Su Lie, who had been traveling on horseback, received a series of messages from the capital.
The favored Consort Xian was demoted, and her maternal family also suffered severe suppression, supposedly because her daughter offended a so-called goddess while playing.
That's fine, Su Lie was on good terms with Wen Xin and was inclined to support Empress Wen's faction, so he didn't have much contact with the other concubines.
Next, we hear of a minor official who was lavishly rewarded by His Majesty and became extremely popular, simply because he was considered the mother's family by the goddess.
"Look, they're already planting people in the court! His Majesty is so foolish!"
Su Lie rushed to Wen Xin's horse in a flurry of activity, both angry and anxious. His Majesty was "senile" and couldn't even see through the swindler's trick.
First, they would pretend to use tricks to bewitch the emperor, then they would use the pretense of gods and ghosts to gild their own image, and finally they would install their own people on a large scale to make money and influence the government.
What birth mother? It's pitiful that the great ancestor, a hero of his time, suddenly had a woman and a daughter for no reason.
"What's the rush? We can reach the outskirts of Beijing by expedited marching tomorrow. We agreed to return to Beijing first and then investigate. No one is allowed to make decisions on their own and submit a memorial!"
Wenxin glanced at him, feeling somewhat disapproving of her brother-in-law's foolish behavior.
However, as a subject, one cannot openly criticize; to such a powerful emperor, that would be tantamount to courting death!
"I know, I know," Su Lie nodded perfunctorily.
……………………
Upon learning that the Imperial General and his brother-in-law were about to arrive in the capital, Li Yue, though puzzled by their rapid journey, still arranged for the Ministry of Rites to prepare a welcoming ceremony.
The great victory over the barbarians was a tremendous achievement.
The emperor himself threw himself into work that would never cease, and the arrival of the goddess was like a ferocious tiger shark being released into stagnant water, adding vitality to the already thriving state of the Great Jin Dynasty.
"Is Aunt still playing with the Ling family girl today?"
The emperor, engrossed in his work, casually mentioned it, but Yan Pei, with utmost concentration, replied in a gentle voice:
"Your Highness is very interested."
This sentence is very skillful. It only says that the goddess was interested rather than that she was too kind to the Ling family, which satisfies the emperor's slight pride and desire to compare.
Li Yue nodded. Yan Pei was about to report on the goddess's movements over the past few days when a sudden knock on the door diverted their attention.
"Your Majesty, the abbot of Baima Temple requests an audience, saying he has found records about Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
The mysterious Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva!
How could a Bodhisattva who could rival the great master of the goddess aunt not arouse curiosity?
Li Yue stood up in surprise, clenched his fists, and hurriedly ordered him to come in.
The abbot of Baima Temple has the Buddhist name Shihai, which means that worldly affairs are like a sea of suffering. To be able to establish himself in the capital and receive offerings from devout men and women, Shihai must have some appeal.
His long, snow-white eyebrows drooped down his cheeks, but his complexion was rosy and radiant, making him look like a highly accomplished monk.
The old monk tremblingly bowed to the emperor, but Li Yue waved his hand, telling him to dispense with the formalities.
The abbot, the emperor, stared intently at him and asked directly, "You say there are records of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, is that true?"
Shi Hai nodded without fear.
After deciding to establish a relationship with the goddess, he mobilized all the resources of the Buddhist community to send letters to reclusive old monks and hermitages in various places to inquire about records of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
Having learned that a true god has appeared in the world, although he has not yet officially ascended to the divine position, he is currently undergoing tribulations in the human realm.
Even the monks who had devoted themselves to rigorous practice for decades could not sit still, having heard that only Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had been mentioned.
They dug three feet into the ground, and their hard work finally paid off; they finally found it.
The old monk who discovered it personally led it to the capital without stopping and eagerly handed it to Shi Hai.
Thinking of the expectations of others, Shi Hai mustered his courage and said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to inform you that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is called a Bodhisattva, but in reality, he is a Buddha!"
"Oh?" Li Yue said in surprise. He had done his homework, and he knew about the various levels of attainment in Buddhism, such as Arhat, Bodhisattva, Buddha, and Buddha Ancestor.
Shi Hai recalled the recorded deeds of Ksitigarbha, his face filled with admiration, and slowly said:
"This Bodhisattva was once a disciple of the Buddha and could have become a Buddha long ago. However, one day he saw ten thousand ghosts wailing in hell and could not be saved. He vowed that he would not become a Buddha until hell was empty!"
I vow not to become a Buddha until hell is emptied!
What a great vow, what a great mercy.
Li Yue was stunned. He thought to himself, "This Bodhisattva sounds pretty good. How come I've never heard of him before?"
The other palace servants who were listening silently in the hall were moved and remembered this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, secretly wanting to go and pay their respects to him.
Shi Hai clasped his hands together and continued:
"But how can hell be empty? There will always be people who commit sins, fall into hell, and suffer punishment. Although Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's merits are equal to those of the Buddha, he always uses the form of a Bodhisattva to liberate those who suffer from sin."
After Shi Hai finished speaking, he closed his eyes and remained silent, imagining that the emperor would urgently ask him about the other deeds of Ksitigarbha.
He would then be able to ask to see the goddess.
But Li Yue only asked curiously, "Then why is this Bodhisattva's name not mentioned?"
Shi Hai was surprised by the unexpected turn of events, but patiently replied, "It is precisely to fulfill my vow and keep my promise that I deliberately concealed my merits, so that few people know about them."
When Shihai first read the records of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, he was deeply moved by his great merits and wisdom.
People seek nothing more than fame and fortune. It is already difficult enough to vow to save suffering beings, let alone not to publicize one's own inherent merits.
After hearing this, Li Yue sighed for a long time, picked up his pen and enthusiastically recorded the deeds of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, occasionally asking Shi Hai to revise and polish them.
It wasn't until the old monk's years of arduous meditation were almost broken that it was finally fixed.
"Take it down and handle it together with the matter of the Black Emperor Zhuanxu."
Li Yue was very happy, having found another influential figure who was not interested in fame or fortune and kept a low profile.
Shi Hai: mmp...
Inside Fengyang Palace, the system was excitedly reporting:
"Host, the Ksitigarbha Sutra that you asked me to secretly place has been found. As you predicted, the Buddhist sect considers it a treasure and has already handed it over to Li Yue."
There's no such thing as a coincidence in this world. I needed to find the deeds of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and I found them as soon as I put in the effort.
Little did they know that too many coincidences often indicate human intervention; it's just that desires blinded people and made it difficult to see through them.
Ling Xiao smiled slightly, propping his head up with his hand. "It wasn't for nothing that I've been setting up this scheme for so long; the Buddhist sect reacted quite quickly."
They went to such great lengths to plan their trip to the underworld, so of course they wanted to maximize their profits.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is the bait to lure people into Buddhism.
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