The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 331 The Fiery Dharma King
After reading his father's letter, Yan Chengping felt reassured and no longer intimidated. He thought, "No matter what kind of bandits or highwaymen they are, as long as I throw money at them, they'll all have to obey me."

"Alright! Let's go into town."

Yan Chengping made up his mind that no matter how many vicious people he saw in the city, he should not be intimidated.

He rallied his spirits and walked to the city gate.

A large banner with the character "宫" (palace) fluttered atop the city wall, where a large group of Northern Song soldiers were stationed.

Upon seeing Yan Chengping's entourage, soldiers ran out of the city and blocked their way from afar.

The servants of the Yan family handed over documents proving their identities, and only then did the soldier realize that the new top scholar had arrived. He was immediately filled with respect and quickly and respectfully welcomed him into the city.

Yan Chengping quickly waved his hand, beckoning the soldier over and having him ride slowly forward with his horse. As they walked, he asked, "Is the Grand Council still stationed in Chuzhou City?"

The soldier said, "Nominally stationed here, the Grand Councilor is rarely in the city. He spends most of his time with his troops, suppressing bandits and highwaymen in the nearby counties, mountains, and rivers."

It turns out that after the Northern Song Dynasty captured Chuzhou, it temporarily stopped its southward advance and instead focused on consolidating its local resources. It captured several counties centered around Chuzhou and also sent troops to suppress bandits.

In recent years, the Central Plains have been in great turmoil, with bandits everywhere. Unless they are all wiped out or recruited into the government, it will be impossible to restore productivity.

Yan Chengping: "Who is in charge of Chuzhou City now?"

Soldier: "Young Master Yue, we also have Lords Qi Chongwen and Ma Sheng assisting us, but three days ago, Lords Qi Chongwen and Ma Sheng also went out to suppress the bandits. Now, only Young Master Yue is in charge of the city."

Yan Chengping certainly knew of Yue Gongzi; he was a household name throughout the Northern Song Dynasty. Everyone knew that the Privy Council listened to Yue Gongzi in everything, and that this man was the de facto emperor of the Northern Song. Yet, strangely enough, he himself did not hold any official position.

Yan Chengping: "Then take me to see Young Master Yue first."

The soldiers opened the city gates and let Yan Chengping and his entourage into the city.

He had expected to see a dilapidated city, but to his surprise, as soon as he entered, his eyes were opened wide. What he saw was a clean and tidy street. The city was very open and flat, and the view could go far into the distance, which meant that there were very few buildings.

But those few buildings were all very new!
It's clear that they were recently built; many houses still smell of fresh mud and paint.

A large group of people dressed like laborers were carrying building materials on their shoulders and in their hands, building houses on the open space. They had smiles on their faces and looked very energetic.

Yan Chengping: "Huh? Didn't they say that nine out of ten local residents had left, and the newcomers were all bandits under Li Cheng's command? How come it seems..."

The soldier whispered, "It's all thanks to Young Master Yue's benevolent governance. After capturing these bandits, he immediately assigned them land or handicrafts. When rebuilding the city, each person received three catties of grain every day. Now these people are all hoping to live a good life again. Who would want to be a thief anymore?"

Yan Chengping was slightly taken aback: Three catties of grain per person per day? Tens of thousands of people, and they're doing this every day? This... what kind of power is this? Even the two hundred thousand strings of cash my father gave me couldn't withstand this kind of squandering, could they?

No, I must see Young Master Yue as soon as possible.

He followed the soldiers through the streets under construction and soon arrived at the prefectural government office in Chuzhou City. The office had not been destroyed in the fire and still looked the same.

They went inside, but didn't see Yue Wenxuan. The soldiers on duty told them that Young Master Yue was in the south of the city.

Yan Chengping hurried to the south of the city. As soon as he arrived at the south corner of the city wall, he saw a large crowd of people gathered in layers, seemingly watching a play. On the platform in front, a handsome young man was arguing with a man dressed like a monk.

That's right, it's a confrontation. The monk, with a proud face, shouted, "I'm innocent! I'm innocent! You can't kill me!"

Hundreds of people below the stage shouted in unison, "The Dharma King is innocent! The Dharma King is innocent! Young Master Yue, the Dharma King is a good man, please don't kill him."

Yue Wenxuan raised his hand, and the noisy crowd below the stage quieted down. Yue Wenxuan smiled and said, "I never said he was guilty. I had the soldiers bring him up on stage just to have a chat with him."

Yan Chengping was a little confused when he saw this, and whispered to the soldier who was leading the way, "What's going on?"

The soldier whispered, "It looks like the Manichaean missionary king has been captured alive by Young Master Yue."

Yan Chengping: "?"

The soldier said, "Recently, a large number of Manichaeans have suddenly appeared in the city, preaching equality between the rich and the poor. Young Master Yue said that there must be Manichaean missionaries in the city, so he ordered the soldiers to investigate secretly. It seems that they have just caught someone."

Yan Chengping then understood. He was no longer in a hurry to go on stage to greet Young Master Yue, so he watched from the crowd.

Yue Wenxuan smiled at the monk and said, "I heard that your name is Fiery Dragon King."

The man dressed as a monk put on a proud face: "That's right, I am one of the four great protectors of the Manichaeism, the Fiery Dragon King."

Yue Wenxuan pouted, thinking to himself: Why not call him the Golden Lion King?

The Fiery Dragon King said, "I am innocent! I was just chatting with the people. If chatting is punishable by death, then your Northern Song Dynasty is no better than King Zhou of Shang."

Many people in the audience joined in the commotion, shouting, "The Dharma King is innocent!"

Yan Chengping sensed the atmosphere around him and felt a little panicked. Many people had been "infected" by Manichaeism.

This place is about to become his jurisdiction. If there are a large number of Manichaeans, then he's doomed. It's definitely not a good thing for him, the governor.

I wonder how Young Master Yue intends to handle this?
Yue Wenxuan was smiling: "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I also think there's nothing wrong with chatting, so I called you up on stage to have a good chat with you."

Fiery Dragon King: "?"

Yue Wenxuan: "I think your religion's tenet of treating everyone equally, regardless of social status or wealth, is excellent."

His opening remarks startled the Fiery Dragon King: You also believe in my Manichaeism?
But Yue Wenxuan immediately changed the subject: "But there are some things I don't understand either, and I would like to ask the Dharma King for guidance."

The Fiery Dragon King perked up, thinking: If monks can fool ordinary people, so can I, the Dharma King. Just ask me anything.

Yue Wenxuan: "I have always felt that it is wrong to divide people into different classes! Equality for all is the right way, which is in line with your religion's concept of classifying people into different classes."

The Fiery Dragon King was overjoyed: "That's right! This is also the doctrine of our sect." As he spoke, he turned to the people below the stage, his face beaming with righteous indignation: "Gentlemen, what our sect desires is to make you equal in status to kings, nobles, and generals!"

Several hundred people in the audience who had already converted to Manichaeism cheered loudly: "Equal to the noble and the lowly!"

(End of this chapter)