The First Lackey Under The Empress

Situation?” Inside the empty and magnificent Buddhist temple, Zhao Du'an shuddered and regained his senses. He glanced at the massive statue of the World-Honored One with some apprehension, then turned to look behind him.

Haitang hurriedly stepped over the threshold, her high ponytail swaying.

“What's the matter?” Zhao Du'an asked.

Haitang said, “There was a bit of an accident at the Scripture Repository. Our people went to seal off and confiscate the scriptures in the temple, but they were stopped by the old abbot in charge of the Scripture Repository.”

Someone dared to stop them? Zhao Du'an raised his eyebrows: “You can't beat them?”

He was a little curious, was there still an expert in the temple?

Haitang smiled wryly and said, “That old abbot's cultivation is not high, but he is holding an oil lamp, blocking the stairway, acting as if he will set fire to the scriptures as long as we force our way in. He also said that he wants you to go over. Only when he sees you will he give up burning the building.”

The scriptures in the Shenlong Temple are extremely valuable, and to some extent, they are even more important than the temple's property and magical artifacts.

Once burned, it would be a great loss.

“See me?” Zhao Du'an was curious, and nodded: “In that case, let's go take a look.”

Haitang pursed her lips. Seeing him walking out, she curiously peered into the main hall: “Is this where Xuan Yin is in seclusion?”

“It should be. We didn't find anything inside. You can have people search it carefully, but be careful not to stare at the statue for too long. That thing is a bit evil.” Zhao Du'an instructed.

Haitang nodded cautiously, ordered people to guard the place, and then followed Zhao Du'an's footsteps.

…

When the two arrived at the courtyard where the Scripture Repository was located, a confrontation was taking place.

The pavilion where the scriptures were stored was shaped like a pagoda. At this moment, a group of Jinyi filled the first floor. Seeing Zhao Du'an's arrival, they all made way.

“Let this official see, who wants to burn the building?” Zhao Du'an said imperiously, stepped into the building, and looked up to see a thin old monk sitting cross-legged at the top of the wooden stairs leading to the second floor.

One of his legs seemed to be lame, and a crutch was placed beside him. The old monk had white hair and was very thin. He held a burning candlestick in his hand.

Behind him were layers of wooden shelves filled with scriptures. He had also opened a box next to him, which was full of scriptures.

It seemed that as soon as he let go, the candlestick would fall into the box.

“You are the abbot of the Scripture Repository? Heh, this official has only heard of monks who would rather be buried in a sea of fire to save the scriptures, but this is the first time I've seen a monk who actively burns scriptures.” Zhao Du'an looked up and couldn't help but laugh:

“Why don't you burn one for me to see? Anyway, this official doesn't worship Buddha, you can burn as much as you like.”

The faces of the surrounding Jinyi changed slightly. The scriptures in the temple were extremely valuable. If they were really burned, they, the officials, would inevitably be held responsible.

“Amitabha,” the lame old monk held the candlestick, his slightly turbid eyes staring at him, and said:

“Benefactor Zhao used to quote scriptures and expound Buddhist teachings at the Dharma debate, although he is not a member of the Buddhist sect, he must also be a cultivator with profound Buddhist knowledge, and must cherish the scriptures.”

No, you're thinking too much, I'm just a plagiarist from another world… Zhao Du'an complained in his heart.

In the next second, the old monk puffed out his cheeks and blew out the candlestick with his leaky teeth:

“How could this old monk really burn the building? I am just worried that the scriptures in this temple will be damaged if handed over to this group of ruffians. Wouldn't that make the Buddhist cultivators of past generations weep under the springs? Only if Benefactor Zhao comes to collect them in person can I rest assured.”

Zhao Du'an was stunned, so this guy wasn't resisting the law, but only willing to hand over the scriptures to him?

He looked strange: “You think I'm different from them?”

The lame old monk said earnestly:

“Benefactor Zhao is proficient in Buddhist principles and is a person with great wisdom and roots. The World-Honored One showed his holiness in the past, and the Buddha's light shone all over the capital, which is proof of this.”

Zhao Du'an understood a little. It turned out that this guy was like the Red Sect Lama from the Western Regions, and could be considered his little fan.

That's right, although the Scripture Repository has an important position in the Shenlong Temple, it does not have any real power. Looking at the old monk's appearance, he is not the kind of person who participates in the temple's power struggles.

He is a bit like the noble Hanlin Academy in the imperial court.

Of course, he didn't completely believe it, but under the exploration of his divine sense, this person's cultivation was indeed not high, only a mortal, and could not pose a threat.

As for being able to be the “Abbot”, it was probably because he was proficient in Buddhist doctrine and his strengths were not in cultivation.

“Heh, that's true,” Zhao Du'an said shamelessly, and smiled:

“In that case, this building will be sealed off first, and outsiders are not allowed to enter without permission, so as not to damage the scriptures. However, this official still wants to check the situation inside the building. Why don't you introduce the distribution of the scriptures in the building?”

The lame old monk unexpectedly cooperated and nodded: “It should be so.”

With that, he put down the candlestick, stood up with his crutch, and turned to walk upstairs.

“I'll go up and take a look, you guard below.” Zhao Du'an's eyes moved, and he said to Haitang, then stepped up the stairs.

The Scripture Repository is very large, with six floors.

Each floor has bookshelves and displays scriptures, but the higher you go, the fewer the scriptures displayed, and the heavier the weight of the scriptures.

The lame old monk didn't walk fast, and he was unusually calm in the face of the temple's destruction.

As he walked, he carefully introduced to Zhao Du'an which scriptures were placed on each floor, how to store different scriptures, including how often to ventilate, dry, and prevent moisture… in great detail.

Zhao Du'an's expression became more and more strange, as if the old monk really wanted to entrust this place to him.

“The imperial court has professional personnel to maintain books. With the preciousness of these scriptures, you don't have to worry about it, and they won't be damaged.” Zhao Du'an said lightly, staring at the old monk:

“Let's talk about something serious, what do you want to say to me? Now that there is no one around, you can always say it, but I want to remind you, if you waste this official's time, I don't mind letting you experience the eighteen kinds of torture in the imperial prison.”

The lame old monk's eyes were gentle and calm:

“As expected, you can't hide it from Benefactor Zhao. I only invited Benefactor here because I want to give you a scripture.”

Give it to me? Zhao Du'an became even more strange, and his heart quietly tensed, preparing for the old monk to use some sinister trick to harm him.

However, curiosity drove him to remain calm: “What scripture?”

The lame old monk didn't say anything, and slowly moved up to the sixth floor with his crutch. There were only a few large tables in the center, displaying dozens of tattered scriptures:

“Does Benefactor know the origin of the scriptures here?”

Zhao Du'an pondered for a moment and said: “Could it be the scriptures that Xuan Yin snatched back from the Western Regions back then?”

Back then, when Xuan Yin was not the abbot, he entered the Western Regions and forcibly snatched two boxes of scriptures from the ancestral court of Buddhism, thereby establishing his identity as the abbot.

The lame old monk shook his head and pointed below:

“The scriptures that Xuan Yin brought back are placed on the fifth floor.”

Zhao Du'an noticed that this old monk, who was only a mortal, spoke in a calm tone when mentioning Abbot Xuan Yin, without any respectful or admiring attitude, as if he was just talking about an ordinary monk in the temple.

That's right… I remember that in the Shenlong Temple, the Scripture Repository does have a detached position. Although it does not have the real power to manage the temple, the Scripture Repository has its own inheritance, and the appointment and removal of monks in the pavilion is not under the jurisdiction of the abbot… Zhao Du'an recalled the relevant information he had read.

Looking at this cripple again, he couldn't help but look sideways, wondering if he was a character like the “Sweeping Monk” in wuxia novels?

Hidden boss?

“Benefactor Zhao doesn't need to think too much, this old monk is not a master, just a lofty and lonely keeper.” The old monk seemed to see through his thoughts and shook his head.

A librarian… this position is amazing… talented people emerge in large numbers… Zhao Du'an didn't say anything.

The old monk walked to the large table in the center with his crutch:

“The scriptures on this floor were written by the Traveler Maya, and their history is four or five hundred years older than this Shenlong Temple. They are not too extraordinary, but only record some of the Traveler Maya's insights on daily life and cultivation. They have been shelved in the temple for many years.”

Traveler Maya?

Zhao Du'an's heart moved, because during the last Dharma debate, he read a lot of information about Buddhism in this world.

He knew that this Traveler Maya was a Western Regions monk who first spread Buddhism in the Yu Kingdom a thousand years ago.

Later, after the Shenlong Temple was established, it once posthumously honored the Traveler Maya as the starting point of Buddhism in the Dayu.

The old monk reached out, opened one of the scriptures, picked up a special golden scripture page from it, turned around, and handed it to Zhao Du'an:

"Benefactor Zhao, this blank golden scripture is the only valuable item left behind by the Maya Walker. It is also a treasure passed down through generations of the Scripture Repository lineage. Now, to prevent it from being destroyed by the imperial court, this humble monk has no choice but to entrust it to you."

A golden scripture left behind by the Maya Walker a thousand years ago?

Zhao Du'an was stunned. He cautiously sensed it with his divine consciousness for a moment before tentatively reaching out to take it.

It was slightly heavy in his hand. This golden scripture looked like an ordinary paper page, only a single page, but it seemed to be made of gold.

The surface was smooth and blank. If this old monk hadn't said it was a scripture, anyone who saw it would only think it was a sheet of "paper" made of pressed gold foil.

"This thing... is it a magic artifact? A warding item?" Zhao Du'an asked.

The old monk shook his head: "I don't know. I only know that it is impervious to fire and water and cannot be destroyed."

So, this old monk doesn't trust the imperial court with this thing, so he would rather give it to me, who has received the World Honored One's blessing and is 'profound in Buddhist teachings'... Zhao Du'an wondered:

"Didn't Xuan Yin take this thing with him when he left?"

He didn't believe that Xuan Yin wouldn't know about this thing's existence.

The old monk shook his head: "He didn't enter the Scripture Repository when he left."

No, with his cultivation, you wouldn't even know if he came in... Zhao Du'an wanted to complain, but he held back.

He squeezed the scripture tightly, feeling a little burned. He really couldn't be sure if this thing was dangerous.

"Amitabha, this humble monk has said what I wanted to say and will now go downstairs to enter prison," the lame old monk said calmly with his palms together.

Missing one, wrong one, first one, hair one, inside one, appearance one, at one, see one, see!

The afternoon sunlight shone in from the small window of the pavilion, and the light beams with floating dust sprinkled on his face, like a gilded living Buddha.

"Shenlong Temple is about to be destroyed. Aren't you angry?" Zhao Du'an asked, voicing his doubts.

This person was too abnormal.

Unexpectedly, the chief, who had been guarding the Scripture Repository, had a gentle and peaceful look in his eyes:

"Shenlong Temple is just a temple. If it is destroyed, it is destroyed. As long as the Buddha-dharma is still there, why should we care? Moreover, from the moment Xuan Yin took charge of Shenlong Temple, this temple should no longer exist."

After saying this, the old monk went downstairs with his crutch without looking back. Zhao Du'an held the blank golden scripture, lost in thought.

…

"Hey, what did that old monk say to you?"

Accompanying the welded shut Scripture Repository door with crisscrossing seals.

Hai Tang, who was standing in front of the door with her arms crossed, supervising the work, asked in a low voice.

Zhao Du'an, who was standing next to her, said indifferently:

"He didn't say anything, just explained how to preserve the scriptures and prevent insect damage and dampness."

Really? Hai Tang was suspicious, her eyes full of disbelief.

Zhao Du'an didn't explain. He felt that this matter was strange and planned to ask Zhen Bao after returning to the palace.

At this time, all the monks of the entire Shenlong Temple were also arrested outside the gate. The key places in the temple were sealed up, and the next step was a detailed inventory, confiscation, and handing it over to his subordinates.

When Zhao Du'an walked out of the temple gate, the Jinyi who had been sent to investigate the Jizhao Nunnery on the opposite side ran back and reported in a low voice:

"Sir, we have found out that Bianji has indeed run away."

"Who said that?" Zhao Du'an asked curiously.

"Princess Yunyang. When this subordinate went to ask, she was drinking in the meditation room, and her spirit seemed to be very bad. When this subordinate asked about Bianji, she said... and also cursed something like 'heartless man' and 'men are not good things,'" the Jinyi described vividly:

"This subordinate also asked the nuns in the nunnery and learned that from the days when His Majesty left the capital, Dharma Master Bianji would go to explain the Buddha-dharma to the princess every two or three days... Sometimes, they even had candlelit talks at night, and there were indecent sounds from the meditation room..."

Zhao Du'an and Hai Tang and others were dumbfounded and gasped.

Good heavens... really good heavens... If this gossip were exposed, it would definitely cause a sensation throughout the entire Da Yu.

As for whether it was true or false, considering Princess Yunyang's personality, Zhao Du'an felt that it was likely true.

"But what's going on with this monk Bianji? Couldn't he hold back? Was he hooked up? Or did he take the initiative to break the precepts?" Zhao Du'an felt incredible.

Based on his several meetings with Bianji, he always felt that this famous and handsome Dharma Master was not an immoral monk who couldn't control his pants.

But considering that the old nun Prajna was also thinking about sleeping with him all day long... What goes up, must come down. The monks in this Shenlong Temple may not necessarily be very serious in private...

"Forget it, suppress this matter and strictly prohibit spreading it. As for the nuns in the Jizhao Nunnery... temporarily confine them in the temple and wait for disposal," Zhao Du'an pondered for a moment and ordered.

Although the Jizhao Nunnery was closely related to the Shenlong Temple, it should have been destroyed in principle.

But firstly, Princess Yunyang was confined inside, and if all the nuns were taken away, who would take care of Yunyang?

Secondly, and more importantly, Bodhisattva Prajna and Xuan Yin were not of the same faction and opposed each other. They had also reached an agreement with the Empress earlier.

Although the Shenlong Temple's main altar in the capital was destroyed, the temples scattered in various states and prefectures of the Yu Kingdom were still there.

There were still a large number of monks outside who had not been brought to justice.

The lame old monk said something right. Over thousands of years, the Buddha-dharma had long taken root and sprouted in the people of the Yu Kingdom, with a solid foundation of faith.

Since the demand was there, forcibly eradicating all the monks in the world would be worse than supporting Prajna, thereby intensifying the division of the Yu Kingdom's Buddhist community to achieve the goal of weakening Xuan Yin.

As for Bianji inexplicably hooking up with Yunyang... Wait until I return to the palace and tell Zhen Bao to give her niece a headache.

The Jinyi took their orders and left, and Hai Tang, Zhang Han, and others also escorted a large number of monks into prison, but Zhao Du'an said:

"You guys go back first. I'll go home first."

Everyone was not surprised:

Lord Zhao had been away from home for several months. Now that the chaos in the city has been quelled, he should go home to report his safety.

…

…

Leaving the main force, Zhao Du'an rode alone, away from the sealed Shenlong Temple.

The ancient temple of hundreds of years was destroyed in one dynasty, which was quite lamentable.

However, Zhao Du'an was not in the mood to feel sentimental. He whipped his horse and did not immediately return home, but instead turned towards the direction of the Celestial Master's Mansion halfway.

In the Battle of Hundred Flowers Village, four disciples of the Celestial Master's Mansion took action and rescued Zhao Du'an under the decree of the Old Celestial Master.

Although the situation was resolved by the Empress, this favor had to be acknowledged, and it was only right to pay a visit.

In addition, Zhao Du'an also wanted to ask in person why Old Zhang was so good to him... The last time he was assassinated at the Lake Pavilion, the Little Celestial Master took action, which could still be regarded as Old Zhao whoring for free.

But this time, the rescue had exceeded the scope of normal gratitude.

Zhao Du'an felt that it was necessary to have a serious talk with Old Zhang to find out what this old lecher was planning, otherwise he would always feel uneasy.

Outside the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhao Du'an knocked on the side door, stated his identity, and was about to explain his purpose to the divine official who came out to greet him when the young divine official smiled and said first:

"The Celestial Master already knew that Envoy Zhao was coming and specifically ordered me to wait here to welcome you. Please follow me."

Old Zhang is waiting for me? Zhao Du'an's heart tightened for no reason.

He followed the leading divine official step by step into the door, along the corridor, and through the vast Celestial Master's Mansion, which was as large as a large amusement park.

He came to an inconspicuous small courtyard deep inside, where a lush and verdant banyan tree was planted.

"Please," the leading divine official smiled, turned around, and took his leave.

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath, did some psychological preparation, raised his hand, and pushed open the courtyard door.

This was the first time he had come here.

"Creak—"

The courtyard door slowly opened, and a refined and quiet small courtyard came into view. In the courtyard, a huge and lush banyan tree, of unknown age, swayed slightly in the summer breeze, making a "rustling" sound.

It also cast a large area of shade.

Under the banyan tree, there were two bamboo chairs and a low bamboo table, on which were placed a tea tray, a tea pet, a few volumes of books, and a plate of melons and fruits.

On a bamboo chair, Zhang Yan, the Daoist Celestial Master, wearing a black divine official's robe, tall, with narrow eyes and a ruddy face, was leisurely half-sitting and half-lying.

A breeze slowly came, and Zhang Yan opened his eyelids. His clear eyes looked at Zhao Du'an and smiled slightly: "You've come."