A Pawn's Passage

Borneo, Fenglin, and East Shakya each had a stationed Great Sage and a first-rank Spirit Guard personally overseeing affairs. In a sense, the territorial reach of the Daoist Order exceeded that of the Imperial Court. For example, the jurisdiction of the Western Region Daoist Mansion was even greater than that of Xizhou. In name, these regions were vassal states of the Imperial Court, offering tribute and pledging fealty, but the Great Xuan Court did not directly interfere in the region’s internal affairs.

However, Fenglin was an exception, having its own emperor. That was because Fenglin was a single, united country with considerable strength and separated by the sea from the Central Plains. It was unlike the fragmented Borneo, which had multiple small nations that stood no chance against the Great Xuan Empire.

The Daoist Order held a prestigious position in Fenglin, but it was far from stable. That was because there were two major religions in Fenglin—the native Tenmon and the foreign Buddhism.

The Buddhist Sect’s reach was, in fact, far greater than that of the Daoist Order. Wherever it went, it adapted to the local customs and culture, resulting in many distinct branches with enormous variation.

The first leader of Central Plains Buddhism, also known as Chan Buddhism, was from beyond the realm. But its second leader was a native of the Central Plains, whose father had been a scholar at the Wanxiang Academy. So from a young age, the second leader was well-versed in Confucian and Daoist thought.

When the first leader founded Central Plains Buddhism, the second leader came to seek instruction at the temple. However, the first leader judged him as unfit to comprehend Chan teachings and refused to accept him as a disciple due to his heavily biased knowledge.

The second leader pleaded for a long time but to no avail. At last, he drew his sword and severed his own arm to show his determination. Moved by such sincerity, the first leader finally accepted him as a disciple and passed on the Vajrayana Lineage.

This was how the second leader inherited the mantle and came to enlightenment through The Vajra Sutra. There was a saying that the enlightenment would go to those whose minds were clear and whose bodies were healthy.

After the first leader passed into nirvana, the second leader continued to study the profound meanings of Buddhism. When he encountered unresolved doubts, he left the temple and traveled to famous mountains, seeking wisdom from eminent monks, Confucian scholars, and Daoist masters. Gradually, he achieved a deep understanding and integration of the Three Religions.

This was but a glimpse of Central Plains Buddhism. The Confucian School experienced its first decline after four centuries. The officials had grown weary of the tedious scholasticism of the classical canon, the absurdities of prophetic theology, and the stale dogmas of The Three Fundamental Bonds and Five Constant Virtues. They began to seek new grounding, and metaphysics began to flourish.

Both alchemy and metaphysics had their roots in Daoist notions of nature. Daoist practice was to work on the mind and gain in nature. Thus, cultivation required one’s mind to be still, which was achieved in meditation. Achieving immortality through cultivation became the Daoist path.

Simply put, the Daoist Order evolved from one of the Hundred Schools of Thought into one of the Three Religions.

The Primordial Daoist Ancestor’s teachings should have marked the rise of the Daoist Order, but they were outshined by the Buddhist teachings of Prajna. At the time, Buddhism flourished, with masters from the Western Region arriving one after another and monastic communities growing in size. The teachings of Prajna spread widely.

Thus, metaphysics and Buddhist philosophy began to influence one another. Buddhists discussed metaphysics, while metaphysicians explored Buddhist thought. This convergence became a fashionable intellectual trend. Eventually, metaphysics and Buddhism merged, and this gave rise to what would later be known as Chan Buddhism in the Central Plains.

Therefore, Central Plains Buddhism was the pioneer of the unification of the Three Religions, with many doctrines that overlapped with Daoism and Confucianism. The Cihang lineage of the Daoist Order originated from Central Plains Buddhism.

Later, the Daoist Order and the Confucian School allied to suppress Central Plains Buddhism. A large number of Buddhist monks either became Daoist priests or Confucian scholars. In any case, the merging of the Three Religions was the prevailing trend, as many principles were mutually compatible. In the end, it was just a matter of changing robes. As early as Lin Lingsu’s era, Central Plains Buddhism had already submitted once. Now that the Daoist Order was overwhelmingly dominant and there was a clear fallback path, Central Plains Buddhism naturally did not fight to the end. This was also why it collapsed so quickly.

Today, the Buddhist Sect that truly opposed the Daoist Order was the Western Region Buddhist Sect.

Central Plains Buddhism absorbed the strengths of Confucianism and Daoism, carrying an air of transcendence and scholarly refinement. In the meantime, Western Region Buddhism had absorbed some characteristics of the Shamanistic Sect, which was savage and brutal with endless ritual implements made from human skin and bone.

Buddhism in Borneo and Shakya was influenced by Ancient Wuism and Brahmanism, respectively. Though all these Buddhist sects venerated the Buddha, their doctrines were entirely different.

Naturally, Fenglin’s Buddhism was no exception. It was deeply influenced by the native religion, which shared some similarities with Central Plains Buddhism. Tracing its roots, the two shared a lineage, but their interpretations of scriptures and precepts diverged sharply.

For example, Central Plains Buddhist disciples were required to be vegetarian and monastic, whereas those in Fenglin could eat meat and marry. Moreover, the Buddhist Sect in Fenglin had never suffered multiple rounds of suppression, unlike their Central Plains counterpart. Thus, their widespread influence was not to be underestimated.

They were extremely hostile toward the Daoist Order, yet appeared respectful on the surface only out of fear of their power.

Fenglin’s native religion was Tenmon. Initially, it had no formal name. It was not until Buddhism was introduced and gradually spread across Fenglin that the term “Tenmon” emerged, used to distinguish Fenglin’s indigenous beliefs from the foreign Buddhism.

Tenmon was also known as the Shinto Sect.

In its earliest days, Tenmon was no match for Buddhism, ultimately becoming a vassal of the Buddhist Sect. The various Tenmon deities were even reclassified as Buddhist guardian spirits. This continued until the rise of the Confucian School of Principle.

Just as the Daoist Order evolved from the Hundred Schools of Thought, the Confucian School transformed into a religious institution via its School of Principle, which emphasized the Heavenly Principle. The emperor in the mortal realm was regarded as the embodiment of Heavenly Principle and hence was also referred to as the Son of Heaven, ruler, and father of all subjects.

Zhang Yuelu had once openly criticized the School of Principle at the Three Religions Assembly. Yet, it was this principle that appealed to emperors. It became the main force in countering Buddhism and allowed Confucianism to ascend to the preeminent position among the Three Religions.

When Confucianism reached Fenglin, it merged with Tenmon, emphasizing loyalty to the emperor and devotion to the throne. This allowed Tenmon to break free from Buddhist dominance and operate independently. Thus, it gave rise to the current popular ideology of revering the emperor. Later, when the Regent usurped the throne, it violated the principle of loyalty, leading to widespread opposition from all classes of Fenglin society.

Later, Tenmon absorbed elements of the Holy Court’s doctrines, promoting the notion that Fenglin was the center of the world. It gradually became Fenglin’s state religion, and the emperor of Fenglin was not only the monarch supported by regional lords but also the leader of Tenmon.

This was quite similar to the Great Xuan Emperor becoming a Great Sage. However, the Daoist Order’s Grand Master was above any other Great Sage, so ultimate power was not concentrated in that single individual.

Thus, when the Daoist Order entered Fenglin, it faced fierce resistance from Tenmon. However, Tenmon’s strength was far inferior. After being defeated, they were forced to declare a separation of religion and state. The Fenglin emperor issued an edict proclaiming himself a mere mortal, not a divine figure, and abolished Tenmon’s status as the state religion.

However, the majority of the populace still followed Tenmon, and this move by the Daoist Order incited widespread resentment. Tenmon’s prior subjugation under Buddhism had made its followers especially sensitive. They feared that Tenmon would once again become a vassal, but this time under Daoism. Thus, the expel the Dao movement was born, giving rise to the slogan, “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Dao.”

In recent years, the “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Dao” movement had quieted down on the surface, but it surged repeatedly. Tenmon had now joined the ranks of the Buddhist Sect and Shamanistic Sect as one of the Daoist Order’s gravest threats, preventing the Daoist Order from truly controlling Fenglin.

In truth, the Daoist Order’s only grip on Fenglin was through the Regent. Now that internal strife had broken out within that faction and the Daoist Order had not intervened swiftly, they had missed the best opportunity to quell the unrest, which was a serious misstep.

That was because the Daoist Order had its fair share of problems. While the Three Noble Houses fought relentlessly over the position of Regent, the three Daoist sects were likewise locked in an internal struggle for the position of Grand Master, leaving them with no energy to manage the distant troubles of Fenglin.

Come to think of it, the regional lords of Fenglin might have used this opportunity while the Daoist Order was distracted to really push the “Revere the Emperor, Expel the Dao” movement forward after years of restraint.

Naturally, the Daoist Order would not abandon Fenglin easily. This bulletin served as clear proof of them laying the groundwork in advance.

If Qi Xuansu’s judgment was correct, it would not be long before the Daoist Order mobilized elite forces from various Daoist mansions to march on Fenglin and crush the rebellion.