The Golden Palace was very quiet. After Chu Ruyan and Hui Tong received their gifts, the emperor on the dragon throne looked at Monk Hui Tong with great interest. The entire Golden Palace was waiting for the emperor to speak.
"Even though I have lived in the capital of Tianbao Kingdom for a long time, the name of Daliang Temple is still well-known to me. The abbot of Fayuan Temple in the city once said that Daliang Temple is a holy place of Buddhism, and Master Huitong is a great monk. When I saw him today, he looked younger than I expected. Could it be that he has really returned to his original nature? I remember a minister in the palace said that he had met a master in Daliang Temple many years ago, but I can't remember which one it was."
As the emperor spoke, he glanced at his civil and military officials. Among them, one civil official stepped out from the crowd and responded with a salute.
"Excuse me, it is you who mentioned me at the Spring Banquet last year. I didn't expect Your Majesty would still remember me."
The minister had gray hair on his temples and a beard as long as his forearm. He looked gentle and refined.
"Oh, it's Liu Aiqing, Liu Aiqing, do you still remember Master Huitong?"
The Emperor of Tianbao Kingdom actually found it hard to believe that the monk in front of him was the famous eminent monk Huitong. He looked too handsome and young. Although Master Huitong was famous for his beauty, this monk looked to be in his early twenties at most. It would be appropriate to say that he was no older than twenty.
The civil official named Liu bowed to Hui Tong and then faced the emperor again.
"Your Majesty, more than 30 years ago, I made a mistake and was in deep trouble. I was then exiled to Tianhai Mansion on the border. During this period, I went to Tongqiu Mansion in Tingliang State and stayed in Daliang Temple for three days. I met Master Huitong, and his demeanor was the same as before."
"Thirty years..."
The emperor couldn't help but repeat in his heart that this minister was neither capable nor influential among the many civil officials, but he would never dare to lie to him.
"Thirty years..." "This guy doesn't look like a master..."
"Oh, that's a really great monk!" "How old is this monk?"
All the civil and military officials in the hall could not help but whisper to each other, and their eyes frequently turned to Monk Huitong. Even the bright and beautiful Chu Ruyan attracted few attention.
"Good is the Great Bright King Buddha. He is nothing but a physical body. Your Majesty and all the lords should not be attached to his appearance."
The emperor's attitude towards Hui Tong changed slightly at this time, and he asked more seriously.
"Master Huitong, it was Queen Mother's will that you come to the capital. The Queen had two miscarriages, and the amulets and treasures around her were broken. She was often frightened by nightmares and couldn't sleep at night. Queen Mother had several dreams of gods and people who could not explain what they dreamed about. She thought there might be evil spirits in the palace, and she also invited some masters and monks to perform rituals, but there was not much effect, so she summoned you to the capital."
Chu Ruyan on the side frowned. Although she did not say anything, she really did not like the word "Xuan" from the mouth of the Emperor of Tianbao Kingdom. After all, Daliang Temple belonged to Tingliang Kingdom. The tone of the Emperor of Tianbao Kingdom sounded like that of his own subjects. Although he called them Tianbao Kingdom, it sounded harsh to her as the eldest princess of Tingliang Kingdom.
The emperor paused for a moment before continuing.
"In your opinion, Master, is there any evil spirit in the palace?"
Monk Huitong raised his head, looked directly at the emperor, clasped his hands together and chanted the Buddha's name eleven times.
"The Buddha of Great Ming King is good at fighting. I need to see it first before I can say anything else."
Monk Huitong said so, but with his pair of Bodhi Dharma Eyes, he could see the Ziwei Aura of Emperor Tianbao and the faint demonic aura entangled with his body. If he did not know the situation in the palace beforehand, he might have overlooked it, but with the Hui Mansion's affairs as a backing, Huitong could not have been wrong.
"Well, that's fine. Let's go see the Queen Mother together after the court session."
After that, it was the affairs of the Tianbao Kingdom. Huitong and the eldest princess Chu Ruyan withdrew for the time being and waited for further summons.
About an hour later, the sun was already high in the sky, and Hui Tong and others who were in a lounge in the palace finally received a new summons, and this time Lu Qianyan could also be with them.
When Hui Tong, Chu Ruyan and others arrived at Yong'an Palace, they met the empress dowager in the palace. In addition to the emperor, there were also the empress and several other concubines, including Concubine Hui.
Inside the Yong'an Palace, the well-maintained empress dowager sat on the couch with the emperor, the other concubines sat on chairs on one side, and the eunuchs, palace maids and guards stood on both sides.
Chu Ruyan and Hui Tong had already performed the ceremony. The old empress was looking them up and down, with a look of amazement on her face.
"I've heard that Master Huitong is handsome, and today I see that he is indeed so. Master, I heard that you said during the morning court session that you needed to see more of the Imperial Palace. When you came to Yong'an Palace, I asked someone to take you around a bit. Did you learn anything?"
Monk Huitong continued to chant the Buddha's name, his face calm and peaceful.
"Good be to the Great Ming King Buddha. In reply to the Queen Mother, I have already glimpsed a glimpse of something ominous."
"Oh? Tell me quickly!"
The empress dowager perked up and immediately urged him. The emperor and concubines on the side also responded. Concubine Hui looked curious on the surface, but her eyes were amusement. She looked at this foreign monk with great interest. She had also heard of Huitong's name. He was indeed handsome and made people tempted just by looking at him.
"Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, and all the ladies, what I saw was the remnant of evil spirits. It was so subtle and obvious that it could almost deceive ghosts and gods. If I had not cultivated the wisdom eye of Bodhi, I would not be able to be sure."
The queen had already been frightened, and at this moment she clutched the hem of her skirt tightly, unable to help but ask with a hint of fear.
"Monster? What kind of monster?"
Hui Tong kept his hands clasped together, his face remained calm, and his lips slightly opened and closed.
"The image of the physical body absorbs the myriad of energies in the body, and the laws of control make it more powerful. However, the essence of the five elements may not be eliminated. The remaining traces that I have seen are now the metal element, and there is also a faint sound echoing, which is the caterpillar beast."
"Master Huitong, can you explain it more clearly?"
These words were so mysterious that the Queen Mother felt they were full of meaning. She did not feel impatient at all and subconsciously lowered her voice to ask.
"To reply to the Queen Mother, although there is still more than one possibility for the above, I think that this monster is a fox."
Hui Tong's Bodhi Wisdom Eye did see some traces, but the reason why he could describe it in such detail was because he already knew about it in advance, and there was a part of reverse deduction involved.
But after Hui Tong finished speaking, Concubine Hui was suddenly startled and almost couldn't help but gleam a cold light in her eyes. Fortunately, she closed her eyes slightly in time to hide it and acted like the other concubines in fear.
The others were also a little startled. Master Hui Tong's voice was calm, powerful, and neither hurried nor slow. It was as if he was certain that it was the fact when he spoke it, and it made people feel convinced.
"Master, do you have any countermeasures? Where is the monster hiding? Will it harm people? Is the queen's miscarriage related to the monster?"
"Don't worry, Queen Mother. If the monster wanted to harm people directly, it would have done it long ago. I have some prayer beads here, which I will give to you for your protection. They can calm your mind and spirit, and can also drive away evil spirits."
As Hui Tong spoke, he took out a string of prayer beads that were slightly thicker than his wrist from his sleeve. The Buddhist beads on them were smaller than ordinary Buddhist beads, and the sizes of the beads in the several strings of prayer beads were also different.
"The beads on this rosary are polished from fallen branches of the Bodhi tree in my Daliang Temple, and have been baptized by the Buddhist teachings of my Daliang Temple. Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and all the ladies, please wear them now. I will chant sutras for you to bless you."
An old eunuch walked up to Hui Tong holding a tray, and the latter placed a few prayer beads in his hand on the tray. In the eyes of everyone, including the maids and eunuchs, there was bright Buddha light flowing on these prayer beads, which were obviously treasures.
The old eunuch carefully brought the tray to the emperor and the empress dowager, and the two looked at each other.
"The Queen Mother chooses first."
The emperor said this, and then watched the empress dowager choose one of the beads. Then he picked out the one he liked the most. As soon as he got the rosary, the palpitations and irritability he had felt when he heard the information about the monster immediately subsided a lot.
About ten breaths later, the queen and several concubines took out their rosaries. The queen's anxious expression had obviously improved, and she couldn't wait to put on the rosary.
"Please bring your rosary beads."
When Hui Tong was speaking, his eyes swept over the emperor and the empress dowager, as well as the other concubines. He seemed to treat them all equally, but in fact, he paid more attention to Hui Fei, but it was not obvious on his face. In Hui Tong's sight, everyone, including Hui Fei, wore Buddhist beads, and Hui Fei looked fine with the beads on her fair wrist.
"Good is the Great Bright King Buddha, who has profound insights into the infinite Dharma of meditation and whose body of wisdom responds to Bodhi..."
The sound of low Buddhist scriptures rang out in Yong'an Palace. The voices of monks chanting seemed to echo around the beams, repeatedly shuttling through the palace. It was obvious that Hui Tong was the only one chanting, but it seemed as if all the monks in the temple were chanting together. A sense of brightness arose in the room, and the Buddhist beads in their hands were flashing.
After a long time, Hui Tong finished reciting the Buddhist scriptures, but the lingering sound in the room lingered for a long time...
…
After more than half an hour, today's informal ritual came to an end. Monk Huitong and Chu Ruyan also returned to the post station together and will prepare for the truly grand ritual later.
In the Pixiang Palace, Concubine Hui returned with a smile on her face. She closed the palace door and dismissed the unnecessary servants and eunuchs, leaving only two personal maids by her side.
Until this moment, the smile on Concubine Hui's face disappeared instantly, and she immediately took off the Buddhist beads in her right hand and threw them on the ground.
Along with a slight "sizzling..." sound, a burn mark strangely appeared on Hui Tong's originally fair wrist.
"You bald ass, I didn't expect you to have some skills!"
"What should we do, Madam?" "Should we kill this monk?"
There was a cold light flashing in Concubine Hui's eyes. She rubbed her right hand and spoke with gritted teeth.
"Inform those people that I want the monk to die at the post station, and Chu Ruyan to die together with him, but it would be best if her death would embarrass Tingliang State. You don't need me to teach you how to do it, right?"