Chapter 327: Three Buddhas Offering Treasures
An agent of the Kuangfu Society?
Zhao Duan was really surprised when he heard the middle-aged man introduce himself.
After Zhuang Xiaocheng left, two branch leaders were defeated one after another. According to the information obtained by the imperial court, there is no leader of the rebels in the capital now.
It is only managed by senior members in the city... Is this the one in front of me?
An agent who does not have the title of helmsman but actually holds real power?
The evil Taoist priest of the state actually sent a big fish of this level directly in front of him... His behavior was just as Zhenbao said, violent and flamboyant... Well, if the middle-aged man was not lying.
Many thoughts flashed through my mind.
A sneer appeared on Zhao Duan's face:
"Listen to you? From what I know, that demon is best at deceiving others with his words. Do you think I would fall for that? Why not just capture you and throw you into the Imperial Prison for a slow trial?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said:
"Because the Imperial Master knows that, with your ability, you wouldn't be afraid of so-called words and miss the opportunity to speak with us. Moreover, it's only me sitting here, not the Imperial Master, so how can I possibly be tempted?"
Zhao Duan's gaze stopped on the man's bloodshot eyes.
Although he looks kind, the smile on his face always has a hint of evil... It's obviously not normal!
This situation was not mentioned at the small court meeting.
Obviously, the abilities possessed by that demon were far richer than what the imperial court knew.
"Oh, your master guessed it right. I really want to hear what you wanted to say when you came here," Zhao Duan suddenly smiled, and then said abruptly and coldly:
"Stop talking nonsense and tell me, what did the demon Taoist ask you to do?"
The middle-aged man said sincerely, "The Imperial Master would like to invite you to abandon the dark side and join the Kuangfu Society to work together for the great cause."
Zhao Duan was stunned, and his first reaction was that he had heard it wrong.
But when I saw the other person's serious and sincere look, a feeling of absurdity came over me.
He uttered a "ha" sound, couldn't help but change his sitting position, and laughed:
"Is it that demon Taoist who's gone mad, or is it Zhuang Xiaocheng? Or are all of you traitors going insane?"
Persuade to surrender?
Abandon the dark and turn to the light?
Let him join the Kuangfu Society?
Zhao Duan was so angry that he laughed. At this time, the copper hot pot in front of him was bubbling with water.
He picked up the long chopsticks, picked up two pieces of jade cabbage leaves from the plate and put them into the pot. His expression became very natural:
"Why do you think I should join you? Just because the imperial court is growing stronger while you are declining?"
The middle-aged clothing store owner didn't smile. He leaned forward slightly, his expression still serious.
"Your Excellency finds this ridiculous?"
"Isn't it ridiculous?" Zhao Duan asked back.
The middle-aged rebel shook his head and sighed:
"It seems you are like the vegetables in this pot, only aware of the water's temperature, yet unaware of it. Ultimately, you are food in other people's mouths and on their plates."
After a pause, he continued:
"Perhaps in your eyes, you have been enjoying great success recently, your power in the court rising steadily. You have repeatedly worked for the false emperor, overthrowing political enemies one after another, and even killed two Tiangang of my Kuangfu Society. You are expected to become a prime minister in the future... However, you are blinded by the situation and are deeply trapped, unaware of it."
These words are somewhat like the threatening words of a street fortune teller.
Zhao Duan didn't care at first, but for some reason, he felt a little bit of anticipation.
Zhao Duan held the chopsticks, squinted his eyes, and asked with a smile:
"Situation? What situation am I in? Tell me about it."
His expression looked as if he was watching your performance.
The middle-aged man seemed completely unconcerned and asked with a smile, "Have you read 'Leaving the Buddhist Country'?"
"Leaving the Buddhist Kingdom" is a very ancient book in this world, which records many stories of Buddhist gods and Buddhas thousands of years ago.
It can be regarded as a myth of this world. Its earliest origin is difficult to verify, but it has been widely circulated and adapted into opera. It is also a classic story told by storytellers in teahouses.
Zhao Duan had not read the original, but had heard some scattered storytellings and had a rough understanding of it, so he nodded.
The middle-aged man said:
"In the 'Record of Leaving the Buddha's Kingdom,' there was a story about a Buddha kingdom with many Buddhas. The Supreme World Honored One ruled over them all like a human emperor. Among all the Buddhas, three were the most powerful, as they each controlled a powerful Dharma instrument."
"The King Buddha holds the prayer wheel in his hand. When the shaft turns, the Buddhist scriptures within it emit a brilliant light, capable of reversing time and interfering with the cycle of reincarnation."
"The Buddha of Precious Light holds the green lamp in his hand, and the little flame within him can burn the three realms."
"The Medicine Buddha holds the seven-colored conch shell, and when he blows it, billions of living beings become intoxicated and submit to him."
He continued:
"The three great Buddhas, with their magical instruments, gradually gained power in the Buddha Kingdom, stirring up troubles. Even the Buddha was helpless. The Buddha wanted to take the three instruments back, but was worried that the three great Buddhas would not agree.
If they were to forcefully demand the Dharma instruments, there was a fear that the three Buddhas might take the instruments and turn to evil, or flee the Buddha's land to establish their own sects. The Tathagata, in distress, devised a plan to retrieve the instruments.
“He slept under the pretext of seclusion, but secretly found a mortal named Mara, taught him supreme magic, and guided Mara to fight his way into the Buddha Kingdom.
Mara was a rebellious person. After he broke into the Buddhist kingdom, he tore up the scriptures in the prayer wheels, blew out the flames on the green lamps, and blocked the colorful conch with sand, making it unable to make any sound... causing chaos in the Buddhist kingdom.
Wait... this story sounds familiar... some otherworldly version of "Havoc in Heaven"?
...Zhao Duan gradually became absorbed in the conversation and did not interrupt.
The middle-aged shopkeeper continued:
"The Mara walker caused chaos throughout the Buddhist kingdom, and the three great Buddhas were also troubled. At the critical moment, the Buddha came out of seclusion, furious, and suppressed Mara with his great magical power, restoring peace to the Buddhist kingdom.
He also repainted the scriptures, repaired the prayer wheels, traveled south to the Flame Heaven, borrowed divine fire to relight the green lamp, and used the East Sea to clear the seven-colored conch shells...
The three great Buddhas, Zunwang, Baoguang, and Yaoshi, were deeply grateful, and the Buddha also took advantage of this opportunity to retrieve the three great instruments without any hindrance.
After a pause, he said seriously:
"The scheme set up by the Buddha was the 'Three Buddhas Presenting Treasures' scheme, and the strategy set by the Buddha was the orthodox strategy of overt conspiracy. Many people in later generations have imitated it."
"In the past, the General Zhengxi led his army and was short of food. To prevent the army from becoming uneasy, he deliberately ordered the grain distributor to use small measures to distribute grain to the soldiers. The soldiers were furious. When the general was outraged, he had the distributor executed in public, claiming that the rice had been embezzled by this corrupt official. The soldiers' anger immediately subsided."
"Going back further, during the reign of Emperor Ling, in order to prevent the imperial vassal kings from becoming too powerful, he issued a decree to extend favors, ordering the princes and heirs of the vassal kings to share the fiefdoms equally. What should have been a struggle between the princes and the emperor became a struggle among the princes and their heirs..."
"All of this is no different from the 'Three Buddhas Treasure Offering Bureau'."
The middle-aged man said all this in one breath.
He leaned forward, supported himself on the corner of the table with both hands, stared at Zhao Duan, who looked thoughtful, with his bloodshot eyes, and raised his voice:
"Sir, do you think your current situation is any different from the situation where the Three Buddhas presented their treasures?"
There was an invisible bewitching power in his voice:
“Now, the Pseudo-Emperor is in power and is the enemy of the Eight Princes, but in the final analysis, the struggle between the Pseudo-Emperor and the Eight Princes is still an internal struggle among the children of the royal family.
Do you think that if the false emperor's power grows and he secures the throne, he will really slaughter all eight princes? No! She won't!
She would not commit such a heinous crime. She is now claiming that the Second Prince killed his brother and father, slaughtered his sisters, and ascended the throne in the name of justice. So why would she slaughter her uncle's family? Bearing the infamy for eternity?
“But… the struggle with the Eight Kings is inevitable. So, if the False Emperor is the ‘World Honored One’ and the Eight Kings are the ‘Three Buddhas’, then the False Emperor also needs to find a ‘Walker Mara’ and have him cause trouble.
On the surface, she would appeal to the Eighth Prince's affections, respect him as her uncle, and address the Crown Prince and the Princess as sisters. On the surface, she would be friendly, but secretly, she would send ministers like you to fight and struggle...
It's fine now, but if she waits until she has secured her position, the Eighth Prince will stop resisting, and the Xu royal family will make peace.
At that time... guess, will the false emperor publicly kill you, saying that you were secretly targeting the princes, or that you were instigating them? To maintain the warmth of the royal family?!
The middle-aged shopkeeper spoke faster and faster, and his eyes became redder and redder.
Deep in the pupils, there were two whirlpool-like black eyes that sparkled with brilliance, rippling with invisible power.
Zhao Duan, who was sitting opposite and listening, had to be convinced, believe, and think about this possibility.
“Gulp gulp…”
The copper pot on the table was boiling again, with huge bubbles forming.
Tofu, vegetables, and overcooked white lamb rolls were bubbling in the white soup.
Zhao Duan was in a daze and woke up from listening, as if he had a dream. He looked across at the copper pot.
The middle-aged shopkeeper had sat up straight again, holding the melon-shaped hat in both hands, like a gentleman with a gentle smile on his face.
“Pah…Pah…Pah…”
In the private room, the sound of Zhao Duan clapping softly suddenly rang out.
He clapped his hands lightly, an expression of admiration on his face, and said meaningfully:
"What a scheme of three Buddhas offering treasures, what a scheme to deceive the Imperial Master, what a heart-wrenching argument. So, these words were given to you by the demonic daoist to deceive me into defecting to the enemy?"
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "Your Excellency has misunderstood. In fact, the Grand Master would never deceive others."
"Oh?" Zhao Duan was really surprised.
I only heard the middle-aged man explain seriously:
"The Imperial Master never deceives others. He simply draws out and amplifies people's inherent desires and fears. We know that some in the court say that the Second Prince Jianwen's coup was caused by the Imperial Master's deception."
He sneered, as if he was sneering at this statement, and shook his head.
"What a great excuse to shirk responsibility. But in reality, if the Second Prince had no intention of staging a coup to seize power, the Imperial Master would not be able to persuade him. To persuade someone, you must first have that intention in your heart. Without that desire, you cannot persuade him."
“People will resist what they don’t like to hear, and they will only listen to what they want to hear.”
"So the old emperor wanted to live forever and hoped to hear about some magic that could help him achieve immortality. The imperial teacher said he could help him, so the old emperor believed him. That's all."
"So, you also fear being abandoned by the false emperor. I'm just helping you express it. How can that be considered as bewitching you?"
(End of this chapter)
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