NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 378
At that moment, Master Liaochen of the Buddhist Sect stood up with a solemn expression and said, “Amitabha! Congratulations to Great Xia for gaining another Great Grandmaster. This poor monk will substitute tea for wine and toast to Your Majesty!”
“Thank you, Master Liaochen!”
Lin Beifan drank the toast and then said with a smile, “Actually, your Buddhist Sect is not too shabby either! Apart from Master Liaochen, you have another Great Grandmaster! Your sect truly has a profound foundation, and I have great respect for it!”
Upon hearing this, Master Liaochen and Master Jiechen felt a bitter taste in their stomachs and felt so wronged they wanted to cry.
Indeed, the Buddhist Sect had another Great Grandmaster, but this one was elusive, appearing when they least needed him, acting rashly and causing them to take the blame for one thing after another, which they still couldn’t clear their name from.
And when they needed him the most, this Great Grandmaster would hide his skills and fame, nowhere to be found.
Damn it, is this still human behavior?
They had become scapegoats!
If it weren’t for their respect for the other party, they would have wanted to curse out loud.
The conversation continued in a light-hearted manner. Mainly, it was Lin Beifan, Li Tiancheng, and Shenxu Taoist Master chatting while the others watched.The other guests watched as these two old adversaries from centuries past now exchanged toasts and conversed amicably.
The representatives from the four top-tier Empires and the Buddhist Sect felt increasingly uncomfortable.
Were they forming a clique and excluding us?
Could they not make it so obvious?
At least put on a show. We are still here!”
The people from the Buddhist Sect felt particularly uncomfortable, occasionally casting glances at Shenxu Taoist Master and winking secretly as if to say, “Aren’t we on the same side? How can you go over to the enemy’s camp?”
However, Shenxu Taoist Master pretended not to see and instead happily engaged in conversation with Li Tiancheng, with all past grievances fading away like clouds.
“Everyone is so self-serving,” The others sighed.
If you can’t beat them, join them!
The Great Wu Great Grandmaster turned to a prince dressed in a python robe and asked, “Do we have any princesses of marriageable age left in our royal family?”
The prince blinked in confusion and asked, “Ancestor, why do you suddenly ask something like this?”
The Great Grandmaster of Great Wu sighed, “Isn’t it all because of that old sly fox Shenxu? Don’t think I don’t know. In order to improve relations with Great Xia, they’ve already sent their Taoist Child into Great Xia imperial palace!”
“Well, their plan was very successful. Now the relationship between the Taoist Sect and Great Xia has greatly improved. The Taoist Sect has sided with Great Xia, and they’ve kicked us aside. They’re too opportunistic!”
“We can’t fall behind, so I want you to select a suitable lady from our royal family to send to Great Xia to marry the Emperor! In this way, we will also have a connection with their court, and many things will be easier to handle!”
“Ancestor, isn’t doing something like that a bit beneath us? We are the Great Wu Empire, one of the four top-tier Empires. Isn’t this a bit like demeaning ourselves??” The prince’s pride was hurt, and he could not accept the idea of offering a marriage alliance.
The Great Grandmaster of Great Wu gave a bitter smile and said, “What choice do we have? The times have changed, and we can no longer dominate the world as we used to. We must learn to adapt! If we don’t adapt, we’ll be beaten! You don’t want our Great Wu Empire to perish in our generation, do you?”
The prince felt a chill in his heart.
“As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances. Being able to bend and stretch is the true nature of a great man! Look at that old man Shenxu. For the sake of the Taoist Sect, he can even turn his old enemies, the Demon Sect, into friends. Why can’t we?”
“The teachings of our ancestors are clear, and I understand them now!” the prince said, humbly accepting the lesson.
“Besides, having royal descendants marry into their court demean our status! After all, the Emperor, despite his youth, is considered the greatest Emperor of all time—who wouldn’t want to marry him?”
Great Wu Great Grandmaster chuckled as he stroked his beard: “Having such a grandson-in-law would also bring honor to my face!”
“After I return, I will definitely find a suitable candidate to send to Great Xia!” the prince promised.
The Great Grandmaster thought for a moment and added, “Heroes often struggle to pass the beauty test, so choose several candidates—I refuse to believe we won’t succeed!”
“Don’t worry, ancestor, I know what to do!”
Other empires were also considering the same idea, trying to bridge the gap between them through marriage alliances.
Only the Buddhist Sect was in tears because they couldn’t find a suitable candidate.
“Master Jiechen, we really have no way to form a marriage alliance! Our Buddhist Sect is full of monks. It’s hard enough to find a female, let alone a suitable one!” an old monk lamented.
“Ah, that’s true!” Master Jiechen slapped his bald head, deeply troubled.
Then, the old monk had a sudden inspiration: “Master Jiechen, what if we choose a nun? Although there aren’t many, we might find a suitable candidate if we look carefully!”
Master Jiechen’s face darkened, and he cursed: “Damn it, are you speaking human words? You want a nun to marry the emperor? How would the world view us? They would definitely say we are a place that harbors filth, and our reputation would be completely ruined! Besides, if a nun could marry, she wouldn’t be a nun anymore!”
“But we really have no other choice…”
“Look among the common folk! In our Buddhist Sect, there are always some old monks who had families before they took their vows. Perhaps they left behind a son or daughter in the world, and there might be a suitable candidate among them!”
“Master Jiechen, I know what to do now!”
The banquet ended quickly.
Everyone went back and immediately set to work.
They chose beautiful and eligible women from their own clans to send them for marriage alliance.
Lin Beifan expressed his refusal. Although he was affectionate, he was not that indiscrimnite
However, they didn’t listen and said the women had already been sent and wouldn’t be taken back, leaving Lin Beifan to make arrangements.
So, to maintain world peace, to uphold the world’s order, and not to go against the women’s wishes, Lin Beifan tearfully and reluctantly accepted them into the palace to serve temporarily as palace maids.
These maids were all beautiful and well-mannered, understanding and considerate.
Every day, they would secretly send Lin Beifan flirtatious glances and create opportunities to encounter him, much to his annoyance.
“Alas! I just want to be a good Emperor who loves his people like his own children. Why is that so difficult?”
Yaoyao said sarcastically, “Your Majesty, don’t make excuses, maybe you’re actually enjoying this!”
Lin Beifan: “…”
***
TLN: Thank you Simon Bourbeau for the tipss!
433/540 –> 433/550
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