Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 564: Worldly Happiness

The prison of Jingzhao Mansion.

The jailer heard the door open and knew someone was coming to visit him, so he immediately became impatient. But when he turned around and saw who was coming, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"I'd like to meet Wu Lang. Wu Lang hasn't been here for a long time. I wonder which government office he's in these days?"

Although Du Wulang is now of high status, he does not put on airs in front of these old acquaintances. He smiles and says, "I have been doing some elegant work lately, such as music, chess, calligraphy and painting."

"Elegant, elegant. So you are here today for those monks? Is this also related to Wu Lang's mission?"

"I'm here to take a look on behalf of His Highness." Du Wulang muttered casually, "He doesn't have many friends. When he encounters something he wants to see with his own eyes, I'll help him take a look."

He said this lightly, just like the young knights in Chang'an saying they would fight for their friends. But it was the others who could feel the power hidden in it.

Du Wulang, however, had no self-awareness of being in power. He even linked arms with the jailer and whispered, "I want to talk to the little monk about the case at Da Ci'en Temple. Is that okay?"

"Now that Yang Jingyin is very strict, Wu Lang must follow the rules and don't take the person away."

"I know." Du Wulang asked again, "By the way, what is the attitude of the governor of Beijing?"

Jingzhao Yin Yang Wan had already submitted a report, stating that the monks of Da Ci'en Temple had not conspired to rebel, but were just a young monk who acted impulsively out of anger.

Xue Bai believed in Yang Wan's judgment, so he was ready to release the person and asked Du Wulang to confirm it again. Du Wulang then casually asked Yang Wan what he really thought about the case.

"Don't be angry, Wu Lang. There are many people who cursed Your Highness behind his back, not just this little monk. It's just the words of a child."

These four words “children’s words are without restraint” clearly reflect Yang Wan’s true attitude.

Du Wulang walked in and found that the Jingzhao prison was now full of monks. The torches shone on their bald heads, making them bright and a spectacle.

He walked to the innermost cell and saw only a young monk inside. He knew that the person being treated like this must be the main culprit in this treason case, whose Buddhist name was Jingyan.

The young monk Jingyan was sitting cross-legged in meditation, as if all worldly disputes had nothing to do with him. In his heart, there was nothing but Buddhism.

"Are you Jingyan?" Du Wulang asked a nonsense question.

Jingyan did not answer. He closed his eyes and muttered scriptures.

Du Wulang waited for a while and asked the jailer to go away. His footsteps were loud, the thatch rustled, and the keys at his waist jingled.

Jingyan then opened his eyes a little and took a peek, but when he met Du Wulang's gaze, he quickly closed them, showing the embarrassed expression that only a child could have.

"hey-hey."

Du Wulang laughed proudly twice. Jingyan seemed to sense that there was no malice in his voice. He opened his eyes, looked at him curiously, and asked, "Are you Du Wulang?"

"how do you know?"

"I've heard of you, Jingzhao Du Wulang. You have a great chance to rise to prominence, but unfortunately you are a useless piece of shit."

Du Wulang was quite happy to hear the first two sentences, but when he heard the latter, he couldn't help but shake his head and said, "Pooh, pooh, pooh, children talk without restraint, I won't bother with you."

"Amitabha, I speak directly and without restraint, please don't blame me, Wulang."

Du Wulang saw that Jingyan was hungry, so he gave him some Hu bing to eat. After chatting for a while, he asked, "You crossed out the name of your highness on the Wild Goose Pagoda. Did someone instruct you to do that?"

"No."

"So you want to rebel?"

“Not really.” Jing Yan lowered his head and said, “It was because His Majesty Qi didn’t want me to be a monk that I crossed out his name.”

Du Wulang laughed when he heard this 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 stopped eating the Hu Bing and stared at Du Wulang in confusion.

"It's okay. When you get out, I'll take you to experience it." Du Wulang reached into the cell and patted Jingyan's shoulder. After thinking for a while, he said, "Well, you're still young. I'll take you to eat meat. From the moment you start eating meat, you'll know that His Highness is doing this for your own good."

He came to take a look on behalf of Xue Bai, and now he has seen it. How could such a simple little monk be involved in some major case of treason?

~~
Xuanzheng Hall.

"Da Ci'en Temple owns more than 100,000 mu of fertile land in the capital, and more than 30 shops in the East and West Markets, making profits from lending, tea, incense oil, cloth and other businesses. In addition, it has large mansions in Chongren, Guanglu, Buzheng and other districts, which can be said to be very financially strong."

After Yuan Zai talked for a while, he put down the list in his hand and said, "There is one more thing. Since November last year, Da Ci'en Temple has started collecting copper, claiming that it will cast a Buddha statue. However, I searched the entire temple and did not see any new Buddha statues. Instead, I found this."

He pulled a brand new copper coin from his sleeve.

Xue Bai glanced at Yuan Zai's wrist before taking the coin and weighing it. It felt very light.

"Do you suspect they mint private money?"

"That's right." Yuan Zai said, "I have investigated and found that the accusation that these monks were plotting treason is not groundless. The abbot of the temple, Bukong, often interacts with officials and dignitaries."

As he spoke, he handed a list to Xue Bai, on which were the names of important court officials such as Wang Jin, Du Hongjian, Wei Lun, and Li Xuanyi.

"Bukong was originally the son of a Hu merchant. He became an orphan when he encountered bandits in his early years and was adopted by the previous abbot of Da Ci'en Temple, Master Xuanhui. When Bukong grew up, he was good at managing relationships. More than 30 years ago, it was rumored in Chang'an that he selected a male lover for the Princess of Huo. As time has passed, not many people remember this matter now, and they all regard him as an enlightened monk."

"During the Kaiyuan period, Princess Huo married Pei Xuji, the Junior Minister of Imperial Households. Later, Pei Xuji secretly practiced the art of prophecy and asked Zen Master Xuanhui to tell fortunes for him, so he was exiled to Lingnan. There is a saying that Princess Huo felt that her husband was hindering her happiness, so she asked Bukong, who selected her male lover, to get rid of Pei Xuji. Bukong then got rid of Xuanhui as well, and from then on became the abbot of Daci'en Temple."

"For more than 30 years, Bukong used the temple's large sums of money to lend money at high interest rates to farmers in the capital. If the farmers could not pay back the money due to natural disasters, he would seize their land. I have checked the files and found that someone once reported it to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Bukong made friends with the powerful and suppressed the matter. After that, he no longer worked in the name of the temple, but cooperated with famous families. Over time, he became unknown."

"Among these important officials who often interact with Bukong, some are truly devout believers in Buddhism, some are deeply connected with Bukong, and some are both. Wang Jin was born into an aristocratic family and his family is extremely wealthy. Your Highness must have heard about how many properties he has in Jingzhao and Hedong. He has always been a devout believer in Buddhism. Before he went to Hedong, he often interacted with Bukong. During his tenure as the governor of Hedong, he directly sent official documents to monks, ordering the monks to collect alms and raise funds in various places to build Buddhist temples; Du Hongjian is obsessed with Buddhism. Since he surrendered, he has listened to monks preaching scriptures every day in order to pray for peace; Wei Lun is Wei Jiansu's brother, and he is particularly devoted to Buddhism; Your Highness may not have heard of the name of Li Xuanyi, but his brother is an official that Your Highness values ​​very much, Li Qiyun, the Zhaojun Li family, who is deeply involved in this case..."

Yuan Zai talked freely and Xue Bai listened silently.

Although there are many officials in the court, big and small, they all come from those few branches. They have complicated relationships with each other. Whether it is business exchanges or devout belief in Buddhism, they are inevitably involved in these matters.

If we dig deeper, not even the officials that Xue Bai trusts can escape.

Fortunately, what Xue Bai wanted was to confiscate the temple property instead of investigating any case of treason.

However, Yuan Zai said: "After investigation, I believe that there is indeed treason in Da Ci'en Temple."

"is it?"

"Wang Jin, Du Hongjian, Wei Lun, and Li Xuanyi have always been resentful of Your Highness and have plotted to overthrow him. Although Wang Jin was given an important position by Your Highness, he was sidelined by Yuan Jie and others during his tenure as the governor of Hedong. Moreover, Your Highness once confiscated his family's grain, which he resented. Du Hongjian was originally a member of the Zhongwang party, but because Zhongwang was isolated and helpless, he joined Your Highness. Wei Lun, Li Xuanyi and others are undoubtedly the rebels. These people often mingled with Bukong to slander Your Highness, so the little monk was influenced by them and regarded Your Highness as a bandit. This time, they crossed out Your Highness's name on the Wild Goose Pagoda, which was not without reason. I'm afraid he really had rebellious intentions."

Hearing this, Xue Bai glanced at Yuan Zai's wrist again and asked, "Where is the evidence?"

"I went to the Jingzhao prison and interrogated the young monk. He confessed that he had indeed heard Wang Jin's remarks criticizing Your Highness."

"What else? I want evidence other than the confession."

Yuan Zai said: "Your Highness, please give me some more time. I will definitely find the evidence."

"Don't go astray." Xue Bai said, "Remember, I asked you to investigate Buddhist temple properties in order to cure the stubborn problems of land annexation and hidden fields. I didn't mean to trap you in the vortex of power struggle."

"Your Highness, I have considered that if we treat this case as a major case of treason, we can deter those who intend to oppose Your Highness, and everything will go smoothly from now on."

"You are being lazy. Whenever I ask you to do something, you label it as 'treason'. So, you turned a good policy to eliminate the accumulated problems and ease the land conflicts into a conspiracy to abuse my power for personal gain and eliminate dissidents?"

"minister……"

"Check the temple's property." Xue Bai said, "Keep your eyes open and keep a close eye on the land and population. Register every acre of land and every person. This is what you should do. Anchor your goal and don't be led astray."

"Here."

Yuan Zai left, and soon a eunuch came in and reported: "Your Highness, Wei Jiansu and Li Xian want to see you, and have been waiting for a long time."

If it were a normal situation, Xue Bai should have met the two of them first and then met Yuan Zai. However, they had actually asked for a meeting earlier, but Xue Bai did not meet them.

This time, Xue Bai thought about it and agreed to meet Wei Jiansu first.

The imperial edict to confiscate the temple's property had only been issued for a few days, but Wei Jiansu had already looked much older and more haggard.

As soon as he entered the palace, he asked, "Your Highness, can you revoke your order to destroy Buddhism?"

"No."

Xue Bai answered straightforwardly and decisively, leaving no room for Wei Jiansu to persuade him.

Wei Jiansu did not persuade him, but directly picked up a memorial and said, "Since this is the case, please allow me to retire and return home."

"Why is this happening, Lord Wei?"

"I am not threatening Your Highness with this. I am truly unable to assist in the administration of the country. I beg Your Highness to agree."

Wei Jiansu's attitude was very firm and he really didn't want to be the prime minister anymore.

Since ancient times, it has often happened that the emperor was ill and the crown prince acted as regent. But Xue Bai's situation was different. He always had some nature of plotting to usurp the throne. It was not good for his reputation to be the prime minister in such a situation where the crown prince was acting as regent. Wei Jiansu didn't want to do it from the beginning.

In this case, the most important thing Xue Bai should do is to respect Li Cong and Li Longji, and let them live long and safe. Who will remember the current disputes in five or ten years? After all, Li Longji has acknowledged Xue Bai's identity.

Now complications have arisen. The destruction of Buddhism has shaken the party's status, and now a case of treason has been uncovered. It feels like there will be no end to it, which makes Wei Jiansu very disappointed.

Plus, his brother Waylon was involved in the case.

Yuan Zai was investigating Wei Lun, and this matter could not be hidden from Wei Jiansu's eyes at all.

Then, as long as he retired, Yuan Zai would let Wei Lun go. This was the rule in the officialdom. Regardless of whether Wei Lun was really guilty or not, his elder brother, who was the prime minister, had given up power, so the threat was gone. Yuan Zai should be satisfied with defeating a prime minister.

So in the end, Wei Jiansu believed that Yuan Zai did it on purpose, in order to squeeze him out and become a prime minister. He was old and not as trusted by Xue Bai as Yuan Zai, and he was not willing to be a prime minister, so he simply gave up his official position to protect his family's future.

"Why must Lord Wei do this?"

Xue Bai understood Wei Jiansu's thoughts and knew it was impossible for him to leave the court now.

Not to mention 90% of the officials in the world, at least 70% of them hold a wait-and-see attitude towards the imperial power. The reason why Xue Bai can now smoothly take power is largely due to the senior officials with rich experience such as Wei Jiansu who keep the situation in check.

In addition, the process of recovering the temple property had just begun, but the prime minister who was in charge of this matter had fallen, and the situation was bound to be affected.

Xue Bai then stepped forward, supported Wei Jiansu with both hands, and said, "We have just begun to eliminate the accumulated abuses. How can Lord Wei allow others to alienate us and leave me now?"

"I am afraid that if I leave too late, nothing will be left of my body."

"Why did Lord Wei say that?"

"Your Highness trusts Yuan Zai, and Yuan Zai also accused my brother of treason. I have no way to defend myself against such a serious crime." "Don't worry, Lord Wei. I have just reprimanded Yuan Zai."

Xue Bai tried to persuade them kindly and promised not to pursue Wei Lun. He also said that someone was secretly preventing them from taking back the temple property and slandering Wei Jiansu, which he would definitely not believe.

In this way, Wei Jiansu was finally appeased.

After sending Wei Jiansu away, Xue Bai summoned Li Xian again.

The first thing Li Xian said when he came up was "Your Highness, can you please stop destroying Buddhism?"

"Do not."

Li Xian's expression became serious, and he said, "I came here because I am worried that Your Highness may be deceived by Yuan Zai and start a wrongful imprisonment."

"Don't worry, Mr. Li."

"I heard that Yuan Zai is also a devout Buddhist. It's fine to take back all the temple property, but why is he attacking and ostracizing his colleagues?" Li Xian said, "Yuan Zai once discussed Buddhism with Wang Jin, saying, 'The prosperity of a country is due to the accumulation of good karma. Good karma is predetermined, and even if there is a small disturbance, it will not cause harm.' But in the blink of an eye, he is fighting for power and fabricating charges, not afraid of 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 when he was summoned, the beads were gone.

~~
"Isn't it obvious? Why is it so hard to understand?"

That evening, when Xue Bai asked Du Wulang what he thought, Du Wulang replied as a matter of course: "I see it very clearly. Seeing is believing."

"Really?" Xue Bai asked while sitting on the threshold of Xuan Zheng Hall.

The terrain here is high, and you can see Chang'an City in the distance, which is surrounded by the sunset and looks extremely peaceful.

"You have been trapped in the palace for too long, and you can't even see simple things clearly." Du Wulang said, "I went to see the little monk. He is just a simple and ignorant child. How could he be involved in a treasonous crime? Don't you believe me?"

"trust you."

"Hey, in my opinion, Yuan Zai is not a good person. He is ambitious. Isn't it normal for him to frame Wei Jiansu in order to become the prime minister?"

"Yes, he seemed to be talking about Wang Jin and Du Hongjian, but he accidentally brought up an inconspicuous Wei Lun, which was a good way to frame someone."

"They're fighting each other right after they start working." Du Wulang muttered, and analyzed, "The current Jingzhao Yin Yang Wan is a good man. He interrogated the young monk Jingyan and found nothing, which means Yuan Zai lied."

Xue Bai turned around, glanced at Du Wulang, and suddenly said, "In the power arena, 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 the same way.

He scratched his head, unable to figure out anything more.

"Anyway, I saw it with my own eyes. The little monk is not a traitor. He is just a child who speaks without restraint. Can you let him go?"

"Let it go."

As Xue Bai spoke, his gaze was far away, absorbed in the scenery in the distance...the towers of Chang'an in the sunset.

~~
Two days later, Jingzhao Prefecture Prison.

The jailer led the young monk Jingyan out of the cell and said to the young man waiting there with a smile, "Wulang is here to rescue someone again. Take care."

"Am I following the rules?" Du Wulang smiled.

"Yes, yes, Jingyin also said that Goro is a well-behaved person."

"I am just a piece of mud that can't be helped."

Du Wulang laughed at himself, waved his hand, and asked Jingyan to follow him.

Jingyan quickly clasped his hands together, said "Amitabha", and hurriedly left with Du Wulang.

The two of them walked onto the long street. He looked back and saw that his fellow brothers were all being taken to the southeast.

"They are going back to Da Ci'en Temple." Du Wulang said, "The temple will only keep thirty people with the most profound Buddhist teachings. His Highness will personally test them. 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 bad that Xue Bai had wronged the child when he destroyed Buddhism, and wanted to make amends.

"But I..."

"But what but? Let's go."

Passing by Pingkangfang, Jingyan looked in the direction of Pingkangfang several times, but Du Wulang did not take him in, but continued to walk towards the East Market.

Finally, the two walked into Fengweilou in East Market.

Du Wulang easily prepared some dishes.

Sweet and sour spare ribs, stewed lamb's trotters, soft and crispy pork kidneys, stewed duck with green snails, and a plate of roast lamb, sprinkled with spices, will whet your appetite.

When all the dishes were served, Du Wulang and Jingyan looked at each other. Jingyan was indeed surprised and did not start eating immediately.

"Hey, you must be starving in jail, right? These are all meat dishes, 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 the tail to the head, eating with relish. After finally swallowing the hot and fragrant meat, he shouted that it was very delicious and asked Jingyan to eat too.

"You can't be a monk anyway, so come and experience the happiness of a layman."

"Ok."

Jingyan had no choice but to take off the Buddhist beads around his neck and started eating with big mouthfuls.

The two of them actually finished all five plates of meat dishes.

Du Wulang enjoyed the meal. He touched his belly, thought for a while, and worried that he had not entertained Jingyan, who had just returned to secular life, well, so he asked someone to bring another pot of wine.

Soon, Jingyan's face turned red from drinking. He was finally not as reserved as before and started to talk more.

"My Dharma name is Jingyan, because my master always told me to keep quiet, saying that I had no brains and said things that I should and shouldn't say."

"We are friends, just tell me what you want to say." Du Wulang said.

Jingyan burped and said while holding the wine jar, "I thought Wulang was going to take me to Pingkangfang, but I didn't expect it was just to eat meat, hehe."

"Ok?"

Du Wulang asked doubtfully, "Just eating meat? Have you ever eaten meat?"

"I've never had roasted lamb this delicious. I've had fish sashimi and deer tongue, but this thin slice tastes so fresh, better than this stewed duck."

Jingyan seemed drunk and mumbled for a long time before asking, "Wulang, if I return to secular life, will I have to farm and pay taxes?"

"what?"

"But I don't want to farm, I don't want to pay taxes, hiccups, I want to be a monk forever, to earn money without working, the temple has many tenants, they can support me for the rest of my life."

The next moment, Jingyan grabbed his hand and put his index finger in his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Du Wulang was startled and quickly pulled his hand back.

"Are you happy, benefactor? I...hiccup..."

Du Wulang rubbed his eyes, suspecting that he was drunk.

He looked carefully and found that although the little monk was young, he had a delicate face and was very cute. After being drunk, his cheeks were slightly flushed and his eyes were blurred. He actually had a strange... charm?
"What's wrong with you?" Du Wulang couldn't help but push Jingyan and asked in surprise, "Aren't you a monk?"

"Wulang really... doesn't understand the happiness of a monk at all." Jingyan muttered, "Even the prince consorts are tired of places like Pingkangfang. Just take me to eat meat. Who hasn't eaten meat? The little monk wants to be as carefree and happy as the brothers."

Du Wulang stayed there.

Listening to Jingyan's drunken and incoherent narration, he was able to roughly understand how happy the monks and dignitaries in Da Ci'en Temple lived.

"Xue Ni."

Jingyan suddenly uttered this word, and then tears began to flow down his face. He murmured, "The traitor Xue usurped the throne of the Tang Dynasty and even confiscated Master's temple property. He is a great villain! A great villain!"

Du Wulang recovered from his shock and asked, "So, are you planning a rebellion?"

"We are not plotting treason." Jing Yan's innocent face showed a serious expression that only a child can have. He made a "hush" gesture and warned Du Wulang, "Don't talk nonsense. We are not plotting treason. We are helping the country."

Through this expression, Du Wulang seemed to see someone standing in front of the little monk, making the same gesture, admonishing the child earnestly.

But how much did such a young child go through to be taught like this?

~~
"Your Highness, Du Ting requests to see you."

"Call."

Xue Bai raised his head and saw Du Wulang rushing in, almost breaking in.

"I was wrong." Du Wulang panted, "I'm afraid Yuan Zai is right... There really is someone trying to cause trouble in Da Ci'en Temple."

"I know."

"What should we do? Catch them all?!"

"No, we can't get sidetracked. We are solving the problem of Yintian Yinhu. We can't be dragged into the trap of power struggles."

"But someone wants to harm you." Du Wulang was still in shock and anger. He pointed outside and said angrily, "They...they..."

"If it was really a conspiracy, how could a young monk of such age know about it? He could know about it because there were many people in Da Ci'en Temple cursing Xue Ni, and there were many people cursing Xue Ni throughout Chang'an. How could he find out?"

Xue Bai was self-aware and said, "Once we start investigating, this case will never end and will lead to countless traitors."

Du Wulang said: "It's different, they are really bad..."

"I know, but don't let your emotions sway you." Xue Bai still had the same attitude as when he met Yuan Zai, and said, "Think about it carefully. Do we want to control their emotions, or do we want to seize their land and population?"

(End of this chapter)