Chen Cisheng's courage was gone. He looked blankly at his allies Chen Guan and Ren Boyu, both of whom were also lost.
Bone-chilling fear surged from the hearts of the three of them.
From the scene just now, they deeply understood the new official's heart of steel and ruthless methods. Zeng Bu was impeached, and there was conclusive evidence. So even if the official wanted to re-employ him, they would not hesitate to take action.
All three of them knew that the officials used the example of "Zhao Tingzhi" to force Zeng Bu to death - if you commit suicide, I will protect your family. It is not the official's deep feelings for Zeng Bu and want to save him some dignity, but this case
It involves the secrets of Emperor Zhezong.
To put Zeng Bu on trial, it was necessary to tell the world and make public all the evidence of the crime. Zeng Bu randomly recorded rumors about the cause of the late emperor's death in his diary. Once it was used as proof of guilt and spread to the world, there was no guarantee that someone would not have random thoughts and add fuel to the fire.
Zeng Bu was an important minister of the imperial court, and the information he knew was ninety-nine times true. If the imperial court punished Zeng Bu severely, would it deceive others?
Therefore, the officials forced Zeng Bu to commit suicide and put the case to rest and sealed it in storage.
Extremely decisive, he made up his mind in the blink of an eye. He was also extremely courageous. Quan Shangshu Youcheng, who was going to be the deputy prime minister of Zhongshu Province, would force him to death without hesitation at all.
Among all the past emperors, which one is like this?
Chen Boci, Chen Guan and Ren Boyu were all discouraged and did not dare to take advantage of the victory to pursue them again.
"Your Majesty, I have a memorial to report!" Liu Zhengfu, the Minister of Rites, stepped forward and said.
"read!"
"Xiangguo Temple, Shimen Dharma House, is highly respected by the royal family, respected by the military and the people...I don't want to repay my kindness, I worship the Buddha and the scriptures, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the country...I want to indulge in extravagance and lust, and do many illegal things...One of them is lending money privately,
Regardless of whether they were military or civilian officials, they exploited profit for money... Since the first year of Ji Yuanfu, 274 households have been forced to commit suicide with their entire families. The remaining number of people who have committed suicide and self-mutilation, no less than a thousand people... have even taken the opportunity to rob civilian women.
, placed in a side room for lewd pleasure... The second is to seize fertile land by force. Since the first year of Yuanfu, only four counties, Zhongmu, Weishi, Fengqiu, Chenliu and Xiangguo Temple have increased their holdings of land.
, as high as 2,160 hectares, with tens of thousands of tenant households, and as rich as a prince..."
"Third, lawless monks, relying on their power, run rampant in the countryside. The monks Fa She, Fa Yin, and Jie Wu of Luohan Hall in Xiangguo Temple, Dong Ru and other seven people are called monks, but they are actually the rogue leaders of Kaifeng and have raised hundreds of people privately.
Minions, bullying men and dominating women, doing evil... All kinds of evil deeds, money is exhausted. I am the minister of the Ministry of Rites, and also an envoy of merit. Such illegal things should be reported to the temple and submitted to the Holy Emperor for judgment..."
After Liu Zhengfu's righteous and awe-inspiring words fell, most people in the palace were filled with surprise.
The officials actually took action against Daxiangguo Temple! He is the reincarnation of Shizong of the former Zhou Dynasty. It seems that it is not groundless!
Zhao Si asked in a deep voice: "Is there any evidence?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the evidence is conclusive, including the love letter signed by the parties concerned, the land deeds of the houses in the four counties, and the investigation files of the Gyeonggi Police Department... Attached to the minister's memorial, please submit for royal inspection."
Good guys, you are well prepared. Daxiangguo Temple and many other extremely wealthy temples are in doom this time.
After Zhao Si read it, he said angrily: "Shocking and outrageous! Is this still the peaceful place of Buddhism? Have the five precepts, ten rules and ten good deeds become waste paper! It was originally a pure place to encourage good and turn evil, but it has become a pure place.
It’s a filthy place where many evildoers have been committed! Daxiangguo Temple, under the emperor’s feet, actually dares to do this! You can imagine the other temples in other places!”
Having said this, Zhao Si turned around and asked, "Yancheng, does the Bureau of Statistics have any information on how many temples there were in the Song Dynasty?"
Tan Shiji, who had been standing in the corner of the hall, like an invisible man, said: "Report...Your Majesty, in the last years of Xining...in the last years of Xining, there were 46,633 temples and palaces in the world, and there were nine in Beijing.
One hundred and thirteen. And now... according to preliminary statistics, there are... 50,537 temples and Taoist temples, and there are 900... 29 temples in... in Beijing."
"Listen, everyone, there are 50,537 temples. On average, if there are 20 monks and Taoists in it, it has a population of one million. If the temple property is 200 acres, there are 10 million acres of fertile land! The imperial court
It's difficult to make ends meet, but there are still so many monks and monks who don't work and waste food."
Zhao Si's words were finally unbearable, and Ren Boyu stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty, the monks and Taoists worship the Buddha and chant sutras to appease the people's hearts, be good to the people, and pray for the peace and prosperity of the country... All kinds of good deeds can be witnessed. Please don't take this as an excuse.
A partial generalization..."
"To generalize?" Zhao Si sneered, "What contribution did these monks make to the Song Dynasty? How much grain was produced? Or how much cloth was produced? Literati and Confucian scholars spent their youth, reading the scriptures and meanings, and improving their abilities.
Governing the country and caring for the people will benefit one country; reciting poems and writing lyrics after retirement will be remembered for generations. What did these monks write? What did they do?"
Having said this, Zhao Si looked like a goshawk soaring in the sky, glanced at everyone, and said with emotion: "I inherited the legacy of my father and brother, to enrich the people and strengthen the country, surpassing the Han and Tang Dynasties! Therefore, anyone who can make the Song Dynasty rich, the people and the country, I will
Everyone will believe in what they say and do it; anyone who hinders our Song Dynasty from enriching the people and strengthening the country, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"
If a person stands in the way of someone, he will kill someone; if someone stands in the way of a Buddha, he will be punished!
Zhao Si recited something silently in his mind.
The ministers were horrified and speechless.
Zhao Si pointed his finger and shouted, "Xingbu!"
Liu Kui responded quickly: "I'm here!"
"Assemble elite soldiers and generals to investigate illegal temples! If there are not enough manpower, tell me, and I can ask the guards and bodyguards from all over the country to cooperate with you."
"According to the order!"
"Ministry of Rites! Envoy of Merit!"
"I'm here!" Han Zhongyan and Liu Zhengfu responded quickly.
"Secretary Department!"
"I'm here!" Cai Bian responded.
"The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Secretaries will convene all the truly eminent monks and convene a conference to clarify the monks' precepts and the discipline of the monks' houses. Set the rules for me one by one!"
This is to negotiate with the Buddhist monks. First listen to the conditions proposed by the officials.
The three of them responded, and Cai Bian continued to ask: "Your Majesty, please give me instructions so that I can follow the rules."
"A monk is a monk who practices Buddhism and does not leave home to enjoy blessings. The monks of Woyun Temple in Lutai Mountain, Hedong Province, are the real monks. I will issue an edict to commend them and set them as role models."
Cai Bian smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, the monks of Woyun Temple are practicing hard. Not many people can endure it."
"If he can't even endure these hardships, why should he practice Buddhism? He should not become a monk and continue to hang out in the mortal world!"
"According to the order! Your Majesty, are there any more?"
"There must be a certain number of monks' houses in the world. I am very tolerant and allow one county to have one monk's house, three more in the prefecture, and ten in the capital. There are 1,234 counties and 250 prefectures in the world.
Fourteen, there are four in the capital, and the number of monks' houses is 2,036. The number of monks and nuns in residence is arranged according to the size of the monks' houses. On average, there are twenty people in each house, and the number is 40,720."
Hearing this, many ministers took a deep breath, it was so cruel.
In the second year of Xiande's reign in the previous Zhou Dynasty, King Shizong "annihilated Buddhism", leaving only 2,694 monasteries in existence, 33,336 monasteries in ruins, and only 61,200 monks and nuns remaining.
At that time, the First Zhou Dynasty only occupied the Central Plains, Hebei, Shaanxi and other places. Jiangnan, Hedong and other areas were also divided, and more temples, monks and nuns were preserved than you asked for.
Guan Jia, you are more ruthless than Zhou Shizong! I should say, Guan Jia, you are so good at bargaining!
Cai Bian smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty, the cuts have been too much. I'm afraid it will be difficult to make the trip."
"If you want to increase the number of monks' residences, there are two ways. One is to pray more to the Buddha and bless the Song Dynasty to expand its territory and add prefectures and counties. The more prefectures and counties are added, the more monks' residences will be increased accordingly. The other way is to go
In the Northern Liao and Western Xia, Buddhism and Buddhism are worshiped there, regardless of cost, and it is a good place for monks and nuns."
Zhao Si stood up and looked down at the ministers from the top of the stairs.
"Now you know in your mind the virtues of monks and nuns everywhere. I am not destroying the Buddha. Instead, I am clearing away the evil, strengthening the righteous, and promoting the Buddha's Dharma! To practice the Buddha's Dharma, you don't need rich clothes and food, let alone palaces! Cultivation of the mind is more about cultivating the body! I want to eliminate it.
They are people who, under the guise of cultivating Buddhism, engage in pleasure and wanton lawlessness, and pollute the pure land of Buddhism!"
Zhao Si's voice was like a chime, echoing in the Chui Gong Hall, "Strictly enforce the monastic discipline, check the monks' membership. Don't touch money, don't occupy fertile land, only accept food and clothing alms. Meditate on Buddhism, the court will provide for him, and he won't be hungry or cold.
He. Also, the temple is an ancient official office. According to the imperial court, the temple is an ancient place for worshiping ancestors. We cannot let the Buddhists occupy it and confuse the public."
"Therefore, from now on, the monk's residence can only be named a temple, the nun's residence can only be named a nunnery, and the Daoyu house can only be named a temple, so as to set things right! If there is any violation of the law, the ultimatum will be cancelled, and the house will be confiscated."
"After cleaning up the Buddhist door, there will still be a Taoist door. From now on, I will allow true monks who are dedicated to practicing Buddhism to practice with peace of mind, cultivate their minds and bodies, and no longer be bound by worldly things."
The officials understood clearly that this time the officials were not destroying the Buddha. They could even say that they were trying to magnify the Buddha and lead the Buddhist sect to the right path.
The monks and nuns in the world will definitely not believe it, but the officials can find a way to make the people of the world believe it, and that will be enough. By then, they will have the upper hand in negotiations with the monks and nuns.
Sure enough, the official's next sentence was, "Cai Shizhong, my words must not only be understood by the monks and Taoists in the world, but also by the people of the world!"
Cai Bian cupped his hands and said, "I obey your order!"
