Chapter 905: [Giving Face] (Part 1)

Tongjing left the Sutra Pavilion and went straight to the meditation room where Abbot Tongyuan was cultivating. Abbot Tongyuan rose to greet him, saying, "Senior Brother has returned."

Tongjing nodded, turned and closed the door of the meditation room. The two sat facing each other on the mats, and Tongjing briefly recounted what had just happened.

After listening, Tongyuan couldn't help but frown and said in a low voice, "How can Hu Xiaotian be so obstinate?"

Tongjing said, "Not only that, he even spouted wild talk, saying that even if we dug three feet into Heavenly Dragon Temple to find that assassin, it's utterly unreasonable." He was so angry his face turned dark.

Tongyuan said in a low voice, "Senior Brother, don't get angry. What do you think is the real reason behind this?"

Tongjing said, "I suspect nine times out of ten they are deliberately causing trouble. They keep saying an assassin sneaked in, but who saw it? With so many monks in Heavenly Dragon Temple, why didn't anyone see him? Aren't all those eyes as sharp as theirs?"

Tongyuan nodded and said, "The matter of Cleft Cloud Valley hasn't been cleared up yet, and now it's suddenly revealed that an assassin has entered Universal Virtue Hall intending to kill the Emperor. It's really unsettling."

Tongjing said, "Hu Xiaotian is merely an Imperial Guard. If the Emperor hadn't backed him, he wouldn't dare act so arrogantly in Heavenly Dragon Temple. The Emperor first sent him to Cleft Cloud Valley, and now he's instructed him to search throughout the temple, causing trouble. In my view, the one truly wanting to oppose us is the Emperor himself!"

Tongyuan's eyes flashed, as if blaming his senior brother for saying such things, yet he harbored the same thought. Now it seems the purpose of the Dakang Emperor's visit to Heavenly Dragon Temple is absolutely not to liberate the dead or to worship Buddha and chant sutras; he certainly has another motive toward the temple.

Tongjing said, "I don't know what the Emperor's scheme is."

Tongyuan said, "What does Heavenly Dragon Temple have that would be worth his scheming? We monks have no wealth or power; all we possess are Buddhist scriptures, which the Emperor would not be interested in."

Tongjing said, "Could he be after Heavenly Dragon Temple's martial arts secret manuals?"

Tongyuan shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Three hundred years ago, Heavenly Dragon Temple was destroyed at the hands of the imperial court. At that time, most of the Buddhist scriptures in the Sutra Pavilion were taken away by the court. It can be said that was the greatest calamity our temple has suffered since its founding. Although later Emperor Gaozong cleared our name and gave us redress, that incident greatly weakened our temple, causing many scriptures to be lost abroad, including our sect's treasure, the Formless Divine Skill."

Tongjing sighed and said, "Actually, we monks shouldn't have any involvement with the imperial court at all. In this regard, we fall short of Wuji Guan."

Tongyuan shook his head and said, "Cultivation doesn't depend on where you are, but on where your heart is."

Upon hearing this, Tongjing's face showed shame. Although he is the senior brother, his understanding of the Dharma is far inferior to that of this junior brother. That is why the previous abbot chose Tongyuan as his successor.

Tongyuan said, "Heavenly Dragon Temple's present scale was hard-won. The previous abbot entrusted the monastic community to me. I deeply feel the weight of my duty; no matter the cost, I will ensure the temple's safety and the eternal transmission of its lineage."

Tongjing asked, "What secret does the Longevity Buddha inside Cleft Cloud Valley actually hold?"

Tongyuan shook his head and said, "I'm not entirely clear either, but since the Emperor values it so highly, the Longevity Buddha must conceal some unknown secrets. We monks don't concern ourselves with such matters, but it seems I must personally go to Universal Virtue Hall to have a look."

Tongjing nodded and said, "That's right. It's time to find out what he really intends. If he truly has a scheme, as long as it doesn't violate temple rules, we have no need to become hostile toward the imperial court over it."

That afternoon, Tongyuan, accompanied by two monks, went to visit the Former Emperor. He also heard that after last night's assassin intrusion, the guards at all checkpoints had been withdrawn, and the focus of defense now lay entirely around Universal Virtue Hall. When Tongyuan arrived at the gate of Universal Virtue Hall, he was unexpectedly stopped by the Imperial Guard stationed there.

Tongyuan smiled and said, "This humble monk, Tongyuan, has come especially to pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

A few guards glanced at each other; one had already run inside to report. Soon after, Zuo Tang came out from within, smiling and saying, "So it's the Abbot, Sir!"

Hearing this, Tongyuan felt both amused and exasperated. He is indeed the abbot, but he is not a "Sir."

Zuo Tang said, "Please wait a moment, Abbot. We'll go report to Sir Hu."

Tongyuan felt slightly surprised. Over the past month and a half he had also come here once before, but last time it shouldn't have been Hu Xiaotian in charge. Moreover, he wants to see the Emperor, not Hu Xiaotian. Does seeing the Emperor really require first obtaining Hu Xiaotian's permission?

While they were speaking, Hu Xiaotian led a squad of guards back from the distant bamboo grove. Today they were conducting a search near Universal Virtue Hall; Hu Xiaotian's true purpose was naturally to familiarize himself with the terrain. He had finally obtained such a legitimate opportunity, and he would surely make good use of it. The information he gathered today exceeded that of the previous half month combined. After all, previously there had been no chance to openly search everywhere, but now it was different. Under the pretense of looking for the assassin, he had practically traversed the entire West Court of Heavenly Dragon Temple. Bu Wu also had a discerning eye for talent; choosing Hu Xiaotian to assist him was something no one else could match.

From afar, Hu Xiaotian saw Tongyuan at the gate and laughed loudly, "Abbot Tongyuan has come; why are you blocking him outside? Don't you know who the master of this place is? Ridiculous, move aside at once!"

A group of guards hastily cleared a path.

Tongyuan did not rush in, but waited until Hu Xiaotian approached, then smiled and said, "Sir Hu, you've worked hard."

"Not at all. To ensure the Emperor's safety, shedding blood and sweat, even sacrificing one's life, is only right. As the Buddha said, 'If I do not enter hell, who will?' I have always been the first to take on hardship and suffering."

Tongyuan laughed and said, "Sir Hu, your words are full of Zen insight; I admire you!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Abbot, you overpraise me. I don't understand any Zen; I'm merely stating the most basic principles of being human."

Tongyuan smiled and said, "Actually, worldly principles and Buddhist principles are interconnected. Sir Hu truly possesses keen wisdom."

Hu Xiaotian said, "The way you put it makes me want to renounce the world, but unfortunately I have a household of wives and concubines waiting for me. If I didn't return, wouldn't I be making them all widows? Such a cruel act, the Buddha would surely not permit me to do."

The two monks beside Tongyuan frowned, their expressions showing disdain; they thought Hu Xiaotian's remarks before the abbot were utterly disrespectful.

Abbot Tongyuan, however, did not mind, and said softly, "Sir Hu harbors compassion; that is truly great virtue."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If one must renounce worldly ties to become a monk, yet doing so brings sorrow to one's relatives and pain to one's beloved. Originally entering the monastic life is to seek compassion and save beings, but instead it ends up harming one's own family. Abbot, I truly cannot understand this; could you explain it to me?" Although what Hu Xiaotian said is simple, for Buddhist disciples it is indeed the greatest contradiction, and almost every monk experiences this torment.

Tongyuan calmly replied, "In this world, any matter has its great and small aspects. It depends on the perspective and stance Sir Hu takes. As I am not you, I naturally do not know your inner conflict and pain; and as you are not me, how could you know my ease and tranquility?"

Hu Xiaotian secretly admired him, for after all, as the abbot of Heavenly Dragon Temple, his cultivation is incomparable to that of Tongji, Tongjing, and the others.

Tongyuan placed his palms together toward Hu Xiaotian and said, "This old monk will first go see the Emperor."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I will lead the abbot there."

Tongyuan said to the two monks following him, "Wait for me outside."

Hu Xiaotian guided Tongyuan to the false emperor's meditation chamber and respectfully announced, "Emperor, the abbot has arrived!"

From inside came the Former Emperor's voice: "Please, Master, enter."

The door opened from within, and the little eunuch Yinzheng stepped out to usher Tongyuan in. He and Hu Xiaotian exchanged a meaningful glance, but neither spoke.

Venerable Master Tongyuan entered the meditation room; the Former Emperor remained seated cross-legged in meditation and said to him, "Please take a seat, Master."

Tongyuan sat on the mat opposite him and said, "This humble monk has come especially to apologize personally to the Emperor. Last night's incident was indeed due to our temple's lax defenses, which gave the thief an opportunity."

The Former Emperor smiled faintly and said, "On the contrary, I should be the one apologizing to you. My affairs have disturbed the tranquility of the monks in the temple, which is truly a fault."

Tongyuan said, "I have had people investigate: among the monks of Heavenly Dragon Temple, only seven are hunchbacked, only two have pigeon chests, and only one is both hunchbacked and pigeon-chested. I have had them all brought forward. Your Majesty, you may send someone to identify them and see if any suspicious person is among them." Rather than remain passive, better to take initiative—you want to investigate, don't you? We have proactively gathered these people for you to examine. If they are not the ones you seek, then what else is there to say?

The Former Emperor said, "I originally did not want to make a fuss, nor to blow this up, nor to disturb your peace. It's merely that this group of Imperial Guards, for my safety, insists on ferreting out the intruder, causing chaos and panic, disturbing your tranquility—something I did not anticipate either."

Tongyuan said, "This morning, Sir Hu went to the Sutra Pavilion to search, claiming he was acting on the Emperor's orders."

The Former Emperor flatly denied, "I never ordered him to go to the Sutra Pavilion. That place is a forbidden zone of Heavenly Dragon Temple; how could he be so oblivious? Someone, summon Hu Xiaotian to come before me!"

Tongyuan also did not expect the Former Emperor to pull this stunt. Without his command, would Hu Xiaotian dare enter the Sutra Pavilion? This is indeed suspicious.

Hu Xiaotian soon entered, thinking, "This false emperor is up to some trick again?"

The Former Emperor pointed at Hu Xiaotian's nose and shouted, "You wretched thing, who let you lead men to barge into the Sutra Pavilion without permission?"

Third Update sent up, knowing the brothers have all done their best, but Zhangyu still wants to shout loudly—any Monthly Ticket? Looks like to successfully protect the chrysanthemum we need at least six hundred Monthly Ticket; Zhangyu is giving it his all, tonight he'll bring another First Update! (To be continued~^~)