Water Margin people

Chapter 1419 Daming Temple (Part )

"How dare you block the government from doing its job? You clearly have something to hide!"

The Yangzhou prefect looked at the monks coldly and said, if they came here for an order, he was still thinking about how to frame them if they couldn't find anything, but after one look he was sure that there was something wrong with Daming Temple.

This made the Yangzhou prefect very excited. Wasn't this an achievement? Moreover, it was done in front of the emperor, so there was no need to seek credit for it.

The abbot of Daming Temple was still sitting on the ground with his eyes closed, chanting scriptures, like an old monk in meditation, unaffected by the outside world.

"Ok?"

Sun Lei squinted his eyes and looked at the old monk.

"Brother, that is Zhili, the abbot of Daming Temple. He is the most senior monk in Yangzhou. They say he is proficient in Zen and Vinaya Buddhism!"

Wu Song saw Sun Lei looking at the old monk and whispered.

"Zhili? Is he related to Elder Zhizhen?"

Sun Lei looked at Lu Zhishen.

"How do I know!"

Lu Zhishen shook his head. He had not been in Mount Wutai for a long time, and his exchanges with Elder Zhizhen were limited to martial arts. How could he know such private matters?

"However, the Zen Master Zhiqing of Daxiangguo Temple is the elder's junior fellow apprentice. Considering that this old monk is close in age to the elder, he may also be the elder's junior fellow apprentice!"

Lu Zhishen guessed.

"Master, what sutra should we recite? The Kasyapa Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, the Dasa-sūtra, or the Four-part Vinaya?"

Sun Lei walked up to the old monk and asked.

The old monk suddenly stopped chanting, opened his eyes and looked at Sun Lei, his brows slightly furrowed.

"The scriptures are just scriptures, regardless of whether they are Zen or Vinaya!"

Monk Zhili spoke calmly, the four sutras that Sun Lei mentioned were the classics of Zen and Vinaya respectively, but if one answered, one would fall into the opponent's rhetoric, which is a taboo in sutra debate.

"Since there is no distinction between sects, why not say it clearly? Is there anything shameful about the scriptures?"

Sun Lei looked at the old monk and continued to ask.

"I am reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra! I wonder if you are a wise donor? May I know your name?"

Zen Master Zhili looked at Sun Lei and asked.

"Haha, you're really an expert at using the Huayan Sect to take the blame! As for who I am, guess what!"

Sun Lei looked at the old monk and laughed. This monk who mainly studied Zen and Vinaya actually brought up Huayan Buddhism to prevaricate. He was indeed a master of lying.

"You and this monk are companions, right?"

Zen Master Zhili looked at Lu Zhishen behind Sun Lei before asking.

"Yes, this is my little brother!"

Sun Lei said naturally.

Lu Zhishen's face darkened. Although he was indeed the younger brother when they became sworn brothers, he still felt a little embarrassed when Sun Lei said it in public.

"The government officials were also recruited by the donor, right?"

Elder Zhili looked at the officers and soldiers who had already entered the mountain gate, then looked at Sun Lei and asked.

"Yes, I was the one who reported it. The old monk Jianzhen is guilty, and so are you at Daming Temple!"

Sun Lei speaks frankly.

"How dare you insult Master Jianzhen!"

The monks of Daming Temple were furious and scolded the young man in front of them one by one.

"Want to fight!"

Wu Song stepped forward with a tiger stride, rolled up his sleeves, and revealed his strong arms.

"what!"

Wu Song saw a stone pillar standing beside the steps, so he went forward and lifted it up and carried it on his shoulders. This frightened the monks and they retreated one after another. They had erected the stone pillar, and it would have taken at least five or six people to move it, but now the man in front of him could easily carry it on his shoulders.

"Old monk, my brothers all have bad tempers, don't piss them off, or they will smash the gate to your grave!"

Lu Zhishen kindly reminded Zen Master Zhili.

"Fuck, destroying the mountain gate is what you did! We are all civilized people!"

Sun Lei glanced at Lu Zhishen. This guy had even smashed the gate of Wenshu Temple in Mount Wutai.

"The donor must be from the imperial court, right? I don't know why you want to make things difficult for our Daming Temple. We at Daming Temple have never gone against the imperial court!"

Zen Master Zhili looked at Sun Lei helplessly. He knew that the young man in front of him was not easy to fool, so he could only ask about his purpose.

"Why? I just want to kill someone. Is there something wrong with you monks?"

Sun Lei pointed at the group of bald monks behind the old monk and asked.

"Amitabha, what do you mean by this? They are all monks! They are ordained people!"

Zen Master Zhili clasped his hands together and spoke.

"Haha, you didn't perform any Buddhist rituals or chant any Buddha's name just now, and now you're doing this, you're admitting your guilt!"

Sun Lei said confidently that when a monk suddenly started chanting Buddhist mantras and performing Buddhist rituals, he was just trying to change the subject.

"Be quiet, everyone! Get down!"

Wu Song immediately yelled at the monks.

The monks were frightened and turned around to run away, but Wu Song threw the stone pillar on his shoulder away, and the stone pillar smashed the steps. The monks were so frightened that they dared not run anymore.

Zhang Qing immediately led his men to surround the monks in front of the mountain. He already had a few more stones in his hands, and he would not show mercy if anyone tried to chase them away.

"Old monk, are you trying to play tricks on me? Do you think that since the government officials have entered the mountain, you can take advantage of the chaos and let some people escape?"

Sun Lei patted the old monk on the shoulder and said with a smile that something could definitely be found in the temple, but those things alone were not enough to convict the entire Daming Temple.

Daming Temple was built in the Southern Dynasties 800 years ago and is the most famous temple in Yangzhou with countless believers. When things get out of hand, naturally there will be people who help speak and create public opinion.

"Nonsense! Our Daming Temple is a pure Buddhist place, and the monks strictly abide by the precepts. How could there be a problem?"

Zen Master Zhili said repeatedly.

"You'll know if you check it out!"

Sun Lei gave Wu Song and Zhang Qing a look, and the two immediately led their men into the pile of monks.

"You are very stubborn, but are all the monks in your temple stubborn? You have had enough of life and want to go to the West to see the Buddha. Are these monks also tired of living?"

Sun Lei pointed at the monks begging for mercy and laughed. Not all monks are devout believers. It is human nature to be afraid when facing power and death.

Soon, some monks could not hold on any longer and started shouting and reporting.

Once someone took the lead, others followed suit and reported. Soon, all eight problematic monks were found.

These people still wanted to run, but in front of Wu Song and Zhang Qing, their heads were either smashed or their legs were broken.

"Japanese, right?"

Sun Lei guessed the identities of the eight monks at just a glance.

"They are just monks from Toshodaiji Temple, and they are here to discuss Buddhism!"

Zen Master Zhili said quickly.

"Tōshōdai-ji Temple? The temple built by Jianzhen in Japan? You are actually secretly communicating with the Japanese!"

Sun Lei looked at the old monk coldly. After he ascended the throne, he made a clear regulation that all foreigners must register in detail, and illegal residents would be regarded as spies. He clearly remembered that there was no registration record of Japanese monks in Daming Temple.

"They are Japanese slaves!"

Lu Zhishen looked at the eight imprisoned monks in disbelief. He knew very well what Wu Yong was doing in Japan, and Daming Temple was actually related to Japan.