Chapter 67: Inviting the Prince of Han to the Hall of Maitreya Buddha

Seeing the prayer beads in the old monk’s hand scatter across the floor, the three brothers standing at the doorway were also stunned.

"Master, what are you...?" Zhu Zhanji blurted out immediately, looking at the old monk with complete confusion.

The old monk stared blankly at the three imperial grandsons standing at the entrance, motionless as a wooden chicken, before finally recovering his wits a moment later.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing. The fate of these prayer beads has reached its end; it was a trial they had to face. Please come in, three Imperial Grandsons," the old monk said in a deep voice, after a brief stupor, lowering his head to look at the beads strewn across the floor before turning his gaze back to the three brothers at the door wearing gold, silver, and black blindfolds.

"Your junior, Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Zhanhe, and Zhu Zhanpu, have come here by imperial decree to offer prayers for blessings. Please give your instructions, Master," Zhu Zhanji and the other two said, quickly bowing after seeing the old monk snap out of his daze, and stating the formal purpose of their visit today.

"Since the three Highnesses are here to pray for blessings, as a token of sincerity, this poor monk will make bold to arrange things," the old monk said with a slight nod.

"Requesting the Imperial Grandson to offer prayers in the Great Hero Hall!"

"Requesting the Prince of Han to offer prayers in the Maitreya Buddha Hall!"

"Requesting the Prince of Zhao to offer prayers in ক্লাn the Hall of the Medicine Buddha!"

"Please go ahead, my three Highnesses. There are novice monks waiting at the entrance to guide you. Please proceed first. Shortly, this poor monk will also visit each hall respectively to assist your Highnesses in conducting the prayers!" Without rising, the old monk finished speaking and directly made a gesture of seeing them off.

The old monk's actions left the three brothers of Zhu Zhanji startled, but they bowed respectfully and backed out.

Outside the door, guided by a novice monk, Zhu Zhanhe arrived at the Maitreya Buddha Hall.

Speaking of praying for blessings, in reality, nobles like them always had people to assist them; there was no need for them to do anything themselves. He would simply rest on the sidelines and watch others perform the rituals!

On the other side, the old monk Yao Guangxiao still stared blankly at the scattered prayer beads, remaining speechless for a long time before finally letting out a sigh of emotion.

"Unjust debt, retribution!" The old monk suddenly cried out loudly about retribution, though it was unclear whom he was rebuking!

As it turned out, just a moment ago, upon hearing the commotion at the entrance and finishing his recitation of Buddhist scriptures, the old monk had turned his head just in time to see the three brothers stepping inside.

The three brothers stepped in simultaneously, but the very first thing that caught the eye were the blindfolds worn by the three of them, leaving no time for the old monk to feel puzzled.

In an instant, the color of heaven and earth shifted. Dark clouds suddenly obscured the sun, yet this lasted for merely a fraction of a second before the dark clouds began to disperse and vanished entirely in the blink of an eye, as if the whole thing were an illusion.

Yet in that very same instant, a beam of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds that had shielded the sun and shone directly upon the three brothers.

Looking at the faces of the three brothers illuminated by the sunlight, the old monk was struck dumb with astonishment, unable to compose himself.

***

In a trance, the old monk felt as though his eyes were failing him or his mind had unraveled, as everything before him plunged into a terrifying illusion, and the three brothers before him underwent bizarre transformations!

On the left side appeared a golden dragon about a zhang in length; though somewhat illusory and appearing rather juvenile, it already possessed the momentum to soar straight up into the heavens!

On the right side appeared an illusory, silvery white snake, coiled motionlessly with a withered aura, bearing the ominous sign of premature death!

Most terrifying of all was the center position, where there appeared a black alligator dragon seemingly spanning the heavens and the earth. Immense beyond measure, its head and tail unseen, it roamed eternally across the universe, churning wind and clouds, utterly unconstrained! It opened its cavernous maw to roar wildly without restraint, and the massive dragon roar shook the soul, shattering courage and resolve!

The scene before him left the old monk's eyes vacant with shock. Unconsciously, he snapped the prayer beads in his hand, scattering them all over the floor.

The old monk stood in a daze for a moment.

Only after recovering his wits did the old monk temporarily alter his original plan of having the three imperial grandsons pray together, splitting them up and assigning them to three separate locations.

Zhu Zhanji was sent to the Great Hero Hall, symbolizing orthodoxy!

Zhu Zhanhe was sent to the Maitreya Hall, symbolizing the Future Buddha!

Zhu Zhanpu was sent to the Medicine Buddha Hall, symbolizing physical health and well-being!

"Retribution, what retribution! The cycle of cause and effect—nothing escapes it!" After shaking his head and muttering these words, the old monk did not bother to pick up the scattered prayer beads. Instead, with a solemn expression, he set off directly to investigate further.

First, the old monk arrived at the Great Hero Hall where Imperial Grandson Zhu Zhanji was praying. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the old monk rose and left.

Next, the old monk came to the Maitreya Hall where Prince of Han Zhu Zhanhe was praying.

Without alerting anyone, the old monk entered the room and saw Zhu Zhanhe sitting quietly in the side parlor, reading the *Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of the Maitreya Bodhisattva* with a serene yet majestic demeanor that brooked no profanation.

Noticing someone entering while he was reading the scripture, Zhu Zhanhe turned his head, recognized the visitor, and hurriedly laid down the scripture in his hand.

"Your junior, Zhu Zhanhe, pays respects to the Master," Zhu Zhanhe still held a great deal of respect for the old monk before him. After all, regardless of everything else, this man was the Black-Clad Prime Minister—Yao Guangxiao—who had helped his grandfather seize the empire!

Moreover, he was also a beneficiary of this Campaign of Jinnan; otherwise, he would merely be the son of a commandery prince right now. But now, he was truly the son of a Prince of the First Rank—the Prince of Han! The gap between the two was incomparable!

"You are too polite, Prince of Han. This old monk has just come from the Grandson's quarters and specifically came to see if the Prince of Han has any requests, only to find Your Highness reading Buddhist scriptures upon entering," Yao Guangxiao spoke with a very affable manner, though the moment he entered, his eyes remained fixed on Zhu Zhanhe's blindfold, staring at it repeatedly.

"You flatter me, Master. We came here by imperial decree, and since we are unversed in routine affairs, we naturally follow the Master's arrangements.

As for reading Buddhist scriptures, it is simply a matter of doing as the locals do when entering a place, to look up to the wisdom of our predecessors!" Zhu Zhanhe's reply was watertight.

***

"Might I ask what Your Highness has gleaned from your reading?" Yao Guangxiao pressed further, his gaze growing increasingly sharp.

"In reply to the Master, your junior has previously studied the classics of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Confucianism teaches us to take up responsibilities, Buddhism teaches us to let go, and Taoism teaches us non-action (*wuwei*). Does not the existence among these three precisely embody the principles of human conduct?!" Zhu Zhanhe was equally unyielding; when it came to speaking in riddles, he feared no one! Besides, as long as he could stall past today, anything would do!

"Such profound wisdom, Your Highness!" Hearing Zhu Zhanhe's words, Yao Guangxiao stared intently into Zhu Zhanhe's eyes, as if trying to glean something from them. Suddenly, his brow furrowed deeply as he uttered a dazed word of praise. The old monk seemed to have caught sight of something, yet remained unable to confirm it!

"Might this old monk perform bone-reading for the Prince? This old monk's bone-reading is quite accurate," Yao Guangxiao suddenly began to recommend his own specialized skill.

These words made Zhu Zhanhe hesitate slightly. From the development of events up to this moment, he clearly understood that everything before him was a trial—or more accurately, a test—arranged by his grandfather, the Yongle Emperor, for the three of grandsons!

"Rest assured, Your Highness, this poor monk will be very careful," Yao Guangxiao said with a smile, stepping forward slowly.

"Of course you may, but your junior suffers from a medical eye condition, so please forgive me, Master," Zhu Zhanhe smiled and offered a reminder, knowing full well that today's hurdle could not be avoided.

Immediately, he slowly closed his eyes, reached up to remove his blindfold, and held it in his hand.

Suddenly, Zhu Zhanhe felt a pair of warm hands groping and moving across his head—first at the back of his skull, pausing slightly, then moving upward all the way to the crown of his head.

Pausing once more, the hands moved to his forehead, then his eye sockets, brow ridges, cheekbones, cheeks, ears, nose, and chin, finally tracing a straight line from his chin up along his philtrum back to the nape of his neck and collar.

"Finished," a gentle voice rang out, indicating that Yao Guangxiao's bone-reading had concluded. Zhu Zhanhe intended to open his eyes directly, but a sudden thought crossed his mind, and he hastily kept them shut instead.

However, Yao Guangxiao before him seemed to have caught a glimpse of something through that narrow slit of closed eyelids. With a loud "thump," he was so startled that, completely forgetting his status, he sat flat down on the floor.

Zhu Zhanhe gave a start, but calmly put his blindfold back on, opened his eyes, and adjusted the covering.

Having put the blindfold back on properly, Zhu Zhanhe saw Yao Guangxiao seated on the floor before him, pointing a trembling finger at him in terror, his mouth agape and unable to utter a single word!

As it turned out, sitting flat on the ground, Yao Guangxiao had managed to confirm his earlier suspicion through the area beneath the blindfold!

*Dragon eyes?!*

Yao Guangxiao cried out in the depths of his heart!