They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 58 Or should we just cut it off?

Chen Guangrui's calm expression froze slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.

Marriage?

He found it hard to believe. Having just experienced the major cases of the Green Lion Spirit appearing in human form and the mysterious reappearance of the case files, how did His Highness suddenly turn to this marriage?

And she just so happens to be Yin Kaishan's daughter!

A chill ran down his spine. Could it be... that the escaped blue-maned lion, besides stealing the documents, had also secretly bewitched His Highness? Otherwise, how could it have happened so suddenly?

The thought flashed through his mind for a moment. But he quickly regained his composure, and even felt a faint sense of anticipation.

He understood that Li Shimin's insistence on promoting the marriage on this occasion was quite clear. At this point, without him saying anything, someone else would probably be even more restless than him.

really!

"Your Highness!" Prime Minister Yin Kaishan had just finished expressing his gratitude in a loud voice when another steady voice, with obvious resistance, rang out. It was Changsun Wuji.

He bowed slightly, his brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping over Chen Guangrui with a hint of inquiry, yet his tone remained respectful and objective.
"Your Highness's kindness is commendable. However, I have heard of something concerning Scholar Chen's recent situation. A few days ago, Scholar Chen composed a Zen poem that astonished Chang'an. The four lines, 'Bodhi has no tree,' reveal his innate Buddha-nature and have garnered praise from all directions. Subsequently, he received Buddhist precepts at Daxingshan Temple in full view of everyone, becoming a devout disciple..."

He paused deliberately, looked directly at Li Shimin, and then abruptly changed the subject.
"I dare not claim to be proficient in Buddhism, nor am I even an expert. However, a 'pure and faithful disciple' is someone who practices Buddhism at home. My concern is... whether such a person is bound by Buddhist precepts, and whether... whether they can marry and have children like ordinary people. If this is not clear, it may be disrespectful to Buddhism and would also go against the original intention of Scholar Chen when he converted to Buddhism. I humbly request Your Highness to consider this carefully."

This blow struck at the heart of his identity!

The powerful officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion were clearly unwilling to see Chen Guangrui, whose stance was ambiguous and who seemed to be involved with Wei Zheng, climb up to Yin Kaishan's high branch again!
Changsun Wuji's words, ostensibly inquiring about rules and regulations, were in fact implying that they were all impractical.

Chen Guangrui was overjoyed and almost couldn't control his expression. It was like a pillow being delivered to someone who was sleepy!
He had originally hoped to use the identity of this devout disciple to ward off disaster, and now that the Qin Prince's Mansion was taking the initiative to use it as a weapon, it was exactly what he wanted!

He lowered his head and remained silent, steadily passing this "hot potato" to Yin Kaishan.

Yin Kaishan raised his eyebrows, displaying the composure and insight befitting a prime minister.

He stroked his gray beard and responded loudly to Changsun Wuji.

"Lord Changsun's concerns are reasonable. However, I do know a little about the rules of Buddhism. The so-called 'disciple of pure faith' is completely different from the monks who have taken vows and left home. Such disciples are worldly people who live at home, practice Buddhism, marry, have children and continue the family line. This is not only not prohibited, but it is also normal and tolerated by Buddhism. They are by no means people who have severed their worldly ties."

He spoke in a loud and clear voice, explaining the nature of the "pure and faithful disciple" in a logical and clear manner, thus directly resolving the identity obstacle raised by Changsun Wuji.

Li Shimin nodded slightly upon hearing this, his expression becoming increasingly satisfied.

However, the resistance from the Qin King's Mansion did not disappear.

Even the usually composed and unassuming Du Ruhui stepped forward. His expression was solemn as he bowed deeply to Li Shimin, his voice low but clear.
“Your Highness, Prime Minister Yin’s words are reasonable; Qingxin’s disciple is indeed capable of starting a family. However…”

He changed the subject, his gaze falling on Chen Guangrui.
"Chen Zhuangyuan is the top scholar in this imperial examination, a rising star that has attracted worldwide attention since the inception of the imperial examinations in our Great Tang Dynasty. He has just become famous in the capital for his Buddhist poetry, and has become a devout disciple with great fanfare, proclaiming the transcendent state of mind of 'Originally there is nothing, so where can dust settle?' In the blink of an eye, he is about to get married and welcome the daughter of the current prime minister?"

"Although this matter does not violate Buddhist precepts, it inevitably gives people the impression of 'entering the Buddhist gate in the morning and entering the gate of a noble family in the evening,' which seems frivolous and contrary to the original intention. I believe that the marriage of the top scholar is related to the face of the court and the atmosphere of the literati. It should be handled with utmost care. Perhaps it is better to discuss it at a later stage, after the storm has subsided and people's hearts have calmed down. This would be more prudent and would avoid criticism from the people and the Buddhist community."

Du Ruhui's objection was extremely pointed! He didn't dwell on rules and regulations, but focused on perception and decorum; the implication was quite clear:
Chen Guangrui, you're playing too fast and too late! You just finished being called a "rising star of Buddhism," and now you want to be the prime minister's son-in-law? This is too disgraceful, it's damaging the reputation of the court and us scholars! Take a break, you absolutely must take a break!
Chen Guangrui remained outwardly calm while listening to Du Ruhui's words, but inwardly he was overjoyed!

Yes, yes, yes! You're all right! We need to plan this out carefully! Ideally, we should plan it out until it comes to nothing!

The more vehemently the powerful figures in the Qin Prince's mansion oppose it, the greater his chances of escaping this "peach blossom curse"!
Just as Chen Guangrui was feeling smug, thinking that the marriage proposal might be put on hold, someone he never expected suddenly rushed out from the crowd of newly appointed scholars!
"Your Highness! Your Excellencies! Listen... listen to what your student has to say!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Changling limping, his face full of excitement. Ignoring his still-healing knee injury, he rushed to the center of the field and knelt down with a thud! He ignored Sun Fujia, who was desperately pulling at his sleeve and sweating profusely as he tried to stop him.

With an almost tragic excitement on his face, Zhang Changling looked up at Li Shimin, then at Chen Guangrui, whose expression had instantly turned somewhat ugly. His voice was hoarse but unusually loud.

"Your Highness, please understand! All the officials have misunderstood! Scholar Chen... Scholar Chen... he entered the Buddhist order as a devout disciple and wrote that astonishing Buddhist poem! It wasn't for his own sake that he wanted to become a monk!"

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and shouted with a mixture of gratitude and determination.
"He did it all for my sake, Zhang Changling! He knows that I... I'm headed for the daughter of Prime Minister Yin! He's trying to make it clear that he has no such feelings, and to give me... to give me all the opportunities! Poor me, with such a devoted heart, yet... yet I can't even get through the gates of the Prime Minister's residence! Waaah..."

Thinking of his own experiences, he was overcome with grief and his voice even trembled with sobs, but he quickly rallied and spoke with even greater passion.
"Scholar Chen is of such high moral character, treating me like a brother and a father! I am here today, even if it means losing face, to clear his name! Scholar Chen is upright and honest; if he were truly willing, why would he need to become a monk? He... he is worthy of Miss Yin! I beg Your Highness to grant my request!"

After Zhang Changling finished speaking these heartfelt words, he raised his tear-blurred face and looked intently at Chen Guangrui with a righteous expression that said, "You're so kind, I'm absolutely kind too!"

"boom!"

Chen Guangrui felt a buzzing in his head, and the little bit of secret joy he had just felt was instantly annihilated by Zhang Changling's "repaying kindness" divine assistance! A surge of evil fire rushed straight to the top of his head!

Aren't you the most selfish person?

Aren't you the best at judging the situation?
Didn't you already latch onto Sun Fujia and the meritorious officials of the Qin Prince's Mansion?
Why are you causing trouble at this time?

His vision blurred, and staring at Zhang Changling's resolute yet foolish face, only one madly roaring thought remained in his mind:

I just can't stand this world anymore!

Otherwise... let's find a knife now.

Cut it off!
I might as well just end it all! I'm so tired!

(End of this chapter)