In the palace of King Chechi, the king was furious at a middle-aged Taoist priest, but the target of his anger was not the other party.
"This matter has now spread throughout the royal city, and it will not be long before the whole country knows it. The face of Che Chi Kingdom is over!"
The Taoist priest is none other than Feiyun Zhenren, who was named the Protector of the Country not long ago.
"Your Majesty will temporarily suspend his thunderous wrath. Although this matter has been spread, it is not impossible to deal with it."
"Chief Immortal, tell me the solution quickly."
Master Feiyun pondered for a moment: "Originally, this matter was just a rumor to the common people, but His Majesty arrested the monk with great fanfare. Even if the common people didn't believe it at first, they will believe it now."
King Chechi slapped his thigh: "What the Immortal taught me is that I was reckless, but those monks are really hateful. If I don't kill them, I won't be able to vent my anger!"
Master Feiyun said before saying: "Your Majesty, I have a way. Not only can I let your Majesty out of his bad breath, but it can also make the people's hearts turn to your Majesty and completely suppress the arrogance of Buddhism."
King Chechi grabbed Master Feiyun and said, "Sir, Immortal, tell me quickly. If this matter can be settled, I am willing to become brothers with different surnames."
Master Feiyun whispered in the king's ear, and finally said: "In this way, not only will it not damage your majesty's prestige, but it will also make the people love the royal family even more."
King Chechi nodded: "In that case, I will immediately arrange for someone to take care of it. Everyone in Xiaoxiangguo Temple will be dealt with by the Immortal Chief."
It was already dark when Xue Tianqing entered the city. Looking at the groups of monks being escorted forward on the street, she couldn't help but frown: "How many monks are there in Chechi State?"
The soldier leading the team smiled: "I don't know this little guy, but I heard that there are no less than 10,000 people. There are more than 2,000 monks in the temples around the royal city alone."
"Where were they taken?"
"There are too many monks to fit in the prison, so we will take them to the military camp first and interrogate them together in two days."
Xue Tianqing said "Wow": "Ten thousand people were beheaded at the same time. It's so magnificent. I have never seen it before."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone from a group of passing monks let out a "poof": "You are still talking about us, how can you escape death by then!"
Seeing that the leading soldier wanted to get angry, Xue Tianqing shook his head and said: "No need, we will be taken to the camp tonight and guarded with them."
The soldier quickly said: "No, elders, you are the real eminent Buddhist monks. As long as you follow the villain's words, not only will you not go to the execution ground, but you will also be treated as honored guests by His Majesty."
Xue Tianqing smiled: "As I said, I have my own way. Don't worry, little brother, you just need to help us take care of the horses and luggage."
The soldiers leading the team had no choice but to take four people and rush to the camp with other monks.
After entering the camp gate, Xue Tianqing exclaimed again, because at this time, no less than two thousand people had gathered in the camp.
Due to the limited space and the anger of King Chechi, these monks were not locked up in the camp, but were directly taken to the school military field for open-air custody, even though the night was already very cold at this time.
After taking a few people to a secluded corner, the leading soldier looked worried: "Elder, although I know that you are not a mortal, there are heavy military guards here, and the monks are not good at all, so it is better to be careful."
Xue Tianqing patted the soldier on the shoulder: "Don't worry, no matter what happens, it has nothing to do with you."
Looking at Xue Tianqing's still tied hands, the soldier said: "Chief Immortal, with your ability, you are really aggrieved here."
"I don't know what your name is?"
The soldier quickly bowed and saluted: "I don't dare, just call me Han Yan."
"You go back first. Remember, you must take care of the horses and luggage. I have to pick them up in two days."
Having said this, Xue Tianqing came close to Han Yan: "My horse is not an ordinary horse, but a white dragon in the sky. Don't neglect it. If you take good care of it, it will definitely benefit you."
Seeing that Xue Tianqing was determined to spend the night at the school military field, Han Yan could only say goodbye.
After the soldiers left, Xue Tianqing blew a breath, and four horses appeared on the ground: "Master, you are going to suffer a lot tonight, so just spend the night."
Sanzang snorted: "Why don't you obey what the soldier just said? That's better than freezing here."
Xue Tianqing smiled, "This is because of Buddhism. You and I both belong to Buddhism. It would be inappropriate to stay out of it. Besides, don't you want to see how many true disciples of Buddhism there are in Buddhism and how many are just vegetarians?"
Before Sanzang could speak again, there was a sudden noise, and then several monks with big muscles and round waists came straight to the four of them: "Get out of here! Give these mazars to Grandpa."
As he spoke, he bumped Sanzang hard with his shoulder. If Sha Monk hadn't used his body to block him from behind, he might have fallen down.
Sanzang stood firm and said, "As Buddhist disciples, how can these elders do such a thing?"
"What kind of behavior? I'm going to be beheaded tomorrow, what else is there to do? If it hadn't been for the bald donkey from Xiaoxiangguo Temple who kidnapped the princess, how would we have ended up like this?"
"That bastard enjoyed all the blessings in the world, but in the end he let us take the blame. If he falls into the hands of grandpas, he will be cut into pieces!"
"That's right, if I had known that I was going to get stabbed like this, why would I have followed the rules and regulations? There is so much money in the temple, so you can go out and enjoy yourself just by taking some. Now that I think about it, I really regret it!"
Listening to the complaints and even filthy words from a few people, Sanzang frowned: "These elders are also Buddhists after all. How can they be so insulting to gentle people?"
One of the burliest monks said angrily: "Can Sven be eaten as food, drink as water, or sleep as a woman? We originally wanted to join Buddhism to be free and at ease, but now, we have even joined in. What else do you want to be polite?"
Sanzang's face turned red when he heard this. He was about to retort when he saw a large number of people approaching the gate of the military field.
After surrounding the monks, the leading general waved his flag, and the soldiers began to untie the monks, and then ordered them to stand still.
After all the monks had finished lining up, the general walked up to the general stage and called out a man, asking him if he knew why he was taken into the camp.
After the other party said that it was because the monk of Xiaoxiangguo Temple had hooked up with the princess, the general ordered someone to take him aside with a serious face, and then called another monk.
Seeing that the ten monks shouting out the same words in succession, the general's face sank: "You are so bold. Not only do you intend to assassinate His Majesty, but you also slander the reputation of the royal family. You will be blamed for death! Come out!"
After speaking, he casually pointed to a monk who had just asked: "Where did you hear the words that just slandered the reputation of the royal family?"
The monk fell to his knees and said, "General, everyone knows this, and I heard it casually."
"Then have you ever seen with your own eyes what the princess and people do?"
"How could I possibly see this?"
"That's just hearsay? Since it's just hearsay, why do you say it with certainty? Come here, take him out and chop him!"
After the general finished speaking, he ignored the monk's pleading and pointed at another person and said, "Tell me where you heard these words from!"
Seeing the monk being dragged towards the camp gate by the soldiers, the second monk tremblingly pointed at the crowd and said, "It's Senior Brother Guang'an."
"Go and bring Guang'an to me and ask him who he heard from. I must dig out those who slander the royal family's reputation today!"
Seeing the first monk being dragged out of the camp immediately, Sanzang couldn't bear to say: "Wukong, save him."
Before Xue Tianqing could speak, the burly monk just snorted: "It's really ridiculous to think about others when you can't even protect yourself."
Xue Tianqing ignored it, but smiled and said to Sanzang: "Master, after hearing what I heard, this person talked about it to others without regard to the integrity of the country. Which precept do you think he has violated?"
Seeing Sanzang speechless, Xue Tianqing smiled again: "Didn't Master hear it? The general said that the affair between the princess and the monk was purely a rumor, so the specific truth has yet to be clarified."
Sha Monk whispered from the side: "What do you think, senior brother?"
"This is not what I think will happen, but what the king of Chechi Kingdom thinks will happen."
When the soldiers carried the tray containing the heads to the general stand, the monks in the military field exclaimed, and some even collapsed to the ground.
The remaining nine monks in front of the general ordering platform were as heavy as chaff and fell to their knees one after another.
At this moment, the soldiers finally picked Guang'an out from the crowd.
The general looked at Guang'an who was kneeling on the ground and said coldly: "Who gave you the courage to slander the royal family's reputation?"
Guang'an kowtows like a chicken pecking at broken rice: "General, spare your life, but I also listen to what others say!"
"Find out who told me this!"
Seeing Guang'an tremblingly pointing into the crowd, Sanzang asked in confusion: "Wukong, why is this?"
"Didn't I just say that the truth is something else? The so-called unclean princess is just someone who wants to destroy the reputation of the royal family. Just watch, the excitement is still to come."
Half an hour later, no less than a hundred monks were kneeling in front of the general stage.
In the end, these people pointed their finger at Xiaoxiangguo Temple, because the rumor first spread from there.
At this time, the general's face was covered with frost: "Since it is just hearsay, why do you say it with certainty? If you are like this, do you still remember the Buddhist precepts?"
Seeing that everyone in the audience bowed their heads and remained silent, the general shouted towards the camp gate: "Bring them up!"
When everyone heard the news, they saw two soldiers escorting a monk into the school military field. It was Elder Yuantong, the temple supervisor of Xiaoxiangguo Temple.
When Elder Yuantong was brought to the stage, the general asked coldly: "Master Yuantong, all the monks in the royal city are here, and the village elders in the city are also coming. After they arrive, I hope Master will tell the truth about the cause and effect of the matter. Tell me and restore the innocence of the royal family!"
At the same time, Elder Yuanzhi, the abbot of Xiaoxiangguo Temple, has been taken to Feiyun Temple.
There is no one else here except Master Feiyun: "Master, His Majesty has just given an order that I will handle it myself."
Elder Yuanzhi said expressionlessly: "Isn't this a bit too much, Taoist Master?"
Master Feiyun laughed: "Master, what you said is wrong. Could it be that the person who seduced the princess was not a monk from Xiaoxiangguo Temple? Or is this matter just a lie?"
Seeing that Elder Yuanzhi was silent, Master Feiyun said again: "I know that the Buddha's relic is in the hands of the master. If the master can hand it over, I will keep Xiaoxiangguo Temple safe. How about it?"
