bookandnovel #1653 - The incense has burned out, and there is not a grain of rice left in the house.
#1653 - The incense has burned out, and there is not a grain of rice left in the house.
Chu Hao and the others entered the palace, looking around. They discovered that not only the design of the palace exterior, but even the interior details and the attire of the civil and military officials, were designed according to the style of the Great Tang Dynasty.
Not only that, even the etiquette was meticulously copied, showing that it was definitely imitated from the Great Tang.
However, because the Kingdom of Jisa was truly poor, even if they tried their best to imitate, they only achieved a superficial resemblance.
This was not particularly rare, after all, five hundred years ago, the Great Tang went to war with the Western Regions. That great battle was almost like the Investiture of the Gods in Journey to the West. The Western Regions had already been defeated by the Great Tang.
As a defeated region, the Western Regions inherently had a very high level of worship and awe for the Celestial Dynasty. If the Western Regions were not entirely under the control of the Western Heaven, I am afraid that most regions would have chosen to join the Great Tang and become vassal states.
However, even if they did not join the Great Tang, many countries imitated the Great Tang. Even many systems within the Great Tang were copied from the Great Tang. Therefore, a certain red flame had already been ignited unknowingly.
But we won't mention this for now.
The King looked at the official document and said with joy:
"It seems that the King of Great Tang is ill, and he can choose eminent monks who do not avoid traveling far to seek scriptures from my Buddha; the monks here in my kingdom only specialize in being thieves, ruining the country and overthrowing the ruler!"
Tang Sanzang put his palms together and said, "How does one see that they ruin the country and overthrow the ruler?"
The King said indignantly and coldly: "My kingdom is a superior state in the Western Regions, and it often receives tributes from the surrounding barbarians, all because there is a Golden Light Temple in the country, and there is a golden pagoda in the temple, with a radiance soaring into the sky!
It's a pity that the thieving monks stole the treasure from within, and there has been no radiance for three years. Foreign countries have not come to pay tribute in the past two years, and my heart aches with hatred!
That's why I destroyed all eighty temples in the country and exiled three thousand monks from the temples!"
Tang Sanzang slammed the table and shouted:
"Good!"
The King present, along with the civil and military officials, were all stunned.
What's the situation?
Isn't this Tang Sanzang a monk? Shouldn't he sympathize with his own kind?
Why does he seem to agree so much, even with a passionate spirit, as if he had just beaten dozens of monks?
Tang Sanzang coughed lightly.
"Excuse me, but this humble monk is indeed impressed by His Majesty's demeanor. In the Buddhist lands of the Western Regions, those called monks are actually lazy people who do not work with their hands or distinguish the five grains, wanting to rely on chanting scriptures to get a few meals!
They are completely insulting the advanced Buddhist teachings of my Buddhist sect. This humble monk has felt extremely angry along the way west, lamenting their misfortune and angering them for not striving. Instead of truly rescuing the world, they have become a burden on the people!
Your Majesty's actions are truly commendable!"
The King of Jisa and the civil and military officials were stunned by Tang Sanzang's reasonable and well-founded praise.
Good heavens, he hates these monks even more than the Kingdom of Jisa!
Moreover, what he said makes so much sense!
The King of Jisa and Tang Sanzang coincided in their views, feeling like they had met late in life, and couldn't help but say repeatedly:
"This holy monk, you are an understanding person, but it is a pity that you came to this place late, allowing those monks to succeed in their embezzlement."
Tang Sanzang looked at Chu Hao and asked, "Immortal Lord, can I tell the story?"
Chu Hao had been watching the national preceptor slowly approaching in the distance, and casually nodded.
Tang Sanzang then faced the King and said:
"Your Majesty, we roughly know what happened. We captured two demons last night, who have already revealed the matter."
The King was delighted,
"It seems that this case has been solved. Please enlighten us, Holy Monk."
Tang Sanzang thought for a moment and said:
"There is a Ten Thousand Saints Dragon King who leads many relatives and lives in the Emerald Wave Pool. His daughter is beautiful and charming, and she married a Nine-Headed Consort, who is invincible…"
As Tang Sanzang was speaking, an old man with white hair came over, and the officials greeted him respectfully, calling him the National Preceptor.
The National Preceptor walked slowly, and when he seemed to see Chu Hao, his eyes were filled with shock and emotion.
Chu Hao always felt that the National Preceptor walking over in the distance looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.
Clearly, the other party was not a celestial being. Could it be a friend from before he became an immortal? It didn't seem like it…
Chu Hao's mind couldn't process it for a moment.
At this moment, the National Preceptor had already arrived in front of the King.
Although the National Preceptor's attire was also local, Chu Hao could somehow see a lingering Tang style on the National Preceptor.
That was an aura that could only be formed after being nurtured for countless years under the many schools of Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, and Military Science, a kind of refined and restrained domineering temperament!
The National Preceptor seemed to be highly valued by the King, and he sat directly next to the King.
Moreover, the many civil and military officials below seemed to be convinced and didn't find it strange at all.
Generally speaking, in the court, those who can sit on an equal footing with the King are either members of the royal family, or the Queen, or those who are unable to stand up. Only then do they have the qualification to sit down.
However, this National Preceptor was clearly healthy and walked with vigor, but he could still sit calmly, which showed his status in the Kingdom of Jisa.
The King said respectfully:
"Holy Monks, this is the National Preceptor of my Kingdom of Jisa. My Kingdom of Jisa used to be weak, with depleted soldiers, monks everywhere in the country, and the people could not make ends meet, almost leading to the country's demise.
It was this National Preceptor who appeared and saved my Kingdom of Jisa from fire and water."
Zhu Bajie was also an experienced person, and the first thing he thought of was the existence of the three immortals, Yang Li Daxian, and asked:
"This National Preceptor, could it be that he can summon wind and rain, ensure favorable weather, and help the country's grain harvest?"
The King chuckled and shook his head, but did not speak.
Instead, the National Preceptor stroked his beard and said faintly:
"To govern oneself, nothing is more important than filial piety; to govern a country, nothing is more important than fairness!
One should not worry about scarcity but about inequality; one should not worry about poverty but about instability. For equality eliminates poverty, harmony eliminates scarcity, and stability eliminates collapse!
The problem that exists in the Kingdom of Jisa is that the incense burns out the millet in the fields, and there is not a single grain of rice in the homes.
Summoning wind and rain can save the fields for a while; indulging laziness will lose the country in all directions!"
When Chu Hao heard these words, he was completely stunned.
This National Preceptor is absolutely amazing!
It must be said that his level of thinking is extremely advanced, and even extremely rebellious on this land!