The First Lackey Under The Empress

That afternoon, the story that unfolded in Huangting Alley spread like wildfire, carried on the tongues of countless chess players, as if it had sprouted wings, sweeping through the winter air.

The young prodigy from the Western Regions made his debut in the world, sweeping through the chess circles; when the grandmaster of the nation suffered a crushing defeat, an unknown young master stepped forward with nonchalant grace, and mercilessly crushed the foreign monk…

This story, by its very nature, possessed an extraordinary legendary quality, especially since it coincided with the arrival of the Western Regions delegation in the capital, prompting the idle citizens of the winter-bound city to swarm in, collectively eager to witness the spectacle.

By evening, the event had spawned seven or eight different versions, and the rumor that the Princess Wenzhu of the Western Regions was present only added more color to the story.

Zhao Du'an remained hidden at home, pretending it had nothing to do with him.

During dinner, he listened to his stepmother and younger sister discussing the matter, and sensed that the dissemination of the news might have been aided by the imperial court.

Indeed, if they had lost, they would have suppressed the hype, but having won, buying a trending search was only to be expected.

“Big brother, do you know who that young master who defeated the Western Regions monk is?”

Zhao Pan, who was increasingly displaying the temperament of a proper young lady from a prominent family, inquired eagerly.

Zhao Du'an teased with a smile, “What, have you taken a fancy to him? Are you thinking of getting married or something?”

Zhao Pan glared with her autumn-water-like eyes, turned her head away in a huff, and kicked the Pekingese dog under the table as if to vent her anger.

“I won’t ask anymore.”

You Jinhua looked disappointed, while the little Pekingese was completely bewildered, tucking its tail between its legs and whimpering.

This small incident didn't cause much of a stir in the Zhao family, and its heat didn't last long in the capital either.

Soon, it was overshadowed by the news of the Buddhist debate, and for a time, countless people paid attention, not wanting to miss this major event that could potentially be recorded in history.

Zhao Du'an, on the other hand, used the excuse of secluded cultivation, and shut himself in his room for two consecutive days to study the pile of scriptures, with the lights burning all night.

…

In the blink of an eye, two days passed, and the day of the highly anticipated debate arrived.

Early in the morning, as dawn was just breaking.

Inside the Jinfeng Pavilion, where the Western Regions delegation was staying, the monks from the Western Regions had already gotten up, washing and dressing neatly in an orderly manner, and doing their morning rituals.

The “Holy Monk,” clad in a red robe and adorned with a white ivory rosary, his skin as dark as an old monkey, held a candlestick with a burning blue flame in his hand.

He stepped onto the creaking stairs and came to the outside of a certain room, pushing open the door.

Inside the room, the oil lamp on the table was still burning, but the brazier on the ground had already gone out.

The young monk Danche was wrapped in a thick blanket, sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring at the chessboard in front of him.

Hearing the sound, he raised his head, looked at his master, and was taken aback for a moment, before realizing,

“Is it time to leave?”

The Red Sect Lama pinched his brow in a bit of a headache:

“Didn't I tell you last night that today is the debate, you need to get up early…”

“So this disciple didn't sleep,” Danche said with a justified tone, then muttered in a low voice:

“Besides, it's not me who's going to the debate…”

Before his master could get angry, he immediately changed his tone and praised:

“These two days, this disciple has been replaying that chess game, and deeply feels the ingenuity of that person's methods, which seems to open up a new path for the stagnant chess world of the past; if the chess path is also a Dao, then he is enough to be the new Dao Ancestor who founded a school. Do you still not know that person's identity?”

The Red Sect Lama looked at his disciple, who was almost a “chess fanatic,” sighed, and shook his head:

“Not yet.”

Danche let out a slightly disappointed “Oh,” then asked curiously:

“Then, Master, do you have any clues about the ‘Wisdom’ you are looking for?”

“…Not yet.”

The Red Sect Lama was not in a good mood, but then smiled again, “However, today, when the World Honored One descends into the mortal world, Wisdom will surely appear.”

Danche nodded vigorously. In his opinion, his master devoted five points of effort to the debate, and ten points to finding Wisdom.

It was simply making dumplings for a plate of vinegar.

“Master, is breakfast ready? I'm hungry.” Danche stood up wrapped in his blanket.

The Red Sect Lama put away his smile: “Not yet.”

…

The Zhao Family.

As the sky in the east began to turn a fish-belly white, Zhao Du'an got up early, a rare occurrence, and the family was eating at the dining table.

You Jinhua wrapped in a thick cotton skirt, her breath like orchids, took out the steamed white buns from a thick cloud of water vapor, handed them to Zhao Du'an, and then pinched her earlobes with both hands, scalded.

She said: “Why did Da Lang suddenly want to eat buns today?”

“To take a good omen.”

Zhao Du'an picked up the soft, scalding bun, broke it open without changing his expression, and recalled the story he had heard in his previous life about the word “bun,” which meant “barbarian head,” referring to the (untrue) story of taking the heads of barbarians.

Zhao Pan scooped a bowl of egg drop soup and hoped softly:

“Can't we really go watch the excitement?”

You Jinhua, without waiting for Da Lang to speak, scolded her daughter with a stern face:

“Have you forgotten that the damned monk wanted to kill your big brother? What excitement are you going to see?”

Zhao Pan said aggrievedly: “It's two different things, they're fighting among themselves…”

Zhao Du'an smiled, “You should stay at home, I don't mind you going, but this time the imperial court has issued a ban, only some invited people can go there.

Don't forget that the ban on Buddhism was just recently issued. This time, allowing both sides to have a public debate is already an act of grace in consideration of the Western Regions' face. Ordinary people who want to gather there are openly defying the imperial court's laws… not even officials' relatives are allowed.”

After a pause, he explained:

“However, you should be able to see some movement at home, I heard that the debate will be very loud.”

Well… that's what Zhang Yan said in the “information” he sent.

The mother and daughter both looked enlightened and breathed a sigh of relief.

After the meal.

Zhao Du'an, who had been recuperating at home, stepped out of the house. After he left, Zhao Pan suddenly realized:

“Mother, didn't big brother wear his official robe?”

…

The Imperial Palace.

After the sky had completely brightened, the sunlight shone on the majestic palace walls, casting large shadows.

Today, Xu Zhenguan rode in a low-key carriage, only taking a few attendants such as Mochou, left the sleeping quarters, and met with her “aunt” who lived here in the palace city, and went together to watch the excitement of this eastern and western struggle.

The Empress and Princess Wenzhu, aunt and niece, rode together, quietly left the palace, and headed along the street towards the vicinity of Shenlong Temple.

“Huff…”

Princess Wenzhu lifted the carriage curtain, looked at the streets of the capital in the early morning, many people walked out of incense candle shops in a hurry, carrying yellow incense and incense burners under their cotton clothes, and some carefully held Buddha statues, frowning:

“Are these the devout men and women in the capital who worship Buddha?”

Xu Zhenguan didn't need to look, her divine sense swept over, and she had already taken in the scene outside, her expression calm:

“Yes. After the ban on Buddhism was issued some time ago, prohibiting the incense of Buddhist temples, the business of buying and selling Buddha statues, incense candles, and worshiping Buddha at home in the city has become popular. The time that Buddhist beliefs have taken root in this land is even longer than the reign of the Yu Kingdom, and there are many believers.

The imperial court can prohibit gatherings, reduce the land and wealth of major temples… but it is difficult to eradicate faith.”

Princess Wenzhu looked at her niece in surprise, and sighed:

“Your Majesty doesn't seem angry.”

Xu Zhenguan smiled:

“What's there to be angry about? These people have done nothing wrong, and the World Honored One of Buddhism has existed for a long time, so naturally there is nothing wrong either. It's just that some people are wrong.

Today's debate, the news has already spread, but these people can't witness it with their own eyes, so it seems that they are all preparing to worship and admire it at home.”

Princess Wenzhu was silent.

From her point of view, she could see the imperial court's entanglement with Buddhism.

On the one hand, it needs Shenlong Temple and the Western Regions to check and balance each other, so it can only “ban Buddhism” and cannot “destroy Buddhism,” nor can it do so.

On the other hand, it is also wary of the increasingly powerful strength of Shenlong Temple, not only the great power of cultivation, but also the many temples rooted in various places with devout men and women.

Including the Empress going to watch in a low-key manner today, is also the result of a trade-off.

It needs a symbolic appearance, but doesn't want to make a big splash, similar to the challenge of the Zhengyang Academy last time, the difference is that the Empress can ignore Zhengyang, but must pay attention to the ancestral court of the Western Regions.

Before long, the carriage arrived at a pavilion near Shenlong Temple.

There was still a distance from the temple, and the surrounding area of the pavilion had already been sealed off by the imperial guards, and the streets nearby were full of carriages.

The white-clothed Empress took Princess Wenzhu and ascended the pavilion, only to see a group of court officials standing and saluting:

“Welcome, Your Majesty!”

With one glance, Li Yanfu, Yuan Li, Xue Shence and other important officials were all present.

Further down, Ma Yan and other heads of the Zhao Yamen also stood in the corner.

“You may dispense with the formalities, sit down.” Xu Zhenguan nodded with a smile, her gaze swept around, but she didn't see Zhao Du'an.

She felt a little strange, surprised that this guy didn't seem like the type to miss this kind of excitement.

But she didn't ask, but sat down with nonchalant grace, and Princess Wenzhu was arranged to sit in the closest position to the Empress.

The seating in the entire pavilion was also arranged in order of official rank.

“This Guanshui Tower is located on the side of Shenlong Temple and Jizhao Nunnery. It's cold in winter, and the officials in the court can't compare to those monks, so it's enough to take a look here.”

The Empress sat down, still holding Princess Wenzhu's hand, giving people the impression that the relationship between the monarch and her niece was very good, and explained with a smile at this moment.

Princess Wenzhu was also dressed in grand attire, her elegance and grace only second to the Empress. She raised her eyes and looked into the distance, and indeed it was a large open space outside Shenlong Temple.

It's just that at this moment, the square was also surrounded by imperial guards to prevent irrelevant people from entering.

Inside, however, a huge circular platform had already been erected, and seats similar to bleachers were placed on both sides.

At this moment, monks were standing in the wind, and some nobles from the capital who were symbolically placed were also present.

With this as the center, some scholars also gathered in the buildings about the same distance around, looking into the distance together with the officials.

In terms of scale, it was no less than the previous Buddhist and Taoist competition.

“Let's wait a little longer, it should be about time,” Xu Zhenguan didn't care much about arriving early, and was happy to chat with the officials.

At this moment, she curiously asked: “Is Zhao Qing not here?”

Li Yanfu, Yuan Li and other old faces heard the words and turned their gazes to Ma Dugong, who had a clear distinction from the officials' positions and was not welcomed.

Ma Yan's thin and cold face twitched, and he cupped his hands and said:

“Reporting to Your Majesty, I sent a message over earlier. Zhao Jisi may have not recovered from his injuries and illness, neglecting the time. Should this humble servant send someone to summon him?”

“No need,” Xu Zhenguan said with a smile, “No need to urge him.”

Princess Wenzhu didn't say anything next to her, her brows furrowed, and she became increasingly dissatisfied with this treacherous minister who she had not yet met since coming to the capital.

This person… just a concubine, is too arrogant. All the officials have arrived, but this Zhao Du'an is still late.

Ma Yan hesitated to speak, but in the end said nothing. As his direct leader, he suddenly felt a little uneasy for no reason.

At this moment, a low and vast bell rang from within Shenlong Temple, and everyone's spirits lifted, looking towards the distant square, and first saw the Western Regions delegation enter the arena.

—

A foreshadowing chapter, the next chapter will be updated before dawn

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