Rescue the Bhikshu Kingdom (13)

Meanwhile, Tang Sanzang wanted to go to the palace to dissuade the King of the Bhikshu Kingdom.

Wukong transformed into Jiaoliao Insect and perched on Tang Sanzang's hat.

Tang Sanzang left the Courier Station, went up to the palace, and asked the Yellow Gate Official to announce his departure.

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom was overjoyed to hear that Tang Sanzang had come to see him.

"Elder Tang, your arrival is just in time! I am about to execute the traitors and rebels. Please, Elder Tang, come to the palace to witness this!

Tang Sanzang arrived at the foot of the steps and bowed in respect.

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom bestowed upon him a seat.

Tang Sanzang thanked the emperor but did not sit down.

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom asked, "Elder, why aren't you seated? Ah, I remember now, the Passbook must not have been stamped yet! Guards, bring the Precious Seal! After the Travel Permit is stamped, please stay in the city for a few more days, Elder, until you have witnessed the execution, before leaving the Journey Westward!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang's face showed compassion, and he bowed deeply, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble monk has come here to offer some kind advice!"

Seeing Tang Sanzang's appearance, the King of the Bhikshu Kingdom guessed that he had come to plead for mercy, and said with a hint of anger, "If the monk asks for gold and silver, give it to him; if he speaks ill of the state, kill him."

Tang Sanzang, upon hearing this, was not afraid and spoke:

"Your Majesty, the monk's words are kind and truly for your benefit. The Demon Evil have been banished, and Your Majesty and the State Altars are now secure. To open up Prisons at this time would only harm Your Majesty's own subjects. If Your Majesty could practice benevolence and forgive the sins of the people, all grievances would vanish, your Six Roots of Purity, and Great Wisdom at Ease. Conversely, killing concubines would cause chaos within the family; killing ministers would cause chaos within the country; killing common people would cause chaos within the State Altars. With the country and its people in turmoil, rebellion might even ensue."

Upon hearing this, the King of the Bhikshu Kingdom was greatly angered. His aged body pounded forcefully on the dragon throne, and he roared:

"Monk, I have treated you well, how dare you curse me? Kill a few concubines, and we can select more beauties in the future. Kill a few officials, will the world lack people willing to serve? Kill a few common people, will it cause widespread suffering and breed rebellion?"

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom kept refuting Tang Sanzang's words, unaware that the ministers in the palace were already filled with fear.

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom continued:

"I have heard a story. There was a woodcutter who went up the mountain to chop wood and tripped over Shitou. The next day, he went up the mountain and moved the Shitou that was tripping him. He could be considered a clever man. Today, the monk asks me to forgive those rebellious officials. Doesn't that mean I should trip over the Shitou twice?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang defended himself:

"Your Majesty, the rocks on the mountain have existed for a long time, they've been there, never moved. The woodcutter tripped over the Shitou not because of the Shitou themselves, but because he couldn't concentrate on watching the path ahead. This is the same situation Your Majesty is in now! It's easy for Your Majesty to move one Shitou, but there are endless Shitou on the mountain. If you can't see the real path, are you going to move all the Shitou? Is that something Your Majesty can do?"

The King of the Bhikshu Kingdom was at a loss for words and could not refute Tang Sanzang, which made him even angrier.

If he had won the argument, perhaps out of consideration for the monarch's dignity and for Tang Sanzang's sake, a few people might have been spared. Now, however, he has lost the argument and suffered a great loss of face in front of the court officials; how could he possibly be forgiven?

He then shouted sternly, "Impolite monk! Guards, throw him out!"

Upon seeing this, the courtiers thought to themselves that the Old King was so heartless that he even wanted to throw Tang Sanzang, who had saved him and restored the State Altars, out of the palace. They believed that the king would surely settle old scores and kill them in the future. While Tang Sanzang was still alive, they might still have a chance, but once Tang Sanzang was gone, they would surely die.

So all the ministers knelt down and begged the Old King to forgive the people and pardon their sins.

The Old King had long wanted to kill these people, but feared that if he killed them all, there would be no one to do the work. So he simply said, "Anyone who pleads for mercy will be considered a traitor and taken away to be executed along with them!"

Tang Sanzang earnestly advised, "Your Majesty! Now the Demon have been subdued, and the root of the trouble has been eliminated. What I and my ministers have said is all for Your Majesty's benefit!"

The Old King sneered:

"If you, monk, hadn't pleaded for them, I would have kept them imprisoned for a few more days until I had captured enough of the traitors before executing them all. Now that you've come to plead, I'll execute them immediately so you, monk, can witness it!"

Upon hearing this, Tang Sanzang wept uncontrollably.

Wukong said to Tang Sanzang's hat, "Master, this Old King is truly wicked! Don't be afraid, let Old Sun, go and save those suffering people!"

After hearing this, Tang Sanzang bowed to the Old King and left the Golden Hall.

Those ministers who pleaded for leniency were all arrested and escorted to the Execution Ground, where they were executed alongside the concubines, the Old Chancellor and other officials, as well as many young citizens who had been captured.

The Old King himself moved to the front of the building to view it.

Because of the large number of people and the hasty execution, there was no time to silence everyone, and many of the people cursed the Old King.

Upon hearing this, the Old King urged the execution to proceed.

Many of the soldiers carrying out the executions were reluctant to do it.

Upon seeing this, the Old King sternly ordered that the executions be carried out by a different group of soldiers.

After three batches of soldiers were replaced, and only under the threat of a hefty reward did the soldiers agree to carry out the execution.

This was also due to the Deer Spirit actions, which severed the royal bloodline. Otherwise, if even one person had stood up and said a word, the soldiers would have all supported a new ruler.

As the soldiers raised their swords, Wukong had already captured the local earth god, City God, Kitchen God, Underworld Official, the Six Ding and Six Jia, the Kirtimukha Sangharama, and others, and brought them into the air.

The gods asked, "Great Sage, what brings you here?"

Wukong said, "We are passing through the Bhikshu Kingdom today. Because we were misled by the words of the false king, the State Altars was thrown into chaos, causing many families to suffer. I cannot bear this, so I have asked you all to come and help us send these suffering people to the True King for safekeeping."

The gods asked, "Where is the True King?"

Wukong pointed and said, "That place with the Purple Qi is it!"

Upon hearing the order, the gods readily agreed and, together with Wukong, used their Supernatural Ability to create a Divine Wind.

A gentle wind. Yin Wind, its dark aura threatening to overwhelm; a gloomy fog obscures the sun and moon. At first, it was gentle and leisurely; then, it grew fierce and violent. From afar, it appeared as flying sand and stones; up close, it was like clouds obscuring the world. The wind swept in, bringing joy to all; the divine wind blew around, bringing smiles to faces. The traveler, using his Supernatural Ability, rescued those in distress, taking away countless prisoners. The King anxiously looked on, but could not see him in the endless wind.

After a while, the wind stopped.

The concubines, ministers, and commoners who were about to be punished were all taken to the Qinghua Manor.

The soldier in charge of the execution got up and said to the Old King:

"Your Majesty, a sudden Divine Wind blew everyone away!"

The Old King asked, "Can you see where it went?"

The soldier said, "The sandstorm is so dark it obscures the sun and moon, making it impossible to see anything. This must be a Divine Wind, a sign from heaven!"

The Old King angrily retorted, "Nonsense! Quickly search the entire city and capture him!"

The soldiers had no choice but to obey.

Wukong returned to the Courier Station.

Tang Sanzang hurriedly asked, "Wukong, what's wrong?"

Wukong said, "Don't worry, Master, I'll conjure a Divine Wind and send all those suffering people to the Demon's side!"

Tang Sanzang said, "That's good! That's good!"

Wukong said, "But that Tyrant isn't satisfied yet. He just issued another decree to search for and arrest more people!"

Tang Sanzang said worriedly, "Oh no! What should we do?"

Wukong said, "Master, don't worry. If he catches you again, I'll rescue you again."