Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 525: Disgusted Prayer
Zhu Yi looked at Bian Ji. He had very complicated feelings towards this great monk beside Xiao Yan.

As an ally, Bian Ji is undoubtedly reliable.

But this monk is mysterious and can also make people feel scared.

The legend of Fotucheng's secret techniques made Zhu Yi feel that no one had any secrets in front of this great monk, so he unconsciously kept a distance from Bian Ji. Unless it was the most critical moment, Zhu Yi would not want Bian Ji to help.

Bianji said:

"To untie the bell, one must find the person who tied it. To solve the problem of the crown prince's grandson, we must start from the root."

"Start with the roots?"

This sentence puzzled Zhu Yi. This monk spoke without any context and was always trying to be sarcastic!
This is also one of the reasons why Zhu Yi hated asking Bian Ji for advice.

This time, Bian Ji did not embarrass Zhu Yi, but said:

"Noble Concubine Ding."

Zhu Yi was horrified.

Concubine Ding was the mother of Crown Prince Xiao Tong.

Xiao Yan's wife, Xi Hui, had died before he ascended the throne.

This Concubine Ding was the mother of Crown Prince Xiao Zong. She also gave birth to the third prince Xiao Gang and the fifth prince Xiao Xu. She was the most favored concubine in the early days of Xiao Yan's reign.

Bian Ji said that he wanted to start with the imperial concubine, which made Zhu Yi feel scared. Since ancient times, attacking the emperor's concubines has always been an extremely risky thing.

What's more, although Concubine Ding's family had no power, she at least gave Xiao Yan three sons.

Is Bian Ji crazy?
Bianji continued:

"When Concubine Ding was pregnant with the crown prince, she dreamed that she got an object called a 'wax goose'."

"Concubine Ding asked a Taoist priest to interpret her dream, and the interpreter told her that this was a sign that the prince she would give birth to in the future would "go away."

"In order to avoid disaster, after Xiao Tong was born, Concubine Ding immediately sent someone to find an alchemist, buried a "wax goose" in the tomb of her recently deceased mother, and performed a ritual of praying in the hope of preventing the dream from coming true."

After listening to Bian Ji's words, the expression on Zhu Yi's face changed from surprise, confusion, and then to ecstasy.

"Yanjiao" means praying to ghosts and gods through witchcraft. It is a folk art.

If an ignorant woman in the society prays for the safety of her child with "dirty prayers", it is not a big deal.

But this is not the common people, but the imperial palace!

"Yanzao" has another name - "witchcraft".

Although Xiao Yan was a devout Buddhist, the theory of alchemy was still popular at that time, and "prayer and witchcraft" still had a large market.

When you practice the art of "dirty prayer" in the imperial palace, who knows whether you are praying for the prince's safety or cursing the emperor?
The most famous example of this is the Witchcraft Rebellion caused by Emperor Wu of Han.

In short, practicing witchcraft in the palace was something that the emperor was very wary of.

Moreover, this matter is very easy to investigate. The wizards who practiced the magic back then can be easily found, and the palace servants who participated in the ceremony can also be tortured. The most important thing is that the witchcraft props are often buried underground, so they just need to be dug out.

During the Witchcraft Rebellion during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Jiang Chong falsely accused the crown prince and dug out a cursed figure under the main gate through which Emperor Wu of Han entered and exited the palace, thus successfully overthrowing the crown prince.

If Crown Prince Xiao Tong's mother, Concubine Ding, really practiced the art of "Yanzhu" in the palace, then Crown Prince Xiao Tong would be rejected by Xiao Yan. If the Crown Prince was rejected, then the Crown Prince's sons, that is, Xiao Yan's grandchildren, would also lose their inheritance rights.

In addition, Xiao Tong's brothers from the same mother, the third prince Xiao Gang and the fifth prince Xiao Xu, would also be disliked by Xiao Yan.

What about Xiao Yi, who had just been named King of Chu?

Zhu Yi's eyes lit up completely. Although this matter was an old one, Zhu Yi was in charge of the government, so it was not difficult to verify it. If he could really dig out evidence, he might be able to overthrow the prince's faction and support Xiao Yi to take the throne!

But the look in Zhu Yi's eyes when he looked at Bian Ji was even stranger.

This monk really has great powers. He knows all the palace secrets and it seems as if he has seen them with his own eyes.

Does this monk really have supernatural powers?
Zhu Yi thought about the dirty things he had done behind Xiao Yan's back. Did Bian Ji also see them?

He stood up and said:
"Thank you for your help, Master! I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future!"

Looking at Zhu Yi who was hastily saying goodbye, although Bian Ji did not have supernatural powers, he also understood what Zhu Yi was thinking.

However, as a spy planted by Su Ze inside Southern Liang, Bian Ji only learned about the "wax goose incident" through Su Ze, the time traveler.

In the historical timeline before Su Ze traveled through time, this incident was the key event that caused Xiao Zong's son to lose the right of inheritance. It was also the incident that caused Xiao Tong and Xiao Yan to fall out before his death. Even the death of Xiao Tong and his mother, Concubine Ding, seemed to be related to this incident.

This is a great opportunity for Su Ze.

During the crucial period of the struggle for hegemony in the north, a war of succession broke out within Southern Liang, leaving Southern Liang with no time to look north, allowing him to unify the north in peace.

Moreover, Xiao Yi is a typical person with great ambitions but little talent, a complete fool.

Although he himself had made considerable achievements in literature, he dabbled in a wide range of fields without being proficient in any of them, and was too opportunistic in his actions.

All in all, Xiao Yi was a guy who was more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything.

It is obvious that his becoming the crown prince of Southern Liang is more in line with the interests of Guanzhong.

After witnessing the absurd actions of Xiao Yan and his son, Bian Ji hoped even more that Su Ze could end this chaotic world as soon as possible so that the people could live a good life.

Amitabha.

Bian Ji clasped his hands together and prayed devoutly to the Buddha.

Not long after, Xiao Yan received Zhu Yi's secret report and sent the Partridge Agency, a special agency of Southern Liang, to investigate.

The result was that Xiao Yan was furious, and his favorite concubine, Concubine Ding, actually held a "Yanzhao" ceremony in the palace shortly after the birth of the prince!
Xiao Yan not only found the witch who had helped Concubine Ding perform the ritual, he also obtained confessions from the palace servants around Concubine Ding to testify to the incident!

Zhu Yi also used his influence to induce these wizards and palace maids to make confessions that were unfavorable to Concubine Ding. In other words, Concubine Ding buried a wax goose in her mother's tomb not only for the health of the prince, but also to use this ritual to extend the life of the prince with Xiao Yan's lifespan.

After hearing this, Xiao Yan became unusually furious.

Once people get older, they become obsessed with longevity.

As the emperor, Xiao Yan was old enough and had long lost his obsession with most things.

But my obsession with life span is growing. Who knows what the world after death is like?
Now that I am alive, I am an emperor whose words are law. What if I am not blessed enough and cannot be an emperor in my next life?

Xiao Yan's anger towards Concubine Ding reached its peak. He ordered people to dig up the tomb of Concubine Ding's mother, and sure enough, they found the skeleton of a wax goose in the tomb.

The throne of the Southern Liang Dynasty, which had been peaceful for decades, was once again in turmoil!
(End of this chapter)