Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game-Chapter 1235 - 551: The Vermilion Crown Prince, The Buddha Shows Saintliness_2
[But the temptation of the throne was too great. Should he usurp the throne and sincerely serve the Buddhas of the West, he might exchange it for boundless life, to rule over this mighty empire forever and ever...]
[The Crown Prince rolled over and saw that two men had appeared by his bed, not knowing when they had arrived!]
[He was horrified to death but forced himself not to make a sound, for if the other party could infiltrate the Wen Hua Hall silently and now stand so close, killing him would be as easy as flipping a hand.]
[The Vermilion Crown Prince feigned composure and said, "You two, visiting the Wen Hua Hall in the middle of the night, what urgent matters do you have with me?"]
[One of the two men was clad in a big red cassock, with a shiny bald forehead and a tall and robust stature resembling the Furious Diamond King Kong, except that this person’s face was too hideous and fierce...]
[As for the other person... The Crown Prince couldn’t see his face clearly but felt endless ’Buddha Light’ swirling around him. Being near this person brought peace to his heart and clarity to his spirit, involuntarily making one want to prostrate in worship.]
[Upon hearing this, the White Elephant Demon’s brow furrowed, and he yanked the Vermilion Crown Prince off the bed, pressing him down to kneel and pay respects despite his struggles.]
[He wanted to resist further but received a heavy slap across the face that left him dizzy and seeing stars.]
[Impudent! Not prostrating upon seeing the Buddha is an affront!]
[The Vermilion Crown Prince, still reeling, heard the thunderous rebuke of the Furious Diamond.]
[The Buddha?]
[The Vermilion Crown Prince almost laughed in scorn but then recalled many years ago during the grand Buddhas’ ceremony held by his father, the Emperor, when a Buddha from the West had descended to show His holiness; that Buddha, too, had an indistinct face, bathed in ’Buddha Light’.]
[This person... This person was indeed the great Buddha Himself!]
[Could it be that the Buddha knew of his seditious scheme and hence descended to eliminate evil Himself?!]
[A shiver ran through his body, and he immediately reacted, performing three prostrations and nine kowtows to the person whose face couldn’t be seen.]
[He saw the ’Buddha’ place a hand on his head, and a halo appeared behind revealing the peculiar visions of the cycle of the six paths, featuring the carefree Celestials and the filthy, foul Animals...]
[The Furious Diamond spoke coldly, "To disrespect the Buddha, one should be cast into the Animal Path, never to transcend for all eternity!"]
[The Vermilion Crown Prince was terrified, feeling death so close at hand.]
[He knocked his head on the ground ’thud thud thud’, blood streaming down, yet in his pain, he cried out, "Disciple has no intention of disrespecting the Buddha! Disciple offers incense and prays daily, with such sincerity, the sun and the moon can bear witness, never have I disrespected the Buddha!"]
[His legs trembling with fear, his words, however, were true.]
[The Crown Prince knew that the Emperor was but an administrator placed in this world by the Buddhas of the West Heaven. To usurp the throne, he must serve the Buddhas faithfully. Therefore, he bathed and offered incense daily, never missing a day to worship at the Mysterious Dome Palace.]
[The ’Buddha’ did not cast him into the Animal Path but spoke with compassion, "This child bears the countenance of an emperor and can hold the rivers and mountains, benefiting all beings and the common people."]
[Seeing what the Buddha said, the Furious Diamond quickly changed his tune and echoed loudly, "Now that the Vermilion Emperor has absconded overseas in search of immortals, ignoring the Buddhas of the West Heaven, such disrespect is unworthy of controlling Vermilion."]
[Since the Buddha said this man can benefit all beings, shall your disciple allow him to hold Vermilion?]
[The ’Buddha’ nodded slightly, then shook His head slowly, "Although this person bears the emperor’s demeanour, his nature still needs refining before he can be entrusted with responsibility. Great Merit Diamond, this task shall be managed by you and your junior brother, ’Homage to the Great Sacred Sarira King Buddha’.]
[After speaking, the Buddha transformed into a blinding ’Buddha Light’ and vanished.]
[The Vermilion Crown Prince could hardly believe his ears. He had almost been cast into the Animal Path to never transcend, and now, in just a few words from the Buddha, he was destined to hold Vermilion, to become the Vermilion Emperor?]
[It felt as though he had just fallen into the Eighteen Levels of Hell and then in an instant, was pulled up to the Western Paradise; it was truly indescribable.]
[The Vermilion Crown Prince hastily kowtowed in the direction where the Buddha had disappeared, vowing in his heart to devoutly serve the Buddha from now on, offering incense and worship day and night!]
[It wasn’t long before a handsome man holding a Vajra Pestle walked in, as if the stern defenses of the Forbidden City didn’t exist...]
[Immediately, the Furious Diamond greeted his junior brother and repeated the holy decree that the Buddha had just given.]
Homage to the Great Sacred Sarira King Buddha scrutinized it from head to toe until it felt thoroughly unnerved before speaking, "Since it is a decree from the Buddha, naturally, as a disciple, I must follow it accordingly."
"If this Vermilion Crown Prince can refine his character, he shall be allowed to become the Vermilion Emperor. If, however, he proves to be unsculptable rotten wood, we brothers shall find a suitable candidate and recommend them to the Buddha instead."
Upon hearing these words, the Vermilion Crown Prince was greatly alarmed. He knew all too well that a local official holds no sway against an incumbent; while the Buddha intended for him to become the Vermilion Emperor, you two were actually in charge of the matter, and if he failed to impress, you could cast him back into the Eighteen Levels of Hell.
The Vermilion Crown Prince immediately prostrated himself, knocking his head on the ground "thump, thump, thump" and said, "Great Buddhas, your disciple will surely perform well and not disappoint your high expectations."
You exchanged a glance with the White Elephant Demon, and the Senior Brother gave you a quiet thumbs-up.
Feeling the time was right, you helped the Vermilion Crown Prince up and inquired, "Does the Crown Prince know of a document known as ’Emperor Wu’s Daily Notes’?"
Emperor Wu showed no respect for the Buddhas, and the full extent of his sins is immeasurable. The ’Daily Notes’ cataloging Emperor Wu’s crimes had already been secretly destroyed, and the Daily Life Officer who wrote the document had also vanished without a trace.
Now, only the descendants of the Daily Life Officer have a fragmented hand-copied version...
"If the Crown Prince is willing to put righteousness before family ties, finds this Daily Life Officer’s descendant, and acquires the ’Emperor Wu’s Daily Notes,’ that would be a truly meritorious deed!"
The Vermilion Crown Prince would rather see his father thrown into the Animal Path by you two great Buddhas immediately; as for putting righteousness before family ties, he would not even hesitate if you two demanded he kill his father with his own hands.
When he heard of the ’Emperor Wu’s Daily Notes’ and the ’descendant of the Daily Life Officer,’ he fell into deep thought.
The Vermilion Crown Prince had long harbored rebellious thoughts and had taken special notice of the highly secretive ’Emperor Wu’s Daily Notes’ that had been kept in Wen Yuan Pavilion, accessible only to Emperor Wu.
No one knew what earth-shattering secrets were hidden within; later, Emperor Wu simply ordered the document destroyed, and the Daily Life Officer was secretly executed alongside it.
After musing for a while, the Vermilion Crown Prince said, "Although I was unaware that a handwritten copy survives, if the Daily Life Officer’s descendant is still alive, there’s a good chance I can find this person!"
"Great Buddhas, please wait here for a moment; I will go to the Household Department at once and search the registers to find this ’descendant of the Daily Life Officer.’"
"Come, follow me to the Household Department!"
The Vermilion Crown Prince cried out loudly, yet no guards responded for a long time.
You signalled to White Elephant Senior Brother with a glance, and the White Elephant Demon coughed twice and said, "I will accompany you."
With that, the two departed from Wen Hua Hall...
...
You waited in the hall for a long time until they finally returned. The Vermilion Crown Prince looked empty-handed and conflicted, while the White Elephant Demon had a stern expression.
The Vermilion Crown Prince brought you a piece of good news and a piece of bad news.
The good news was that he found a lead on the ’descendant of the Daily Life Officer’; the bad news was that this descendant was already dead.
After the Daily Life Officer was secretly executed, his descendants were sent into the palace to serve as eunuchs.
The eunuch served the Empress’s favored concubine, Xianfei, who sadly was barely in the palace for long before Xianfei found a reason to have him beaten to death...
Upon hearing this, you immediately asked the Vermilion Crown Prince, "Where is this Xianfei now, and which palace does she currently reside in?"
Without hesitation, the Vermilion Crown Prince replied, "Xianfei has already accompanied my father to sea, and what’s left in the harem are all the unfavored concubines."
"Xianfei originally presided over Jingren Palace in the East Six Palaces, but now the Xianfei in the palace is nothing but a puppet..."
"Lead the way!" you commanded with a wave of your hand, stating it as a fact, not a question.
The Crown Prince’s eyes bulged; although he was audacious enough to summon beautiful concubines for illicit affairs into the night, the thought of directly intruding into the harem was akin to slapping Emperor Wu’s face.
With the fake puppet Emperor Wu still in power, a break into the harem could lead to unimaginable consequences if discovered...
