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

Chapter 790 Spreading Heretical Words Offends the Emperor

The three main leaders of Shaolin Temple are Venerable Shanhu, Abbot Zhicao, and Chant Master Huiyang.

Huiyang, also known as Duweina, was like Huishi of Baima Temple, managing the monks and miscellaneous affairs.

A few years ago, the thirteen monks infiltrated Huanzhou City, but it wasn't as miraculous as the folk legends made it out to be.

The leader of the team at that time was the temple master Shisao.

Shan Hu is the senior monk, but he is quite old and devoted to spiritual practice.

Abbot Zhicao, as one of the three principal leaders, was the actual manager of the temple's affairs. Being young and vigorous, he resolutely resisted after the temple was burned down and its lands seized. Huiyang, as the chief chant leader, who usually assisted Zhicao in managing the monks' affairs, also firmly supported him.

So they, along with thirteen others including the martial monk instructor Tanzong, sneaked into the city, persuaded Sima Zhao Xiaozai to rebel, captured Wang Renzhe alive under cover of night, and handed the city over to the Tang army.

That operation back then,

There wasn't much fighting or swordplay.
That was a mutiny.

Sima Zhao Xiaozai was originally a local powerful figure in Baiwu Valley. Wang Renze established Huanzhou City in Baiwu Valley, built the city and stationed troops there. He appointed the local powerful figure Zhao Xiaozai as the prefectural Sima, also intending to rely on his power to defend the city against the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang army launched a fierce offensive, and the Zheng army suffered repeated defeats.

Even if Zhicao and the others didn't try to persuade him, he was already planning to defect to the Tang Dynasty.

The villagers heard that Duweina Huiyang had arrived.

Everyone became uneasy.

There was even a cowardly and timid middle-aged man who nervously told the head of the Imperial Guard guarding the courtyard gate that he wanted to return the land that had been allocated to him.

The head of the Imperial Guard, Cui Liu, cursed the guy angrily.

“Li Situ has taken charge of things for you, kindly allocating land to you and even providing you with meat to eat.”

You just put down the bowl, and when you heard that those bald monks from the temple were coming, you were so scared that you wanted to return the land? Those bald monks have been riding on your necks all these years, defecating and pissing on you, acting like tyrants.

Even when you get married, he'll try your luck with the first night. When your daughter comes of age, he'll want her as her first wife.

Damn it,
You used to say that no one would stand up for you,

Now someone will stand up for you.

Are you still such a coward?
Are you even a man?

Although the man was being verbally abused, he still stood there and refused to leave, showing an ugly smile, saying that he would return the land to the temple.

"Even if you leave, they will still take this land back. It has been theirs for over a hundred years..."

Cui Liu kicked him over in anger, "Get lost, you ungrateful coward."

Li Yi heard the sound from there.

We also saw that it wasn't just that middle-aged man who backed down; many villagers were also hesitant, fearful, and uneasy, and they were also having second thoughts.

The best outcome would naturally be to distribute land and resources.

But the temple had a century of accumulated power, and they were terrified from the bottom of their hearts.

Li Yi didn't scold them.
It's useless to be disappointed in someone who doesn't live up to their potential.

"Since Huiyang is here, let him come over. Let him see the many crimes they have committed over the years in front of these villagers."

A simple thatched farmhouse.
It became Li Yi's temporary imperial envoy headquarters.

The Imperial Guards, clad in armor and wielding spears, formed a protective ring.

The ceremonial guards of the prime minister and the imperial envoy were lined up.

Huiyang arrived under the protection of a group of martial monks.

He was dressed in a purple brocade cassock and held a tin staff.

"This humble monk, Huiyang, Chief Chancellor of the Shaolin Temple of the Imperial Household of Mount Song, pays respects to Minister Li!"

Li Yi looked at the monk with an arrogant attitude, showing no respect for himself, one of the three highest officials of the court.

"We were unaware of your presence at Baiwu Valley, Your Excellency. Our temple has failed to welcome you properly and has been unworthy of your hospitality."

Li Yi remained seated on the stool.

They didn't even invite him to sit down.

He was busy brewing tea by himself.

He poured himself a drink.

After finishing the tea in the cup,
Li Yi put down his teacup and looked at the arrogant monk.

"You are Huiyang, the head of the Shaolin Temple's Duwei?"

“This humble monk is indeed him.”

"As the head of the temple's administration, you are in charge of the miscellaneous affairs of the monks. So the estate management of Baiwu Valley should be under your jurisdiction, shouldn't it?" Li Yi's voice gradually became serious.

"The land management office of Baiwu Valley is under the jurisdiction of this humble monk."

"Okay, it's good that you admit it."

The monks of Baiwu Valley Farmhouse have committed numerous crimes; this is the evidence they have confessed to. Take a look for yourself.

Li Cunyi handed a stack of confessions to Hui Yang.

Hui Yang did not step forward to receive it.

Li Cunyi didn't take another step forward, so the two of them stood there, half a step apart.

"Humph,"

Qiang Jiang didn't tolerate him and threw the stack of confessions in his face, saying, "Bald donkey, take a good look at yourself!"

Hui Yang was taken aback by the officer's rudeness, and his expression changed slightly.

His confession was scattered all over the ground, but he didn't pick it up.

"Amitabha!"

Hui Yang murmured something, then looked directly at Li Yi. "Minister Li, may I ask where the monk Tan Man, the steward of the Baiwu Valley estate, and the monk Tan Feng are?"

Li Cunyi cursed, "Those bald monks committed heinous crimes and have been captured on the spot by the Minister of Works. Tan Man was beheaded in public, and the other four were sentenced to one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled to Lingnan!"

“Minister Li, if any monks of our temple commit a crime, we shall handle it ourselves. The monastic and lay communities shall not interfere with each other.”

When Li Yi heard him say such a thing,
I couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.

"Huiyang, you're leaving it to your temple to handle? Hahaha, that's the funniest joke I've heard all year."

What do you think Shaolin is? A lawless place, or a country within a country?
Now, Benxiang not only intends to deal with monks Tanman and Tanfeng, but also to investigate the entire Shaolin Temple.

Do you think that as a Duvina, you can stay out of things?

Last year, the imperial authorities reported many illegal activities by Shaolin Temple. The retired emperor then issued an edict to demolish Shaolin Temple and expel the monks. Later, some people in the court were deceived by you and tried to protect you.

this time,

I was ordered to inspect the provinces, and when I passed through Baiwu Valley, I witnessed firsthand how you committed your evil deeds.

Where is even a trace of the virtue of a monk or nun among you?

“He still doesn’t know he’s wrong, and he shows no remorse whatsoever. Guards, seize him.”

Li Cunyi did it himself.
Hui Yang panicked upon seeing this, "Minister Li, our Shaolin Temple once saved the Prince of Qin and received an imperial decree from him..."

Li Yi stood up and went to Hui Yang.

"I heard that in the Guanyin Hall in the northeast corner of your Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, there is a mural of thirteen monks saving the King of Qin."
The painting depicts the story of how, when the King of Qin suffered a setback in his campaign against Luoyang and was captured by the Zheng army, the thirteen Shaolin monks, with their superb martial arts skills and unwavering loyalty, stormed into the enemy camp to rescue him. Later, the thirteen monks infiltrated the Tang army's long-suppressed city of Huanzhou.

They penetrated deep into the governor's mansion, captured Wang Shichong's nephew Wang Renzhe alive, and persuaded Sima Yi to join them in opening the city gates to welcome the Tang army.

Hui Yang was taken aback.

There is indeed such a mural in the temple.
It's still very big.
They hired a famous artist, and it took a long time to complete.

The above content is exactly what Li Yi said.

Thirteen monks with sticks rescued the King of Qin, captured Wang Renzhe, and seized Huanzhou City.

Huiyang was also one of the Thirteen Monks of the Martial Arts School.

The content of the murals was naturally authorized by the temple; the painters would not dare to paint randomly.

Shaolin in recent years,
They have been promoting the story of the thirteen monks who saved the King of Qin in order to elevate their status.

The effect was indeed quite good.
Anyway, the local people all believed it.

They also commissioned craftsmen to carve the original "Letter to the Abbot of Shaolin Temple in Baiguwu" issued by Li Shimin into a huge stone tablet, which was then erected inside the temple's main gate.

Even the forty acres of land and a millstone that Li Shimin bestowed upon them were engraved on a stele and displayed.

All of this is covering up the real truth of what happened back then.

"Hui Yang, I was the deputy commander in the campaign against Luoyang. I led the troops to defeat and recover the southeast of Luoyang."

This includes Dengfeng and Baiguwu, where your temple is located.

It is a fact that you captured Wang Renzhe, persuaded the Sima of Huanzhou to defect, and surrendered the city to usurp our rights. Although at that time our army had already captured Xuanyuan Pass and cut off Huanzhou's connection with Luoyang, Huanzhou became an isolated city, lacking food and soldiers, and was in danger of falling at any time.

But you have indeed done well.

But when have you ever saved the King of Qin? When has the King of Qin ever been captured alive by the Zheng army?
You thirteen monks,
I hadn't even been to Luoyang at that time.
They've never left Baiwu Valley!

"Back then, you only harbored resentment because Wang Shichong seized your land and grain, and burned down your temples."

But you didn't resist then; instead, you chose to submit to Wang Shichong.

Until later,

Our Great Tang army swept through Henan, and you saw an opportunity to instigate the rebellion of the Prefect of Huanzhou and capture Wang Renzhe to surrender to the Tang.

The rewards you received were also extremely generous. All the previous temple lands were returned, and you were also granted forty acres of permanent property and thirty acres of land for oral distribution.

You guys are incredibly audacious!

"How dare they fabricate rumors and spread false tales about saving the King of Qin!"

"The warrior monk Tanzong was granted the title of Grand General with the rank of Nine-Rank Merit by His Majesty, but you deliberately misled the public, telling believers and the people that he was appointed a Grand General of the Third Rank by the imperial court."

A martial monk, just for helping to capture a small fortress, can be promoted to a third-rank general?

In Li Yi's view,
When Shaolin infiltrated Huanzhou to capture Wang Renzhe and surrender to Tang, and when Liu Wuzhou attacked Tang, the monks Daocheng and others from Longquan Temple in Jiezhou secretly colluded with Wuzhou, using Buddhist banners to lower the enemy into the city, and together they seized Jiezhou, the capital of the Tang Dynasty. These were all the same actions.

Dao Cheng was besieged by enemy troops in Jiezhou City, which was short of food. The governor asked the wealthy Longquan Temple to borrow grain, but they refused. In the end, they forcibly requisitioned the grain, so Dao Cheng harbored resentment, colluded with the enemy, and captured Jiezhou City.

Shaolin Temple was also a place where Wang Shichong's Zheng Kingdom seized his land, money, and burned his temples, harboring resentment. When the Tang army came to attack and the Zheng Kingdom was about to be destroyed, he quickly took advantage of the situation.

The only difference,

Daocheng's speculation failed, Liu Wuzhou was defeated and killed not long after, and they and Longquan Temple were also purged as a result.

Meanwhile, Shaolin monks Zhicao and Huiyang succeeded in their opportunistic schemes.

So all the land that had been taken away was returned, and they were even given extra. With the support of the court, they quickly rebuilt the temple and rapidly increased their influence by fabricating the story of the thirteen monks who saved the King of Qin.

The temple's lending, pawnbroking, pharmacy, and monk-employment businesses are also booming.

"You are spreading heresies and offending the Emperor, which is tantamount to treason and utter disrespect!"

After Li Yi said those words heavily,

Hui Yang was already pale and sweating profusely.

Li Yi waved his hand, "Take him down and interrogate him carefully to find out exactly how he fabricated these seditious rumors and offended the emperor."

"Furthermore, the temple's involvement in usury and the private keeping of three thousand soldiers should also be thoroughly investigated!"

"Minister Li, Minister Li!" Hui Yang panicked. They'd been lying for so long that they'd started to believe it themselves. They genuinely believed they'd saved the King of Qin and that they'd successfully defied the imperial decree last year.
They felt that with ten highly virtuous monks among them, their status was so revered that no one dared to touch them.

Accustomed to being lawless,

They really do think they're superior.

(End of this chapter)