Ouchi Taming the Cat, starting with the Ten Tiger Forms!

Chapter 593: Snowy Bed in the Morning

"It's him?"

Hearing this name, Manager Shang couldn't help but frown.

When this name was mentioned, Li Xuan also understood why Zhao Feng's expression was so bitter.

Zhao Bugao was Zhao Feng's adopted son. He had always been trusted by Zhao Feng and was being trained to be the next chief steward of the Imperial Household Department.

Unfortunately, Zhao Bugao chose to betray his adoptive father Zhao Feng and secretly made trouble in the palace, causing a lot of chaos.

Li Xuan only knew that the foreign forces that were colluding with Zhao Bugao were hostile to Daxing.

Li Xuan was not present to listen to the specific circumstances Zhao Bugao confessed at the time. He only saw it from afar when the father and son had a confrontation later.

It now seems that Zhao Bugao was most likely colluding with Da Mo at that time.

As to whether King Zheng had any influence on this, it is difficult to say.

After all, among the many major things Zhao Bugao did, the main one was to instigate confrontation between the civil and military officials of Daxing.

Now this matter is related to Zhao Bugao again, Li Xuan couldn't help but ask:

"What on earth did Zhao Bugao do at that time?"

The two stewards looked at each other and then remembered that they had not shared the information with Li Xuan at that time.

At that time, they were far from trusting each other as much as they do now, and this was also Zhao Feng's sad thing, so they didn't mention it much.

Now that Li Xuan asked, there was no need to hide it from him.

Manager Shang shook his head and said nothing.

Zhao Fenglai explained: "He colluded with the people of Damo at the time, trying to disrupt the court and accelerate the civil unrest in Daxing."

"King Zheng should not have had any influence on this, because the first person he plotted against was Liang Zhao, the leader of the civil officials. Later, His Majesty was able to appoint one of his own to this important position."

When Li Xuan heard the name, he immediately thought of Liang Chuchu.

It was this spoiled girl from the second generation of an official who wanted to please Empress Wu and targeted their Jingyang Palace. Later, she brought disaster upon herself and was demoted from being punished to being a palace maid for a month.

Later, if it weren't for her younger sister Wang Suyue, with whom she didn't get along but actually had a good relationship, who kept her by her side, it would be a question whether Liang Chuchu could have survived until now given her situation.

His unfortunate father, who was the Minister of the Central Secretariat, took advantage of the rumors of ghosts in the palace to pressure Emperor Yongyuan to appoint a crown prince as soon as possible. Later, when the truth of the ghosts was found out, he was directly banished from the capital.

Li Xuan remembered that the blame was put on the civil servants at that time, and that this was all Zhao Bugao's plan.

Li Xuan learned about these things when he was paying attention to Yu'er's younger brother Deng Weixin.

Ever since Maoba and the others had helped to keep an eye on the situation in the palace, Li Xuan had more things to pay attention to and paid less attention to Deng Weixian.

The main reason is that Deng Weixian is developing well now. Not only does he have Zhao Bugao, his godfather who has given up his ambition, to teach him seriously, but he also became a non-staff member who is the focus of the Ministry of Internal Affairs due to chance.

When the desert envoys visited the capital, they did not know that Zhao Bugao had already been exposed, so they planned to use the connection between Xungui and Wang Suyue to carry out their plan to poison Emperor Yongyuan.

The plan also included colluding with the two eunuchs Guo Sheng and Duan Gui to cause unrest in the palace and eliminate the Imperial Household Department.

Unfortunately, all these things were discovered by Li Xuan and the two general managers, who even used the trick to get rid of the two men, further enhancing the control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the palace.

After being frightened, the other eunuchs dared not have any second thoughts. Emperor Yongyuan thus consolidated his control over the palace. He then began to more actively plan to gain the initiative in the capital.

Deng Weixian also played an important role in this, which was to mislead the other side and make the enemy think that the plan was being carried out smoothly.

At that time, Deng Weixin also risked his life. If Li Xuan had not rescued him in time, he would have been assassinated in the palace by the eunuchs in black clothes sent by the two eunuchs.

At that time, Deng Weixian will become the scapegoat bearing all the blame.

Fortunately, none of these things developed in such a bad direction.

The most important thing now is that Zhao Bugao’s shadow is present in all these major events, or should have been present.

"After that, he continued to stir up trouble in the palace and began to target the nobles. Xuan, you should have heard a lot about it in the palace."

Li Xuan nodded silently. He was an eyewitness to many things.

"There was also a time during the Imperial Garden Competition when we played a case-solving game in Juhan Palace. Xuan, do you remember it?"

"He also raised that poisonous snake. It was originally arranged to poison the fourteenth princess, Princess Yuan An."

Li Xuan didn't know about this and was shocked.

"Civil officials, nobles, and military officials..."

"Even your majesty is included in his calculations. If it is not discovered in time, I am afraid the consequences will be disastrous."

Zhao Feng recounted all the good things Zhao Bugao had done and he didn't know whether to say it was because he taught him well or not.

Zhao Bugao had mastered these secret tactics to perfection, and was no less skilled than the monk Zhao Feng.

But in the end, Zhao Bugao chose to betray Zhao Feng and Daxing for his own interests.

This matter was a hurdle that Zhao Feng could never get over.

He wanted to replicate the good story between himself and the chief monk, and even make it a fine tradition of the Imperial Household Department.

Unfortunately, he did not expect that such serious problems would arise in his second generation.

Especially since Zhao Feng had trusted Zhao Bugao too much before and only trained him as his successor, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is now in a state of transition.

Zhao Feng had to maintain a tough stance for a few more years until a suitable successor appeared.

And since he had already made a mistake once, this time he had to let Chief Steward Shang participate in the decision-making of the successor.

Originally, this matter was his responsibility as the head of the Imperial Household Department, but Zhao Feng now hardly trusted his own judgment in this regard.

The more Zhao Feng spoke, the more depressed he became, and gradually he fell silent.

Manager Shang shook his head and said, "Forget it. Call the person involved and ask him carefully."

Zhao Feng nodded and sent someone to call Zhao Bugao.

After waiting for a while, Zhao Bugao appeared outside the yard and was called in.

Li Xuan hadn't seen Zhao Bugao for a long time, and was a little surprised to see him again today.

Compared with before, Zhao Bugao's spirit and energy were actually much better, giving people a feeling of calmness.

"I am Zhao Bugao, honored to meet Steward Zhao and Steward Shang."

Zhao Bugao stepped forward and saluted respectfully.

Both Shang Zongguan and Zhao Feng had stern faces and just nodded slightly.

Then Zhao Feng asked him about the details of the locust plague in Jiangnan Road, and asked him if he had any impression of Fuhu Temple.

"Butler Zhao, butler Shang."

"I did not dare to tamper with the Ministry of Internal Affairs' operations, and all the reports were written down truthfully."

"The locust plague was indeed caused by humans. King Zheng is the most likely suspect. The silence of local officials and many sects is enough to prove this point indirectly."

"Fuhu Temple..."

"I do remember that it was one of the places least affected by the locust plague in Jiangnan Road."

"But the main reason for this is that Fuhu Temple is located in a remote and desolate mountain area, with few people around it and no large-scale villages or towns."

Zhao Bugao's answer was well-founded and his demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant.

The two stewards felt that what he said was highly credible.

"Apart from these, do you have any other impressions of Fuhu Temple?" Manager Shang continued to ask.

After all, Zhao Bugao had personally been to Jiangnan Road to conduct investigations, so he might know some special circumstances.

"Since Fuhu Temple was not greatly affected by the locust plague, there was not much investigation." "But when the investigation was conducted in Jiangnan Road, the people had a good evaluation of Fuhu Temple, but the court officials and fellow martial artists were quite critical, and seemed to think that Fuhu Temple was too overbearing."

"Especially the other temples in Jiangnan Road, they are very dissatisfied with the Fuhu Temple's behavior of committing many murders and not wanting to be repented."

Zhao Bugao's words made Li Xuan and the two general managers feel something.

They also did not expect that the dissatisfaction of various parties in Jiangnan Road with Fuhu Temple had already shown signs since last year, and it was not something that happened suddenly.

Li Xuan also had some experience with the rough Buddhist teachings of Fuhu Temple.

Li Xuan still remembered clearly what Monk Chengche said when Bilge ran away.

But even so, Li Xuan didn't think there was anything wrong with what Monk Chengche said.

What's wrong with eradicating all evil?

As for those temples that claim to have an impact on society, have they ever achieved any real results in Jiangnan Province?
The Fuhu Temple at least wiped out countless bandits and provided a stable and peaceful environment for the Jiangnan Road.

In Li Xuan's opinion, these people are just bored and have been used to a good life and don't know how to appreciate it.

How many thieves did Li Xuan encounter on his way back to Beijing from the northern border?

The several roads in the northeast are in such a mess, but there is still a place like Jiangnan Road in Daxing that is so ungrateful.

If Li Xuan were in Fuhu Temple, he would probably not be able to swallow this humiliation.

"No wonder that monk Chengche always has a bad temper. If I had to endure his temper, I would have moved away long ago."

Monk Chengche came to the capital to seek a joint temple with Ci'en Temple. He also did not give up the temple in Jiangnan Road and said he wanted to move to the capital and establish both.

Seeing that the two stewards fell into deep thought after asking questions, Zhao Bugao stood aside quietly waiting for their inquiries.

Recently, he has been staying in Yanqu Hall holding a sinecure, and taking time out every day to teach Deng Weixian martial arts.

Although such days may be a bit boring at first, leisure time also has its advantages.

Zhao Bugao slowly let go of many of his obsessions. Things that seemed very important to him in the past no longer seemed so important.

He secretly looked at Zhao Feng in front of him. In the past, he only saw the power in Zhao Feng's hands, but did not see Zhao Feng's hard work.

"Godfather looks good, but he has more white hair."

Zhao Bugao thought to himself, but a smile flashed across his face.

But then, he noticed Manager Shang's gaze and immediately put away the smile.

Now he is no longer qualified to smile in front of Zhao Feng.

Zhao Bugao lowered his eyes and his expression became serious again.

"Okay, if you remember anything else about Fuhu Temple and Jiangnan Road, please report it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs at any time."

"Go down."

Manager Shang waved gently at Zhao Bugao.

Zhao Bugao bowed respectfully and left the courtyard. Someone outside the courtyard took him away.

Once upon a time, Zhao Bugao was also a rampant figure in the Imperial Household Department, so he didn't need anyone else to lead the way.

But now, apart from sighing a few times, Zhao Bugao no longer cares too much about these things.

"Let him let bygones be bygones."

Manager Shang suddenly said this.

Only then did Li Xuan notice that Zhao Feng was looking in the direction where Zhao Bugao left.

Zhao Feng sighed and said, "Godfather, I can't let it go."

Zhao Feng shook his head and stopped talking about this topic, turning back to talking about Fuhu Temple.

"Fuhu Temple has been unpopular for a long time. Jiangnan Road is a place that is quite interesting."

"Your Majesty will pass through here during his southern tour next year, and I'm afraid the matter of Fuhu Temple will also be our business."

"I'll send someone to keep an eye on Monk Chengche, and also keep an eye on Jiangnan Dao."

Li Xuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had attracted Zhao Feng's attention.

Although Monk Chengche said that he would leave tomorrow, with people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs watching over him, there shouldn't be any big problems.

Even if something happens, the Ministry of Internal Affairs will receive the tip-off immediately.

Li Xuan felt that he had done everything he could.

No matter what kind of crisis Fuhu Temple is facing now, as long as something happens, they will definitely notice it.

"Ah Xuan, if you have some free time recently, remember to walk around the city and pay attention to the news about Fuhu Temple in the Buddhist community."

Manager Shang also assigned a task to Li Xuan, and Li Xuan naturally accepted it with pleasure. After all, he was still thinking about visiting Ci'en Temple again to see whether those young monks really had the inheritance of Fuhu Temple as Princess Ankang said.

After discussing with the two general managers, Li Xuan returned to Jingyang Palace to rest.

The next day, Li Xuan got up early before dawn and rushed to Ci'en Temple.

He thought he got up early enough today, but he didn't expect that there were people who got up earlier than him.

In front of the gate of Ci'en Temple, a group of monks were seeing off another group of monks. The two leading them were none other than Master Chenghai and Monk Chengche.

"Brother Chengche, are you going to leave like this after all?"

"Is there anything you can't express about the relationship between our two temples?"

Master Chenghai is still making his final efforts.

But Monk Chengche just smiled and didn't say much.

"Brother Chenghai, take care!"

After saying this, Monk Chengche and the disciples of Fuhu Temple bowed towards Ci'en Temple.

Immediately afterwards, Monk Chengche and his disciples set out on the road to leave the capital.

It was early morning, the sky was about to brighten, and the dark sky was gradually showing signs of turning pale.

It’s cold and windy, and the road ahead is long.

Be it Master Chenghai and the group of disciples from Ci'en Temple who came to see them off, or Li Xuan who was watching from a distance, they all felt that the backs of the disciples from Fuhu Temple were somewhat sad, which contrasted perfectly with this bleak winter day.

Li Xuan shook his head slightly. Although he hated Monk Chengche at first, he gradually changed his mind. This man seemed rude and reckless, but at least he had a bottom line in his heart.

Seeing that the disciples of Fuhu Temple had already embarked on their way home, Li Xuan climbed into Ci'en Temple and found the room he had visited yesterday.

The room was very big, with a large bunk bed on which slept a dozen young monks with varying degrees of injuries.

The young monks were all sleeping soundly, completely unaware that their fellow monks had already left Ci'en Temple and started their journey home.

Li Xuan jumped onto the bunk bed, sniffed the little monks, and sensed if there were any secrets on them.

Li Xuan checked them one by one carefully, and when he came to the last, the youngest little monk, he actually discovered something.

"Huh? This Buddhist bead is actually a storage magic weapon!?"

Li Xuan looked at the ordinary little Buddhist beads strung with a red thread hanging around the little monk's neck.

He immediately pressed his cat's paw on it to explore, and found that this storage magic weapon was very ordinary. Not only did it not have any restrictions, but the space inside was also very small, about the size of a small wooden box.

There were several martial arts secret books neatly arranged inside, and on top was a bottle of elixir and a letter.

Li Xuan's breathing quickened, and he thought to himself:
"The little girl actually guessed it right!"

(End of this chapter)