Chapter 674: Chapter 650: Official Promotion by Two Levels, Not a Joke (Part 3)
"Your Highness flatters me, how could I be the new favorite in the officialdom? It is all due to your support and the Emperor’s favor!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Your Highness, Miss, please have a seat!"
Qing Ying offered tea and stood behind Lin Xiaosu.
The Seventh Prince picked up the teacup and took a gentle sip: "Mr. Li, my visit to the mansion at this moment is because of an unfinished matter."
"An unfinished matter?" Lin Xiaosu was slightly taken aback.
"An hour ago, three high monks left the Li Palace, but they didn’t go far, and now they are stirring up trouble again!"
"What have they done?"
"They established an altar at the North Gate, performing Buddhist rites to transfer merits for Xuan Kong!"
Lin Xiaosu’s expression darkened slightly: "These thieving monks are indeed reckless!"
"Precisely so, the Emperor is greatly enraged, but it’s difficult to deal with them. After all, these three monks are just conducting rites for the deceased. In terms of emotion, reason, and law, the Dynasty has no reason to interfere. However, the number of followers is growing, and the cause of Xuan Kong’s death is spreading among the people, becoming completely distorted. If they are allowed to continue for seven days, great changes might occur."
Lin Xiaosu slowly lifted his gaze, quietly staring at the Liuxiang River outside.
The Seventh Prince, holding his teacup, quietly watched him.
Outside the pavilion, the wind was soft and the rain was fine, yet within his heart, it was a tangle of emotions.
Recently, he experienced the greatest upheaval of his life, transforming from a severely troubled prince to one gradually favored by the Emperor. His mother also secured the position of a concubine.
The entire world could witness the rise of this prince.
And he knew deeply that all of this was because of the person before him.
It was this person who step by step rescued him from the quagmire of death, completing one impossible task after another.
Because of this, he placed a blind trust in the person before him.
He believed that no matter how difficult the situation, he could always find the answer here.
So, regarding today’s matter?
Is there an answer?
The three great powers of Buddhism, Xuanfeng, Zhideng, and Miao Yu, seized upon Xuan Kong’s death and refused to let it go, forcing the Dynasty to pay a heavy price.
Their cultivation was undoubtedly supreme, but in terms of cultivation, the Dynasty was not afraid of them. If they resorted to violence, things would be easier to resolve.
But they didn’t resort to violence.
They resorted to subtlety.
Performing rites for a fellow on the Buddhist Path.
With their status in Buddhism, they could easily gather millions of followers.
They didn’t need to give commands to the followers; they merely needed to set the tone.
Once the tone was set, the followers would naturally harbor resentment against the Dynasty.
Tell me, which Dynasty could accept such a thing happening in Beijing?
Tell me, which Emperor wouldn’t be enraged seeing this?
Yet, there’s no way to deal with them!
Send troops to suppress them?
That would be adding fuel to the fire!
The only people you could kill would be your own subjects, who can kill these three high monks holding the way?
If you can’t kill them, any mobilization of troops would be wrong!
If no troops are mobilized, then you can only argue.
Their altar is established there, and they are all great powers of Buddhism; how could you argue with Buddhism?
Nobody could argue with them.
All you could do is watch them, gathering millions of people, gradually stripping away the Dynasty’s mercy and justice...
This shakes the very foundation of the Dynasty.
This is the countermeasure taken by the three high monks against what happened in the Golden Hall.
Who says high monks have no heart for revenge?
Lin Xiaosu slowly withdrew his gaze, a smile appearing on his face: "Your Highness, why don’t we go take a look?"
"Take a look?"
"Yes, indeed, the three great powers of Buddhism holding a Buddhist discussion, what a grand event! Since we’ve come across it, we should take a look!"
"Then... shall we go?"
Lin Xiaosu said, "Over there, it’s likely already crowded, no need for a carriage, let’s fly!"
The light of the King’s Seal gathered them, they flew across half of the Capital, landing on the shores of Liuxiang Lake.
Liuxiang Lake, a lake in the northern part of the Capital, with its picturesque scenery, was especially moving in the light rain.
This lake belonged to the Imperial Family.
Because it was the water source for the entire Capital.
The water from the lake nourished the Capital via the Liuxiang River that flowed through the city.
Around the lake, taverns were abundant.
Brothels were abundant.
The stone foundations were blue, the walls and roofs vibrant, exceedingly enchanting.
To the north, amidst the swirling clouds and mist, a tall pavilion rose, that was the famous Zhen Heaven Pavilion of the Capital.
Zhen Heaven Pavilion, ancient and timeworn.
But with a peculiar design.
The lower part of the grand pavilion was like any other, but its top was flat, as if chopped off by a sword.
The people of the Capital say, the pavilion was constructed this way because of one reason: being on the mountain, its height was too great. If it were built complete, the pinnacle would surpass the main hall of the Imperial Palace.
That would seem like defiance, so the pavilion was left without a top, implying that even with its might, it was a pavilion under the Dynasty.
This explanation was grand and proper, and everyone believed it.
However, Lin Xiaosu, in the Xuankong Primordial Spirit he just obtained, learned a secret that made this explanation quite ironic.
This pavilion, which seemed to have been sliced by a sword at the top, in fact, wasn’t merely "seemed like"...
It was indeed sliced by a sword at the top!
The one who sliced the top was from Cangyuan!
This sword was not a sword wielded by the Dynasty to defend its dignity.
On the contrary, it was a warning sword from Cangyuan to the Dynasty!
This secret, perhaps even the Seventh Prince beside him didn’t know, but Lin Xiaosu knew.
Speaking of this, it is necessary to mention the recent event, the other ingenious move Lin Xiaosu made by resolutely killing the Xuankong Primordial Spirit.
This ingenious move was: exterminating the Xuankong Primordial Spirit by his own hand, refining its fragments.
By refining the Primordial Spirit, he could obtain some secrets from it.
Xuan Kong, being a high-ranking member of the Mental Path, what terrifying secrets lay within his Primordial Spirit?
Under normal circumstances, it would be nearly impossible for Lin Xiaosu to access the memories of such a high-level figure, but today he did it.