Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 1098 1093 [I am a scholar, not a monk]

The news that Yang Ji and Bai Qi had joined forces to fight against Buddhism spread faster than the speed at which Duan Yu went to Luoyang.

As soon as Duan Yu and his family arrived at the Yangtze River, Yunnan Pifo reported the matter to the court via a telegram from Sichuan.

To be precise, it was more than just refuting Buddhism, but it had not yet reached the level of destroying Buddhism. Yang Ji and Bai Qi even supported the Dali Zen Sect, suppressing it with knives while letting the Zen Sect fight against the Esoteric Buddhism.

In Yang Ji's view, both Dali Esoteric Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism are heresies, but these two sects are the strongest in Yunnan.

Only Zen Buddhism can be used. At least when Yang Ji talks with Zen masters, they will not fall out on the spot because of conflicting ideas. Zen Buddhism is relatively weak in Yunnan, so in the short term, they can cooperate with each other. Confucianism and Buddhism can be jointly taught, which is easier for the people to accept than using Confucianism alone.

"I have done something meritorious and I am innocent, why are you arresting me? I don't accept it, I don't accept it!"

Dong Mingshou screamed hysterically.

It was he who led his troops to seize the south gate of Dali at a critical moment and welcomed the pursuing Ming cavalry into the city. It can be said that he contributed greatly to the surrender of the capital of Dali Kingdom.

Moreover, his family inherited the leadership of Dali's Esoteric Buddhism and he could be regarded as the master of all the scholars (Buddhists and Confucians) in Dali.

With both merit and fame, Dong Mingshou felt that he was secure.

Unexpectedly, before the reward from the court came, he was arrested in public at home by people sent by Bai Qi.

A group of Buddhist Confucianists were unable to defeat the soldiers, so they went around the main gate and blocked the gate to the inner courtyard of the Dong family residence, trying to rescue their spiritual leader.

"Anyone who resists arrest will be killed without mercy. What are you waiting for?" Fan Ruwei shouted angrily.

"kill!"

The Ming soldiers inside and outside the courtyard attacked the scholars who were blocking the gate.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty Buddhist Confucianists were stabbed to death or injured, and the rest were so scared that they knelt down on the spot and cried for mercy.

The bloody scene frightened Dong Mingshou so much that his legs went weak.

He dared not say anything anymore and obediently cooperated as he was taken away by the Ming army.

Dong Mingshou certainly knew why he was arrested. When he met Emperor Zhu in Luoyang, he promised to reform the Dali Esoteric Sect.

But during this period he pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed. He said he would carry out reforms vigorously, but secretly encouraged scholars and monks to go to the government to petition, and hinted that temples in various places were muddled about the reforms.

Dong Mingshou believed that this was enough. Reforming openly could give face to the government, and not changing secretly could maintain his own prestige.

Isn't it a happy occasion for everyone?

But his action, which he thought would please everyone, made all the civil servants transferred to Yunnan furious.

Ultimately, it is a matter of thinking habits.

All scholars in the Dali Kingdom believed that there was nothing wrong with practicing both Buddhism and Confucianism, and that they should be more inclined towards Buddhism. There was nothing wrong with using Sanskrit to annotate Confucian classics.

What about the civil servants sent to Yunnan?

They also tacitly allow the dual cultivation of Confucianism and Buddhism, but this is the bottom line. Confucianism must be placed before Buddhism, and Dali Esoteric Buddhism must be reformed, and Sanskrit must not be used to annotate Confucian scriptures!
In Dong Mingshou's eyes, it was a trivial matter, but in the eyes of the civil officials of the Ming Dynasty, it was an unforgivable crime!
You have to know that in another time and space, Dali Esoteric Buddhism was changed again and again during the Yuan and Ming dynasties, and it was already very secular and tried to abide by Confucian ethics. But in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, it was still constantly criticized by civil officials, and even the court was banned by Emperor Qianlong himself.

The civil officials could not even tolerate the castrated version of Dali Esoteric Buddhism from the Qing Dynasty, so how could they not react strongly when they encountered the original version?
Yunnan has been established as a province and its capital has been moved to Kunming.

At this moment, Yang Ji, Bai Qi and others were in Kunming, but Lin Chong led his troops to stay in Dali, and put Dali City and its surrounding areas under semi-military control.

Nie Tingxun, the prefect of Dali, walked in, ignored the corpse in front of him, and shouted, "Where is Dong Sen?"

“Here…here.”

Among the group of people arrested by the officers and soldiers, a young man in his early twenties responded with fear.

This man's name is Dong Sen, the eldest grandson of Dong Mingshou - his father has died of illness.

If the Ming Dynasty had not destroyed the Dali Kingdom, Dong Sen would have inherited the position of the leader of the Esoteric Sect and would have been canonized by Master Yideng as "the Great Master of the Five Esoteric Sects". Compared with the titles of his ancestors, Dong Sen's title was very rubbish, and it was obvious that he had been suppressed very badly by the Gao family.

Nie Tingxun said: "Your grandfather will be taken to Luoyang to await the Emperor's personal punishment. Before the court issues an official order, how about you preside over the Dali Esoteric Sect reform?"

How could Dong Sen dare to refuse?

He glanced at the corpses at Nie Tingxun's feet and nodded hurriedly: "Whatever changes Prefect Nie asks me to make, I will do it honestly and will not dare to disobey in the slightest."

Nie Tingxun also said to Fan Ruwei, who was leading the troops to arrest people: "Throw the injured scholars onto the street and let their relatives and friends take them away. As for the dead, hang them all at the city gates, post notices stating their crimes, and arrange for someone to read them out there."

"Yes!"

Fan Ruwei bowed and accepted the order, wondering why these people in turbans were all going crazy.

He was always polite, but suddenly he became cold-blooded and ruthless, and looked like he wanted to kill more people.

Fan Ruwei had no intention of killing anyone just now. He just wanted to scare a group of scholars who were blocking the courtyard gate and then disperse them. But Nie Tingxun asked him to use a knife and would not stop until the ground was covered in blood.

Nie Tingxun glanced at the scholars who were still alive: "You have also read the books of sages, so you should understand some principles. In a few days, Dali will set up a provincial school, and you should all go home to study and prepare for the exam. The court will treat you preferentially. As long as you are admitted to the provincial school, you will be regarded as a scholar, and next year you will go to Kunming...which is the Shanchan provincial examination to take the examination for Juren. Remember, only Confucianism will be tested, not Buddhism." The scholars who survived the disaster hurriedly thanked the prefect and soon dispersed.

To govern the newly occupied land, one cannot just kill people blindly. Killing people today is to establish authority, and then one has to give some sweet rewards next time.

In order to win over the scholars as quickly as possible, both Yunnan and Guizhou provided quotas for juren.

Moreover, the first imperial examination skipped the examination for scholars, and as long as one was admitted to the official school at the prefecture level, one would automatically obtain the status of a scholar for nine years. The first provincial examination will be held in Kunming next year, and students from prefectures in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces can participate.

When they went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, a separate list was set up for students from the five provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Ningxia, Korea, and Jiaozhi.

Students from parts of counties and prefectures in southern Sichuan, western Hunan, Liaodong, Guangxi, northern Shanxi, northern Shaanxi, and northern Hebei, as well as students from the Protectorate and Governor-General's Office, were also included in this list.

Even the scholars in the areas under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate and the Governor-General's Office were directly recommended by officials for the examination list, and even the provincial examinations were not set up for the time being. If a candidate thought he was particularly good, he could apply for the examination in a neighboring province and follow the normal imperial examination process to become a Jinshi.

It is relatively easier to be admitted as Jinshi from this list, as the examiners do not have such high requirements for them.

Of course, there are not many vacancies, and one will definitely be at the bottom when first appointed to an official position, and by the time of retirement, the best he can achieve is the rank of prefect.

After the overall quality of candidates in these areas improved, the imperial court re-drawn the imperial examination list, and the appointment and promotion of officials returned to normal.

A new bookstore opened in Dali City. The owner is a foreigner from Sichuan.

Two of the employees were locals. They held up textbooks and shouted along the street: "Authentic Meizhou woodblock edition of the Imperial Examination Book, with the entrance examination standards of Dali Prefecture School attached. Scholars who want to buy books can go to the Jinbang Bookstore on the East Street of the Gongyuan of the former Dali State Ministry of Rites! Authentic Meizhou woodblock edition..."

The imperial court racked its brains to think of ways to immigrate, but there were always merchants who came on their own to occupy the new territories.

Moreover, the businesses run by those merchants are diverse. How long has Dali been recovered? There are actually people from Sichuan opening bookstores.

As the Ming Dynasty continued to expand abroad, many domestic merchants tasted the sweetness. Some merchants were even willing to follow the army and help the court transport supplies in exchange for corresponding bonuses after victory.

Those who were a little timid followed the Ming army, and once they heard that a victory had been won at the front line, they immediately took away their wealth and went to do business.

Opening a bookstore like this does not require a huge capital investment, and the civil servants will also support it. You can purchase a store at a very low price and start operations quickly.

Su Tong and his friends escaped from Dong's house, but were called back just as they left the house and asked to take the injured scholar away.

Although they saved their lives, everyone was still terrified.

The injured scholars were taken home by their relatives and friends, but the rest discussed the imperial examination in fear.

Although the government was tyrannical and killed scholars, since there was a path to officialdom left, they were willing to accept it. No exam for Buddhism? Then don't take it, just chant Buddha quietly in private.

As long as the road is not blocked, the more ruthlessly the government kills them, the faster they will change.

"Is the Confucianism of the Ming Dynasty the same as that of Dali?" Shi Luohangguang suddenly asked.

His brother Shi Luo Hanming said, "They are all Confucianism, what's the difference?"

Su Tong said: "The government prohibits the use of Sanskrit to annotate Confucian classics. I am afraid that the Confucian classics in the Central Plains are really different from those in Dali."

"What should we do? We are only allowed to prepare for the provincial school exam, but we can't find any classics from the Central Plains." The scholars were quite anxious.

They had just been grieving for their dead and injured friends and complaining about the government's brutality, but now they were actually starting to worry about not being able to find textbooks.

"The authentic Meizhou engraved version of the Imperial Examination Book edited by the Ministry of Rites, with the entrance examination standards of Dali Prefecture School attached..."

Suddenly, a local clerk employed by a Sichuan bookseller came along the street waving two textbooks and selling them.

The scholars' eyes lit up when they heard this, and they quickly quickened their pace to surround them.

Su Tong asked hurriedly: "We know that the Ministry of Rites edited it, but why is it the Meizhou engraving?"

The clerk explained: "Our boss is from Sichuan. The printing industry in Sichuan, especially the Meizhou book engravings, are the most exquisite. Even the printing in Chengdu can't compare."

A scholar named Zhao Liangshou asked: "Are the entrance examination standards for the attached prefectural school true?"

The clerk said, "It must be true. It was revealed by the government. Even if you monks don't buy it, the government will announce it in a few days."

Su Tong quickly corrected: "Don't call me monk master, we are all Confucian scholars from now on."

The more than 20 noble surnames identified by Dali Esoteric Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty had changed their rankings by this time. Some of them had even become local powerful families, serving as vassals of the real powerful families for generations.

For example, the Su family of Dali has been vassal of the Dong family for generations.

Now that the Dong family is being attacked by the government, Su Tong naturally has to cut ties with them quickly. From now on, his family will no longer be vassals of the Dong family, but real scholars of the Ming Dynasty.

The scholars asked for the address of the bookstore and hurriedly ran there to look for it.

The previous killings have been completely forgotten by them.

(End of this chapter)