Chapter 455: Buddhist-Daoist Contention

False Song, Bianjing.

The prophecy of the impending Heavenly Book was like a stone tossed into a lake, causing ripples in the court; its influence was quietly spreading to broader social strata.

A craze for auspicious signs and heavenly mandate, spreading from top to bottom, began to permeate the marketplaces and lanes.

Amidst this trend, another dispute concerning heavenly will was also quietly heating up among the populace.

The cause was a group of monks from the Great Xiangguo Temple west of the city and a band of Daoists from the Shangqing Palace east of the city, who quarreled over the ownership of an abandoned shrine site located at the border of their respective territories.

The site was small in area but decently located; originally it had little incense and attracted no attention.

But as rumors of the Heavenly Book spread, both Buddhists and Daoists felt that building a new altar or temple here might garner a share of heavenly mandate's auspiciousness, making it easier to attract followers and propagate their teachings.

At first it was merely a verbal spat.

"This place, within a three-li radius, was recorded in steles of the previous dynasty as the foundation of our Buddhist ancient monastery! It rightfully belongs to our Great Xiangguo Temple to reclaim, rebuild the Buddhist hall, and enshrine the Buddha!"

"Nonsense! That stele has long been lost and cannot be verified! This place is clearly nearer to our Shangqing Palace, its geomancy is suitable, perfect for building an offering altar to communicate with heaven and welcome auspicious signs!"

Each side held to its own view, refusing to yield.

The dispute quickly turned from words to shoving, then escalated into a melee of dozens.

Although they still observed the monastics' baseline, refraining from weapons and using only staves and whisks, they nevertheless fought until heads were bloody, monk robes and Daoist caps littering the ground, drawing countless onlookers who pointed and chattered, quite lively.

The matter eventually reached the Kaifeng Prefecture office.

In the court, the guest monk of the Great Xiangguo Temple and the supervising Daoist of the Shangqing Palace continued to argue red-faced, citing scriptures and attacking each other.

One said the other "does not engage in production, wasting the people's wealth";

One cursed the other "speaks falsely of heavenly mandate, deluding people's hearts";

The Kaifeng Prefecture judge presiding over the case felt overwhelmed, as if having two big heads.

This case involved monks and Daoists, and with the auspicious-signs trend just rising, handling it was rather thorny.

Too lenient, it would not quell the situation, possibly sparking further trouble;

Too harsh, and they feared being labeled "disrespectful to gods and Buddhas" or "neglecting heavenly will".

He could only temporarily suppress both sides, ordering them to restrain their disciples and cause no further trouble, pending a thorough investigation before a final verdict.

The news reached the palace; Zhao Heng was in seclusion at the fasting palace, hearing this, he merely frowned slightly and said nothing more.

In his mind, awaiting the Heavenly Book was the paramount affair; such petty monastic property disputes were for the authorities to handle according to law, not worth his concern.

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Li Hang let out a cold snort:

"They cultivate no virtue, pity no livelihood, squabble over worldly gain—is this what is meant by those who stand outside the world?"

Grand Councilor Wang Dan, seeing more clearly, sighed in private to his confidants:

"This is not a struggle over land, but over power. When the Heavenly Book trend arises, will the monks and Daoists be content to lag behind? They all merely wish to ride this east wind. How lamentable, how lamentable."

Nevertheless, whether the emperor's indifference or the ministers' cold-eyed aloofness, none could stop the spread of this turmoil.

The Buddhist-Daoist contention in Bianjing was like a signal, quickly spreading to all prefectures and counties.

Various places had grudge-holding Buddhist temples and Daoist observatories, whether over land, ordination certificates, or offerings from believers; they seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, attacking each other, and incidents reaching local offices proliferated.

Some local officials tried to smooth things over, giving each side fifty blows of the board;

some leaned toward the locally stronger side;

others simply ignored it, letting them wrangle.

For a time, within the False Song realm, this added much chaos and clamor.

Chen dynasty, a separate villa.

Wang Ru compiled a report on the Buddhist-Daoist disputes within the False Song realm and presented it to Chen Wen.

"Your Majesty, in many places of False Song, monk-Daoist conflicts have arisen, their causes mostly tied to land, incense, and the recent Heavenly Book trend."

"In places such as Bianjing, Luoyang, and Yangzhou, it is especially intense, having repeatedly reached the authorities."

"As for the Iron Crow Army, they seem to have neither intervened nor mediated in such events."

Chen Wen carefully perused the intelligence, his eyes sharp.

He saw the melee between the Great Xiangguo Temple and the Shangqing Palace;

He saw a certain place's Daoists accusing monks of exploitative lending;

He saw monks in a certain prefecture suing Daoists for seizing temple property;

He also saw local officials' handling—whether helpless, biased, or laissez-faire.

"Iron Crow Army…… are they pleased with this development?"

Chen Wen set down the intelligence, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop.

Zhang Cheng, at his side, analyzed:

"Based on its consistent behavioral pattern, the Iron Crow Army generally pays no heed to anything that does not affect the advancement of its core historical nodes."

"These monk-Daoist squabbles, though lively, are indeed unrelated to major events such as the Treaty of Chan-Yuan and the Heavenly Book Fengshan."

"On the contrary, these disputes drain local officials' energy, divert public attention, and may even provoke civilian antagonism; for maintaining the 'script' world's 'stability,' this might not be a bad thing."

Qian Gui added:

"Moreover, religious disputes have always been hard to clarify; if the authorities mishandle them slightly, they easily invite trouble upon themselves."

"The Iron Crow Army probably also can't be bothered to wade into this muddy water."

A flash of realization crossed Chen Wen's eyes.

"In other words, this field is a relative blind spot—or perhaps an intentionally ignored area—of the Iron Crow Army's monitoring and intervention."

"That can be understood."

Wang Ru nodded.

"As long as they do not touch the 'red line' they have drawn, such spontaneously arising civilian chaos, they seem to adopt a laissez-faire attitude."

Chen Wen rose to his feet and paced a few steps indoors.

His thoughts raced.

The Iron Crow Army's power is not limitless, and their focus must inevitably be biased.

Now, their focus is clearly on promoting the Heavenly Book incident, monitoring the civil official system, and guarding against technological infiltration.

Then, can these seemingly insignificant religious domain disputes be utilized?

Religion……faith……human hearts……

Chen Wen halted, his gaze deepening.

The Iron Crow Army can use the Heavenly Book, this false object, to delude people's hearts; can we also exploit these existing religious contradictions to create some minor chaos, further disperse their energy, and even…… plant our own nails in the cracks of these disputes?

Zhang Cheng stroked his beard, pondering:

Your suggestion, my lord, is quite insightful.

Religious forces are deeply entrenched with vast followings; if skillfully guided, they could indeed achieve the effect of moving a thousand pounds with four ounces.

However, the specifics of how to proceed still require careful planning.

Naturally, this requires long-term deliberation.

Chen Wen said in a low voice.

For now, first have our eyes and ears in False Song closely monitor the progress of Buddhist-Daoist conflicts everywhere, especially where mishandling has caused popular resentment to accumulate.

At the same time, gather information on the backgrounds, key figures, and internal contradictions of major Buddhist temples and Daoist observatories.

Perhaps someday, this seemingly useless information could, at a critical moment, become a lever to sway the situation.

Yes!

Wang Ru solemnly accepted the order and immediately began making arrangements.

Chen Wen walked to the window and gazed westward.

One could almost see that on this land, not only were there undercurrents in the court and smoke on the borders, but also countless disturbances and turmoil arising from faith and profit in every market street, mountain forest, and temple.

Iron Crow Army, is the history you defend truly as impregnable as gold and moat?

He silently murmured in his heart.

These minor flaws you scorn…… might be the very point we can lever.

The Buddhist-Daoist conflict, like a single spark, fell into the tinder of Chen Wen's strategic thinking.

Though it has not yet ignited a blaze, it has already illuminated a new path that may lead to the enemy's weak point.