Chapter 618: Returning to Old Grounds

When Chen Yan finished speaking, it truly caused an uproar throughout the entire Court.

Both the anti‑Buddhist officials and the pro‑Buddhist officials went mad together.

One side was wildly supporting Chen Yan, while the other side was wildly attacking him.

This time, it was far more intense than the earlier brawl.

"What did you say?"

"What are you saying?"

Xiao Yu was completely speechless.

How dare he, how on earth could he dare?

He can actually utter such words.

"So what of it?" Chen Yan said calmly, "Aren't you Buddhists the ones who care most about cause and effect? If there are countless karmic ties, I, Chen Yan, will bear them all alone!"

"You... you are unreasonable!"

"Yes, yes, you are reasonable—you let the temples grow unchecked, oppress the common folk; you are far too reasonable."

Cheng Yaojin spoke at this moment: "Xiao, I advise you to say fewer words. We've already told you that these temples cannot remain. Stop babbling, or I'll beat you up again."

It's play for the sake of play, and chaos for the sake of chaos.

When it comes to the big picture, he will definitely side with Chen Yan.

Moreover, he's been displeased with those monks for a long time as well.

"How dare you all act like this!" Xiao Yu, unable to contain his anger, glanced left and right, then hurried to the silent Wei Zheng, who had his hands folded.

"Lord Wei, they intend to stir up unrest; please tell us about them."

"Speak of them?" Wei Zheng replied calmly, "What about them?"

"I think what they say makes a lot of sense."

"Since the Tang Dynasty began, when have we ever relied on the vague, insubstantial Buddha instead of on ourselves?"

"I've also heard plenty of the temples' filthy deeds; just destroy them, after all history hasn't seen this for the first time."

"What harm is there in wiping them out once more?"

Du Ruhui wholeheartedly agreed: "When Northern Wei Emperor Taiwu eradicated Buddhism, he executed the monks of Chang'an, burned scriptures and statues, issued an edict to smash all Buddha images nationwide, incinerated sutras, and left no monk untouched."

"I haven't seen him suffer any retribution either."

Fang Xuanling nodded: "Indeed, when Northern Zhou Emperor Wu suppressed Buddhism, northern Buddhism was almost uprooted, and yet we saw no vengeance against his destruction; instead it laid the groundwork for later the conquest of Northern Qi."

With three chancellors openly taking a stand, the anti‑Buddhist officials grew even more excited, their words becoming three points more fierce.

Those who didn't support the anti‑Buddhist stance, unwilling to be outdone, stubbornly held their ground against the pressure.

In the Court, spittle flew like stars.

The Court grew even more ferocious than before, with even Du Ruhui and Wei Zheng joining the fray, yet Li Shimin had already lost interest in intervening.

Leaning on one hand, Li Shimin looked, shook his head, and sighed.

Originally, the court meeting he had anticipated today was to discuss the flooding problem in Luoyang.

Everyone would gather to brainstorm solutions, perhaps argue with the Ministry of Revenue, and then produce a resolution.

But what no one expected was that the Ministry of Revenue went all‑in, declaring that the Buddha must be eradicated…

"Heh…"

Li Shimin shook his head, chuckled wryly, let out a long sigh, and then, disregarding the bickering officials, left the Taiji Palace.

"......"

That day, the greatest turmoil in the Court since the Zhenguan era erupted.

During the period, the civil officials collectively bore injuries, and when others asked, not a single one would speak.

Everyone kept silent about it.

And as the one who led the brawl, Chen Yan…

unfailingly returned to familiar ground.

"Hey, Duke, why are you here again?"

Inside the Dali Temple Prison, the same familiar guard, upon seeing Chen Yan being led away by two imperial guards, immediately laughed.

Chen Yan gave him a sideways glance, "What the hell are you laughing at?"

"I'm imprisoned; why do you look so pleased?"

"Ah, Duke," the guard said cheerfully as he opened the cell door. After Chen Yan stepped inside, the guard locked it and added, "When you first came, I sensed you weren't a quiet person; you'd have to return someday."

"See, you're back again, aren't you?"

Chen Yan lay on the prison's straw mat speechlessly, patting his belly, "I say… what was your name again?"

"I'm Pei Guang."

Chen Yan: "......"

"...... Fine, Pei Guang, you don't have to call me Duke anymore; I reckon from today I'm no longer one."

Pei Guang blinked, "Duke… sir, the offense you committed today isn't small, is it?"

"Hmm," Chen Yan replied casually, "Actually it's nothing major, just a scuffle, and I even said some decent words."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Pei Guang said cheerfully, "Sir, are you hungry? I have a roasted chicken over there…"

"Ah…" Chen Yan patted his belly, stood up, "Alright, I'm a bit hungry, you can take it."

"Hey, fine…"

"Husband!"

Pei Guang was about to fetch something when a stunningly beautiful woman rushed in, her face full of worry.

He was taken aback, looked behind, and saw another beautiful woman entering.

Pei Guang's brain instantly crashed.

Isn't it?

This is Dali Temple Prison, huh?

How can you all just come in like that?

"You...... what happened to you? Why did Father Emperor suddenly issue an edict to lock you up in Dali Temple Prison? Are you alright?" Li Lizhi stood outside the prison cell, her eyes red.

"What can he do?" At that moment, Gao Yang also walked over, glanced up and down at Chen Yan, saw he was fine, breathed a sigh of relief, and sneered without mercy: "He probably just caused trouble again."

"Although I haven't gotten any concrete news, Cheng Yaojin and his gang have been shouting that they want to hit him with twenty great boards."

"I reckon…… he came to brush up his noble rank."

Chen Yan: "……"

Fine.

He just knew Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong would never rest.

"Fine, fine, fine—don't pry into this matter." Chen Yan waved his hand, "You guys go back. I'm fine; I just wanted to stay in Dali Temple Prison for a couple days."

Two women: "……"

"Husband, it's already this late—stop joking." Li Lizhi still uneasy: "We just went to look for Father Emperor, but he didn't see us, and even Sizi is missing."

"Your attitude is very firm—what exactly did you do?"

"He seems really angry."

"Why don't we go look for Mother Empress and have her plead for you?"

Chen Yan waved his hand, lay back down, and said, "You don't need to go through that trouble; if the Empress ought to know, she'll definitely know—there's no need for you to plead."

"Also, don't go looking for your Father Emperor; this matter is complicated, and as for His Majesty…… he's happy with this, and to some extent, it's actually protecting me."

"Don't go poking around; after you go back, eat what you should, drink what you should—I'm doing fine here, and I have old acquaintances."

"If you had come later, I would have already eaten roast chicken."

"……"