The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 751 Zhenwu Awakening
"You're an exiled scumbag, so bold that you don't even give face to the He family of Junzhou. Let me take over!"

As Steward Guo spoke, he took a stool and sat down in front of the mountain gate, shouting, "Who is the new imperial prisoner?"

Guard Quan Chuhua angrily said, "This is the master! What are you doing to him?"

The housekeeper cursed, "You damned bastard! Whose power do you rely on? You're so arrogant and rude! If you come to Junzhou, you have to curl up like a dragon and lie down like a tiger! Beat me!"

Quan Chuhua said: "What crime have we committed? Are you an official or a citizen? Why are you beating people?"

"You, a thief soldier, are my mercenary. Even a slight cough is a sin!"

"You try to make one?"

Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, He Shengyuan sat on a sedan chair, looking sideways at the dilapidated Fuzhen Temple. Seeing that the housekeeper was cursing endlessly, he waved his hand and was about to leave.

Seeing this, the butler quickly dropped his stick and chased after him, saying:

"Master, you can't let Liu go like this!"

He Shengyuan laughed and said, "Just a few curses will do. It's endless like this. Arguing with a few imperial prisoners is a disgrace to the He family."

"Master, you are wrong!"

Without waiting for Mr. He to reply, the housekeeper started to shout:
"Everyone in the Taoist temple, listen up! According to the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty, if a criminal is exiled to a smoky, malaria-infected area, he must kneel and pay his respects to a local student! You, a criminal, are so rude! You even refused to kneel before my Master He. Liu Yufei! Come out and kowtow!"

"Come out and kneel!"

"Come out and kneel!"

When the servants heard that the princess from Nanjing City was going to kneel down, they immediately became interested and started to make noise.

These servants usually bully men and women in Junzhou, exploit the locals, and do many unscrupulous things, but this is the first time they have bullied the royal family. Just thinking about it makes everyone excited.

He Shengyuan coughed twice and dismounted.

"Old Guo, why are you so aggressive?"

Student Guo laughed and said, "Master, when Lu Xiangsheng and his men came to Huguang to survey the land, they beat many of our Junzhou students to death. Were they not aggressive then?"

Mr. He nodded and said, "Indeed, if this evil woman succeeded in her rebellion in Nanjing, countless middle-class families would suffer. However, I've already scolded her, so I won't bother with her anymore."

Butler Guo pulled the master aside and said in a low voice, "Master, you are usually so smart, how could you be so confused now?"

Master He bowed and said, "I'd like to hear the details."

Steward Guo didn't keep the secret and asked anxiously, "Who is the Princess? She is a thorn in the side of the whole court. From His Majesty to the magistrate of Junzhou, everyone wants to kill her, but it's just for the sake of face. Now she has fallen into our Junzhou territory, and you, my master, have encountered her first. Isn't this heaven's will? My master, you have read more than me. You must have heard the story of Jia Chong in the Wei and Jin Dynasties... Let's get this done today. Everyone will remember your kindness, and then we can talk about it."

Steward Guo pointed at Fuzhen Palace, his eyes gleaming as he spoke, "Liu Yufei was once incredibly powerful, with tributes coming from all corners of the country. The Korean ginseng alone would have filled several rooms... Emperor Guangde showed some mercy this time and spared her family from confiscating their property. Didn't she bring any money with her from Nanjing? At the very least, she might have some palace treasures... We could set fire to it, and nobody would notice."

"I'm afraid that many people will be watching us. The He family is very powerful in Junzhou, but this matter is not just the business of Junzhou Prefecture..."

Old Guo grinned and said, "Master, there's no need to worry. We'll take care of everything when the time comes. We'll still get the lion's share. Even if Liu Yufei dies, no one will be held accountable."

Mr. He's eyes shifted unsteadily as he hesitated:

"Although she is guilty, she is still the eldest princess, the late emperor's biological child. Doing such a thing in front of the True Martial God, isn't she afraid of future divine retribution?"

The butler laughed out loud as if he had heard a very pleasant laugh.

"God's punishment?"

"Master, you fulfilled your vows and burned incense at the Golden Summit, and now you've become a vegetarian and a Buddhist. How can you be so kind? When the retired emperor divided our land, was there any heavenly punishment? When he built Tianxin City and forced each wealthy family in Junzhou to pay 1,000 taels of silver, was there any heavenly..."

"Let me be quiet for a while."

He Shengyuan's worries are not unreasonable. If he does things too drastically, not only will he not become Jia Chong, but he might even become Cheng Ji, and finally be used as a scapegoat.

What if there really are countless treasures and valuables in Liu Yufei’s carriage?
Old Guo struck while the iron was hot: "Master, there's no time to lose. If we don't act, and delay for a few more days, someone else will get the advantage. Do you think those wealthy families have come to Wudang Mountain these days to burn incense for the founder? They're just paying New Year's greetings to the chickens, thinking about this Fuzhen Temple!"

As he was speaking, the mountain gate slammed shut.

Several servants came forward cursing, pounding on the gate with their fists and shouting curses.

"Bitch surnamed Liu, get out of here!"

"Get out here and kowtow to my master three times, and I'll spare your life!"

The servants cursed loudly until two sharp arrows came whizzing down from the courtyard wall. The two servants fell to the ground, holding their thighs and rolling on the ground in pain.

"The criminal has committed murder!"

"I've turned against you!"

"Kill me!"

Zhao Xianxun lay on the top of the wall, slowly took out a big arrow from the arrow holder, and aimed at the servants who were knocking on the door.

"Come here if you don't want to die! I just shot him in the legs. If he dares to move forward again, I'll shoot a hole in his head!"

"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"

"Go back and get the stuff!"

The servants were all furious. Without Lao Guo's command, thirty or forty of them went back to get their bows and muskets.

When Butler Guo came, he said that the Fuzhen Temple had hidden tens of thousands of taels of silver, hundreds of fine oriental pearls, and more than a dozen carts of treasures shipped from the capital. Today, the master showed mercy and anyone who saw it could get a share, and only needed to hand over half of it.

The servants moved out of the range of the bows and arrows, raised their muskets and fired wildly at the mountain gate, instantly suppressing the archers' firepower.

Seeing that things had come to this point and were irreversible, Mr. He could only wave his hand to the housekeeper.

Butler Guo showed a look of joy. He called on two servants to protect the master and joined the battle to attack the mountain gate.

"Master, don't worry. I will come to tell you the good news later."

A group of servants cut down pine trees by the roadside, used the trunks to make a simple battering ram, and began to knock over the door.

Mr. He called Lao Guo and gave him detailed instructions:
"Remember, don't leave anyone alive. If you want to do something, do it thoroughly."

~~~~~
The main hall of Fuzhen Temple.

The statue of Zhenwu Emperor has disheveled hair, drooping eyes, and stands with his feet on a five-colored spirit turtle. He holds a sword and his eyes are like lightning. Beside him stand two generals, the turtle and the snake, as well as the golden boy and the jade girl who record the merits and demerits of the three realms.

Liu Yufei set up the altar and held various magical instruments that her father had used during his lifetime: the Three Pure Bells for summoning gods and exorcising demons, the Five-Colored Flags for recruiting soldiers and urging gods to come, and the Magic Sword for slaying demons and killing magicians.

She was wearing a Taoist robe, waving a magic sword in her hand, shaking the Sanqing bell, stepping on the magic steps, and chanting spells.

The true Qi of the three lights of the sun, moon and stars were injected into the water, and the sword was swung to sprinkle the holy water out, banning the foul air in the altar and starting to set up a barrier to ban the altar.

From outside the wall, there were curses, screams, the sound of vibrating bowstrings, the explosion of muskets, and all kinds of noises. They were very close to her, yet seemed very far away.

"The Great Emperor Xuanwu, the True Lord Xuantian, the Infinite Patriarch, the Great Emperor Zhenwu Dangmo, the Blessings of Infinite Heaven. The Patriarch is merciful, mindful of us sentient beings, allowing us to escape from the world. Our parents carried us for ten months, nursing us for three years. They endured countless hardships, diligently caring for us... Have pity on my father, who overcame all obstacles, fought in countless battles, sacrificed his blood for the Xuanyuan clan, blessed the nine provinces, and marched east without returning. I now hold the thought of equality, eradicating all dangers, greed, and anger.

A scream interrupted the eldest princess's prayer.

When he looked back, Zhao Xianxun, covered in blood, was still drawing his bow and shooting arrows. He retreated while resisting.

He struggled like a mantis blocking a car, and finally retreated to the statue of Zhenwu God, where he fell to the ground with a bang.

"Your Highness, I have already sacrificed my life. Please take care."

The princess did not look at the dead guard and continued to pray.

There were messy footsteps and hoarse coughs outside.

"Catch that evil woman, ask her where she hid the silver, and then set fire to Fuzhen Temple!"

Be compassionate and merciful, and save people from suffering.

The Chief of Sanyuandu and the Envoy of Jiutian.

Zhentian helps Shun, Zhenwu responds spiritually,
Blessings and blessings bring prosperity, and kindness and righteousness are great.

Xieyun Zhenjun, the god of blessing and peace,
Master Yuxu, Emperor Xuantian,
The incarnation of the Golden Palace, the Heavenly Lord of Subduing Demons."

Recite the last prayer.

The statue of Zhenwu suddenly opened its eyes, and its huge body instantly broke through the roof of the Taoist temple, overwhelming the heaven and earth.

The turtle and snake entwined under his feet woke up at the same time and grew rapidly. The python spit out several long blood-red tongues, soared into the air on the turtle's back, stood above the clouds, opened its bloody mouth, roared angrily, and looked down at all living beings.

(End of this chapter)