Top Scholar

Chapter 569 Purification of the Six Roots
Closing temples, investigating monasteries, and detaining people are merely appetizers in this "purification of the six senses" campaign. The real main event is the subsequent conviction and confiscation of assets.

When Su Lu gave Zhang Yong his instructions, he bluntly stated that the key to the success or failure of the operation lay in two points: speed and accuracy!

"How so?" Zhang Yong asked humbly.

"Speed ​​goes without saying. We need to be quick in and out of this kind of business; delays can lead to complications and unforeseen problems," Su Lu replied.

"The investigation must be divided into two parts. First, it must be thorough and accurate. These temples are mostly centuries-old establishments, deeply entrenched in the capital, with businesses spread far and wide, both overt and covert, of all kinds. We must dig deep, leaving no stone unturned... Since we've committed evil, we must reap the greatest benefits!" Su Lu said in a deep voice.

"Second, we must accurately determine the crimes of each temple and monk, and never fabricate them randomly, otherwise there will be endless troubles."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Actually, most monks don't kill, set fires, or abduct women. They're rich and powerful, and they can enjoy anything they want by spending money."

"Yes, yes." Zhang Yong nodded emphatically; this was also what he was most worried about. Today, they launched a surprise attack, catching the bald monks off guard and sealing off all those major temples. But soon, once those imperial relatives, dukes, and earls realized what was happening, they would each use their own unique methods to retaliate.

Therefore, it is necessary to solidify the monks' charges and, ideally, prevent those influential people from speaking up for them; then everything will be fine.

But if we arbitrarily convict monks, it might become their excuse for retaliation. If things get too out of hand, it won't be enough for just Eunuch Liu to take the blame; we might end up getting caught up in it too.

"Actually, it's not difficult. Everyone's life is so miserable these days, whether they're officials or farmers, everyone has their share of bitter tears. So, if we just focus on the carefree, idyllic lives of monks, it's enough to ignite everyone's anger." Su Lu then gave an example:

"Such as monks marrying and having children, having multiple wives and concubines, and seducing the wives of scholars; appearing poor on the surface but actually living in large mansions with countless servants... These crimes are easy to investigate and not difficult to prove. But they must be specific, so that everyone both enjoys talking about them and wants to tear them apart. Once the emotions of scholars and common people are stirred up, public opinion will be one-sided, and no one will dare to speak up for them."

“Indeed, although it’s not illegal, it violates the rules and regulations!” Zhang Yongdu said indignantly, “Monks should be like us eunuchs, why can they marry and have children?!”

Zhang Gonggong was clearly hit where it hurt.

"Uncle, you've hit the nail on the head." Su Lu nodded and smiled. "If they weren't monks, we really wouldn't have much of a way to deal with them. After all, we're not bandits, and in the end, we still have to act legally and reasonably."

“But they happen to be monks.” Zhang Yong clapped his hands and laughed, “Those worldly desires are real sins!”

“That’s right, that’s why we call it ‘rectifying the monastic community’ instead of ‘punishing illegal activities’.” Su Lu smiled slyly. This is the benefit of thorough preparation; all problems have been considered, and all possibilities have been deduced, which is why we have such a firm grasp of the situation now.

"Haha, my dear nephew, you're truly... amazing!" Zhang Yong exclaimed sincerely. "Don't worry, I'll listen to you. Whatever you say, we'll do!"

~~
Zhang Yong had initially worried that Su Lu might not have considered things thoroughly since it was his first time planning such an important matter, and intended to offer some guidance as an elder. However, he soon discovered that Su Lu had considered things much more comprehensively and was far more capable than him.

Now he was completely relieved and immediately ordered the reorganization of the monastic community task force, establishing four specialized groups as planned.

The first group is the property registration group, which is responsible for registering the temple's movable property, such as gold and silver jewelry, Buddhist statues and ritual implements, books and cultural relics, grain and sesame oil.

The second is the personnel review team, which is responsible for reviewing the monks' identities, the authenticity of their ordination certificates, and their criminal records;

Thirdly, there is a land investigation team, responsible for investigating the quantity, source, and ownership of the temple's land.

Fourth is the financial accounting group, which is responsible for integrating and reviewing the value of temple property, recovering outstanding debts, and compiling statistics on revenue.

Logically speaking, with manpower shortages at present, even if Su Lu sets up such a large structure, it won't fill the gaps. However, having been exploited by capitalists for so long, he has learned how to squeeze manpower – he has transferred all the manpower to the property registration group and the personnel review group.

The land survey team and the financial accounting team will not be staffed for the time being; they will remain as empty shells.

Once the first two groups have finished their work, the staff will be reorganized and reassigned to the last two groups.

This solves the problem of insufficient manpower and reduces favoritism and corruption, achieving two goals at once.

The problem is that each person has to do two jobs, which will definitely be exhausting. But these days, it's good enough not to have to take out loans to work. So what if it's tiring? At worst, we'll get a bigger bonus afterward…

~~
Therefore, on the first night of this "purification of the six senses", the property registration team was mainly responsible for searching temples and making a register, while the personnel review team conducted personnel reviews.

The latter part was handed over to Qian Ning because Su Lu was short of people and not good at it.

Team Leader Qian is very good at dealing with people, especially good at hitting people...

He then resorted to the same methods he used at Guanghui Temple, employing a variety of techniques such as shoulder and elbow locks, knee bending, body binding against the wall, and Arhat hanging binding, to torture those stubborn monks who insisted on their innocence until they cried out for their parents and confessed everything he asked.

Not a single one could withstand being put on the torture instruments...

Moreover, Qian Ning had recently learned many political tactics from his godfather, including the method of inducing confessions. In front of all the monks, he announced: "Whoever can voluntarily confess his problems and expose as many serious crimes as the monks in the same temple can be released without punishment!"

A great reward will surely bring forth brave men, especially when tempted by the prospect of pardon. The monks were immediately thrown into disarray by their meditative state, and in an effort to protect themselves, they began to implicate and denounce one another to gain merit...

I've exposed that you married a woman outside the marriage and had a child with her, and that you also had an affair with your neighbor, Widow Liu.

You're revealing that he killed people before becoming a monk, and you want him to lay down his butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot? No way!

He accused me of embezzling the gold intended for casting the Buddha statue. The golden statue of the Buddha in the temple, meant for Eunuch Liu, was supposed to weigh thirty jin (approximately 15 kg), but it was cast to be half the weight…

When I heard that he had exposed me, I got so angry that I exposed his crime of cheating on the abbot!
Having lived together for decades, the monks knew each other inside and out. As they exposed each other, the sins they had previously concealed were revealed in full, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Overnight, the crimes of all the monks at Da Neng Ren Temple were settled. Except for the young novices who were only eight or ten years old, not one of them was innocent!
Moreover, every single incident was corroborated by testimonies, and the monks even signed and sealed the documents, making it incredibly thorough!
~~
The following morning, the first batch of raid reports were delivered to Dong Guitang of Leopard House.

Although Su Lu had not rested all night, he still roused himself and immediately led several officials who remained behind to quickly compile statistics and establish ledgers.

It can only be said that the fortunate do not need to wait until the sun is high in the sky. Zhu Houzhao 'woke up early' and, as soon as he opened his eyes, he couldn't wait to ask, "Second brother, how is it? Is there any result yet?"

"Your Majesty, please don't rush, it can't be that fast," Zhang Yong reassured the emperor with a smile, skillfully dressing him and helping him wash up.

When the emperor moved to the Ming Pavilion for breakfast, Su Lu walked in with dark circles under his eyes.

Although he is no longer Zhu Shou, he still grants Su Lu special permission to enter the palace directly to see the emperor without prior notice.

"Oh, Secretary Su is here!" Zhu Houzhao greeted Su Lu with a beaming smile, "Sit down quickly and have a meal with me."

Hearing the emperor address him in this way, Su Lu was speechless... He had only casually complained to Zhu Shou that he was now Zhu Shou's secretary. As a result, the emperor started calling him "Secretary Su" all the time.

But the emperor could call him whatever he wanted, and he could only comply. Secretary Su bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I have already eaten. I am here to report the preliminary investigation results."

"Oh, so fast? Tell me quickly!" Zhu Houzhao immediately put down his chopsticks and looked at him with eager anticipation.

Then Su Lu took a deep breath, calmed his excited emotions, and slowly reported:

"Your Majesty, our previous assessment was too conservative—the spoils of this raid are far greater than our most optimistic estimate!"

"Speak quickly!" Zhu Houzhao craned his neck impatiently.

"After a preliminary inventory, the gold, silver and copper coins, Buddha statues, ritual implements, pearls and jade in the fifty-six temples, plus the monks' private wealth, amount to a staggering thirty million taels of silver—and this does not include other assets such as land, grain, silk, and antiques!"

"Thirty-three million taels?!" Zhu Houzhao's jaw nearly dropped to the table. He exclaimed incredulously, "How could it be so much? Our initial estimate wasn't even half of that!"

“That’s perfectly normal,” Su Lu explained. “Previously, we could only investigate indirectly, and we lacked concrete evidence, so we could only estimate based on the most conservative scenario. Now, after the on-site raid, we realize that we underestimated these temples’ ability to plunder wealth!”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover, monks can use the pretext of casting Buddha statues and ritual implements to legally and legitimately hoard gold, silver, and copper. Over time, the amount will naturally be astonishing."

"Damn it!" Zhu Houzhao slammed his hand on the table, excitedly saying, "From now on, it must be stipulated that all Buddhist statues and ritual implements are not allowed to be cast in gold, silver, or bronze! Buddhist statues are only allowed to be made of clay or wood, and ritual implements are only allowed to be made of iron, at most with a little gold paint as a token gesture!"

“Your Majesty, there’s no need for that.” Su Lu shook his head and smiled. “Firstly, it is a Buddhist custom to use precious metals in Buddha statues. A sudden ban would easily cause a backlash from temples all over the country, and we don’t have the ability to implement the ban… Secondly, Your Majesty will have to start saving money for your descendants again.”

"Okay, you're awesome, I'll listen to you." Zhu Houzhao nodded without hesitation, then asked impatiently, "Can we spend this money now?"

Su Lu almost lost his composure and hurriedly reminded Zhu Houzhao: "Your Majesty, we are law enforcement officers of the imperial court, not bandits who rob and plunder."

"Is there a difference?" Zhu Houzhao asked rhetorically.

"Of course!" Su Lu was almost driven to the brink of collapse by him. "I'm a top scholar, why would I be involved with a thief like you?" "We're law enforcement! Understand?! So this money must be legally and legitimately nationalized before it can be considered the emperor's money!"

"Oh, oh, oh, you're in charge. We'll do whatever you say, okay?" Zhu Houzhao's attitude was extremely good.

P.S. Post first, edit later.

(End of this chapter)