My father is Jiajing

The Living Buddha's words were very pleasing to the ears, and this made the masters from Wudang Mountain and Longhu Mountain want to compete with each other!

You have to know that the reason why these outsiders can live a comfortable life and be respected is because they have been recognized by the court.

Therefore, throughout the ages, all famous mountains, ancient temples, and immortal temples have been proud to be canonized by the imperial court!

This is especially true for the up-and-coming Wudang Mountain!

The foundation of Wudang Mountain is far inferior to that of Longhu Mountain. Although they relied on far-fetched connections to make Zhang Sanfeng the leader, in terms of foundation, Zhang Sanfeng is at most a means for them to gain fame.

What really makes Wudang Mountain meaningful is the Northern True Martial Emperor who is solemnly worshipped by Wudang Mountain!
This was the patron saint of Zhu Di during his rebellion, and later he was gradually deified into Zhu Di himself.

Because in Zhu Di's mysterious narrative, the reason why he was able to succeed in the Jingnan Rebellion was because he was protected by the Northern Zhenwu Emperor, and the reason why he was able to obtain the protection of the Zhenwu Emperor was because he himself was the reincarnation of Zhenwu.

Therefore, the Zhenwu Emperor worshipped in Wudang Mountain is actually equivalent to worshipping Zhu Di himself.

Because of this relationship, Wudang Mountain was a famous royal Taoist temple in the Ming Dynasty, not just an ordinary Taoist temple.

Moreover, during the Qing Dynasty, the famous anti-Qing and pro-Ming organization Tiandihui also regarded the Zhenwu Emperor, who was self-deified by Zhu Di, as the patron saint of their organization.

It can be seen how lofty the status of Emperor Zhenwu was in the Ming Dynasty, and even the rising star Wudang Mountain benefited a lot from it!
Li Chun, the Taoist master of Wudang Mountain, bowed his head and said to Zhu Zaigui, "Your Highness, please allow me to report to you."

Zhu Zaiqi looked up at Li Chun, the Taoist master of Wudang Mountain, and asked with a friendly expression, "What advice do you have for me, Taoist master Li?"

Li Chun said, "Reporting to Your Highness, before I came to Beijing, I had a fortune-telling in the Patriarch's Golden Hall, and the fortune was very auspicious. Then I had a dream at night that the Patriarch revealed that I was in the north, and the north would be prosperous. Today, I was able to see Your Highness's holy face, and on the way I heard about Your Highness's efforts for the people of several northern provinces. I suddenly realized that the great prosperity that the Patriarch had shown me was Your Highness!"

Zhu Zaigui chuckled, and the other officials in the hall couldn't help but look up after hearing Li Chun's words.

Although the court received these religious figures, it was also for political needs.

But they were also afraid that Zhu Zaigui would suddenly believe them and become obsessed with the art of immortality like Emperor Jiajing, and neglect state affairs.

Zhu Zaigui smiled and said, "You are too kind, my Lord. I was just following your Majesty's advice. If we really want to talk about the prosperity of the north, it is also due to your Majesty's credit and protection."

Zhu Zaigui naturally attributed the credit to Emperor Jiajing.

At this time, the Immortal of Longhu Mountain also continued to speak: "Your Highness is right. Your Majesty is the emperor of heaven who came to rule the world. And Your Highness is the same. Before coming to Beijing last night, I observed the sky and saw that the North Star was bright, which corresponded to the East Palace. After deducing with Brother Li, I knew that Your Highness was also the reincarnation of the Zhenwu Emperor!"

These words from Master Zhang of Mount Longhu immediately made the other accompanying officials in the hall nervous again. It was bad enough that there was an emperor before, but now there was another emperor coming. This was really confusing!

But now in this situation, no one dares to jump out and say anything against it.

After all, this is an important occasion for Zhu Zaigui to meet with religious leaders on behalf of Emperor Jiajing, and the influence of these people among the people is also quite astonishing.

Moreover, there have been many cases of deifying emperors throughout history.

The key lies in whether the deified emperor believes it or uses his deified status to consolidate his position and rule.

If it is the latter, then this deification is naturally a good thing.

But if it is the former, then the trouble will be quite big.

After all, with the previous example of Emperor Jiajing, and the calm and wise attitude that Zhu Zaigui had shown since he became regent, they were also afraid that Zhu Zaigui would believe this and become even more terrifying than Emperor Jiajing!
However, when these officials looked at Zhu Zaigui with concern, although Zhu Zaigui had a smile on his face, his eyes were always clear and there was no excitement on his face.

It can be seen that Zhu Zaigui's attitude towards matters of gods and immortals was not as enthusiastic as that of Emperor Jiajing.

This also made the accompanying ministers feel relieved.

The Living Buddha heard that his two colleagues were vying to praise Zhu Zaigui.

He naturally couldn't fall behind.

After all, the plateau is cold and harsh, and sometimes they still need supplies from the Ming Dynasty and help them resolve the ideological issues among internal sects.

Otherwise, once they lost the support of the Ming Emperor, what awaited them would be annexation and destruction.

Therefore, don’t think that the snowy plateau is isolated from the Han area, because it is actually extremely dangerous inside.

Therefore, for the sake of inheritance, in order to be able to maintain the inheritance for a long time on the snowy plateau.

The respect these living Buddhas and great monks from the plateau have for the emperor of the Central Plains is deep in their bones.

Especially since the time of Kublai Khan, all the living Buddhas and great monks on the snowy plateau were proud to be recognized and canonized by the Yuan court.

The Ming Dynasty, which later succeeded the Yuan Dynasty, also inherited the former Yuan Dynasty's influence and ruling principles on the snowy plateau.

During the Yongle period, Zhu Laosi even asked the living Buddha monks who came to Beijing to pay homage to Kublai Khan to give him initiations and blessings in accordance with the original attitude of submission of the Snowy Plateau to Kublai Khan, and to respect Zhu Di as the Great Dharma King of the Wheel of Dharma and the incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva.

After that, the imperial statue of Zhu Di was enshrined in the temples on the snowy plateau, and he was regarded as the patron saint of the snowy plateau. Even hundreds of years later, the tablets of the Ming Dynasty's national destiny and the imperial statue of Zhu Di that were enshrined in some temples could still be found.

It can be seen how far-reaching the influence is after this kind of deification, it is simply deeply rooted in people's hearts!

The Living Buddha monk bowed to Zhu Zaigui again and said in a voice as loud as a bell: "Your Highness, what you two fellow Taoists said is absolutely right. I see that Your Highness is radiant and your temple is shining, like a real Buddha in the world, like the reincarnation of the Great Dharma King of the Chakravartin of our sect, the incarnation of Manjusri Bodhisattva!"

After hearing what the Living Buddha said, Zhu Zaigui also laughed, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

If others heard such exaggerated flattery, they would probably be terrified and think it was flattery or persuasion.

However, Zhu Zaigui knew very well that this was a script prepared in advance. These monks and Taoists could say such things, which must have been tacitly approved by Emperor Jiajing.

Moreover, with the endorsement of these great monks and old Taoist priests, it could also have an unexpected effect on Zhu Zaigui's handling of surrounding affairs in the future.

Therefore, Zhu Zaigui did not feel any difference.

The other officials who accompanied the meeting were nervous at first after hearing these words, but when they saw Zhu Zaigui's calm and composed expression, they immediately figured out the key and seemed to understand the reason behind it.

Sure enough, next, Master Li of Wudang Mountain said, "Living Buddha has wise eyes. Your Highness is just like Emperor Chengzu back then. He is the reincarnation of the Great Emperor Zhenwu, and the guardian deity who protects the Ming Dynasty!"

Taoist Master Zhang of Mount Longhu was not to be outdone: "Your Highness, what the two Taoist brothers said is absolutely right. I was holding a ceremony recently and received a revelation from the Heavenly Master, saying that Your Highness will bring peace to the world. After seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed a genius, incomparable to ordinary people!" Zhu Zaigui laughed again, and understood everything in his heart.

These compliments were by no means accidental; they must have been instructed by Emperor Jiajing.

Moreover, the intention of Emperor Jiajing was very clear. His words in Fengxian Hall were to use religion to add a sacred aura to him as the prince, so that he could become the undisputed supreme ruler of the world!

However, Zhu Zaigui still had to be modest about this matter. He put down the teacup in his hand and said in a calm voice, "Masters, you are too kind. How can I deserve such high praise?"

The Living Buddha monk suddenly got up from his seat and knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, why are you being so modest? Please allow me to bestow a blessing on your Highness, proving that you are the reincarnation of the Great Dharma King of the Wheel of Dharma, the incarnation of Manjusri Bodhisattva!"

Zhu Zaigui laughed again, "We will discuss this matter later. Master, you have come from a long way and must be exhausted both physically and mentally. You should take a rest first. How about we discuss this matter again after you have rested?"

The Living Buddha monk also understood the rules of the Central Plains and knew that this was the "three refusals and three declines" unique to the people of the Central Plains.

Therefore, he no longer argued about giving Zhu Zaigui an initiation and blessing at this time.

Moreover, the ceremony of initiation and blessing must be prepared solemnly and cannot be sloppy in the slightest.

Therefore, the Living Buddha stood up and bowed to Zhu Zaigui again: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern."

Zhu Zaigui laughed and said, "In that case, let's stop here today. All masters, please go back and rest. I will summon you another day."

Several people bowed at the same time and then left the Wuying Hall.

After these people left the Wuying Hall, Li Chunfang, Gao Gong, Zhao Zhenji, Hu Zongxian, Guo Pu and others looked at each other. In the end, only Li Chunfang and Gao Gong were left, and the rest withdrew.

Zhu Zaigui looked at Li Chunfang and Gao Gong, seeming to be hesitant to speak.

He couldn't help but smile and said, "What advice do you two have for me? Just tell me."

Li Chunfang and Gao Gong exchanged a glance, and the former stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, please understand. We do have our doubts."

Zhu Zaigui walked to the imperial desk and motioned for the two to sit down: "Gentlemen, please feel free to talk."

The remaining sandalwood incense was curling in the hall, and the sunlight outside shone through the carved window lattices, casting golden fragments on the ground, which looked very beautiful.

Li Chunfang carefully considered his words and spoke slowly, "Your Highness, since ancient times, emperors and gods have always been cautious in their dealings with gods and Buddhas. Qin Shihuang sought immortality and Emperor Wu of Han favored alchemists, neither of which was the right way to govern a country."

When Zhu Zaiqi heard what Li Chunfang said, he couldn't help but smile. He looked at Li Chunfang and said, "Mr. Li, are you warning me not to follow the footsteps of the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor?"

Zhu Zaigui's tone of voice was very calm, which made Li Chunfang feel uneasy all of a sudden.

Seeing that Li Chunfang was speechless at this time, Gao Gong immediately interrupted and said, "Your Highness! How can you trust the words of those monks and Taoists? They clearly want to use your name to expand their power!"

Zhu Zaigui chuckled and looked up at Gao Gong with a playful smile in his eyes.

Zhu Zaigui said: "Mr. Gao, are you exaggerating? Our dynasty has always been based on the teachings of Confucius, Mencius, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi. The role of monks and Taoists is nothing more than icing on the cake, so that the people of the world can have something to rely on when they are confused."

"Besides, there are more than one Living Buddha monk in the Snowy Plateau where the Living Buddha monk is. They came to Beijing to pay homage to me and want to bless me with initiation. They just want to get the court's approval so that they can gain an advantage in the dispute over the Taoist lineage in the Snowy Plateau."

"As for what kind of god or immortal they believe I am, is it really important?"

When Gao Gong and Li Chunfang heard what Zhu Zaigui said, they were both stunned.

Then the two of them immediately understood Zhu Zaigui's thoughts.

Zhu Zaigui looked at them again and laughed, "Gentlemen, are you worried that I might be confused by the teachings of gods and Buddhas?"

Gao Gong and Li Chunfang looked at each other awkwardly again.

Zhu Zaigui then chuckled again and continued, "You two gentlemen are worrying too much. If I believe this, isn't Your Majesty more professional than them?"

After hearing this, Li Chunfang and Gao Gong looked at each other again.

Yes.

Looking at the Ming Dynasty today, who can be more professional than the current emperor?

You should know that the three Taoist names of Emperor Jiajing add up to almost a hundred words.

How could someone who could come up with a Taoist name consisting of hundreds of words not understand the ins and outs of this?

Li Chunfang and Gao Gong bowed awkwardly, "It is you who are being reckless."

Zhu Zaigui waved his hand and said, "Mr. Li, Mr. Gao, you don't have to be like this. I understand your thoughts. But you also have to understand that these religious people, although they are not very useful, may have some unexpected effects at critical moments."

"After you go back, you should also have a good contact with these monks and Taoists who came to Beijing to worship, especially what I said last time. It would be best to take this opportunity to come up with a plan that both parties can agree on. Mr. Li, do you understand what I mean?"

Li Chunfang bowed and said, "I understand!"

Li Chunfang certainly knew what Zhu Zaigui meant by this sentence.

That time, Zhu Zaigui asked him to draw up a plan to identify the reincarnation of living Buddhas among the plateau grasslands. Now that he has come, the opportunity has naturally come.

If Li Chunfang cannot even seize this opportunity and cannot complete the tasks assigned to him by Zhu Zaigui, then as the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, it would be better for him to go home and farm.
Zhu Zaigui looked at Li Chunfang and said he understood immediately, and nodded with satisfaction, "Very good, then Mr. Li, go ahead and do it."

Li Chunfang bowed again: "I obey your order, and I will take my leave."

After Li Chunfang left, Zhu Zaigui kept his eyes on Gao Gong and asked, "How is Mr. Gao's work going?"

Gao Gong immediately replied: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I have been keeping a close eye on you."

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