"But for some reason, the entire Great Jin Dynasty has a sense of decline. Bandits and refugees are rising up everywhere, and the people are living in misery. It inexplicably presents a picture of a dynasty on its last legs. Am I right?"
Not only Fu Tianchou, but also Zuo Qianhu listened intently to Lu Xuan's account. There was no doubt that Lu Xuan was a master. He had just single-handedly fought four powerful evil cultivators whom they were powerless to resist. He used all sorts of strange spells with ease; he was definitely a true master.
Since he's a highly respected figure, one must listen carefully to what he says. That's the benefit of fame. Lu Xuan's name, the White Fox Immortal, is somewhat well-known among the common people. However, in the eyes of officials, it's far less significant. It's nowhere near as awe-inspiring as his public display of divine power.
“Have you ever considered that the problem doesn’t actually lie on the frontier, nor in the common people, but in the imperial court?”
"The imperial court?"
"Sir, please forgive my bluntness. Although there are instances of corruption and negligence in the court, overall it is still competent. My lords..." Fu Tianchou subconsciously defended the court he had once served in.
At this moment, Commander Zuo suddenly said something.
"The Imperial Advisor!!"
Fu Tianchou frowned.
"The Imperial Preceptor? Although I am the Minister of War, I have little contact with him. As far as I know, he spends most of his time meditating and chanting scriptures in the palace and never participates in court affairs. What does it have to do with me?"
"Hehe, meditating and chanting scriptures. Tell me, who can he chant scriptures for in the palace?" Lu Xuan said with a smile as he untied the last piece of gauze.
Fu Tianchou's expression suddenly turned ugly.
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Chapter 368 Each Goes Their Own Way
The Imperial Preceptor is a Buddhist monk, said to have originally been a renowned monk who traveled the world. During one of His Majesty's southern tours, he encountered the Emperor. The two discussed Buddhist teachings, and the Emperor, deeply impressed by the Emperor's profound understanding, invited him to the palace to explain Buddhist doctrines. Later, through several bestowals of honor, he ultimately became the Imperial Preceptor, dedicated to guiding all beings towards enlightenment.
Just as Fu Tianchou said, the Imperial Preceptor has never directly participated in court affairs over the years. He has only been spreading Buddhism within the palace and has always been highly respected by many ministers.
But now, Zuo Qianhu's words sent a chill down Fu Tianchou's spine. What if the Imperial Preceptor's influence on His Majesty wasn't limited to Buddhism?
"You can't just make things up. Do you have any evidence?" Fu Tianchou stared intently at Commander Zuo, hoping to see remorse on his face.
Zuo Qianhu hesitated for a moment, then gave the order to the soldiers around him.
"Alert the surrounding area."
"Yes, sir." Without the slightest hesitation, the soldiers rushed into the heavy rain and set up a circular perimeter.
Then Zuo Qianhu took a deep breath and said.
"I'm not sure about this. I served in the border army in my early years. I had many comrades who fought alongside me. Later, some of them went into the palace and became imperial guards."
Three months ago, that fellow monk suddenly came to see me. He looked very unwell, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end, he said nothing, only remarking, "The Imperial Preceptor's Buddhist teachings are truly powerful." I was completely baffled. I assumed he was under too much pressure from his position in the palace. I spent a good drink with him. After that, he disappeared.
The palace's explanation was that he was drunk and harassed a palace maid, and was beaten to death on the spot. But I know he would never do such a thing. However, my subsequent investigation found nothing. Now, thinking back on everything he said to me, that comment about the Imperial Preceptor's Buddhist teachings being truly powerful was completely cryptic and baffling. Perhaps he wasn't under too much pressure or drunk; maybe he was hinting at something to me!
“This kind of thing alone is not enough to be considered evidence to bring down the Imperial Advisor.” Fu Tianchou was still unwilling to believe that the Imperial Advisor was the mastermind behind the national turmoil.
"Hehe, Minister Fu. You still don't understand what Commander Zuo and I meant. To overthrow the Imperial Preceptor? No, no, it's not about whether to overthrow him or not. What we're talking about is that the Imperial Preceptor might not be human, but a demon. Then the Imperial Preceptor's Buddhist teachings are really powerful. Or rather, it's not Buddhist teachings, but demonic magic."
"That's impossible. How could the Grand Preceptor of a great nation like the Central Plains be a demon? The Grand Preceptor has been in office for twenty years. If he were a demon, the Great Jin Dynasty would have been finished long ago."
"An emperor of a country is not so easily influenced. Twenty years ago, the Great Jin Dynasty was at its zenith, and even the strongest demons would never dare to easily touch the emperor. It took twenty years to weaken the Great Jin Dynasty bit by bit. Now, this dynasty has reached its end, and it's time to reap its spoils."
Inside the dilapidated house, everyone fell silent. Although Lu Xuan's words lacked any real evidence, everyone still felt a strange trust in him. This was a typical trust in the powerful. Lu Xuan's previous performance had been so overwhelming that they barely had the desire to refute him.
Lu Xuan didn't break the atmosphere. He knew this was hard to accept. If he didn't know the plot, he wouldn't have believed that a country had been controlled by a demon.
After a long while, Fu Tianchou barely came to his senses.
"If, and I mean if, the Imperial Advisor really is a demon, then what does it want? Is it just to destroy this country?"
"In the cultivation world, there is a saying that one can cultivate by relying on the dynasty's fortune. This is what is meant by the saying that it is good to cultivate in the Six Doors."
"You mean it's using the dynasty's fortune to cultivate itself? Shouldn't it make the Great Jin stronger?" Fu Tianchou quickly found the problem.
“That’s right, you understand very quickly. So, I’m guessing that what it wants might not just be ‘borrowing’, it wants it all.”
"I want them all?" Fu Tianchou muttered to himself, his mind blank and lifeless. Zuo Qianhu, on the other hand, seemed to have thought of something, his eyes gleaming.
"Since you've already guessed their intentions, you must have a way to deal with them, right?"
"Hehe, dealing with demons is simple. Just kill them. But if it were that simple, I would have done it long ago. Didn't you notice that I was already having some trouble dealing with their four subordinates tonight? If I were to face Pudu Cihang, my current cultivation level would probably be no match for him."
Secondly, he is still the Imperial Preceptor. What are we? Charge in and kill the Imperial Preceptor? That would be treasonous and disloyal. We wouldn't just have to deal with the Imperial Preceptor; we'd also have to contend with the 100,000 Imperial Guards of the capital. This is no simple matter.”
Zuo Qianhu fell silent. Lu Xuan was telling the truth; even he was only half-believing now. He couldn't bring himself to storm the palace and kill the Imperial Preceptor. Let alone his colleagues in the capital. Fu Tianchou, however, regained some of his wit in his eyes.
"We need evidence."
"How can you be so foolish? The young master himself said it's a monster. What's the difference between you finding evidence against it and killing it?"
Before Lu Xuan could speak, Xiao Lan couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks about Fu Tianchou. However, Lu Xuan simply smiled and stopped Xiao Lan.
"Has Minister Fu finally figured it out?"
“That’s right, assuming everything you’ve said is true, then we need to plan this carefully. First, we need to find evidence of demons in the court. If the Grand Preceptor is indeed secretly influencing politics, then he must have his cronies in the court. We don’t need to confront the Grand Preceptor directly; we just need to find these people first. We need to find evidence of the existence of demons and then use it to warn our other colleagues.”
Fu Tianchou spoke faster and faster, clearly having entered the elite mindset of a Minister of War.
"To save the Great Jin Kingdom from collapse, a few of us alone are insufficient. Even if we kill the Grand Preceptor, such an act, once exposed, will directly destroy the Great Jin Kingdom. We need to be fully prepared, finding those colleagues who do not reside with demons. We also need the support of the military. We must secretly assemble a team strong enough to stabilize the court. After the entire incident is exposed, we must be able to quickly stabilize the situation from the court to the local areas and the borders. This is what we officials can do."