A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Starting from the Village Chief

Chapter 753 A Hundred Riders Draw Their Swords Before the Emperor

Taiji Palace
In the Manna Hall,

The setting sun cast its rays into the hall, revealing bookshelves lining the north wall, displaying thousands of volumes.
The retired emperor sat behind the desk in front of the bookshelf.
A silver inkstone, a jade-carved ivory tube, and a silver box for holding paper.
I have so many things on my mind, but I don't know who to tell them to.

"Your Majesty, Venerable Faya of Huadu Temple has come to the palace for an audience!"

"Faya has entered the palace?"

Li Yuan looked up, a hint of surprise in his eyes, then delighted. "Perfect timing! Perfect timing! I haven't seen anyone from outside the palace for many days. Summon them quickly!"

The Fallas have a title of "Great Virtue" bestowed upon them by Emperor Li Yuan.
The title of "Da De" is highly respected, and his authority is considerable.

In the third year of the Wude era, Li Yuan established ten monastic officials at Cibei Temple, naming them the Ten Great Eminent Monks, to oversee the management of the monastic community and other affairs. Among them, Jue Lang, Bao Gong, Ji Zang, Fa Kan, Hui Yin, Haicang, Zhi Zang, and Ming Zhan were all eminent monks from the Southern Chen Dynasty and had close ties with the Da Chan Ding Temple and Da Xing Shan Temple in Chang'an.

Afterwards, Li Yuan established and conferred many honorary titles, such as Great Virtue of the Three Studies, Great Virtue of the Ten Worthies, Great Virtue of Translating Scriptures, Great Virtue of Verifying Meaning, Great Virtue of Presiding Over the Altar, and Great Virtue of Discussing the Three Teachings.

These eminent monks were bestowed with purple robes.

Faya was given the dual titles of "Great Virtue of the Imperial Court" and "Great Virtue of Ten Worths," which signified his close relationship and high regard with the emperor. He was even granted the title of "Great Virtue of the Imperial Court of the Martial Monk of Chang'an."

This virtuous man used to frequent the palace and was very close to Li Yuan.

"Your Majesty!" Faya entered the hall, his bald head gleaming.

"Faya's here! Please have a seat. It's been a long time. How is everything outside?" Li Yuan stepped forward and pulled Faya aside to ask with concern.

"Your Majesty, a major case has just occurred in Chang'an, causing a great uproar and widespread panic throughout the city," Faya said.

Li Yuan was startled. "Tell me quickly, what major case is it?"

The two sat down, and Faya told them about the case of Li Xiaochang.

"Pei Sikong sent his servant to report that Li Xiaochang, Liu Deyu, Changsun Anye, and others were wronged, and Wang Junkuo, Du Caigan, and others were even more wronged."

They did not rebel.

Li Yuan sighed deeply.

"I also know Prince Yi'an, Li Xiaochang, from the past. When I was in the residence of Emperor Wen of Sui, his father, Li Yuantong, took good care of me. At that time, Li Yichang was younger than me and often followed me. He was always timid and had low self-esteem since childhood."
He donated Yongfeng Granary to help me seize the world, and I treated him well, bestowing upon him the title of Prince.

Xiao Chang had absolutely no ambition to usurp the throne and become emperor, nor did he have the courage or ability to do so.

Faya lowered her voice and said, "Pei Sikong said that originally, it was just that the sons of Li Xiaochang, Liu Deyu, Changsun Anye and others were drunk in a brothel in Pingkangfang and were dissatisfied with the new policies. They wanted to take advantage of the palace to break into Taiji Palace and welcome the Emperor back to the throne."

Li Yuan's eyes widened.

"A group of dissolute young masters acted recklessly, and their plot was exposed. The emperor was furious and ordered a large-scale arrest, claiming that Li Xiaochang was plotting to usurp the throne, and that Liu Deyu's eldest grandson Anye, and even Wang Junkuo, Du Caigan, Liu Hongji's eldest grandson Shunde, and Li Yuan, had also joined the rebellion."
The emperor dared not implicate the retired emperor in this matter…

"Hey!"

Li Yuan let out another long sigh.

During this time, the palace was under strict security, and Li Yuan had lost all contact with the outside world. It turned out that such a major event had occurred.

There are even people who want him to restore the monarchy.

I felt a mix of relief and fear.

How would Shimin treat him after exiling and removing so many nobles from their posts?

A deathly silence fell over the hall.

After a long time,

Li Yuan got up and summoned the eunuch.

"Drink today, for tomorrow we may die; Falla, drink!"

He ordered his eunuchs to prepare wine and meat, and summoned courtesans, dancers, and musicians to perform.

Drinking wine in large gulps and eating meat in large chunks.
Li Yuan embraced two beauties, teasing them and laughing incessantly.

Falla also featured a blonde, blue-eyed woman from the Kingdom of Fulin on one side and a Persian woman with a high nose and deep-set eyes on the other.
Be wild and wild.

When it was time to lock the palace gates,

Li Yuan, slightly drunk, said, "Faya will stay in the palace tonight, sleep next to me, and chat with me!"

Faya smiled and agreed.

Then the music started and the dancing continued.
"His Majesty!"

A sound interrupted the singing and dancing.

General Zhang Anan, dressed in a purple robe, walked in.

When Li Yuan saw the eunuch with a sword at his waist, his expression darkened.

"Why have you interrupted my pleasant mood?"

Zhang Anan bowed respectfully, then looked at Faya and said, "Your Majesty, the palace gates are about to be locked. Faya should leave the palace."

"I want Faya to stay and sleep at my feet; he will not leave today."

Zhang Anan replied, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I have a duty to perform and must take Faya away immediately."

"you!"

Li Yuan was furious.

"Although I have abdicated and become the Retired Emperor, do I not even have this much power in this Taiji Palace?"

"Go back to the emperor,

Falla is facing multiple charges and is now a suspect. I was derelict in my duty to let him into the palace, putting the Emperor in danger. I deserve to die.

He must now be taken out of the palace and handed over to the Court of Judicial Review for interrogation.

Li Yuan hadn't expected this reply.

"Faya is a highly respected figure whom I have bestowed upon me. What crime has he committed?"

“Faya is involved in multiple sins,”

"What crimes?" Li Yuan asked angrily.

"Reporting to the Emperor, the Court of Judicial Review has accused Faya of having an affair with a palace maid, committing adultery in the inner palace, and stealing imperial items from the palace. A golden pillow, a tribute from the Western Regions, was found in his bedroom."
He also colluded with powerful figures, forged Buddhist scriptures, and violated precepts.
He also raped women, illegally amassed wealth, and committed murder…

Li Yuan opened his mouth wide, but couldn't utter a sound.

This is a case of Shimin making an example of someone to warn others, and he became the monkey in this story.

If Faya really had so many crimes, why not arrest him sooner or later, instead of waiting until he entered the palace to arrest him in front of him?
Isn't this just making an example of someone to scare others?
Tell Faya to tell him about Li Xiaochang and his group's plot to rebel, and then arrest Faya in front of him.

Li Yuan pointed at Zhang Anan.
It kept trembling.

Angry, yet fearful.

Zhang Anan bowed to the emperor again.

Then he waved his hand, "Take this evil monk away!"

One hundred riders, dressed in tiger-striped shirts, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, save me! They've framed me!"

Li Yuan opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only watch as several burly and robust riders advanced. Faya was unwilling...

struggle,

He possessed immense strength, and the four hundred riders were unable to get close to him for a time.

Zhang Anan snorted coldly.
"Faya, if you dare to resist, execute me on the spot!"

"You're framing me!" Faya roared.

Zhang Anan drew his sword with a clang.

"Take it!"

Six more riders came up.

As Li Yuan watched the swords being drawn, he felt his hands and feet turn cold and his whole body feel weak.

This made him feel as if he had returned to more than a hundred days ago, the day when Hou Junji stormed into the palace and killed several people in front of him, their blood splattering on his face.

He was taken hostage to a dragon boat in the sea.

Later, Yuchi Gong came again with a bloodstained spear, requesting an imperial edict to grant the King of Qin control over all military affairs, both inside and outside the capital.

"Your Majesty,"

"Your Majesty,"

Faya kept calling out, but Li Yuan remained motionless, frozen in place.

Zhang Anan led ten riders to surround Faya.
He stood before Li Yuan, sword in hand.

Li Yuan stared at the gleaming sword, startled, and suddenly took several steps back. Half-drunk, his steps were unsteady, and he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Zhang Anan reached out to help the emperor, but the emperor scrambled backward, his face filled with terror.

"Your Majesty, do not panic. The evil monk Faya cannot harm Your Majesty."

Ten riders attacked together.
These were all elite soldiers, handpicked from the best. Although Faya was skilled in archery and horsemanship and possessed great strength, he was half-drunk and unarmed; how could he possibly defeat this group of a hundred riders?

He was quickly knocked to the ground and subjected to a beating.

His arms were locked behind his back and bound with a leather rope, and a wad of cloth was stuffed in his mouth to prevent him from shouting.

"We would rather die than frighten Your Majesty!"

Li Yuan finally stood up.

His face showed lingering shock.

To dare to draw one's sword in front of the emperor is a capital offense.

But now,
Why would these people care about him, the abdicated emperor?

Li Yuan waved his hand.

He said helplessly, "Go!"

"I resign!"

Zhang Anan bowed and waved for the hundred riders to drag Faya away.

When they left,
The hall was deathly silent.

The courtesans, dancers, and musicians all fell silent, trembling with fear.

They all kept their heads down, not daring to breathe.

Li Yuan sat there alone in silence for a long time.
Reaching out to pick up the wine glass

The wine bottle was empty.

He smashed the wine glass on the ground.

Amidst the clanging and banging sounds,

Li Yuan roared, "Get out! All of you get out! Get out!"

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a pardon and fled in panic.

Inside the hall,

He was the only one left.

The dusk is falling,

The hall was dark and without light.

Li Yuan sat there in the dim light, his eyes wide open, lost in thought.

···
East of the south gate of Yiningfang in Chang'an City

Suddenly, a large number of soldiers appeared outside the Huadu Temple, which was a popular place of worship, and surrounded the temple.

General of the Right Guard and Duke of Qiao looked at the temple and sighed, "This temple was originally built by Gao Jiong, the prime minister of the Sui Dynasty, who donated his residence. It was originally named Zhenji Temple. In the second year of Wude, it was renamed Huadu Temple and was presided over by Faya."

The Duke of Lu, the Left Guard General, gazed upon the temple.

He had long heard of its great reputation, "I've heard that this temple has an inexhaustible treasure, and its wealth is comparable to that of a country?"

"It's unclear whether Huadu Temple's Wujinzang is as rich as a country, but it's certainly very wealthy. The temple has a large-scale lending and pawnshop business, and many officials who are short of money come to them for loans."

Huadu Temple has an inexhaustible treasury.
Monks are not allowed to enter households, and temple property is exempt from taxes.
Through donations, incense money, lending, rent collection, and the management of temple property, they accumulated a large amount of wealth and owned many tenants and even slaves.

"I heard that all the senior monks in this temple have wives and concubines, have children, and eat meat and drink alcohol every day. They live a carefree and happy life!"

Zhou Xiaofan chuckled, "That's not all. This temple also has two hundred monk soldiers, equipped with the full set of imperial guard gear, and eight hundred warhorses."

"These monks are fat and bloated, but they neither chant scriptures nor manage affairs. They leave the business of collecting rent and lending money to laymen."

Those so-called lay Buddhists who practice at home are actually tenants and servants who are driven by the temples to escape national taxes and corvée labor.

Huadu Temple has several thousand households of lay Buddhists.

“Some of my officers have borrowed money here in the past to buy houses, horses, and other things,” Hou Junji said. “They call the principal ‘merit money,’ the interest ‘the growth of blessings,’ and they even hold a blessing ceremony when signing the contract.”
However, the interest rate is not low at all, with a minimum monthly interest rate of four percent, but the loan period is very short, and the money becomes permanent upon maturity.

"Chang Sheng Qian" is actually a synonym for compound interest. The principal generates interest, which is passed on from one interest to another and interest keeps growing. In order to circumvent the rule that interest cannot exceed the principal, they either re-sign the contract after the due date, or forge a new loan.

The second method involves disguising excess interest as donations and then re-lending it under the guise of "merit money."

One-third of Huadu Temple's income comes from usury.

“One of my brigade commanders bought a house in Chang’an and borrowed 100 guan from them at a monthly interest rate of 4%. However, he had to repay the loan after only six months. The actual loan term was three years, but the principal and interest would be compounded every six months, rolling over to six periods. The actual interest was shockingly high.”

"If the debt cannot be repaid on time, they will send monks to the door to chant sutras and urge the debtor to pay. They will threaten the debtor with being sent to hell and to be a slave in the next life."

Some who couldn't repay their debts not only had their possessions and livestock confiscated, but they themselves, along with their wives and children, were reduced to slavery in the monastery.

Hou Junji spat at the mountain gate and said, "What kind of virtuous monks, what kind of famous Buddhist temples? Not a single person is allowed to escape. All the money in the temple will be confiscated."

Anyone who dares to resist will be killed without mercy!

(End of this chapter)