Chapter 906

Hu Xiaotian, upon hearing this, immediately understood the false emperor's intention: first, to clear himself before Abbot Tongyuan; second, to take this opportunity to vent his own resentment and get revenge. Before he had uncovered the false emperor's identity, Hu Xiaotian certainly dared not argue with him; now that he knew this guy was a counterfeit, there was no need to be so polite, though he also saw no reason to lose face in front of the abbot. He said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am solely concerned for Your Majesty's safety."

"Nonsense! Even if assassins had sneaked in, it's your lax guard, what does it have to do with the monks of Tianlong Temple? You search everywhere, causing panic, as if I didn't know; it's clearly just an attempt to divert my attention and shirk responsibility." The false emperor pressed forward, speaking harshly, his bastardly arrogance reached an unprecedented height.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Majesty, your wisdom is clear. I first offered incense to you in Lieyun Valley, then managed your meals in the Five Observances Hall; as for your personal guards, they are all handled by Liu Huchan and others. If they hadn't been negligent, you wouldn't have let me and these guards station in Puxian Courtyard."

The false emperor's heart jolted; Hu Xiaotian actually dared not to give him face—could this boy really have seen through his flaw?

Abbot Tongyuan also felt astonished. Although he is an outsider, he knows the ruler‑subject divide: a ruler orders a subject to die, the subject must obey; he had never heard of an emperor rebuking a minister, let alone a minister talking back—today he witnessed it.

The false emperor shouted angrily, "Nonsense, believe it or not, I'll have you dragged out and beheaded!"

Abbot Tongyuan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger." A Buddhist pure land cannot tolerate random killing.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Your Majesty, there's no need for such great anger; I too am considering Your Majesty's safety. If you wish to kill me, there's no need for all this trouble—I'll go outside now and commit suicide to apologize."

Upon hearing that this boy actually intended to commit suicide in his own temple, Abbot Tongyuan panicked, "Sir Hu, you must not do that!"

Seeing the situation, the false emperor knew he was likely exposed eight or nine times out of ten. If he continued to put on airs before Hu Xiaotian, this fellow might truly turn against him, leading to a messy fallout that would look bad for everyone. With that thought, he let out a heavy hum and said, "Do you mean I cannot say that?"

Hu Xiaotian said respectfully, "Your Majesty, you certainly can say that; a ruler orders a subject to die, the subject must obey. I do not intend to be disrespectful, but some things must be made clear. My death is of little consequence; I just don't want my brothers to suffer alongside me." When did he become so righteous?

The false emperor seized the moment to wrap up, saying, "You may go. Remember, without my order you must not act arbitrarily; if I learn that you again disturb the Tianlong Temple monks, I will certainly hold you accountable."

"Yes!" Hu Xiaotian withdrew.

Seeing the scene, Abbot Tongyuan found it bizarre. He reckoned that the ruler and subject were likely putting on a show before him, and inwardly sighed at the emperor's hypocrisy—without his command, Hu Xiaotian would hardly dare act recklessly; everyone is sensible, why put on a show for him? After Hu Xiaotian left, he whispered, "Actually, I too must bear some responsibility for last night's incident. Over the years, Tianlong Temple has flourished thanks to the emperor's patronage; if anything were to happen to him within the temple, I would truly feel ashamed of the court's trust in us these years."

The false emperor said, "I've already said it—last night's incident has nothing to do with Tianlong Temple; you need not blame yourself, Master." Toward Abbot Tongyuan he was still relatively courteous.

Abbot Tongyuan said, "Though I am an outsider, I am also a subject of Dakang. If Your Majesty has any task for me, I will surely do my utmost." By saying this, he was tactfully telling the emperor that there's no need for all these schemes—just state any request directly.

The false emperor nodded and said, "I know your loyalty is commendable. During my stay at Tianlong Temple, I have been grateful for the monks' care, and I have no other requests. However, Abbot Tongyuan's remark reminded me of something: the former Emperor Taizong personally transcribed a copy of the Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing, said to be kept in Tianlong Temple. I have long wished to see my ancestor's original manuscript. Would Abbot Tongyuan be willing to grant me this convenience?"

Abbot Tongyuan joined his palms and said, "Your Majesty may have misheard. The Banruo Boluomiduo Xin Jing was indeed once kept in Tianlong Temple's Cangshuge, but three hundred years ago an event occurred, after which the sutra's whereabouts became unknown. In fact, our temple has always treasured this scripture as a supreme treasure, and all the monks eagerly await its early return."

The false emperor said, "If Abbot is unwilling, then forget it."

Hearing this, Abbot Tongyuan felt a faint resentment. The sutra is indeed not in Tianlong Temple, yet he did not know where the old emperor got this information; they had also heard that the sutra is kept in the imperial palace's Cangshuge, but Tongyuan did not speak those words. He said, "Your Majesty, the sutra is certainly not in the Cangshuge; I have never uttered a lie in my life, let alone to an ordinary person, much less to Your Majesty."

The false emperor slowly nodded and said, "Since it's not there, then forget it." He closed his eyes, making it clear he no longer wished to deal with Abbot Tongyuan; Tongyuan, understanding worldly affairs, rose to take his leave.

Abbot Tongyuan came to the doorway, and Hu Xiaotian went up to meet him: "Abbot, how is the emperor's mood?"

Tongyuan thought to himself, the emperor's bad mood is your provocation; you just saw everything clearly, so why pretend to ask me? People in this world are truly deceitful. He said calmly, "I, the old monk, am simply not skilled at gauging the ruler's thoughts."

Hu Xiaotian laughed, "Indeed, Abbot, as an outsider you wouldn't pay attention to such trivial matters."

Abbot Tongyuan said, "Your Majesty said he did not order Sir Hu to search the Cangshuge."

Hu Xiaotian drew the imperial edict from his waistband, unfolded it for Abbot Tongyuan to see, and said, "Personally penned and approved by the emperor; although it lacks the jade seal, I would not dare to forge the emperor's handwriting."

Abbot Tongyuan's gaze swept over the edict, and he grew ever more convinced that the ruler and subject were colluding to put on a show for him.

Hu Xiaotian sighed, "Abbot, you don't know our hardships—we bear the toil first, any blame or fault falls on us, endless grievances, inexhaustible bitterness—ah, never mind."

Abbot Tongyuan softly said, "I, the old monk, will take my leave first!"

Hu Xiaotian watched Abbot Tongyuan depart, a faint smile touching his lips; it seemed Abbot Tongyuan should have developed serious doubts about the old emperor's purpose this trip, and if anything were to happen at Tianlong Temple later, he would surely suspect the old emperor first.

From behind came the sound of a yinzheng: "Commander Sir, the emperor invites you inside."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, turned, and entered the meditation chamber.

The false emperor stared at Hu Xiaotian with a sinister gaze and said coldly, "You wretched thing, aren't you afraid I'll chop off your head?"

Hu Xiaotian said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this is a Buddhist pure land; it is not suitable for heavy killing intent."

"Do you still see me in your eyes?" the false emperor's voice suddenly turned stern.

Hu Xiaotian showed no fear, saying, "Your servant's heart always places Your Majesty first; even this edict you gave me, I have studied it repeatedly and found the handwriting somewhat different from before."

The false emperor's heart jolted; he glared at Hu Xiaotian, but his gaze was not so firm.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I understand Your Majesty's difficulties, but does Your Majesty know of my hardships?" He stepped forward, gave a sinister smile, and said, "Your Majesty should understand what I mean."

At this point the false emperor felt faint-hearted; Hu Xiaotian had clearly seen through his true identity, and he whispered, "You dare to be rude to me?"

"It's not I who am disrespectful to Your Majesty, but someone else; Your Majesty had better roll up your right sleeve and let me see whether that birthmark is still there." Hu Xiaotian was basically speaking nonsense—he had never served the old emperor, so how would he know whether the old emperor bears a birthmark?

He didn't know, and neither did the false emperor; for a moment they both stood there stunned.

From that fellow's stiff expression Hu Xiaotian could already tell he was certainly not the real emperor; he lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, what punishment should befall someone who forges an imperial edict?"

The false emperor gave no answer, inwardly cursing his bad luck; Hu Xiaotian was indeed tough to handle, only he did not know when the fellow had seen through his identity—perhaps it was when he inquired about the Lingxiao Palace on Piaomiao Mountain?

"The penalty is death!" Hu Xiaotian's voice, full of killing intent, made the false emperor shudder; he glared at Hu Xiaotian, for now this was the only way he could mask his panic and unease.

Hu Xiaotian said, "I also understand some things; for the sake of Your Majesty's safety, if Your Majesty does not nod, some people would not dare commit such a grave treason. But if the matter here were leaked, it would surely cause an uproar throughout the realm—not only would the Tianlong Temple monks think they'd been deceived, but even the common folk of Dakang would feel lied to and would direct their anger at Your Majesty—what would Your Majesty do then?"

The false emperor remained silent, his gaze already beginning to soften.

Hu Xiaotian said, "If it were me, I would surely kill the bastard who made me lose face and let the subjects mock me. Regardless of whether I originally agreed to it or personally sent him out, Your Majesty, do you think that's right?"

The false emperor said, "Since you already understand everything, why stir up such a big commotion? If the affair were exposed, what benefit would it bring you? Investigating further, I fear you and your guards below could not escape responsibility either."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, "Well said!" He lifted his monk's robe, revealing the five‑coiled dragon gold medal hanging at his waist; its brilliant gold flashed in the false emperor's eyes. Hu Xiaotian patted the medal and said, "This is a gift bestowed by the emperor; it can exempt me from the death penalty. Do you have anything like it? Why not produce it for me to see?"

"Er..."

Hu Xiaotian bowed, bringing his face close to the false emperor: "Face is given mutually; you and I both serve the emperor. Before outsiders I respect you and give you face, yet you repeatedly oppose and make things difficult for me—this is either tolerable or not. Believe it or not, if you anger me, I'll perish with you, fish dead and net broken."

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