Sun Wukong vaguely recognized that this old monkey was the same little monkey who had supported him to become the Monkey King.
However, hundreds of years have passed, and the little monkey has grown old. Fortunately, when Sun Wukong went to the underworld to tamper with the Book of Life and Death, he tore all the monkeys' birth books to shreds.
Back then, when they wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, all the monkeys on the mountain either died or ran away, leaving only a few big and small cats behind.
"Your Majesty, you...you've finally returned..."
The old monkey darted out from behind the water curtain, knelt before Sun Wukong, and wept bitterly.
"Alright, alright, I'm back. Get up and talk to me now!"
Sun Wukong helped the old monkey, who was crying and sniffling, to his feet and offered a word of comfort.
"Tell me, how many monkeys and their offspring are left on the mountain? Where are they hiding? I, Old Sun, haven't seen them at all."
This is what puzzled Sun Wukong.
"Your Majesty, you've finally returned..."
The old monkey continued to ramble on about what had happened on Flower Fruit Mountain over the years.
It turns out that ever since Sun Wukong stormed the Heavenly Palace and was suppressed by Buddha under the Five Elements Mountain, all the monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain have been in great trouble.
At first, they didn't know where Sun Wukong was, but they weren't worried. After all, Sun Wukong would go out and have fun every now and then, and they were used to it.
Unexpectedly, one day, countless heavenly soldiers and generals descended from the sky, led by Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.
They killed any demons they saw, their methods cruel and ruthless. When the old monkey saw that something was wrong, he had no choice but to lead the remaining monkeys into the Water Curtain Cave, thus escaping disaster.
They were able to escape disaster because the inner curtain cave could block the detection of divine sense.
After the heavenly soldiers and generals slaughtered all the monsters on the mountain, they also set off a heavenly fire, burning all the trees on the mountain to ashes.
Later, the surviving monkeys lived in the Water Curtain Cave, afraid to go out for fear of bringing trouble upon themselves.
"Your Majesty, avenge our children! They died such a terrible death!"
The old monkey beat his chest and stamped his feet, wailing and crying uncontrollably.
"Come on, take me to see the children first!"
Sun Wukong nodded heavily and said to the old monkey.
It's impossible for it to storm the Heavenly Court and settle scores with Li Jing based solely on the old monkey's one-sided account.
After being imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for six hundred years, even a pig would know some of the coldness and warmth of human relationships.
"Very well, Your Majesty, please come in!"
The old monkey nodded repeatedly and led the way.
Sun Wukong followed behind and entered the Water Curtain Cave.
…………
In the Southern Continent, in the Great Xin Empire, the capital city is Chang'an.
The Imperial City, Weiyang Palace.
Emperor Wang Jiande sat high on the golden throne, and the ministers below paid homage to him, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" like a roaring mountain.
"If you have something to report, speak now; if not, the court is adjourned!"
The eunuch standing below the steps shouted loudly.
Left Minister Du Ruhui stepped forward and said, "Your subject has a memorial to present!"
"What is it, Minister Du? Speak!"
Wang Jiande nodded, agreeing to his request to report.
Du Ruhui bowed and said, “Your Majesty, there are barbarian tribes from beyond the borders who disregard the fundamental principles of ruler and subject, father and son, and use the three evil paths and six realms to deceive and lure the people! They pursue past sins while hoping for future blessings; they chant Sanskrit to try to escape punishment! They are the greatest traitors to the nation!”
"I have heard that there are people from the Hu clan who are incredibly audacious and have infiltrated the palace, intending to deceive Your Majesty and open the door for the Hu clan to invade the entire country. Fortunately, the Emperor Taizu was divinely inspired and the Imperial Tutor was supernaturally powerful, and this evil person was captured."
"However, the actions of the Hu family are tantamount to provoking our Great Xin. If they are not punished, where will the dignity of our Great Xin be? Where will His Majesty's dignity be?"
"Therefore, I request that all temples in the country be destroyed, the monks expelled from the temples, and troops be dispatched beyond the borders to wipe out the barbarian sects, so as to set things right!"
quiet!
A deathly silence!
After Du Ruhui finished his memorial, the only sound in the hall was the breathing of the ministers; no one spoke.
In the past, many ministers only occasionally heard rumors that His Majesty the Emperor had been ambushed by Buddhist monks and almost fell victim to their scheme, but fortunately, the all-powerful Imperial Tutor saw through it.
This is the first time that the Left Prime Minister has brought it up openly and aboveboard, and it's a groundbreaking start.
Suppress Buddhism!
Even though Buddhism is small and weak in the Great Xin Kingdom, or even practically nonexistent, is it really a good idea to rashly wage war against a powerful force?
This is the thinking of many lower-ranking officials.
However, for many department-level officials, this matter had already been communicated, and they were actively preparing for the war. This was the will of the Taizu Emperor, and no one was allowed to disobey it.
Now, it's simply a matter of making it public.