Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 145 Gaoping County Prince's Cave

Among all the Buddhist caves and statues in the Longmen Grottoes, the most famous and representative is the Vairocana Buddha statue, which was carved during the Xianheng period of Emperor Gaozong of Tang.

The Buddha statue took three years and nine months to carve. Empress Wu Zetian, who was then Emperor Gaozong's empress, donated 20,000 strings of cash for the project. Although 20,000 strings of cash was a considerable sum, it did not represent the entire cost of the project.

The Vairocana Buddha statue and its accompanying Buddha statues, as well as the Dafengxian Temple built later to maintain the Buddha, were all built by Emperor Gaozong to perform meritorious deeds for his father, Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.

The 20,000 strings of cash donated by Wu Zetian was only one portion of the funds. The majority of the expenses were paid by the Ministry of Agriculture, and the labor required was all conscripted from the people. If all the expenses were converted into cash, the amount would be far more than 20,000 strings of cash.

Besides the Vairocana Buddha statue, there are numerous other cliffside grottoes on both sides of the Longmen Grottoes. These grottoes vary in size, and the costs naturally differ as well. However, even the simplest small niche with a single image costs at least several tens of strings of cash, more than enough to support a family of five for a year.

As for other, larger statues, the costs were even greater, often reaching hundreds or even thousands of strings of cash, far beyond the reach of ordinary believers. Therefore, carving Buddhist caves was considered the most demanding and expensive form of Buddhist worship, testing the sincerity of believers.

Unlike other monasteries, Pure Land Monastery did not advertise extensively. Because its main customers were the palace women, it was not as crowded with believers as other temples. However, it was not deserted either, as many craftsmen were still building houses and digging ditches there.

After Changshou Temple reopened, the temple gates were bustling with worshippers who came to participate in Buddhist ceremonies.

Because the monks of each monastery need to win the support of the believers in order to determine the final abbot of the temple, each monastery works very hard and arranges novices to guide believers into the temple from the gate.

A simple cloth-covered carriage stopped in front of the temple gate. As soon as the driver came to a stop, he quickly turned around and helped an elderly man with a white face and no beard off. Immediately, a novice monk stepped forward and respectfully asked, "May I ask which monastery you wish to visit to seek the Dharma?"

The old man rummaged through his pockets and pulled out a piece of paper with a simple silhouette of the Longmen Mountains drawn on it and writing all over the north side. He looked at it for a moment before asking again, "Is the Pure Land Temple here?"

"A believer has come to the Pure Land Temple!"

Upon hearing this, the novice monk looked disappointed and then shouted loudly to the back.

After being called out two or three times, Ding Qing, who had been squatting in the gatehouse, bored and dozing off, hurriedly came out to greet them, shouting loudly, "Pure Land Courtyard! Pure Land Courtyard is here! Who wants to go to Pure Land Courtyard?"

The old man who had just asked the question frowned when he saw Ding Qing's rash behavior, especially since he hadn't shaved his head yet. He said, "In such a large monastery, can't you find a single monk who is pure of heart and mind?"

"Old man, don't be impatient. The Pure Land has the true Dharma, which is not found in me! Old man, please come into the courtyard and listen first. If it doesn't suit your taste, then you can teach me later!"

Ding Qing could tell at a glance that the old man was probably a eunuch like his adoptive father, Ding Cang, but he wasn't offended and bowed with a smile.

Seeing that the boy was quite clever, the old man stopped questioning him and gestured for him to lead the way.

At this time, major construction was still underway at the Pure Land Monastery. Although the construction site was separated from the living area by hemp curtains, dust still filled the air, a stark contrast to the atmosphere of other monasteries where sandalwood incense wafted and Buddhist chants echoed. When the old man was led in and saw this scene, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Ding Canggang was inspecting the construction site when he heard his son shouting outside. He crawled out from behind the curtain and, seeing that he was covered in dust and it was inconvenient to receive guests, he turned around and patted the dust off his body.

However, a startled voice suddenly came from behind him: "Ding Cang? Are you Ding Cang?"

He quickly turned around and looked, and after seeing the person's face clearly, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Li Jing'en, you're still alive?"

"If you, this black-skinned slave, are still alive, what's so strange about me being alive too!"

Upon hearing this, the old man burst into laughter, but quickly looked puzzled and asked, "You're here? Isn't this the Pure Land Courtyard of Changshou Temple?"

"My son donated his property to build the temple, and I'm here to oversee its affairs!"

Ding Cang offered a brief explanation with a touch of pride, then gestured for his old friend to sit down in the still-standing monk's quarters.

"Your son-in-law? Which young master is he under the patronage of the King of Jian'an?"

The old man still looked puzzled after he sat down, so Ding Cangxuan explained again: "I left the Jian'an Prince's residence a long time ago and followed my wife to Zhang Yan's house. After my wife passed away, I raised my son. The Jade Bone Gentleman, who was recently named by the Emperor and was a famous grandson of Zhang Yan, is my son!"

"That...that Young Master Zhang, is actually your son?"

Upon hearing this, the old man Li Jing'en couldn't help but widen his eyes and exclaim in surprise. Then, he sighed and said, "After my king passed away, I returned to Shangyang Palace. Fortunately, with the help of my fellow disciples, I managed to settle down. But I never expected that among all the former servants of the kings, you, the Kunlun slave, would be the most comfortable!"

It turns out that Li Jing'en was originally a servant of Wu Chonggui, the Prince of Gaoping of the Wu Zhou Dynasty. After the Wu clan fell, he returned to Shangyang Palace to serve as a eunuch. Now he has become a steward eunuch with a minor position. He went to Mingde Palace in Xiyuan to get a brochure about the Pure Land Temple. That's why he took some time to leave the palace to ask about it.

“A statue made of a hundred coins? How is that possible! You are now a servant of Zhang Yan Gong, not a rootless ghost, how can you make such a lie to deceive believers?”

Although they weren't close friends, they were old acquaintances. The old eunuch, Li Jing'en, holding the promotional brochure in his hand, asked without any politeness.

"Take a look at these first before you speak!"

Ding Cang had encountered similar questions several times in the past few days. After listening to Li Jing'en's questioning, he handed the other party a booklet with more detailed information.

The "hundred-coin statue" was just a gimmick; it actually meant that the initial payment was only one hundred coins, with monthly offerings of one hundred coins, and an additional one thousand coins for Buddha's Birthday and the Ullambana Festival.

In this way, an offering of 3,200 coins would be required each year. After ten years of offerings, the amount of 32 strings of cash would be reached, which would allow a standard Buddhist cave to be carved in Longmen.

The market price for such Buddhist statues in grottoes is usually between forty and fifty strings of cash. This not only greatly reduces the total cost but also, because it is done in installments over ten years, reduces the financial burden on patrons. Of course, even with higher costs, it is still a considerable expense. For example, the newly acquired households by the imperial court only need to pay 1,500 coins in taxes annually.

Of course, the two concepts are not the same. The former is an unavoidable tax, while the latter is an optional expense; you can pay it if you want, or no one will stop you if you don't. In short, if you want to become a patron to carve caves and create statues, this is the cheapest and most cost-effective option, provided it takes up to ten years.

Besides the 100-coin cave-carving option, there are also packages of different tiers, such as 1,000-coin and 10,000-coin options. In short, it's all up to you, whether you're willing to spend or not.

"Is there anyone willing to make this offering?"

After reviewing the detailed description of the package, Li Jing'en looked at Ding Cang and asked.

This time, Ding Cang didn't offer much explanation either. He simply took out a register containing the files of about a hundred statues, most of whom had chosen the plan of creating a statue for a hundred coins.

However, some people choose to pay in full at once, but they have to add 16 strings on top of the 32 strings, which is basically a normal expense.

This is quite normal. After all, even without this package, the two sides of Longmen would have been dug up like rat holes long ago. Believers are very enthusiastic about carving caves and statues, which is the fundamental reason why the installment package is so attractive.

"The hole I need to carve is very large, and I'm afraid it will cost more than a hundred or a thousand strings of cash. Ding Cang, could you please ask your husband if he has any compromise that can help me achieve this goal?"

After learning all this, Li Jing'en was immediately intrigued, but then looked at Ding Cang with some difficulty and asked.

Ding Cang nodded after hearing this: "Go on, I'm listening. I'll report back to my husband later and give you an answer on whether things will go well."

"How big can it be?"

Inside the Jicui Building of the Zhang family mansion, Zhang Dai, upon hearing Ding Cang's report, inquired about it without any apparent concern.

He has plenty of funds at his disposal. The 500,000 guan that Wang Yuanbao borrowed is being gradually disbursed as more and more of the flying money is absorbed and returned. So he is not afraid of big business coming to his door now.

"It's big!"

Ding Cang said with a serious expression, "Does my lord know about the Gaoping Prince's Cave in Xiangshan Wanfo Valley? It was built by Li Jing'en's former master, the Gaoping Prince. Because the project was too large, and due to a change in the dragon, the prince died soon after, and the project was stopped. Li Jing'en wants to rebuild this former prince's cave, so he came to ask how much it would cost?"

"The Gaoping Prince's Cave? His, his family's?"

Zhang Dai was genuinely taken aback. He had heard of this Buddhist grotto before he came to this world; it was a very famous unfinished grotto on the eastern side of the Longmen Grottoes and also the largest of the Ten Thousand Buddha Grottoes in Xiangshan.

When he visited the Longmen Grottoes in later years, he only saw a series of Buddhist caves on the West Hill, including the Vairocana Buddha statue. By the time he turned to the East Hill, he was already a bit tired. In addition, the Gaoping Junwang Cave was located on a relatively high and steep terrain, so he did not explore it in detail. He only heard about it from a senior female student who was his guide at the time.

Now, thanks to Ding Cangyi's reminder, isn't this a relative of their own? Wu Chonggui, the Prince of Gaoping of the Wu Zhou Dynasty who carved the cave, is the cousin of his maternal grandfather, Wu Youyi.

Studying behind closed doors for days on end can be quite tedious, so Zhang Daibiao took some time to go on a field trip with An Xiaochen and Ding Qing.

The Longmen West Hill Buddhist caves were carved relatively early, and with the iconic Vairocana Buddha statue, most of the princes and nobles also liked to carve caves in the West Hill, and have already occupied almost all of the West Hill cliff carvings.

Therefore, from the late Wu Zhou period to the present day, the Longmen Grottoes have been gradually shifting to the eastern mountains, and the unfinished Gaoping Junwang Cave is located in the core area of ​​the eastern mountain grottoes.

Because the development of Dongshan was not as advanced as that of Xishan, and the mountain roads were steep, they found two young monks at Xiangshan Temple to act as guides before they were able to climb over the mountains to reach their destination.

Along the way, they saw many Buddhist grottoes under construction. Seeing the relatively pristine Dongshan, Zhang Dai was worried that the Gaoping Junwang Grotto, which had been abandoned for several years, might be buried by weeds and vines. However, when he arrived, he found that the grotto was still well preserved. The abbot of Xiangshan Temple nearby had been sending people to maintain it, unwilling to let this magnificent Buddhist site fall into disrepair.

However, the structure of this Buddhist cave is too large. Although the project is already more than halfway complete, the remaining work will inevitably cost a great deal.

"If this is to be completed, then the eunuch Li Jing'en will probably have to become the general agent of my Shangyang Palace!"

Zhang Dai secretly calculated in his heart that he also wanted to create a landmark project. After all, with an investment cycle of several years or even more than ten years, having such a flagship project would undoubtedly gain more trust from the palace servants.

The Gaoping Prince's Cave is a massive project, and its completion would undoubtedly cause a sensation in Luoyang. Promoting it then would be much easier. If a different plan were implemented and the cave were to be re-excavated, it would inevitably be much more labor-intensive and time-consuming.

The Buddhist grotto can be built, but any traces of the Wu Zhou dynasty should be erased as much as possible. It cannot be that Wu Chonggui built it to pray for the Wu Zhou dynasty and the Wu clan. Let's just consider it another masterpiece of the Pure Land School after the Vairocana Buddha statue.

However, before actually starting the excavation, we still need to teach Li Jing'en a lesson, so that he can form a Lotus Society among the people of Shangyang Palace to sell insurance, work hard to develop his downline, and start construction only after receiving the money.

In the future, when the people of Shangyang Palace grow old and leave the palace, several health resorts can be built near Xiangshan Temple to take them in, so that Bai Juyi and his companions can find a place to live in the future!
After visiting Fragrant Hills, Zhang Dai returned home, only to encounter an unexpected visitor: Niu Guier, a servant of Consort Wu Hui.

"Has His Majesty returned? What brings Niu Neipu to visit?"

Zhang Dai was naturally very surprised to see Niu Gui'er, whose grandfather had also gone to Ruzhou to soak in the hot springs and had not yet returned home.

Niu Gui'er's expression was not good. After hearing this, she said in a deep voice, "His Majesty has not yet returned. Consort Hui has returned first and sent a servant to invite Zhang Lang to the palace for an audience."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai's expression changed slightly. He instinctively felt that something bad had happened. Without even changing his robes, he hurriedly went out, mounted his horse, and headed towards the palace with Niu Gui'er.

(End of this chapter)