Catching Monsters

Chapter 323 Would Princess Ningyi agree?
"Does Jiang Yun have any suggestions?"

Xiao Yuzheng frowned slightly and stared at Li Wangxin as he asked.

After a moment of silence, Li Wangxin slowly said, "He's right outside, Your Majesty. Would you like to see him?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng chuckled and beckoned, "Let Jiang Yun in."

Soon, Jiang Yun, who had been waiting outside the Imperial Study, strode in and knelt on the ground: "This humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Xiao Yuzheng nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the files, and slowly said, "Jiang Yun, you did a very good job this time. I am very satisfied. I heard from Li Wangxin that you have your own suggestions on how to deal with Bailong Temple?"

Jiang Yun nodded slightly and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, these monks at Bailong Temple who disregard human life and traffic women deserve to be skinned alive. The laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty are there to govern these people."

"I simply have some opinions on how to handle the Hakuryu-ji Temple."

Jiang Yun paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Bailong Temple is, after all, one of the five major Buddhist temples of our Zhou Dynasty. Now that this matter has been exposed, it will inevitably suffer a heavy blow."

"The most likely outcome is that the temple will be closed down."

Xiao Yuzheng narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Jiang Yun with interest, asking, "What, does Commander Jiang feel regretful about Bailong Temple closing down?"

At this point, he glanced at the dossier and slowly said, "The one who most wants all these monks to die is probably you, Jiang Yun."

Jiang Yun's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty has misunderstood me. I have never had such thoughts. When I do my job, I never bring any personal grudges into it, and I always put Your Majesty's wishes first."

Xiao Yuzheng chuckled, gave Jiang Yun a deep look, and said, "Alright, I don't like beating around the bush."

"Speak your mind."

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and slowly said, "Your Majesty, I believe it would be a pity if Bailong Temple were to collapse like this."

"What a pity?" Xiao Yuzheng narrowed his eyes and asked in confusion.

As for Xiao Yuzheng, he certainly wished that Bailong Temple would be completely destroyed.

At the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, evil spirits ran rampant.

The Zhou Kingdom also needed the help of Buddhist and Taoist temples to slay demons and monsters, so it treated them with great favor.

The most distinctive feature is that Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries do not need to pay any taxes on the donations they collect.

Later, Emperor Taizong of the Zhou Dynasty went even further, requiring Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries to pay only very low taxes even if they were to do business.

This led to a period of rapid development for various temples and Taoist monasteries.

At that time, the temples and Taoist monasteries were not large in scale, and the taxes they collected were just a drop in the ocean for the Zhou Dynasty.

However, as the Zhou Dynasty lasted for three hundred years, these Buddhist temples had become enormous structures.

Moreover, the land occupied by temples only required the payment of very low taxes, a matter that had been a major headache for emperors throughout history.

Xiao Yuzheng was no exception. Now that he had such a good opportunity to directly eliminate Bailong Temple, it was an excellent opportunity.

Jiang Yun then said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, the White Dragon Temple is indeed guilty of heinous crimes."

"But it would not be wise to wipe out Hakuryu Temple in one fell swoop."

"If we could continue using the Hakuryu-ji signboard..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng narrowed his eyes slightly, a clear look of displeasure on his face.

The five major Buddhist temples have been deeply entrenched for many years. Now that we have a legitimate opportunity to eliminate them, we should keep them alive, as Jiang Yun said.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, the White Dragon Temple brand and its affiliated businesses generate a considerable amount of money each month."

"I have heard that Your Majesty's private treasury is currently in a tight spot. In my opinion, it would be better to find a reliable person who is good at management to temporarily take charge of Bailong Temple."

"Most of the money earned, after expenses, is put into His Majesty's private treasury."

Xiao Yuzheng's eyes lit up slightly, and an expression of interest appeared in his eyes. He couldn't help but turn to look at Feng Yu behind him and ask, "Approximately how much silver does Bailong Temple earn in a year?"

After a moment's thought, Feng Yu said, "As far as I know, Bailong Temple has quite a few shops in the capital. Even if they don't engage in human trafficking, their monthly income is probably around 30,000 to 40,000 taels of silver."

Hearing this, Xiao Yuzheng was somewhat astonished. He had never seriously looked into it before, and asked incredulously, "Wouldn't that mean an income of three or four hundred thousand taels a year?"

“Yes.” Feng Yu nodded slightly: “Below Bailong Temple, there are a large amount of farmland, taxes, and shops. This is still an underestimation.”

Xiao Yuzheng's eyes flickered slightly. If most of this money could go into the imperial treasury, it would be a considerable source of income.

He looked at Jiang Yun and asked, "Now that this has happened at Bailong Temple, I'm afraid there will be very few worshippers in the future. Are you confident that you can manage it well?"

A smile appeared on Jiang Yun's face as he said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I am confident."

Xiao Yuzheng's expression shifted slightly, and he slowly said, "Since that's the case, I won't ask for more. Bailong Temple, including all its properties, will be transferred to the Eastern Garrison Command and temporarily managed by Jiang Yun."

“Every year, another 300,000 taels will be allocated from the income of Bailong Temple to the imperial treasury.”

At this point, he looked at Li Wangxin and Jiang Yun and asked, "What suggestions do you two have for this?"

According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, all the shops and land of Bailong Temple would be confiscated and incorporated into the Ministry of Revenue.

Once inside the Ministry of Revenue, there is a very high probability that the money will be embezzled by the officials there.

Li Wangxin was overjoyed at this result and quickly said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

Jiang Yun felt somewhat helpless; damn it.

Originally, Jiang Yun planned to acquire the management rights of Bailong Temple.

Of course, upon closer examination, it's not very realistic. After all, Xiao Yuzheng wouldn't easily hand over such a large asset as Bailong Temple to him.

"Alright, Jiang Yun, you go ahead and attend to this matter. I have another important matter to discuss with Commander Li."

"Yes." Jiang Yun bowed respectfully and then left the Imperial Study.

Watching Jiang Yun leave, Li Wangxin felt refreshed and looked curiously at Xiao Yuzheng. A secret memorial was placed on the table by Xiao Yuzheng, his expression turning serious as he slowly said, "Take a look at this first."

Li Wangxin extended both hands and accepted the memorial. After reading it, his pupils contracted slightly, and he abruptly raised his head to look at Xiao Yuzheng: "Your Majesty, this..."

Xiao Yuzheng said in a low voice, "After Yang Liunian's confirmation, the Imperial Seal of the State is most likely in the hands of the rebels in the southwest. However, Yang Liunian and his group were also discovered by the rebels and suffered heavy casualties."

"Most importantly, these rebels have gone mad. They dared to establish their own court in the area and even went so far as to appoint a bunch of kings and ministerial officials."

There was a loud bang.

Xiao Yuzheng slammed his palm hard on the table in the imperial study.

Li Wangxin had not seen His Majesty so angry in a long time. He was so frightened that his heart trembled slightly, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak easily.

"Li Wangxin, I don't care what methods you use, I want you to find a way to send a team to bring back the head of this rebel leader to me."

"Of course, the Imperial Seal of the State must also be retrieved!"

Li Wangxin's heart skipped a beat, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the three southwestern provinces are now under the control of these rebels..."

"Hmm?" Xiao Yuzheng frowned.

“No problem!” Li Wangxin took a deep breath, nodded without hesitation, and said, “Your subject guarantees to complete this task.”

……

"Jiang Yun, how have I treated you?"

Inside the Eastern Garrison, Jiang Yun, after returning, was organizing the land deeds for the fields and houses within the White Dragon Temple.

Over the years, Bailong Temple has used every means at its disposal to amass an unknown amount of wealth.

Unexpectedly, Li Wangxin arrived shortly after Jiang Yun's arrival, with a half-smile on his face, making Jiang Yun feel that Commander Li seemed to have some ill intentions...

“Commander Li has always been very good to me…” Jiang Yun nodded, then suggested, “After all, the affairs of Bailong Temple are Buddhist business, so I would like to recommend someone.”

“The abbot of Changxin Temple, Yunwu, is quite good. Recently, business at Changxin Temple has been booming.”

"Abbot Yunwu has considerable experience in managing temples..."

Li Wangxin nodded with a smile: "Okay, okay, whatever you say."

Jiang Yun: "..."

"Furthermore, among the monks of Bailong Temple, there is a monk named Wuzhen. He is not inherently wicked, and I promise to spare his life..."

Li Wangxin nodded with a smile as always: "Okay, okay, whatever you say."

Jiang Yun: "..."

Looking at Li Wangxin's eyes, Jiang Yun felt a chill run down her spine. What's wrong with Lord Li?
Li Wangxin suddenly grasped Jiang Yun's hand and couldn't help but say with emotion, "To be honest, out of all the people in the Eastern Garrison, you are the one I value the most."

"Young in age, yet possessing a cultivation level of the third rank, remarkable strength, both intelligent and courageous, having solved countless cases, handsome and talented, with a promising future..."

"If Lord Li has something to say, why not speak frankly?" Jiang Yun asked. "If I can help, I will go through fire and water for you."

“You said it yourself.” Li Wangxin immediately laughed: “I want you to go to the three southwestern provinces.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yun frowned and asked, "Aren't the three southwestern provinces already surrounded by our imperial army? Commander Yang and his men are also here. If there are any missions, you can just send a message and have Commander Yang handle them for you, right?"

"Or is it that Commander Yang and his men are incapable of handling this task?"

Li Wangxin shook his head and said, "Don't worry, it's not too difficult."

"I'm going to the three southwestern provinces to travel around. I've heard that the scenery there is beautiful and the landscape is lovely."

"Go out and relax on your own expense."

"Then, while you're at it, cut off the head of that rebel leader and bring it back. Oh, and bring back the Imperial Seal of the State as well."

"It's not difficult, is it?"

Jiang Yun's face darkened. By the way?

Damn it.

A force that can occupy three provinces is not so easy to provoke.
Thinking about this, Jiang Yun finally understood why Li Wangxin had been so hesitant and preambled on before finally revealing the mission...

This mission was not easy, even for a third-grade expert like Jiang Yun; it was quite dangerous.

"Lord Li, I've just solved the case at Bailong Temple and would like to rest for a while..."

“Young man, this is the time to make achievements, get promoted and make money. How can you rest? This matter is settled. We will leave the city first thing tomorrow morning.”

"So soon?" Jiang Yun frowned upon hearing this, realizing he couldn't refuse. After pondering for a moment, he continued, "I need some time to prepare."

"Make some preparations?"

Jiang Yun nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said, "At the very least, I want to ask Lord Li for another person..."

Upon hearing this, Li Wangxin breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Jiang Yun agreed to go, what did it matter if he needed someone else?

He smiled and said, "Alright, I'll grant your request. Who do you want?"

"I would like Princess Ningyi to accompany me on this journey."

"Who? Princess Ningyi?" Li Wangxin was stunned for a moment, staring at Jiang Yun with some surprise, and couldn't help but say, "I can't make that decision..."

"You little rascal, you're out on official business and you want the princess to accompany you? Do you think Princess Ningyi would agree to that?"

(End of this chapter)