Chapter 638: Four Lines of the Horizontal Canal

"I'm going to fight you!!!"

Facing Chen Yan's mocking, Xiao Yu could no longer bear it, rushed forward, determined to risk everything against Chen Yan.

But several officials nearby grabbed him together, saying, "Lord Xiao, calm down, calm down!"

"How can you make me calm? Let go of me; today I must fight him."

"Lord Xiao, stop this; we're outside the Taiji Palace, fighting is prohibited. Can we wait? The court session is about to begin."

"Attend the court? I'd rather attend your mother's court! Let me say it again: let go of me, today only one of me and Chen Yan can survive!"

The officials holding Xiao Yu were speechless; Xiao Yu was truly incensed, looking exactly like this.

But they dared not release Xiao Yu, so they kept trying to reason with him.

Chen Yan watched the scene with interest, not at all worried that Xiao Yu would rush over and strike him.

At some point, Qin Qiong had already stood beside him with arms crossed, saying, "Zi An, you still need to be careful; after all, this is outside the Taiji Palace."

"His Majesty must have heard about what's happening here,"

Chen Yan shook his head, "No need to worry about that. Today is the final contest between me and him; otherwise I wouldn't have called you back."

Qin Qiong's eyes flickered; she understood much from Chen Yan's words, nodded, and said nothing.

"Lord Xiao!"

The officials holding Xiao Yu could no longer stand it and said bluntly, "How long will you keep causing trouble? Can you possibly beat them? Look at who's standing behind them, okay?"

"To be blunt, even without those people, could you defeat a twenty‑year‑old, strong and robust young man who even carries a board and brick?"

"Moreover... their family houses four princesses, treated as nephews by Empress Changsun since childhood, and they can casually pull out an imperial gold medal. What do you have to fight them with?"

Xiao Yu: "......."

Those words were unbearably harsh to him, yet they fell like a bucket of cold water, instantly dousing Xiao Yu's raging anger.

Chen Yan said gently, "Lord Xiao, aren't you coming over?"

Xiao Yu gasped heavily, stared deeply at Chen Yan, who smiled softly and gazed back.

Neither of them spoke again, because they both knew that arguing now was meaningless.

After they enter the hall later, the real clash will begin.

After a while, Xiao Yu shifted his gaze.

Outside the hall, silence fell instantly.

Whether intentional or not, when the two stopped arguing, a eunuch happened to come out and announce the entry into the hall.

After the procedures, Wushe spoke as usual, "If there is a matter, present it; if not, retire from court."

"Forget it."

What no one expected was that Li Shimin spoke first today, waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over Chen Yan and Xiao Yu: "I heard you were arguing fiercely outside; I have already given you time to quarrel."

"Now that you enter the hall, stop arguing."

"We are colleagues; don't damage the harmony."

"His Majesty, I understand," Chen Yan said with a faint smile, "I was only concerned about Lord Xiao's demeanor; who could have known Lord Xiao would immediately lose his temper, chasing me like a mad dog. I was truly helpless."

Li Shimin was speechless inside, waved his hand and said, "Fine, I don't want to hear this. A few days ago, you were already at loggerheads over the eradication of Buddhism."

"One was beaten, another stripped of rank, causing such a huge uproar, yet still no clear outcome."

"I am weary; today, regardless of the situation, I will make a decision!"

"His Majesty!" Xiao Yu stepped forward, "The eradication of Buddhism is absolutely unacceptable. I still stand by my words: I am not motivated by personal desire, but because the matter's impact is too great to permit."

"I second the motion; the eradication of Buddhism must not be adopted, Your Majesty."

"I also second..."

When Xiao Yu stepped forward, more than a third of the officials in the Court immediately voiced their support.

Chen Yan was not surprised by this result; after all, Cheng Yaojin had told him yesterday that Xiao Yu was already contacting people.

What he hadn't expected was that, aside from the largely neutral crowd, another third of the officials actually backed Xiao Yu.

That influence was indeed huge.

Hmm... perhaps it's not Xiao Yu's influence, but that of the Buddhist Establishment.

Li Shimin gave a casual glance over the crowd, did not state his position immediately, and asked Chen Yan, "Minister Chen, what is your view?"

"His Majesty, I can only stand and watch, even dare not look," Chen Yan said, then sighed, "Honestly, I never imagined the Buddhist Establishment's influence could be this great."

"In the Court, there are so many officials siding with them; I am genuinely puzzled why these people are so fearless, even though they have presented evidence, they still dare to block my eradication of Buddhism."

"If you say there are no interests involved, I don't believe it."

Many officials widened their eyes at those words.

"Heavenly Bodhisattva, how dare you say that?"

"Putting it out in the open?"

The officials opposing the eradication of Buddhism suddenly became frantic, rushing to pledge loyalty to Li Shimin, and some even launched verbal attacks at Chen Yan.

Chen Yan didn't care at all, because Du Gou and his group were already arguing with them.

He was too lazy to bother with them.

"Minister Chen, I advise you to speak carefully," Xiao Yu said coldly, "In speech and action, everything requires evidence; baseless accusations we will not tolerate."

"Why do we oppose you? Don't you know the reasons yourself?"

"Eradicate Buddhism, eradicate Buddhism—how dare you even utter that?"

"How to eradicate? Kill everyone?"

"Or do you want His Majesty to follow the previous two eradications of Buddhism—demolish temples, burn scriptures, forbid the Buddhist Establishment's existence?"

"Lord Xiao, which one do you hope for?" Chen Yan said calmly, "Actually, any works for me; just pick one."

"You sharp‑tongued youngster, have you considered the consequences?" Xiao Yu was no longer angry now.

He knows very clearly that, when it comes to arguing or hurting feelings, he is absolutely no match for Chen Yan.

"Studying is meant to make you understand reason, know your limits, and grasp when to advance or retreat, not to let a youthful arrogance and a high official rank let you act without regard for consequences."

"Minister Chen, you are still young; many things are not as simple as you imagine. You must realize that, with your current position, a single decision could affect the common people of the world. This matter should not be raised again."

"Studying… is that really so?" Chen Yan tilted his head, let out a light laugh, "Understanding reason, knowing limits, grasping advance and retreat… I have indeed never heard that saying."

"All I know is that the purpose of studying… is to set the heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish destiny for the people, to inherit the lost teachings of past sages, and to bring peace to all ages!!"

"Since I sit in the position of Minister of Revenue, I naturally must share the ruler's worries and do my utmost for the nation."

"The entire Tang's ten Dao, three hundred fifty‑eight prefectures, and one thousand five hundred fifty‑one counties' economy rests on my shoulders."

"The common folk of the world—when will it be their turn to be spoken of by a brute like you, who doesn't even care for a fellow sister?"

".... …"