Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 128: Responding in front of the Buddha and smiling while picking up a flower!
Sanskrit sounds echoed.

The sound of chanting scriptures never ceases.

Yao Guangxiao waited for a long time, but the emperor did not speak to him, so he also started to recite scriptures.

In the main hall.

At that moment, there was only the melodious sound of Buddhist chanting, lingering in the air.

In the light of candlelight, the compassionate giant Buddha looks down below, with a majestic smile and compassion for the people.

for a long time.

A passage of scripture was finally finished, and the two voices stopped at the same time.

Old Zhu turned his body slightly sideways and looked back at the old monk behind him.

Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together and saluted.

This was not his first time meeting the Emperor.

Ten years ago, Empress Ma passed away, and Zhu Yuanzhang selected eminent monks to accompany the kings and chant sutras to pray for blessings.

At that time, Yao Guangxiao was recommended by Zong Le and became a senior monk attending Prince Yan.

It was also at that time that he was summoned by His Majesty the Emperor.

However, at that time, dozens of eminent monks also entered the Ming Dynasty palace and paid a courtesy visit to the Ming Emperor.

For Yao Guangxiao, it was a very deep impression.

But to Zhu Yuanzhang, Yao Guangxiao was just one of the many people summoned, and he had never even taken a closer look at him.

At this moment, he looked him up and down.

"We heard from others that the fortune teller Yuan Gong said that you were born with a strange appearance, with triangular eyes, like a sick tiger, and you must be bloodthirsty. In the future, you will become a first-class figure like Liu Bingzhong. Is this true?"

Ever since Zhu Yuanzhang began to pay attention to Yao Guangxiao, the secret agents and inspectors of the Imperial Guards have put a lot of effort into investigating Yao Guangxiao's life and past thoroughly.

The fact that Yuan Gong read Yao Guangxiao's fortune was no secret; many people had heard of it and naturally had already investigated it clearly.

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven. Although you live in the deep palace, you can clearly see the affairs of the world. I admire you very much. Yuan Gong did say so."

Yao Guangxiao answered neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been emperor for many years and had fought in battles before that, killing countless people. In addition, he had been in power for a long time, so he had his own power of oppression.

Ordinary people would probably be terrified in front of Lao Zhu.

But the old monk was different from others. He had been with Prince of Yan Zhu Di for a long time.

Although Zhu Di was not an emperor, he possessed the domineering power of an emperor.

He was also a superior who led troops to fight and killed countless people.

Zhu Di also possessed the same aura as Zhu Yuanzhang.

The old monk was already used to it.

At this moment, facing His Majesty the Emperor, he was unaware and remained calm.

"Liu Bingzhong is a man who was posthumously named 'Wenzheng'. He is unique in hundreds of years. What virtue and ability do you have to be compared with him?"

The old monk replied, "It's just the fortune teller's words. It's not worth trusting."

"The will of heaven is always difficult to predict, and it is not something that can be easily guessed by fortune-tellers in the world."

Old Zhu's eyes turned slightly, and the wind and clouds seemed to be changing under the candlelight.

"We also heard that although you became a monk, you took the Taoist Xi Yingzhen as your master and learned Yin-Yang magic. Is this true?"

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case."

"Since you have become a monk, why do you want to take a Taoist priest as your master? Isn't that inappropriate?"

"Your Majesty, I think that Buddhism is originally Taoism. In the past, the Buddha realized the truth under the Bodhi tree and began to spread Buddhism. Buddhism and Taoism are originally one family, without distinction. Learning Taoism is also learning Buddhism. Those who stick to prejudices and reject Confucianism and Taoism are not Buddhists."

A look of surprise appeared on Old Zhu's face.

"What a great saying, 'Buddha is the Tao'. Well said! We just heard you chanting the sutras. You are very familiar with the sutras. You are not a fake monk."

Lao Zhu had been a monk for two years. Although he had returned to secular life long ago, he still had some memory of the scriptures he had recited in the past.

Today, when I arrived at Tianjie Temple, I started reciting it again.

This is what he does every time he comes to the temple.

Old Zhu never believed in divination, fortune-telling, or prophecies.

I think those are just tricks by people behind the scenes to deceive the world.

But Lao Zhu believed very much in celestial phenomena and gods.

They attach great importance to matters such as offering sacrifices to heaven.

However, in his opinion, celestial phenomena are celestial phenomena, and the omens they bring will alert the world, so special attention should be paid.

So are the gods.

Therefore, we must worship God with great respect.

But if someone claims to be the words of a god, or that he is the reincarnation of a god, then that person is spreading evil rumors and should be killed!

In Lao Zhu's eyes, only the bronze and wooden sculptures of Bodhisattvas and Taoist ancestors in the temple are worthy of worship.

If they have any spokesperson in the world, it can only be himself, the emperor.

Apart from this, the others are all liars who use the words of gods to deceive the world!
He only worships God who does not exist in the world, but not anyone!

Just now, Old Zhu had been reciting scriptures just to see how Yao Guangxiao would react.

Is this person, who is obsessed with worldly affairs and power, a real monk or a fake monk?
Yao Guangxiao followed him in chanting scriptures, and without looking at the scriptures, he recited the scriptures word for word, demonstrating his profound knowledge of Buddhism.

This made Lao Zhu feel somewhat favorable towards him.

Otherwise, if Yao Guangxiao could not recite the scriptures silently, he would probably have been dragged out and beheaded by Zhu Yuanzhang by now.

How could Old Zhu tolerate a fake monk who had been lurking beside the Fourth Brother for ten years and now worked for Hu'er?
The Buddhist scriptures are difficult to understand and their contents are complicated. Only those who recite the scriptures day after day over many years can remember them.

Even though Lao Zhu used to be a monk in a temple, he still recites scriptures by reading from a book.

No matter how good the memory of an ordinary person is, it is impossible for him to memorize the material in one or two days even if he tries hard to memorize it at the last minute.

Yao Guangxiao did not look at the scriptures, but recited them silently, word for word, which is not something a fake monk who is trying to deceive people can do.

"Amitabha!" The old monk chanted the Buddha's name: "Heaven cannot be deceived!" This sentence has a double meaning.

He meant that he would neither deceive the Buddha nor the Emperor.

Old Zhu stared at his face, then turned to look at the tall Buddhist statue above him and said, "Did you find out about Zhao Mian's case?"

"Yes!"

"We also looked at your double-entry bookkeeping method, it's pretty good!"

Yao Guangxiao's face changed slightly, and he smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Your Majesty has misunderstood. The double-entry bookkeeping method was created by His Royal Highness the King of Wu. I am just following it."

"Your Majesty, the King of Wu, is a man of great talent and vision. I, a humble monk, cannot even compare to him."

"Only he can come up with such a clever method. I don't have such ability."

Zhu Yuanzhang was also stunned.

It turns out that it wasn’t the monk in front of me who came up with it?
Was it created by Huer?
Hu'er...Old Zhu could no longer conceal the smile on his face, and his heart was already bursting with joy.

Our grandson's abilities are truly unmatched in the world.

With descendants like these in the Zhu family, there is no need to worry that the Ming Dynasty will not last forever.

As my mood improved, the look in the old monk's eyes became much more pleasing to the eye.

"Monks are free from all the four elements. Since you have already left home, why do you still want to pursue power, status, wealth and splendor?"

Yao Guangxiao chanted the Buddha's name again: "Buddha is above, I have absolutely no desire for power, status, glory, wealth and honor."

"Oh?" Old Zhu Long's eyes suddenly burst into brilliance, and there seemed to be thousands of flames dancing under the candlelight: "If that's the case, why are you working for Hun'er? If you don't seek power and wealth, what do you want?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the Bodhisattvas and Arhats who protected the Buddhist religion above seemed to have transformed into gods of war at this moment.

There was a fierce light in his eyes.

It seems that the next moment, he will slay demons and monsters and kill the evil monk!

"Save all sentient beings!" The old monk's voice echoed in the hall.

"In the past, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva made a great vow: He would not attain Bodhi until all sentient beings were saved. He would not attain Buddhahood until hell was empty."

"The Buddha is merciful and has bestowed the Dharma on the world. Although I have become a monk, I should still think of the people of the world and save all living beings!"

"If you only seek your own peace, retreat from the world and chant sutras, while ignoring the lives of the people of the world, this is not Buddhism, but magic."

"I have no ties, no wife or children, I am all alone, and I am already old and frail."

"Even if you have all the splendor and wealth, what's the use?"

"Fame, fortune and status are nothing but clouds!"

"All I want is to put my life's learning into practice, so that the world can be peaceful and all living beings can be saved!"

"As for my personal honor and disgrace, fame and fortune, they are all fleeting, so why should I bother to mention them?"

Old Zhu carefully observed every change in his facial expression, but could not see anything wrong.

Lao Zhu used to be a monk, so he knew very well that there was no difference between temples and the secular world.

It is also divided into three, six or nine grades.

Those monks who chant scriptures in the temple all day long are not really in a state of detachment from the four elements and are not concerned with worldly affairs.

On the contrary, many of these "eminent monks" are obsessed with fame and fortune.

Follow the trend.

He doesn't even have the slightest sympathy for the young novice monks of low status in the temple, let alone for the rest of the world?

But for some reason, after hearing the words of the old monk in front of me, I felt vaguely touched.

After a while, he asked, "So, you claim to have a plan to govern the country and the ability to save all living beings. Let me ask you, how do you plan to govern the country?"

A calm voice sounded, full of expectation, as if waiting for someone with talent and ambition to show the emperor what he has learned and offer good ways to govern the country.

However, Yao Guangxiao shook his head and said, "I have no strategy for governing a country."

Lao Zhu was stunned for a moment.

"Then why do you come into the world to save all living beings?"

The old monk smiled and said, "Your Highness, the King of Wu has his own ideas on how to govern a country."

"Your Highness the King of Wu is a thousand times more talented than me, so why should I bother with that?"

"I have only learned a little bit of Yin-Yang magic and a little bit of strategy."

"Assist the King of Wu wholeheartedly, and you will be able to save all living beings."

"If you still have delusions in your heart, you will not save all living beings, but harm them."

"If this is true, then His Majesty the King of Wu cannot forgive me, the Buddha cannot forgive me, and the heavens cannot forgive me."

"Your Majesty cannot spare this poor monk."

He spoke in a slightly slower tone, and the candlelight in his Buddha eyes flickered slightly:
"I am only a monk, I have no power or influence in the court, the only one I rely on is His Royal Highness the King of Wu."

"If the King of Wu employs me, then I will be a great monk of the time, and my words will carry weight like a thousand pounds."

"The King of Wu does not want me, and I am a demon monk from the outside world. No one in the world would care if I were killed."

Yao Guangxiao sighed softly, "I am the only monk in the court, so even if I enter the court, I can only be a lone minister forever."

“No one will follow.”

"The policy of governing the country set by His Royal Highness the King of Wu cannot be changed by outsiders."

"Your Majesty, please understand all these things."

The voice fell.

Old Zhu's originally solemn expression suddenly disappeared.

His Majesty the Emperor laughed.

Like the Buddha picking up a flower, his majesty turns into compassion.

There was a light breeze blowing in the hall, the candlelight flickered, and the light and shadow were erratic, but it soon stopped and the candlelight remained bright.

……

(End of this chapter)