Di Ming

Chapter 469 "You bald-headed monk! Do you not know about the Three Wu Emperors' persecution of Buddhism?!"

These two missionaries, one named Anthony Bai and the other Romani, were both "foreign monks" from Europe, sent to Nanjing by the Macau authorities and the Jesuits to preach.

Their goal was simple: to persuade the new government to completely lift the ban on religion, allow missionary work, and let the ancient people of the East bask in the glory of the Lord.

Then, the grand vision of the Eastern Diocese can be realized.

If it is truly difficult to persuade them, then the only option is to let the banner of the cross help Easterners understand the truth.

“Master Da Hui,” said the Italian Romamin, “how can we persuade the Regent’s wife, or rather, his sister-in-law?”

The Portuguese man, Bai Andong, also looked at the monk Da Hui with a questioning expression on his face, but in his heart he felt great contempt for this Eastern monk.

It wasn't out of contempt for heretics. Rather, it was because this bloated Eastern monk was extremely greedy and had already accepted 100,000 taels of silver from the Jesuits.

His greed is astonishing.

This dignified and imposing monk was the highest-ranking Buddhist official in Nanjing during the Ming Dynasty, and also concurrently managed the Buddhist Registry. The Great Bao'en Temple was also the most powerful temple in the Ming Dynasty. Without Da Hui's help, and especially if Da Hui had opposed it, the Jesuit plan would have been very difficult to succeed.

Initially, the Jesuits were concerned that the high-ranking monks in Nanjing, due to their pagan origins, would oppose their plans. However, to their surprise, once the gold and silver arrived, these monks accepted them without any hesitation and, disregarding the inherent conflict between the Jesuits and themselves, readily agreed to their proposal.

In fact, they had previously tried to persuade another heavyweight religious figure in Jiangnan, the highest bishop of Taoism in the East: Zhang Tianshi.

With the help of Zhang Tianshi, the missionary work would be much easier.

To their surprise, Zhang Tianshi, the highest-ranking Taoist master in the East, refused their offer without hesitation. Not only did he refuse the bribe, he also issued a highly disrespectful "edict": "China has its own supreme laws and universal scriptures. Why rely on foreign remedies and exotic gods?"

They are both Chinese, so why are Zhang Tianshi and Da Hui monks different?

When the news reached the Jesuits, the Macau authorities were furious and planned to find a way to punish Zhang Tianshi, who had been disrespectful to the Lord.

Although there was help from eminent monks like Dahui, the plan became difficult without the assistance of Zhang Tianshi. It took several years to finally persuade the Nanjing authorities. Six months earlier, Fan Lun, the Governor-General of Rites in Nanjing who was in charge of education, agreed to build churches in Nanjing and throughout the Jiangnan region for missionary baptism.

Things have made a breakthrough!

The Jesuits decided to allocate a special fund of five million pesos to build fifty churches in the Jiangnan region, centered on Nanjing!

Then, another three million pesos were allocated as a special fund to "promote relations between the two sides and gain understanding and support".

Everything seemed to be going so smoothly. The Jesuit leadership held a victory celebration banquet at the St. Paul's Banquet Hall in Macau, and as they sang hymns together, they seemed to envision a glorious future for the Greater Paris region in the East.
"Chinese emperors and nobles were utterly respectful under His Holiness the Pope. Their decrees and laws had to follow the will of the Papacy. Chinese people prostrated themselves on the ground, kissed the priests' feet, and begged their fathers for baptism. They demolished ancestral halls, burned ancestral tablets, abandoned the outdated ancestral worship customs that contradicted biblical thought, abandoned Confucian ethics, and devoutly believed in and praised the Lord… Chinese men considered it an honor to defend the Bible and the Papacy, while Chinese women considered it an honor to marry white men… Ah, what a beautiful Eastern diocese, Hallelujah!"

Tragically, just when the Macau authorities and the Jesuits thought victory was on the horizon, a coup suddenly broke out in Nanjing!
Yes!

coup!

A powerful nobleman named Zhu Yin, who supported the crown prince of the Chinese emperor, established a separatist regime in Nanjing! The Ming Dynasty was divided in two!
The new Nanjing government, which seized power, brought the Jesuits' plans to a halt. Even more unacceptable was that officials like Fan Lun, the Governor-General of the Ministry of Rites, who had initially agreed to cooperate in missionary work, were collectively executed by Zhu Yin!
Their crimes are: plotting to overthrow the new government and plotting to assassinate Chief Executive Zhu Yin!

This extremely bad news dealt a heavy blow to the Macau authorities and the Jesuits. Everyone's anticipation for the Ming-conquering coalition army currently being formed in Goa, India, only grew stronger!
However, military action is never their only means. A balance of sword and scripture is the rule of the civilized world.

If we could persuade Zhu Yin, the regent in Nanjing, things would be much easier. Wouldn't it?

"Amitabha!" Da Hui cried out the Buddha's name. "Mr. Bai, Mr. Luo, aren't you very interested in medicine? You can go to Qingchen Medical College and, under the guise of exchanging medical knowledge, visit that so-called Holy Mother Qingchen. As long as you do it under the pretext of medicine, she will definitely see you. Then..."

"Then you cater to her tastes, showering her with compliments and praise, expressing your intention to build temples and write biographies for her overseas, and taking the opportunity to introduce your scriptures..."

"As for that Princess Wu... I can ask several noble ladies in Nanjing to invite her to offer incense at the Great Bao'en Temple. She is a noblewoman, bound by strict etiquette, and cannot do as she pleases. As for the Regent, he is busy with his campaigns and affairs, and he may not be able to devote himself to the Princess. The Princess is bound to be lonely in her boudoir, and may have already developed resentment."

"And this old monk happens to have a way to please such noble ladies. While I wouldn't say it's foolproof, I'm seventy percent confident I can make them obey my every word. The temple has secret medicines, and also strong monks with abundant kidney essence..."

"However, once the matter is accomplished, the reward promised by your sect will be fully honored."

"This..." Upon hearing this, the two missionaries looked at each other in bewilderment. Wasn't this just the European lover's route?

Is this feasible in the East? Given the strict gender and social norms in the East, would such a thing even be possible?
“Master Da Hui, if we fail to win the princess’s heart and she reveals it to the regent, won’t the regent be furious?” Roma Ming asked with a worried expression.

Da Hui shook his head and smiled: "You two are unaware of this. Women in the Ming Dynasty, especially noble ladies from wealthy families, cherish their reputation above all else; their reputation is their life. If Princess Wu is willing to dispel her feelings at the temple, she will naturally keep quiet. If she is unwilling, she will also keep quiet. Because once this matter is involved, it is impossible to explain or defend oneself. Even if she did not become close to the monks in the temple, would the Regent believe in her purity if word got out? Even if he believed her outwardly, there would still be a thorn in his heart that he would never be able to let go of for the rest of his life."

"So, as long as she doesn't do anything foolish, she'll keep her mouth shut. And it's said that this princess is very clever from a young age and is unlikely to act impulsively. Hehe, I'm afraid that once she gets to the bottom of things, she won't be disgusted at all, but will actually enjoy it and come to the temple every few days to offer incense and fulfill her vows."

At this point, the seemingly respectable, nearly fifty-year-old monk actually licked his lips and revealed a sinister smile.

It turned out that although this man was the abbot of a major Zen temple, he had practiced esoteric Buddhism in his early years. Because he was well-versed in "Buddhist teachings," he frequently visited the Liao Prince's residence and secretly became intimate with the Liao Princess, the Crown Prince's wife, and other female relatives. He also learned from the women in the Prince's residence that the Liao Prince had been extorted for 800,000 taels of silver by Zhang Juzheng.

After the Liao King was deposed, he went to Nanjing and, through bribing powerful officials such as the Nanjing eunuchs and the Minister of Rites, became a high-ranking monk at the Great Bao'en Temple. Then, by teaching the secret methods of pleasure, befriending the powerful and wealthy, and secretly cultivating relationships with noblewomen, he thrived in Jiangnan. Several years later, he finally plotted to eliminate the abbot and take his place.

He was incredibly audacious and daring, willing to accept any money and seduce any noblewoman. When it came to money and women, he was "bold, meticulous, and insatiable." He was a high-ranking monk in name only, but in reality, he was Mara, the demon king in disguise.

Over the years, he secretly made the already corrupt Dabaoen Temple even more chaotic. Loan sharking, filth and smuggling, setting up private dungeons, swindling and cheating... he turned the highest royal temple into a den of iniquity disguised as a place of demons.

However, this man was indeed remarkable. He managed the Great Bao'en Temple for ten years without exposing his crimes, and the Great Bao'en Temple remained the foremost temple in Jiangnan, a pure and tranquil Buddhist sanctuary.

Hearing Da Hui's words, the two missionaries were relieved and said, "Then we'll leave this matter to Master Da Hui."

Da Hui nodded. "Then it's settled. Remember your promise. It's getting late, so the two of you can rest in the guest courtyard of the temple."

The group stood up and had just stepped out of the Imperial Stele Hall when suddenly a burst of light appeared outside the temple, followed by a commotion.

What's going on? Da Hui was startled, and her heart skipped a beat.

"Master!" A middle-aged monk rushed over as if flying, his face filled with panic. "Reporting to Master! The temple has been surrounded by soldiers, at least a thousand of them! All four gates have been sealed off! They want to enter and search the temple!"

"What!" Da Hui's expression was horrified, her legs trembled, and her eyelids twitched uncontrollably as she recalled what she had done over the years!
"My God!" The two missionaries were stunned. "What's going on? Are we surrounded?"

Suddenly, all four gates were opened, and a large contingent of Jinghai officers and soldiers, clad in armor and armed with torches, rushed into the Great Bao'en Temple. The clanging of armor and weapons echoed through the night.

General Cao Xin of the Jinghai Army, with an exquisite hand cannon made in Daishan hanging at his waist and a Tang sword made in Daishan in his hand, entered with a frosty expression, surrounded by armored soldiers.

"By order of the Right Grand Commander and Duke of Qi, search the Great Bao'en Temple!" Cao Xin shouted sternly. "This is routine business. Someone reported that the Great Bao'en Temple is a den of iniquity and violates the law! I am carrying out this order. Anyone who obstructs will be punished for resisting arrest! Seal it off! Search it!"

The sound emanated from the Great Bao'en Temple, startling the entire Yuhuatai area and instantly turning the once quiet snowy night into a restless and unsettling one.

The dogs nearby started barking in unison. Exclamations erupted throughout the temple, some even mingling with women's voices. Hundreds of monks awoke from their slumber, frantically scurrying between the various halls like headless flies, before gathering again towards the Imperial Stele Hall.

"Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"Host! What on earth has happened?!"

Especially the evil monks, all of them were ashen-faced, as if the end of the world had come.

The soldiers surged in like a tide, surrounding the more than 700 monks and 200 servants, and guarding the temple gates and hall entrances. In the blink of an eye, they had completely taken control of the vast temple.

Da Hui, pale-faced, stepped forward, trying her best to maintain a composed demeanor, and said with her hands clasped together:

"Amitabha! General, this temple is a royal monastery built by imperial decree, specifically for Emperor Taizu and Empress Xiaoci to pray for their well-being. Emperor Chengzu, to repay the kindness of his parents in raising him, personally issued an edict to construct it, and thus the Great Temple of Gratitude came into being. This temple..."

"Noise!" Cao Xin roared, his hand on his sword. "Abbot, shut up! No one is allowed to make a sound! Whether the Great Bao'en Temple is innocent or not is not for me to decide, nor for you to decide! It is for the truth to decide!"

The monk Dahui was so choked that his face turned ashen, and he broke out in a cold sweat in an instant!
The two missionaries looked at the exquisite short gun at Cao Xin's waist, and then at the many Ming soldiers around them who were carrying well-made muskets. They were surprised and secretly alarmed.

The Ming soldiers around them exuded an aura of menace they had never seen before. Each of them was fierce and capable, like wolves and tigers, inspiring fear in them.

Are these the imperial guards of the Ming Dynasty regent?
“General!” the Italian Romamin said boldly, “We are not monks! We are envoys of the Holy See!”

He made a crucifix gesture over his chest, saying, "We are merely guests here, pilgrims! And guests of your Great Ming..."

"Shut up!" a captain roared. "The general ordered you to be quiet. Are you deaf?"

Luo Mamin's pale face turned bright red, but he dared not utter another word.

Cao Xin, gripping his Tang sword, said coldly, "You can speak, but only those we ask can speak. Also... those who voluntarily expose others can speak. Understand?"

Upon hearing this, Da Hui and the others felt as if struck by lightning, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, experiencing a bone-chilling cold.

Finished!

If Qi Jiguang wanted to take action against the Great Bao'en Temple, no one would speak up for it!

Suddenly, a slightly gloomy voice rang out: "General Cao, you've worked hard."

Da Hui and the others turned their heads and saw a young man wearing a fox fur coat, a gauze hat, and holding an exquisite hand warmer emerging from behind the rows of armored soldiers.

The man was fair-skinned and handsome, clean-cut and sharp, at first glance resembling a wealthy and dashing young man. Yet, his aura gave off a gloomy and cold feeling.

“Mr. Fan,” Cao Xin said with a smile, “I’ve got the man under control. I’ll leave the rest to you. I’m not good at interrogation.”

This man is none other than Fan Yi'an, the top spy of Tiger Fang!

“Master Da Hui,” Fan Yi’an said, holding a hand warmer as he approached Da Hui. “You’ve been hiding very well. I haven’t discovered you all these years. It’s all Tang’s fault.”

Actually, it's because Huya hasn't paid much attention to temples in mainland China in recent years. Mainland temples aren't also Huya's focus. Although Tang Yangyang lives in Nanjing most of the year, she hasn't paid much attention to Buddhist temples.

"Who are you?" Da Hui looked at Fan Yi'an, feeling as if she were being stared at by a venomous snake.

Fan Yi'an smiled and said, "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen."

……

Just two hours later, at the crack of dawn, Zhu Yin received a report of the crimes of the Great Bao'en Temple. The evidence was irrefutable and shocking!
Zhu Yin knew, of course, that his adoptive father had sent troops to search the Great Bao'en Temple, but he did not expect that the Great Bao'en Temple was so easily exposed and that so many crimes could be found.

The underground palace housed twelve private prisons, as well as a water prison and a women's prison, holding more than one hundred people in total. After people died, they were secretly cremated.

Over the course of ten years, at least two to three hundred people died in the dungeon and were secretly cremated. On average, one person was tortured to death and cremated every two weeks.

Most of these victims, who died with their eyes wide open in disbelief, were people who had been exploited by loan sharks and were unable to repay their debts even by selling their land and houses.

Other victims included innocent women who had been lured away, people who had offended the Great Bao'en Temple, and monks who had rebelled against Da Hui.

The number of human lives alone is an appalling figure!

This one heinous crime alone is enough to warrant the execution of the entire temple and the execution of the ringleader by a thousand cuts!

Within ten years, Da Hui used the power of the Great Bao'en Temple to seize more than 50,000 mu of farmland, dozens of mountains, forests and waters, and more than 100 shops.

They also secretly started gambling dens. They lent money at exorbitant interest rates, exploiting people to the bone, and accumulated profits of up to 1.8 million taels of silver over ten years, ruining and killing thousands of families.

This is a heinous crime, enough to draw countless heads.

The third major crime was that the Great Bao'en Temple was also a den of iniquity, secretly plotting to abuse and control many officials and ladies in Nanjing. The inside story is disgusting!
Da Hui himself was even more heinous. He had more than a dozen illegitimate children. Among the former Nanjing nobles who were stripped of their titles, two families had wives and concubines who bore illegitimate children of lecherous monks!
Those two noble families are still completely unaware of the truth and believe it to be their own son.

As for temple properties, top-tier royal temples with a two-hundred-year history and privileges are undoubtedly the foremost among temple landowners, as wealthy as princes!
The account books that Cao Xin discovered were also quite alarming. Nine hundred and sixty thousand mu of land, with annual rent of ninety-two thousand taels of silver…

The treasury contained over 80,000 taels of gold and over 3.8 million taels of silver...

After the land, shops, gold, silver, and jewels of the temple were discounted, their estimated value was over ten million taels of silver!
Extremely extravagant!

Zhu Yin was both angry and pleased when he saw this.

What a magnificent Bao'en Temple! What a magnificent Bao'en Temple!
But as he continued reading the reports, he saw new charges against the emperor and his face darkened with rage. The Regent of the Ming Dynasty could no longer contain his anger and exclaimed:

"How dare this wicked monk deceive me!"

"You bald-headed monk! Do you not know about the Three Wu Emperors' persecution of Buddhism?!"

……

P.S.: Happy holiday! Everyone, relax and enjoy yourself. After National Day, there are no more holidays this year. Wishing China a prosperous and peaceful era, and wishing everyone peace and joy. Thank you, goodnight!

(End of this chapter)