Chapter 571: The Storm Strikes Only the Homeless; the Buddha

Li Zhi may not have been able to outmaneuver his colleagues in officialdom, but as a mouthpiece for opinions, he was a king of verbal dominance.

With just two words, he made crystal clear why religion was born, why it flourished, and why it spread among the masses.

"Well said. We should've handed out some silver just now to fund their journey to the grasslands." Zhu Zhu Yijun expressed his approval by handing out money—getting silver from his hands was never easy, proving that Li Zhi and Lin Lin Fucheng, this pair of opinion baskets, had done an excellent job.

After holding his hands and scanning the room, Li Zhi spoke: "The Book of Documents says: Heaven and Earth are the parents of all things; humans are the most spiritual among all creatures. Heaven and Earth are the parents of all things; though all things are born between Heaven and Earth, only humans are the spiritual pinnacle—spirituality, that is."

"Spirituality is what distinguishes humans from all other creatures, and spirituality can be shaped, like a sheet of rice paper—through growth, parents, kin, teachers, all continuously mold this spirituality, giving rise to all that is human."

"Humans possess spirituality; they clearly know their own existence, clearly know birth, aging, sickness, and death. Living, they all seek meaning—the meaning of life. This is the instinct that elevates humans above all creatures. Humans are human precisely because they cannot live like beasts, ignorant and oblivious."

Life is full of misfortune, the future uncertain; one's fate seems impossible to control, always drifting with the current. At such times, one needs a transcendent world to entrust all one's spirituality.

Lin Lin Fucheng waited as the audience digested Li Zhi's words—Li Zhi had begun from the Book of Documents' concept of humans as the spiritual pinnacle, discussing human spirituality, the pursuit of meaning in life, and the need for a transcendent world.

"So it seems the meaning of life lies not in reality, but in that transcendent realm—but can that transcendent realm truly be reached?" Lin Lin Fucheng waited until everyone raised their heads and the confusion on their faces faded before asking hesitantly.

Li Zhi smiled: "Indeed, look—humans live to seek meaning, and thus fabricate a transcendent world. That transcendent world seems unrelated to reality—that is its strangeness. Once one relentlessly pursues this fabricated transcendent realm, the meaning of life ceases to exist in reality."

"Thus, excessive pursuit of that transcendent realm traps humans in the contradiction of losing and then re-losing the self, trapped in this paradox that torments life. When the human heart is most confused, evil forces creep in—because the unpredictability of life breeds confusion, people naturally believe some mysterious force governs the world's workings."

"And then they chase after this mysterious force."

"How can one reach a fabricated transcendent realm?"

Lin Lin Fucheng nodded: "This still sounds too abstract. Li Zhi, do you have any concrete examples?"

"The Censorate constantly rants about the base Confucians of the Three Dynasties' era," Li Zhi said matter-of-factly. "They are the most concrete example."

Hearing this, Zhu Zhu Yijun froze. No wonder this free-thinking warrior made Confucian scholars tremble—he could discuss religion and still drag out these base Confucians for criticism.

It was no surprise Li Zhi and Lin Lin Fucheng used the base Confucians as examples—they truly fit the topic.

Li Zhi declared loudly: "These base Confucians constructed a fabricated transcendent realm—the era before the Three Dynasties. For millennia, they endlessly refined this fabricated realm, deifying Confucius, Mencius, Zhu Xi, and others, elevating their status until Confucianism became Confucianism as a religion."

"Turning humans into divine figures is deification! Under this idol of Confucianism, they began constant self-alienation and alienation of others."

"Yes, contradiction is everywhere—even in religion: self-persuasion leading to alienation, and persuading others leading to alienation. The collision between one's own spirituality and others' is where contradiction intensifies!"

"In self-alienation and other-alienation, human spirituality gradually becomes delusional, detached from reality, until it is utterly transformed by the delusional transcendent realm—human spirituality becomes religious instinct, and thus turns into a beast."

Lin Lin Fucheng immediately said: "You elevate contradiction to such heights—aren't you also creating a divine image? Aren't you also deifying? What god are you creating? Jiangling Gong?"

Li Zhi shook his head. If contradiction were sanctified and placed in a shrine, would it still be contradiction? Just like those Confucian classics—perhaps the best solution for their time, but rigidly applied today, are they truly suitable?

After a moment's thought, Li Zhi said: "The theory of contradiction is merely a method for thinking—helping people avoid one-sided views. It is not sanctification. It is merely an oar for a boat adrift in the sea of suffering. If you don't want to use it, you may drift with the current—it need not be placed in a shrine for constant worship."

"His Majesty destroyed the Kong family's hereditary decree—this does not harm Confucius at all; instead, it rescues Master Kong from the filthy, corrupt Kong mansion."

"Rather than worrying that the theory of contradiction will be sanctified, worry that it will be abandoned."

Lin Lin Fucheng blinked and asked: "Master Li, why say this?"

Li Zhi sighed helplessly: "Think about it—what does the theory of contradiction discuss? It discusses top-down and bottom-up. When discussed bottom-up, whose interests are harmed? The meat-eaters."

"How could the meat-eaters allow such learning to flourish? Only under this benevolent emperor's reign can such a scene exist. Afterward, the theory of contradiction will be tossed into the dustbin of old books, and everyone will once again embrace Confucianism—it's simply easier."

"What seemed ordinary at the time" is a common phenomenon—people live in the present, accustomed to it, believing the world should be this way. But the Emperor Wanli Reforms of the Emperor Wanli era were an exceptionally rare moment—once gone, it's gone forever.

"Will it really happen?" Zhu Zhu Yijun slapped the railing and suddenly shouted.

Li Zhi was startled—he knew perfectly well the "Young Master Huang" was the Emperor. Gathered conversation was one thing; imperial audience was another—completely different concepts.

"Young Master Huang, it will happen," Li Zhi hurriedly said. "The theory of contradiction always says: contradictions succeed each other, waxing and waning." History always flips like a pancake.

Hu Ying, who served as Minister of Rites from Yongle to Tian Shun, was a classic example.

Hu Ying once mocked himself: "I served thirty-six years as Minister of Rites, under five emperors—truly laughable. A fickle petty man."

As Minister of Rites, Hu Ying steadfastly supported ocean trade, then steadfastly opposed it; supported the garrison Confucian academies, then steadfastly merged them; supported northern border campaigns, then steadfastly opposed them.

He steadfastly supported and opposed competing with the people for profit; steadfastly supported and opposed the household labor law; steadfastly supported and opposed ennobling imperial in-laws.

Hu Ying's flip-flopping reflected how times changed—history endlessly flipped pancakes, endlessly cycling, a truth vividly embodied in Hu Ying.

The theory of contradiction cannot escape this fate. Today, people treat it as essential reading; after the Emperor Wanli Reforms pass, everyone will fiercely oppose it. Such is the nature of worldly affairs.

"I refuse to believe in this curse!" Zhu Zhu Yijun waved his sleeve and stalked off to sulk, signaling the two to continue their gathering.

Zhu Zhu Yijun knew perfectly well these two were right—even the mighty Emperor Taizu could not control what happened after his death.

The theory of contradiction's greatest achievement was providing a bottom-up perspective—a perspective rejected and despised by the meat-eaters. Once the Emperor Wanli Reform supporters die, the theory of contradiction will become just another historical footnote, like Zheng He's old maritime records.

Li Zhi understood why His Majesty was so diligent and proactive—he sought to prevent such events, or at least leave behind enough legacy so his descendants could squander it until the next cycle.

But does history truly rise-fall-rise? Usually, it rises-rise-fall-fall-fall.

"Religion's root lies in humans seeking meaning in life, seeking a transcendent realm. Thus, religion's essence is human alienation," Li Zhi said, looking at everyone with weary resignation. "In the third year of Emperor Wanli, the Zhixing Zhixing Heyi Zhong gathered in the Southern Office, clamoring for immortality—dissecting infants to extract umbilical cord blood, a sight too horrific to behold."

"Such tragedies also occurred on the grasslands—we cannot imagine the plight of people who can barely afford two taels of silver per year, yet must donate three taels to lama temples."

Li Zhi denounced religion's evils: besides those mad acts, it was the looting of wealth—these two crimes were the most deserving of death. The poor laborers, who could barely save a few coins a year, sent them all to temples, while the lamas within were dens of filth, teeming with all five poisons.

"Faith, the more absolute, the more severe the human alienation. In the imagined transcendent realm, because it is fabricated, it can fulfill all human longings—for the infinite, the sublime, the transcendent, the poetic, even immortality. The more one believes in this fabricated realm, the more absolute one's faith becomes; the more absolute, the more one alienates oneself."

"Self-deception is the beginning of alienation; devotion to the point of sacrificing everything is its end—this is universal."

"Master Li mentioned self-alienation and other-alienation. Besides self-deception, are there others who alienate during this process?" Lin Lin Fucheng asked with a smile.

Li Zhi replied confidently: "Self-alienation is self-deception; others' deception is ultimately about interest. We haven't yet reached the grasslands to deeply examine the institutional exploitation by lama temples, but from the Zhixing Zhixing Heyi Zhong's mass fundraising, we can make a brief analysis."

"Wang Wang Xiangu's goal in deifying herself was not merely incense money—such a relationship is too loose. Wang Wang Xiangu deified herself, founded the Zhixing Zhixing Heyi Zhong, and her fundamental aim was nothing other than the age-old topic."

Lin Lin Fucheng immediately asked: "What topic?"

"To establish a relationship of forced personal dependence, granting power over others' lives and deaths—that is the core purpose," Li Zhi answered smoothly.

This was the relationship between people that the free thinkers most opposed: forced personal dependence—the master-slave relationship.

In their Q&A, Lin Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi unveiled religion's essence: self-deception and exploitation.

Li Zhi continued: "All human creations serve human needs. So what needs does religion serve? The need to escape suffering reality."

"Faced with life's finitude and earthly suffering, humans seek psychological comfort—human spirituality needs peace, the spirit needs soothing."

"This is what is called the gods saving all beings—but gods rarely save the poor."

Storms strike only the homeless; the Buddha's gate saves only the wealthy.

The Buddha is a golden Buddha; worshipping him requires silver. Empress Dowager Li's Buddha stupa, built in the early Emperor Wanli years, cost two hundred thousand taels—worth every tael, even Zhu Zhu Yijun, the stingy emperor, thought it worth it. This was a landmark event of Wang Wang Chonggu's tribute.

After Li Zhi finished, Lin Lin Fucheng spoke gravely: "Religion is humanity's protest against earthly suffering, but to soothe spirituality and comfort the spirit, one must pay with real silver. Fundamentally, religion sells spiritual comfort as a commodity—and it is expensive."

"This exchange is unequal, rife with fraud and concealment—it is not free trade."

"Religion is bondage, a shackle, the enemy of human freedom."

Zhu Zhu Yijun raised his hand and applauded the two masters. The audience below reacted indifferently.

Great Ming was an extremely secular state. The audience had come to watch Li Zhi and Lin Lin Fucheng, these two free-thinking champions who openly challenged bureaucrats and despotism, demonstrate how they challenged imperial power. Instead, the two masters spent hours discussing religion's alienation of humans.

They could not relate—lacking the context, especially these scholar-officials. Confucius said: "The Master spoke not of spirits, strange forces, or disorder." Thus, they kept ghosts and gods at a distance.

One man in the audience flushed red, clapping wildly, expressing inner excitement—this was Li Li Yashi, a victim. In his youth, unable to be with his beloved, he swore a vow to remain celibate and serve the gods. That vow became a shackle, a prison.

Later, his beloved came to him, then betrayed him. Li Li Yashi now saw his vow as utterly foolish.

Li Zhi and Lin Lin Fucheng's remarks, if spoken in the West, would instantly make them saints.

"Suiyuan is Great Ming's Suiyuan—Suiyuan has suffered greatly," Lin Lin Fucheng said, seeing the audience's indifference. He still voiced their purpose: to rally support for Wang Hua's pacification of Suiyuan.

Lin Lin Fucheng and Li Zhi exchanged glances and smiled. They had expected the lukewarm reaction—and that was precisely why they smiled.

"I know you may say today's gathering on this topic is dull. Indeed, it seems terribly boring," Lin Lin Fucheng said with a smile. "Now, let's play a small game. Raise your hand if you've never experienced the following in your life."

"Note: raise your hand only if you've never experienced it. You may remain silent to protest the suffering of reality."

Only after everyone fully understood the rules did Li Zhi speak: "First: You may speak of the ruler's faults, but never of your teacher's mistakes. Raise your hand if you've never experienced this."

The room fell silent. Everyone stared in shock at the two masters. Weren't they discussing religion? Their points were valid—but now, with this question, everyone instantly realized: they too were under similar oppression, unaware.

This was terrifying.

"How disappointing," Lin Lin Fucheng said, sipping water and gazing at the Confucian scholars below. "Everyone has experienced this. It's tragic. The ruler's faults may be criticized, but the teacher's mistakes? Never spoken of—not even a thought of defiance allowed."

"Jiangling Gong taught and enlightened—he may be criticized!" Zhu Zhu Yijun shouted.

"No," Lin Lin Fucheng said firmly. "His Majesty has decreed: those who speak of their teacher's faults shall be executed." This was an unconscious boomerang—Lin Lin Fucheng had never imagined "Young Master Huang" was the Emperor. He'd said far worse things to him before.

Zhu Zhu Yijun was stunned, reeling from this boomerang. He couldn't just say: "I'm the Emperor—you may speak!"

The silver on Guangde Bookstore's ledger was still too much!

Li Zhi's face darkened. Lin Lin Fucheng only dared speak this way because he had talent and the Emperor overlooked it. Otherwise, one word—"Those who dare criticize the sovereign shall be beheaded"—and Lin Lin Fucheng would be dead, with no one to save him.

Li Zhi immediately said: "Second: No dissent, however reasonable, is tolerated."

Li Zhi was changing the subject to prevent deeper inquiry. Lin Lin Fucheng must not continue—further words would be treasonous, a capital crime not excusable by ignorance.

The second question sparked murmurs—words like ruler's cane, reprimands, scolding filled the air. Since childhood, it had always been this way: obedience was learned early.

"Another tragedy," Lin Lin Fucheng sighed. "You mock the grassland folk for their ignorance, deceived by lama temples—but aren't you the same? True, some of these rules forcing obedience serve your studies—but how many?"

"You all have your own scales—you weigh right and wrong. Respecting teachers is not wrong. But are these masters who tolerate no dissent truly acting for your studies?"

Li Zhi sighed, scanning the room: "If more than half of these obedience commands serve your studies, raise your hand. If not—if they serve only authority—remain silent."

Again, silence. They ignored Young Master Huang—he was a rare noble, with unparalleled influence. Even the most arrogant tutors dared not touch him—he was the spoiled son of a great general.

But most ordinary people—even powerful gentry—had endured this.

"Your words are like nectar poured on my head," said Yao Yao Guangming, brother of Yao Xu Guangqi, the "Sea Kelp King." "My Wu Zhong Yao family prides itself as a scholarly lineage, a family of poetry, rites, and official caps. But in my own studies, your words hit the mark. If it were truly for my education, fine. But when I was young, a scholar I studied under, enraged by his concubine's death in childbirth, took out his fury on me. I dared not tell my parents, fearing further scolding."

The Yao family was among the wealthy households personally selected by the Emperor to relocate to the capital. If Yao Yao Guangming suffered this, others suffered more.

"Entering the Imperial Academy is no different from entering the gates of hell," Yao Yao Guangming added bitterly—a shocking statement.

He had no ambition for office, but the demons and ghouls of the Imperial Academy still held power. When the time came, his Yao family would pay dearly. Only his deep resentment drove him to speak so.

"Hell"—feudal, hierarchical, terrifying, allowing no whisper, no dissent. Any slight displeasure from the Hell Lords brought down accusations of "reckless argument" or "empty talk." The person who displeased them was immediately ostracized, rendered utterly powerless.

"Hell…" Li Zhi murmured, glancing at Lin Lin Fucheng, who looked equally bewildered.

Neither had studied at the Imperial Academy. Li Zhi passed the provincial exam at twenty-six, failed the metropolitan exam at twenty-seven, and immediately became a teaching official in Henan. Lin Lin Fucheng, persecuted by the Renhe Zi Xia clan, became a criminal, never even qualifying for the provincial exam.

They had no personal experience—but this was a public setting. Yao Yao Guangming's outburst clearly meant more than a mere nickname.

The discussion had shifted from religion to academic cliques—a matter now extremely sensitive. Everyone chose silence.

Among the scholars present, only Yao Yao Guangming, relying on his family's wealth and status, and as the son-in-law of Wang Wang Chonggu's younger brother—the leader of the Jin Party and now the "King of Kelp"—dared to speak up.

Although Yao Xu Guangqi had indeed severed ties with the Yao family, if Yao Yao Guangming had truly suffered injustice, Yao Xu Guangqi still owed it to his younger brother to seek justice.

Only Yao Yao Guangming dared to speak; everyone else remained silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a single word.

"The Imperial Academy of Natural Philosophy and the Imperial Institute of Technology are quite fine. The Grand Secretary knows nothing of natural philosophy—he's an outsider managing the Academy of Natural Philosophy. An outsider leading experts seems unreasonable, but if the Academy of Natural Philosophy continues to develop unchecked, it may become another Guozijian: an iron house impervious to needle or water." Yao Yao Guangming was deeply envious of the Imperial Academy of Natural Philosophy and the Institute of Technology; at least their administrative apparatus functioned, and their overall environment and atmosphere were far superior to Guozijian's.

Once a comparison was established, matters became simple.

Why did Yao Yao Guangming dare to attack the Yama Lords of Guozijian? It was simple: power was no longer monopolized entirely by Guozijian's Yama Lords; things had changed, so Yao Yao Guangming had grown bolder.

Wherever administrative authority fails, it becomes an independent kingdom—an iron house. This is one reason why the Great Ming has too many contemptible Confucians.

What obstructs the court's administrative authority is the ritual system constructed by Confucian scholars based on the ways of the Three Dynasties' antiquity.

"In fact, Governor Wang Wang Jiaoping of Guangdong and his disciples Wan Wan Wenqing and Wu Wu Weizhong never had such problems; instead, Wan Wan Wenqing and Wu Wu Weizhong often drove Governor Wang to the brink of madness, regretting ever taking them as students." Zhu Zhu Yijun had found an example.

On their journey to the capital, Wang Wang Jiaoping's two troublemaking disciples had nearly driven him to despair, but fortunately, they still knew what was important and did not cause chaos before the Emperor.

Wang Wang Jiaoping's tolerance stemmed from Ge Ge Shouli's tolerance.

"Indeed, such master-disciple pairs are rare." Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered again and realized such cases were almost nonexistent.

"Religion is bondage, a shackle, the enemy of human freedom." When Lin Lin Fucheng repeated this phrase again, applause erupted like thunder.

The discussion continued, shifting from religion to freedom, then to opening the seas; the students grew increasingly fervent.

More and more scribes and students traveled to the grasslands to investigate Tibetan Buddhist temples firsthand, until finally a group of fifty set out for a study tour. Zhu Zhu Yijun pondered for a moment and gave Zhao Zhao Mengyu two instructions; Zhao Zhao Mengyu accepted the order and went to arrange it.

The Emperor of Great Ming, due to his frugality, offered no financial aid, but Zhu Zhu Yijun chose to provide personnel: he selected two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards to protect the students traveling to the grasslands. Lin Lin Fucheng had no experience organizing such activities and needed help.

Once a group exceeded ten people, a leader was needed; once it exceeded twenty, logistics—food, drink, sanitation—became a challenge with so many differing needs; once it exceeded fifty, more factors arose: illness, unauthorized departures, overnight absences, and so on. Such an expedition required planning and organization.

If Lin Lin Fucheng had been left to manage this study tour alone, they might have departed in good order but never returned.

Zhu Zhu Yijun provided protection and organization, enabling Lin Lin Fucheng to complete this grassland study tour.

Two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards had already exceeded the maximum force the Grand General's Office could mobilize; after all, the Grand General's Office possessed only two hundred Iron Forest Troops. Such an exceptionally high level of protection was necessary to prevent accidents, for Suoyuan was newly opened territory, and bandits remained as dangerous on the grasslands as wolves.

Had Lin Lin Fucheng possessed even a slight understanding of the Iron Forest Troops' specifications, he would have guessed who the Young Master Huang truly was.

But Lin Lin Fucheng still failed to guess. Zhu Zhu Yijun initially thought he was merely pretending ignorance, but soon realized Lin Lin Fucheng genuinely had no idea.

The Young Master Huang, whose reach stretched to heaven and earth, seemed capable of anything; in Lin Lin Fucheng's eyes, a man who could obtain an official position was omnipotent.

"Young Master Huang, deploying two hundred Embroidered Uniform Guards for protection—this publishing house doesn't have that much money. We've raised only two hundred taels in total." Lin Lin Fucheng voiced his concern, fearing the guards' expenses would exhaust their funds.

Is this about money?