Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 291 In times of chaos, mountains are sealed off to avoid calamity; in times of prosperity, gates are opened to welcome offerings.
Vegetarian roast goose.

"Mushroom and bamboo shoot pieces are wrapped in tofu skin and deep-fried until golden brown and crispy, resembling roast goose."

"Vegetarian fish sashimi".

"Konjac is used for shaping, and laver is used to decorate the scales, making it both visually appealing and healthy."

"Vegetarian Dongpo Pork".

"Winter melon resembles fatty meat, tofu skin replaces lean meat, and shiitake mushrooms enhance the flavor."

"Luohan Zhai" (a vegetarian fast).

"Eighteen kinds of seasonal vegetables and mushrooms are slow-cooked to make a sweet and delicious soup."

The welcoming monk enthusiastically introduced the vegetarian meals at the temple to Lin Dao and his companions.

That is exactly what he said.

These vegetarian dishes, though made entirely of vegetarian ingredients, showcased the chef's exceptional skill.

In terms of color, aroma, and taste, it is outstanding.

Lin Dao had eaten vegetarian food in other timelines before, and he thought it was quite good.

Lan Yu and the others praised it highly, and even ordered a few more dishes. Each of them ate two bowls of eight-treasure vegetarian rice and a few vegetarian spring rolls before finally burping contentedly.

"Such exquisite food."

"Such a beautiful environment."

“If all cultivation in the world is like this,” Lin Dao said, crossing his legs and not taking it seriously. “I’d like to become a monk and enjoy life.”

Actually, it's still a bit lacking.

Hundreds of years from now, the real enjoyment will be being able to feast at a seafood buffet and drive a Mercedes or BMW with girls in tow.

The monk in charge of receiving guests naturally understood the veiled criticism.

But instead of getting angry, he bowed with a smile.

"Abbot Ruhui of our humble temple, please have some tea, benefactor."

Lin Dao was slightly taken aback.

This was not what he had expected.

“Your temple does indeed have capable people.”

The floor was waxed, and the room was decorated with calligraphy and paintings by famous artists. The furniture was also extremely valuable.

Master Ruhui, with his white hair and beard, simmered tea over a low flame and placed a glass cup on the table.

"This is a glass cup from Fulin (Byzantium)."

Master Hui introduced with a touch of pride, "The goods have traveled thousands of miles by sea to reach this place."

The period from the Southern Song Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty was precisely the time when the Maritime Silk Road flourished.

Especially decades ago, when Marco Polo came to China and wrote his travelogue about what he saw and heard, it caused a huge sensation in Europe.

As a result, the Maritime Silk Road became even more prosperous and bustling.

Fleets from the west brought goods including spices, which were exchanged for silk, porcelain, tea, and even rhubarb from the Central Plains.

In Europe, a nobleman who doesn't wear silk clothes will be ridiculed.

If a family doesn't have porcelain, they will also be ridiculed.

Tea is very popular, and rhubarb is considered a miracle drug, even used in cooking.

Conversely, there are not many popular goods that can be sold in the Middle Kingdom.

The trade surplus between China and the West, which lasted for a thousand years, gradually reached its peak at this time.

Among the goods that the West sold to China, glass was the most prominent product in the early stages.

As for the flagship products that followed, those are well-known to everyone.

Lin Dao reached out and picked up a glass, examining it carefully.

"The color is greenish and contains air bubbles of varying sizes."

"Defective products from primary industry".

"It's no different from deceiving the chief with a glass ball."

Setting down the glass, Lin Dao explained to the monk Ru Hui, "It's not from Fulin, it's from a republic west of Fulin called Venice."

The monk Ruhui, who was holding the water kettle, stared blankly at him.

Does he really know, or is he making up a story?

If it's a made-up story, how can it be made to look so real?
With a calm gaze, Lin Dao raised his hand and tapped the watering can. "You've spilled water."

In the ensuing chaos, water even spilled onto the magnificent cassock.

When he returned in a new monk's robe, Monk Ruhui's complexion had returned to normal, and he was completely behaving like a high-ranking monk.

"I won't drink the tea."

Lin Dao fiddled with the glass in his hand. "Just say what you have to say."

"Dare to ask the donor."

As the monk Hui chanted a Buddhist prayer, he asked, "What brings you to our humble temple?"

"It's nothing serious." Lin Dao put down his water glass. "Firstly, I wanted to ask why your Buddhist sect engages in profit-making businesses?"

"Aren't you afraid of being punished by Buddha?"

“You are mistaken, benefactor.” Monk Ruhui said with an air of nonchalance, and began to argue, “We temples in Jiangnan are doing good deeds.”

"Hey~~~"

Lin Dao chuckled but did not interrupt.

“You should know that there are countless troubles in the world.”

"Funerals, weddings, and illnesses in the family."

“When people encounter emergencies, they lack money and are in great distress.”

“Our temples are lending money to alleviate the people’s urgent needs. Isn’t this doing a good deed?”

"Haha~~~" Lin Dao also laughed, raising his hand to point at Monk Ru Hui, "As expected of an abbot, you really know how to make things up."

"If it's truly an emergency loan, why charge interest? And why seize the land and houses when the borrower can't repay?"

"As far as I know, the fields around here all belong to your temple."

"Don't tell me that these fields were donated voluntarily by believers."

The monk Ruhui chanted the Buddha's name again.

His expression was solemn. “You can inquire for yourself. These fields were indeed donated by believers and have been endorsed by the government.”

That's just being a scoundrel.

Lin Dao understood their tactics.

Any tenant who dared to speak the truth would be immediately driven away.

Compared to being a serf for those heartless landlords or a tenant farmer for temples, their living conditions were actually better.

Moreover, there are official land deeds issued by the government, which invariably state that the donations were made by believers.

This kind of rhetoric might fool others, but Lin Dao isn't buying it.

He had long seen through the true nature of these bald men.

There's no need to continue this topic. "There's one more thing," Lin Dao said, sitting still and staring at the bald head of Monk Ru Hui. "The tyrannical Yuan has incurred the wrath of Heaven and the resentment of the people."

"With righteous armies rising up all over the land, the destruction of the Yuan dynasty is only a matter of time."

He leaned forward slightly and asked, "Does your Buddhist community have the will to stand up for the people who are suffering persecution in the world?"

"Please be careful with your words, benefactor."

The monk Ruhui, who raised his palms to chant the Buddha's name, looked so dignified and solemn at that moment, it was as if a golden lotus flower was about to appear behind him illuminated by a lamp.

"How can one speak of war in a Buddhist sanctuary?"

"We are all monks, and have long since renounced everything in the world."

"All people are destined by fate, and only by sincerely seeking the Buddha's salvation can they find peace."

Lin Dao laughed again, shaking his head with a smile, "In the end, it's still the same old routine: sealing off the mountains to avoid disaster in times of chaos, and opening the doors to welcome worshippers in times of prosperity."

"It's been a thousand years, and you've already figured out this whole thing perfectly."

"That's true, they failed to eradicate Buddhism despite several attempts to suppress it."

Upon hearing this, Monk Ruhui's eyelids twitched violently, but he managed to suppress it.

“But nothing in this world is absolute.” Lin Dao crossed his arms and slowly shook his head. “The reason why the destruction of Buddhism failed is because there are always people who think you are useful.”

"One day, there will be a hero who thinks you are useless except for wasting food, and will sweep you into the dustbin of history."

Finally, the monk Ruhui could no longer bear it. "This old monk does not know which rebel leader you are."

"I don't want to know either."

"I just want you to understand that Buddhism has a thousand-year history and is not a pushover that anyone can bully."

“There are countless Buddhist believers. If they were to glare fiercely, the whole world would be in uproar. Even if Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were to be resurrected, or Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song were to be reincarnated, all that would be possible is to appease them.”

This is a blatant threat.

Unfortunately, they chose the wrong person.

"What believers? They've just never had a good life."

"Once we have a good life, we'll trust whoever is useful to us."

"The only reason you can rise up is that the people of the Central Plains have never had a good life before."

Lin Dao stood up and stared down at Monk Ru Hui's bald head. "I already know what the Buddhist sect in Jiangnan means."

"This is your choice, and you must never regret it later."

He stepped out of the meditation room.

Monk Ruhui closed his eyes and said, “Benefactor, our temple is willing to contribute 30,000 strings of cash and 10,000 bushels of grain.”

"How about we call it quits for today?"

This is the simplest and most direct solution.

Spending money can eliminate disasters.

Lin Dao indeed stopped in his tracks.

Meanwhile, Monk Ruhui curled the corners of his mouth, a contemptuous smile appearing on his wrinkled old face.

After all that talk, isn't it all about money and supplies?
You people, I've seen through you all long ago!

"In times of chaos, Taoist priests descend from the mountains to save the common people; in times of prosperity, they retreat to the deep mountains to seek the Great Dao."

Lin Dao opened the door without turning his head. "I am a disciple of the Bodhi Patriarch of the Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave on Fangcun Mountain. I once learned the art of alchemy."

"Money and food?"

"What I lack least is money and food!"

As soon as Lin Dao stepped out, the crowd waiting in the courtyard immediately gathered around him.

He waved his hand and strode forward, saying, "I'm leaving, going back."

"They chose it themselves."

After leaving the mountain gate, we arrived at Feilai Peak.

Looking at the Buddha statues along the way, Lin Dao shook his head.

If you truly have the ability, then when the Central Plains are ever invaded by foreign powers, you should manifest your divine power to save the world!

If that doesn't work, then it's just a pile of stones.

Lin Dao stopped in his tracks as he passed the statue of Yang Lianzhenjia.

The more you look at that hideous face, the more infuriating it becomes.

"Emperor Lizong's head must be retrieved."

"The humiliation you brought when you were triumphant will be repaid tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Lin Dao pointed at Yang Lianzhenjia's stone statue and shouted, "Smash it!"

Upon receiving the order from the King, all the guards and personal troops bravely stepped forward.

They took out their weapons, swords, hammers, and the like, and started clanging and banging around the statue of Yang Lianzhenjia.

With flying debris, the stone statue of the Buddhist tomb raider was quickly reduced to a pile of ruins.

Taking a breath, Lin Dao glanced at the numerous stone statues again and stepped back.

This survey is almost complete.

He also gained firsthand knowledge and information about Jiangnan at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

I already have a plan in mind for how to arrange and handle things in the future.

"I gave you a chance."

"It's yourselves who don't cherish it."

"Then you can't blame me."

"When I come back, don't beg for mercy."

"I love watching you guys, with your unruly and rebellious attitude."

Shi Nai'an, who went out to visit friends, gather talent and intelligence for the forest, has returned.

"King Ming."

Shi Nai'an, weary from his journey, held an exquisitely crafted invitation in his hand.

“Master Xue of Wu County will be hosting a banquet at his home in a few days and will invite many talented young people to attend.”

Shi Nai'an said with a grin, "I just want to choose husbands for my two precious daughters."

Lin Dao was not interested in this.

He only wants to focus on national and family affairs now, and all matters of love and romance are on the sidelines.

"Ah~" Cao Miaoqing walked over, her pretty face full of joy.

"It's Lan Ying and Hui Ying, their younger sisters~~"

"Both of them are talented women with outstanding looks."

"I heard that their father built a house for them when they were young."

"Let's name it Lan Hui Lian Fang Lou~"

"I never imagined it would be about choosing a husband~~~"

(End of this chapter)