The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 334 - 285, The "Four Factions" within the Divine Dragon Temple

"Thank you, sir."

Zhao Douan fell silent for a moment, respectfully taking the fragrant mutton soup with both hands and taking a sip.

In his heart, he wasn't at all surprised that Zhang Yan Yi had seen through his "disguise" or that he had appeared here.

As the mutton soup hit his palate, he couldn't help but recall that it was in this very shop where he had first encountered Zhang Yan Yi after leaving the Imperial Palace.

Meeting again now truly felt like "destined to meet despite the miles."

"Sir, you've kept me in suspense for quite a while."

Zhao Douan set down his bowl, touched the corner of his mouth, and smiled bitterly.

The tall and lean Old Heavenly Master with rosy cheeks still dressed like an ordinary old man.

Even though he had made a public appearance that morning, under everyone's watchful eyes.

It seemed he used some method, not at all worried about being recognized by outsiders.

He now handed over a pancake, smilingly saying,

"Eat a pancake, eat a pancake. Hehe, there's no need to talk about the past. This old man hasn't pursued your disrespect, and you should also let bygones be bygones."

Ha, you're probably afraid I'll hold onto the past of you freeloading without paying... Zhao Douan quipped in his mind, yet he didn't bring it up again.

Still, contemplating it, he felt it all seemed like a dream.

"Sir, is Priest Jin Jian doing well?" Zhao Douan attempted to start another topic.

Zhang Yan Yi glanced at him and smiled:

"This young fellow of mine is quite fickle, barely out from the Saint's side in the palace, and already you're thinking about my disciple."

Zhao Douan didn't know whether to laugh or cry:

"Don't scare me, sir. I am loyal to Your Majesty, as heaven and earth can attest, and my relationship with Priest Jin Jian is nothing but pure friendship."

Zhang Yan Yi was clearly mostly joking.

Seeing him rush to explain was entertaining, so he casually asked how the Empress had dealt with him.

Zhao Douan vaguely responded with a few words, brushing it off by saying everything was arranged by Your Majesty.

What he didn't know was that the elder before him was one of the very few who realized this matter had nothing to do with the Empress.

But Zhang Yan Yi didn't call him out on it and believed his account.

Returning to the subject of Jin Jian, Zhang Yan Yi said her injuries weren't severe, a few days of rest, and she would recover as before, certainly faring much better than the unconscious Monk Tianhai.

Speaking of Divine Dragon Temple had sparked Zhao Douan's curiosity:

"Sir, I'm puzzled about something. Why did the Precepts Hall monk from Divine Dragon Temple push me so hard today, willing to accept punishment from the court?"

Originally, he wanted to ask Zhenbao, but Zhenbao left quickly.

So he decided to inquire with old Wang... no, Zhang.

Zhang Yan Yi wasn't surprised.

Pinching a pancake, he dipped it in his bowl of soup and spoke:

"That involves the three powers within Divine Dragon Temple."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details."

The Old Heavenly Master didn't hide anything from him and casually explained:

"In my Heavenly Master Mansion, a thousand-year lineage has always revered the 'Heavenly Master' as its leader, with succession also occurring from master to disciple.

Although there are also alchemical practices and talismanic arts among the many priests in the Heavenly Master Mansion, those aren't the core of the Mansion.

Hmm, you could understand it as the Heavenly Master Mansion being a place where many small Daoist sects congregate to live together.

Among them, my Heavenly Master lineage is the strongest and is the leader of this place, as well as the most revered among all Daoist sects under heaven."

Hmm, this sounds like a loose alliance... The Heavenly Master lineage is the leader, and the others gathered around, also identifying themselves as priests, are "member sects" within the alliance...

Zhao Douan used his own familiar terms to make sense of it.

Zhang Yan Yi said:

"Therefore, there are only a few people in the lineage of Heaven Master Mansion, every generation.

For this generation, it is roughly this old man and my six disciples. But Buddhism is different; it's much more vast, not to mention the distinction between Western Regions Buddhism and Buddhism within the Great Yu Kingdom."

"Looking just at the Buddhism in Great Yu, Divine Dragon Temple is the main temple, and all monks under heaven are united as one, forming an extremely large sect.

Nowadays, the strongest within the temple is naturally the faction headed by Abbot Xuan Yin.

Besides, there are also two factions led by Long Shu Bodhisattva and Da Jing Master. Combined, these two factions are strong enough to give Xuan Yin a run for his money."

Hmm... It sounds like a court.

Xuan Yin is the Empress, while Long Shu and Da Jing respectively correspond to the "Li Party" and "Clean Stream Party"... Zhao Douan curiously asked:

"What about the Bodhisattva from Jizhao Temple? Which faction does she belong to?"

Zhang Yan Yi looked at him, shaking his head:

"Prajna claims to lead a faction on her own, overseeing the nuns, and chooses not to partake in conflicts."

Alright... no wonder the old nun moved out to live alone... Zhao Douan came to a sudden realization.

Zhang Yan Yi continued:

"Among them, Long Shu Bodhisattva is the strongest and covets the position of abbot held by Xuan Yin."

Zhao Douan curiously asked, "Is coveting enough? Can he defeat Xuan Yin?"

Zhang Yan Yi chuckled:

"Of course, I couldn't beat him.

But Master Xuan Yin is old and will eventually pass away, while Long Shu is younger and naturally harbors ambitions of vying for the position of the next abbot.

Moreover, it's not impossible for Master Xuan Yin to die unexpectedly earlier, though the heir he favors is probably Bian Ji.

Thus, over the years, Long Shu has been continuously forming factions and building his influence. The head of the Precepts Hall and Tianhai are both part of Long Shu's faction."

Wow... Are they plotting a political upheaval within Buddhism?

Zhao Douan exclaimed in admiration.

Comparing it to a "Xuan Sect coup," Master Xuan Yin would be the Old Emperor, Bian Ji the Crown Prince, and Long Shu would very much be the Second Prince.

Hiss...

Doesn't that mean the detached and uninvolved Prajna, the nun, corresponds to the Third Imperial Princess?

Zhao Douan's thoughts drifted.

Zhang Yan Yi said,

"To accumulate prestige, Long Shu has bet on this Buddhist Tao debate. If Tianhai wins, he will become the popularly anticipated next 'Heavenly Man' candidate.

This way, Long Shu's faction would greatly benefit.

Master Xuan Yin knows this well but he has been indulgent due to his commitment to the unification of East and West Buddhism and fears of internal division. Yet, you have disrupted that."

The Old Heavenly Master looked at him teasingly, jokingly said,

"Your sudden emergence seemed to pressure Buddhism, but it actually made all of Long Shu's painstaking preparations over the years come to nothing.

They've invested so much in Tianhai, only for you to reap the rewards, how can they not be furious?

What's more crucial is that this will re-stabilize the position of Master Xuan Yin's faction..."

Zhao Douan was incredibly astute and caught on immediately, expressing his surprise,

"So, the head of the Precepts Hall, for the sake of Bodhisattva Long Shu, took the opportunity to provoke conflict between Divine Dragon Temple and the court?

Because Master Xuan Yin is currently in charge of the temple, he must endure the wrath of the court... That bald rascal, is he using the court's hand to suppress Master Xuan Yin?"

Zhang Yan Yi smiled and said, "The pupil has potential."

Wow!

Zhao Douan grinned, feeling like he had unraveled the knot in his mind, not realizing there were so many intricacies involved.

He mused to himself,

"Since you are aware of these matters, Your Majesty must know as well.

So... by deliberately delaying and then sending Mo Chou to exert pressure on Divine Dragon Temple, is Your Majesty creating a gap for Master Xuan Yin to deal with the head of the Precepts Hall himself... thereby deepening the rift between the two Buddhist factions?

On the other hand, if the court takes action, it might cause both factions to unite against a common enemy...

This is not something the court would want to see.

By first inducing their internal strife and compelling Master Xuan Yin to act against the head of the Precepts Hall, the court can then step in and punish the entire temple.

It maintains the court's authority and amplifies the internal conflict... Brilliant!"

Zhao Douan quickly grasped the underlying reasons and felt enlightened.

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He suddenly realized that it was no accident that Zhenbao could ascend to the throne.

Although it seemed he was always helping her.

But in reality, whether it was the Empress's series of maneuvers for establishing the Xiuwen Pavilion over the past half-year or her clever instigating of conflict within Divine Dragon Temple...

All of it showed that Zhenbao, when dissected, was also capable of... geez, impressive.

"Thank you for the enlightenment, Master."

Zhao Douan said with a genuine smile of gratitude, then swiftly changed the subject,

"Speaking of which, although this junior acted on behalf of the Imperial Family, I also helped out the Heavenly Master Mansion a bit, didn't I? So, about that..."

He held out two fingers and made a rubbing gesture, looking a little embarrassed.

Zhang Yan's smile froze slightly and he frowned,

"Suddenly, I remember I haven't collected the Heavenly Books that were drying in the courtyard. I must leave now, we will meet again if the opportunity arises."

Not waiting for Zhao Douan to respond, he turned into a wisp of blue smoke and disappeared.

Zhao Douan: "..."

Is this really a Heavenly Master?

I hadn't even made my conditions yet... Zhao Douan helplessly patted his bottom, got up to leave, and went to fetch his horse.

But all of a sudden, he was grabbed by the innkeeper who rushed out of the shop:

"Noble guest, you haven't paid your bill yet."

"... The two bowls of soup and pastries were offered by that elder just now..."

The innkeeper held on tightly and said displeased,

"He mentioned you would pay the bill, honored guest. Surely you don't intend to dine and dash?"

"..."

Zhao Douan gritted his teeth and spat out two words:

"Old! Zhang!"

...

Evening.

Zhao Douan rode his horse feeling gloomy, heading straight for Zhangtai Garden to attend tonight's celebration banquet.