"Your Majesty! Isn’t it obvious? The Buddhist Sect is behind this! I don’t care about any of that. Quickly mobilize the troops for me, surround Qixia Temple, and bring my precious Xiaosuisui back!"
The Empress Dowager had lost her composure, completely ignoring Zhu Xiuxiu’s warning about the dire consequences if Suisui’s abilities remained uncontrolled. Of course, Zhu Xiuxiu had only briefly mentioned Yunhang’s cataclysm.
However, His Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and Prince Yi all tacitly chose to feign ignorance. To them, the fate of the imperial family was far more important than this disaster. Besides, the Buddhists wanted Xiaosuisui for the sake of destiny. If the Buddhist Sect had a way to solve the problem of Xiaosuisui’s uncontrolled abilities, then perhaps the Daoist Sect and the Imperial family did too!
On this matter, Prince Yi sided with the Empress Dowager. He cupped his fists towards the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty! The Grand Princess was personally invested by you. Although she lacks imperial blood, your investiture makes her a child of our imperial family. The imperial family cannot compromise on the matter of Qixia Temple!"
"That is a matter of course. Third Madam, regarding this, I wonder what the Ji Family’s stance is?"
The young Emperor naturally did not consent to Xiaosuisui converting to Buddhism, so he asked Zhu Xiuxiu about the Ji Family’s position.
"Your Majesty! Is there even a need to ask? We, the Ji Family, naturally do not consent! Although I was furious when I learned Suisui’s words had caused trouble—I wanted to hit her, I wanted to scold her—my harshness stems from deep affection. But if those old bald scoundrels at Qixia Temple want her to convert to Buddhism, I’ll be the first to refuse. When I came, my second sister-in-law was confronting that old bald scoundrel, Liao Kong."
His Majesty couldn’t help but heave a heavy sigh of relief upon hearing this. As long as the Ji Family doesn’t yield, they’ll have the capital to confront Qixia Temple.
"Eunuch Ling!" His Majesty immediately issued a command, "Go to the West Mountain Barracks and transmit Our decree. Order Dugu Xiao to dispatch five thousand soldiers to swiftly surround Qixia Temple. Permit entry, but forbid exit!"
"Yes!" Eunuch Ling received the order and hurried off to deliver it.
"Your Majesty! So... just surrounding them will be enough?" Zhu Xiuxiu was a bit slow on the uptake and didn’t immediately grasp the young Emperor’s intention.
"Naturally not. With Our grand army surrounding Qixia Temple, they certainly won’t dare to tonsure Suisui immediately. We are merely stalling for time. That old monk, Liao Kong from the Buddhist Sect, is the foremost figure in Central Plains Buddhism. Our army is useless against him. If We push him too hard and he takes Suisui directly to the Western Regions, it will be a great problem."
Upon hearing His Majesty’s words, Zhu Xiuxiu, the Empress Dowager, and Xie Pan’Er all turned pale.
"Then what should we do?" the three women couldn’t help but ask in unison.
"Stall for time and wait for Sect Leader Ji to arrive!"
"Big Brother?" Zhu Xiuxiu’s eyes lit up, and she said with pleasant surprise, "Your Majesty and Second Sister-in-law thought alike. Before this, Second Sister-in-law had already dispatched an eight-hundred-li express message to Big Brother. He should receive her letter very soon!"
"Exactly. Among the many powerful experts in the Central Plains, perhaps only Sect Leader Ji can contend with Liao Kong. So, what we must do now is stall for time and await Sect Leader Ji’s arrival."
"But merely dispatching troops to surround Qixia Temple isn’t a foolproof plan! What if they’re pushed into a corner and truly shave my precious granddaughter’s hair first? What then?"
Once Empress Dowager Xiao voiced this concern, the air in the hall instantly stilled. Everyone was momentarily speechless.
Xie Pan’Er stepped forward tremulously, somewhat timidly raising her hand and said, "This humble girl has an idea, but I don’t know if it will work?"