Chapter 867

Since Laohuangdi said that, Hu Xiaotian didn't need to stand on ceremony with him; he hadn't wanted to kneel anyway, so he bowed and stood aside, saying, "Your Majesty, please begin your meal."

In the meantime, Yin Zheng and the others had already laid out breakfast on the table. Seeing a table full of morning snacks, Long Xuan'en instantly looked displeased, furrowed his brows, and said, "I came to Tianlong Temple to chant sutras and pay respects to the Buddha, not to enjoy luxuries. What's the point of making such a fuss?"

He glared at Hu Xiaotian and said, "Is this your idea?"

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed his bad luck—what does it have to do with me? It's all your lackeys sucking up, making the breakfast so elaborate. He hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I'm only responsible for overseeing their meal preparation and ensuring your dietary safety; as for what to make and how much, that has nothing to do with me." He deflected responsibility entirely.

Long Xuan'en said, "Go tell them not to make things so complicated; since I've come here, I never intended to live as I did in the palace."

Yin Zheng said from the side, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty, and hurry up and eat."

Long Xuan'en walked to the table and sat down, his gaze scanning the array of breakfast items, finally settling on the cornbread steamed bun Hu Xiaotian had casually tossed in. He reached out, grabbed it, took a bite, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed: "Delicious!"

Hu Xiaotian secretly chuckled, knowing this old fogey, accustomed to fine clothes and jade food in the palace, had developed picky tastes, so coarse grain actually suited his appetite.

Long Xuan'en said, "You may go. Remember to tell them that from now on, no more than four dishes per day, and breakfast should be kept simple."

Hu Xiaotian respectfully replied, "Yes! I'll go tell them right away." As he turned back, preparing to retreat, Long Xuan'en called out to him again: "By the way, I once had an old friend who sponsored a Buddha statue at Tianlong Temple; please go inquire where that statue is now."

Hu Xiaotian said, "May I ask Your Majesty, what is that old friend's name?"

Long Xuan'en pondered a moment before replying, "His name is Chu Fufeng! Sponsoring a Buddha statue was also something that happened over forty years ago; back then I was still young, and I came to Tianlong Temple together with him." His gaze showed a hint of bewilderment as he fell into reminiscence of the past.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I'll take care of it right away." He racked his brain for the name Chu Fufeng, but had no idea who that was; Chu Fufeng probably wasn't a notable figure. However, since he could be friends with the emperor, he must not be ordinary.

Long Xuan'en again urged him, making absolutely sure no one would find out that it was he who wanted to inquire about this matter.

After bidding farewell to Long Xuan'en, Hu Xiaotian left Puxian Abbey; Qi Dainei was still waiting outside the gate, and upon seeing Hu Xiaotian come out, he approached with a smile: "Sir Hu, how is His Majesty's mood?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Quite well!" Not wanting to chat further with Qi Dainei, he prepared to leave, but Qi Dainei hurriedly kept pace with him and whispered, "Sir Hu, actually the brothers who followed His Majesty here have found it extremely hard this past month, having abandoned their wives and children."

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes at him and said, "What do you mean? I don't understand."

Qi Dainei said, "Although we've shaved our heads and donned monk's robes, we aren't really monks, Sir Hu, so you shouldn't be too strict; you should show more consideration toward your subordinates."

Hu Xiaotian gave a heh-heh cold chuckle and said, "I didn't mishear—you're lecturing me, aren't you?"

Qi Dainei put on a beaming smile and said, "Sir Hu, please don't misunderstand; how could your subordinate dare to lecture you? I'm merely offering a suggestion, also for your own benefit. Consider this: if you're overly harsh with the brothers, you'll chill their hearts; should they develop resentment and cause trouble that reaches the emperor, Sir Hu, your reputation would suffer as well."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If that's the case, then I ought to thank you."

Qi Dainei said, "You're welcome, you're welcome. As the commanding sir who's just arrived, you're not yet familiar with our internal affairs."

Hu Xiaotian said, "So you're planning to have them all band together and oppose me, right?"

Qi Dainei said, "Sir Hu, why would you say that? Your humble servant harbors no such intention."

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily and said, "Whether or not you harbor such thoughts, we both know it in our hearts. This is a pure Buddhist sanctuary; countless eyes of Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats are watching us. If we tell lies, we might invite heavenly punishment." As soon as he finished speaking, the sky darkened, a blanket of clouds covering the just-risen morning sun.

Qi Dainei knew he was being threatened, yet deep down he still felt a bit uneasy, forcing out a smile and saying, "Sir Hu, you're overthinking it."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Since someone has come to you with complaints, you might as well tell them that during our stay at Tianlong Temple, everyone had better stick to their duties; if anyone dares to do something that displeases me, heh heh, don't blame me for being unsympathetic."

Returning to the Five Contemplations Hall, the two imperial chefs had already begun preparing lunch. Hu Xiaotian entered the kitchen and conveyed the emperor's wishes to them. Hearing that the emperor wanted to live on plain tea and simple meals, the chefs were naturally delighted, yet fresh ingredients continued to be delivered daily; if the emperor didn't eat them, wouldn't the surplus go to waste?

Hu Xiaotian had already thought this through for them: "If the emperor doesn't eat, we servants can only share his burden. Chefs, from now on the three of us will share meals—I'll eat whatever you eat."

The two imperial chefs exchanged a glance, both laughing and crying at once; this fellow was clearly trying to take advantage of them. It seemed that this month they would not only have to serve the emperor but also attend to this young master.

Monk Mingsheng had always been helping out in the Five Contemplations Hall—first, as arranged by the abbot; second, to take the opportunity to learn some culinary skills from the two chefs, and even just observing had already broadened his horizons.

Hu Xiaotian summoned Monk Mingsheng outside and said in a low voice, "Master Mingsheng, I'd like to ask you about something."

The monks of Tianlong Temple are generally simple and honest, and Mingsheng is no exception; he respectfully replied, "Sir Hu, please go ahead."

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, "I'm dressed like this precisely to conceal my identity; just call me your junior fellow disciple, and I'll address you as senior fellow disciple—it's really no big deal. I have a relative who once sponsored a Buddha statue at Tianlong Temple; before I came here this time, he entrusted me to go see that statue, offer incense, fulfilling a trust and acting loyally—so that's why I wanted to inquire."

Monk Mingsheng said, "This isn't difficult. Tianlong Temple houses countless Buddha statues; although the number of sponsors runs into the tens of thousands, each statue's sponsor is recorded in a register. If you, junior fellow disciple, wish to fulfill your wish, you need to consult the merit ledger—I'll take you there."

Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed, nodded, and said, "Thank you, senior fellow disciple."

Monk Mingsheng led Hu Xiaotian to the Merit Hall of Tianlong Temple, where the merit ledgers are stored. With Monk Mingsheng as a guide, proceedings were still much easier. The old monk, hearing that Hu Xiaotian wanted to look up a Buddha statue sponsored over forty years ago, couldn't help but show a troubled expression. Monk Mingsheng spoke a few kind words, and at last the old monk nodded his assent, leading them to the west wing of the Merit Hall and pointing to a row of shelves ahead: "The records from forty years ago are all on the top shelf; if you knew the exact year and month it would be easier to search, but since you only said it was over forty years ago, you'll have to examine the ledgers from forty-one to forty-nine years ago—all nine years' worth."

Hu Xiaotian originally didn't think it would be troublesome; he assumed the Buddha statue must be huge, and since the emperor's friend was certainly no ordinary person, the sponsored statue would definitely be enormous. So he started by checking the statues over one zhang tall, but after searching through all of them he found no sponsor named Chu Fufeng, forcing him to go down the list one by one.

The statues were categorized from large to small; he examined everything from over one zhang down to three chi, yet found no trace of Chu Fufeng's name. Already two hours had passed, and that was with Monk Mingsheng and the old monk helping; if Hu Xiaotian had to do it alone, even searching until dark wouldn't finish the job.

Although Hu Xiaotian usually seemed frivolous and carefree, when he actually got to work he was thorough and persistent, determined not to quit until he found that person. He spent another hour going through the remaining merit ledgers, but still found no Chu Fufeng—in fact, there wasn't even anyone with the surname Chu.

Hu Xiaotian closed the final merit ledger, rubbed his weary eyes, and secretly wondered whether the old emperor had become senile, misremembered the past, or was deliberately inventing a pretext to torment him. By rights, the old emperor had no reason to be so bored.

Monk Mingsheng and the old monk also ceased their search, having found nothing. Hu Xiaotian apologetically said, "Thank you for your trouble, venerable master."

Just as they were about to leave, the old monk added, "Actually, there are some Buddha statues that are not recorded in the merit ledger."

Hu Xiaotian and Monk Mingsheng looked at the old monk with astonishment—even Monk Mingsheng had never heard of such a thing.

The old monk said, "Some people, when their children are just born, come to the temple to sponsor a longevity Buddha, hoping the Buddha will bless their offspring with lifelong safety; the sponsors of these longevity Buddhas are not listed in the merit register."

Hu Xiaotian exclaimed in delight, "Where are these longevity Buddhas located?"

The old monk replied, "All sponsors of longevity Buddhas have deep ties to Tianlong Temple; many have shown kindness to the temple, and some are lay disciples of the temple. Thirty years ago, the former abbot abolished this practice, and since then no one has sponsored a longevity Buddha. Those longevity Buddhas are now housed in the Yunlie Valley behind the rear mountain."

After thanking the old monk, Hu Xiaotian left together with Monk Mingsheng. Once outside, Hu Xiaotian asked, "Where is the Yunlie Valley?"

Monk Mingsheng said, "Behind the eastern courtyard, close to the rear mountain's forbidden area."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Isn't the Yunlie Valley a forbidden zone?" He knew the rear mountain was a forbidden area of Tianlong Temple—outsiders weren't allowed, and even the temple's own monks weren't supposed to set foot there lightly—hence his question.

Monk Mingsheng shook his head and said, "No, but it's been left idle for years; even the temple's monks rarely go there." Seeing from Hu Xiaotian's gaze that he intended to go, Monk Mingsheng added, "Although it's not a forbidden zone, perhaps we should first seek the abbot's permission—we can proceed only if he grants it."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Senior Brother Mingsheng, this is merely a small matter; there's no need to bother the abbot. Moreover, I don't want the emperor to find out about this. To be frank with you, that Chu Fufeng is my own paternal grandfather; when I came here he was already on his last breath, and I don't know if he'll hold on until I return. This is his only wish, and as his grandson how could I not fulfill it? As monastics we cherish compassion, so I hope Senior Brother Mingsheng will show mercy." (To be continued~^~)