Junior Uncle is too cunning.

“Li Shundao of the Heavenly Court greets Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.”

Li Shundao composed himself and bowed to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who was sitting cross-legged on the futon. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva deserved his bow and respect, both in terms of spiritual attainment and seniority.

Whether or not his vow of "I will not become a Buddha until hell is empty" was sincere, it seems to be a good thing for the evil spirits in the underworld. Although they have no chance of reincarnation, at least they don't have to go through the eighteen levels of hell. If they have good aptitude and understanding and are recognized by Buddhism, they might really have a chance to soar to the heavens. At that time, it is not impossible for them to return to the world of the living.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva remained calm, as if he already knew Li Shundao's identity, displaying an air of fearlessness even under immense pressure.

"So it is the Heavenly Venerable of the Ministry of Finance. This old monk greets you," Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva slowly performed a Buddhist salute and said calmly.

Li Shundao felt something was off. Looking at his fair skin and handsome appearance, hearing the word "old monk" felt a slight sense of incongruity, and he felt an urge to burst out laughing.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva did not say much, but directly began to preach: "If in the future there are good men and good women who hear the name of this Bodhisattva (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva), or praise him, or pay homage to him, or call upon his name, or make offerings, or even paint, carve, or sculpt his image, such people will be reborn in the Thirty-Three Heavens a hundred times, and will never fall into evil realms."

In future ages, if there are men or women who do not do good, do evil, do not believe in cause and effect, commit adultery and lie, speak with a forked tongue and evil words, or slander the Mahayana, such beings will surely fall into evil realms.

......"

Li Shundao didn't mind and sat cross-legged to listen. Although he wouldn't switch to Buddhism or Taoism, he understood that at his level, switching paths wouldn't be easy. Besides, those who had reached such a level were definitely well-suited to his path, and all were determined individuals who wouldn't be swayed by a few words from others. If there were such people, they would probably suffer a qi deviation sooner or later.

Li Shundao knew from just one sentence that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was speaking about the Ksitigarbha Sutra, also known as the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vow Sutra, ... Practice Sutra, and the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vow and Power Sutra. It is one of the three Ksitigarbha Sutras that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself comprehended.

The entire sutra is divided into thirteen chapters: the chapter on the supernatural powers of the Heavenly Palace of the Thousand Buddhas, the chapter on the gathering of incarnations, the chapter on observing the karmic conditions of sentient beings, the chapter on the karmic feelings of sentient beings in Jambudvipa, the chapter on the names of hell beings, the chapter on the praise of the Tathagata, the chapter on the benefits to the living and the dead, the chapter on the praise of Yama and his followers, the chapter on reciting the Buddha's name, the chapter on measuring the merits of giving alms, the chapter on the protection of the earth gods, the chapter on the benefits of seeing and hearing, and the chapter on entrusting the human and heavenly realms.

The Ksitigarbha Sutra is a scripture that records the process of birth, aging, sickness, and death of all living beings, and how to change one's own destiny to be reborn. It is also a scripture of cause and effect that can liberate past karmic creditors and help them achieve ultimate liberation.

Human beings have been in a cycle of birth and death since beginningless time. The accumulation of blessings and the power of spiritual practice are irreplaceable. Therefore, reading scriptures can help us understand how to deal with karmic obstacles, how to cultivate blessings and wisdom, and how to benefit all sentient beings. It can be said to be a peerless scripture for self-regulation and persuading people to do good, no less valuable than the Western Bible that Chen Fusheng read in his previous life.

The Ksitigarbha Sutra integrates the great compassionate vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the testimonies of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Most remarkably, the entire sutra is narrated in colloquial language, conveying the Buddha's profound yet accessible teachings of compassion. For practitioners deeply studying Buddhism, it can confirm the inconceivable nature of the theory of cause and effect.

Moreover, even beginners can resonate with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's compassionate vow to save China. Among all the Buddhist scriptures that Li Shundao had heard, the only one with simple and easy-to-understand Buddhist principles that did not require instruction from others was this "Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's Fundamental Vows and Merits Sutra".

Previously, Li Shundao had only read the Ksitigarbha Sutra once in the Heavenly Court's Sutra Repository and felt he had gained some understanding. But this time, listening to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's gradual explanation, he gained even more insights.

……

Just as Li Shundao was engrossed in the Buddhist chants of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, undercurrents were already surging in Jambudvipa... no, it should be said that war could break out at any moment.

In the imperial court of the Shang Dynasty, Chaoge, Jiang Ziya sat in the Prime Minister's residence, with Shang Rong and Bi Gan beside him. The three of them had complex expressions, a mixture of excitement, trepidation, and, above all, pressure.

Since the Great Shang Imperial Court received information support from the God of Wealth Cult, it was no longer blind when facing the feudal lords.

Having obtained the intelligence, Jiang Ziya unleashed even greater energy, demonstrating his execution capabilities, which were even stronger than his strategic planning abilities.

Having achieved a good understanding of both himself and his enemy, Jiang Ziya stopped holding back and, after consulting with King Zhou the following year, officially began to promote his decree to reduce the power of the vassal states.

Although the feudal lords had some intelligence, when the Shang Dynasty court actually agreed to Jiang Ziya's request, the feudal lords were in an uproar, shocked, frightened, excited... a mix of emotions.

It's obvious from the word "Decree to Reduce the Power of the Feudal Lords" that it was an imperial edict aimed at weakening the feudal lords. It was like a giant knife cutting into them.

The policy of weakening the feudal lords is tantamount to killing them. If the Shang Dynasty succeeds, then apart from a very small amount of land and a useless title, they will be no different from ordinary nobles, and even worse off than ordinary nobles!

However, although the number of feudal lords was large, there were many groups among them, and the conflicts of interest were countless. In particular, neighboring feudal states were like enemies. If it weren't for the Shang Dynasty's imperial court keeping them in check, they would probably have been fighting to the death long ago.

Without a leader, the feudal lords, especially the smaller ones, were filled with anxiety. All eyes were on the four major feudal lords. If even they gave up, they would probably surrender, even if they were unwilling, and accept the Shang Dynasty's decree to reduce their power.

The Shang Dynasty imperial court and Jiang Ziya didn't care about the reactions of the four feudal lords. They were already prepared. If the four feudal lords showed any signs of rebellion, they would use all the power of the Shang Dynasty imperial court to crush and destroy them in the shortest possible time.

However, what no one expected was that the first to react was not Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, who had the strongest vassal state, or Jiang Wenhuan, the Marquis of Dongbo, who had the highest status, but rather Chong Houhu, the Marquis of Beibo, who was the weakest of the four vassal states.

The four vassal states recognized by the Shang Dynasty imperial court were the Eastern Marquis Jiang Huanchu, the Southern Marquis E Chongyu, the Western Marquis Ji Chang, and the Northern Marquis Chonghouhu. When the four of them joined forces, apart from the upper echelons, they were almost comparable to the Shang Dynasty imperial court.

Leaving aside Ji Chang, the cunning and ambitious warlord who had been plotting rebellion for many years, even among the four great lords, there were very few people whose status was higher than his in the entire prehistoric world.

Marquis Jiang Huanchu of the East was the father of Queen Jiang, the empress of King Zhou's harem, and the maternal grandfather of the two princes, Yin Jiao and Yin Hong. He was the father-in-law of the current emperor. He was upright and strong-willed. Because of his proper cultivation of immortality, he appeared somewhat impetuous. He was also a man of strong emotions. He was extremely brave and skilled in battle, wielding a large cleaver and carrying a steel whip on his back. He was as brave as ten thousand men.

The current emperor's father-in-law, if we're really talking about who's the most important, even King Zhou would have to call him father-in-law. Compared to the other three feudal lords, he can be said to be the one with the closest relationship to King Zhou's family in the Shang Dynasty.

However, neither the wealthiest and most powerful Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, nor the most prestigious Marquis of the East, Jiang Huanchu, have erupted. Instead, it is the usually most silent Marquis of the North, Chong Houhu, who has taken the lead in rebelling. It gives the impression that "either erupt in silence or die in silence," which surprised Jiang Ziya, Shang Rong, Bigan, King Zhou, and others. But that's all.