Whale Falls and Becomes a God

Chapter 74: Learn from History
"I'm leaving now!"

Xiao Ying knew that Empress Xiao was still somewhat resentful, and that it was indeed his own negligence, so he laughed and left without caring about being scolded.

"Prince Jingwu, wait a minute!"

Seeing Xiao Ying turning around and about to leave, Lady Xuanhua Chen Yiqing hurriedly called out, then quickly bowed and reported to Empress Xiao:

"Your Majesty, please understand! Although Qiling Temple is a secluded place, we cannot bear to see the suffering of the common people. Jiangdu is in chaos, so we request to open the gates to help the people!"

This was a request to Empress Xiao, and also meant for Xiao Ying to hear.

After all, the abbot of Qiling Temple once hinted that the person recognized by Qiling Temple was Xiao Ying, and Xiao Ying was the second person in Jiangdu after Empress Xiao.

"Open the mountain gate and help the people?" Empress Xiao frowned slightly and murmured in thought.

Given the wealth, power, and transcendent status of Qiling Temple, it had never been closed off. Even during the heyday of the Sui Dynasty, no temple had ever been forcibly closed. Empress Xiao or Xiao Ying today would not and could not do the same.

When Empress Xiao arrived at Qiling Temple, the temple had announced a three-day closure. However, those three days had already passed, and the so-called closure was merely a pretext for shelter. People were still coming and going daily, even millions of them. How could this even be considered a closure?
Now that Qiling Temple has made such an application specifically, its purpose is very obvious, which is to get the "official" approval to recognize the extraordinary, noble, legal and respected nature of Qiling Temple, which will make it easier for Qiling Temple to recruit disciples, spread Buddhism, and gain fame, etc.

"What does Empress Xuanhua think?" Xiao Ying asked with a frown.

Xiao Ying, who had memories of later generations, was very clear about the drawbacks of Buddhism. The decline of the previous dynasty, Daliang, and even its demise, was mainly due to the flourishing of Buddhism, which led to the corresponding weakening of the people and a significant reduction in national strength.

The reason is simple. In the capital of Daliang alone, there were three or four hundred temples, recruiting millions of monks (not so many in this world, not in the future). They occupied vast land and wasted a lot of resources, greatly squeezing the living space of the people.

In addition, with the imperial court’s amnesty, many temples were exempted from taxes or had their taxes reduced, etc., and all the pressure was put on the people, making them bear too heavy a burden. It would be strange if they were not destroyed!
Lady Xuanhua gave a wry smile and sighed helplessly as she replied, "Well... it seems... it seems like we have no reason to refuse..."

Chen Yiqing was the daughter of Chen Xu, the Emperor Xuan of the Southern Chen Dynasty during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, and the half-sister of Chen Shubao, the last emperor of the Chen Dynasty. She was quite talented, intelligent and knowledgeable.

Now that Xiao Ying has granted him the star soul fusion of the top official Feng Deyi, his qualifications, talents, and thinking in civil affairs have been further improved, and he has become more aware of the disadvantages of respecting Buddhism.

However, even though she knew it, Chen Yiqing knew her own situation better and had no way of refusing.

This is also one of the main reasons why Qiling Temple took the opportunity to formally apply for it.

As we all know, Empress Xiao and others were able to escape the disaster this time, and counterattack the rebels so quickly, recapture the Forbidden Palace, and regain control of Jiangdu. Although Qiling Temple was not the main contributor, it also played a great role.

It has only been a few days, and the monk army is still performing its duties and has not been recalled by the Qiling Temple. It would not be so quick for the Sui army to destroy the bridge after crossing it or to cook the dog after the rabbit is dead.

The Sui army has not yet established a firm foothold. What position and reason does it have to reject the application of Qiling Temple?

This application also represents the recognition and support of Qiling Temple for the "legitimate remnants of the Sui Dynasty" headed by Empress Xiao.

Because Qiling Temple is one of the four holy places of Buddhism, it can represent the attitude and position of Buddhism to a certain extent, so it is not entirely a bad thing!

It can be considered as mutual benefit and support to a certain extent, but it will also deepen the ties between the two forces!
"I can agree to this, but I can't let it go. I need to... treat it with caution. It would be best if I could impose some degree of restraint and restrictions..."

Xiao Ying was silent and thoughtful, and Empress Xiao frowned and spoke solemnly.

Jiangdu, the third largest capital in China, boasts a large population and is prosperous. However, it cannot withstand significant disruption! As the example of Daliang and Jiankang (the capital) shows, Buddhism is known for its ability to deceive and seduce the people. If allowed to spread freely, even if Buddhism has no ill intentions or intentional mischief, it will still harm people's livelihoods!
"Restrictions...limitations...it's hard to grasp the right balance!"

Lady Xuanhua nodded, but spoke bitterly with embarrassment.

Buddhism is already powerful, and now it has made great achievements. Why do they clearly require certain restrictive clauses?
Does it clearly state that Buddhism can only recruit a certain number of disciples, occupy a certain amount of land, and consume a certain amount of supplies?

That's not wrong, but if it gets publicized, it will damage the reputation of the faction and ruin the friendship between the two sides.

Since the situation is not stable, should we start to plot against or be wary of those who have made great achievements?
Is it suitable? ! !

"Isn't Master Lingyan, the head of the Pudu Temple at Xiling Temple, highly regarded by Prince Jingwu and in charge of the military affairs of Jiangdu?"

Empress Xiao frowned in deep thought, then looked at Xiao Ying and asked. After a pause, she quickly added:

"If that's the case, why not just assign that area to him, let the Qiling Temple handle it, and let him take overall control of military and political affairs, while also restricting Buddhism to that area! With such great grace and sufficient attention, what else can Buddhism say?"

Lady Xuanhua's eyes lit up. She had never thought of this. It was indeed a good way to deal with the situation!

"no!"

Xiao Ying, however, shouted in a serious tone, then paused and said in a slow tone:
"Isn't this a state within a state? How is this any different from ceding territory, dividing the country, and selling out the country for personal gain? How can imperial power be divided?"

After saying this, he added gloomily:
"Right now, it's just Jiangdu, which seems feasible! However, this is the capital, and it holds great significance and far-reaching influence. As time passes and we develop, will Buddhism really be confined to Jiangdu? If we expand beyond it, will the people think we've divided a quarter of the world for Buddhism? Or is it like a country within a country?!"

"This... Prince Jingwu is so confident?"

Lady Xuanhua was shocked and asked with anticipation, surprise and longing.

Lady Xuanhua was intelligent and understood what Xiao Ying meant.

In the short term, what Empress Xiao said was indeed an excellent strategy, which would benefit both sides.

However, in the long run, this is obviously inappropriate and will leave behind huge problems, even more serious than the cancer of the aristocratic families that the two emperors of the Sui Dynasty feared the most! It will recreate the dangerous situation of the previous dynasty, when Daliang only respected Buddhism and was above the imperial power!

This is the most painful, regretful and helpless thing for the Xiao family of Daliang. Are they going to repeat the same mistake?
What shocked Lady Xuanhua the most was how much confidence King Jingwu Xiao Ying had. Was he so confident that he could conquer the world?

Are you thinking too far, too much?!

Being too ambitious is absolutely unacceptable and is also a disease!
Xiao Ying didn't express his opinion, but instead said with a firm expression, "Are the lessons our tribe has learned not profound enough? We must learn from history and not repeat the same mistakes."

"Indeed! Then, how do you think we should deal with Qiling Temple?"

Empress Xiao looked at Xiao Ying with satisfaction, but asked as if testing her!

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(End of this chapter)