From cute to empress

Chapter 171 The Clash of Faiths

The scent of sandalwood still lingered in my nose, the handwriting on that letter etched itself into my mind, lingering. Fear clung to my heart like a vine, but I couldn't retreat, nor could I be afraid. I was the Empress, the ruler of this world. I must protect my people and my country.

The atmosphere in the hall was so solemn that it seemed frozen. The ministers all had heavy expressions and whispered among themselves, a sense of unease permeating the air.

"Your Majesty, news has come from all over the country that those ascetic monks are inciting believers to gather and march in the city, demanding that Your Majesty lift the restrictions on religion, and even..." A minister stood up, hesitant to speak.

"Even what?" I asked coldly, suppressing the anger in my heart.

"There was even... a conflict with the soldiers maintaining order, which has... caused many injuries." The minister's voice became lower and lower, almost inaudible.

"How dare you!" I slammed the table, my rage uncontrollable. "These people are so audacious! When have I ever restricted religious beliefs? Are they planning a rebellion?!"

The ministers were all silent, and no one dared to offend the emperor at this time.

"Pass the order down, ask Master Huineng and Taoist Xuanzhen to enter the palace. I have something important to discuss with them!" I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

Master Huineng and Taoist Master Xuanzhen are both highly respected religious leaders in the world today, enjoying extremely high prestige among the people. I hope they can step forward to appease believers and resolve this crisis.

Time passed, and I became increasingly anxious. Finally, a eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the hall: "Master Huineng has arrived!"

I looked up and saw an old monk in a cassock, holding a Zen staff, walking slowly towards me. He had a kind face, but also a majestic air without being angry.

"Amitabha, I pay my respects to Your Majesty." Master Huineng clasped his hands together and bowed slightly.

"Master, please get up quickly!" I quickly stood up and stepped forward to support him. "This situation is urgent. Please give me a helping hand!"

"Your Majesty, you are too kind. Saving the suffering and saving all living beings is the duty of a monk." Master Huineng smiled slightly, with a firm strength in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, I..." A voice came from outside the hall, but with a hint of hesitation.

I turned around and saw Taoist Xuanzhen standing at the door with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Master..." My heart sank and a bad premonition came to my mind.

"Your Majesty, I have caught a cold recently and have been feeling unwell. I'm afraid..." Taoist Master Xuanzhen hesitated, not daring to look me in the eye.

"Master!" I raised my voice with a hint of disappointment in my tone.

"Your Majesty, I...really..." Taoist Xuanzhen lowered his head and his voice became smaller and smaller.

"In that case, then..." Before I could finish my words, I was interrupted by a loud noise coming from outside the hall.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something bad has happened! Something terrible has happened!" A guard rushed in in a panic, knelt on the ground, his face pale.

"Why are you so panicked?!" My heart tightened and an ominous premonition came to my mind.

"Master Huineng...Master Huineng..." The guard's voice trembled and he was unable to speak.

"What happened to Master Huineng?!" I stood up suddenly, grabbed the guard's collar and asked sternly.

"Master Huineng...he...passed away..."

"He's passed away..." The guard's words rang out like a bolt from the blue, blasting through my ears. My hands dropped helplessly, my mind blank. Master Huineng, so virtuous and compassionate, how could he...

Beyond the grief, I was filled with confusion and unease. Why had Master Huineng passed away so suddenly? Was there some hidden reason behind this? My gaze fell on the guard who was still kneeling on the ground. "Tell me, what's going on?!"

The guard trembled all over, his voice intermittent, "Reply...Replying to Your Majesty, Master Huineng was... preaching in a temple outside the city when he was suddenly... suddenly attacked by a group of masked men. On the spot... on the spot..."

"Masked man?!" My heart sank, a surge of rage rising to my head. Who was so bold as to assassinate Master Huineng? Could it be one of those ascetic monks who incited the followers?

The evasive look in Taoist Xuanzhen's eyes flashed through my mind, and the feeling of unease grew stronger. No, I had to get to the bottom of this as soon as possible!

"Pass the order down, block the city gates, and do everything possible to capture the murderer!" I suppressed the anger in my heart and issued the order calmly.

"As you wish!" The guard took the order and left.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Master Huineng had passed away. The most important thing now was to stabilize the situation and not let those with ill intentions take advantage of the situation.

"Come here, prepare the imperial carriage, I want to go to Yuqing Temple in person!" I stood up suddenly with a firm tone.

Yuqing Temple is the Taoist temple where Taoist Master Xuanzhen practices, located in a quiet place outside the city. I want to see if he is really ill, or if there is something else going on!

As the imperial carriage sped along, my heart grew heavier. Master Huineng's death, Taoist Xuanzhen's escape—all of it evoked a sense of strangeness, as if an invisible net had enveloped me.

The sun was setting when I arrived at Yuqing Temple. As I entered, a cool, refreshing air greeted me, a stark contrast to the usual bustling atmosphere.

"Your Majesty has arrived!" The eunuch's shrill voice echoed in the empty Taoist temple, sounding particularly harsh.

I walked all the way to the room where Taoist Xuanzhen was meditating and knocked gently on the door. "Master, it's me."

With a creaky sound, the door opened and Taoist Xuanzhen, dressed in plain clothes and looking haggard, stood at the door. When he saw me, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

"Master, let's talk." I ignored his panic, walked straight into the room and sat down opposite him.

The room was very quiet, with only a solitary lamp emitting a faint light, illuminating a calligraphy and painting on the wall. On it were four large characters "Pure, Quiet and Inaction" written, which seemed particularly ironic.

I looked at Taoist Master Xuanzhen in front of me, feeling a mixture of emotions. He was once a respected Taoist leader, but now...

"Master, why do you refuse my request?" I went straight to the point with a hint of questioning in my tone.

Taoist Xuanzhen was silent for a moment, then slowly raised his head, his eyes full of struggle, "Your Majesty, I..."

"Master Taoist, you and I have known each other for many years. Is there anything you can't tell me directly?" I stared at him closely, not missing any change in expression on his face.

Taoist Priest Xuanzhen sighed deeply and finally spoke, "Your Majesty, I... I am just worried..."

"What are you worried about?" My heart was in my throat. I vaguely felt that his next words would reveal a huge secret...

Taoist Priest Xuanzhen took a deep breath, as if exhausting all his strength before uttering a few words: "Your Majesty, I am worried... I am worried that your standardization will weaken the influence of Taoism..."

He paused, his voice trembling with a barely perceptible tremor. "Buddhism is a powerful force. Now that Master Huineng has suffered this calamity, the believers are filled with grief and indignation, and they need solace. If the imperial court intervenes forcefully at this moment, it will probably cause unnecessary panic and backlash..."

I understand his concerns. Since ancient times, the relationship between religion and imperial power has been delicate. I want to regulate religion to prevent those who exploit faith to incite the masses and endanger national stability. But I also know that rushing into action would be counterproductive.

"Master, you're worrying too much." I tried to sound calm and sincere. "I'm standardizing religion not to weaken the power of any one party, but to enable religion to better serve society and the people."

I looked at Taoist Priest Xuanzhen and said word by word, "I hope that the people will believe in true teachings, rather than being used as tools. I hope that religion can guide people towards good, rather than become the source of chaos."

Taoist Xuanzhen fell silent. My words seemed to have touched him. After a long moment, he slowly spoke, his tone showing a hint of relief. "Your Majesty cares deeply about the world. I understand."

He raised his head and looked at me firmly. "Your Majesty, rest assured. I am willing to cooperate with the court to standardize Taoist affairs. However, it will take some time for other Taoist temples..."

I was delighted, as things seemed to be taking a turn for the better. However, just when I thought everything was moving in the right direction, Taoist Xuanzhen's next words made me feel like I was falling into an ice cave: "Your Majesty, be careful..."

"Your Majesty, please be careful..." Taoist Xuanzhen hesitated to speak, his brows furrowed, as if he had something to hide.

I was about to ask more when I heard a commotion outside the hall. The sounds of the guards trying to stop them and the shouting of the people mixed together, breaking the originally solemn atmosphere.

"What's going on?" I asked in a deep voice.

A guard rushed in and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, a large number of monks have appeared in the city, gathering in front of the palace under the banner of 'protecting religion and morality'. Leading them is..."

"It's a poor monk."

A loud voice came from outside the hall, and an ascetic monk wearing a cassock and holding a Zen staff strode in, followed by a dark group of monks, looking very aggressive.

I recognize him. He is a junior fellow student of Master Huineng. His Buddhist name is "Kuxing". He has always been known for his radicalism and has publicly criticized the court for interfering in religious affairs many times.

"How dare you be so ascetic! You won't even kneel down when you see His Majesty!" the captain of the guards shouted angrily.

"Hmph, I kneel only to heaven and earth, only to the Buddha!" ​​The ascetic monk looked around arrogantly, finally locking his gaze on me. "Your Majesty, you are usurping divine authority and attempting to manipulate faith. Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?"

His words were like a spark that instantly ignited the emotions of the believers. They held up Buddhist flags, chanted something, and were very excited.

My heart sank, knowing this was far more complicated than I'd imagined. The ascetic monk's actions were clearly an attempt to incite his followers to rebel against the imperial court!

"Master Ascetic, I respect your devotion to Buddhism, but you are so deceptive. Aren't you afraid of being led astray?" I suppressed my anger and tried to reason with him.

"Right and wrong will be determined by public opinion!" The ascetic monk sneered, pulled out a scroll from his bosom, and held it high. "We here today declare the establishment of the 'Religious Freedom Alliance', swearing to defend religious freedom to the death and against oppression by the imperial court!"

"Religious Freedom Alliance?!" I was shocked. Once this name came out, it undoubtedly pushed the court to the opposite side of all religions, and the situation escalated instantly!

"Kuxing, are you trying to rebel?!" Taoist Master Xuanzhen shouted angrily. He had not expected that things would develop to such an uncontrollable point.

The ascetic monk ignored him and turned to the believers behind him, shouting, "Buddha is merciful and saves all living beings! Today, we will make Her Majesty the Empress understand that the power of faith cannot be desecrated!"

He swung his Zen stick suddenly, pointing it at me, with a fanatical gleam in his eyes.

I felt unprecedented pressure, as if a mountain was pressing down on my heart, making it hard for me to breathe.

At this moment, a guard hurriedly ran to my side and whispered in my ear: "Your Majesty, urgent news from the border..."

My heart tightened, and a sense of foreboding washed over me. Could it be that, besides the religious issue, there was an even greater crisis waiting for me?