Chapter 196 Bloody Rivers and Lakes 5
"Your Highness! The martial arts conference is a grand event. Although we are monks, we have not left the country. Our hearts are with the Ming Dynasty! Only when the Ming Dynasty is stable can our sect flourish!" said Master Miejue.
Zhao Xiaofei heard this and thought, "Becoming a monk without going abroad? That's a great idea!" So he said, "Master is truly a role model for monks! I will ask for an imperial decree to confer the title of Grand Master of the Ming Dynasty and to confer the title of Sacred Mountain on Mount Emei!"
After saying this, Wudang Sect's Taoist Master Lingxu was genuinely jealous. The Wudang Sect had always had a good relationship with the imperial court, and countless Taoist masters had been conferred titles. However, the subsequent Red Pill Case, which brought disaster upon the Wudang Sect, sparked the imperial court's disapproval of their own sect. In reality, the Wudang Sect had been wrongly accused; something had gone wrong somewhere along the way; someone must have switched the pills, tampered with the medicine.
Zhao Xiaofei could see what the other two monks were thinking, so he said, "Wudang has always been loyal to the imperial court. The imperial court will naturally reward us. I believe Wudang will continue to bring glory to our family!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Taoist Lingxu returned the greeting.
“As for Shaolin Temple, although it is in the enemy-occupied area, its loyalty to our Ming Dynasty is sincere! So we can let some people from Shaolin Temple go to Nanjing or Chongqing to open branch temples to ensure that Shaolin Temple can flourish throughout the country and carry forward the Shaolin spirit!” said Zhao Xiaofei.
Shaolin Spirit? What is this? I've been at Shaolin Temple for over 30 years, and I've never heard of the Shaolin Spirit. Master Huikong clearly didn't understand!
Zhao Xiaofei, knowing Master Huikong wouldn't understand, recounted his Shaolin Temple promotional play to him. In the late Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, a captive civilian, while serving forced labor on river defenses, killed the overseer, Shentui Zhang, who had been abusing and abusing them. Discovered by the Tartars, Zhu Yuanzhang jumped into the river to escape. Rescued by Shaolin monks and taken to the temple, Zhu Yuanzhang resolutely shaved his head and became a monk, taking the Buddhist name "Jueyuan," determined to expel the Tartars and restore China. A high-ranking Yuan official's guards encountered the shepherdess Bai Wuxia and, enchanted by her beauty, forcibly took her back to his palace and attempted to rape her while drunk. Jueyuan, who happened to be passing by, spotted him. While rescuing Bai Wuxia, Jueyuan was stabbed by the Yuan official due to his lack of martial arts skills. This prompted him to return to Shaolin Temple and diligently train, furthering his skills. Zhu Yuanzhang later joined the Red Turban Rebellion, who were impressed by his martial arts prowess.
After hearing Zhao Xiaofei's story, Master Huikong and the other two monks were stunned. This was actually propaganda! Eating wire and pulling a strainer—that's a ridiculously clever story! Would the imperial court be able to get away with this portrayal of Taizu in a play?
This play is, of course, Zhao Xiaofei's adaptation of the later film "Shaolin Temple." He changed the setting from the end of the Sui Dynasty to the end of the Yuan Dynasty! This change wasn't a big deal; Shaolin Temple's reputation grew, but it also became increasingly dangerous. After all, neither Li Zicheng nor the Jianlu had a good ending. However, the opening of branches across the country undoubtedly increased Shaolin Temple's influence.
Zhao Xiaofei knew he was in a dilemma and thought to himself: Think about it carefully? Should we tie him to the imperial chariot or let him fend for himself? These monks must be thinking in their hearts!
That's right! A few monks didn't treat money, fame, and gain as dirt. Instead, they treated it as a business, and continued to see what conditions the Jianlu could offer!
The three of them nodded, agreeing with Zhao Xiaofei's plan. However, they were not convinced by the fact that their disciples might not be able to take the position of the supreme martial artist.
These three schools were all renowned in the Ming Dynasty. Shaolin Temple boasts a history spanning hundreds of years, while Wudang and Emei also boast over a century. Besides their own unique martial arts, as well as those absorbed from folk traditions, it's safe to say that virtually all martial arts in the world originated from these three schools, especially Shaolin Temple.
The representatives of the three sects were all very satisfied, and Zhao Xiaofei also knew the representatives of the three sects. So they left the inn.
Three days later, Zhao Xiaofei waited for the arrival of Princess Kunxing, Zhu Mianzhu, accompanied by Princess Zhaoren. Princess Zhaoren had escaped secretly, insisting on her sister being taken to Wudang. She also wanted to see what the martial arts conference was like.
When she saw Zhao Xiaofei, Princess Kunxing Zhu Mianzhu hadn't said anything yet, but Zhaoren ran down, ignoring the princess's demeanor, and shouted, "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!" He looked like a complete child.
Zhao Xiaofei actually hopes that Zhaoren will have a happy childhood and not let a child pretend to be mature and steady.
He also told Li Sihong, Kou Baimen, and the princess not to let their children learn the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age. They could learn Chinese etiquette and astronomy and geography. It was enough to know the contents of the Four Books and Five Classics, not to master them. His son didn't need to take the imperial examination!
Zhao Ren came to Zhao Xiaofei and said to him, "Brother-in-law! What have you been busy with recently? When does the martial arts conference start?"
"It will start tomorrow. We have been busy setting up the venue these two days!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"That's great! Brother-in-law! Let me tell you a little secret, don't tell anyone else!" After Zhao Ren said that, he leaned close to Zhao Xiaofei's ear and whispered.
When he finished, Princess Kunxing also came to his side. Princess Kunxing asked: "Husband! What did Zhaoren say to you?"
"This is our secret! Don't tell your sister!" said Princess Zhaoren.
Zhao Xiaofei was confused, not knowing whether he should tell her or not. So, he smiled and said, "My dear! You've been traveling so long, why don't you take a break? We can talk to you later!"
Princess Kunxing Zhu Mianzhu was of course sensible and did not ask the truth in front of so many people, so she and Zhaoren got back into the car.
Seeing the two women get in the car, Zhao Xiaofei said to Li Zichu beside him: "Arrange more people to protect Princess Zhaoren!"
Li Zichu saw that Zhao Xiaofei looked unhappy and asked, "What happened to the prince?"
"What's the matter? A big deal! The emperor secretly ran out of the palace and came here!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"What? The Emperor sneaked out?" Li Zichu was also frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. This was a big deal. It seemed that the current emperor was tending to emulate Zhengde.
Zhao Xiaofei asked Li Zichu to secretly send more people and not let others know. He went back to the inn to find Princess Kunxing Zhu Mianzhu and told her that the emperor had secretly followed him.
Princess Kunxing was also frightened, but remained calm. Since she was already here, she decided to let her brother have some fun for a few days and then send him back quickly. She would go back with him then, as she didn't want to be away from her son for too long.
Even though there was a wet nurse to take care of my child, I still missed him terribly after a long time. Only when you become a mother can you understand that.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
