The jailer heard the sound of the door opening and knew that someone was coming to visit the prison. He immediately felt impatient. But when he turned around and looked at the person, a look of surprise appeared on his face.
"I've seen Wu Lang. Wu Lang hasn't been here for a long time. I wonder which government office he has been in recently?"
Although Du Wulang has a high status now, he does not put on airs when facing these old acquaintances. He smiles and says: "I have been doing some elegant errands recently, such as playing music, chess, calligraphy and painting."
"Ya, Gaoya. So why are you here today because of the monks? Is this also related to Wulang's errand?"
"I'll take a look on behalf of His Highness." Du Wulang muttered casually: "He doesn't have many friends. If he encounters something he wants to confirm with his own eyes, I will help him take a look."
He said these words easily, just like the young rangers in Chang'an City who said they were going to fight on behalf of their friends. On the contrary, others could feel the power contained in them.
However, Du Wulang didn't have any self-awareness about being in power, and he still hooked up with the jailer and whispered: "I want to talk to the young monk about the case of Da Ci'en Temple, can you?"
"Now that Yang Jingyin has a lot of rules, Wu Lang must follow the rules and don't take anyone away."
"I know." Du Wulang asked again: "By the way, what's Jing Yin's attitude?"
Jingzhao Yin Yang Wan has already reported that the monks of Daci'en Temple did not commit rebellion, but that a young monk acted impulsively out of anger.
Xue Bai believed in Yang Wan's judgment and was ready to let him go and asked Du Wulang to confirm again. Du Wulang then casually asked Yang Wan what he really thought about the case.
"Don't be angry, Wulang. For such a big matter, there are many people scolding His Highness behind his back, not just this little monk? It's just the words of a child."
These four words "Tongyan Wuji" are obviously Yang Wan's true attitude.
Du Wulang walked inside and found that the Jingzhao Mansion Prison was now full of monks. The torches shone on their bare heads and lit up, which became a spectacle.
He walked to the innermost cell and saw that there was only one young monk inside. He knew that the one who received such treatment must be the main culprit of this rebellion, Dharma name Jingyan.
The little monk Jingyan was sitting cross-legged in meditation, as if the worldly disputes had nothing to do with him, and in his heart there was only the Dharma.
"Are you Jingyan?" Du Wulang asked nonsense.
Jingyan didn't answer, he closed his eyes and muttered something from the scriptures.
Du Wulang waited for a while and asked the jailer to go away. The footsteps were loud, the grass rustled, and the keys on his waist jingled.
Jingyan then opened his eyes a little to take a peek, and caught Du Wulang's gaze. He quickly closed them, showing a shy and embarrassed expression unique to a child.
"hey-hey."
Du Wulang laughed proudly twice, and Jingyan seemed to be able to feel that there was no malice in the voice. He opened his eyes just now, looked at him curiously, and asked, "Are you Du Wulang?"
"How do you know?"
"I've heard that you, Jingzhao Du Wulang, have a chance to rise to great heights, but it's a pity that you are a piece of mud that can't stand up to the wall."
After hearing the first two sentences, Du Wulang was quite happy. When he heard the second sentence, he couldn't help shaking his head and said: "Bah, bah, bah, childish words are unbridled, I won't argue with you."
"Amitabha, the poor monk speaks directly and without restraint. Don't blame Wu Lang."
Seeing that Jingyan was hungry, Du Wulang gave him some biscuits. After chatting for a while, he asked, "Did someone instruct you to cross out His Highness's inscription on the Wild Goose Pagoda?"
"No."
"Then you want to rebel?"
"No." Jingyan lowered his head and said, "I was just angry that His Highness wouldn't let me become a monk, so I went to mark his name."
When Du Wulang heard this, he smiled and said, "Ha, what's so good about being a monk? When you experience the joy of returning to secular life, you will thank Your Highness."
Jingyan then stopped eating the biscuits and looked at Du Wulang blankly, looking very confused.
"It's okay. When you come out, I will take you to experience it." Du Wulang reached into the prison and patted Jingyan's shoulder. After thinking about it, he said: "Well, you are still young, I will take you there then."
Go eat meat. From the moment you eat meat, you will know that His Highness is doing it for your own good."
He came to take a look on behalf of Xue Bai, and now he has seen how such a simple little monk could be involved in any major treason case.
~~
Xuanzheng Hall.
"Daci'en Temple owns more than 100,000 acres of fertile land in the capital, and there are more than 30 shops in the east and west cities, making profits from lending, tea, sesame oil, cloth and other businesses. In addition, Yu Chongren, Guanglu,
The Buzheng and other houses all have houses that occupy a large area, so they have strong financial resources."
After Yuan Zai talked for a while, he put down the list in his hand and said: "One more thing. Since November last year, Daci'en Temple has begun to collect copper, claiming to cast Buddha statues. But Chen searched the entire temple and
I didn’t see any new Buddhas, but I picked up this one instead.”
He took out a brand new copper coin from his sleeve.
Xue Bai glanced at Yuan Zai's wrist, then took the copper coin and weighed it, it was light and airy.
"Do you suspect they are making private money?"
"That's right." Yuan Zai said: "I have investigated and found out that the reason why some people accuse these monks of treason is not groundless. The abbot of the temple is not empty, and he often interacts with officials and dignitaries."
With that said, he handed a list to Xue Bai, which contained the names of Wang Jin, Du Hongjian, Wei Lun, Li Xuanyi and other important officials of the court.
"Bu Kong was originally the son of a Hu merchant. He was orphaned due to an encounter with bandits in his early years. He was adopted by Zen Master Xuan Hui, the previous abbot of Daci'en Temple. Bu Kong grew up and was good at managing relationships. There were rumors in Chang'an more than thirty years ago that he was
Time has passed to choose a face for Princess Huo. Nowadays, not many people remember this, and they all regard him as an eminent monk."
"During the Kaiyuan period, Princess Huo married Pei Xuji, the young minister of Guanglu. Later, Pei Xuji practiced prophecy in private and asked Zen Master Xuanhui to divine for him, so he was exiled to Lingnan. One theory is that Princess Huo
Feeling that the prince-in-law was interfering with her happiness, she asked Fu Kong, the man who chose her face, to get rid of Pei Xuji, and Fu Kong got rid of Xuan Hui as well, and has since become the abbot of Daci'en Temple."
"For more than thirty years after that, Fu Kong used a large amount of money from the temple to lend money to farmers in Gyeonggi Province at high interest rates. Once there was a natural disaster, the farmers would take possession of their fields if they could not pay back the money. I checked the files and found that someone had complained
In Jingzhao Mansion, Fu Kong made friends with powerful people to suppress the matter. After that, he no longer worked in the name of the temple, but cooperated with famous families. As time went by, he became unknown."
"Some of these important ministers who often interacted with Fu Kong really believed in Buddhism, some had deep collusion with Fu Kong, and some were both. Wang Jin was born in a noble family and his family was very wealthy. He had a family in Jingzhao, Hedong.
His Highness Duo Zhenye must have heard that he has always been a devout believer in Buddhism. He often communicated with Bu Kong before he went to Hedong. During his tenure as the governor of Hedong, he directly sent official documents to the monks and ordered the monks to beg alms everywhere to raise funds to build Buddhist temples; Du
Hongjian was obsessed with Buddhism, and since his return, he listened to monks preaching scriptures every day in order to seek peace; Wei Lun was Wei Jiansu's brother, and he believed deeply in Buddhism; His Highness may not have heard of Li Xuanyi's name, but he
His elder brother is an official whom His Highness values very much, Li Qijun, and the Li family in Zhao County is deeply involved in this case..."
Yuan Zai talked eloquently, while Xue Bai listened silently.
Although there are many officials in the court, they all come from a few branches, big or small, and their relationships with each other are intricate, either because of interest exchanges or because they believe in Buddhism, so it is inevitable that they will be involved in these things.
If you want to dig deeper, not even the officials trusted by Xue Bai can escape.
Fortunately, what Xue Bai wanted was to confiscate the temple property, not to really investigate any treason case.
However, Yuan Zai said: "After my investigation, I believe that Da Ci'en Temple is indeed treasonous."
"Yeah?"
"Wang Jin, Du Hongjian, Wei Lun, and Li Xuanyi have always been resentful towards His Highness and have plans to subvert him. Although Wang Jin was given the important task of His Highness, when he was the governor of Hedong, he was used by Yuan Jie and others, and His Highness had copied
He hated his family for keeping food; Du Hongjian was originally a loyalist to the king, but because he was loyal to the king and was alone, he had no choice but to join His Highness; Wei Lun, Li Xuanyi and others were undoubtedly against the party, and these people often hung out with Bu Kong.
They slandered His Highness together, and some young monks were influenced by it and regarded His Highness as a bandit. This time, His Highness Yanta's name was crossed out. It was not without reason, but I'm afraid it was indeed counterfeit."
Hearing this, Xue Bai glanced at Yuan Zai's wrist again and asked, "Where is the evidence?"
"I went to Jingzhao Mansion Prison to interrogate the young monk. He confessed. I did hear Wang Jin's remarks criticizing His Highness."
"What else? I want evidence other than oral confession."
Yuan Zai said: "Your Highness, please give me some more time, and we will be able to find out the evidence."
"Don't go astray." Xue Bai said: "Remember, I asked you to check the property of the Buddhist temple. The purpose is to cure the stubborn problems of land annexation and hiding farmland and households. It is not to let you fall into the vortex of power struggle and be unable to extricate yourself."
"Your Highness, I have considered turning this case into a major treason case. Only in this way can we frighten those who want to oppose Your Highness, and everything will go smoothly from now on."
"You are lazy. Whenever you are asked to do something, you will slap the big label of 'treason' on the head. From this, you will get rid of the long-standing abuses and alleviate the land conflicts. A good strategy for governing the country has made you realize that I am using power for personal gain and eliminating
Alien conspiracy?"
"minister……"
"Check the temple property." Xue Bai said: "Open your eyes and keep an eye on the land, population, every acre of land, and every person in the family. This is what you should do. Anchor the target and don't be led away again."
It's off."
"Here."
Yuan Zai retreated, and soon a eunuch came in and reported: "Your Highness, Wei Jiansu and Li Xian have been waiting for a long time to see you."
If it were normal circumstances, Xue Bai should have met the two of them first before meeting Yuan Zai. However, they had actually asked to see each other earlier, and Xue Bai did not meet.
This time, Xue Bai thought about it and agreed to meet Wei Jiansu first.
It had only been a few days since the edict to confiscate the temple property was issued, and Wei Jiansu had become much older and looked haggard.
As soon as he entered the palace, he asked: "Can Your Highness take back his life for destroying the Buddha?"
"No."
Xue Bai answered simply and decisively, leaving no room for Wei Jiansu to persuade.
Wei Jiansu therefore did not persuade him, but directly held up a memorial and said: "In that case, please allow me to retire and return to my hometown."
"Wei Gong, why is this?"
"I am not using this to blackmail His Highness. I am really unable to assist the government. I sincerely ask Your Highness to agree."
Wei Jiansu's attitude was very firm and he really did not want to be the prime minister anymore.
Since ancient times, it has happened that the emperor is ill and the prince supervises the country. However, Xue Bai's situation is different. He always has the nature of seeking to usurp the throne. Being a prime minister in such a situation where the prince supervises the country has a bad reputation. Wei
Jian Su didn’t really want to do it in the first place.
In this case, what Xue Bai should do most is to honor Li Cong and Li Longji and let them live a long and safe life. Who will remember these disputes in five or ten years? After all, Li Longji has recognized Xue Bai's identity.
Now there are many complications, the destruction of the Buddha has caused the status to be shaken, and another conspiracy case is brought out, it feels like there is no end, which makes Wei Jiansu very disappointed.
In addition, his brother Waylon was involved in this case.
Yuan Zai was in Chaweilun, and the matter could not be hidden from Wei Jiansu's eyes.
Then, as long as he becomes an official, Yuan Zai will let Weilun go. This is the rule of officialdom. Regardless of whether Weilun is really guilty or not, his brother, as prime minister, has given up his power, and the threat is gone, and Yuan Zai falls.
A prime minister should be satisfied.
So in the final analysis, Wei Jiansu believed that Yuan Zai did it on purpose, with the purpose of squeezing him away to join the ranks of prime minister. He was older and not as trusted by Xue Bai as Yuan Zai, and he had no strong will to become prime minister, so he simply gave up his official position.
, to protect the family’s future.
"Why is Mr. Wei doing this?"
Xue Bai understood Wei Jiansu's thoughts and could not let him leave the court now.
Not to mention 90% of the officials in the world, at least 70% of the people have a wait-and-see attitude towards the imperial power. Xue Bai's ability to successfully take power now largely depends on the presence of senior ministers like Wei Jiansu.
In addition, the temple property has just begun to be recovered, and the prime minister in charge of this matter has fallen, so things will inevitably be affected.
Xue Bai then stepped forward, supported Wei Jiansu with both hands, and said, "We have just begun to get rid of the long-standing evils. How can Wei Gong accept being alienated and leave me now?"
"I'm afraid that if I leave too late, my body will be gone."
"Why did Wei Gong say this?"
"Your Highness trusts Yuan Zai, and Yuan Zai also accuses my brother of treason. I cannot defend myself against such a serious crime."
"Don't worry, Mr. Wei, I have just reprimanded Yuan Zai."
Xue Bai persuaded Wei Lun nicely and promised not to pursue Wei Lun. He also said that all this was because someone was secretly preventing them from taking back the temple property and slandering Wei Jiansu. He would definitely not believe it.
In this way, Wei Jiansu was finally appeased.
After sending Wei Jiansu away, Xue Bai summoned Li Xian.
The first thing Li Xian said when he came up was "Can Your Highness stop destroying Buddha?"
"No."
Li Xian looked solemn and said: "I came here because I am worried that Your Highness will be seduced by Yuan Zai and cause a large number of unjust imprisonments."
"Don't worry, Mr. Li."
"I heard that Yuan Zai is also a believer in Buddhism. There is no harm in taking back the temple property in the world. Why criticize and exclude his colleagues?" Li Xian said: "Previously Yuan Zai had discussed Buddhism with Wang Jin and said, 'The country's fortunes are due to factors.
It is caused by good fortune, and good fortune has been determined in the dark. Even if there is a small chaos, it will not cause any harm.' In the blink of an eye, he is fighting for power and making accusations, without fear of karma and retribution."
Xue Bai couldn't help but think that he had indeed seen a string of Buddhist beads on Yuan Zai's wrist before, but this time the string of Buddhist beads had disappeared.
~~
"Isn't it obvious? What's so difficult about it?"
That evening, when Xue Bai asked Du Wulang his opinion, Du Wulang replied matter-of-factly: "I can see clearly. Seeing is believing."
"Really?" Xue Bai asked, sitting on the threshold of Xuanzheng Hall.
The terrain here is high, and you can see Chang'an City in the distance, surrounded by a sunset, looking extremely peaceful.
"You have been trapped in the palace for a long time, and you can't see simple things clearly." Du Wulang said: "I went to see the little monk. He is just a simple and ignorant child. What kind of treason can he do?
It’s a big case. You still don’t believe me?”
"Believe you."
"Hey, I think Yuan Zai is not a good person. He is very ambitious. Isn't it normal to frame Wei Jiansu in order to become prime minister?"
"Yes, he seems to be saying that Wang Jin and Du Hongjian, and inadvertently bringing out the inconspicuous Welund, is a good way to frame people."
"We started fighting among ourselves as soon as we started doing things." Du Wulang muttered and analyzed: "The current Jingzhao Yin Yang Wan is a good person. He has tried the little monk Jingyan and found nothing, which means Yuan Zai said it.
lie."
Xue Bai turned around, glanced at Du Wulang, and suddenly said: "In the field of power, how can there be simple good guys and bad guys?"
"oh."
Because of this incident, Du Wulang remembered that many years ago, the Du family was framed in this way.
He scratched his head and couldn't analyze anything more.
"Anyway, I have seen with my own eyes that the young monk is not a traitor, he is just a childish person. Can you let him go?"
"Let it go."
Xue Bai said, his eyes far away, intoxicated by the scenery in the distance... Chang'an Tower in the sunset.
~~
Two days later, Jingzhao Mansion Prison.
The jailer took the young monk Jingyan out of the cell, smiled apologetically at the young man waiting there, and said, "Wu Lang is here to fish for someone again, so go slowly."
"I'm doing things according to the rules, right?" Du Wulang smiled broadly.
"Yes, yes, Jingyin also said that Wulang is a well-behaved person."
"I'm just a piece of mud that can't hold up the wall."
Du Wulang laughed at himself and waved, asking Jingyan to follow him.
Jingyan quickly clasped his hands together, said "Amitabha", and hurriedly left with Du Wulang.
The two walked onto the long street. When he looked back, he saw that the senior brothers were being taken to the southeast.
"They are going back to Daci'en Temple." Du Wulang said: "The temple only retains the thirty most profound people in Buddhism. His Highness will have to take the exam himself. You are young and will definitely not be able to stay. Come with me to experience the joy of returning to secular life."
.”
He felt that Xue Bai had wronged the child by destroying the Buddha, so he was embarrassed, so he wanted to make up for it.
"But I..."
"But what the hell, let's go."
Passing by Pingkangfang, Jingyan glanced in the direction of Pingkangfang several times, but Du Wulang did not take him in, but continued walking towards Dongshi.
Finally, the two of them walked into Fengwei Building in Dongshi.
Du Wulang picked it up at his fingertips and quickly arranged some dishes.
Sweet and sour pork ribs, braised lamb's trotters, soft crispy pork loin, braised duck with green snails, and a plate of roasted lamb sprinkled with spices will whet your appetite.
When all the dishes were put on the table, Du Wulang and Jingyan looked at each other. As expected, Jingyan looked surprised and did not start immediately.
"Hey, are you starving in prison? These are meat dishes that are not commonplace, and you can't eat them."
"this……"
"Eat."
Du Wulang was not polite. He picked up a skewer of mutton first and put it into his mouth from end to end. He ate it with great difficulty. He finally swallowed the hot and fragrant meat. He was so satisfied that he asked Jingyan to eat it.
"You can't be a monk anyway. Come on and experience the happiness of a layman."
"All right."
Jingyan had no choice but to take off the Buddhist beads from his neck and started eating them.
The two of them actually finished the five plates of meat and vegetables.
Du Wulang ate happily, touched his belly, thought for a moment, and was worried that he had not served Jingyan, who had just returned to secular life, so he asked someone to bring another pot of wine.
Soon, Jingyan's face turned red after drinking. Finally, he was no longer as reserved as before and started talking more.
"My name is Jingyan, because Master always tells me to keep silent, saying that I have no brains and talk nonsense about what I should say and shouldn't."
"We are friends, if you have anything to say, feel free to say it," Du Wulang said.
Jingyan burped with wine, hugged the wine jar and said, "I thought Wulang was going to take me to Pingkangfang, but I didn't expect it was just for meat, hehe."
"Um?"
Du Wulang asked suspiciously: "Just eating meat? Have you ever eaten meat?"
"I have never tasted such delicious roasted lamb. I have never tasted fish breasts or deer tongue. It is such a thin slice and tastes so fresh. It is better than this stewed duck."
Jingyan seemed to be drunk. He muttered for a while, and then asked: "Wulang, if I return to secular life, will I have to farm and pay rent?"
"What?"
"But I don't want to farm or pay taxes. I want to be a monk forever and get something for nothing. The temple property has many tenants, and they can support me for the rest of my life."
The next moment, Jingyan took his hand, put his index finger in his mouth and held it.
"What are you doing?" Du Wulang was startled and quickly pulled back.
"Is the donor happy? Little monk... hiccup..."
Du Wulang rubbed his eyes, suspecting that he was drunk.
He looked closely and found that although the young monk was young, he was handsome and very cute. However, when he was drunk, his cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes were blurred. He had a strange... style?
"What's going on with you?" Du Wulang couldn't help but push Jingyan and asked in shock, "Aren't you a monk?"
"Wu Lang really... doesn't understand the happiness of being a monk at all." Jingyan muttered: "In a place like Pingkangfang, the prince-in-law is tired of playing. Just take me to eat meat. Who has never eaten meat? Xiao Xiao
Monks should be as carefree and happy as their brothers."
Du Wulang stayed there.
Listening to Jingyan's drunken and confused narration, he could roughly understand the happy life lived by the monks and dignitaries in Daci'en Temple.
"Xue Ni."
Jingyan suddenly uttered this word, then burst into tears and murmured: "Xue Ni has usurped the Tang Dynasty and confiscated the master's temple property. He is a great evil man! He is a great evil man!"
Du Wulang recovered from his shock and asked, "Then, do you want to plot rebellion?"
"It's not treason." Jingyan put on a serious expression unique to a child on his innocent face, made a "shush" gesture, and warned Du Wulang: "Don't talk nonsense, we are not treason.
It is to help the country."
Through this expression, Du Wulang seemed to be able to see someone standing in front of the young monk, also making such an action, earnestly admonishing the child.
But how much experience did such a young child have to go through to be taught like this?
~~
"Your Highness, Du Qi would like to see you."
"Call."
Xue Bai raised his head and saw Du Wulang running in in a hurry, almost as if he had barged in.
"I made a mistake." Du Wulang gasped, "I'm afraid Yuan Zai is right... someone really wants to cause trouble in Da Ci'en Temple."
"I know."
"What to do? Catch them all?!"
"No, we can't go astray. What we are solving is the problem of hidden fields and hidden households. We cannot be led into the trap of power disputes."
"But someone wants to harm you." Du Wulang was still shocked and angry, pointing his finger outside, and said angrily: "They... they..."
"If it was really a conspiracy, could an older young monk know it? He could know it because many people in Da Ci'en Temple were scolding Xue Ni, and in the whole of Chang'an, many people were scolding Xue Ni.
Come here?"
Xue Bai was self-aware and said: "Once there is an investigation, this case will be endless and lead to countless traitors."
Du Wulang said: "It's different, they are really bad..."
"I know, but don't let your emotions be swayed." Xue Bai still had the same attitude as when he met Yuan Zai, and said: "If you think about it carefully, do we want to control their emotions, or do we want to seize the land and population?"