Top Scholar

Chapter 515 Some Some
“Alright.” Zhu Shou pondered for a moment, then nodded, finding Su Lu’s assessment quite fair.
"Since we need to keep Eunuch Liu around for a long time, let's have him donate some money first."

“Yes, we can exhaust the resources of Eunuch Liu,” Su Lu advised him. “Anyway, it won’t be long before his pond is full again.”

"Should all eight tigers donate some?" Zhu Shou clicked his tongue.

“All of them combined don’t even amount to what Eunuch Liu has made. It’s not worth offending everyone around the Emperor.” Then Su Lu laughed and said, “If someone is useful to you, you should try to treat them well… You can target those who are useless.”

"A useless person?" Zhu Shou stroked his chin and said, "And he has to be very rich... Does such a person exist in the Ming Dynasty?"

"It exists." Su Lu nodded affirmatively and made a gesture of clasping his hands together.

"You mean... a monk?" Zhu Shou suddenly realized.

“Yes. Throughout history, Buddhist temples have been like piggy banks for emperors. A good emperor knows that when he runs out of money, he should smash his own piggy bank first.” Su Lu nodded with a smile.

"Is there a lot of money in this piggy bank?" Zhu Shou asked.

“Just look at the history books.” Su Lu nodded slightly: “Which of the three Wu emperors and one Zong emperor who suppressed Buddhism didn’t make a fortune?”

“I know about the persecution of Buddhism by the Three Wu and One Zong Emperors. This old Mr. Yang mentioned it, but he didn’t say how much the Three Wu and One Zong Emperors made,” Zhu Shou said.

"These historical records clearly state that Emperor Taiwu of Northern Wei's conversion to Taoism was a ruse; the real reason was an empty treasury! Seeing temples everywhere, and monks and nuns not farming or paying taxes, but instead living off land rent and engaging in usury, he issued an order to close 2,600 temples, force 150,000 monks and nuns to return to secular life, and nationalize 1.2 million mu of temple land! That year, national tax revenue increased by a quarter, not even counting the confiscated gold and silver and the melted-down bronze statues!" Su Lu continued in a deep voice:
"Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou was even more ruthless, eradicating more than 30,000 temples throughout the country, sending more than two million monks and nuns home, confiscating millions of hectares of fertile land for the state, and directly doubling the court's tax revenue!"

"Emperor Shizong of Zhou and Emperor Wuzong of Tang also reaped considerable benefits. The former even bluntly stated—the reason for suppressing Buddhism was simply that they ran out of money for war." Su Lu then lowered his voice and said:
"The four persecutions of Buddhism were fundamentally due to the court's lack of funds! Temples occupied people, land, and amassed wealth, yet they didn't pay taxes or perform corvée labor. If the country was short of money, who else would they target if not them?"

He then shifted his focus, pointing directly to the present: "Aren't the temples of my Great Ming Dynasty the same now? They own vast tracts of land, their coffers overflow with gold and silver, and their monks, nuns, and tenants are countless, yet they still don't pay taxes or perform corvée labor! Just imagine how much wealth they've accumulated over 130 years!"

"That must be tens of millions of taels!" Zhu Shou's mouth was practically watering. "It really is the emperor's piggy bank!"

"However, we can't just imitate it rashly." Su Lu changed the subject, pouring cold water on him once again.

"The reason why the Three Wu and One Zong were able to suppress Buddhism was because they had armies to pay them blood taxes! Even Emperor Wuzong of Tang had the Shence Army at his side. But Your Majesty has no troops to use now, and there are rebellions everywhere. If you take action against the temples at this time, it may just add fuel to the fire. So you must not be hasty and must not order the suppression of Buddhism on a whim. You must make full preparations."

"Why are you so indecisive? You're like a scholar trying to rebel, it'll take ten years to succeed," Zhu Shou asked, frowning. Once is enough, twice is too much, but a third time is not. If Su Lu's method this time still doesn't solve the immediate problem, he'll really start cursing.

"It's fine if it succeeds in the eleventh year," Su Lu said calmly, remaining unperturbed.

"If we act rashly without any preparation, we will end up like the eunuchs every time, gaining little benefit and incurring the enemy's united hatred—we won't be able to confiscate two properties, but we will face opposition from temples and believers all over the world, leading to a Buddhist persecution. How do you suggest we deal with this?"

"Uh..." Zhu Shou couldn't refute it, so he could only ask in a muffled voice, "Then what preparations are you talking about?"

"First, we must conduct thorough investigations—first, to ascertain the actual wealth of the temples and see if it matches our expectations, so as to identify the real targets; second, to understand the background of those temples, to see how well they support the local community, and whether taking action against them would incite unrest; third, to find out their misdeeds and crimes, to conduct a public trial before confiscating their property, and to ensure that our actions are justified and deserved. This way, we will encounter the least resistance and avoid causing unrest among other temples," Su Lu said.

“We cannot raise the banner of destroying Buddhism, nor is there any need to destroy Buddhism. We can only differentiate between them by specifically investigating and confiscating those temples with bad records, while protecting those temples that abide by the precepts and practice normally.”

As he spoke, he chuckled and said, "Fortunately, temples that are rolling in wealth are often also rotten to the core, and naturally have a history of misdeeds. The three are always one."

"Hmm." Zhu Shou finally nodded; this was acceptable. "Alright, bandits need to scout out the area before they rob it!"

"We are not bandits, but the imperial court upholding justice, rectifying the monastic community, and purifying the temples for the sake of Buddha. This is a great thing!" Su Lu said solemnly.

"Therefore, we are required to first find a sound legal basis, organize a capable team for training, and at the same time develop a detailed plan to strictly follow the regulations." He added, true to his meticulous thinking:
"Even the follow-up feedback and verification system must be designed in a comprehensive manner—for example, how to register and store confiscated property, how to dispose of land, how to supervise the temples after the rectification, and how to prevent embezzlement. All of these must be done in a systematic way. Only by planning all of these things in place and making sufficient contingency plans can we both fleece the fat sheep and avoid causing trouble for the emperor."

“Hmm, that makes sense.” Zhu Shou nodded and asked, “How long will it take this time? We don’t need to investigate the whole country; just investigate Beizhili first.”

“I don’t have a single person under my command right now,” Su Lu replied. “Even if you start adding more people for me from tomorrow, it will take at least a year to investigate the entire vast Beizhili region.”

“A year is too long!” Zhu Shou frowned and asked, “You can transfer the people as you like, but only investigate Shuntian Prefecture! How long will that take?” “Half a year,” Su Lu said cautiously, “I’ll give you a pilot plan by the end of the year.”

"Good!" Zhu Shou's eyes gleamed with cunning, and he made the decision: "Before the end of the year, we must pick a few fat temples in Shuntian Prefecture to raid! The Emperor wants to train 10,000 elite soldiers, and even if we sell everything we own, it will only cover the expenses for half a year. You have to provide the Emperor with that!"

"Yes, sir!" Su Lu bowed and accepted the order. He never imagined his second job after becoming an official would be scouting land...

"And you can start preparing for the business tax as well." Zhu Shou had a long-term vision and instructed, "These kinds of confiscations are one-off deals. We need a long-term source of income to make things right."

"You're brilliant!" Su Lu sincerely praised Zhu Shou. Zhu Shou had indeed made rapid progress; he was a completely different person compared to the beginning of the year.

~~
After Su Lu finished talking with Zhu Shou, he returned home and saw his uncle and elder brother supporting his father as they walked inside.

With a flushed face and unsteady steps, Youcai recited a doggerel in a drawn-out tone:
"The Su family has a son who has grown up, one is a scholar and the other a warrior, both are full of vigor!"

"Once they went to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, both brothers became top scholars in the imperial examinations!"

"Dad, why are you drinking so much?" Su Lu quickly closed the door. Now his family has three top scholars and two brothers who are both champions, so he has to be mindful of his image.

"Hahaha! Qiu-ge'er! I'm so happy today! Both of my sons have become the top scholars in the imperial examinations! I really want your mother to open her eyes and see! How did she give birth to these sons... Could it be that she gave all the good fortune of her life to you two?"

As he spoke, he began to sob again, saying, "Waaah, Ningning, I'm so sorry. If only you were still alive!"

"Sigh...Alright, alright, stop crying." The uncle patted his shoulder and said, "Ningning's wife gave birth to the Wen Kui Xing and Wu Kui Xing. With such great merit, she must have already been listed among the immortals. She is sure to see it clearly from heaven."

It seems that raising pandas all day hasn't lowered Uncle's emotional intelligence; he's still as eloquent as ever.

"Right? That's what I think too." Su Youcai looked up at the starry sky and grinned foolishly.

After a while, he suddenly shouted into the air again: "Hahaha! Father-in-law! You must have known all along that your little grandson became the top scholar! I wonder what your expression will be when you hear that your eldest grandson also became the top scholar in a couple of days? Will you regret cutting ties with us? I told you you misjudged him!"

After saying that, his face fell, and he cried with a deep sense of self-mockery, "Waaah, I can't say you misjudged me... I really am a complete failure! Waaah... My sons have all become top scholars, while I've only just passed the county-level exam, and I only got through it because of my sons!"

"What are you saying, Father?" Su Lu said helplessly, "Passing the imperial examination is your own ability, what does it have to do with me?"

"Do you think I don't know? That old dog Lu Zhaoye only let me pass the county exam because he was giving you face." Su Youcai grinned.

"Alright, stop talking nonsense!" Uncle frowned and scolded. "Go inside and go to sleep. This is the capital; don't let your mouth get out of your chest!"

"Sigh." Although Su Youcai was too drunk, his obedience to his elder brother was still ingrained in his bones, so he obediently went to bed.

The three members of the Su family helped him take off his clothes and shoes, wiped his face and washed his feet, and turned his body to the side. They were busy for quite a while.

The uncle patted Su Man and Su Lu on the shoulders again, his eyes full of satisfaction: "Good lads, you brothers are both great! Ah, this life is like a dream."

Su Lu smiled and said softly, "Didn't my uncle also become a commander of the Imperial Guard? It's all thanks to my uncle setting such a good example."

"Hahaha! That's right!" The uncle was amused by this. "It seems that the feng shui of our house really does have some merit!"

"..." Su Man disagreed, thinking to himself that although it was indeed the blessing of the ancestors, it was not due to feng shui, but to that sacred ancestral object!
After Xia Ge'er finished his exams, he put away the sacred objects and offered them to the gods with reverence, burning incense twice a day and bowing three times a day.

Although his family was very curious about what was in the box, he decided to keep the secret... Their generation had finished their exams, but there was still Dong-ge'er and the next generation to come.

We need to let our ancestors accumulate their magical power, so that they can unleash their power again in twenty years...

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(End of this chapter)