Chapter 89: Like the Wind Blowing Through an Eggshell

Regardless of how the Zhengde Emperor chose to match wits with the hundred officials, Liaochen remained as secure as a fisherman sitting on a thatched raft. Every morning, he would leave the capital to survey the earth veins on Jade Spring Mountain, returning at dusk to rest and meditate, ignoring all trivial matters. Occasionally, he would supervise and evaluate Yunhuzi’s progress, or expound upon Daoist classics to the Empress Dowager. Life was, indeed, leisurely.

Until more than ten days later, when an imperial edict shook the heavens and earth, stunning the civil officials and drawing the gaze of the entire realm.

Zhengde had won the first victory of his reign against the civil bureaucracy. Following several rounds of confrontation, under the unprecedented pressure Liu Jin exerted upon the civil officials, and after Li Dongyang and Jiao Fang knowingly made concessions, the Emperor and the Grand Secretaries finally reached a consensus.

"None but Hanlin scholars may enter the Grand Secretariat, and none who have not served as prefects or magistrates may enter the Cabinet. None without outstanding local performance evaluations shall be transferred to the capital. Those with proven, exceptional achievements in impoverished border regions shall be given priority for Cabinet entry." A single imperial edict plunged the prestigious Hanlin scholars into mourning as if they had lost their parents. Though they frantically submitted memorials in opposition, it unexpectedly won the enthusiastic support of local officials. Facing the questioning of the capital's purists, Zhengde simply replied, "If my esteemed lords are so attached to the capital and unwilling to exert yourselves for the country, why must you insist on entering the Cabinet to toil?" This left the self-proclaimed prime ministers-in-waiting flushed with anger, yet utterly speechless.

The officials who had been thrown into the imperial prison during the palace gate turmoil were released one after another. Before they even had the chance to spread their reputations of uprightness—of having "dared to stroke the dragon's beard"—throughout the capital, they were dispatched to the provinces one by one to "gain experience" as seeds of the "scholarly class." The Emperor had not forgotten the incident of bureaucratic coercion, nor would the Grand Secretaries forget the "grace" of that day's pressure!

Having dealt with the storm, Zhengde—amidst waves of astonishment—bit the bullet and resumed the morning court sessions, securing a victory that had never been won so easily before.

Just when Liaochen thought everything had settled into place, monks suddenly began to proliferate in the capital. Every day, wandering monks holding alms bowls and chanting "Namo Amitabha!" roamed about soliciting alms. The various Buddhist temples throughout the capital grew unprecedentedly bustling; they lectured on scriptures, distributed charity before their gates, and held endless Buddhist assemblies. Beneath the lively surface, however, always lingered a trace of an eccentric atmosphere.

If one were to ask who would be most sensitive to the abnormal gathering of monks in the capital, it would undoubtedly be the major Daoist temples of the city. For a millennium, Buddhism and Daoism had vied for supremacy; while they might not have been completely irreconcilable, friction was a constant occurrence. Whenever Buddhism flourished, it never forgot to suppress Daoism; and whenever Daoism prospered, the eradication of Buddhism inevitably followed. It was not until the Mongol Yuan dynasty, after four great debates between Daoism and Buddhism, that the religion of the Han people—Daoism—was ruthlessly suppressed. Quanzhen disciples participating in the debates were forced to shave their heads and become monks, and countless unique Daoist manuscripts were destroyed in a single day. Consequently, Daoism fell into steep decline, losing the greater part of its heritage, and the conflict came to a temporary pause.

Had the founding Emperor not driven out the Tartars, restored the Han domain, and established the Great Ming, it would have been a question whether Daoism could have survived such heavy suppression at all.

And now, as Liaochen had entered the capital twice, taking up direct residence within the imperial palace and earning the deep reverence of two successive sovereigns, it was clear that Daoism was flourishing. Naturally, the Buddhist disciples could not sit still. As the news spread, "reputed monks and eminent virtue" from all corners of the country flooded toward the capital.

The struggle for orthodox doctrine allowed not a single inch of ground to be yielded. As the ancestral courtyard of the Quanzhen sect, Baiyun Guan (White Cloud Temple) naturally could not stand aloof. Alongside various Daoist temples in the capital, it issued countless Dharma posts, widely summoning fellow practitioners throughout the realm to gather in the capital. Whether Quanzhen or Zhengyi, the Three Pure Ones' orthodox tradition came first—to jointly resist an external insult, not the slightest concession could be made!

The capital was surging with hidden currents. The abbots of all the major Daoist temples in the capital arrived in a body outside the palace gates, requesting an audience with the Protector of the State, True Person. This was the first time Xuanguang Temple had attained a universally acknowledged position of leadership within the Daoist realm. In the past, no matter how formidable Liaochen was, he was merely a cultivator with profound cultivation. After all, Xuanguang Temple had been obscure and unknown. Yet this time, the visiting posts respectfully bore the words: "True Person Liaochen of Xuanguang Temple." In other words, Liaochen was no longer merely a high-accomplishment Daoist priest; he was now the master of a mountain.

Yet Liaochen could not summon the slightest bit of joy. After sending off the abbots of the various Daoist temples, he wore a grave expression.

"Master, why are you unhappy?" As Liaochen's eldest disciple, Yunhua had naturally accompanied his master during the reception of the various capital abbots. This could also be considered an introduction of Yunhua to his fellow disciples across the realm.

"Wind and rain are about to arrive. Pity the Daoists and Buddhists; all they ever see is the tiny plot of land right in front of their own doors, with not the slightest inclination to look outward!" Liaochen sighed.

Yunhua understood half-heartedly, and Liaochen did not explain further. Who in the current Great Ming would know? Who would care? In this world, there were two other religions, both holding scriptures in one hand to urge people toward kindness, while wielding blades in the other to force conversion! Especially the teachings of the Green faith—they were practically encircling the Great Ming, yet the Daoist and Buddhist sects were still bickering fiercely over this tiny plot of land within the empire, utterly oblivious to their impending doom!

The mountain rain was about to come, sweeping wind all across the tower. This time, it was not the civil officials exerting pressure, but the Daoist and Buddhist sects making a mess of things. The abnormal external actions of the two religions naturally could not be concealed from the imperial court's officials, nor from the spies of the Three Offices and One Guard.

Terrified that the Daoist priests and monks might cause trouble within the capital, the officials successively submitted memorials requesting imperial intervention. Unfortunately, many of the officials were privately Buddhists, and quite a few were close to Daoism as well. This time, sparing Zhengde from a difficult dilemma, they began tearing into each other of their own accord. Meanwhile, the majority of officials who held no religious faith stood by with cold detachment, watching the good show. They showed none of the unified solidarity they displayed when confronting imperial authority.

Zhengde left all memorials concerning the Daoist and Buddhist sects unanswered and sitting in the palace, yet the situation in the capital would not grow calm simply because he ignored it. Instead, the undercurrents surged ever more violently.

"Does the True Person know of the situation outside?" Zhengde had deliberately accompanied Liaochen in reading Daoist scriptures all morning today, but finally could not help asking aloud.

"Immeasurable Heavenly尊! How could this poor Daoist not know?" Liaochen nodded and said.

"The struggle between Buddhism and Daoism is about to erupt, and the hundred officials are in an uproar. Does the True Person have a way to quell it?" Zhengde appeared somewhat worried. Unlike past dynasties, the Great Ming had always exercised strict control over religion. With both Daoist and Buddhist sects having been at peace for a century, Zhengde naturally worried now that conflict was about to flare up once more.

"The dispute between Daoism and Buddhism concerns only faith, not the secular world. Your Majesty may rest assured," Liaochen replied.

"But what should be done about the pervasive panic among the populace?" Zhengde asked again.

"How does Your Majesty view the four great debates between Daoism and Buddhism during the Mongol Yuan dynasty?" Instead of answering Zhengde's question, Liaochen turned the tables and asked for the Emperor's true view on the two religions.

"This..." The Great Ming had been founded upon the expulsion of the Mongol Yuan, and that era was not far distant—a mere century ago. Zhengde had naturally read the historical records and knew what Liaochen was referring to. Yet, with a disciple of the Three Pure Ones standing face to face with him, it was inconvenient to speak too bluntly.

"The Mongol Yuan had four classes of citizens, with the Han Chinese at the very bottom. They suppressed the Daoist gates and argued over the authenticity of Laozi's Scripture of Converting the Barbarians. It was never about which was superior—Daoism or Buddhism—but purely about the distinction between the Hua and the Yi [Chinese and barbarians]!" Liaochen let out a long sigh.

"I understand." Zhengde nodded in acknowledgment.

As for whether he truly understood or not, only he himself knew.

"Immeasurable Heavenly尊! Your Majesty need not worry; it is merely a debate. Your Majesty may simply maintain a neutral stance in judgment without any misgivings." Liaochen gave Zhengde an assurance.

Only then did Zhengde let out a long breath of relief, appearing satisfied as he said, "Many thanks, True Person!"

Zhengde departed in contentment, but Liaochen did not necessarily feel happy. A short while later, Yunhua entered holding a fox. Seeing his master's grave expression, he asked with great curiosity, "Master, what is troubling you?"

Liaochen smiled and said, "Perhaps this poor Daoist entered the capital twenty years too early."

Had it been the Jiajing reign, the current scene of Daoist-Buddhist contention would likely not have arisen. If not for Liaochen, Zhengde should historically have believed in Buddhism—and Tibetan Buddhism at that. Liaochen's entry into the capital had ultimately prevented Zhengde from plunging headfirst into Buddhism, yet it had not truly caused the Emperor to stand on the side of Daoism either.

Otherwise, why would there have been today's question?