Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

"Buddhism has a long history of amassing wealth."

Li Zhu's voice rang out, causing Qiao Lie's smiling face to fade. Mr. Jin Jian on the other side continued, "When I traveled around, I saw that there were few Taoist temples here, but many Buddhist temples. Although I don't know how rich they are, I saw that their temples were built magnificently, and the towers were so tall that they could be seen from miles away. I think they have made a lot of money."

Jiang Jing and Li Ying looked at each other and felt that there was a light flashing in each other's pupils, like gold and silver.

"Zheng knows this in more detail than the two of you."

A voice sounded nearby, and Lu Bu and the others looked over. The playboy drank the wine with a smile and let out a sigh, "Ha——" "The professor who taught me before had ancestors who were officials of the Hanlin Academy and the Dalin Dental Academy. He had read the records in the royal family and told me about it as an interesting story.

In the eighth year of Xianyong, there were more than 3,600 temples and more than one million monks and nuns. After that, Zheng had been paying attention to this matter and found that the monks in those temples had been using the old methods, buying land, selling certificates of ordination, collecting fees for ordination, incense and candles, and even holding water and land ceremonies. The highest bidder won. This kind of thing has been going on since the Northern Wei Dynasty, but people always have no memory and repeat the same thing over and over again. "

Wang Zheng took two steps holding the wine glass, "Let's talk about the taxes that Minister Jiang and Doctor Li are concerned about. In the past, the Khitan nobles and tribesmen of Liao were exempt from taxes, so most of the taxes were borne by the Han and Bohai farmers. Not only do they have to pay millet per acre, but the head tax and miscellaneous taxes are even heavier. Although different military states collect different taxes, they generally account for 50% to 60% of the city defense. Otherwise, why did so many people live in peace after your Majesty announced a tax reduction? Uh... I'm getting off topic."

Shaking his head, Wang Zheng scratched his cheek. "But because of the heavy taxes, many farmers choose to be second-tax households and work for those bald donkeys. I don't know how much the monks collected at the beginning, but now it is only two or three cents less than the rent collected from the rich households. There is almost no difference. They say that monks are compassionate. In my opinion, these are all living devils."

He sneered and poured himself another glass of wine. "I have read the records of Linhuang Prefecture. Now the number of monks and nuns in Shangjing alone is more than half of that in the eighth year of Xianyong. You can imagine how much wealth this temple has accumulated. Although I have not read the records of Zhongjing, the Buddhist atmosphere here is not much less than that of Shangjing. I think it is also a shocking number."

"Monks and nuns do not have to pay taxes, do not have to perform corvée, and are not subject to conscription. It seems that Liao is even weaker than I thought." Lu Bu put down his wine glass, thought for a while, and looked at Jiang Jing and Li Ying. "If we re-enroll monks and nuns into the population and confiscate their land and property, will it be enough for the national treasury? Will taxes increase in the future?"

"This..." Li Ying was a little confused. He subconsciously scratched his beard under his chin and was unable to speak.

Jiang Jing lowered his head, then raised it after a while with a strange look on his face: "If that's the case, as you gentlemen said, according to my estimation, in addition to the relief money, there is still enough money to support the national treasury expenditure next year and fight two more wars."

"Your Majesty..." Li Ying hesitated and said, "Are you planning to destroy Buddhism?"

"All under heaven belongs to the king." Lu Bu stood up slowly, and his tall figure walked out of the table: "The monks and nuns are acting like a country within a country. Then whose land do I conquer with so much effort? What do the soldiers who died in the war count for?"

He clenched his fist and waved it: "It would have been fine if I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I know, let those parasites spit out the land and money."

He turned around and looked at everyone in the room with a fierce look in his eyes: "I want to get the information of temples in all counties by the middle of next month. Qiao Lie, you go and do it."

"Here."

Wang Zheng was drinking and suddenly put down his glass, still in a lazy posture: "Your Majesty, wait a moment...", licking the wine residue on his lips: "I suddenly have an idea."

Lu Bu, who was about to speak, stopped and turned to look at him: "Speak."

"If Your Majesty were to destroy Buddhism, it would definitely cause some disturbance among the people. If it were to be used by someone with ulterior motives, it would probably cause some trouble, which would be very inconvenient at this time."

Everyone present nodded slightly. Monks and nuns are good at talking, and believers are mostly stupid. If they are slightly influenced by words, some people might take risks. It would be fine if they have been operating here for a long time, but Qi State has just occupied Zhongjing Road, and the army cannot be stationed here forever. Once chaos occurs, it will take more effort.

"what do you mean……"

"I am thinking that there are already signs of a locust plague in the north. Why not take this opportunity to blame the disaster on the monks' greed? That way, the monks and nuns won't use this as an excuse to criticize Your Majesty later."

Lu Bu stood in the middle of the study, raised his eyebrows, and turned to look at Qiao Lie. The former Taoist was now full of excitement, and he clenched his right fist and hit the palm of his left hand.

Snapped--

"That's great. I'll have my people spread the word among the people."

"Not urgent."

Li Zhu slightly opened his eyes, and Qiao Lie looked at him: "I will first have people set up in Dading Prefecture, Linhuang Prefecture, and even in several places near Liaoyang Prefecture where there are many temples. Then we can launch them at the same time and spread some bad words and bad opinions. Even if those monks and nuns are good at spreading rumors, they will be in a mess."

Qiao Lie's eyes lit up, and he looked at him seriously before smiling, "In that case... Qiao will have to have a good exchange with Li Guanglu."

Assistant Li twirled his beard and nodded.

"If you two and Wang Zheng work together, there will be fewer mistakes when three of you work together." Lu Bu looked at the two of them with a playful expression, and then glanced at the young man holding the wine jug over there.

Wang Zheng, who was pouring wine, raised his head and said "Ah?" Then he felt something was wrong. He looked down and saw that the warm wine had already flowed out of the cup. He quickly put the wine pot aside, lowered his head and took a sip, then picked up the wine glass with a look of regret: "Zheng came up with the idea, so he should be responsible to the end."

"it is good!"

Lu Bu nodded and looked at Jiang Jing and Li Ying. The two of them felt a pang in their hearts and swallowed their saliva one after another. As expected, they heard their emperor say apologetically: "You two ministers should work harder these days, and we will be able to make up for it when the treasury is full in the future."

The two of them moved their lips slightly, lowered their heads and responded weakly with a "yes".

"That's perfect. Since we are planning these things, the suppression of the army is indispensable. Send a message to the generals outside and ask them to come back quickly."

Lu Bu took two steps and then stopped. "Order Xi Sheng to lead his troops to Bei'an Prefecture to take charge of defense. Lu Zhishen, Di Lei, and Zhao Li will be under his command. Tell them to be more careful of the Liao people in Nanjing Road. If there is no important matter, they don't need to pay attention to the affairs in the north."

Li Zhu and others quickly wrote down the order, and then drank some wine to discuss some matters of the court. By the time Yang Bangyi entered the palace, Qiao Lie, Jiang Jing and Li Ying had already left for their respective official duties.

The remaining king and his ministers discussed the matter until dark, and then they dispersed.

Time flies quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the autumn season has passed in the busy life of everyone.

As soon as Jiang Jing and Li Ying came out of the palace, they began to prepare all the relief supplies. At the same time, they issued corvée labor and asked people to take the prepared vehicles to Shangjing. At the same time, they allocated the supplies from Shangjing to the north and then distributed them in the name of the Protectorate.

Yang Bangyi came out a little later than them, but he was also the busiest person. He first met An Daoquan with Li Zhu to learn about the production of the Cordyceps sinensis herb, and then went to find Zhang Lin without stopping. After all, when it comes to officials with the most experience in the court, he is the one who has the most experience, so he might be able to get some advice from him.

As for Lu Bu, the main leader, he spent his days in the palace and the military camp outside the city as usual. Except for E Quanzhong who stayed in Linhuang Prefecture, most of the soldiers who went to the capital were already here. With his personality, he could not stand sitting in the palace dealing with miscellaneous matters every day. Fortunately, he now knew the priorities, and it was enough for him to be happy for a long time to have some activities in the army after a busy day.

It was not until the middle of early winter that Qiao Lie hurried to the palace with documents recording intelligence and plans.

"Your Majesty, everything is here."

Under the somewhat gloomy sky, lights were lit in the houses. The bright light cast people's shadows on the ground, which then became much fainter in the skylight.

Lu Bu picked up the document he had sent and praised it, "Very good, I never thought it would be so fast. Are you all ready?"

"After all, these are deadly places, and with the help of the lower government offices, it won't be slow no matter what." Qiao Lie grinned, and under the dim light, his expression became unclear: "Li Zhu and Wang Zheng are in charge of Linhuang Prefecture and Liaoyang Prefecture respectively. I have sent people to accompany them to the two prefectures. I wonder if Your Majesty will allow us to start now?" Closing the document in his hand, Lu Bu thought for a while, and threw the document on the table: "Then pass the order and start."

"Here."

……

In mid-winter, I went to the capital.

A cold wind blew from the north, and the leaves on the independent branches became unstable. They were blown down by the air flow and fell to the ground unwillingly.

The lights cast a lonely light.

One by one, young figures in monk robes and with bald heads walked into the Zen room. The sound of talking and chatting then rang out in the room, making a loud buzzing sound. The monk on duty, wearing a mink coat inside and a monk's robe outside, stood in the yard, listening to the noise in the room. He looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky and shook his head.

Life in the temple was boring, and these monks were full of vigor and vitality, so it was normal for them to quarrel at night. Otherwise, they would get sick sooner or later. After waiting for a long time, the noise was still noisy. The monk on duty, whose Dharma name was Zhengjue, took a step and walked to the meditation room closest to him. He suddenly opened the door and said, "What are you all quarreling about?"

The fighting little monks inside suddenly quieted down. Two voices were heard from the other meditation rooms in the courtyard: "It's the monk on duty." "Stop talking! The monk on duty is here!" and then they quieted down.

Zhengjue glanced at the little monk who had quickly gotten into bed and said, "There will be morning classes tomorrow. Since you are so energetic, you will have to add three more incense sticks to the class."

"what?"

"No!"

"We know we were wrong, monk."

A wailing sound echoed in the meditation room. Zhengjue was unmoved. He snorted coldly and stretched out his hand to pull the door: "Hurry up and rest. I will supervise you in the morning class tomorrow."

A sigh was blocked by the wooden door.

Zhengjue then turned around, shook his head first, then looked at the other quiet meditation rooms, then put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly to other monasteries.

The moonlight is not very bright tonight, but the monastery is brightly lit. The stone lamps standing on the monastery road are also lit. When the wind blows, the lights sway and flicker. Several side halls connected to the main hall also emit dim light through the window lattices.

As Zhengjue walked there, he felt that something was wrong with this familiar monastery, as if someone was following him.

clatter--

The monk's shoes with wool lining stopped, and when he turned around, he found that there was nothing behind him, only the cold wind blowing through the stone lamp, shaking the flame.

"Amitabha……"

Zhengjue raised one palm to his chest, chanted a Buddhist name, glanced at the vaguely visible courtyard again, squinted at the dark corner, and found nothing for a long time. Then he turned around, took two steps, and turned back suddenly, but it was still empty.

The monk stood there and thought for a while. Instead of returning to his meditation room, he hurriedly walked along the white marble road and headed towards the main hall.

creak-

The door of the main hall was pushed open by Zhengjue, and the brightly lit scene came into view, causing the person who had just walked out of the darkness to squint slightly.

"Brother." x2
The two monks on duty at night were replacing the candles. They turned around to look at Zhengjue's face and quickly put their palms together in greeting.

"Well, busy yourself."

Zhengjue nodded and walked in. He felt a warm feeling and looked at the copper censer with thick and long incense burning. He first took out three incense sticks and inserted them into the censer. Then he walked to the Buddha statue, clasped his hands together, bowed his head and silently recited scriptures. After a long while, he respectfully bowed to Sakyamuni Buddha.

Turning around, he looked at the two junior brothers who were changing the candles and said, "It's cold tonight, and it will be even colder tomorrow. You two should put on more clothes when you go out."

The two monks hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother."

Zhengjue nodded, opened the door of the hall and walked out. The feeling of voyeurism just now was gone, and he couldn't help but show his joy: "Buddha is merciful, and he really protects my disciple."

He walked towards the Zen room with brisk steps.

Inside the hall, the two monks breathed a sigh of relief after watching him leave. One of them put down the candle in his hand and stroked his chest: "I was so scared. I thought he found out that I was being lazy."

"Take it up. What if he comes back?" Another man kicked him and peeked out, but could only see the wooden doors and windows. He turned around and complained, "Why is this bald donkey not going to sleep? Why is he running here to chant sutras in the middle of the night?"

"Brother...you are scolding us too."

"You talk too much!"

The man called senior brother glared at him fiercely, walked to the door of the hall with a candle in his hand, put his ear to it to listen, stood up and hesitated for a moment, then reached out to open the door, stuck his head out to look around, and the monk behind him also nervously tiptoed to look outside, but could only look at the dark night sky.

A gust of cold wind blew through the crack of the open door and into the hall. The rows of burning candles flickered, illuminating the shadows of the two sneaky monks. After a while, the senior brother closed the door and said, "Amitabha, that bastard is gone. We can get some sleep now."

The one behind nodded repeatedly and quickly spread the blanket hidden in the back corner of the hall on the ground: "I've been too sleepy for a long time."

"Who said it wasn't?" The senior brother came over and said, "I was scared by that bastard and woke up a lot. Now I won't be able to sleep for a long time."

“Who knew he would come…”

Talking softly, the two monks crawled into bed and lay down, tossing and turning for an unknown amount of time before they fell asleep.

On the beam, a dark shadow surged in the darkness, and then a thin man with a black scarf on his face poked his head out, hung upside down on the beam with his feet, looked down for a while, then took out a rope, tied it up, and lowered himself down.

Hiding from the light, he tiptoed up to the two men, looked at them sleeping uneasily, took out a porcelain bottle from his briefcase, opened it, covered their mouths and noses, carefully leaned over, and shook it over the noses of the two monks. Immediately, the two monks relaxed visibly, and soon began to snore.

The masked man took the porcelain bottle, stood up, pulled the black cloth off his face, revealing Shi Qian's face, and smiled smugly: "My craftsmanship hasn't been wasted yet." (End of this chapter)