Corrupt official in the Red Chamber

Chapter 493 The Great Protector Monk

Jia Rui came out of Ningguo Mansion and entered the palace again, and then came to Yangxin Hall as before.

As soon as Jia Rui sat down, Lao Li appeared next to Jia Rui.

"My lord, that bastard is still not found."

After hearing what Lao Li said, Jia Rui was stunned for a moment.

Impossible, do those monks dare to disobey their orders?

"What does the Buddhist side say?"

"My lord, they say that this man has converted to Buddhism and has nothing to do with the world, so secular laws can no longer restrain him."

Lao Li paused for a moment, and then said: "My spies have searched all the Buddhist temples in the south of the Yangtze River, but no trace of this person has been found."

After hearing this, Jia Rui pondered for a moment, and then said to Lao Li: "Master Hongchan from Daxiangguo Temple in the capital is quite famous. Go and announce his arrival in the palace. I want to listen to his lectures."

After listening to Jia Rui's words, Lao Li quickly went out to do some work.

And Jia Rui sat in front of the imperial case and began to process the memorial.

About an hour later, Lao Li came to Jia Rui's side again and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Master Hongchan is waiting outside the hall."

Jia Rui continued to correct the memorial as if he hadn't heard anything. Lao Li peeked at Jia Rui and stood aside without daring to speak.

It was not until Jia Rui had approved all the dozens of memorials in his hands that he stood up and stretched, and then asked as if he had just discovered Lao Li:
"Didn't I ask you to teach Master Hongchan? Why did you come back so quickly?"

"My lord, the Master is already waiting outside the palace."

Jia Rui sat back on the kang, "Then let him come in."

With Jia Rui's words, Lao Li drove out of the Yangxin Hall and came to the small square outside.

I saw a monk with white hair and beard standing in the center of the small square.

The monk had been standing for an hour and a half, but he was still as straight as when he came here, with his head lowered and reciting unknown Buddhist scriptures.

Lao Li walked up to the monk and said, "Master Hongchan, the Duke of Guo will send you in."

"Amitabha, please help me, Eunuch Li, to lead the way." The monk's voice was a little low, but there was a hint of compassion in it.

Old Li nodded lightly, and then led the way, with Old Monk Hongchan following closely behind, and the two of them entered the Hall of Cultivation of the Heart.

After entering the side hall, Lao Li took a few steps and came to Jia Rui's side, "My lord, the great monk is already here."

At this time, the great monk Hongchan bowed like Jia Rui when he put his hands together, "Amitabha, Hongchan has seen the donor."

Jia Rui glanced at the other party, and then asked: "Master monk, where are you standing?"

After listening to Jia Rui's question, the great monk Hongchan replied softly: "A poor monk is standing on the land of the imperial court."

"Since you are standing on the land of the imperial court, you are a subject of the imperial court. Why don't you kneel down when you see me?"

The great monk Hongchan said with a natural expression: "Monks have jumped out of the three realms and are not in the five elements. The earth will not care about them unless heaven takes them."

After hearing this, Jia Rui smiled slightly, then stood up and walked to the great monk Hongchan, "There are people in the south of the Yangtze River who are plotting to cause chaos under the banner of the late emperor. I heard that people from your Buddhist family are involved. Do you know this?"

"Mr. Huiguo, we Buddhists are dedicated to cultivating ourselves and worshiping Buddha. We never participate in worldly affairs. I think this is because someone is jealous and spreads rumors." Jia Rui walked around the great monk Hongchan, and then said: "You too, great monk Don’t play charades with me here. You know what’s going on and I know what’s going on. Now I’m going to ask you, do you want to be friends with me?”

The great monk Hongchan frowned when he heard what Jia Rui said so bluntly, then lowered his head and said, "My religion never participates in secular affairs. As for the traitor, the poor monk has no idea at all."

Jia Rui nodded slightly, then said with a smile: "Then there is Monk Lao, please come back."

When the great monk Hongchan heard Jia Rui's words, not only was he not reassured, but his heart began to beat rapidly.

Lao Li, who was standing next to Jia Rui, took a step forward and said to the great monk Hongchan: "Master Hongchan, please come."

The great monk Hongchan could only bow his head in salute, and then exited the Yangxin Hall. Naturally, there were eunuchs who led him out of the palace.

After arriving outside, Monk Hongchan immediately got into the sedan chair and ordered the bearers outside to walk quickly.

After a while, the great monk Hongchan returned to the Daxiangguo Temple.

After returning, Monk Hongchan immediately entered the secret room at the back.

When he entered the door, he saw a monk with a skinny body and ragged clothes, looking like a beggar, sitting cross-legged there.

The great monk Hongchan walked to the opposite side of the monk and sat down cross-legged. "Junior brother, that Jia Rui is not easy to get along with. If I reject him today, I am afraid that it will cause great hindrance to our teaching."

"What do you mean, senior brother?" The ragged monk made a harsh metallic sound.

"Go to the palace tonight and teach him a lesson. Let him know how powerful I am, so that he will not go crazy and do anything irrational."

But the beggar monk said: "I heard that Jia Rui has the courage to be unstoppable by ten thousand people. When Xixia was quelling the chaos, he rode alone in the midst of an army of ten thousand horses. It was as if he was in a deserted land."

"Junior brother is the Dharma Protector Vajra taught by me, how can I still be afraid of a mortal?"

"Amitabha, although I have magical powers, I dare not act recklessly."

When the great monk Hongchan saw his junior brother, he refused to obey his orders no matter what. He could only sigh and said: "My uncle has encountered big trouble in the south. That Zhenren Li has already gone to Jiangnan. If we don't deal with Jia Rui quickly, we will never have a chance to turn the tide until Zhenren Li comes back."

The beggar monk fell silent after hearing this.

He had heard of the reputation of this Master Li, and he was at the same level as his junior uncles. Even his junior masters could only parry against this Master Li, but had no power to fight back.

This time, they tried to destroy Jia Rui's luck by practicing Buddhism, but it was self-defeating. They let Mr. Li go out, and they didn't know how to deal with it in the future.

"I heard that there is another Taoist priest named Jianchen in Wu Guofu. His magical powers are not inferior to mine. If he is by Jia Rui's side, there is nothing I can do about him."

"Junior brother, don't be nervous. Jianchen is not in the palace, but in Wu Guofu. As long as you act fast enough, Jianchen will not have time to rescue him."

"Senior brother, don't we really need to inform our uncle? If the two of us act without permission, there may be a big disaster in the future."

The great monk Hongchan sighed, and then said: "Water from afar cannot quench the thirst of the nearer."

The beggar monk lowered his head and thought for a moment, and then said: "In that case, I will go to the palace, but from now on, I will no longer be a member of the Daxiangguo Temple."

Monk Hongchan nodded, and then said: "Junior brother has made great contributions to protecting my Daxiangguo Temple over the years. After finishing the work this time, I can go south. From now on, I will repair the road and enter the Buddhist kingdom as soon as possible."

"Amitabha, I would like to lend you my blessings from my senior brother."

(End of this chapter)