Conferred God: Got cramped at the beginning

Chapter 980 The Perils and Worries of the Human Emperor

At the grand water and land festival in Chang'an, both Buddhism and Taoism participated.

This clearly demonstrates the Tang emperor's favoritism and deep affection for Buddhism.

Now, however, the Jade Emperor is using this to 'question' the Tang Emperor. Is this action akin to forgetting one's ancestors?

It seems that this is an inquiry into the Emperor.

From a Buddhist perspective, this was clearly an attempt to stop the Buddhist and Taoist joint water and land ritual in Chang'an.

This is to directly block the opportunity for Buddhism to take root in the human world!

The Buddhist community absolutely will not allow any person or force to obstruct, distort, or even cancel this Dharma assembly for any reason!
Even if it was just a probing attempt by the Jade Emperor on a whim, and even if the accusation of "forgetting one's ancestors" wasn't entirely accurate, the Buddhist community must immediately, resolutely, and without any room for compromise retaliate, nipping any potential threat to the Dharma assembly in the bud!
Therefore, after the Jade Emperor spoke, Guanyin Bodhisattva immediately stood up and blocked his way.

"Your Majesty, matters of the mortal realm should naturally be decided by the Emperor."

"The reason why His Majesty the Emperor held that Water and Land Dharma Assembly was simply because there were countless lonely souls in Chang'an City who were unable to be reborn due to the constraints of humanity."

"Therefore, out of compassion, His Majesty the Emperor summoned eminent monks and masters from both Buddhism and Taoism."

"Such a heart that loves all things, how can it be avoided because of the difference between Buddhism and Taoism?"

"His Majesty the Jade Emperor's words are frivolous and should not be considered the words of the Heavenly Emperor."

"This is what Guanyin Bodhisattva said."

Faced with such words, the Jade Emperor had no choice but to repeatedly apologize, admitting that he had spoken out of turn.

"Do the gods in the Lingxiao Palace also know about the Water and Land Dharma Assembly that I am holding in Chang'an?" Li Shimin's gaze fell on Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Li Shimin also felt a unique fondness for this great Bodhisattva who was quite famous in the human world—since ancient times, there has been a saying of avoiding the taboo of 'the names of elders and emperors'.

However, it is extremely rare in the world for an ancient and powerful immortal to take the initiative to avoid using the taboo name of an emperor and to adjust and modify his public title.
Moreover, it was not the time when Li Shimin was going to hold the Water and Land Dharma Assembly—it was only after he ascended the throne that this Guanyin Bodhisattva took the initiative to avoid using the character 'Shi' in her name.

The incredibly gentle demeanor it presents gives people a completely different feeling compared to the rigid and inflexible Taoist sects in the world today.

During the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, Buddhists were deliberately drawn into the fray, causing them to contend with the Taoists.

During this period, there were indeed persuasion from the Jade Emperor, the Heavenly Ruler, and Ao Bing, the Dragon Lord, as well as Emperor Li Shimin's desire to take the opportunity to balance the influence of Taoism.

However, the Buddhist community's willingness to use Guanyin Bodhisattva's deliberate avoidance of the topic must also be a significant factor in this.

Otherwise, if Li Shimin wanted to balance the power of Taoism and Xuanmen, he had many options—for example, to let Taoism and Xuanmen split on their own… so why did he have to involve Buddhism?
Moreover, Li Shimin's affectionate nickname for his eldest granddaughter, the Queen, was 'Guanyinbi'...

"Humanity is the origin of heaven and earth."

"Chang'an is the core of humanity."

"How could the gods of heaven and earth possibly ignore the changes in Chang'an?"

Guanyin Bodhisattva looked at Li Shimin in front of her with a gentle attitude.

"So that Your Majesty may know, since the Water and Land Ritual was held in Chang'an, the ghosts and gods of the underworld have reported several times about the countless souls returning to the cycle of reincarnation."

"Since the pre-Qin period, dynasties have changed hands many times. The souls bound by humanity have all returned to the underworld to fill the cycle of reincarnation..."

"Your Majesty's actions are truly a meritorious deed for Heaven and Earth," said Guanyin Bodhisattva, before her tone shifted slightly.

"However, Chang'an is the residence of the human emperor and one of the central hubs of heaven and earth."

"Throughout history, Chang'an has been the site of countless secret schemes and intrigues."

"The souls of the dead who were confined in Chang'an were bound by human affairs and unable to enter the underworld because they were involved in those treacherous schemes. It was not that their origins and memories had vanished under the erosion of human affairs, thus preventing them from returning to the cycle of reincarnation."

"Your Majesty's actions will certainly send countless souls back to the underworld."

"But similarly, when those countless souls returned to the underworld, all the shady schemes they experienced and witnessed also fell into the underworld, turning into the mist that lingered there."

“In the past, the countless unspeakable schemes hidden in the hearts of humanity will be exposed to the world when those souls return to the underworld.”

"And the shady dealings of those schemes have spanned hundreds of thousands of years, involving emperors, kings, and so on, as well as their consorts, ministers, and so on."

"The implications are so great that they cannot be calculated by reason alone."

"Your Majesty's undertaking of this important matter will surely arouse the envy of countless people."

Your Majesty should be cautious.

As Guanyin Bodhisattva spoke, her posture was one of great concern and exceptional candor—she didn't seem to care at all that her words were revealing the secrets of some immortals and gods.

He didn't care that his words would make the human emperor look down on immortals and gods even more.

"Oh?"

"As the Bodhisattva said, could it be that there are still immortals and gods in this world who want to harm me?"

"If that's the case, then I'll have to make a detailed record of all the immortals and gods in the Lingxiao Palace. Otherwise, if something happens, I won't know who to turn to."

Li Shimin feigned curiosity, his gaze sweeping once more over the faces of the immortals and gods in the Lingxiao Palace.

This time, his gaze was filled with aggression.

"Your Majesty is the supreme ruler of the human realm, incomparably noble, and can be said to be immune to all evil."

"In this world, what immortal or god would dare to harm Your Majesty?"

"From ancient times to the present, there has only been one Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and righteousness." The voice of the Ancient Buddha Dipankara rang out as well, intentionally or unintentionally mentioning Ao Bing's name.

"However, on the other hand, although His Majesty is supreme and noble, His Majesty's relatives are not."

"If this old monk wanted to harm His Majesty, he wouldn't need to confront him directly; he could simply target those around him."

"Your Majesty should know about the earth-shattering witchcraft calamity during the Former Han Dynasty," said Daoist Ran Deng with a sigh.

"Emperor Wu of Han and his son, the Crown Prince, fought each other in armor—and the imperial capital was engulfed in flames."

"After that upheaval, the entire Former Han Dynasty was severely weakened."

"Even with Emperor Wu of Han's great talent, he was forced to issue an edict of self-reproach in order to ease the situation."

The ancient Buddha Dipankara recounted the events of that time.

At that time, Buddhism had already entered the human world, and with the White Horse Temple as its anchor, it slowly spread its influence outward.

However, the immense upheaval originating from the Human Emperor only slightly spread to the White Horse Temple before it was almost completely uprooted—and the aftershocks of that turmoil caused the reincarnation of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, who was on par with Guanyin Bodhisattva…

As Li Shimin listened to the words and advice of the Buddha Dipankara, a fleeting murderous intent flashed across his brow.

Just as Ran Deng said, although the Human Emperor is supreme and noble, and cannot be harmed by any laws, it is not difficult for immortals and gods to scheme against him. Moreover, the powerful families in the mortal world today, supported by immortals and gods, are already thousands of times stronger than they were during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

Furthermore, the old case mentioned by Dipankara Buddha truly hit his Achilles' heel!
He had always had a habit of reading history—using history as a mirror. And as the emperor, he also had his own understanding of history.

Regarding the witchcraft incident during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, what he was truly concerned about was not the causes and consequences of the incident, but rather the casualties suffered during it.

Empress Wei Zifu died.

Crown Prince Liu Ju is dead!

An empress and a crown prince—these were the closest people to Emperor Wu of Han, the human emperor.

Compared to other subsequent losses, the deaths of these two people were truly heart-wrenching for Emperor Wu of Han!

If we were to switch the situation from the Former Han Dynasty to the present... then the deceased empress and crown prince...

That was none other than his beloved Guanyin maid.

And his eldest son, Li Chengqian.

These two are precisely his biggest weaknesses!
It is also his greatest taboo!
No one is allowed to touch it.

Touch it, and you'll die!

Li Shimin pondered, recalling the details of the witchcraft incident recorded in the secret book... Then, instinctively, he began to deduce what would have happened if he had encountered such a scheme... His empress and crown prince would have also died in such a scheme...

An unprecedentedly fierce aura swept through the Lingxiao Palace, almost turning it into a battlefield where countless lords fought before the unification of the world!

"The Emperor can vanquish evil and be immune to its influence?" Li Shimin tapped his fingers slightly on the throne, his voice a mix of amusement and sarcasm. "In my opinion, that may not be the case."

As he spoke, Li Shimin sighed again.

“A few days ago, I was disturbed in my dream by Jiancheng, and then all the former princes entered my dream.”

“Even from my dreams, it fell into the city of Chang’an.”

"If it weren't for Yuchi Jingde and Qin Qiong, who were armed and guarding outside my palace, I probably wouldn't have been able to get a good night's sleep these past few days."

"If the Buddha said that the human emperor is immune to all evil, then what is the reason for the unexpected events in the dream?"

Li Shimin said.

"Or perhaps, whether it's the construction of the city or the affairs of the various lords, it's all supported by that great god behind the scenes, so it can't be considered 'evil,' which is why it appeared in my dream?"

"Does the Ancient Buddha believe there is any merit to my conjecture?"

As Li Shimin spoke, these words sent chills down the spine of the Buddha Dipankara.

The immortals and gods in the Lingxiao Palace, at this moment, could no longer maintain their dignified and solemn demeanor in front of the Human Emperor, and began to whisper among themselves.

Dipankara Buddha is a powerful being at the level of a great supernatural being, carrying the 'past' of Buddhism on his shoulders. Such a being would never speak falsehoods—every word he utters requires others to ponder it again and again, to guess the unspoken meaning in his words.

A person like him, whenever he expresses an opinion on anything different from the norm, will cause quite a stir.

Now, he has issued a reminder to the Emperor in the Lingxiao Palace.

No one believed that Dipankara Buddha's reminder was a meaningless, casual remark.

Furthermore, as the Human Emperor mentioned, the matter of Jiancheng disturbing dreams... and the souls of Jiancheng and those feudal lords, are no longer described as 'evil'...

In that instant, all the gods in the Lingxiao Palace had a guess.

—In this Lingxiao Palace, there really is an incredibly powerful deity plotting against Li Shimin, the Human Emperor!

The immortals who plotted to become the Human Emperor were not only powerful, but also of incomparably noble status, wielding immense influence throughout the world.

That is why, even if Dipankara Buddha wanted to remind the Human Emperor, he could only do so indirectly and dared not speak directly.

Looking at all the gods in the Lingxiao Palace—there are very few who possess such strength, such power, such courage, and the desire to take action against the Human Emperor!

Ao Bing, the great dragon god who upholds heaven and righteousness!

He had some conflict with the Human Emperor because of the Jing River Dragon King incident.

However, Ao Bing, the Great Dragon God who upholds justice and righteousness, is always upright and honest in his actions, and is extremely righteous. He would not usually do such a thing as scheming behind someone's back. Moreover, judging from the situation just now, there are signs that the Great Dragon God who upholds justice and righteousness and the Human Emperor have already reconciled.

Therefore, it shouldn't be him who attacked the Emperor.

Aside from the Great Dragon God who upholds Heaven and righteousness, the other most likely person is... the Jade Emperor!
After all, the Jade Emperor has always been extremely wary of the Human Emperor, and has always had the habit of casually placing his pieces next to the Human Emperor.

If it really is the Jade Emperor, and he secretly plotted against the Human Emperor, only to be caught red-handed by the Human Emperor... wouldn't that be...

Amidst the speculative and doubtful gazes of the gods, the Jade Emperor helplessly raised his hand.

"It is not me," the Jade Emperor solemnly declared.

Based on his past personality, he would not have bothered with such matters, much less explain them.

But times have changed.

In that unprecedented chess game, he, the Human Emperor, and Ao Bing had just joined forces to plot and prepare their strategy.

If at this moment, the Emperor were to develop resentment, become wary of him, or even feel disgust towards him...

That relates to the situation going forward.

For the entire universe.

It would all be a complete disaster.

Therefore, the Jade Emperor had no choice but to speak.

Even though he knew that in the current situation, speaking up would be tantamount to 'showing weakness'.

But he had no choice but to speak up.

"Whether one believes or not is entirely up to the Emperor."

The Jade Emperor said.

"The words of the Emperor are golden and lawful; I naturally believe the words of His Majesty the Jade Emperor."

Li Shimin nodded.

"However, what the ancient Buddha said is indeed what I was worried about."

"Now that I have come to the Lingxiao Palace, I wish to find peace of mind here."

(End of this chapter)