120: A monk is not a monk, but a strong man.

“Your Emperor of Great Tang is quite easy to get along with, actually allowing a Monk like you to enter the palace at any time to meet him?” Nezha asked strangely, following behind Tang Ku, “Your status isn’t low at all!”

Tang Ku said, “His Majesty is inherently an enlightened and wise ruler, and he and I are sworn brothers, so such favor is natural. However, I think this time it’s not what you imagine!”

Recalling the general’s expression, which seemed to carry a hint of strangeness and difficulty in speaking, Tang Ku knew in his heart that there must be a problem, and a significant one at that.

His meaning seemed to be urging him to enter the palace to meet His Majesty; in other words, Li Shimin needed him for something.

And judging by the situation, it seemed this matter was quite serious!

Upon entering the imperial palace, the inner attendants, having received the report, came out to greet the group. A middle-aged close minister bowed to Tang Ku and said, “Holy Monk has finally arrived. Your Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time. There are some matters that are difficult to decide, and he still needs your help!”

Tang Ku knew this person; he had served him on his previous visits to the palace. This man was named Zhang Anan. Besides being a close minister to Li Shimin, his military prowess was also exceptional, and he had left a significant mark in history. He could be said to be skilled in both literary and martial arts.

“Lord Anan, why is Your Majesty so eager to see me?”

Tang Ku asked curiously.

“This!” Zhang Anan said with a bitter smile, “This humble official cannot answer… Hmm, you can speak with His Majesty about it yourself when you meet him!”

“Cannot answer, but it doesn’t mean you don’t know!”

Tang Ku nodded, “Understood. It seems this matter involves a lot, and you dare not speak, is that right?”

“Holy Monk, please forgive me!”

Zhang Anan bowed again, then led the group towards Daming Palace.

“Holy Monk, you’ve finally returned!”

Li Shimin’s expression was one of pleasant surprise as he descended the steps to greet him, grasping Tang Ku’s hand and saying, “Although you’ve only been gone for a few days, some changes have occurred in Chang'an… Uh, who are these distinguished individuals…?”

Li Shimin was famously courteous to worthy individuals, and Tang Ku was long accustomed to it. He chuckled and said, “Your Majesty, allow me to introduce… This is the great hero from folk legends, Nezha!”

Li Shimin was immediately startled: “Could it be that Nezha, who caused trouble in the Dragon Palace and extracted dragon tendons?”

Nezha looked embarrassed: “Uh, that vanguard general in the King Wu’s expedition against King Zhou was also me. The matter of extracting dragon tendons can actually be left unsaid.”

Tang King was overjoyed: “This is truly a Heavenly God descended to the mortal world! I have certainly broadened my horizons today… And these few are…?”

“This is a great powerful being. Your Poor Monk’s eldest Disciple, you have also seen him. His original title is Great Sage the Equal of Heaven, with vast Divine Ability and boundless magic power. Your Poor Monk’s journey to the West relied entirely on his protection to reach the Western Heaven and meet the Buddha. And this one, known as Bull Demon King, is my Disciple’s sworn elder brother. They are seven sworn brothers, and this one is the eldest. In terms of Divine Ability, he is even stronger than my eldest Disciple! And the one beside him is his wife, Princess Iron Fan, named Rakshasi, who is also an immortal with vast Divine Ability.”

Tang Ku didn’t dare to reveal Bull Demon King’s true identity, only saying that he had sworn brotherhood with Sun Wukong, which implicitly brought them closer.

Tang King was again startled, cupping his hands and saying, “You two are truly an immortal couple, admirable!”

Bull Demon King was boisterous, but Princess Iron Fan was polite. She nudged the old bull with her elbow, then curtsied slightly: “Your Majesty, you flatter us!”

Bull Demon King reluctantly cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, you flatter us!”

“This is my newly accepted Disciple, whose Buddhist name is Shi Jingmo. His combat power is extraordinary, and he can be called the greatest among warrior monks.”

Li Shimin saw that Shi Jingmo had an extraordinary appearance, with a hidden heroic spirit between his brows, and could not help but praise him: “Like a Buddhist Protector Vajra, awe-inspiring and majestic!”

“This one is the white horse that Poor Monk had before, who is also Ao Lie, Third Prince of the West Sea Dragon King, but due to various reasons, his soul is incomplete, so he has become this pitiful appearance. And as for the last one, Your Majesty must be very familiar with her…”

Tang Ku pointed at the last few people, smiling bitterly and helplessly: “Not long ago, the one Poor Monk captured…”

Li Shimin’s body trembled, and he immediately recalled something, clapping his hands and saying, “Such a captivating appearance, I should have thought of it long ago… Hmm, but, with her appearance, could it be… could it be that she has already…?”

Wu Zhen clasped her hands together and bowed to Li Shimin, saying, “Your Majesty, Poor Monk has now converted to Buddhism, taken Sanzang as Master, and my Buddhist name is Wu Zhen. Past events have long been forgotten. What happened to the Princess and the Consort before was truly not my intention, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!”

“Haha, no matter, no matter… This matter has long been put behind us… Hmm, however…” Li Shimin smiled, but then immediately became worried and said, “However, the events happening in Chang’an now, I don’t know… I don’t know if they are related to your Disciple, Wu Zhen…”

Wu Zhen quickly said, “Your Majesty, I did do some not-so-good things before, but… but I haven’t entered Chang’an since I left, and I hope Your Majesty…”

Tang Ku waved his hand, signaling her to calm down: “Listen to His Majesty finish. I believe it wasn’t you who did it!”

Saying that, he turned to Li Shimin again and said, “Your Majesty, what exactly has happened? Please speak clearly!”

“Holy Monk… This… This matter is indeed a bit difficult to speak of… Hmm, how about this, you all follow me to the imperial prison to see, and you will know what has happened…”

Li Shimin immediately gave orders to prepare the imperial carriage for the imperial prison.

Although the crowd didn’t understand why, they still followed beside the imperial carriage and went to the imperial prison together. As soon as they entered the imperial prison, Tang Ku and the others were startled.

In the cells, ninety-nine percent of those imprisoned were bald monks in monastic robes!

Of course, there were also some monks wearing lay clothes but with shaved heads and incense scars from Quit on their heads.

Tang Ku frowned slightly. About three or four tenths of the monks were from Jingtu Temple, and some were even his Personal Disciple.

“Your Majesty, what… what exactly is going on? Poor Monk is utterly bewildered now, and I hope Your Majesty can enlighten me!”

Tang Ku bowed to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin helplessly helped him up, then shook his head and said, “Let alone you, Holy Monk, even I am completely bewildered now… Hmm, let me put it this way: ninety-nine percent of the monks imprisoned here are guilty as charged. Among them, some stole property, some robbed passersby, some molested women on the street, some directly forced themselves upon married women… And even more, there’s a group of them who committed murder and arson… And according to the later investigation by Dali Temple, these monks were originally good monks, but for some unknown reason, they suddenly became a group of heinous villains!”

Everyone looked at Tang Ku with confusion, but Tang Ku suddenly frowned deeply. These Jingtu Temple monks normally strictly adhered to Buddhist teachings, and the precepts were like golden rules to them. He still couldn’t understand how they could have fallen to this state.

“Haha, Master Sanzang, let me explain it to everyone!”

A familiar voice rang out from inside the cell. A tall, handsome man with a slight stubble of hair stood up and bowed deeply to Tang Ku!