Xie Ming

The informant quickly relayed the message, and the novice monk hurriedly delivered it to the old monk.

Dao Lai was imprisoned, and a great upheaval occurred in the palace.

The Imperial Guards locked down the city because the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been detained.

Each and every one of these events has gradually led the situation into a desperate situation.

When asked to leave, the disciple Huineng was anxious and complained.

Seeing the situation, Hongren reassured him, and he made a firm decision in the face of danger.

"Neng'er, things have come to this point, success or failure may be right before our eyes!"

"To turn the tide and achieve great success, I fear that only you and I, master and disciple, will be left to personally take the lead."

"Come here, listen carefully."

"At this critical moment, when all is lost, I have considered that I may still be able to accomplish three things."

During the conversation, Yao Zuyin, as was his habit, deliberately made things mysterious by sticking out three fingers.

Look, Huineng is bewildered and hastily asks for help.

"Uh, what, what three things?" the novice asked.

When his disciple inquired, Yao Zuyin took a deep breath and became quite serious.

"kindness"

"In my opinion, the young emperor and the three young princes have died together this time."

"That's why the Southern Party reacted so quickly."

"Then we cannot rule out the possibility that it was because Qiu Xiaoyou acted carelessly and his scheme was exposed."

"And this, ah, the Imperial Guards got involved, and they immediately sealed off all four city gates."

"Neither can go out from inside, nor can they come in from outside."

"Could it be that they're going to pull some kind of secret death ploy to specifically target Ogawa?!"

First, analyze the suspicions and make plans, then explain the words so that Huineng can understand them.

Then, the arrangement began.

"Neng'er, we must be wary of such a treacherous scheme."

"Therefore, the first and foremost thing must be to find a way to get out of the city as soon as possible."

"Inform Ogawa about this terrible change in the weather as soon as possible."

“As long as others lead their troops abroad and remain steadfast, then even if Qiu Xiaoyou and I are sacrificed, it won’t affect the overall situation or cause any harm.”

Unexpectedly, Yao Zuyin first devised a desperate plan to survive by cutting off an arm.

Upon hearing this, how could the young novice monk Huineng possibly accept it willingly?!
So he spoke hastily, wanting to intercept this thought.

“Master, you…” Huineng said unwillingly.

However, judging from his tone, Yao Zuyin clearly knew his disciple's temperament and, for the sake of future succession, quickly waved his hand to stop the other party from interrupting and continued speaking.

"Hey, it hasn't come to that yet. I'll just be cautious and tell you the worst-case scenario first."

"Just hear me out."

"This matter of leaving the city is of utmost importance, but you must do it last."

"As for what to do first..."

"The first step is to quickly find Lu Wen." The old monk held up one finger.

"We must be quick. Even if we are exposed, it won't matter much."

"Let him go and do two things in the city first."

"One thing: do your best to mediate and see if you can arrange for someone to go to the prison so that he can at least meet with Qiu Xiaoyou."

"Alas, the situation has deteriorated to this extent."

"Think about it, if Qiu Xiaoyou had heard even half a word beforehand, he certainly wouldn't have obediently surrendered in the government office without even having the chance to entrust a message later."

"The reason I want to see him is to put whether or not to save him on hold for now."

"Right now, we need to find out whether he still has any capable people in the city, and whether they can be used by me. That's the most important thing."

"After all, our strength is too weak to accomplish anything, big or small."

"Without external help, we can't move an inch."

The old monk Yao Zuyin was always shrewd, never concerned with the gains or losses of a single city or battle, and his plans and actions were decisive and ruthless.

At present, to safeguard the overall situation, Qiu Zhizhong's safety can be postponed.

Even when success is just around the corner, those who are destined for great things never indulge in sentimentality, nor do they possess the short-sightedness of heroes or the compassion of women.

Upon hearing this, Huineng, who was standing before him, also gritted his teeth and spat out.

“Yes, I understand. I’ll go find Brother Lu Wen. If possible, I’ll personally go down to the dungeon to ask him.” Huineng appeared capable and efficient. However, Yao Zuyin immediately rejected his suggestion.

No, that's not possible.

"You can't take risks like this anymore."

"Send Lu Wen to go."

"Success or failure is at hand. Why stay out of it? If my plan fails, the entire Yao family will be buried with me."

"Once the momentum has been established, there will be no turning back."

The old monk's resolute expression showed that he was ruthless not only towards others, but also towards himself.

The name "evil monk" is truly fitting.

"This" was a sentiment Huineng should have tried to persuade.

The old monk Hongren, having made up his mind, no longer hesitated.

He dispelled the novice's worries, went his own way, and without pausing for long, continued to explore, finding a second finger.

"The second matter concerns the Wang family."

"Well, if Qiu Weizhen, Ma Shiying and their ilk really were targeting Xiao Jingchuan, then they resorted to this desperate measure of sealing off the city."

"Then, I'm afraid the family members of the Duke of Ogawahara's household will..."

"Phew—" He let out a sigh.

"Think about it, he's only been married for a year, and the princess is pregnant right now."

"If Qiu, Ma, and the others are truly despicable, they might control Princess Shen Yu'e and use her as a backup plan."

"Then, Xiaochuan will bring his troops to the border and refuse to submit obediently."

"It's hard to predict whether these weak and uneducated people will turn ruthless and use his wife and children to blackmail him."

He paused, his expression becoming even more troubled and sorrowful.

"But alas, our abilities are truly limited at present."

"It is probably impossible to protect the princess."

"Just do your best, and hope that you can only do your best and leave the rest to fate."

"Therefore, Lu Wen will have to make a special trip to handle this matter."

"Tell him to go find someone."

"As for the friendship between colleagues, we don't have much of a choice at this moment."

"Tell Lu Wen to go find Qin Jing."

At this point, Huineng seemed to have suddenly realized the significance of this scheme.

The old monk continued without stopping.

"After all, he came from the south and has been under Ogawa's command for some time."

"Through wind and rain, I've faced life and death several times."

"Let him handle this matter."

"Protect everyone in the Prince's Palace, especially the Princess."

"Explain with reason and appeal to emotions."

"Perhaps... perhaps out of gratitude for being recognized and helped, they'll be willing to do this favor."

Yao Zuyin meticulously calculated the hearts and minds of the people, resorting to risky moves only when absolutely necessary.

"Okay, I understand."

"Once these two tasks are completed, I will immediately return to report to my master and inform him." Huineng clearly remembered this and responded crisply.

But once again, Yao Zuyin resolutely refuted his point.

"Oh, no, no, no need, no need."

"These two matters are enough for you to tell Lu Wen."

"Once the message is delivered, do not stop, and there is no need to concern yourself with the result."

“Twenty steps east of the northwest corner of the city wall in Hangzhou, there are prepared weapons.”

"It's in a wooden box under a stack."

"Tonight, disguise yourself and make sure Lu Wen finds an opportunity to take you there."

"Scaling over the city wall, a message is urgently sent north, covering eight hundred li!"

The old monk Yao Zuyin disregarded his own safety and, in this perilous situation, devoted himself entirely to helping Xiao Chuan. However, he was wary of Xiao Chuan falling into a trap, lest all his efforts be in vain.

(End of this chapter)