The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 219 Frenzied Scrambling
"Layman Li! This sacred object has a great karmic connection with my Zhuka Temple. Please be kind enough to part with it!"

An old man's voice was hoarse with excitement.

"What nonsense!"

The high monk on the other side, however, refused to give way, tightly gripping Li Zicheng's other hand.

"Buddha's treasures should be offered by those of great wisdom! Kumbum Monastery is its only true home!"

Li Zicheng was held tightly by two fanatical monks. He had never encountered such a situation before, and for a moment he was caught in a dilemma, not knowing how to speak.

Just then, Xue Zhiheng reached out and blocked Li Zicheng, stopping the two Tibetan monks for him.

He put on a friendly, business-like smile, took over the conversation, and tried to smooth things over:
"Please, both of you, calm down, calm down."

"The matter of the sacred object being brought together is of great importance. We have gone through great hardships and traveled thousands of miles to Tibet, naturally hoping to find the best home for the sacred object."

"Nothing"

He changed the subject, speaking slowly.

"We naturally have some small requests that we hope will be met."

Nothing is free in this world.

It's impossible for these two to just talk their way out of the sacred object.

The two eminent monks clearly understood this principle as well.

They exchanged a glance, both seeing wariness in each other's eyes.

The two of them stepped back simultaneously, shouted something into the crowd, and then sat cross-legged back on their prayer mats, looking indifferent and detached.

The subsequent negotiations will be conducted by their respective secular representatives.

Two distinguished noble family heads stepped forward from the crowd.

One of them is the owner of this place, Tenzin Chokyi of the Ashgesang family, who represents the Zhuka Temple of the Kagyu school.

Another nobleman from Xiahe, Sonam Gyalpo, the head of the Rongwo noble family who rushed over upon hearing the news, stood behind the Yellow Sect's Kumbum Monastery.

The matter of the connection will be discussed by the two of them. Everyone has been given a strict order: to bring the sacred object back to the temple at all costs.

In any case, the sacred relic must not fall into the hands of the other side, otherwise their reputation in the Ando region will be severely damaged.

Sonam Gyalpo stepped forward in one swift motion, disregarding etiquette, and urgently said to Xue Zhiheng:
"Patriarch Xue! The sacred texts should be enshrined in my Ta'er Temple!"

"Our temple is one of the six major Gelugpa monasteries, with a lotus pagoda and 100,000 monks chanting sutras and making offerings day and night. It is far superior to ordinary temples!"

"On behalf of the abbot of Kumbum Monastery, I hereby make this promise."

But before Sonam Gyalpo could finish speaking, Tenzin Chokyi, standing behind him, impatiently interrupted him:

"fart!"

“Sonam Gyalpo, don’t forget, the sacred relic was activated on the territory of my Ashgesang family. This is the guidance of the Buddha!”

"The sacred objects should be enshrined in Zhuka Temple; what does it have to do with your Kumbum Temple!"

The two argued fiercely, while Xue Zhiheng and Li Zicheng remained calm and composed, as if waiting for the right price to go.

Tenzin Chokyi looked at the two of them and spoke first:

"Master Xue, Layman Li."

"To show the sincerity of my Ashgesang family and Zhuka Temple, I am willing to contribute 100,000 taels of silver and 3,000 taels of gold, and to build a pure gold pagoda for the sacred object!"

Sonam Gyalpo, standing to the side, sneered, his tone filled with disdain:

"Hmph, Tenzin Chokyi, is this all the sincerity you've shown?"

"Our Rongwo tribe and Kumbum Monastery are willing to contribute 150,000 taels of silver and 5,000 taels of gold! We also request that 100 eminent monks from Kumbum Monastery chant sutras day and night for the sacred object!"

Tenzin Chokyi immediately blushed:

"Sonam Gyalpo! Don't push your luck!"

"I'll also add five hundred cattle and sheep, and one hundred fine snow leopard pelts!"

Sonam Gyalpo burst into laughter after hearing this.

"You actually dare to present a snow leopard skin?"

"My unit has two salt fields by Qinghai Lake, and I am willing to offer up three years' worth of profits from those salt fields!"

The two fought back and forth like yaks locked in a fierce battle, driving the price ever higher.

Li Zicheng listened with trepidation. The two men spoke in a very fast-paced Western language, but he was still able to glean some key information from them, such as gold, silver, and thousands or tens of thousands of taels.

He never imagined that a small "stone" could drive these nobles of the snowy region to such madness; their wealth was enough to raise an army of several thousand men.

Xue Zhiheng remained silent throughout, simply holding his teacup, slowly skimming off the foam, a faint smile playing on his lips.

On this trip to Tibet, gold and silver are secondary; the most important thing is the warhorse.

He slowly put down his teacup, making a soft sound that successfully attracted everyone's attention.

He stood up, first bowing to the two flushed family heads, and said with admiration:
"The piety of the two heads of the family has broadened my horizons and I admire it greatly."

"However, gold and silver are all external things. To be honest, I have a mission on this trip to Tibet."

"I need three thousand top-quality Hequ horses!"

Upon hearing this, the entire hall fell silent instantly.

In this era, horses were an important military supply, whether in Liaodong, the Central Plains, or the snowy regions.

Dozens or even hundreds of horses are fine; they can agree to it without even blinking.

But even a large tribe would have to think twice before acquiring three thousand top-quality Hequ horses.

Sonam Gyalpo frowned, looking at Xue Zhiheng with suspicion:
Three thousand horses?

"May I ask, Patriarch Xue, what is your purpose in requiring so many horses?"

"Excuse my bluntness, but although your Xue family is a powerful clan in Long'an Prefecture, you are ultimately just a local chieftain. Why are you buying so many horses? Do you have some other intention?"

The question was extremely serious, and the air immediately became tense.

Xue Zhiheng, however, remained calm and composed, instead letting out a long sigh:
"To be honest, I'm here on behalf of the imperial court."

“My Xue family has been favored by the emperor for generations. Now, the Ming Dynasty is engulfed in war, with bandits causing chaos everywhere and the Eastern barbarians eyeing us covetously from the outside.”

"As a subject of the Ming Dynasty, I am paid by the emperor and should naturally share his burdens!"

"My purpose in coming here to purchase warhorses is to serve the imperial court. I hope that by making meritorious contributions and receiving rewards, I might even be able to seize the opportunity to become a high-ranking official."

Xue Zhiheng could concoct stories with ease; after all, Tibet was remote, so any excuse would do. His words were spoken with righteous indignation, yet they also revealed his undisguised personal desires, which ironically convinced the two Tibetan nobles to believe him to a great extent.

Xue Zhiheng didn't want to waste his breath on this issue; he had some important news on hand and was ready to add fuel to the fire of the bidding.

He smiled, glanced around at everyone, and lowered his voice:
"Everyone, in fact, this relic is not just the section you see."

"It has three segments and is a complete finger bone."

Upon hearing this, the hall erupted in an uproar, and even the two high monks who were sitting cross-legged to the side chanting sutras and Buddhist prayers stood up abruptly.

"Is this true?!"

Xue Zhiheng smiled and took out a hardcover booklet from his pocket.

“I had only sent someone to inform them that a relic had been found, but I had not yet gone into details.”

"Now that the time is ripe, let's tell you the truth."

He flipped through the booklet in his hand as he explained to the crowd:
"As everyone should know, a temple called Bao'en Temple was built in Long'an Prefecture in the fifth year of the Zhengtong era."

“Layman Li fled from Famen Temple in Shaanxi with three relics and eventually reached Bao'en Temple.”

"According to the eminent monks of Bao'en Temple, they unanimously believe that this is a shadow relic specially made by the monks of Famen Temple during the Tang Dynasty to protect the sacred object."

Xue Zhiheng slowly began to speak, and vividly recounted the story he had carefully crafted from beginning to end.

From the time when Buddha's relics were left behind after his Nirvana, to the eastward spread of Buddhism and the introduction of these relics into the Central Plains, and then to the suppression of Buddhism by Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monks of Famen Temple, in order to protect the Buddha's relics from unforeseen circumstances, used jade to make four "shadow relics".

One of the "shadow bones" was presented to Emperor Wuzong, who ordered it to be crushed in the palace, while the real relic was spared and preserved.

Then Famen Temple was destroyed in war, and Layman Li rescued the relics from the ruins and eventually brought them to Tibet.

The story is a mix of truth and fiction, filled with a sense of destiny.

The nobles and high monks present were completely captivated, their gazes toward the relic on the altar growing increasingly fervent.

Tenzin Chokyi and Sonam Gyalpo went completely mad.

If a single relic is not too rare, then the relics in front of us are not only a set of three, but also legendary sacred objects that protected the Buddha's relics from calamities.

This is a genuine Buddhist sacred object.

If any temple were to acquire this set of sacred objects, the entire snow region would likely be in an uproar, and its millions of believers would regard it as a true holy site.

"My Zhuka Temple is willing to provide ten thousand fine horses!"

"I only ask that all three sacred relics be returned to my temple!"

Tenzin Chokyi's face flushed red, and he was the first to shout.

"You think you can take away the entire sacred artifact for just 10,000 horses?"

"Tenzin Chokyi, you have greatly underestimated the determination of my Kumbum Monastery!"

Sonam Gyalpo sneered.
"My Rongwo tribe, together with all the pastures under the jurisdiction of Kumbum Monastery, will contribute 15,000 fine horses! Plus 10,000 taels of gold! To offer to the sacred objects!"

"you!"

The two began arguing fiercely, raising the price higher and higher, with all sorts of treasures being promised off in abundance.

Even the gurus who were chanting sutras with their eyes closed had their lips twitching slightly, clearly feeling extremely pained.

But for the sake of the orthodox tradition, even at great cost, even if it means emptying the tribe and temples, they must acquire the complete set of Buddhist sacred objects.

As long as we can successfully obtain the sacred relic, losing some flesh is nothing.

Once its reputation spreads throughout the snow-covered region, the temple will become a popular place of worship, and it won't be long before it earns back its investment.

Seeing that the dispute was at an impasse, an elderly Tibetan nobleman stepped forward and said loudly:

“The two heads of the family and the master are arguing so fiercely, which is not only disgraceful but also defiles the sacred objects of Buddhism.”

"The amount of wealth one possesses cannot fully measure the sincerity of one's faith."

"Since we're at a stalemate, let's do it according to the rules of our Tibetan region!"

He suggested:

“Since both families want to take away the sacred object, why not hold a Dharma assembly in Xiahe, so that the retreating master of Zhuka Monastery and the Geshe of Kumbum Monastery can debate the Dharma?”

“The retreat master is a great practitioner, and the Geshe is a doctor of Buddhist studies. Let’s see which school’s teachings are more profound and whose understanding of Buddhism is superior!”

"The winner proves that their connection with the sacred objects is deeper, and they should naturally invite the entire set of sacred objects, so that the loser can be convinced of their worth!"

"how?"

The proposal was immediately approved by everyone; it was a way to compete in terms of strength and in the most dignified manner.

However, Xue Zhiheng frowned slightly and looked at the older nobleman who made the suggestion with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Damn it, why did you have to say anything? Let them argue about it!
They insisted on bringing up some kind of debate and explanation, which caused him to lose a large number of warhorses for nothing.

Xue Zhiheng's hard work was certainly driven by his own motives.

If he can bring tens of thousands of warhorses back with him on this trip, his status in Long'an Prefecture will soar to new heights, and surpassing the Wang family will be no problem.

Xue Zhiheng still vividly remembers the scene when Wang Chengbi punished the Xue family.

He dared not retaliate against Jiang Han, but the Wang family...
Before they could even react, the two temples had already arranged the time and place for the Dharma assembly.

Ten days later, by the Daxia River, the outcome was decided, and life and death were determined.

After the Dharma assembly was set, the two masters immediately stood up, their eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

They immediately borrowed paper and pens, and without caring about decorum, they lay down on the ground and began to write and draw rapidly on the paper.

Li Zicheng curiously leaned closer, only to find that he couldn't understand the Tibetan script on it at all.

He pulled Xue Zhiheng aside and asked in a low voice:

"Patriarch Xue, what are they writing?"

Xue Zhiheng glanced at it casually, as if he were looking at an ordinary shopping list.

"Oh, this is to gather ritual implements and objects for the Dharma assembly."

He paused, then lowered his voice to explain.

"A debate ceremony is to be held here. All personnel of the Lower Tantric College of Zhuka Temple need to gather eighty-eight skulls, thirty-two sets of wet intestines, and twelve whole human skins."

"In addition, we need various kinds of flesh, heart, blood, water from the shade, soil from the whirlwind, and thorns that grow to the north."

"Several ritual implements, including leg bone horns, human bone rosaries, and damaru, must be delivered to the banks of the Daxia River within ten days."

(End of this chapter)