Chapter 816: Low-Risk Move
At this point, even Qi Xuansu himself paused in surprise.
In truth, the Fenglin Emperor holding the title of Tenmon Sect Leader was in itself an imitation of the emperors of the Central Plains.
When the Confucian School was the orthodox religion, the emphasis was on heavenly principle and the resonance between Heaven and Man, with Heaven revered as the supreme deity.
Throughout the dynasties, emperors bore two honorifics: the Sovereign of the Mortal Realm, representing secular authority, and the Son of Heaven, representing divine authority as Heaven’s chosen offspring.
The most important affairs of a nation are sacrifice and war.
The Sovereign of the Mortal Realm held dominion over war, and the Son of Heaven wielded authority over sacrifice, including rituals and divine mandates. Only the Son of Heaven could perform sacrifices to Heaven. Commoners could worship ancestors or local deities, but none dared offer rites to Heaven itself. When the Son of Heaven grew old, having his son take over the sacrificial rites was a clear sign of succession.
Both honorifics were unified. It was this divine identity that upheld the Confucian principle of the emperor being the “father of all under Heaven,” giving him supreme status and legitimacy.
But when the Daoist Order rose to dominance, it had to dismantle Confucian norms to build its own status. Though Daoism still acknowledged Heaven’s supremacy, it did not emphasize divine principle or the resonance between Heaven and Man. Thus, the title of “Son of Heaven” was effectively abolished, leaving only the secular title of emperor.
Yet divine authority could not be left vacant, so the head of the Daoist Order stepped in, assuming the role of Grand Master in place of the Son of Heaven.
This gave rise to a dual system in the Central Plains—two centers of power that balanced, collaborated, and occasionally opposed each other.
In such a structure, would the emperor of the Central Plains yearn to reclaim the title of Son of Heaven?
Of course, he would. Without the divine title, he was a crippled emperor, unfit to call the realm his own, and constantly at risk of deposition.