The next day, Fourth Master and Tenth Master went to the innkeeper to settle their room bills and left immediately. Fourteenth Master, on the other hand, slept in his room until the sun was high in the sky. After their secret conversation the previous night, Fourteenth Master understood that he couldn't go anywhere today and could only wait for Qin Gang's men to deliver a carrier pigeon to him.
Meanwhile, Fourth Master and Tenth Master rushed back. Tenth Master was only told that Fourteenth Master had stayed behind to do a secret job, but he didn't know what it was.
Along the way, Fourth Master didn't say much, only urging Tenth Master to hurry on his way. After a frantic drive, the two finally returned at noon.
"Fourth Brother, what happened? You can tell me now, right?" The Tenth Brother and Fourth Master walked towards the entrance of the mountain temple together, asking as they went.
"It's nothing, just a suspicion," Fourth Master said. "I had Fourteenth Master monitor a group of people to see if there was anything unusual about them."
"Who is it?" Tenth Master was increasingly puzzled.
“I don’t recognize them! They’re the people who live in the house across from ours!” Fourth Master said, then lifted his robe and stepped through the gate.
"..." Tenth Master looked at Fourth Master's back in surprise, silently prayed for Fourteenth Master in his heart, and then followed him inside.
Emperor Kangxi had already come down from the back mountain and was chatting with the abbot in the meditation room. When the Fourth Prince heard that Emperor Kangxi was in the meditation room, he immediately went to request an audience.
"Your Majesty, the sons have returned." The Fourth Prince entered Kangxi's meditation room and said to Kangxi, who was having tea with the abbot.
"Huh, why hasn't the Fourteenth Prince returned?" Kangxi looked at the Fourth Prince and the Tenth Prince, but didn't see the Fourteenth Prince.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report," the Fourth Prince said, glancing at the abbot.
"Speak your mind, Master Kangxi, please feel free to listen!" Kangxi said to the Fourth Prince.
"Yes. My son noticed some unfamiliar faces in the county town recently. He also knows that there will be a dragon boat race in five days, and the winner will receive a blessing from the abbot at the mountain temple. Therefore, many local people are actively preparing their dragon boats for the race," Fourth Master said.
“Indeed, indeed, this is a local custom. It’s held every year. I wonder if Fourth Prince, there’s anything wrong with it?” Master Zhisheng glanced at the Fourth Prince and said.
"There's nothing wrong with the dragon boat race itself, but what's strange is that some unfamiliar faces have appeared in the county town, buying dragon boats from local fishermen and even wanting to participate in the race. I've already spoken with an old man who's familiar with the dragon boat race and the local flower sellers. He also said that some unfamiliar faces have recently appeared, but he doesn't know what these people want," Fourth Master said.
After listening for a while, Kangxi squinted at the Fourth Prince and said, "Do you suspect that someone wants to use this dragon boat race to enter the mountain temple?"
The Fourth Prince felt a tremor run through his body and immediately said, "What Father Emperor said is exactly what I was worried about."
“But if they want to come in, they can simply pretend to be pilgrims. Why bother buying those dragon boats and participating in the dragon boat race?” Tenth Master couldn’t help but interject when he heard this.
Emperor Kangxi and the host both looked at the Fourth Prince, waiting for his explanation.
“If we pretend to be worshippers, we won’t be able to get close to the abbot, let alone see Father Emperor. The dragon boat race will begin in five days, and the winners will come to the mountain temple. There will probably be quite a few common people following them. If Father Emperor wants to go and see it, then that will be exactly what they plan to do,” said the Fourth Prince.
Hearing this, Kangxi smiled slightly and said, "Fourth Prince's considerations are very thorough. Are those people that Fourteenth Prince is currently keeping an eye on the ones who want to buy the dragon boat?"
The Fourth Prince immediately replied, "I think it's highly likely. I asked the innkeeper about their daily activities. These people always wear hats to cover their faces when they come in and out, they hardly speak to anyone, and they don't allow the innkeeper to come in and serve them. Their behavior is very suspicious."
Kangxi nodded and said, "We must be wary of what the fourth prince is worried about. Abbot, perhaps my visit this time might attract some fools who don't know their own mortality."
The abbot broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. If anything were to happen to Kangxi in the mountain temple, the court would certainly not let Wutai Mountain off easily. The fact that Shunzhi had paid for his Buddhist practice here was a top secret of the Qing court; very few people knew about it. But Kangxi had come all the way here, albeit incognito, and it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't attract assassins.
“Your Majesty, I believe you should return to the back mountain and live with Master Xingchi there. I will arrange for people to keep a close watch on this place and will not allow a single suspicious person to sneak in,” the abbot said.
"No, this time I want to see who dares to assassinate me!" Kangxi was confident that the Kangxi Era of Prosperity he had established over the past fifty years had proven that the Manchus were also capable of being good emperors, and that the Han people of the world could see this clearly. The Qing court had the ability and sincerity to make the Manchus and Han people one family, living together peacefully.
"Father, I think you should heed the abbot's advice. There will definitely be many people going up the mountain. My men and Guard Qin are limited, and I'm afraid we won't be able to handle them all. What if someone offends His Majesty?" The Fourth Prince felt very nervous. If the other side sent more people than they could possibly handle, it was hard to say whether they could defend themselves. After all, this wasn't the Forbidden City, and there weren't thousands of troops protecting Kangxi here.
"Fourth Prince, I entrust this matter entirely to you. You must find out for me who else is unwilling to live a peaceful life and insists on causing trouble. Find out their ringleaders." Kangxi thought it made sense and agreed.
That day, Fourth Master barely rested, instead going through all the available martial monks with Qin Gang and the abbot. Mount Wutai was so vast; the temple walls were simply no match for the thugs from outside. Trying to maintain a large courtyard spanning several miles with only a few dozen men was extremely difficult.
After deploying for half a day, there were still many places that were not protected. If the rioters attacked from these places, it was impossible to say whether the comfort of Kangxi and Shunzhi could be guaranteed.
"No, I have to mobilize troops! Otherwise, if the enemy really uses the most primitive methods, Kangxi's forces will not be enough to resist," the Fourth Prince said, shoving a table.
"But if Fourth Brother goes to the yamen, these people probably won't show up." Tenth Master also realized the urgency of the situation and couldn't help but admire Fourth Master's keen observation. He and Fourteenth Master had never expected so many things to happen. While he and Fourteenth Master were joking, Fourth Master had already noticed these subtle differences.
"So we can't ask the county magistrate to handle this matter," Fourth Master said quietly.
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