Chapter 212: I believe in you, without leaving the capital, you can destroy Tianmen!
Lin Beifan blinked his eyes, was this praise or criticism?
The empress contemplated for a moment, “This method is indeed good! Although the Shaolin Temple is ambitious, its ambitions do not pose a threat to the court. Therefore, appointing them as the leader of the martial world to manage affairs in the Jianghu is not a bad idea!”
“But, Tianmen must be closely monitored by us!”
The empress’s gaze became sharp, “It has secretly developed for ten years and only now has it been exposed. If anyone were to say that it has no ambitions, no one would believe it! Sir Guo, if anything happens in the future, you will be held responsible!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Guo bowed his head and breathed a sigh of relief.
According to the meaning of Her Majesty, the previous oversight would be forgiven.
Now the most important thing is to closely monitor Tianmen and prevent it from growing stronger, threatening the authority of the court.
The empress thought for a moment and said, “Sir Guo, if there are any problems regarding Tianmen in the future, you can consult Sir Lin first. He should have a solution!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” Guo replied with a slight smile on his face.
Lin Beifan bitterly smiled, “Your Majesty, you really overestimate me!”
The empress smiled, “Sir Lin, don’t be modest, I believe in you, without leaving the capital, you can destroy Tianmen!”
Lin Beifan became more and more anxious. The empress was putting more and more trust in him. Wouldn’t it be even harder for him to be lazy in the future?
So tiresome!
I just wanted to be a low-key corrupt official, don’t give me so many tasks!
After receiving the imperial decree, Guo immediately went to Shaolin Temple.
“The Imperial Decree states: The Jianghu is in chaos, and the people are suffering! Shaolin Temple, as the model of the martial arts world, should bear the heavy responsibility! Therefore, I appoint Shaolin Temple’s abbot as the leader of the martial arts world, in charge of the martial arts, and maintaining order in the Jianghu! So be it!”
“Thank you, Your Majesty! This humble monk accepts the decree!” The abbot of Shaolin Temple received the decree.
Guo smiled, “Abbot Xuannen, from now on, we are family. Let’s get closer!”
The abbot of Shaolin Temple smiled bitterly, “Amitabha! Guo, we should indeed get closer! I hope that when facing Tianmen, the Six Doors won’t just stand by!”
“Of course not, haha!” Guo laughed.
Then, Guo drank a cup of tea at Shaolin Temple and left with a smile.
The face of the abbot of Shaolin Temple immediately became troubled, “Amitabha!”
An old monk beside him asked in confusion, “Senior Brother, why did you accept the imperial decree? The court is clearly using us as their weapon to deal with Tianmen, which has a large number of people and great power!”
“Amitabha! Junior Brother, you don’t understand!” The abbot replied with compassion, “If we don’t accept the imperial decree, it would be defying the imperial order! At that time, the court will take extreme measures against us, which we cannot afford!”
“Senior Brother, we are the influential figures in the martial arts world, with numerous skilled practitioners in our temple. Why should we fear the court?” The old monk looked disdainful.
“Amitabha! Junior Brother, you are thinking too simplistically!”
The compassionate abbot continued, “Although Shaolin Temple is a martial arts sect, its essence is still a holy land of Buddhism. Buddhism is the foundation of our sect, with Buddhism in the forefront and martial arts in the background. We have been able to endure for a thousand years and have many followers, not because we have many skilled practitioners, but because we sincerely worship and follow Buddhism, guiding people with Buddhism. This is why we are recognized and blessed by the world and the Buddha!”
The old monk nodded in agreement.
“The imperial court represents the orthodox rule of the world. Once we do not obey the imperial court’s will, we will undoubtedly be feared by the court! If we use any means to damage our reputation, and prevent the people from worshiping, our holy land of Buddhism that has been established for a millennium will collapse! How can I, as a monk, have the face to go to the Western Heaven and face the Buddha?”
“Amitabha! So that’s the case, senior brother, I have learned my lesson!” The old monk looked ashamed.
“However, fortune and misfortune rely on each other! Although this brings us great trouble, we have also become the recognized leaders of the imperial court, representing the orthodoxy. Many things will be much more convenient for us. If we handle this matter well, the prestige of Shaolin Temple will surely rise to a new level! Tianmen is just a small matter.”
The expression on the Abbot’s face turned fierce yet compassionate. “In face of Shaolin Temple, we cannot tolerate their arrogance!”
“Senior brother, you are absolutely right. Amitabha!”
“Amitabha!”
The two monks laughed.
When the abbot of Shaolin Temple received the imperial edict and became the leader of the martial arts world, the news was immediately spread by the imperial court, making all the martial artists in the world aware of it.
“The abbot of Shaolin Temple has been appointed as the leader of the martial arts world?”
“What the heck! This is interesting. The head of Tianmen was just about to hold a martial arts conference, sending out invitations, and many people are already on their way. Now what are we going to do?”
“The leader of the martial arts world has already been selected. What will the head of Tianmen do?”
“What can he do? Would you support the head of Tianmen as the leader of the martial arts world, or the abbot of Shaolin Temple?”
“Of course, it’s the abbot of Shaolin Temple. He is respected and backed by the thousand-year-old Shaolin Temple, which has countless powerful disciples! The head of Tianmen, besides having good strength, lacks in many other aspects!”
“This move by the imperial court is brilliant. The head of Tianmen has become a laughingstock!”
“His ambition has been exposed! Hahaha!”
…
People in the martial arts world couldn’t help but laugh.
The head of Tianmen and the martial arts conference he organized all became jokes.
At this moment, in a courtyard deep within Tianmen, a middle-aged man in a red robe with a cold expression forcefully slapped the stone table and angrily said, “This is outrageous! How dare the imperial court play such a trick on me?”
“Boom!”
In an instant, the stone table shattered into pieces, and dust filled the air!
He was the head of Tianmen – Leng Ruochen.
Although he was within the martial arts world, his ambitions extended to the entire world!
Upon hearing the news, his face turned pale with anger!
This move by the imperial court was like a heavy slap on his face. It not only made him lose face and reputation, but also shattered his ambition, making it impossible for him to continue reporting the grand martial arts gathering, and become the leader of the martial arts world.
Without becoming the leader of the martial arts world, he had no way to rally the martial artists and fulfill his ambitions!
If he wanted to make a name for himself, he had no choice but to confront the Shaolin Temple!
As an ancient and prestigious martial arts school with countless skilled disciples, it’s impossible to compete with them without suffering heavy losses.
This move is truly vicious, completely restraining him!
“Master, should we continue the martial arts conference now?” A cautious expert asked.
Leng Ruochen angrily replied, “What’s the point now? Are we going to be a laughingstock to the world?”
The person lowered their head obediently, resembling a scolded student.
Although he was a powerful expert, in front of the Grandmaster Leng Ruochan, he was as insignificant as an ant. A single strike from the Grandmaster could kill him.
“We can’t continue the martial arts conference, we’ll have to take it step by step!”
“However, I need to vent my frustrations first!” Leng Ruochen turned coldly and said, “Lonely Wolf, immediately lead Red Lady, Demon Child, and a group of people to the capital. Stir up some trouble in the city! Let the court know that I am not someone to be trifled with!”
“Yes, Master!” The person backed down and immediately gathered people to head to the capital.
The news quickly reached the attention of the Six Doors.
Guo, the head of the Six Doors, came to find Lin Beifan with a solemn expression. “The martial arts conference has been canceled, but it is said that the Tianmen’s Grandmaster is extremely angry and has dispatched a group of powerful experts heading north. The capital is likely their target. Be cautious, do you need me to send someone to protect you?”
Lin Beifan shook his head. “I have Jing Tai protecting me, it’s unnecessary.”
“If you need skilled experts, let me know!”
Guo hurriedly left to mobilize forces in preparation for the arrival of the Tianmen’s experts.
Lin Beifan continued to go to the morning court with a smiling face every day, then wandered around the Imperial Academy and the Dedian Mansion. If there was nothing important, he would return home.
If it weren’t for his official attire, no one would think he was anything more than a carefree rich young man.
At this time, the Tianmen experts had secretly infiltrated the capital.
Meanwhile, a family of three walked on the street, appearing quite unusual.
Among them, the husband looked very fierce, the wife dressed in red clothing and exuded a seductive charm, while the child had two pigtails and was eating candied haws, but their eyes revealed a sinister aura.
“It’s only been a year since I last came to the capital, and there have been so many changes. It’s much livelier than before!” sighed the lady.
“I heard that the newly appointed prefect has implemented a street vendor economy, which has made the capital more lively than before. Many people now have a means to make a living!” the man replied.
“It seems this new official has quite a talent!”
“Not just talent,” the man sneered. “That person’s name is Lin Beifan. I heard he became the top scorer in the imperial examination half a year ago, achieving the highest rank three years in a row!”
“After becoming an official, he’s been unstoppable! In just over six months, he has been promoted several ranks and is now a third-ranking official of the imperial court. He also holds the positions of the Principal of the Imperial Academy and the prefect of the Dedian Prefecture. The Empress trusts him greatly!”
“In that case, Gu Long, Hong Niangzi, let’s target him first,” the child with a sinister expression said, letting out a hideous chuckle. “The alliance leader wants us to stir up trouble in the capital, and killing the prefect would be a pleasure, wouldn’t it?”
“Mo Tong, your idea is not bad. But I’ve heard that there is a grandmaster in his residence, an old monk…” the man hesitated.
“What qualifications and abilities does he have to have a grandmaster protect him?” Hong Niangzi, the lady, said jealously. “But just to be safe, we can secretly kill him outside! Even if that old monk is powerful, he won’t be able to react in time!”
“You’re right! Let’s kill him first, and then storm into the Dedian Mansion to wreak havoc, to turn the world upside down!”
The three of them quickly made up their minds to target Lin Beifan, the prefect of the capital.
And then, they would slaughter all the officials in the Dedian Mansion, ensuring that they could turn the capital upside down.
So, they secretly followed Lin Beifan for two days.
They discovered that Lin Beifan’s life was very disciplined. He would attend morning court sessions, then go to the national academy, and after finishing any business there, he would go to the Dedian Mansion to handle his official duties before returning home.
He was only accompanied by two young skilled martial artists along the way.
As for the old monk they were concerned about, he mostly stayed within Lin’s residence and never came out.
There were plenty of opportunities to strike.
The three of them were ecstatic in their hearts!
