Tears welled up in Kangxi's eyes immediately. He was deeply moved to receive Shunzhi's affirmation. Back then, when he was only eight years old, Shunzhi was about to leave with a monk. His grandmother wept bitterly behind closed doors, and he went to beg Shunzhi to stay, but he still couldn't. He only left him with the words to be a wise ruler before quietly departing.
"Xuan Ye, why are you crying?" Xing Chi asked.
"I weep for my father's passing, and for becoming the loneliest person in the world! After my grandmother passed away, I had almost no one to confide in. I have many women, but most of them are only after their families' interests and mostly flatter me. I also have many sons and daughters, but they have gradually forgotten that I am their father, and they fight each other endlessly for the throne," Kangxi said.
Xingchi sighed. This was the reason he had resolutely given up his imperial status and followed his heart's guidance to become a monk at Mount Wutai. The death of Consort Dong'e had made him completely disillusioned with the world, and he no longer wanted to remain in that position and suffer the torment of his heart.
“Xuan Ye, I understand your loneliness. But there’s nothing I can do for you. I can only tell you that everything eventually returns to peace. The deeper your entanglement at the beginning, the deeper your loneliness will be in the end,” Xing Chi said.
Kangxi looked at Xingchi with a knowing look in his eyes, and finally asked, "Master, Xuan Ye is facing a problem. That is the problem of the successor of the Qing Dynasty. The Crown Prince, the Second Prince Yinren, whom Xuan Ye has appointed since childhood, has failed to live up to my teachings. He has acted improperly and has not been filial to his elders. I am deeply disappointed. I do not want the country that our ancestors have built to be destroyed by the person I have chosen. Therefore, I have been asking you, Master, how to choose a new successor."
Xingchi had maintained a calm expression, but when Kangxi brought up this issue, a hint of melancholy appeared between his brows. After Kangxi finished speaking, Xingchi smiled calmly and said, "Well, I thought that after fifty years of cultivation, I had transcended worldly affairs, but just now, when you mentioned it, I was still worried about it. It's clear that my cultivation is still insufficient."
Kangxi said, "Master, this is not because your cultivation is insufficient. Rather, it is because you care deeply about your country and its people, and worry about the common people. Isn't this the highest realm of Buddhism?"
Xingchi was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Indeed, Xuan Ye is quite right. I am not as insightful as you are." Shunzhi shook his head, raised his hand and took Kangxi's hand, saying, "Come with me to the meditation room!"
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince and his men learned that Kangxi had gone to the back mountain, and the abbot forbade them from searching for him, saying that Kangxi was meeting with a high monk and that no one was allowed to disturb him.
Upon hearing this, the Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince were even more unwilling to stay in the temple.
"Fourth Brother, why don't we go out and have a look? I think Mount Wutai is beautiful with its clear waters and lush mountains. We can also hunt some wild game. After eating vegetarian food for more than ten days, I feel like my stomach is starting to feel dry," Tenth Master said cheerfully.
“Me too, Your Highness has never gone this long without meat,” Fourteenth Prince added. They came to the Fourth Prince’s kitchen hoping he would go hunting with them. Kangxi had entrusted them to the Fourth Prince’s care; without his approval, they were not allowed to leave the temple gate.
"You follow Father Emperor around and practice Buddhism every day, yet you still have meat on your lips. Aren't you afraid Father Emperor will punish you?" The Fourth Prince was sitting cross-legged on the couch in the meditation room, meditating. These days, they have at least learned the skill of sitting cross-legged in meditation.
"Father has been in the back mountain for two days now, and he won't come down or let us in. If we keep waiting like this, I feel like I'm going to grow hair out of my head," said Fourteen. He was almost nineteen now, no longer the bald boy he once was. A beard had started to grow on his chin, and he had grown quite a bit taller.
“You already have hair growing on you!” Tenth Master immediately said.
"Get lost! Fourth Brother, let's go out and take a look. This forest looks so nice, there must be a lot of prey hiding inside. Just thinking about it makes my hands itch!" Fourteenth Brother said.
While the Fourth Prince was meditating in the meditation room, he was wondering who Emperor Kangxi had gone to see in the back mountain. A high-ranking monk? Or perhaps Emperor Shunzhi?
Fourteen's words suddenly gave Fourth Master a flash of inspiration, and he immediately said, "Alright, let's go out and take a look. We can't go far, we can only walk around the area around this mountain temple."
"Don't worry, Fourth Brother, we'll just walk around the temple grounds! We can't go too far, or Father will call us and we won't be able to get back in time," the Tenth Prince immediately assured him, then exchanged a happy look with the Fourteenth Prince.
So the Fourth Prince went out with the Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince, without any guards. They were there to protect Emperor Kangxi.
As soon as they stepped out of the temple, the three of them were immediately awestruck by the beautiful yet precipitous scenery of Mount Wutai.
"Fourth Brother, look, there seems to be a path over there, but I don't know where it leads," Tenth Master pointed to a small path covered with moss steps in front of the mountain temple.
Fourth Master looked in the direction of the path, nodded, and then followed Tenth Master and Fourteenth Master up the path.
The path was covered in moss, clearly untouched for a long time. The three carefully climbed the path up the mountain. Along the way, they encountered countless mountain birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other wildlife.
The Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince were carrying bows and arrows and wanted to shoot a few rabbits, but they were stopped by the Fourth Prince.
"Don't move! Go up there and take a look. There are plenty of these things, and we'll have to carry them after we shoot them!" Fourth Master had no interest in hunting; he was only interested in going to the back mountain to see if he could sneak in and take a look.
Did Father Emperor actually go to see Emperor Shunzhi? What were they talking about? Fourth Prince suddenly really wanted to know.
The three continued walking uphill along the mountain street for nearly half an hour before finally arriving at the back of the mountain. However, when they reached the end of the mountain street, they found themselves not at the back of the temple.
"So this place isn't actually in the back mountain; there's a cliff separating us!" said Tenth Master.
"This road is for sightseeing; you can see the entire mountain temple from here!" Fourteen said, spreading his arms wide.
"You go and make arrangements for Rabbit Mountain, I'll just stay here and enjoy the scenery," Fourth Master said to Tenth Master and Fourteenth Master.
The Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince had been itching to get started, and upon hearing what the Fourth Prince said, they immediately ran off.
Fourth Master stood atop the cliff and looked down at all the temples on Wutai Mountain. Then he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it down.
"It's quite deep!" Fourth Master said after hearing the sound of the stone hitting the ground.
Having said that, he took out a roll of rope from his pocket. It was a very thin but very strong rope that he had prepared long ago. In fact, he had been thinking about this matter for several days since Kangxi went to the back mountain, so he had prepared these ropes long ago.
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