Top Scholar

Chapter 584 Worshiping Buddha is not as good as worshiping yourself

The grand procession stopped in front of the Liu residence, the gongs fell silent, and the soldiers stood at attention.

Zhang Zhong lifted the sedan curtain, and Zhu Shou, wearing a steel fork hat and a dark blue python robe, stepped out of the sedan.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Liu was even more flattered and hurriedly led his men to bow down: "Your Majesty...Young Master, why have you come in person?"

"I felt really bad about taking 100,000 taels of silver from you last time, so I'm sending you a golden Buddha statue to repay you." Zhu Shou said with a smile, "Get up quickly."

"Thank you, young master." Liu Jin quickly led everyone to stand up.

Before he could even stand up straight, Zhu Shou slapped his forehead, "Oh dear, I forgot about the imperial edict!"

"Your Majesty, we accept the decree." Liu Jin had no choice but to quickly lead his men to kneel down again. He was fine, but his father, who was over eighty years old, almost strained his back...

Then Zhu Shou unfolded the yellow silk and solemnly read aloud:
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
Recently, the Buddhist community in the capital has been reorganized, and its abuses and malpractices have been eliminated. Admiral Liu Jin led a special task force, working diligently day and night, and his achievements are remarkable. Therefore, a golden Buddha statue is hereby bestowed upon him to commemorate his efforts and to demonstrate the Emperor's favor.

You shall respectfully obey and strive to be more cautious, and not fail my command.

So be it.

"Your subject Liu Jin thanks Your Majesty for your great favor!" Eunuch Liu kowtowed repeatedly and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

As he stood up, Zhu Shou jokingly said, "I heard that Eunuch Liu has built a temple in his new residence and was looking for a Buddha statue to protect the house, so His Majesty specially sent this one to you. Isn't that thoughtful?"

"So thoughtful, so incredibly thoughtful," Liu Jin said, tears of gratitude streaming down her face.

"Please come in quickly," Zhu Shouyi said, waving his hand.

"Yes, sir!" Liu Jin hurriedly bowed and responded, then turned and ordered his family, "Quickly! Welcome the golden Buddha into the mansion!"

Then firecrackers exploded, gongs and drums resounded, dragons and lions danced, and the Liu family burned incense and chanted scriptures together, watching as eight burly generals carried the golden Buddha and walked briskly to the front of Guangliang's gate.

The Liu family members were momentarily stunned; something about this scene just felt off.
"Be careful! Be careful!" Only Eunuch Liu kept a close eye on the transportation process, afraid that the Buddha's head would hit the lintel.

"Don't worry, you won't bump into it," Zhu Shou said confidently.

Then the Liu family saw eight burly generals actually knock down the Buddha statue, knock it down, and carry it horizontally through the gate.

After it went inside, it stood up steadily again, and sure enough, it was undamaged and without any bumps or knocks.

"How about that? Pretty impressive, huh?" Zhu Shou said smugly, raising an eyebrow at Liu Jin.

"Wow, amazing!" Liu Jin swallowed hard a few times.

He did indeed have a family temple built in his residence, and the altar was truly empty, awaiting the enshrinement of a statue. The great Han general then solemnly carried the golden statue onto the altar, and it fit perfectly, as if it had been specially crafted for this place…

Seeing this, Eunuch Liu's forehead was covered in sweat, his eyes were glazed over, and three words popped into his mind—"Expert Factory!"

Zhu Shou stood beside him, first looking at Liu Jin's face, then looking up at the golden statue that looked exactly like him, and clicked his tongue and said, "Not bad, really not bad."

"Thank you, young master..." The swaggering Eunuch Liu shrank back to his humble self at this moment.

"Do you know what this is called?" Zhu Shou asked.

Liu Jin blurted out, "It's better to rely on yourself than to rely on others."

"Pfft..." Zhu Shou almost burst out laughing. He shook his head and said, "You shouldn't always be so strong-willed. You should know that rigidity leads to breakage."

"Yes, this old servant has indeed been too reckless." Liu Jin was now completely certain that the emperor had come to reprimand him. He hurriedly knelt down and said respectfully, "Please teach me, young master."

Then Zhu Shou slowly said, "The Diamond Sutra says, 'All forms are illusory,' so Buddhism is actually against idol worship."

"No wonder the Emperor ordered all those Buddha statues to be melted down," Liu Jin exclaimed in realization. "They violated the doctrines!"

"Hehe, that's a good point," Zhu Houzhao said with a smile. "Actually, what I want to tell you is—worshipping Buddha is worshipping yourself."

"Yes," Liu Jin replied respectfully. Although he himself couldn't figure out the difference between the two statements.

"After attaining Buddhahood, Shakyamuni's first exclamation was: 'How wondrous! All sentient beings possess the wisdom and virtues of the Tathagata, but due to delusions and attachments, they cannot realize it.'" Zhu Houzhao continued:
"Therefore, all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature, and everyone can become a Buddha! If you want to be saved, you must make yourself a Buddha. In that case, you might as well worship yourself and receive more offerings..."

Liu Jin was stunned and hurriedly replied respectfully, "Yes, this old servant will remember your teachings."

Zhu Shou raised an eyebrow at him again: "Did you really understand?"

Liu Jin then honestly replied, "This old servant is dull and does not quite understand. But this old servant will certainly find a knowledgeable person to consult and thoroughly comprehend the sacred teachings."

"Then go find someone knowledgeable to ask, and stop going after those fake monks who only know how to deceive people," Zhu Shou advised, then waved his hand dismissively.

"Mission accomplished, I'm leaving."

"Young master, won't you stay for a simple meal?" Liu Jin hurriedly urged.

"No, last time you spent 100,000 taels of silver on one meal, that's inhumane." Zhu Shou laughed loudly, "I'll come to your house for a meal next time when I need money."

"Don't worry, young master, everything in my household, including my life, belongs to you!" Eunuch Liu quickly pledged his loyalty. "Keep it for yourself." Zhu Shou got into the sedan chair and drove away.

~~
After seeing off the emperor, the family returned to the temple and looked at the statue of Liu Jin, unsure of what to say.

"Will I have to kowtow to my child every day from now on?" Liu Jin's father was even more troubled.

"Father, you've already changed your surname to mine, isn't it a bit shameful for you to kowtow to my Buddha statue?" Liu Jin said somewhat unhappily.

“It’s not shameful, it’s not shameful.” His father quickly shook his head: “From now on, we’ll kowtow every day.”

Liu Erhan couldn't resist stepping forward and tapping the golden statue. It made a crisp "clang" sound, as if he had hit a tin bucket.

"Oh my goodness, it's hollow!" he exclaimed, pressing it with his finger. "I didn't even use much force, and it already made a dent. How thin must the skin be?"

"No wonder it only took a few people to carry it in." Liu Jingxiang suddenly realized, and finally stopped regretting not becoming the God of Garan.

As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed, and he stomped his foot angrily, cursing, "Damn it, that bald thief Xinyong is trying to cheat you with gold leaf, brother!"

"These damn bastards!" Liu Jin had naturally realized what was going on long ago, but he didn't want to say anything until his family saw through it.

But since even they had figured it out, he had no reason to hold back any longer. With a dark face, he ordered, "Send all the monks in the prison to Ningxia to beat up the Little Prince! And skin Xin Yong alive! I'll never believe in Buddha again!"

As he spoke, he picked up three incense sticks, banged them three times, and declared defiantly, "From now on, I will worship this very statue of myself!"

Liu Erhan couldn't help but mutter, "Uncle, is His Majesty really not making fun of you?"

Liu Jin's face immediately darkened, and his expression became even more solemn: "Even if the Emperor is really making fun of us, it is still a blessing for us! He is only willing to joke with us because he is close to us! If it were anyone else, he wouldn't bother to do such a thing!"

He paused, then said seriously, "Besides, didn't you understand His Majesty's last words? He was teaching me how to die a good death..."

As Eunuch Liu finished speaking, tears streamed down his face.

From the moment he stood against the civil officials and became the sword that intimidated the court on behalf of the emperor, Liu Jin knew that he had to keep cutting down the enemy and could not stop.

Once he stops, he will face a counterattack and retribution from the civil officials, and he will definitely suffer a terrible death.

But what knife can never stop? Every knife eventually dulls, and the person wielding it eventually runs out of strength. So he was certain that he would not have a good end.

It's like a murderer who, after taking his first life, knows he's doomed and often becomes even more insane...

But now, the Emperor is actually teaching him the method of "laying down the butcher's knife and becoming a Buddha on the spot"—this shows that the Emperor didn't treat him like a chamber pot, to be used and then thrown away!
Although he really didn't understand what to do...

But that must be because I'm uncultured! But it doesn't matter, there will definitely be someone who understands, like Old Black Donkey or a nobleman from Shaanxi!
~~
On the other side, on the way home.

Zhang Zhong exclaimed with admiration, "Young master, you're truly amazing! You're so well-versed in Buddhism!"

Zhu Shou shook his head and chuckled, "What do I know about Buddhism? It's all nonsense. If I don't make up some theories, wouldn't Eunuch Liu see through my act at a glance? Even though I am just making fun of him, it's still better for him to think that I am the one making fun of him..."

"Young master... truly brilliant!" Zhang Zhong was dumbfounded.

~~
Meanwhile, a group of weary agents from the Eastern Depot, escorting a prison cart, entered the capital just before Chaoyang Gate closed.

The early winter night wind in Beijing was like a knife, stinging my face. The prison cart rumbled over the stone-paved road, and inside the swaying fenced carriage, the arrested Grand Canal Transport Commissioner Wang Qiong sat cross-legged.

Despite his immovable appearance, he was completely frozen, his jaw was trembling slightly, and even his white beard was covered with a fine layer of frost.

But ever since he entered the capital, he has maintained this posture, as if he's trying to outdo someone...

His son, Wang Chaohan, accompanied him the entire way, staying close to the prison van and watching his father inside with worried eyes.

"Father, wrap yourself in the quilt, don't get cold," Naiping said.

"I'm not cold..." Wang Qiong's voice trembled, but she still couldn't stop being stubborn.

“Father, don’t be stubborn. I’ve already said that my brother-in-law doesn’t blame you, and he won’t laugh at you.” Nai Ping said helplessly, “Just let me go and beg him. At least if we get through this, you’ll suffer less.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Qiong's pale face instantly contorted with humiliation, a blush rising to his cheeks. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Don't mention him again! I've always been proud and have never bowed my head or begged anyone! This isn't the first time I've been imprisoned; what's there to be afraid of? I can see the light of day again on my own!"

He paused, then stared intently at Naiping and said, "You are absolutely forbidden from going to him, not even for a second! Otherwise, I will become the laughingstock of the entire court, do you understand?!"

“Father, is saving face really that important…” Nai Ping disagreed.

“More important than my life! If you dare to beg him behind my back, I’ll kill myself!” Wang Qiong said resolutely.

"Okay, okay, I won't go, I won't go..." Nai Ping quickly surrendered when she saw her father's stubborn and disheveled appearance in the prison cart.

"Sigh..." He sighed, his thousand words turning into a sigh, and silently followed the prison cart, trudging forward in the early winter night wind.

End of this volume

P.S. I'll revise it later. I've finally finished writing it; the main reason is that I promised everyone I'd keep it up this month…

(End of this chapter)