Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 134 Merit Envoy Gao Chengxin
The monks of Changshou Temple were extremely enthusiastic about the arrival of Zhang Dai and Wang Yuanbao, mainly because Wang Yuanbao was a wealthy man with a large sum of money in his hands, which shows that their situation was really dire.

Although Wang Yuanbao was unclear about Zhang Dai's specific intentions, after several interactions, he realized that this young master did not seem to be a devout Buddhist. His curiosity about Changshou Temple was probably related to its management and difficulties.

So after settling down in the Buddhist hall, he spoke first: "I am grateful for the repeated invitations from Zen Master Huian. I have also heard about the troubles the temple has been suffering recently. I have come here today because I cannot bear to see this famous temple in Luoyang decline. I wish to offer some help within my power to show my devotion to Buddhism."

"With such a kind heart, Wang Tanyue will surely be blessed by Buddha!"

Upon hearing this, Abbot Huian quickly offered more flattery. Zhang Dai, upon hearing this, chuckled and said, "You monks chant scriptures and worship Buddha every day, but when it's your turn to be punished, you still can't escape it!"
"To my shame, Changshou Temple was built by imperial decree in the past. All the abbots and principals of the temple have taken it upon themselves to spread the Dharma. However, the previous abbot entrusted the temple to the wrong person, who used heretical teachings to deceive the masses and make a fortune. He not only disrupted the Dharma but also defied the law of the country. His sins are truly grave!"

Huian first briefly explained the temple's predicament, then sighed and said, "This old monk was originally the guest monk of the Great Jianfu Temple in Chang'an. I was appointed to succeed as the abbot and reorganize the temple affairs in a time of crisis. However, the temple affairs are in chaos, and all resources are scarce. The monks are struggling to make ends meet, let alone uphold the Buddhist precepts..."

During the Tang Dynasty, temples were divided into official and private ones, and even official temples varied in size.

The Dajianfu Temple, which originated from Huian, was the highest-ranking official temple. It was built after the death of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi, in the former residence of his son, Emperor Zhongzong, Li Xian, as a blessing for Gaozong. After the Shenlong Revolution, when Zhongzong returned to the capital, he greatly expanded the temple, making it one of the largest temples in Chang'an.

When Emperor Wuzong of Tang Dynasty suppressed Buddhism, he even issued a special edict to preserve the Dajianfu Temple, making it one of the four Buddhist temples in Chang'an that were spared from destruction. The famous Small Wild Goose Pagoda is located in the Dajianfu Temple.

This Zen Master Huian served as the guest monk at Dajianfu Temple, and inevitably had to deal with imperial relatives and nobles. No wonder his flattery of Zhang Dai was so pleasing and moving; it was a skill honed through experience.

Although Changshou Temple was also an officially built temple, it was undoubtedly much lower in status than Jianfu Temple in Chang'an. The fact that Huian, a guest monk of Jianfu Temple, could become the abbot of the temple after being transferred to Luoyang shows the difference in their status.

Huian described the temple's plight as pitiful, but Zhang Dai frowned and said, "Recently, the Henan Prefecture's investigations only focused on farmland. Even if the temple's farmland is gone, it still has several other side businesses, all of which are well-known in the capital. How could it be that it is struggling to make ends meet?"

He noticed that several monks present still had greasy hair and faces, but showed no signs of malnutrition.

Moreover, Changshou Temple's side businesses were quite famous in Luoyang. As far as Zhang Dai knew, in addition to the pawnshop, there were also cultural and creative products such as "peace paper". A thin piece of paper could sell for several or even tens of strings of cash, making a terrifyingly high profit.

Clearly, the monk from Huian was exaggerating, or there may be other reasons why the temple is in such dire financial straits.

“Young Master Zhang comes from a prominent family in Luoyang, and there are elders in his family who sincerely worship Buddha here. Since you have asked, I dare not hide anything from you.”

Upon hearing this, Hui'an quickly bowed again and said, "The temple was indeed involved in the recent investigation of the land and gardens by the government. It was all due to the misconduct of the head monk, who allowed the monks to privately take over the houses and fields of believers. After the investigation, they were ordered to return them. Those whose owners could not be found were confiscated by the government. All the monks involved were also questioned."

However, when the meritorious official investigated the students' studies, the monks found that they had not done their studies properly, and the head monk and the abbot were both punished..."

In a monastery, the Vinaya Master is a monk in charge of affairs, similar to the head of the Discipline Hall in martial arts novels. He is a powerful figure in the monastery and, together with the Abbot and the Head Monk, is known as one of the three cardinal guides of the monastery. If compared to the imperial court, he is equivalent to the Censor-in-Chief.

Wang Yuanbao didn't know much about the true situation of Changshou Temple. Only after hearing the explanation from the new abbot did he realize that the temple had committed more than one offense. The chant leader had already been investigated and punished by the Henan Prefecture for the land matter, while the head monk and the abbot were punished for other matters.

For monks in the Tang Dynasty, ordination was not the end of their lives. They had to take Buddhist examinations every year, similar to the civil service examinations, which tested their understanding of Buddhist scriptures. If they failed, they would be punished. If they neglected their Buddhist practice too much, they would not only be stripped of their monastic status and have their ordination certificate revoked, but in more serious cases, they would even be subjected to criminal punishment.

However, rules are rules, but actual implementation is another matter. Most Buddhist scripture examinations are just a formality, and generally, they are not thoroughly investigated.

However, Changshou Temple encountered an unusual situation this time. There were hundreds of monks in the temple, but less than half of them passed the examination on Buddhist scriptures.

These monks naturally faced punishment, as did the head monk responsible for spreading the Dharma and the abbot in charge of temple affairs. They not only had to bear the sins of neglecting their studies and disrespecting the Dharma, but also had to be investigated for past blasphemy.

It's not a big deal for temples to break the law. After all, the Buddhist order is outside the secular world. As long as they can withstand the punishment for not obeying human laws, no one will look down on them.

But if you're a monk and you can't chant scriptures, then that's a big problem. No matter how dull-witted or how devoted those devout believers may be, at the very least they should think that these monks are professionals who are well-versed in Buddhism.

But now these professionals don't even have a deep understanding of Buddhism as much as they do, so what's the point of worshipping them!
Therefore, Changshou Temple's official explanation was that they were being investigated over land matters, but they remained tight-lipped about failing the Buddhist examination, as it was too embarrassing. However, since they were counting on Wang Yuanbao to pay for the job, and Zhang Dai was a local strongman in Luoyang, they naturally dared not hide the truth and had to tell the whole story. Zhang Dai was amused upon hearing this reason, feeling that the monks shouldn't be blamed too much.

After all, people's energy is limited. The monks at Changshou Temple have already managed their side businesses quite successfully; asking them to study Buddhism and chant scriptures would be asking too much of them. Besides, didn't nearly half of them pass the assessment?

However, the official in charge of monastic affairs was not as magnanimous as him and was very strict in punishing those who violated the rules at Changshou Temple.

"Now that the temple's treasury has been sealed and Buddhist ceremonies in all the temples have been banned, the temple is not allowed to accept offerings or hold any ceremonies until the recovery of stolen goods is completed. Only the pawnshop in the North Temple has not been inspected yet because it has been filled with items pawned by many virtuous men and women, but it is not allowed to accept or withdraw any more items."

Master Hui'an looked bitter as he recounted this. He had been delighted to be appointed abbot of the Luoyang Great Temple, but he never expected that it would turn out to be a sinkhole.

The temple's assets have all been seized, and he not only has to maintain the temple's operation, but also has to teach the monks Buddhist scriptures. If he fails to meet the requirements within the specified time, he, the new abbot, will also be unable to escape!

"Who is this meritorious official? Did the Zen master inquire with the monks in the temple whether they had any personal grudges besides official business?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai couldn't help but ask, "This method of handling is too cruel. Killing someone is just a matter of beheading them, but this method is tantamount to leaving them alive and forcing the temple to continue making offerings!"
Even though Zhang Dai wanted to acquire a temple with considerable influence in Luoyang, he couldn't help but back down when he heard that Changshou Temple had been dealt with so miserably.

Upon hearing this, Zen Master Huian sighed deeply, and then said in a deep voice, "It is Gao Chengxin, the Director of the Inner Palace and the Commissioner of Merit for the East of Changxia Street. We monks have only been respectfully observing the precepts and diligently practicing. How could we dare to offend officials who have made enemies inside and outside the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai raised his eyebrows again, thinking how small the world was. He hadn't expected Gao Chengxin to have such a status and authority.

His mood, which had cooled down, became lively again when he heard that Gao Chengxin was in charge of the matter.

He didn't have a deep relationship with Gao Chengxin, but when they met last time to discuss the profit sharing of the flying money, he had made some promises to him. He could take advantage of the subsequent conversation to ask him what exactly was going on with the Changshou Temple.

Judging from the way this person seemed to want to devour Changshou Temple alive under some pretext, if it was to compensate the eunuchs for the losses they had suffered from land expropriation in Henan Prefecture, then these eunuchs' appetites were far too great.

Listening to both sides leads to clarity, while believing only one side leads to obscurity. Before clarifying the specifics of the matter, he did not intend to further express his intentions. So he made an excuse to stand up and take his leave, planning to contact Gao Chengxin later to understand the situation before considering whether to invest in Changshou Temple.

While Zhang Dai was still strolling around outside, the two women he had brought from Wang Shouzhen's house had already been sent to Huixunfang Villa and were being scrutinized by Yingniang and others.

"Have those two maids been sent yet? I want to see what kind of looks they have that have won the young master's favor!"

Ah Ying also came here from the Kangsufang mansion. After entering the hall and seeing the two maids, she couldn't help but exclaim, "As expected of women from the former residence of a famous prince, they are so polite and beautiful!"

Xiao Lian and Wan Qing were still unaware of the groom's family background, and they responded with utmost respect to A Ying's scrutiny and praise.

Yingniang had the two women led to the back house first, and then pulled Aying into a room to scold her gently: "You are such a naive woman! Do you really think I don't know about you and Alang... Now that you have this relationship, you must pay attention to the people coming and going in the house from now on, and don't be indifferent!"

"How should I show concern, Mother? What is my status in this household?"

When she was alone with her mother, Aying put away her smile, and her bright face became somewhat dim: "In previous years, you often plotted that if Alang was still without talent and not favored, you would marry me to Alang as his wife, so that Alang could continue his bloodline!"
I secretly thought that being Ah Lang's bride wasn't so bad, it would just be hard work. During the day, I would have to manage the household and teach the villagers a lesson, and at night I would have to hold the baby and spin yarn by the window to supplement the family income. I just didn't know if the money I earned from spinning yarn day and night would be enough for Ah Lang's cockfighting games.
Fortunately, Ah Lang has changed his ways and is no longer as confused as he was in previous years. He is famous outside and has made contributions at home, so he no longer needs a servant born to him to bear children... But, I am not afraid of suffering, Mother! Who knew Ah Lang would be like this..."

At this point, tears welled up in the girl's eyes. She wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks and sobbed, "No one can say that the good days of today are not as good as in previous years. Should I blame Ah Lang for being too stubborn?"

Now I don't need to work hard to have good food and clothes, but Ah Lang is no longer my Ah Lang alone..."

(End of this chapter)