Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 920 - 759: Thunderbolt Strikes with Immense Force (Seeking Monthly Votes and Subscriptions)

Chapter 920: Chapter 759: Thunderbolt Strikes with Immense Force (Seeking Monthly Votes and Subscriptions)

On the 15th of July, the First Hope Dachao.

When the Daxueshi, Shang Hong, entered the Wu Gate, he noticed that the expressions of the assembled court officials were somewhat solemn.

Shang Hong had returned to the Capital City with Li Xuan a few days earlier, aboard the Red Thunder Chariot.

As the commander of the northern expeditionary army, Li Xuan needed to report his duties to the Court; as the Deputy Guanjunrong Envoy, Shang Hong also had to accept inquiries from the cabinet, regent ministers, and the Inspectorate.

Normally, this would have been the task of the proper Guanjunrong Envoy, Yu Jie, but since Yu Jie had to stay on the grasslands to temporarily manage the military and political affairs of MoBei, it fell to Shang Hong to take his place.

At this moment, however, Shang Hong deeply regretted it.

This was all due to a severe conflict that had erupted between Prince Fenyang and Buddhism in recent days.

A few days earlier, while in MoBei, Prince Fenyang had submitted a petition to Jianguo Princess to restore the Law of Buddha and investigate all Buddhist temples and temple lands, while simultaneously settling accounts with the Buddhist debasers who colluded with the three great treasonous kings.

This memorial was originally to be kept secret, discussed only among a few regent ministers.

But less than two days after Prince Fenyang returned to the Capital City, the contents of the memorial leaked, causing a huge uproar in the court and public opinion boiled over.

Not only were the court officials agitated and shaken, but the various teahouses in the Capital City were also buzzing with discussions.

Although Emperor Tai of Jin had originated from Buddhism, he had always harbored intense hatred towards it.

Thus, the Law of Buddha he drafted was extremely harsh, leading to a widespread decline of Buddhism across the land.

It was not until the black-robed chancellor, Yao Guangxiao, helped Emperor Taizong raise troops to quell the disturbances and seize the realm that the Law of Buddha from the Taizu Era was entirely undermined, and essentially abolished.

Afterwards, Yao Guangxiao withdrew into the Buddhist monastic life, receiving the Dharma name ’Daoyan,’ and wrote "Record of Taoism" to defend Buddhism.

It was said that this Master Daoyan had achieved the fruit of Arhat in a foreign land beyond the heavens and was about to enter the fruit of Bodhisattva.

Shang Hong neither knew if this were true nor did he care to concern himself with it.

The influence of Daoyan’s lineage continued to be strong during the eras of Emperor Xuan and Emperor Zhengtong.

However, after the Tumu Fort disaster, the major military and political figures in the court were all replaced in one go, no longer bearing the appearance of the Ren and Xuan eras.

Yet in the court, there were still many Confucian scholars sympathetic to Buddhism who believed that the Law of Buddha was too harsh, with many clauses worth reconsidering.

In recent days, numerous Buddhist lobbyists were running around the Capital City, trying to connect with officials to refute the anti-Buddhist proposals of Prince Fenyang.

Even Shang Hong, who held an awkward position as a Daxueshi in the cabinet, had not been spared; yesterday at his home, he had been cornered for half a day by two old Buddhist masters he had previously been on good terms with.

This was the source of Shang Hong’s regret. Had he known earlier that a storm was about to brew within the court, he would have preferred to return a few days later, rather than accept a ride with Li Xuan.

Shang Hong had a premonition that today’s First Hope Dachao would not be peaceful.

Prince Fenyang would definitely not concede, and Buddhism would not yield to slaughter.

The time soon reached the fourth moment of the Hour of Mao, and the officials gathered at the court hall. When the Sili Bureau eunuch, Qian Long, cracked his whip, signaling the commencement of the assembly, the entire court hall was suddenly silent; no one spoke, and no one stepped forward.

This was completely different from the scenario Shang Hong imagined, where the officials would eagerly begin to present their memorials and criticize Prince Fenyang.

He was slightly taken aback and turned to look at the officials behind him, especially those who had previously spoken loudly in public, arguing that Prince Fenyang’s proposal to investigate Buddhism was inappropriate.

These officials, upon sensing Shang Hong’s gaze, all returned innocent looks.

Upon seeing their expressions, Shang Hong already guessed what was likely happening.

It was mostly because of another memorial submitted by Li Xuan, requesting the establishment of four major Zhihuishi Divisions on the grasslands.

With eight million people still in MoNan and MoBei, the Court was also planning to relocate four million Han citizens northward, and faced with such a vast territory stretching thousands of miles—if the Court did not organize a bureaucracy of thousands, effective governance would be impossible.

The key was that before these four major Zhihuishi Divisions were transformed into provinces, they were under the jurisdiction of Li Xuan, the Dadudu of five armies.

Those in the court who had previously criticized Prince Fenyang and opposed the northern expedition might all be transferred north.

They were about to be entrusted with important tasks by Prince Fenyang and gain experience in local governance.

However, these people were far from enough to fill the void, with a shortfall of over six hundred officials.

Therefore, at this moment in the court hall, who dared to speak out recklessly?

Living comfortably in the Capital City, who would want to go to the harsh, cold north?

These court officials sympathetic to Buddhism could shout their support for Buddhism verbally, but to truly risk their lives and fortunes for Buddhism, they likely lacked the courage.

Key to this was that the Xiuyiwei were also watching; if these court officials opposed Prince Fenyang’s suppression of Buddhism solely out of righteousness, it would be one thing.

But if they had accepted bribes from Buddhism, it would certainly lead to their total disgrace, or even the extermination of their families.

With no benefits and having to undertake great risks, it was unlikely anyone would undertake such an endeavor.

Sure enough, the next moment, Shang Hong heard the Jianguo Princess, Yu Hongchang, speak, "In today’s grand assembly, there are two governmental matters to announce to the officials. First, the establishment of ’Ningyuan Zhihuishi Division’, ’Zhenbei Xingdu Zhihuishi Division’, ’Longcheng Zhihuishi Division’, ’Yanran Xingdu Zhihuishi Division’, and the registration of households and division of prefectures and counties in MoNan and MoBei, have all been approved by myself and the eight regent ministers. The cabinet and Ministry of Personnel are to promptly select officials from the court to serve on the grasslands, to educate and soothe the peoples there."

Thus, the entire court became even more tranquil and peaceful.

Seeing this, Shang Hong directly crushed the memorial he had prepared in his sleeve into powder.

Shang Hong’s view on Buddhism was the same as Li Xuan’s.

Any true Daru of Neo-Confucianism, a court official devoted to the welfare of the people, would not reject Li Xuan’s proposal to destroy Buddhism.

Shang Hong had originally planned to personally confront those who opposed, but now it seemed unnecessary.

Next, Princess Hongshang spoke, "Secondly, the proposal by the County Prince Fenyang to restore the Law of Buddha set by the Great Ancestor has also been approved by me and the eight regent ministers.

Order the Ministry of Revenue in conjunction with the Ducha Court to immediately organize competent officials to inspect all Buddhist temples and temple lands throughout the country! And strictly command local authorities to demolish any unofficial hermitages not approved by the Court within a month. All temple lands exceeding the provisions of the Great Ancestor are to be seized and converted into official lands.

Order a thorough reassessment of the monks’ registries in the temples. The number of certificates must be returned to the numbers during the Taizu Era. Furthermore, within a month, all monks not registered must secularize! Otherwise, they will be charged with the crime of evading registration and sent to the North Sea to join the army.

Effective immediately, all Buddhist temples are prohibited from accepting donations of silver coins from believers. All scriptures must be handed over for the Court to authenticate their legitimacy. The Xiuyiwei along with the internal Jishi Bureau are assigned to scrutinize and adjudicate cases of collusion and treason among the temples and the three major rebellious princes, and investigate any illegal activities by monks nationwide, ensuring strict and severe measures are taken!

Apart from these, it has been determined by Chaotian Palace and the Qintian Bureau that the so-called ’Xinyuelian Bodhisattva’ worshipped by Buddhism today is in fact an evil spirit. All temples must immediately destroy its statues, and no texts related to Xinyuelian should appear in any scriptures, otherwise, they will be treated as heretic!"

Shang Hong’s body trembled slightly, the measures announced by Hongshang were far harsher than he had imagined.

And that Xinyuelian Bodhisattva, being one of the top ten Bodhisattvas in Buddhism, was now declared an evil spirit?

Shang Hong couldn’t help but cast a sidelong glance at the few regent ministers above him.

As far as he knew, the eight sects of Buddhism had recently been mainly trying to unite the court ministers, especially targeting several regent ministers.

They attempted to obstruct Li Xuan’s restoration of the Great Ancestor’s Laws of Buddhism at the highest level of the Court.

But from the articles announced by Hongshang, it appeared that Buddhism had suffered a devastating defeat.

When Shang Hong’s gaze swept over, he saw Chen Xun and the Minister of Personnel, He Wenyuan, smiling bitterly, while the Daxueshi Wang Wen of the Body Ren Hall, the Minister of Rites Hu Ying, and the Minister of Revenue Quan Dingtian had stern expressions.

Daxueshi Wang Wen responded to Shang Hong’s gaze with a calm demeanor.

He had indeed been at odds with Li Xuan recently, repeatedly expressing disagreements, but these were all due to official duties with no personal grievances.

However, in terms of suppressing Buddhism, Wang Wen’s stance aligned with Li Xuan’s. He believed that Buddhism harbored corruption and must be strictly regulated.

Suppressing Buddhism was a state policy formulated by the Great Ancestor.

Even after Emperor Taizong restored stability following the disturbances, although the laws of the Great Ancestor were degraded due to the black-robed Prime Minister Yao Guangxiao, they were never formally abolished.

Li Xuan’s proposal to restore the Laws of Buddha laid down by the Great Ancestor was not only legitimate and justifiable but was also extremely beneficial for the people and the Court.

Wang Wen would never oppose it.

Li Xuan, standing foremost among the ministers, had his hands behind his back with a cold smile on his lips.

He dared to summon Shi Kongxin to the grasslands, to offer courtesy before force, naturally with full confidence.

If the eight sects of Buddhism and Xinyuelian Bodhisattva were willing to comply, then his proposal to ban Buddhism would have been relatively lenient.

But since Buddhism preferred to confront him head-on rather than give up Luo Yan,

he would not hesitate to thrust all eight sects of Buddhism into the abyss and brand Xinyuelian an evil spirit!

At that moment, a buzzing sound resonated throughout Jinluan Palace.

Many court officials showed signs of hesitation; although the vast majority supported the restoration of the Great Ancestor’s Laws of Buddhism, they did not endorse such a draconian plan.

—This was no longer suppression but a thorough purge and ban!

However, Hongshang then raised her eyes with an extremely authoritative gaze, sweeping over the court with an overwhelming presence to intimidate the ministers.

"When the late Emperor was alive, he was constantly worried about Buddhism’s collusion with local officials, aggressively encroaching upon the people’s lands. He considered that Buddhism was unproductive, evading taxes, disrespectful, insubordinate, and corrupt, absolutely of no benefit to the state. He had often intended to purge it but was constrained by the times, forced to temporarily hold back.

Now, by inheriting the late Emperor’s will, I intend to cleanse the filth of Buddhism and restore the Great Ancestor’s Buddhist laws, hoping that all ministers will assist me wholeheartedly!"

In that instant, the slightly restless Jinluan Palace returned to calmness.

All the court officials once again fell silent.

While a few were somewhat reluctant, the Laws of Buddhism from the Taizu Era were the ancestral systems. And now with Hongshang citing the will of Emperor Jingtai, they were left without any grounds for opposition.

Li Xuan was slightly taken aback and looked towards Hongshang in surprise.

Hongshang’s expression was complex, recalling the palace coup, and Luo Yan’s desperate attempt to block Emperor Zhengtong.

She knew that on that night, Luo Yan had actually acted for Li Xuan.

But that favor, how could she, Hongshang, not repay?

At the moment when Luo Yan was about to be seized by Xinyuelian, how could she, Hongshang, remain indifferent?