Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

"It seems that you can't escape scheming no matter where you go," Zhang Fu sighed.

He followed Zhu Di all the way from Beiping to Nanjing, and he had seen too much of the intrigue and power struggles in the imperial court. He never expected that even the gods in the heavens would engage in such activities.

"I thought immortals only cared about cultivating themselves, but I didn't expect them to scheme against others too." Xue Lu held his wine glass, his expression showing that his knowledge had been completely refreshed.

"Brother, tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

"Didn't we just say we'd make him take the blame? But he's a newborn; even with talent, he still needs time to cultivate."

"Moreover, he was born and knew nothing about cultivation, so we need to find an opportunity for him to seek immortality and attain enlightenment."

"They arranged for a deity from Heaven to transform into a monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain. Once my senior brother developed feelings for him, they faked their death to provoke him into seeking immortality."

"A dignified immortal trying to trick a monkey." Zhu Gaoxu shook his head.

"This is such a deep calculation, they've really planned every step of the way," Zheng Heng remarked.

"Back then, your senior brother was probably just an ordinary monkey. How could he have thought of so much?" Qiu Fu said.

"Yes, my senior brother was so foolish back then that he went to seek immortality."

"Don't tell me, this whole 'seeking immortality' thing was all arranged."

"Although he is talented, he needs a master to guide his cultivation. This was also arranged by the Jade Emperor, but he didn't tell us who this person was."

"I bet they've invited some reclusive master again. My senior brother probably still thinks he found his master through his own abilities."

"To put it another way, this monkey is indeed treated quite well. The Jade Emperor even specially invited a famous teacher to instruct him," Xue Lu clicked his tongue.

"Indeed, how many people can enjoy this kind of treatment?" Zheng Heng nodded in agreement.

"There's no other way. If you want him to take the blame, you have to make him show some ability. Otherwise, it'll be obvious at a glance, and you won't be able to shift the blame. After my senior brother returns from his studies, guess who will be the first person to make him take the blame?"

Who is it?

"I don't know, Marshal, please tell me!"

"Yeah, bro, stop keeping me in suspense!"

"They say a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. The first person to make my eldest brother take the blame was his old neighbor, the Dragon King of the East Sea." Pigsy put down his wine cup and raised a finger.

"My eldest brother just returned, and he didn't have a suitable weapon, so they lured him to borrow one from the East Sea Dragon Palace. The East Sea Dragon Palace's storeroom is filled with countless ancient armors and naval weapons. Over the years, the aquatic officials of the Dragon Palace have been secretly selling and distributing precious armors and weapons, resulting in a huge deficit in the storeroom and the loss of tens of thousands of weapons and armor."

"So, the old Dragon King is using your senior brother to settle scores?" Zhang Fu understood immediately.

"Exactly! The accounts don't match, and the Dragon King of the East Sea is worried day and night."

"If the Heavenly Court's Inspection Department investigates these accounts, they will look bad on the surface, and he will have to find a few of his direct subordinates to take the blame. He doesn't want his power to be damaged."

"It just so happened that my eldest brother came to ask for a weapon. The Iron Sea-Stabilizing Needle was originally left behind by Yu the Great. It had been sitting idle at the bottom of the sea for many years, used to suppress the river, and no one used it normally. The Dragon King saw the opportunity at a glance."

He feigned generosity, allowing the monkey to take away the magic staff, and then presented him with a set of golden chainmail, a phoenix-winged purple-gold crown, and lotus-silk cloud-walking shoes.

"Once Sun Wukong left the East Sea, the Dragon King immediately submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Court, distorting the truth."

"The memorial only says that the demon monkey broke into the Dragon Palace and looted it, stealing the Sea-Stabilizing Treasure, and also falsely reported that tens of thousands of weapons and armor were all stolen by Sun Wukong! Tell me, why would my senior brother steal so many weapons by himself?"

"Yes, isn't this a complete frame-up?" Zhu Gaoxu slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"This old Dragon King is indeed worthy of his title. His trick of turning black into white and framing others is truly impressive!" Xue Lu exclaimed.

"This is just the beginning! It's still early days, just the start."

"This is exciting right from the start?" Jung Hyung clicked his tongue in amazement.

"The Marshal has taken on such a huge burden from the very beginning, I really can't imagine what will happen next," Qiu Fu said, shaking his head.

"There's a lot more to come."

"Next comes the Underworld's erasure of the Book of Life and Death, which also contains water. The Underworld has too many unresolved issues from the past."

"As the saying goes, money makes the world go round. The officials in the underworld accept bribes, buy and sell reincarnation slots, and even minor official positions."

"So the Ten Kings of Hell sent the Black and White Impermanence to lure the monkey to the underworld and guide him to fill in the Book of Life and Death. They also blamed him for all the oversights in the underworld and claimed that the monkey had trespassed into the underworld and destroyed tens of thousands of Books of Life and Death."

"Tell me, even if my senior brother scratches his hand badly, at most he'll only scratch one of the monkeys in the Book of Life and Death of Flower Fruit Mountain. How many books could that possibly have?"

"Yeah, they're really being unfairly blamed." Zheng Heng shook his head.

"I never thought money could really make the devil turn the millstone," Xue Lu exclaimed.

"My eldest brother later realized what had happened. He told me on the journey to the West that it was no wonder that when Yama said 'Great Sage, no!' he was smiling and handing him the Book of Life and Death one book at a time."

"Hey, wouldn't the King of Hell be overjoyed?" Zhu Gaoxu laughed heartily.

"Indeed, after waiting for so many years, we've finally found someone to help balance the accounts!"

"Yeah, anyone would be happy to have this mess resolved!"

"This is just the beginning," Pigsy said, pouring himself another glass of wine.

"After the Dragon King of the East Sea and Yama submitted their memorials, the Jade Emperor was furious. However, Venus suggested that it would be better to offer amnesty. So he took my eldest brother to heaven and assigned him an official position."

"Brother, what kind of official position do you hold?" Zhu Gaoxu asked.

"Marshal, what official position did you get with Tianfen?" Zheng Heng asked.

"The title '弼马温' is a low-ranking official position that is only in charge of horses," said Zhu Bajie.

"Isn't that humiliating him?" Zhu Gaoxu frowned.

"Yes, after all that time, they were granted amnesty and given a low-ranking official position. Isn't that an insult to monkeys?"

"Yeah, that's exactly the effect we want—to humiliate him. Otherwise, how can we make him take the blame?"

"Later, the monkey got angry and embarrassed. Then the people in charge of the horses said that after the monkey came, it took the horses out for walks every day without feeding them hay, causing the horses to become thin and weak, and even losing hundreds of warhorses."

"Actually, it was those people from the Imperial Horse Administration who embezzled the horses' feed, leaving the horses starving, and then resold hundreds of them."

"Hahaha, one scapegoat after another." Zhu Gaoxu laughed so hard he slapped his thigh.

"Yeah, one pot after another. Didn't your senior brother notice back then? What a talent!" Xue Lu laughed.