挑事

挑 here is tiǎo (3rd tone, 'to provoke / pick'), not tiāo (1st tone, 'to choose / shoulder a load'). The verb-object form parallels 挑衅 'to provoke' and 挑刺 'to nitpick'. Online, 挑事 overlaps heavily with 引战 — both describe deliberate provocation — but 挑事 is older and applies offline too (a workplace gossip 挑事, a kid 挑事 in the schoolyard).

Don't read 挑 as tiāo here — that pronunciation is reserved for the 'choose' and 'shoulder' senses (挑选, 挑水). For 'provoke', it's always tiǎo (挑事, 挑战, 挑拨).