Chapter 814: Heart-Demons Hard to Defeat, My Ambition Soars Above the Clouds

Who exactly was pushing things along behind Murong Xinzhang, and making even Murong Xinzhang somewhat wary of acting rashly?

It was actually not hard to guess, because Murong Xinzhang was now the grand King of Liaoyang who had opened his own princely administration, his mother was an Imperial Consort, and his own maternal aunt was the Empress.

He himself was one of the top one or two great generals in the founding of the Zhang Zhou state, the adopted son the Emperor relied on most heavily, and had even been granted the imperial surname Zhang, making him no different from a true son.

So in the entire province of Andong, there was one and only one person who would dare push things along behind Murong Xinzhang like this.

That was the most revered eminent monk of the old Khitan lands, the one the people of Songmo worshipped most, the Dharma Master Cixian who was like a living Buddha.

Murong Xinzhang had in fact long known, through the investigations of the officials under his command, that it was Dharma Master Cixian, but he had never exposed it.

This was because Murong Xinzhang was not yet prepared to fall out with Dharma Master Cixian, and also because he could not fathom why Dharma Master Cixian was doing this, which made him somewhat wary of acting rashly.

But now, Andong province had enjoyed two consecutive years of bumper grain harvests. Under Murong Xinzhang's rule there were eighty thousand former Khitan Han subjects, one hundred ten thousand Tuyuhun clansmen who had come from various places, ninety thousand Han commoners, sixty thousand family members of Han criminals, one hundred thirty thousand Balhae migrants loyal to him, and twenty thousand scattered Tangut and Qiang tribesmen.

In military strength, his personal retinue, the White-Robed Silver-Saddled Zhaoyi Lancers, numbered as many as nine thousand; the Andong personal army and imperial guard under his command numbered twenty thousand; and the old yabing guards from Wuning Garrison and elsewhere who had come from the Han lands numbered twelve thousand.

Commanded by Murong Yanchao, Zhao Sien and others, there were eight thousand Qihuo Lancers made up of mountain bandits and river pirates, thugs and ruffians, wandering knights and local strongmen from the Han lands.

In total there were four hundred seventy thousand commoners and forty-nine thousand troops, and with favorable weather over these years, over a million shi of military grain had been stored.

In an extreme situation, he could also request his imperial father, the Emperor, to draw twenty thousand light cavalry from the myriarchs of the grasslands south and north of the Gobi, as well as twenty thousand Jiangnan naval troops.

With this formidable strength, Murong Xinzhang was finally able to fully suppress the more than seven hundred thousand Khitan, Shiwei, Jurchen and other peoples of Andong.

Although these people were the easiest for Dharma Master Cixian to incite, they were scattered across various places, poorly equipped, and found it hard to combine their strength. Though their numbers were greater than those under Murong Xinzhang, the absolute advantage lay with Murong Xinzhang.

So at this point, Murong Xinzhang had Wang Pu lay the matter out openly, then immediately ordered his personal guard Troop Commander Chen Sirang to lead five hundred White-Robed Silver-Saddled Zhaoyi Lancers to western Liaoning to arrest Dharma Master Cixian.

But before Chen Sirang and the others had even left the city, Dharma Master Cixian had already appeared outside Murong Xinzhang's royal palace in Liaoyang Prefecture, wearing a bamboo hat and coarse hempen robes, his feet bare, looking just like an old farmer from the countryside.

Murong Xinzhang had originally planned to cut Cixian down to size once he was arrested, but when he saw that Cixian had not only come on his own but was dressed like an ascetic monk, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.

How to put it? First of all, with Dharma Master Cixian being an Indian and carrying himself like an ascetic, it was hard to make the case that he intended rebellion.

Secondly, the fact that he dared come to the door on his own meant he must have a clear conscience — at least that was what Murong Xinzhang believed.

And the key thing supporting this belief was that over the years, Dharma Master Cixian had contributed greatly to stabilizing the whole province of Andong.

Without his personal assurances, the Jurchen, Shiwei, Tieli and other tribes north of eastern Liaoning would never have so readily lowered their guard and accepted Murong Xinzhang.

In western Liaoning, under Han Kuangsi there were large numbers of Khitan, Balhae and other commoners working the great marshes of western Liaoning under conditions akin to hard labor. Without Dharma Master Cixian's pacifying influence, it would absolutely not have proceeded so smoothly, and the project's progress would have been delayed who knows how much.

If you said he intended to monopolize religious authority, he had instead exalted Murong Xinzhang as the living incarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva — which, if anything, placed Murong Xinzhang even above Cixian himself, a mere disciple of the Buddha.

So Murong Xinzhang truly did not quite know what he was after.

His good son was still a bit green in this regard, because he came from Dunhuang, where Buddhist culture was thickest, and the Tuyuhun had always been the most devout Buddhists, so it was hard for him to step outside that circle and see clearly what Dharma Master Cixian wanted.

If it had been Zhang Zhao, he would have long since begun steering public opinion in a direction more favorable to himself.

What could this old monk be doing? Nothing more than playing the Buddhist clergy's — or religious people's — favorite game of probing and brainwashing.

"Has the Dharma Master come to deliver himself into the net?"

This was already the harshest tone Murong Xinzhang could bring himself to use toward an eminent Buddhist monk.

Dharma Master Cixian chuckled, judged that Murong Xinzhang's level was lower than Zhang Zhao's, and immediately countered: "What crime has this humble monk committed, to draw such questioning from Your Highness?"

Murong Xinzhang's face darkened. "Does the Dharma Master suppose I do not know who has been exalting me as the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva behind my back, and who has made the people of every tribe see me as the savior of all the peoples of Andong?"

"It was me!" Dharma Master Cixian admitted it very magnanimously, and with a trace of puzzlement on his face, asked Murong Xinzhang in return.

"Why does Your Highness suppose this old monk did so? Was it not to enable Your Highness to hold these million souls here more firmly? Did these things not greatly enhance Your Highness's reputation?"

Uh — Murong Xinzhang was instantly at a loss for words, because on the surface, everything Cixian had done was indeed greatly beneficial to Murong Xinzhang's governance of Andong. Not only was there no fault, there was in fact great merit.

As for your subordinates hearing this loose talk, seeing your prestige grow day by day, and thinking of giving you a push so you could truly become a vassal king in Andong or even contend for the position of crown prince — what did that have to do with this old monk?

Murong Xinzhang understood exactly this point, which was why he could not say it openly. But his good son feared neither heaven nor earth; what he feared most in his life was anything that affected his relationship with his adoptive father, Emperor Zhang.

In the end it would grieve his mother, worry his maternal grandfather, uncles and aunts, and damage his own image as a filial son and loyal minister.

And so Murong Xinzhang, who had been about to follow Dharma Master Cixian's line of reasoning and conclude that the problem lay entirely with himself, instead turned cold, and the ruthless will of an invincible supreme commander took hold of his mind.

"The Dharma Master knows why I ask this, and knows what effect it will have. Since we are speaking plainly, the Dharma Master must not lead himself further astray!"

This was him preparing to abandon reason and resort directly to force.

Dharma Master Cixian sighed inwardly. The Wushang Heaven's power to influence people was indeed greater than his own.

He had exalted Murong Xinzhang as the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, yet he still could not shake this King of Liaoyang's inner loyalty to and worship of his adoptive father, the Emperor.

"Has Your Highness truly never considered that you could inherit the vast realm of the Great Zhou?

Your Highness has been in Andong for three years. The state is prosperous and the people well-fed; the people of every tribe rely on Your Highness's benevolent governance to live good lives.

If you could inherit the Great Zhou throne, then the Great Zhou would have two generations of sage rulers, something that even Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu of Han, or Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong of Tang, father and son, could not compare to.

Moreover, the Sage is the Wushang Heaven descended to earth, and Your Highness is the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. In this way, the divine and Buddhist attributes could be passed down continuously within the Great Zhou imperial house.

This is the longing of the myriad common people, and the magic key to controlling the barbarians of the highlands, the grasslands, and Songmo. This old monk wishes Your Highness to take it!"

Since Murong Xinzhang wanted to speak plainly, Dharma Master Cixian decided to speak plainly as well.

And these circumstances were not something he had fabricated.

There was indeed a large portion of the common people — especially those of Hebei and Andong provinces, where his good son had long been stationed — who most harbored such thoughts.

They had personally experienced Murong Xinzhang's administrative ability and knew he was a measured ruler who practiced benevolent governance.

One could even say that although Emperor Zhang was brilliant and divinely martial, he had too many ideas and was too fond of wearing out the common people. Compared to Emperor Zhang, Murong Xinzhang's style of governance was closer to the benevolent-ruler model of this age.

Although they dared not entertain thoughts of rebellion given Emperor Zhang's divine might, if the Great Zhou could produce two sage rulers, father and son, would not the lives of common folk like them become much easier? At the very least, they would not have to worry about a Second Emperor of Qin or an Emperor Yang of Sui appearing.

At the same time, within the army, there were also many who liked Murong Xinzhang.

Murong of the White Robes — before he became an invincible supreme commander, he had been a famed gallant hero throughout the realm, known above all for championing justice, aiding the distressed and rescuing the imperiled, his righteousness and benevolence unmatched, a man who would take a knife in the ribs for a friend.

Among the low-ranking officers and soldiers of the army, there was no one who did not like such a man.

This was Murong Xinzhang's greatest worry. For this reason, he had not returned to the Eastern Capital in nearly three years to see his wife, the Princess of Ying, and his son Hutou, for fear that with Sage Zhang away, the moment he went back he would be exploited or even seized by schemers.

But at this moment, when Dharma Master Cixian spoke thus, Murong Xinzhang burst into loud laughter. "If someone else said these things, I might believe them. But coming from the Dharma Master, I do not.

Because the Dharma Master knows what divine powers my father the Wushang Heaven possesses, and the Dharma Master knows even better that if I, Murong Xinzhang, intended to contend for the throne, countless people under heaven would be drawn in and lose their lives. Would that not violate the Dharma Master's compassionate heart?

Furthermore, with the Buddhist order of Goryeo in decline and the Buddhist order of Japan corrupted by heresy, should the Dharma Master not be joining with Xinzhang to raise a righteous army for the Dharma, standing together and facing south, to save all living beings?"

Has the Master forgotten the Eastern Body Continent and the waters of the Boundless Deep? I have heard that Master Yanshou has already put to sea three times, and on this occasion nine months have passed without any word of him.

If we of the younger generation have the will to die for the Way, how can our elders be ones to shrink back and dodge?"

With that, Murong Xinzhang's face spread into a smile, as though the Venerable Cixian had just told a very amusing joke to test him, but the hands clasped behind his back were already slick with sweat.

Outside the door, Chen Sirang stood with over a hundred armored soldiers, holding his breath and listening to the sounds within. The moment any piece of porcelain struck the floor, they would burst in and hack the old monk to mincemeat.

The Venerable Cixian once again fell into a brief state of stillness. Only after a long while did he press a hand to his chest in great distress. "This is a heart-demon planted by the Unsurpassed Heaven! Truly formidable.

The patron Murong's mind is resolute. This old monk should not have come to test him.

Now the patron already possesses the renown of being the reincarnation of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and a Son of the Buddha, and his forces are strong and his horses sturdy.

The reincarnated demon gods Murong Yanchao, Helian Hailong, Zhao Siwan, and the rest have also gathered. The moment has now come to turn south.

I beg the patron to summon this old monk's disciple Fayan and the others. They will of their own accord help the patron recruit brave warriors from the various peoples north of Liaoyang Prefecture.

As for this old monk, I beg the patron to grant me a quiet chamber, so that I may face the wall and suppress the heart-demon."

(End of Chapter)

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