White-robed Minister

Chapter 195 0193 [A High-Ranking Monk Arrives]

Xu Lai looked at the Qiang man before him: "Mu Zheng sent you as an envoy to the Song Dynasty? Are you going to Kaifeng?"

Jie Wuyanzheng said, "I'm going to Qin Prefecture!"

"I'll send someone to take you there," Xu Lai said with a smile.

More than two months have passed since the Song army captured Weiyuan. Instead of Mu Zheng leading his troops to counterattack, they have only encountered Mu Zheng's younger brother, Jie Wuyanzheng.

What is Wu Yanzheng doing here?

This guy was going to Qin Prefecture to confront Cai Kang. Mu Zheng even wrote a letter of protest, asking Cai Kang to pass it on to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty.

The content of the protest was naturally that the Qiang tribes of Longyou were on friendly terms with the Song Dynasty, and that Xu Lai had unjustifiably recruited Yu Longke to surrender and occupied the Weiyuan area.

After getting rid of the guy, Hou Ke guessed, "This must be Mu Zheng's delaying tactic. He may have already led his troops out."

Wang Shao said, "I think that if there's a problem on Mu Zheng's side, he might not be able to send troops out quickly."

"What you two say is possible," Xu said. "Let's wait for the grain. The wheat is ripe, and we'll send troops after the harvest."

When the Qiang envoy Jie Wuyan arrived in Qinzhou, a troop from Kaifeng also arrived.

Several monks.

The leader was called Zhiyuan. He used to be a monk in Suizhou and later lived in the Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng.

How miraculous is Zhiyuan?

He could predict his son's fortune by taking his father's pulse. And he was quite accurate, so the gentry of Kaifeng flocked to visit him.

Wang Gui suspected that Zhiyuan was faking it, but Wang Anshi said, "The physician He of the pre-Qin period, when diagnosing Duke Ping of Jin, was able to tell that a good minister was about to die. The fate of a good minister can be seen in the pulse of his ruler. Now, to know the son by diagnosing the father, what's so strange about that?"

Some time ago, when Xu came to report the victory, he not only demanded grain and immigrants, but also hoped that the court would send several eloquent and persuasive monks over.

Therefore, Wang Anshi recommended Zhiyuan.

Whether he was a high-ranking monk or not is unclear, but Zhiyuan was certainly eloquent and persuasive, leaving the scholars and officials of the capital completely bewildered.

Before the monk Zhiyuan left the capital, Emperor Zhaoxu summoned him specifically.

The emperor was completely bewildered by the man's words and became quite convinced that Zhiyuan was a high-ranking monk. Therefore, the emperor rewarded him with silver and sent him to the Qiang tribe to spread his teachings.

The scholars and officials who were on good terms with Zhiyuan all called him a "master of strategy".

Wen Zhonghe and Guo Shen met Zhiyuan on the way and heard that he wanted to go to Tongyuan Army, so they introduced themselves and went with him.

Along the way, the two were completely convinced by the deception.

After negotiating with Cai Kang, Wu Yanzheng returned home with Zhiyuan.

Upon learning that the other party was a high-ranking monk from the Song Dynasty, Jiewu Yanzheng took the initiative to ask Zhiyuan while resting at Yongning Village, "Have you ever heard of Master Jiewu Chila?"

Zhiyuan replied, "I have never heard of it."

Jiewu Yanzheng said, "Master Jiewu Chila was the most capable monk in our Qiang tribe. He could recite the Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra at the age of ten without a single mistake. At the age of fifteen, he sat alone in a snow cave for three days and three nights without drinking or eating. When he came out of the cave, snow was falling everywhere, but the stone he had been sitting on was completely untouched by the snow."

Zhiyuan smiled but remained silent.

Jie Wuyanzheng then said, "During a plague one year, the master set up an altar and chanted scriptures for seven days. Afterwards, regardless of age or gender, seven or eight out of ten people who drank water blessed by him recovered. I witnessed this with my own eyes. Do the monks of your Song Kingdom have such abilities?"

Zhiyuan said, "I can't ward off snow, but I do know a bit about healing. I can also take your pulse and predict the fortunes of your offspring."

Jie Wuyanzheng said, "I just got married and don't have any children yet."

"Not now, and not in the future?" Zhiyuan said. "I can predict the fortune or misfortune of your unborn child just by taking your pulse."

Jie Wuyan sneered: "Playing tricks!"

Zhiyuan said, "If you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't."

Jie Wuyanzheng asked, "Then take my pulse and see when I will have children."

Zhiyuan carefully took the other person's pulse and uttered a single, enigmatic word: "Floating."

"What?"

"Your pulse is unstable. There's something that hasn't settled down."

"What does this have to do with offspring?"

"Some people's pulse is steady, like the deep roots of an old tree. Others' pulse is restless, like an ant on a hot pan. Your pulse is floating, as if something is weighing on your mind and you can't settle down."

"I'm asking about your offspring!"

"You can have children at any time, but the fortune or misfortune of your children depends on whether your mind is at peace."

"Tell me about it."

'

""

This Master Zhiyuan kept going in circles, and finally tricked Wu Yanzheng into revealing many details about his family.

Then, by examining details of his family life and using ambiguous language, they could deduce more information.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and Jie Wuyan was utterly shocked: How did this monk know everything? He's never been to my house!

On the way to Guwei Village the next day, Jie Wuyanzheng treated Zhiyuan with great respect, constantly referring to him as "Master".

When they parted, Jie Wuyanzheng specifically bid farewell to Zhiyuan, saying that he hoped Zhiyuan could go to Longyou, where he would bring his family to listen to the Buddha's teachings.

"This monk is quite skilled," Xu Lai commented with a smile.

Wang Shao was quite dissatisfied: "The money, grain, and immigrants are nowhere to be found, but they've sent a monk first!"

Historically, Wang Shao deeply disliked Zhiyuan and submitted a memorial impeaching him for disrupting border affairs. The emperor had no choice but to recall Zhiyuan and give him a religious official position.

Xu Lai said, "If this monk is used well, he is better than five thousand elite soldiers."

"Greetings, Pacification Commissioner Xu!"

Wen Zhonghe and Guo Shen came to pay their respects.

Xu Lai said happily, "I have long hoped that you two brothers would live long and prosper. Yang Jiezhi is serving as the magistrate of Chengji County. When you passed through Qinzhou, did you meet with him?"

Wen Zhonghe said, "I have already paid my respects."

Xu Lai introduced Yu Shanyuan to them, and told the two to settle down first and learn about border affairs from Yu Shanyuan. Then, he went to receive the high monk.

Wen Zhonghe and Guo Shen temporarily checked into the guesthouse, and after putting down their luggage, they began to reminisce.

Guo Shen said, "The first time I met Brother Xingzhi was at the entrance of the Qingyuan County government office. At that time, we were lining up to enter the examination hall for the county examination. He was wearing a brown robe, not even the traditional scholar's robe."

Wen Zhonghe laughed and said, "I saw him for the first time, and he looked pretty much the same."

Guo Shen sighed, "Alas, several years have passed in the blink of an eye. Brother Xingzhi is now the Pacification Commissioner of the Border Region. Neither of us even passed the imperial examination."

Wen Zhonghe said, "Some people are born with extraordinary talents, which are beyond the reach of ordinary people like us."

"I hope we can achieve something too," Guo Shen thought with anticipation.

Inside the appeasement hall.

Xu Lai spoke privately with Zhiyuan: "Master, you must be tired from your journey."

Zhiyuan said, "By order of His Majesty and entrusted by Minister Wang, a little travel is nothing. Minister Xu is young and promising, and his appearance is—"

"Stop!"

Xu Lai interrupted directly: "We're both smart people, so let's not waste any more words. If you don't want to be impeached and sent back to the capital, you'd better behave yourself here."

After a few moments of silence, Zhiyuan spoke again, "Please speak, Master Xu."

Xu Lai said, "First, you must not deceive or cheat Han officials. Even if they come to you, you cannot say anything false; just gloss over it."

Zhiyuan nodded.

Xu Lai continued, "Secondly, you will be going to preach among the Qiang people. The Qiang people practice Bon and Buddhism, and these two religions are intertwined. You must familiarize yourself with their beliefs as soon as possible."

"Understood," Zhiyuan said.

"Third, after you are familiar with the beliefs of the Qiang people, you should spread the idea that the Han and Qiang people share the same origin, and that the emperor of the Song Dynasty was also the emperor of the Qiang people."

You need to integrate these beliefs with the Qiang people's faith, so that they can deeply believe in them.

"I'll give it a try."

Fourth, exercise restraint when making money.

"Well----"

Xu Lai said, "If you abide by the above four rules, I guarantee I will help you become a highly virtuous monk. In the future, you can choose to return to the capital and become the abbot of a great temple, or you can choose to stay in the Hehuang region and become a revered master by countless Qiang people. But if you disobey my orders, be careful, or you may die at the hands of the Qiang one day!"

Zhiyuan had been in Kaifeng for six or seven years and had never seen anyone threaten someone's life so directly, like Xu Lai.

He carefully observed Xu Lai's eyes and expression, and quickly realized that the other party was not just talking casually, but might really kill him.

Zhiyuan said, "My medical skills are quite good. Prepare some medicinal herbs for me. When I go to the Qiang people, I will also study their medical skills and herbs. With my medical skills, Buddhist teachings, and divination, it shouldn't be difficult to win over those Qiang people. As for that so-called Master Jiewu Chila, I can surpass his reputation."

Xu Lai laughed, "Do you know who Jie Wu Chi La is? He is a monk, that's true. But he's a monk with territory and an army! Don't mess with him for now; you can't out-argue him, but he can kill you!"

Zhiyuan was taken aback.

Monks can have territory and an army? That's pretty good!

Zhiyuan quickly became excited again. If he did well among the Qiang people, could he also have territory and an army?

Once this thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

Xu Lai said, "Oh, right, there's one more thing. Our army has hot air balloons and cannons; you could say these are invincible magical weapons. Anyone who dares to oppose the Great Song Heavenly Army will surely be punished by the gods and Buddhas!"

Zhiyuan readily agreed.

Xu Lai discussed Buddhist teachings with this future eminent monk for a full half hour, and then personally escorted him out of the Tongyuan Military Office.

The civil and military officials and clerks of Guwei Village, upon hearing that Zhiyuan was a high-ranking monk from Tokyo, all rushed to find an opportunity to pay their respects—except for Wang Shao and Hou Ke.

Zhiyuan always maintained the demeanor of a high-ranking monk, never refusing visitors and resolutely refusing to accept money.

This approach makes it even more convincing.

He also told officials, soldiers and civilians: "Xu Anfu is a man of great fortune. He will succeed in everything he does in this life. It is only a matter of time before he destroys the Tubo and Qiang people."

A few days later, Zhiyuan, as an envoy of the Song Dynasty, went to Tabai City to negotiate with Muzheng.

Xu Lai rode to Qinzhou City to personally discuss the matter of provisions with Cai Kang.

Along the way, the winter wheat had begun to ripen.

Some wheat fields can be harvested now, while others will take another two weeks. Other lands were only recently cleared and planted with millet and sorghum.

Since the imperial court was unwilling to organize immigration, Xu Lai settled for second best and requested to accept exiled prisoners under the age of 45.

The imperial court agreed to this. From now on, exiled criminals from Shaanxi, Sichuan, western Beijing, and the two capitals will be given priority for exile to Qin-Feng Circuit.

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