frightfiction Chapter 45: History of the Monks and Taoists
Chapter 45: History of the Monks and Taoists
Emperor Mingde held the little girl in his arms and patted her back soothingly. No, hasn't this fat guy heard of his reputation as a tyrant these days?
He looked at the fake Zhang Tianzhen coldly, and the fat man's cheeks were shaking. He stared at him until cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Emperor Mingde spoke calmly, "This man dared to slander Her Royal Highness the Princess. Take him away and give him forty lashes."
"Yes," the commander of the Royal Guards who was accompanying him immediately took the order, raised his hand, and someone dragged the fat man away.
Emperor Mingde glanced around and found that although the other officials surrounding the main hall of the Imperial Observatory did not beg for mercy, they had originally been respectful and fawning on everyone, but now they clenched their fists and could not hide the murderous look on their faces.
Xiao Qianqian felt something was not right, [No, Tongzi, are these people from the Imperial Observatory really Taoists? Why do they look like bandits to me? ]
[Haha,] the system was very disdainful, [Little princess, please don't insult the bandits. Bandits in this era still have some sense of loyalty. These people are just beasts.]
[The Wuji Temple that fake guy just mentioned is a den of evil that harms people. ]
The system continued to speak as the fat man begged for mercy and wailed, [On the surface, Wuji Temple is a Taoist temple with a lot of incense, but in fact it is divided into two parts, one is a casino, and the other is a brothel. ]
[Alas,] the system sighed, [The casino is where this fake guy uses it to get hold of officials, but that brothel, tut tut tut.]
Xiao Qianqian did not interrupt the system. She frowned and waited for the system to continue.
[The women in that brothel were all daughters of corrupt officials who were threatened and sent here by the fakes. Depending on the leverage they had over them, some sent legitimate daughters, and some sent illegitimate daughters.]
[No,] Xiao Qianqian was shocked, she clenched her fists, [Are those officials crazy?]
[Yes, I'm not crazy. Your father has dealt with a lot of people these days. The officials who were controlled by the fake Zhang Tianzhen are even more scared. Almost all of them want to use their daughters to settle the matter.]
[Alas, the girls who entered Wuji Temple were sent by the fake Zhang Tianzhen to the people he wanted to curry favor with, and were wantonly abused and played with. They had to either endure it or die, there was no third way.]
[No,] Xiao Qianqian was a little confused, [Where are the mothers of those girls? Are they all blind?]
[This is even more sad,] the system said in a tone of regret, [When those officials did these things, they kept it a secret from their wives, but they told their parents at home.]
[Ha,] The system sneered, [The grandparents at home are deliberately picking on their granddaughter. Filial piety comes first, so the younger generation can only shut up and obey. Those young ladies from official families were sent to the Wuji Temple on the pretext of going to the Taoist temple to reflect on themselves. Once they are sent in, they can never get out again.]
Xiao Qianqian retched, [Ugh, these people are disgusting, but] she listened to the fat guy and found that he was no longer making any sound, [That fat guy should be a thoughtful person, how come he hit the wall of my father so easily? ]
[Haha, that's because he's anxious. These days, his backers, the King of Qi, the King of Jing, Shan Jun, etc., have all been beheaded and their property confiscated by your father. Some officials are gradually getting out of control and are preparing to deal with him. He is under great pressure and can only take a gamble. He wants to use elixirs and immortality to control your father. Then he will have a big backer again. ]
[Hmm,] Xiao Qianqian rolled his eyes at his father, [If it was my father from before, he might have been tempted, after all, my grandfather had a criminal record.]
The system was helpless, [In fact, the death of your royal grandfather was also due to the elixir. If he hadn't taken it, he could have lived a few more years. ]
Emperor Mingde...
Fortunately, he has reformed now and has not yet taken the elixir left to him by his father. He will throw it away when he returns to the palace today.
After a pause, Emperor Mingde ordered, "Go out and make sure they don't beat him to death. Interrogate carefully which officials sent your daughter to Wuji Temple."
As soon as he finished speaking, there were gasps in the main hall, and a eunuch reported that the meal was ready.
Emperor Mingde stood up and said, "I will also interrogate the remaining people. I want to see what kind of monsters and demons are in this Imperial Observatory."
In the dilapidated temple in the west of the city, Lin Si ran so hard that sparks were almost coming out of the soles of his feet and finally rescued Zhang Tianzhen from the evildoers.
Zhang Tianzhen, whose half face was rotten, smiled bitterly when he saw Lin Si, "I knew I couldn't die. I couldn't die. Who do you belong to?"
Lin Si looked at the scary face without answering. He pulled the man out of the ruined temple with force and said, "Stop talking nonsense."
After lunch, Emperor Mingde arranged the follow-up matters of the Imperial Observatory and Wuji Temple, and took Xiao Qianqian back to the palace.
When Xiao Qianqian woke up, he saw Zhang Tianzhen kneeling on the ground honestly and respectfully.
Although the person below had washed himself, his face was full of vicissitudes and he was as thin as a piece of paper, which was still a cause for regret.
When Emperor Mingde saw his little girl wake up, he immediately gave her some water, and then asked Zhang Tianzhen, "Is it true that you said that Daxia might have a snowstorm?"
"Yes," Zhang Tianzhen said hoarsely, "Your Majesty, please take precautions early."
Emperor Mingde sighed deeply and thought for a while. "Zhang Tianzhen, I want to hand over the evil deeds of Wuji Temple to you to expose. Do you have the courage?"
"Your Majesty," Zhang Tianzhen bowed deeply, "Not only is Wuji Temple a den of filth, Shuiyue Temple and Xiangguo Temple are also unclean. I implore Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation of all Taoist temples and monasteries in Daxia, and not allow people with ulterior motives to pretend to be Taoists and monks and continue to do evil."
"Oh?" Emperor Mingde narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhang Tianzhen.
[Little Princess,] the system continued to reveal, [This Zhang Tianzhen has turned evil. He now vows to catch and kill all the fake Taoist priests and monks in Daxia.]
Xiao Qianqian, [Oh, he is not Zhang Tianzhen now, but Niu Hulu Tianzhen? ]
Emperor Mingde...
What button? What gourd?
The system smiled, [Yes, this person was originally going to die. Later, when Daxia was in turmoil, those fake Taoist priests and fake monks used their identities to cover up and did many cruel and inhumane evil things. But he is alive now, so it would not hurt to let him clean up the Taoist temples.]
[But,] Xiao Qianqian sat up straight and looked at Zhang Tianzhen, [What should we do with those young ladies from official families in Wuji Temple? They are really innocent.]
[This,] the system was helpless, [it depends on whether they want to survive or not. Didn't your mother build a textile workshop? Weaving workshops, embroidery workshops, garment workshops, etc. are also being intensively raised. As long as those girls want to survive, there will always be a way out.]
[Yes, alas. 】
Xiao Qianqian sighed, leaned over and fell on her father's lap, smacking her lips in a very bad mood.
Emperor Mingde held the little guy in his arms and helped the child to calm down with heartache.
After thinking for a while, he said, "I will appoint you as the Supervisor of Monks and Taoists, and temporarily assign you twelve secret guards. Is that enough?"
It’s not that he doesn’t have manpower, but he also wants to test what kind of person Zhang Tianzhen is, what his abilities are, and whether he is radical in his actions.
"Thank you for your grace." Zhang Tianzhen immediately kowtowed and shouted long live the Lord.
After Emperor Mingde explained the matter, he let the people leave.
Before Zhang Tianzhen left the imperial study, he secretly looked up, glanced at the little princess, then quickly lowered his head and hurriedly left the palace.