Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 262 The Governor's Refined Interests: Devout Buddhist Worship

Xiangguo Temple in Bianzhou has a long history, dating back to the Northern Qi Dynasty. It is said that the temple site was the residence of Lord Xinling of Wei, one of the Four Lords of the Warring States period.

The temple was originally named Jianguo Temple. It was destroyed by war in the early Tang Dynasty and was later rebuilt. When Emperor Ruizong of Tang, Li Dan, succeeded to the throne as Prince Xiang, he ordered that Jianguo Temple be renamed Daxiangguo Temple and that the temple be expanded with funds from the imperial treasury, making it the most famous temple in the entire Henan region.

Xiangguo Temple has such a history that it has become a place for devout men and women from the surrounding area and a gathering place for celebrities. There is a Zen courtyard in the temple used to store and erect various kinds of inscribed steles, including steles for believers to worship Buddha and steles for recording the good deeds of various benevolent people.

Some officials who previously held official positions in Bianzhou, some of whom had outstanding political achievements, were also honored by the local people who spontaneously erected monuments here for their remembrance.

When Yuan Fu first came to Bianzhou, he was invited to visit the Stele Forest of Xiangguo Temple. At that time, he wondered what kind of evaluation he would receive from the people of Bianzhou after his term ended, and whether he would be fortunate enough to have a stele left there.

This time, however, he was no longer in the same mood when he returned to Xiangguo Temple. Instead, filled with anxiety, he ordered the local soldiers and monks to erect a merit stele. This merit stele was made by the temple itself to commemorate the deeds of Consort Hui.

"After the merit monument is erected, all other chanting ceremonies and gatherings should be organized as soon as possible without any frugality! You monks should concentrate on your practice, and all expenses incurred afterward will be paid by the state government!"

Yuanfu personally supervised the erection of the stele, while also giving serious instructions to the monks present.

Having failed to reach an agreement with Zhang Dai, he had a bad feeling. And that kid was indeed ruthless, directly complaining to the court and even reporting to Consort Hui. The court quickly responded, dispatching two envoys to Bianzhou to investigate.

Yuan Fu knew that there were many discords in the state affairs at present, and that if he investigated carefully, he would definitely find some problems.

If it were merely a matter of his mishandling of state affairs, then the matter could be debated and discussed in the outer court. After all, everyone has different views on people and things. Although he did not do well in some aspects, he was quite commendable in others.

Even if he is found guilty, his father can make some personnel adjustments in the outer court to make the matter seem less serious, and the accountability that ultimately falls on him can be dealt with as leniently as possible.

Moreover, Yuan Fu didn't think there was anything wrong with his approach. Perhaps the intensity and steps were slightly debatable, but given the current situation, anyone else in his position probably wouldn't have done much better.

Even Yuwen Rong, known for his competence, had to rely on his cooperation in Bianzhou. Ultimately, the current chaotic situation in Henan and Hebei was due, firstly, to natural disasters, and secondly, to the ill-timed and wasteful Eastern Tour and Fengshan ceremony in the thirteenth year of the Kaiyuan era!
Ultimately, these county and state officials are now cleaning up the mess left by Zhang Yue, who insisted on performing the Fengshan ceremony.

Zhang Shuo's grandson is still ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth and has entered the state to cause trouble and disrupt the administration of various states. If the imperial court really wants to take action against him and punish him severely, then the officials of other disaster-stricken states and counties will also be uneasy, which may make the situation in various states even worse!

In terms of politics, Yuan Fu was not too worried, but in order to leave a reasonable impression on the inspecting officials, he also ordered the state officials to stop setting up checkpoints and imposing heavy taxes on travelers, and not to appear too harsh or eager to compete with the people for profit.

Besides that, what worried him most was the matter of the Wu Huifei merit stele. Even if the process of erecting the stele was not legal or compliant, there was no logic to it. If Wu Huifei harbored resentment or even hatred towards him because of this, it would likely affect the public's opinion of him and the way the court would treat him.

So he came to Xiangguo Temple for several days in a row to urge the construction and erection of the stele, and to handle the matter properly before the palace envoy arrived, so as to prove that he had not stopped the matter.

If a little bribery is offered at that time, the palace envoy might be able to say a few good words for him, proving his innocence and that it was all Zhang Dai's doing, using the favor of Consort Hui to deceive his superiors and cause trouble!
Unfortunately, communication between Bianzhou and Luoyang was not smooth. He only learned of the court's decision to send an envoy through a servant sent by his father, but he didn't know who the envoy was. If he knew who the envoy was, he would naturally be able to make more targeted preparations.

While he was still pondering these matters, an official left behind in the prefecture rushed in. After searching for a moment, he quickly came before him, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, a guest has come to the manor with a letter, claiming to be an envoy from the court..."

"An envoy from the imperial court? Why didn't the officials waiting in the border region inform us beforehand? Do you know who this person is?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Fu's expression changed drastically. As the governor of the prefecture, he could not leave the country unless he arranged for his subordinates to guard several major passes within the prefecture. He instructed them to send someone to report the situation immediately after receiving the envoy's entourage. However, he was still unaware that the envoy had already stormed into the prefecture.

He took the visiting card from his subordinate and was surprised to find that the visitor was Pei Zhouxian, whose official title was Henan Provincial Commissioner.

The term "黜陟" refers to the assessment of a person's virtue and folly, and the evaluation of their merits, in order to determine the promotion or demotion of officials. It directly determines whether a prefectural or county official is competent and whether their official rank is promoted or demoted. It is a very powerful position among all kinds of official posts.

Yuan Fu, also from an official family, was familiar with all sorts of names and anecdotes. He only glanced at Pei Zhouxian's title and immediately realized that this was not just a formality. It was clear that Pei Zhouxian had already gained a certain degree of influence in the court before coming to Henan to carry out a personnel reorganization, which was very likely to cause a major personnel storm!

Realizing this, he naturally dared not delay. As he strode out, he asked in a deep voice, "Is that Prefect Pei still in the prefectural capital? Has he arranged for any officials to accompany him?"

"I did not know whether his identity was true or false, and I was afraid of being impolite and offending him, so I brought him here. He is currently waiting in the front hall of the temple."

Seeing that Yuan Fu looked somewhat flustered, the subordinate official quickly lowered his head and replied, "Bring him to the temple?"

Upon hearing this, Yuanfu became even more flustered. He glared at the man and, not daring to linger, ran towards the front hall of the temple.

In the front hall of Xiangguo Temple, Zhang Dai was following behind Pei Zhouxian, touring the temple, and unintentionally discovered a Buddhist hall with a mural depicting a Buddhist sutra scene painted in the early years by the master painter Wu Daozi.

As he admired the murals, he couldn't help but marvel at how this master painter had become so attached to temples. His paintings were extremely rare in later generations, and now even slightly famous temples have his works.

Besides Wu Daozi's superb painting skills and the popularity of his work, it was probably also because the temples were quick to donate money.

When he enters the court and becomes an official, and takes charge of the Hanlin Academy, he must ask the Sage of Painting to paint several more paintings for him. When these paintings are placed in his coffin, he can be unearthed by future generations and shock the archaeological world just like the Marquis of Haihun, making himself a top-tier ancient figure!
Pei Zhouxian had no leisure to appreciate the paintings. After wandering around the prefecture for several days, the old gentleman's face remained dark.

He had previously boasted that he wouldn't let Zhang Dai lose all the bird eggs, but now that they had arrived in Bianzhou, the group had almost nothing left except their mounts and the clothes they were wearing.

Although the merchants voluntarily abandoned their goods en route, given the intensity of the checks by the Bianzhou officials, even if they were to continue their journey with the goods, they probably wouldn't have much left by the time they reached Bianzhou.

Previously, when Zhang Dai entered the prefecture, he was always under the title of running a charity weaving workshop and also had the official documents of the Pacification Commissioner. However, he still couldn't avoid being exploited. Now that they were traveling incognito, the exploitation they suffered was naturally even more severe.

Yuan Fu had run all the way here, already panting heavily, but he didn't bother to stop and catch his breath. He quickly stepped forward and bowed to Pei Zhou, saying, "This humble official greets Prefect Pei. I had already dispatched officials to guard the border, but unfortunately we missed each other. It was only after you entered the city that you realized this, which is truly impolite. This humble official will personally hold the reins so that you may first return to the prefectural government and enter the hall, where I will then lead my men to pay our respects!"

"It wasn't that I deliberately missed it; I deliberately avoided passing through Guanjin to enter the prefecture, wanting to see what the situation in the prefecture was like."

Pei Zhouxian glanced at Yuan Fu, whose face was covered in sweat, and snorted coldly. He said bluntly, "What I have seen along the way is that the affairs of the state are in disarray and the people are restless. I thought that Governor Yuan must be working diligently at his desk and handling affairs. I did not expect to be able to find him at the mansion. It is rare that Governor Yuan has the leisure to listen to the sutras and worship the Buddha here. His heart is so devout in his devotion to the Dharma. I wonder if the Buddha can grant him the grace to enlighten him and give him a good plan?"

Hearing Pei Zhouxian's somewhat sarcastic words, Zhang Dai, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but smile slightly. This immediately drew Yuan Fu's resentful glare, but he glared back without fear: "You were the boss in the state before, and I could only leave with my tail between my legs. Now that the helpers have come, why should I be afraid of you?"

Yuan Fu was deeply resentful at being ridiculed, and immediately said in a deep voice, "I have been in the prefecture for several months, and what I have seen and know may differ from what Prefect Pei has said! The current situation in the prefecture is indeed somewhat unsatisfactory, but this is all due to natural disasters. As for human affairs, the prefecture's treasury is full, and the people live in peace in their villages. There is no situation of the prefecture's affairs being in disarray as Prefect Pei has described!"

"The treasury is full? The officials of the prefecture act like bandits, levying exorbitant taxes and extorting money, and there are no travelers to be seen. How could it not be full!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhouxian became even more enraged. He took out the tax receipt he had paid during his journey and slammed it down in front of Yuan Fu: "Is Governor Yuan here to govern the prefecture on a mission, or to plunder and pillage the land!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! I have already ordered the state officials to cease their..."

Yuan Fu picked up the documents and glanced at them briefly. His expression immediately changed, and he said in a rapid voice.

Pei Zhouxian ignored him and turned to the temple abbot standing awkwardly to the side. He said in a deep voice, "You monks should be compassionate and care for the suffering of others. But now you ignore the predicament of the state and lure the prefect into this place. You are addicted to heretical practices and neglect the affairs of the state. You are truly despicable!"

"Your Excellency has misunderstood, Your Excellency has misunderstood..."

Upon hearing this, the abbot hurriedly prostrated himself on the ground, repeatedly explaining, "Lord Yuan did not come here to worship Buddha, but to erect a stele, a stele for the current Empress Wu Hui!"

"Build a monument? Let's go take a look!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhou first glanced at Zhang Dai, then glared fiercely at the pale-faced Yuan Fu, before heading towards the stele forest under the monk's guidance.

"My lord, please wait...my lord...please hear my explanation, I did not..."

When Yuan Fu saw Pei Zhou step inside first, his expression changed abruptly, and he hurriedly followed after him.

Seeing his nervous look, Zhang Dai was secretly delighted. He didn't say anything and followed the others to see what was going on.

(End of this chapter)