Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 335 A false alarm

After Meng Yi left, Wuzhan fell into deep thought. Perhaps there was a big event hidden behind Sri Lanka's coming to Qin. Perhaps it was related to the "holy war" that was about to happen. He vaguely felt that Xu Shi seemed to know the inside story and had already extended his hand into the government. Not only did he not adjust the matter, but he seemed to let it happen.

After seven days of nothing happening, the luxury ship was basically built and docked at the Wei River. All that was left was to store the supplies needed for going to sea, and it would be ready to set sail soon.

In the early morning, before Wuzhan and his disciples had finished their breakfast, Meng Yi sent someone to urgently summon Wuzhan to the palace. After arriving at the harem, he saw the imperial guards surrounding the harem in layers, ready for battle. Meng Yi came up to them with sweat on his forehead, and whispered to Wuzhan, "Your Majesty has been held hostage?"

Wuzhan heard it and asked quickly, "Who is holding him hostage?"

"Sri Fang!"

Wuzhan was also surprised, "Isn't Shilifang in Xiandaoyuan? How come he suddenly appeared in the harem?"

"I don't know about this either. It was the 11th hour today, before dawn, and the guards on duty were slacking off. When the four guards discovered it, Srivijaya had already taken the opportunity to break into His Majesty's bedroom and took His Majesty hostage. No one should act rashly. I asked you to come here to find a way to rescue His Majesty, otherwise disaster will befall you."

Wuzhan asked: "What is the situation inside now?"

"Your Majesty was not injured, but he was frightened and could not speak."

"Is there no one coming to Xiandaoyuan?"

"Mayor Xu and his men have arrived, but Sri Lankan officials told them not to get close."

At this time, they had arrived at Ying Zheng's bedroom. There were many masters ambushing around, and many people were standing in the courtyard, including Xu Shi and others. Seeing Wuzhan coming, Xu Shi stepped forward and said, "It was my negligence. Sir, you are resourceful. Find a way to rescue His Majesty."

Wuzhan asked, "I wonder why Sri Fang wants to hold Your Majesty hostage?"

Xu Shi said: "I don't understand it either. Maybe he still wants to persuade Your Majesty to establish Buddhism as the state religion."

"What a reckless act!" Wuzhan knew that without a detailed map of the harem, even if Sri Lankan Prime Minister searched for a whole night, it would be difficult to find His Majesty. Someone must have leaked Ying Zheng's location, but now was not the time to question Xu Shi.

Wuzhan walked closer to the bedroom and said loudly to the palace: "Wuzhan wants to see Master Sriprachitta!"

Not long after, Sri Lankan followers walked out of the palace gate and said to Wuzhan: "Master, please come in, sir."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt that there was a turning point in the situation. At least Wuzhan had a chance to get close to Sri Lanka, and Wuzhan must have a way to rescue His Majesty.

Wuzhan followed his entourage into the bedroom, and across the room, he saw Ying Zheng kneeling on the ground in fear and Shilifang standing beside him. When Ying Zheng saw Wuzhan, he immediately shouted, "Sir, save me!" He had encountered countless assassination attempts of varying sizes since he was a child, and this time he was really scared.

Wuzhan said to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the master will not hurt your Majesty. I will negotiate with the master now."

Shi Lifang seemed to have been injured as well, with bruises on his face. He came forward and blocked Wuzhai outside the house, sighing, "Sir, you didn't expect this to happen!"

Wuzhan said: "Master, this behavior is beyond your original intention. I really can't imagine it. I don't know why you would do this?"

Shi Lifang said: "I believe you have seen the scars on my body. These are the scars left by Mayor Xu when he imprisoned me in the dungeon and ordered his men to force me to write down the Western Land Kung Fu. He has no intention of letting me go."

Wuzhan said: "But Master, if you do this, do you still want to leave Xianyang alive?"

"This is also a very bad idea. I have no choice but to do this."

"Then what will Master do next in order for him to release His Majesty?"

Sri Phuntsok said: "Establish Buddhism as the state religion and promote Buddhism in Qin."

Wuzhan asked, "Master, are you still not giving up?"

Sri Fang sighed and said, "Although I feel this is unlikely, this is my mission. If I fail to do so, it will inevitably lead to a war between the two countries. At that time, the people of both countries will suffer."

"Magadha has come all the way to interfere in the affairs of our Great Qin. Master, do you think our Great Qin will do this?"

"Although Qin State appears strong on the surface, it is actually weak on the inside. The people are suffering terribly and their livelihood is in decline. As long as Qin State promotes Buddhism, it will definitely change this situation. This is a great merit."

Wuzhan said: "If the promotion of Buddhism relies on force, I think that Buddhism is not Buddhism. The merits that Ashoka wants are not merits. The national conditions, history, and thoughts of the two countries are different. Buddhism is practiced in the West, but it will be difficult to practice it in Qin at the moment. The master has also seen that from the discussion meeting in Huangshan to the palace in Xianyang, how many people believe in the Buddhism that the master talks about."

Sri Lanka thought for a long time and asked, "Sir, what do you think I should do next?"

"Release your majesty as soon as possible, and I will escort you out of Xianyang."

Sri Prabhu sighed and said, "If this is the case, then my trip will end in failure."

"Things have come to this point. Master, you have to accept this unwillingness. How can such a big thing be accomplished by one's own strength? This is all I can guarantee."

Shilifang looked at Ying Zheng and said, "When I was doing this, I had already thought about it. As long as Your Majesty does not promote Buddhism, I will trap Your Majesty for a day until I die of old age in this palace." Wuzhan whispered, "I'm afraid that Master can't trap Your Majesty for a day. I'm sure you know that if you let me into this room, it will only take a moment to save Your Majesty. The reason I didn't take action is that I wanted to leave you a way out."

Of course, Shilifang knew Wuzhan's strength, and he had taken it into consideration when Wuzhan asked for an audience. "Okay, I believe you!" He came to Ying Zheng with Wuzhan and said, "I have told your majesty before that I have no intention of murdering your majesty. I just want to persuade your majesty to promote Buddhism."

Ying Zheng said in panic: "As long as you let me go, I can agree to anything."

How could Shilifang believe this? As long as Ying Zheng was released, he would turn around and kill him. He smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Your Majesty's words under coercion cannot be taken seriously. However, never mind. I have already negotiated with you just now. Words are not enough. Please, Your Majesty, issue an order to let us return to our country. I think you will guarantee this."

Ying Zheng hurriedly said, "I will issue the decree right away!" He ordered Zhao Gao to come in, write down the decree, seal it with the jade seal, and hand it to Sri Lanka.

After reading the imperial edict, Shi Lifang said, "Your Majesty should also know that if Xu Shi had not gone back on his word, I would not have done this. Your Majesty's trust in such a person is not the behavior of a wise ruler. Although Xu Shi is a profound Taoist, it is not easy for him to trap me."

Ying Zheng said: "I will never listen to him again, and I will disband the Xiandao Academy after this."

Sri Fang said: "This is your Majesty's business. I just said it casually, but your Majesty should know that there is more than one Qin in the world. If Qin does not promote Buddhism, Ashoka will probably send troops to put pressure on it. After returning to the country, I will definitely stop this from happening to avoid war between the two countries."

"Then there's Master Lao."

Wuzhan stepped forward and helped Ying Zheng to sit beside the bed, saying: "I am late in protecting you, and have disturbed your majesty. I know my crime!" This was the closest Wuzhan had ever been to Ying Zheng. He could clearly feel the aura of the Ancestral Dragon on the latter. He truly was invulnerable to gods and demons. He also understood why he had been able to dodge assassinations several times. This might be luck, and even Wuzhan at this moment could not get rid of it.

Ying Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, and came to his senses and said, "If you hadn't come to rescue me, how could you let me go?" He turned to Shi Lifang and said, "Since you have received my imperial decree, please leave."

Sri Fang clasped his hands together and said, "I am sorry for disturbing Your Majesty. I beg your forgiveness. I will take my leave!" He turned around and was about to leave.

"Master, wait a minute. I have a few words to say to your majesty. Please wait outside. I will escort you out of Xianyang later." After Wuzhandai Shilifang and his entourage walked out of the house, he turned to Ying Zheng and said, "What will your majesty do next?"

Ying Zheng sighed, "He was able to escape from the dungeon of the Immortal Dao Academy, and was able to evade the layers of guards to find me and wake me up from my sleep. Even if I ordered someone to kill him, it would probably not be easy. How could I dare to offend him? I just hope he leaves Qin State."

Wuzhan really didn't expect Ying Zheng to say that. He must have been really scared. He said, "I think so too, but this matter is very strange and involves many people. If it is not handled properly, it will inevitably attract criticism and affect your majesty's prestige."

"So how do you want to deal with this, sir?"

"I think that many people are unaware of this matter. As long as we say that Your Majesty invited the master to the palace at night to explain, it can be justified. Those who know about it are guilty, and I believe they dare not tell anyone. As for the people involved, I will find out the truth and hand it over to Your Majesty. As for whether to deal with it or not, it depends on Your Majesty's wishes."

Ying Zheng said: "Just do as you say, sir."

Wuzhan said: "Through this incident, Your Majesty must strengthen the guard and be wary of certain people. They must be related to this incident."

Ying Zheng said: "Sir, even if you don't say it, I know it in my heart. Sir, please send him out of the city. I am tired and want to be quiet. Please order Hei Lin and the others to come in!"

"Wei Chen resigns!"

……

Wuzhan and Shilifang walked out of the palace together. Meng Yi hurriedly asked, "My dear brother, how is His Majesty now?"

Wuzhan smiled and said, "You all misunderstood. His Majesty suddenly became interested in the customs of the West last night and invited the master to the palace at night. It is not that the master has held His Majesty hostage. If you are worried, you can ask to see His Majesty."

After hearing this, although everyone didn't quite believe it, they didn't know what to say. They rushed into the palace one after another, shouting loudly and demanding to see the emperor. Of course, some people still knew the truth.

Mayor Xu smiled at Wuzhan and said, "Sir, you are really smart. You resolved it easily in less than half an hour."

Wuzhan also smiled and said: "Thank you for the compliment, Master, but I still have to thank the Master. If it weren't for the Master, how could I have such an opportunity."

Shi Lifang stared at Xu Shi and said, "There is a saying in your country, 'If you do too much evil, you will eventually perish.' If the national teacher does not stop before it is too late, I am afraid that disaster will befall you."

Xu Shi said: "I didn't expect that the master would learn to curse others. Doesn't Buddhism forbid the generation of angry thoughts? It seems that Buddhism is just used to deceive people."

Sri Fang said: "This is not a curse, but a warning. The national teacher has committed evil deeds, so he will not escape punishment."

Xu Shi said: "Master is not the law, it is not your turn to punish you, but one day Master will understand why I treat you like this. Since Master is in a hurry to leave, I will not see you off."

Wuzhan smiled and said, "After this incident, I'm afraid the Imperial Master won't be able to stay even if he wants to. But I will have time to chat with him in the future."

This sentence is very direct and can be said to be a blatant provocation. Since you are going to fall out eventually, there is no need to pretend.

Xu Shi laughed and said, "Sir, you are still young. I am always at your service."

(End of this chapter)