361 Ten Strokes of the Rod
Ye Yuncang immediately went to look for Ouyang Pei that day and told him, “Build a temple for my disciple.”
Ouyang Pei, who was packing his luggage, asked, “Are you alright?”
Why build a temple for no reason?
Moreover, their West Wind Nation did not hold Buddhism in high esteem. Instead, Daoism flourished.
“Build it bigger and dedicate it to the Queen Mother, the Jade Emperor, Taibai Jinxing, and so on.” Ye Yuncang listed out a bunch of Deity names.
Ouyang Pei could not help but say, “Forgive me for being blunt, but these are all Daoist Deities. I’m afraid you’re not talking about Buddha or Guanyin Bodhisattva.”
“In any case, just include everyone. There’s no conflicts in worshiping Daoist Deities or the Bodhisattvas. Aren’t they all merciful and magnanimous? They won’t care about these details,” Ye Yuncang said. “Moreover, Buddhists or Daoists, and even those who don’t know where to go, can all come to us.”
Ouyang Pei: “…”
He felt that when the time came, those who believed in Buddhism and Daoism would fall silent.
Originally, Ouyang Pei did not want to help the evildoer like this.
However, Ye Yuncang said, “If you want to look for Ruan Ruan’s child, I can help you, as long as you help me build the temple.”
Ouyang Pei immediately said righteously, “It’s too hurtful to talk about conditions. I’m mainly a warm-hearted person. It can’t be helped. I’ve been a general for a long time and have this virtue.”
Hence, Ouyang Pei put down his luggage and turned to leave, planning to enter the palace to chat with the Emperor.
The Emperor was already 53 years old this year, but he was still in his prime. He was still energetic, and even had an imposing aura.
After hearing Ouyang Pei’s request, he could not help but throw the jade seal in his hand.
“Ridiculous! This is simply ridiculous!” The Emperor was furious. “How can we put them together! Someone, drag this ignorant Ouyang Pei out and give him ten strokes of the rod.”
The 30-year-old crown prince, who was pretending to be in the background, silently turned his head away, afraid that he would be implicated.
Ouyang Pei took the jade seal calmly and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, don’t be anxious. I haven’t finished speaking. This isn’t something I wanted to build. It’s just that brat from the Ye Family who has returned. He said that he saw a child who looks very similar to Ruan Ruan. In the past few months, I’ve been asking around and have roughly confirmed that if that person is Ruan Ruan’s descendant, she should have wandered into the Great Chang Nation.”
When the old emperor heard this, he could not sit still anymore. He leaned forward, his hands trembling. “Are you serious?!”
Even the crown prince, who was watching the show at the side, stood up with an anxious expression. “General Ouyang, don’t joke around. Is it really Ruan Ruan’s child?”
Ouyang Pei said, “I only have this piece of news, but I’ll have to personally go and take a look to see if it’s true. I can’t trust anyone else, so I’ll have to ask Your Majesty and the Crown Prince to take care of the newly built temple during this period of time.”
The old emperor waved his hand. “Alright, we’ll do as you say. Let the Imperial Astronomer choose a good day and start work immediately. I think the location can be beside your house. Didn’t you raid a manor there? I think you should find it unlucky too. Why don’t we build a temple there so that it can exorcize evil?”
Ouyang Pei: “…” He did not think that it was bad luck.
“Your Highness Crown Prince, I’ll leave this matter to you. The money will be deducted from my private savings.” The Emperor said.
“Alright,” the Crown Prince replied.
The smile on Ouyang Pei’s face was very forced. “Your Majesty is wise.”
If his father found out about this when he returned, his b.u.t.t would probably explode.
Even if he was already the father of a child.
Unexpectedly, the old emperor continued, “Since Minister Ouyang already knows the whereabouts of Ruan Ruan’s child, why didn’t you report it earlier? You’re deceiving the Emperor. Someone, drag General Ouyang out and give him ten strokes of the rod!”
The Crown Prince turned his head silently.
Ouyang Pei: !!!