Top Scholar

Chapter 566 The God of Scapegoats
Su Lu and Qian Ning were walking along the South China Sea coast. Due to the drought, the water level had dropped drastically, and even the dragon boats in the lake had run aground.

"The things those monks did were so unpopular. As long as we do our propaganda work well and offer some real benefits, the people will naturally side with us. Even if those monks wanted to incite public opinion, no one would listen to them," Qian Ning concluded.

"Yes, your understanding is spot on." Su Lu nodded in approval. "Let's proceed according to plan."

"Yes!" Qian Ning quickly replied. He then took a half step closer and whispered, "By the way, Godfather, there's something else—Minister of Justice Wang Jianzhi and Chief Justice Zhang Luan seem to have guessed that you are the mastermind behind all this."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Su Lu's eyes, but he did not panic.

“Zhang Luan’s attendant is one of our insiders from the factory.” Qian Ning lowered his voice and roughly recounted the conversation he had overheard between the two men. “They were whispering to each other. I didn’t hear everything, but the gist of it was pretty much what they were saying.”

After listening, Su Lu said unconcernedly, "It's normal. They are all top talents selected through the imperial examinations and have risen to the position of one of the Nine Ministers. They are all shrewd and perceptive. It's impossible to hide the affairs of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices from them."

"Yes, these civil officials are formidable; their minds are more meticulous than needles," Qian Ning echoed, his tone revealing a hint of apprehension.

"They are our most dangerous enemies in the future." Su Lu looked into the distance with a deep gaze, then chuckled, "But Eunuch Liu is the natural counter to them... Now you should understand how valuable Eunuch Liu is, right?"

Qian Ning suddenly realized and nodded repeatedly: "That makes perfect sense! When Eunuch Liu deals with civil officials, it's like an old lady blowing her nose—he can crush them with ease."

"Where did you get these witty remarks from?" Su Lu said speechlessly.

"It's all about entertaining your parents with colorful clothes." Qian Ning chuckled, then said seriously, "I've figured it out. There's no other way to deal with these civil officials than to waste words and use force!"

“Therefore, we must take advantage of the fact that Eunuch Liu is still alive and work hard to strengthen ourselves.” Su Lu turned to Qian Ning and said with a serious expression, “When Eunuch Liu is overthrown by the civil officials in the future, you will have to take his place.”

"No! Godfather, please spare me!" Qian Ning trembled in fear, nearly falling into the lake. "I can't do this job. My son will be devoured alive by those ruthless civil officials sooner or later!"

“You can use your iron fist on them,” Su Lu teased.

"My son is made of iron, how many nails can he hammer?" Qian Ning quickly said with a smile, "You should find someone else. I want to take care of you for another two years."

"I'm afraid that by then it won't be up to us," Su Lu sighed softly.

"Then let's try to find a way to help Eunuch Liu hold on for a few more years," Qian Ning said earnestly.

“That works too.” Su Lu nodded.

~~
The next day, just as dawn broke, the gates of the three government offices of Shuntian Prefecture, Daxing County, and Wanping County were already packed with throngs of people.

As Qian Ning had predicted, a large number of aggrieved parties came to file complaints.

On the walls of all three government offices, the imperial edict of Emperor Zhengde ordering the reorganization of the Buddhist community in the capital was prominently displayed.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since ascending the throne, I have revered Heaven and followed the ancestral teachings, upholding the orthodox religion and expecting monks to abide by the rules, cultivate themselves, and pray for the well-being of the people. However, disorder has arisen in the temples of the capital, with unscrupulous individuals usurping Buddhist authority, committing evil deeds, harming the people's livelihood, and defiling the Dharma. Therefore, this edict is issued, ordering the relevant authorities to strictly rectify the situation!"

"I am not destroying Buddhism, but protecting the faith; I am not punishing monks, but specifically addressing their illegal activities. The Ministry of Rites, together with the Shuntian Prefecture, the Buddhist Registry, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, shall immediately investigate all temples in the capital: verify their ordination certificates; those who ordain monks without certificates shall be punished with caning and forced to return to secular life, and the abbots shall be punished equally; strictly investigate monks' illegal activities and breaches of monastic rules, and strictly investigate acts such as encroaching on farmland and lending money to harm the people, and deal with them according to the law."

"The court will continue to protect law-abiding monks, allowing them to return to their temples for quiet cultivation. All officials must uphold the law impartially, purify the monastic community by eliminating evil, and cleanse the monastic order. Those who break the law must immediately confess; those who obstruct or protect them will be punished equally with the wicked monks, without leniency."

'Proclaim this to the world, so that all may know.'

Attached to this are the "List of Buddhist Monks" promulgated in the 24th year of the Hongwu reign and the "List of Monks and Monasteries" promulgated in the 27th year of the Hongwu reign, which serve as the basis for the emperor's rectification of the monastic community.

The strict legal provisions of Emperor Taizu provided ample legal support for the rectification of the monastic community and the confiscation of temples.

The preliminary work done by the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was incredibly thorough, far surpassing the work done by the eunuchs.

But in reality, ordinary people don't care about any of that. They just want to find a place to reason things out and vent the grievances that have been building up in their hearts for years...

The stone lions at the entrance of the government office and the screen wall were packed with people.

An elderly man with gray hair, a woman holding a child, a farmer in tattered clothes, and a merchant with a solemn expression—each of them clutched a petition filled with the blood and tears of their entire family.

The victims, pre-arranged by the Imperial Guards, led the charge in denouncing the monks' misdeeds, prompting everyone to pour out their grievances. A farmer, his eyes red with anger, accused Zhihua Temple of usury, claiming it had driven his parents to suicide.

The merchant angrily accused Da Nengren Temple of monopolizing the grain business, forbidding the purchase of grain from other sources, and even vandalizing shops and breaking his own leg.

The woman held her child and wept bitterly, saying that Tianning Temple had forced her husband to do hard labor in a coal mine to pay off debts, and that he had not been heard from since…

Accusations rose and fell, and the people were filled with resentment, cursing the bald monk.

The officials were also extremely busy, registering each complaint one by one, and then summoning the aggrieved parties to the yamen for detailed questioning...

~~
The accusations that filled the city, along with the imperial edict to reorganize the monastic community, quickly spread to all the major temples. The monks were filled with dread; even a fool could tell that something terrible was about to happen. Soon, the high-ranking monks gathered again at Da Neng Ren Temple, pleading with Zen Master Xin Yong to quickly ask Eunuch Liu to intervene and resolve the matter, lest it escalate into a major upheaval!
Master Shine no longer cared about pretending to be a wise man, and said with a bitter face, "It will cost a lot of money to ask Eunuch Liu to take action."

The group of high-ranking monks said in unison, "We are willing to pay any amount of money as long as it can resolve this matter!"

Zen Master Xinyong was waiting for these words. He assigned a task of 100,000 taels of silver to the eminent monks and then sent someone to invite Liu Jin's elder brother, Liu Jingxiang, to come for tea.

Liu Jingxiang still retains some of the simple and honest qualities of a native of Shaanxi. Upon hearing that the master had invited him, he came over in a hurry.

Although Zen Master Xinyong usually looked down on this country bumpkin, the situation was now beyond his control. He respectfully invited Liu Jingxiang to take the seat and explained the current predicament to him.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jingxiang readily agreed: "Don't worry, Master, I've noted this down. I'll talk to my brother about it tonight and ask him to settle this matter."

Zen Master Xinyong hurriedly presented a ticket for 50,000 taels of silver, indicating that he would be richly rewarded after the matter was accomplished.

To everyone's surprise, Liu Jingxiang handed the ticket back and chuckled, "No need for money. Please, Master, sculpt a golden statue of Garan for me as well." He then sighed and said, "I haven't been feeling well lately, so I need to make preparations soon."

The reason these nobles and eunuchs wholeheartedly supported Buddhist temples and willingly gave away large sums of gold coins was primarily due to superstition. They believed that such donations would ensure their safety, wealth, and eternal prosperity.

The most sophisticated form of superstition is the golden statue of the temple's guardian deity, specially created for the top-ranking member.

The monks tricked the leader, saying that after he passed away, his soul could use this golden body to become the Garan God, and then he would live forever, have boundless magical power, enjoy eternal bliss, and live as long as the heavens!

With the monks' silver tongues and their limited brain capacity, it would be strange if the nobles and eunuchs didn't fall for their sweet talk.

To provide the top donor with a unique sense of reverence, temples typically do not cast two statues of the Garan deity at the same time.

But these are extraordinary times, and besides, they are brothers. Master Xinyong immediately nodded in agreement: "Donor, please rest assured, this humble monk will immediately arrange for a monk to cast a golden statue for you!"

He was making plans in his mind... If Liu Jin didn't fall in the future, it wouldn't hurt to make a golden statue for Liu Jingxiang; if Liu Jin lost power, not to mention this statue for Liu Jingxiang, even the existing golden statue of Liu Jin could be melted down and recast, and then offered to a new patron.

Gold is a precious resource that can be recycled and reused.

~~
At the same time, Zhu Houzhao summoned Liu Jin and Zhang Yong to the Leopard Chamber.

He first asked Eunuch Liu, "Did your Directorate of Ceremonial and the Cabinet reach a conclusion after their meeting?"

Liu Jin hurriedly replied using the words Jiao Fang had taught him: "Your Majesty, the Grand Secretaries have put forward many good ideas, and everyone is frankly exchanging views and considering the best solution."

Zhu Houzhao frowned: "Speak like a human!"

Liu Jin shrank back in fright and quickly reported truthfully, "We haven't come up with a plan yet."

"A bunch of idiots! I'd be better off raising a panda than you!" Zhu Houzhao cursed. "Alright, you don't need to figure it out anymore, I'll handle it myself!"

"This old servant is useless and has caused trouble for the Emperor!" Liu Jin hurriedly knelt down and displayed his iron head technique.

"Alright, stop knocking around and you'll ruin the floor tiles." Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "I've discovered that the temples in the capital are very wealthy, so I'm going to ask Buddha for some money to spend."

"Ah?" Liu Jin was startled: "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable!"

Even he wouldn't dare to mess with the Buddha, because he's a quasi-god of the Garan!

"What's wrong with that? Oh, you're a Buddhist." Zhu Houzhao said, "I'm a Buddhist too. It's precisely because I'm a Buddhist that I have to properly cleanse the Buddha's household. Monks should live a simple life and cultivate themselves. Excess wealth is karmic hindrance, don't you understand?"

"Hey, hey..." How could Liu Jin dare to say no again?
"This matter will be led by the two of you—Eldest brother, you will be appointed as the 'Supervisor for the Reorganization of the Buddhist Community in the Capital'."

He then looked at Zhang Yong: "Second Brother, you will be the deputy admiral."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the two chief eunuchs replied in unison.

Liu Jin then cautiously asked, "Your Majesty... what exactly should this old servant do?"

"You're just here to have fun. You don't need to worry about anything or ask any questions," Zhu Houzhao said calmly.

"Then this old servant will be relieved!" Liu Jin instantly understood, his face beaming with a smile, but his heart was filled with bitterness. This was practically making him take the blame! And it was a scapegoat, completely obscuring his true identity...

P.S. Post first, edit later...

(End of this chapter)