurred.
In light of this matter, the Sage summoned King Wei Li Tai to the palace and gave him a severe reprimand. He also ordered Li Chengqian to shut down the literary academy and forbade the recruitment of disorderly individuals from the populace.
King Wei, who had been favored since childhood, had never been scolded so harshly by the Sage. Filled with anger and feeling wronged by Li Zhi's influence, he immediately cursed and vowed to kill Li Zhi to vent his frustration.
Li Shimin had originally intended to establish King Wei as the heir, but now he hesitated. If Li Chengqian ascended to the throne in the future, Li Zhi would undoubtedly be in danger. Although he knew that historically replacing an elder with a younger heir was a path to chaos, circumstances forced the Sage into this decision.
Li Zhi seemed weak and indecisive; if he were made heir, Li Chengqian would remain untroubled. However, if Li Chengqian were named heir, he would surely kill Li Zhi once he became emperor.
At this critical moment, Li Shimin had no choice but to make a decision: he declared Li Zhi as the heir.
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