Subduing the Jade Rabbit in India (VI)

Meanwhile, the Jade Rabbit Spirit threw herself into Ao Tu's arms and cried pitifully.

Who among those who witnessed or heard this wouldn't feel a pang of sorrow and heartache?

Ao Tu gently patted the Jade Rabbit's back and asked, "What's wrong? What grievance have you suffered? Your father will settle things for you!"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit, her eyes red-rimmed, leaned against Ao Tu's chest, covering her face as she said:

"Father, your daughter has been proven innocent!"

Ao Tu exclaimed in surprise, "What!"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit wept, saying, "I was resting in my room when a monk barged in, so rude and reckless! My innocence... Waaah..."

The crowd roared in anger, "Which monk dares to be so bold!"

Ao Tu said, "Men, seal the palace gates and quickly arrest the lewd monk!"

A row of Royal Guards entered, carrying swords and knives.

The Jade Rabbit Spirit, weeping, said, "No need to capture him, I have already apprehended him on the spot, awaiting Father's judgment!"

Ao Tu said, "Alright! Bring the lewd monk up here!"

The crowd, their faces contorted with rage, shouted, "Bring the lecherous monk here!"

Bajie jumped up and shouted, "Bring him up!"

Wukong felt a sense of unease. Could that lewd monk be referring to his master?

Sure enough, several strong Palace Maids escorted Tang Sanzang into the hall and said, "Your Majesty, this is that lewd monk!"

Seeing this, the crowd was furious and pointed at Tang Sanzang, saying:

"You old monk, you said you were on imperial orders to Journey to the West, but all you did was take advantage of us in the Imperial Garden to do indecent things!"

Ao Tu shouted, "Tang Dynasty monk! I thought you were Reverend Monk and treated you well, but how could you secretly commit such despicable acts and ruin my Princess's reputation? What is your punishment? Guards, drag him out and execute him!"

Tang Sanzang was so panicked he almost lost his mind, and trembling, he kowtowed and said:

"Innocent! Innocent! It was only because the eunuch was in a hurry that he left me in the corridor. Seeing that it was getting dark, I was afraid of causing trouble, so I accidentally barged into the Princess's boudoir!"

Ao Tu shouted, "You audacious lewd monk, how dare you try to deny it! Why did you trespass into my daughter's room? It's clear you have wicked intentions, yet you try to deny it here!"

The candidates were enraged, shouting, "Kill him! Kill him!"

Tang Sanzang's lips trembled, and he couldn't explain it clearly.

Wukong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, my master is a highly Reverend Monk, the Imperial Younger Brother of the King Tang, and is by no means a wicked or immoral person. There must be some misunderstanding."

Sha Wujing said, "My master is Buddha's Disciple from the Western Heaven Paradise, single-mindedly focused on Journey to the West. How could he possibly be interested in your Princess's beauty!"

Bajie said, "My master would never covet beauty or wealth!"

At this moment, the eunuch who had previously led Tang Sanzang was brought in.

Ao Tu asked, "Why did you let the monk go, allowing him to break into the Princess's boudoir? Summon him immediately to avoid physical punishment!"

The eunuch dared not conceal the truth and kowtowed, saying:

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I had an urgent need to relieve myself; I had eaten something bad and was in dire need. I instructed the monk to wait for me in the corridor. I thought he was Holy Monk of the Tang Dynasty and must be virtuous, so I told him, 'This is a forbidden area of the palace, you must not wander about freely,' before I left. I never expected him to harbor such wolfish ambitions and despicable intentions, trespassing into the Princess's boudoir and committing this disrespectful act. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Upon hearing this, Ao Tu asked Tang Sanzang, "That lewd monk, is what he said true?"

Poor Tang Sanzang dared not lie and had to admit it.

The crowd was furious and rushed to report, "Your Majesty, the evidence is now irrefutable. It is clear that this monk coveted the Princess's beauty, and because he was old and could not compete with us, he resorted to such despicable means! He should be executed! He should be executed!"

Tang Sanzang knelt on the ground, sweat pouring down his face, and said in a panic, "Your Majesty, this humble monk is by no means a despicable person. It was because there were several Palace Maids walking in the corridor that I, as a monk, feared causing trouble, so I had to give way. I didn't see the path clearly for a moment, and that's how I mistakenly entered the Princess's residence."

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Nonsense. If you didn't harbor despicable intentions, why would you deliberately avoid me?"

Tang Sanzang was truly speechless with bitterness upon hearing this.

Ao Tu then asked, "What is that around your neck?"

Since being captured, Tang Sanzang had been in a state of panic and was unaware of the object around his neck. He replied, "It's Kasaya."

Ao Tu said, "Guards, bring it out!"

The Royal Guards stepped forward and pulled a red scarf from around Tang Sanzang's neck.

Ao Tu thought to himself that the Jade Rabbit was truly capable. He was the ruler of a country; even without evidence, he could convict someone, let alone now that there was evidence. He laughed and asked, "Is this Kasaya?"

Upon seeing this, the Jade Rabbit Ao Tu embraced Ao Tu Jade Rabbit Spirit, her beautiful face filled with sorrow and resentment, saying, "Father, that was my veil! He stole it while we were in the chaos!"

Tang Sanzang exclaimed in surprise, "No! No! This fell on this humble monk; this humble monk did not know!"

Ao Tu said, "You audacious Tang Sanzang, your lust is boundless! The evidence is irrefutable, yet you still dare to deny it! Execute him immediately!"

Everyone cheered.

Tang Sanzang was speechless, his face red with marks, his back covered with a veil, looking utterly disheveled. Even Wukong and his companions were at a loss for how to defend their master.

Wukong secretly made a hand seal, thinking that the only thing he could do now was to use Immobilization Spell to immobilize everyone and protect his master so they could escape first.

Here, the Jade Rabbit Spirit nestled close to Ao Tu's chest, her soft, delicate body radiating desire, yet her face wore an innocent, ethereal Fairy as she pleaded with Ao Tu, "Father, please don't kill him."

Ao Tu said, "The Princess is right. Beheading him is too lenient. We must use more severe punishments to uphold justice!"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit said, "No! No! Father! I think he is Tang Sanzang, and I've also heard that he is the Imperial Younger Brother of the Tang Emperor. Although he is despicable, if we kill him directly, wouldn't that cause enmity between our two countries and harm countless people?"

Upon hearing this, Wukong was somewhat surprised, thinking to himself that this Princess was actually quite polite. Seeing that there was a chance for things to turn around, he temporarily removed the Immobilization Spell from his hands.

Ao Tu asked, "What does the Princess mean?"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit, shy and timid, buried her head in Ao Tu's arms, sobbing softly to the outside world. In truth, she couldn't contain her lustful desires, sticking out her pink tongue and making mischievous noises.

Ao Tu secretly pinched the sole of her foot.

On the sole of her foot was a mark left by Ao Tu, meant to protect her from Wukong's Golden Eyes and prevent her from seeing through her Original Form. Wukong's inability to see through her true nature was due to that mark.

Now, when Ao Tu touched it, the mark lit up, revealing a White Lotus pattern. The heat made the Jade Rabbit tremble, and she dared not act strangely.

Outsiders, unaware of the reason, only heard the Princess's voice, which sounded like sorrow and weeping, and felt even more heartache for her.

The Jade Rabbit Spirit said, "My daughter's innocence and humiliation are minor personal matters; the relationship between India and the Great Tang, whether good or bad, is a matter of great importance and principle. How can we let the small matter cause us to lose sight of the greater good? Today, Father King is choosing Imperial Son-in-Law for me, and all those selected are virtuous and talented men of the nation. I was destined for marriage, but I lack the good fortune. Now that my innocence has been exposed by the Tang Dynasty monk, perhaps... perhaps... I should just give myself to him!"

After speaking, she couldn't stop her tears, her beautiful and delicate face buried in Ao Tu's arms, breaking everyone's hearts.

Ao Tu gently held the Jade Rabbit and said, "Daughter! I've wronged you! It was my fault for betrothing you to this old monk!"

The Jade Rabbit Spirit shook her head with tears in her eyes and said, "Father King, do not be ashamed, your daughter is not wronged!"

Everyone who saw this was heartbroken and filled with resentment.

Tang Sanzang cried out in panic, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! You mustn't! This humble monk is a Buddhism monk, how dare I be paired with someone of noble birth! Please pardon my master and me!"

Upon hearing this, before Ao Tu could even speak, the other candidates were so enraged that they gritted their teeth and began to curse loudly, with many stepping forward to beat Tang Sanzang.

"What a shameless, lecherous monk! He got the benefit, and now he dares to cause trouble here!"

Seeing this, Wukong and his two companions feared that Tang Sanzang would be beaten to death by the crowd, so they had no choice but to step forward to protect him.

Bajie himself against the back to block the punches and kicks of the crowd, and complained to Tang Sanzang:

"Master, what a brilliant idea! You told us to stay at the Courier Station while you went to the palace alone, supposedly to exchange travel documents, but you went and exchanged them in the Princess's boudoir! We were arguing about it, and you managed to pull off some kind of Spellcraft to turn raw rice into cooked rice. You're such a good master!"

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival

Let's celebrate a holiday.