The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 494 - 388. Love Letter to the Empress (6,000 words)

The room fell into a moment of silence.

Only the crimson charcoal in the copper basin on the carpet flickered and dimmed.

Zhao Douan leaned back on the bed, and couldn't help but lightly pinch the space between his eyebrows, chuckling bitterly,

"If it's really as you say, then Your Majesty's trip to the Divine Dragon Temple would indeed have done exactly what Da Jing and the Western Regions Ancestral Court desired."

As he said this, a thought struck him:

If Zhenbao had already seen through all this, yet still chose to seek trouble so overtly… If it was just to vent on his own behalf and assert the court's authority, there was actually no need for such an approach.

Xu Zhenguan sat on a round stool, her phoenix eyes glancing at him with a slight smile,

"While that may be true, how is this not in the interest of the court?"

Zhao Douan blinked his large eyes, "Your Majesty, are you saying…"

Xu Zhenguan sighed softly, seriously stating, "In the positions of these two Buddhist factions, the court's stance has always been consistent, which is not to wish for the two to merge into one."

Zhao Douan was stunned, then had an epiphany.

Yes.

For centuries, with East and West Buddhism at odds, what stance did the Great Yu court take? On one hand, the court was on good terms with the Divine Dragon Temple, and on the other, it also maintained trade with the Western Regions.

For the Great Yu Dynasty, a divided Buddhist faction was preferable.

Should East and West merge into one, it might signify the rise of a huge entity, something the Empress would definitely not want to see.

"The branch of the Divine Dragon Temple has grown increasingly vast over the past two hundred years; in terms of strength, it has caught up with, and even surpassed, the Western Regions Ancestral Court. That is why Xuan Yin is so eager, hoping within his tenure as abbot to achieve the great task of uniting them."

Xu Zhenguan explained in a soft voice, her tone somewhat melancholic,

"Officially, the court neither opposes nor supports, assuming a bystander's position. Yet, if there's an opportunity to weaken the Divine Dragon Temple, bringing a balance of power closer with the Western Regions, it's not a bad thing. Of course, the precondition is that the Western Regions cannot be too strong either."

Zhao Douan understood.

For the Empress, the Divine Dragon Temple was an important force to counterbalance the Western Regions Buddhism Ancestral Court.

The Divine Dragon Temple being too weak was unacceptable, but becoming too strong was no good either.

"This subject has heard that the Western Regions seem to have sent people inside the Great Yu territory," Zhao Douan suddenly said.

Xu Zhenguan nodded, speaking, "They should be arriving in the Capital in a few days."

"What are they here for?"

"Two things. One is to represent the Western Regions and discuss next year's trade with the court. Winter has arrived, and the year's end is upon us. These matters should be discussed as they usually are. Besides, they will be causing trouble for the Divine Dragon Temple. They won't go so far as to fight, but a debate over scripture, a competition of Buddhist Law, is certainly on the agenda.

It's not the first time. When the monks from the Western Regions come, they insist on engaging the Divine Dragon Temple in a debate, vying for victory, to show the world who truly inherits the orthodox essence of Buddhism," Xu Zhenguan clarified.

Debating scripture?

What a situation, the Confucians from Zhengyang have just left, and now comes a group of monks… Well, the difference being, monks aren't causing trouble for the Empress…

If the previous speculation were true, and Da Jing Monk had sided with the Western Regions, then the search would probably be fruitless. Could that grudge only be resolved with the Western Regions monks?

Asking them for a person? To demand Da Jing Monk be handed over... Hmm, quite the fantasy.

Not to mention the unlikely event of the other party's acquiescence, the mere claim of "Da Jing siding with the Western Regions" was just an evidence-less conjecture…

Zhao Douan's brow furrowed slightly; he did not look forward to the arrival of the Western Regions Mission.

"Your Majesty, this subject does not understand the Western Regions Ancestral Court well; I've only heard that in the small states of the Western Regions, it holds an Emperor Supreme-like existence, possessing supreme authority, with the Dharma King as its leader, and underneath the Dharma King, it seems the monks are divided into several sects?"

Xu Zhenguan made a sound of agreement, saying,

"That's indeed the case. The monks under the Western Regions Ancestral Court are separated into Five Directions, meaning five sects, distinguishable by the color of their hats—red, white, green, yellow, and black. The leaders of these groups are respected as Masters. As for the monks there, they are referred to as 'Esoteric Practitioners.'"

Pausing, she added,

"The leader of the mission this time is the Red Sect Master, who is known as the 'Holy Monk.'"

Distinguished by the color of their hats?

Quite a concept—one wonders if the green sect doesn't end up with caps of green… Oh, they're monks, so it doesn't matter… And 'Holy Monk,' does he go by the name Tang or Chen? Does he have a monkey companion?

Zhao Douan mulled over these thoughts with an internal scoff, curiosity emerging.

Xu Zhenguan, however, did not delve further and instead shifted topics,

"That's enough on that; there's no need for you to worry. Your current priority is to heal. It's possible that Da Jing won't be able to escape, and even if he does, I promise you that sooner or later he will be captured and brought back. Before that, you might as well vent your frustrations on Long Shu."

A pause, then she suddenly remembered something amusing and said,

"These monks will likely be the last group of foreigners to arrive before the year's end. You should heal at home and then have a peaceful New Year. However, when the holiday season approaches, some generals guarding the Great Yu borders, Dukes included, will come back. By then Duke Tang will return, and he might even seek you out."

Duke Tang? Tang Daren?

"Young Master" Tang Ping's father?

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned; he had disciplined Young Master Tang in the Divine Mechanism Camp without giving any face to Tang Duke, the commander guarding the Xiping Road.

But... he had subsequently recalled Tang Ping to the Divine Mechanism Camp, so that issue should be considered closed... right?

"Duke Tang's family is extremely doting and protective of Young Master Tang," Xu Zhenguan said with a teasing smile.

"...Your Majesty, this subject thinks it wouldn't be bad to be away on a mission during the New Year…" freёnovelkiss.com

"Heh," Xu Zhenguan rolled her eyes mockingly, scaring him,

"You tidy up the messes you create yourself."

Zhao Douan's eyes rolled about as he said: