Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 131 Yao Guangxiao reveals the conspiracy, Lao Zhu's suspicion

Old Zhu narrowed his dragon eyes slightly: "Why?"

The old voice, like a compassionate Buddha, echoed in the spacious hall.

Majestic and solemn.

Yao Guangxiao kowtowed and said: "The right and wrong here is not something that I can comment on lightly."

"I hope that Your Majesty will be wise and understand the meaning of this and not put the King of Wu in a situation where he will surely die!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the temperature in the hall seemed to drop a few degrees.

His Majesty, who was originally as compassionate as Buddha, turned into a demon-subduing arhat at this moment, with murderous aura sweeping out of him, wanting to subdue demons and kill monsters.

The Bodhisattvas, Dharma Protectors, and Arhats above seemed to be drawn by the Qi and exuded pressure at the same time. The Emperor's voice sounded coldly: "We'll let you speak!"

Yao Guangxiao prostrated himself on the ground, trembling as if he was trembling, and said tremblingly: "Your Majesty!"

Old Zhu's murderous intent faded a little: "There are no outsiders here. You are a counselor that Hu'er values, so you should speak frankly. No matter what you say today, I won't blame you."

The hall fell silent again, with only the candlelight flickering silently.

"Empress Lu is the former Crown Princess. Your Highness the Prince of Wu was raised by her since he was a child, and they have a deep relationship."

"But she is also the biological mother of King Xian."

"Your Majesty wanted to establish King Xian before, but now you want to establish King Wu instead."

"Empress Lu is caught in the middle and is in a dilemma."

Old Zhu snorted coldly: "You are really good at defending her!"

"This is human nature!" Yao Guangxiao said, "The country and the people are more important than a thousand pounds."

"Your Majesty is extremely cautious."

"But Concubine Lu is, after all, a weak woman and a mother."

"King Xian is his own son, and the blood relationship between us is incomparable."

“Is there any mother in the world who doesn’t want her son to become a successful person?”

"The protection is related to the artifact!"

"Concubine Lu hoped that Prince Xian would ascend to the throne, so Prince Wu became a roadblock and had to be removed."

“As the saying goes: If the ruler wants his subject to die, he must die; if the father wants his son to die, he must die.”

"King Wu is a very filial man, how could he refuse his mother's request?"

"If the King of Wu goes to see Concubine Lu at this time, it will only make him feel more uncomfortable."

"Your Majesty has compassion for his grandson and would not want him to be harmed."

"At this moment, the best solution for them, mother and son, is to not see each other."

He did not mention a word about Concubine Lu's possible conspiracy against King Wu, and pretended to know nothing.

It only talks about how difficult it was for the King of Wu to refuse Concubine Lu's request.

Of course, he couldn't directly say that Lu had evil intentions and wanted to kill the King of Wu.

No matter what, Lu was the former Crown Princess and the emperor's daughter-in-law.

It is not something that an outsider like him can slander at will.

Yao Guangxiao grasped the balance very appropriately.

Don't say a bad word about Concubine Lu, just talk about the relationship between mother and son.

Old Zhu waved his sleeves and said, "That's nonsense."

"How can a woman like her ask for a divine weapon?"

"Huer can stand up in the court and openly ask us for the Ming Dynasty. Why can't we refuse her?"

"You monk, you still haven't told us the truth."

Yao Guangxiao kowtowed without saying anything.

After a while, Old Zhu spoke again: "Are you worried that the Lu family will harm the King of Wu, but you can't say it out loud?"

There was a hint of sarcasm in his words.

"Our grandson has seen all kinds of situations. He dared to slap his great uncle Lan Yu in the face, and he was able to make his fourth uncle take the initiative to become his disciple. Could it be that he is afraid of a mere woman?"

"Afraid!" Yao Guangxiao responded as soon as Lao Zhu's voice fell.

The fierceness that had just faded from Old Zhu Long's eyes suddenly condensed again.

"What can Lu do to our grandson?"

"Doesn't she think about her family?"

Yao Guangxiao said calmly: "Your Majesty, you are too kind."

"Empress Lu would never do anything directly detrimental to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu at a birthday party."

As soon as these words came out, Lao Zhu's expression froze for a moment.

He had previously found out about the vicious words that Lu had said, and that she had cooked for Zhu Biao, Zhu Xiongying, Chang and others when they were seriously ill. This made him think that Lu might have also poisoned Zhu Yunhuan.

The purpose of sending someone to remind him was also to make Zhu Yunhuan take special precautions against this move.

But Yao Guangxiao said that Lu would not do such a thing, which immediately made countless thoughts emerge in Zhu's mind.

If her son Zhu Biao, grandson Zhu Xiongying, and Chang were really poisoned by Lu, or killed by taking advantage of the incompatibility of food, it would show that Lu was cruel and vicious on the one hand, and on the other hand, it would also show that she was very cautious in her actions.

No clues were found before, leaving the slightest doubt.

Until Yang Shiqi pointed it out.

But Zhu Yunhuan’s situation is different now.

Zhu Yunhuan was just attending a birthday party this time.

If anything happened to him, the Lu family would be held responsible anyway.

Even Zhu Yunwen was the same.

When Zhu Yunhuan got into trouble, Zhu Yunwen could not escape the blame.

What reason did Lu have to do this?
A fight to the death?

He will also sacrifice his son and everyone in his mother's family!
There is no profit to be gained, and it is obviously not worth it to pay such a huge price just to vent the hatred in my heart!

Old Zhu had been angry before and had not thought about these things carefully.

At this moment, after hearing what Yao Guangxiao said, I realized that something was wrong.

It was impossible for Lu to poison Zhu Yunhuan at the birthday party or kill him by other means.

This is all courting death!
So what exactly does Lu want to do?
"Filial piety comes first among all virtues!"

"If the King of Wu is accused of being unfilial, he will not be able to rule the world!"

Yao Guangxiao said calmly: "The greatest love in the world is that of parents."

"The old prince has passed away, and Concubine Lu is a widow."

"Why would I care about dying if I can help my son seize the throne?"

"Let me ask you, if anything happens to Concubine Lu, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu is accused of murdering his mother, can His Royal Highness the Prince of Wu still be the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty?"

Rumble!
It was like a thunder exploding in Lao Zhu's mind.

There was a sharp light in his eyes, and thunder and lightning flashed suddenly.

Lu invited Zhu Yunhuan to her birthday party.

But the person she wanted to kill was not Zhu Yunhuan, but herself!
She wanted to use her own death to force Zhu Yunhuan to stop being the crown prince!

Chang died shortly after Zhu Yunhuan was born, and Zhu Yunhuan was therefore branded as a "mother-killer".

This shaped his cowardly character.

It was not until Zhu Biao's death that Zhu Yunhuan suffered a severe blow and suddenly woke up. From then on, he seemed like a different person, showing amazing talent and brilliance, shocking everyone in the court and the country.

This is from Lao Zhu's perspective.

Zhu Yunhuan felt guilty about his biological mother's death and developed an extremely introverted personality.

Later, he awakened because of his father's death!
No matter what the actual relationship between Lu and Zhu Yunhuan was, in the eyes of outsiders, Lu was the one who raised Zhu Yunhuan.

If Lu died at the birthday party, even if she was not killed by Zhu Yunhuan, but committed suicide because she saw the conflict between Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunhuan would have to bear the infamy for the rest of his life!
People all over the world will call him unfilial because he stood up to fight for the throne and killed his "mother".

If Lu continued to create the illusion that he died at the hands of Zhu Yunhuan, then Zhu Yunhuan would never be able to clear himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Even if Old Zhu cleared his name, how could he stop the people from speaking ill of him?

Even if he kills a lot of people, it will be a stain that cannot be erased in his life.

If that were the case, Zhu Yuanzhang would have no choice but to appoint Zhu Yunwen as the crown prince. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang had to consider the future stability of the Ming Dynasty and could not set a bad example for future generations.

The Xuanwu Gate Incident plunged the Tang Dynasty into an endless struggle for the throne. After Li Shimin, the descendants of the Tang Dynasty followed suit.

Old Zhu absolutely does not want to see the Ming Dynasty become like that!

It was because Yao Guangxiao saw through this that he made such a request.

If you don't go to meet him, everything will be fine.

Even in the worst case scenario, Lu would just commit suicide.

Things are not yet at the point of no return.

Old Zhu took a long breath.

Even he did not expect Lu's move.

Or maybe, Lao Zhu would never think about it in this way.

How could such a vicious woman give up her life so easily?

But the reminder from the old monk in front of me was very reasonable.

Mrs. Lu has a vicious heart, but she is also a mother. It is not surprising that a mother would do anything crazy for her own son.

"We got it!" Old Zhu heaved a sigh of relief.

He looked at Yao Guangxiao with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Keep your head up!"

Old Zhu gave the order calmly.

Yao Guangxiao slowly raised his head.

"Huer said you are a demon monk, and he was right!" Old Zhu looked at him and said, "A monk who has left home is so good at strategy and can calculate people's hearts. Isn't he a demon monk?"

"Amitabha!" Yao Guangxiao chanted the Buddha's name in response: "The Buddha's teachings are boundless. I recite the sutras and chant the Buddha's name every day, so I can see through the affairs of the world."

Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hu'er is indeed good at judging people. You and that Yang Shiqi are both geniuses of our time."

"What you said just now woke me up and saved Hun'er."

"Saving Hu'er is like saving the Ming Dynasty."

"We're going to reward you handsomely."

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "From today on, you will be the Grand Secretary of the Zhanshi Mansion."

"In the future, you must assist King Wu well and don't let us down."

Yao Guangxiao bowed quickly and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

Old Zhu laughed, supported him and said, "Today we are in Tianjie Temple, you can call yourself 'poor monk', but in the future when you are in the court and work with Huer, you should be no different from ordinary people and you are not allowed to call yourself 'poor monk' anymore."

Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together and said, "Be careful of your Majesty's decree!"

Old Zhu looked up at the Buddha statue above and said, "You and I are both monks. I was also a monk in Huangjue Temple and my Buddhist name was 'Rujing'."

"You said that we are monks, we should be compassionate and not kill. But we went to war and killed so many people. Isn't this against the Buddhist precepts?"

He turned and looked at the old monk.

Yao Guangxiao smiled slightly: "Killing is to protect life, and killing karma is not killing people."

"The Buddha has the wrath of a diamond and can also subdue demons and monsters."

"Your Majesty, you suppressed the chaos at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and saved the people of the world from disaster. Your contribution is unparalleled. Even if the Buddha were to be reborn, he would not be more than this. How could this be considered a violation of the precepts?"

Old Zhu laughed heartily, and after a while he said, "Since you are working for Hu'er now, why don't you return to secular life?"

"Marrying a few beautiful concubines, having a few children, and enjoying all the splendor and wealth in the world, wouldn't that be much happier than following the ancient Buddha with a green lamp?"

The calm atmosphere of consolation comes from someone like an old friend.

Yao Guangxiao shook his head: "Your Majesty, you are joking. I have been a monk since I was young, and now I am very old. How can I return to secular life and ruin my life's practice? Your Majesty, please don't persuade me anymore!"

The old Zhu Long's eyes moved slightly, and he smiled and sighed: "But you assisted the King of Wu. If you don't want to return to secular life, how should the court reward you for your contribution?"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I can serve His Majesty at your side and make the world peaceful, so that all people can live and work in peace. This is the fulfillment of my lifelong wish before the Buddha, and it is also the greatest reward!"

"When His Royal Highness invited me to work with him, he said, 'Although I know the universe is vast, I still feel pity for the green grass and trees.' I deeply agree with him."

"I have no regrets in my life for being able to help this wise king."

Old Zhu's expression changed slightly, and he murmured in a very light voice: "Although I know the universe is vast, I still pity the green grass and trees. These two sentences of Hu'er really express my thoughts, and they are very well said!"

He fought battles all his life, and gradually became an emperor from a beggar. He led his troops to conquer all directions and unified the world.

Everywhere you look, you see the vast landscape.

All living beings in the world submit to him.

But what he cares about in his heart is still the people's every piece of clothing and every meal.

Know the universe, still pity the green grass.

Although Hu'er is young, his heart is connected with ours!

As he was sighing, he heard Yao Guangxiao's voice.

"Daoyan swore before the Buddha today that he would never return to secular life in this life."

"If I break this oath, then heaven and earth will forsake me, and the Buddha will despise me. I will be sent to the Avici Hell, where I will never be able to be reborn!"

Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Smiling very happily.

In fact, when he persuaded Yao Guangxiao to return to secular life, he had the intention to kill again.

Old Zhu always had a deep suspicion of people like monks and Taoists.

I always feel that these people have bad intentions, and people are easily deceived by such charlatans.

He would never allow his descendants to be deceived.

Especially Yao Guangxiao just now, he actually saw through Lu's conspiracy, which was something he had never thought of.

This man is so smart that he is even smarter than Yang Shiqi.

Old Zhu had only seen this in Liu Bowen in his life.

Therefore, he was extremely wary of Liu Bowen.

Now, he met another person as smart as Liu Bowen.

If such a person develops any ambition, it will be difficult to control him.

If Yao Guangxiao had agreed to return to secular life just now, Zhu Yuanzhang would have killed him to prevent future troubles.

But no one expected that Yao Guangxiao would swear so resolutely.

Did he see my murderous intention?

Old Zhu glanced at the old monk and said in a loud voice: "Since you have such a great ambition, how can we force you to do anything?"

"We want to make your name and wishes known to the world."

"Let all monks and common people in the world know your vow."

This is how Lao Zhu put shackles on him.

If Sima Yi’s oath on the Luo River is not credible, can the oath he made before the Buddha be credible?

But once it is announced to the world, it will have a strong binding force.

If you break your oath, you will be condemned by everyone and despised by the world.

The more important point is that if he breaks his oath, his identity as a charlatan will be useless.

Yao Guangxiao hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Get up!" Lao Zhu reached out and helped him up.

The two old foxes looked at each other tacitly.

"It's getting late. It's time to go to the vegetarian meal! You can come with us."

Old Zhu strode out of the hall, and Yao Guangxiao hurriedly followed closely.

Inside the hall, only the candlelight flickered, and the Buddha statue remained compassionate.

Outside, the sky is high and the clouds are light, and the wind is fresh and refreshing!

……

(End of this chapter)