Daming: Grandpa Emperor, please get up and sit on my throne!

"Oh? Are you worried?"

"I wonder what His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan is worried about?" He didn't know whether Monk Jingru didn't understand the meaning of his words, or what, but after hearing Monk Youfang say this, he just asked calmly.

The wandering monk frowned slightly.

He looked around again. The place was too empty to hide anyone, and there was no one nearby. The wandering monk's eyelids trembled slightly. "Master Jingru, please don't joke with me. You and my master were both candidates for the imperial monk recruitment. We once stayed up all night long, holding candles, discussing Buddhism. My master once said that you are a very intelligent person."

Jingru Monk smiled meaningfully.

He raised his hand and bowed slightly, saying, "Master Daoyan's Buddhist teachings are profound, and I respect you from the bottom of my heart. But when it comes to other things, I am completely clueless."

He didn't point it out directly.

But he refused.

It was obvious that he understood what the wandering monk meant. He even heard clearly the deeper meaning hidden in the other party's greeting to King Zhou.

He did have some friendship with Monk Daoyan, and the two of them knew each other. This was why Daoyan dared to take this route - it was unexpected, secretive, natural, and safe and reliable.

The wandering monk seemed to have anticipated this, and there was no trace of regret on his face.

Instead, he raised his eyebrows and said, "Let's not talk about this matter for now. I wonder what Master Jingru thinks of the current situation in Nanzhili?"

Monk Jingru stood with one hand raised, facing the wind, without saying a word.

The wandering monk paused, then began to speak to himself, "Even in Peking, I've heard a thing or two about the new emperor. Since ascending the throne, he's been acting recklessly. He even dares to act outrageously in front of the late emperor's spirit, and he's also fond of studying strange and illicit techniques... He truly doesn't look like a wise leader."

"It's only late autumn now, so it's not extremely cold."

"But what will we do when winter comes? The court has spent all its money on entertainment. Will there be money for disaster relief when winter comes?"

"Master Jingru is a great monk, doesn't he have compassion in his heart?"

While speaking, Monk Youfang had been staring intently at Monk Jingru. When he saw the other monk's calm eyes finally flicker, a smile curved at the corner of his mouth, and he felt a slight sense of certainty in his heart: "Master is indeed a master of predictions."

Without waiting for Monk Jingru to say anything more.

He continued to strike while the iron was hot:

"If it were just that, it would be fine, but I've been traveling all the way through this Southern Zhili area and have noticed that the 'Industrial Department' established by the current emperor not only studies strange and ingenious techniques, but has also occupied an entire royal manor and plundered numerous plants and vines from the wilds and mountains..."

"Now the people of Nanzhili are complaining bitterly."

"Master Jingru has also traveled extensively. He knows that in the cold winter, the common people keep warm by simply stockpiling wild plants and vines and burning them for warmth. Even so, many people still freeze to death every winter."

"However, the new emperor has dug up this very road for the people just for his own amusement. Master Jingru, do you think the Ming Dynasty still has a future?"

The wandering monk suppressed his voice, but he could not help being angry when he spoke.

Seeing that the expression on Monk Jingru's face was no longer calm, he felt even more relieved.

He remembered what his master had told him: Although Master Jingru is a person who practices Buddhism wholeheartedly and does not care about external things, he always has the compassion of Buddha in his heart. If you can appeal to his emotions and move him with reason, he will definitely be willing to be the person who delivers the message.

And after arriving in Nanzhili.

He just found out.

The new emperor of the Ming Dynasty has done something outrageous again - snatching firewood from the people...

If it was just the so-called crime of "losing one's ambition due to indulgence in trivial matters", it would be fine. At least the mistakes would not fall on the people for the time being. The ones who would react most strongly would be the upright officials and censors in the court.

But this matter is different.