Chapter 368: Determined to Become a Monk

Chapter 368: Determined to Become a Monk

Seeing Lady Qin arrive, Lu Lingyun stood up to greet her.

"Lingyun! What on earth has happened!" Lady Qin grabbed her hand and demanded.

"Mother, last night the Crown Prince suddenly insisted on becoming a monk. When I rushed over, he was already kneeling on the meditation mat, waiting for the abbot to shave his head. Fortunately, it was too late, and the abbot did not perform the ordination, so it was delayed for a night. I still haven't seen the Crown Prince yet," Lu Lingyun reported truthfully.

How was she supposed to explain this?

What was she supposed to do?

She was completely clueless!

After hearing this, Lady Qin's expression became extremely grave. She sighed and said, "Lingyun, you did well. We must not let Yunshuo act recklessly..."

As Lady Qin was speaking, a young man in monk's robes, with a shaved head, walked by.

When Lady Qin saw the young, bald monk, she was shocked.

The young monk appeared to be in his mid-twenties, fair and handsome, wearing rough, loose robes, tall and upright, an exceptionally good-looking monk.

But that was her own son!

"Yunshuo!"

When Lady Qin saw Cheng Yunshuo with his head shaved, it was as if she had been struck by lightning. She shouted, her entire body trembling.

When Lu Lingyun heard Lady Qin call out Cheng Yunshuo's name, she turned to look and saw Cheng Yunshuo, who had already shaved all his hair off.

Lu Lingyun: "!!"

"Who shaved your head!" Lady Qin, having regained her composure, angrily rushed forward, grabbing Cheng Yunshuo and shouting, "Who! Which damned bald monk ruined my son, ruined my family! I will skin him alive!"

Lady Qin had only this one precious son.

He had been pampered and spoiled since childhood. The old Marquis had wanted to send him to the border for training, but Lady Qin had always opposed it.

First, she said the Marquis's Mansion had few heirs and couldn't afford any mishaps. Second, and most importantly, she cherished her son!

Her beloved son, whom she had protected like her own heart, had his head shaved. How could she bear this!

"Amitabha Buddha," Cheng Yunshuo chanted with one hand in a Buddhist mudra, calmly and serenely looking at his mother. "Lady Qin, I shaved my head myself last night. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

To show his determination to enter the Buddhist path, Cheng Yunshuo had shaved his own head in his room last night when the abbot refused to do it.

All his hair, symbolizing his worldly troubles, was shaved off, and there was no turning back now.

After hearing this, Lady Qin's vision darkened, and she almost fainted, especially at the mention of "Lady Qin."

He didn't even acknowledge his own mother anymore!

She grabbed Cheng Yunshuo's sleeve with one hand and pounded his chest with the other hand, "You ungrateful wretch! How dare you! Your body and hair are gifts from your parents! Who allowed you to alter your body! My son! Who has deceived you? I will surely make that villain pay dearly!"

"Lady Qin," Cheng Yunshuo called her again.

This caused his mother to burst into tears, "You are not to call me Lady Qin!"

Cheng Yunshuo looked at her with calm eyes, "Lady Qin, my decision is final. All worldly matters are like fleeting clouds to me. My heart is at peace, and I will not turn back. You should let go too."

Cheng Yunshuo's final words quivered slightly.

It was like a knife, severing the last threads of his worldly attachments.

His father was already gone, and those he once loved were either gone or lost to him forever. In this world, the only bond of affection he had left was with his mother.

As for everyone else, they were like passing clouds to him.

In any case, he had released all attachments.

After hearing his words, Lady Qin broke down completely, sobbing, "I won't allow it! You cannot become a monk! Yunshuo! My son! Your parents are still here, and it's your duty to care for them. How can you become a monk!"

Cheng Yunshuo listened in silence to Lady Qin's wails, and with the calm of an ancient Bodhi tree, he said, "Lady Qin, the Lord Marquis is no more."

Lu Lingyun, standing nearby, gasped in shock.

Lady Qin, in the midst of her wailing, exclaimed, "!!!"

Lady Qin gaped at Cheng Yunshuo, who had just spoken these words, "What are you saying? What happened to your father?"

Cheng Yunshuo looked at her, "All phenomena are illusions; all conditioned things are like dreams, bubbles, shadows, dew, or lightning. They should be seen as such. The comings and goings of the mortal world are part of the cycle of reincarnation. The Lord Marquis has simply moved on to the next cycle early."

Lady Qin's eyes widened further, "You... you're saying your father... is gone..."

"Amitabha, Lady Qin, do not sorrow excessively. Flowers bloom and fade. Though the Lord Marquis's body is gone, he has become one with all things. What he hears, sees, and thinks, he remains a part of them."

Having attained enlightenment and comprehended the mortal world, Cheng Yunshuo saw life and death as they truly are.

Some may be gone, but as long as they are remembered, they live on.

Only when all who remember them are gone, are they truly dead.

In this journey through the mortal world, we are all but fleeting visitors. Life and death are empty, everything is empty.

He saw the emptiness, and with empty eyes, he finished speaking. Lady Qin's eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.

Lu Lingyun, who was standing nearby, cried out, "Mother!"

"Mother! Quick, take the old lady back!"

Lu Lingyun urgently called for people to take Lady Qin back first.

She looked at Cheng Yunshuo, who had shaved his own head and had just bluntly announced the death of the old Marquis to Lady Qin. At this moment, she was no longer angry, but shocked.

"Crown Prince, are you really going to become a monk?"

If it were just him running to the temple in the middle of the night to shave his head, she might have thought it was a moment of impulsiveness, a foolish act.

But today, he had shaved his own head and, without any regard for the consequences, announced the death of the old Marquis. This proved that Cheng Yunshuo was not joking.

He truly intended to leave the mortal world behind.

Even his own mother!

Cheng Yunshuo looked at Lu Lingyun before him and still spoke calmly, "Lady Lu, in this life, you have done much for me, and I am deeply grateful. In the days to come, this humble monk will chant sutras and pray for you every day."

Lu Lingyun: "..."

She took a deep breath and tried to persuade him one more time, "Crown Prince, if you have worries, we can build a family temple in the estate, enshrine a Buddha statue, invite a few masters to discuss scriptures in the estate, or you can stay long-term at Guangji Temple and practice with your hair intact. Why must you do such a thing, causing us all such sorrow!"

Cheng Yunshuo looked at her with a calm gaze, "Lu Lingyun, there's no need to keep trying. Even Lady Qin's persuasion is futile. My mind is made up to follow the Great Path, and I will not turn back."

Lu Lingyun: "......"

Well, well, he is truly determined to become a monk!

Lady Qin was urgently sent back to the Marquis's Mansion, and a doctor was called to examine her. All the day-to-day affairs of the mansion were managed by the two concubines, Qiu Ling and Ling Long. Lu Lingyun stayed at the Guangji Temple, continuing to persuade Cheng Yunshuo to change his mind.

Although she never expected much from Cheng Yunshuo and didn't depend on him, he was still a man.

In this era, without an adult man to uphold the household, the household would be preyed upon by everyone!

The status of the Marquis's Mansion would be marginalized, its merits and subsequent benefits would be devoured and divided, its industries would be snatched by equally powerful competitors due to the lack of support from the Marquis's Mansion, and even the old troops at the border, the foundation of the Cheng family's rise, would be replaced and swallowed by others.

The core wealth is not the meager possessions in the mansion's treasury. Without the formidable reputation and prestige of the Marquis's Mansion, the property would be like meat in others' mouths!

Although Cheng Yunshuo was useless, he was still needed! At least they had to wait until Bing Hao and Bingan came of age!