Emperor Taizong's Growth Plan

Chapter 156 The Imperial Examination Begins

When monk Huiqi returned to Zhongqing City Shanshiyuan, what he saw was a group of monks with anxious faces and nervous and worried expressions.

The monks felt relieved when they saw that Hui Qi finally came back, except that he was only wearing unlined clothes.All the people gathered around, offered Buddhist salutes one after another, and said to each other:
"Master Huiqi is finally back!"

"Abbot, Zhongqing City is no better than other places at this time, you shouldn't have left in such a random way!"

Monk Zhitong looked nervous and said in a deep voice:
"The status of the abbot is not what it used to be. If you go to other places in the future, you must wait for my protection!"

Hui Qi looked around at the monks who surrounded him with worried faces, his mind was a little heavy, and he said casually:
"It's because the old man is not thinking well, he just didn't want to sleep in the middle of the night, that's why... that's why, I went out for a walk by myself."

Hui Qi sticks to the rules and regulations all his life, so it can be seen that he is not very good at lying, and when he makes excuses for himself, his expression is quite different.

But when the monks saw that he had returned safely, and also that monk Huiqi was unwilling to explain it clearly, they didn't intend to investigate further.

An abbot of a great temple stood up and smoothed things over and said:
"Tomorrow is the Fa Discussion Conference. The master suddenly disappeared at this time. I thought it was... Shhh, in short, it was a false alarm. It's fine, it's fine!"

"Yes, it's good that Master is fine."

Monk Huiqi bowed down several times and asked everyone to go back and go to bed early, and then all the monks dispersed.

Only monk Zhitong, seeing Huiqi's expression changed, stayed until the end.

Hui Qi looked at Zhitong and asked:

"I'm just going out for a walk, how did you make such a big commotion?"

Upon hearing this, Monk Zhitong clasped his hands together and said:
"The younger brother who was on duty at night saw that the lights in your meditation room were still on, and wanted to persuade you to rest early, only then did he realize that you were not in the room."

Hui Qi nodded slightly and said:

"You come with me!"

After finishing speaking, Hui Qi raised his legs and walked towards his room.

Seeing that his expression was unusual, Zhitong knew that he had something to ask himself, so he quickly followed.

Entering the meditation room, Hui Qi stared at Zhitong closely, pondered for a moment, and finally said:

"Zhitong, tell me, before and after the Ganye Temple change, is there anything else I don't know about? Are you hiding anything from me?"

When Zhitong heard the words, his expression changed suddenly, his eyes flickered, and he said:

"Abbot, but where did you hear the rumors? The Ganye Temple incident, and the reasons for it, have not all been..."

Monk Huiqi looked solemn, clasped his hands together, proclaimed the Buddha's name, and interrupted:
"Amitabha. You and I are both monks, so don't lie. Just now I broke the precept in front of the monks, and I will repay it in the future. Zhitong, do you want to learn from me?"

When Zhitong heard the words, the words he originally wanted to defend were blocked in his throat, and he didn't know how to reply.

In fact, sometimes it is more useful not to speak than to speak.

Seeing Zhitong suddenly showing such an expression, Hui Qi's heart was already clear, and he closed his eyes in pain.

The change in Ganye Temple, as Nan Jiyun said, was the Buddhist intention to rebel, which led to the current emperor's encirclement and suppression.

No wonder he ran around Zhongqing City for so long, but still returned without success.This is absolutely true, how could he find clues to reverse the case?
Hui Qi's lips trembled, his figure swayed slightly, and finally he closed his eyes sadly, and murmured:

"One leaf blinds the eyes, one leaf blinds the eyes! This old monk admits that he has practiced for decades, but he still cannot escape the harm of the three poisons. He committed obsession, which leads to a dark mind, making it hard to see the truth!"

Seeing Hui Qi's appearance, Zhi Tong panicked, stepped forward to support Hui Qi, and explained:

"Abbot, the prestige of my Buddhist sect in Yunguo has reached such a level, I can't help but be afraid and oppressed by the successive kings of Yunguo... It's really helpless to think about it like this!"

Monk Huiqi was trembling all over, but he forced himself to throw off Zhitong who was supporting him, with a look of disappointment on his face, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Greed, hatred and ignorance, the thoughts of the three poisons, harm the body and mind, and make people fall into the cycle of life and death. They are the root of evil. My Buddhist disciples put the most emphasis on cultivating the mind, and at the end of the practice, all the disciples have become full of the three poisons." If that’s the case, what kind of Buddha is there to cultivate!”

Monk Huiqi is one of the rare pure-minded people in Buddhism.At this time, it was natural that he was disappointed with the current actions of Buddhism, and even thought of leaving, and never intervened in the affairs of Buddhism.

Seeing Hui Qi pushing himself away, Zhitong became even more anxious, and hurriedly said:
"Abbot, what happened back then was all signaled by the Great Master. What else can we Buddhist disciples do except obey?"

The current Buddhism, under Xiao Cheng's means, faintly looks like a split.Quite a few abbots of great temples have coveted the position of the leader of Buddhism.

But the Buddhism back then was different from the current situation.

At that time, no one in the Buddhist sect could check and balance the reputation of the Great Master Huikai, and he was a recognized leader.The power of the Ganye Temple even overwhelmed all the big temples in the country.Everyone in the Buddhist gate bowed their heads and obeyed orders.Even if there is an eminent monk like Hui Qi who is dedicated to pure cultivation and does not want to participate in the establishment of such a Buddhist kingdom on earth, he can't stop Hui Kai from all the people.

Therefore, what Zhitong said at this time is indeed one of the reasons, and it is not entirely an excuse.

Seeing that Hui Qi didn't reply, Zhitong gritted his teeth, knelt down in front of him with a plop, and said in a trembling voice:
"Abbot, for the sake of the reputation and prestige accumulated by the eminent monks and masters of the past hundreds of years, even if we know the reason behind it, we can only send people to investigate. Moreover, Master Huikai did not die because of gratitude. In the hands of the monks of the Ye Temple. Finding out the cause of the Master's death is related to whether our Buddhist sect can survive this calamity!"

At this time, the Buddhist sect lost even two bets.In such a situation, no one thought that Xiao Cheng would be able to let him go by just bowing his head and giving in.It is found out that Huikai did not die at the hands of the monks of Ganye Temple. Although it cannot change the situation, it is the same as Huiqi's idea of ​​planning to die under Xiao Cheng's master before.

With the help of rumors from the government, the public and the people, when the current emperor is forced to attack Buddhism, he can restrain himself a little, so as to gain a glimmer of life.

When Hui Qi heard this, he couldn't help but think of himself who wanted to die before, and he couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

No matter what, he couldn't just watch the Buddhism perish.

"Get up!"

With a wave of his right hand, Hui Qi poured out all his strength, and directly lifted Monk Zhitong up.

He took a deep breath and said solemnly:

"His Majesty the current emperor is different from the previous kings of the Yun Kingdom. He has a very high prestige in the government and the public through his personal conquest. He is righteous, resourceful, and resourceful. He must not be an enemy."

Zhitong was taken aback when he heard the words, and said:
"Kanganye Temple has committed such a crime, how can the emperor tolerate my Buddhism?"

"Yes!" Hui Qi said firmly.

Hui Qi could see very clearly that if the current emperor really couldn't tolerate his Buddhism, then Nan Jiyun would never show up to meet him tonight, let alone talk so much with him.

Moreover, the 600-year foundation of Buddhism in Yunguo, balancing the contradictions among the various ethnic groups in Yunguo all depends on Buddhist beliefs.If the Buddhist belief is completely eradicated, how will the conflicts in the country be eased in the future?

Zhitong looked at Monk Huiqi in front of him, hesitated for a while, finally gritted his teeth, bowed and saluted:

"Please abbot, save my Buddhist disciples so that my Buddhist inheritance can continue!"

"Okay!" Hui Qi said firmly.
-
A tent that occupies a very large area but is quite simple was built at some unknown time.Thousands of Yun Kingdom imperial troops were mobilized to guard this place.

Before the camp, the atmosphere was slightly dignified.Countless people in all kinds of costumes stood here, their expressions were nervous with a hint of excitement, and they looked closely at the closed gate of the camp, waiting for the gate to open.

"Have you started?" Someone stood on his feet and looked ahead vigorously.

"It's almost there!" Someone in front answered immediately.

"Why are there so many people today? I never found out in the past that there are so many scholars in Yunguo!"

Someone asked a question, and someone answered casually:

"Today's test is for the imperial examination qualifications. There is no limit to the qualifications. Naturally, everyone will join in the fun."

The people who gathered here at this time only looked at their attire, except for these scholars, there were also people from the rivers and lakes, common people, and merchants.

The imperial examination system was first established and held for the first time. It was still somewhat crude, and there were almost no qualifications for the initial examination.In feudal society, becoming an official is the way to stand out and rise up the social class.With such a path to becoming an official in front of you, who wouldn't be tempted?Anyone who knows a few words has signed up at this time, and there are naturally more people.

Moreover, not all the people who gathered here at this time were from the imperial examination.After all, there are fun people everywhere, and many people really come here to watch the fun.

At this time, I suddenly heard the crowd at the front, surging like boiling water.

Someone shouted loudly:
"Alas, open, open!"

All of a sudden, the crowd became noisy and was about to squeeze towards the gate of the camp.

From the wide-open camp gate, a group of imperial guards suddenly rushed out.

Zhang Zhao, Zuo Cheng of Shangshutai, who was wearing an official uniform, walked out with a solemn expression under the protection of the imperial army.

Seeing the increasingly chaotic crowd ahead, Zhang Zhao frowned and shouted:

"Silence! Line up, don't make noise or crowd. Anyone who disobeys will be disqualified from the imperial examination!"

The penalty for disqualification from the imperial examination is naturally extremely serious.However, the noise of the crowd at this time obviously overshadowed Zhang Zhao's words.The crowd couldn't hear Zhang Zhao's words clearly, and continued to push forward.

Seeing this, the imperial guards hurried forward and shouted:
"Silence! Silence!"

The test takers saw the imperial guards yelling to stop, and hurriedly wanted to stop.However, the unknown crowd at the rear was still pushing forward, and the scene became more and more chaotic.

Looking at the scene that was getting out of control before him, Zhang Zhao's face darkened.

The matter of the imperial examination is something His Majesty attaches great importance to. If any accident occurs because of the inability to maintain order, then Zhang Zhao will definitely die!
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhao shouted repeatedly:

"Silence! Stop!"

When Zhang Zhao's voice became louder and his heart became more anxious, an invisible force that came from nowhere suddenly burst out from his body.

In the dark, some kind of breath power between heaven and earth is connected with each other.

In the line of sight that ordinary people can't notice, a milky white light appeared behind Zhang Zhao, condensing into a faint, invisible phantom.

"quiet!"

The next moment, there was a sound of scolding, like the clanging of a piano, the clear and clear sound pierced through the surroundings, penetrating the hearts of the people, making the originally chaotic crowd come to a standstill.

As soon as the voice of violent drinking fell, in the line of sight that ordinary people couldn't see, the milky white phantom shook violently, then could no longer condense, and immediately dissipated and turned into nothingness.

Zhang Zhao was in a trance for a while, and when he came back to his senses, he saw the crowd in front of him, who had been stopped by him at this moment, were standing where they were, looking at him in unison.

He frowned slightly, only feeling a little dizzy in his head.Just now, there seemed to be a force somewhere that echoed his orders.

Zhang Zhao had never experienced that kind of feeling, which made him feel quite strange.

But even though Zhang Zhao was still feeling the wonderful power that he had just mastered in his heart at this time, he still did not forget his duty at this time, temporarily put this matter behind his mind, coughed lightly, and said loudly:
"Cough, go forward in line, don't be loud or crowded. Anyone who disobeys will be disqualified from the imperial examination!"

The crowd who became quiet at this time heard Zhang Zhao's words clearly, and dared not disobey them.After looking at each other, they formed a queue and looked at Zhang Zhao eagerly.

Zhang Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, and said:

"Come one by one. The first 3000 people can only enter and take a separate exam after verifying their names, places of origin, and schools of thought. The rest of them will wait for a while, and don't make noise or make trouble!"

The way of being an official is really eye-catching.Anyone who knows a few words will come here at this time.The test takers in front of them are probably close to thousands of people.Obviously, this temporary tent built for the imperial examination cannot be accommodated at one time.

But fortunately, this test is for preliminary screening, and the test is on the scriptures, that is, silently writing texts.This only needs to randomly select a few paragraphs from the classics of various schools of thought, and there is no need to formulate questions in advance.Therefore, you can take the test in batches, and you don't need to worry about leaking the questions.

Zhang Zhao gave an order, and the long queue formed temporarily moved forward slowly.

The first test takers, after registering their information at the Li Cao official's office and receiving the admission documents, slowly walked into the examination room.The examinees in the rear, looking forward to it, whispered secretly below, not daring to make any noise.

In the distance, Sang Pan led his three disciples, staring blankly at Zhang Zhao's direction, his brows almost twisted into twists.

Seeing this, Shi Chengwen couldn't help asking:
"Sir, what's the matter with you?"

Purple light flashed in Sang Pan's eyes, he smiled wryly and shook his head, saying:
"I don't know either. That person just now obviously doesn't know martial arts... Sigh, there are more and more things that I can't understand after entering this cloud kingdom!"

The three disciples didn't understand why Sang Pan said that when they heard the words.

Sang Pan waved his hand and said:

"I'm afraid only the mountain master can say something about this matter, you don't need to worry about it! Go, Yunguo is already prosperous, this is the opportunity you are waiting for, you must seize it."

When the three of Shi Chengwen heard the words, they immediately bowed to Sang Pan and said:
"Mr. Xie! Students, let's go now."

Sang Pan nodded and said:

"Okay, after the exam, you can go back on your own, you don't need to look for me, I still want to see the excitement!"

"Watching the fun?" The three were taken aback.

Today, is there anything more important than this imperial examination?
The corner of Sang Pan's mouth curled up, revealing a gloating look, and said:

"The Buddhist sect over there, today is also some kind of law conference. The emperor of Yunguo probably chose this day on purpose. Hahaha, it's not like my Yin-Yang family has suffered losses at the hands of the Buddhist sect in the past. Now they are having fun You can see, you can’t do it if you don’t go!”

　Hahaha, I haven't mentioned it for a long time. Have you all forgotten about the upgrade of this world?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)