After being choked to death by a copper coin, she became a demon Jin Ji in the other world

Although [Emperor Wuzong's Persecution of Buddhism] was very unfriendly to religious figures at that time, whether from the social impact at that time or the evaluation of later generations, [Emperor Wuzong's Persecution of Buddhism] played a significant role in promoting the political situation and social economy of the Tang Dynasty at that time.

Therefore, Shen Yuelan was very happy to see the anti-Buddhist campaign in front of her. If she was lucky, she might be able to run into the Chang monster directly.

But unfortunately, the temple in front of us looked small in scale, and it seemed that they did not have the money to invite a few bronze Buddha statues. Most of the Buddha statues moved out of the temple were clay Buddhas made of mud and grass. Even the officers and soldiers who came to seal it off called it bad luck.

Being able to search a large amount of wealth in a temple means that this temple has been plundering the people's wealth on a daily basis. The officers and soldiers will not feel any psychological burden when they seal it up. However, if they encounter such a poor temple, they will not be able to get any real money, and may even offend the gods and Buddhas. Everyone who comes will say it is bad luck.

Just as Shen Yuelan was looking at others' houses being searched with a contemptuous look, an old man with remarkable temperament in the crowd of onlookers caught Shen Yuelan's attention. His eyes were full of heartache and reluctance, as if his house was being searched. Shen Yuelan was curious about his reaction, so she moved over.

[Father-in-law, don't be so sad. Although it's a pity that the temple is closed, it's also a good thing. At least the extra land can be distributed to the poor. ]

The old man glanced at Shen Yuelan when he heard this, then turned back to look at the temple that was being sealed off. He sighed slightly and said rather melancholy:

[Alas, if it is true as the young lady said, I would not have done this, but the problem is that these lands, money and grain will never reach the hands of the people, they will only go into the pockets of those corrupt officials.]

[Well, that's true, but what does this have to do with my father-in-law? It's not our own money and grain, why should we feel so bad about it? ]

[Alas, young lady, you may not know that many years ago, an old friend of mine passed away, and I was asked by his family to write an epitaph for him. That old friend's family was quite wealthy, so I also received a valuable fee. ]

[At that time, I was grateful for the friendship between the two and did not want to accept the ill-gotten gains, but his family insisted again and again, so I had to keep it for him. Later, I came across a temple. The surrounding area was always illuminated by the rosy clouds and surrounded by auspicious clouds. It seemed that there was a monk living in the temple. ]

[I inquired and found out that there was indeed a master who had lived here for a long time. Thinking of this, I wanted to accumulate merit for my friend and his family, so I immediately donated all the money I had.]

[And the land I donated back then is exactly here. Alas, I thought everything was settled, but I didn’t expect that things are unpredictable and the Buddhist temples have suffered this disaster. It’s really a pity to waste that money. If I had known earlier, I should have found a Taoist temple to donate it to. ]

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuelan looked around the temple. Hmm? The rosy clouds? There? Why didn't she see these miracles?

[Father-in-law, were you drunk back then? How could there be any auspicious clouds and rosy clouds here? ]

The old man was also stunned when he heard this. He was so busy feeling sad and regretful that he didn't notice this. Yes, where are the usual rosy clouds? Where are the auspicious clouds? Why didn't he see any today?

[Uh, this…how is this possible? I remember when I came here to worship last year, it was still as magnificent as before. The abbot personally showed me that. That master couldn’t have lied to me. I…I remember that it was there back then.]

When Shen Yuelan saw that the old man had the look of a resentful woman who had been deceived, she knew that the old man had probably been cheated by these unethical monks. In fact, Shen Yuelan herself was not much better. When she came over just now, she also thought that this was a poor temple.

Of course, Shen Yuelan would never tell anyone else about such things that would expose her own shortcomings. She would just reflect on herself.

Chapter 287: The Lay Buddhist of Xiangshan

Seeing the old man running around the temple several times and refusing to give up, Shen Yuelan felt a little bit sorry for him, so she also circled the outer wall of the temple, trying to find evidence of the temple's evil deeds.

But her eyes did not seem to have developed the detective function to see through all causes and effects. After walking around, she still found nothing. She could only walk to the old man who was resting in the tea stall and ask for a cup of tea.

Just when the grandfather and grandson were feeling dejected and were about to give up, Shen Huanyan and others who had arrived late made a grand appearance.

Of course, Shen Yuelan couldn't come here alone. This time, in addition to Shen Huanyan, Xiao Yuhuan and Shen Muguang also came to the Tang Dynasty. Just now, they were attracted by the Hu snacks sold outside Luoyang City. They ate and drank there for a long time. After they were full, they arrived late.

[Hey, what's going on in this temple? Why does it smell like pine? ]

Shen Huanyan's words suddenly enlightened Shen Yuelan. She remembered a TV series she had watched. In one episode, it was mentioned that the smoke produced by burning rosin can create the so-called "divine light", making the Buddha statue look like it was appearing.

Could it be that this temple is also using the same trick?

After she told the old man her guess, the old guy refused to believe it and insisted on trying it himself. He ignored Shen Yuelan's obstruction and ran away quickly. His madness did not seem like that of a dying old man at all.

Before Shen Yuelan could finish her sigh, the old man suddenly jumped out from an unknown corner with a handful of pine wood in his arms.

Shen Yuelan had looked around the temple for a long time but didn't see any pine trees nearby. Where did this old guy get so many pine branches from? And there was even some pine resin on each branch.

Tsk, this person really is a secretive person. Shen Yuelan felt like she might have met some extraordinary person again.

Just as Shen Yuelan was wondering where the old man came from, the old man had already found flint and started to make a fire. A tinder would have been more effective, but this was in the wilderness, so it seemed that he couldn't find a tinder for the time being and had to find a substitute.

Along with the continuous sound of "click, click, click", sporadic sparks began to gradually scatter on the branches covered with pine resin. After a while, bursts of white smoke rose from the dry pine branches.

The pine smoke gradually spread from the size of a silk thread to a cloud of miasma, which gradually enveloped the old man. Coincidentally, the sun was shining brightly at this time, and soon he was reflected in the colorful glow of the sunset. Seeing that the time was ripe, Shen Yuelan took the initiative to replace the old man, allowing him to watch this magical spectacle from the perspective of a bystander.

[This… this is actually true. That old bald donkey really deceived Bai. No… this shouldn’t be the case. Young lady, you are not the fairy maiden under the seat of the god, who came down to earth on purpose to tease me, right? ]

[Haha, you have a really rich imagination. This is clearly a scene deliberately created by the monks in this temple in order to get you to donate more money and food. You should face the reality and stop avoiding it.]

The old man's mouth twitched when he heard this. He didn't know that he had been cheated. Isn't this just trying to make up for it and save face? What a tactless girl.

[Okay, okay, I got it. Humph, these damn bald asses deserve to have their homes confiscated by the imperial court! ]

[By the way, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My surname is Bai, my courtesy name is Letian, and my nickname is Xiangshan Jushi. No, it’s better to call myself Mr. Zuiyin. I don’t want to be implicated by the court and have my property confiscated.]

Bai Letian? This name is quite funny. Let me think about it. There seems to be a famous person named Bai in the Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi, his courtesy name seems to be Letian, and he is also known as Xiangshan Jushi.

[Uh, Bai Juyi? So, you are the "Poetry Demon" Bai Juyi? ]

[Huh? Poetry Demon? People have given me countless titles, but this is the first time I've heard of the title Poetry Demon. Poetry Demon, hahahaha, I like this title, it's much more impressive than the Poet Immortal or something like that.]

[I noticed that the young lady's service style is not like that of the locals, but she is from Suzhou and Hangzhou? Do you have a place to go? Speaking of which, I was a governor in Hangzhou for a few years and repaired a few miles of lake embankment.]

[Hehe, you are joking. Not to mention my height, even my accent has nothing to do with the Wu dialect in Suzhou and Hangzhou. However, I did buy this dress there. Sir, you have a good eye.]

[Haha, since you have come from a long way, you probably haven't found a place to stay yet. If you don't mind, you can come to my house to rest first. I still have some family members staying with me, so you don't have to worry about your reputation being damaged.]

[Thank you for your kindness, sir. However, the customs of the people in our Tang Dynasty are open-minded. It is common for women to go out and entertain guests. Why do you care about these things? ]

[Haha, that's true, but the world is not the same as it used to be. It's better to be careful. Being careful is the best way to survive. I don't care. I don't have many years to live anyway. You ladies can't do that. You are still young.]

Shen Yuelan was slightly stunned when she heard this. Did this kind of thinking start in the late Tang Dynasty? Yes, nothing is achieved overnight, and the Tang and Song dynasties were only separated by more than 50 years.

Many people think that the Tang and Song dynasties were separated by more than 50 years, but in fact, whether it was the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms or the Song, Liao, Xia and Jin dynasties, they were actually the continuation of the social and economic development in the late Tang Dynasty.

Even if the Tang Dynasty had not perished, women in the Tang Dynasty would still have resorted to foot binding. This was a reflection of the overall degeneration of ancient Chinese feudal society and had limited relevance to the rise and fall of a single dynasty.

The social status of women is often closely related to the level of social and economic development at that time. When society is prosperous and stable, the overall social status of women will rise; when society is turbulent and collapsed, the overall social status of women will also fall to the bottom. This has been the case throughout the dynasties.

The most obvious difference is the status of women in the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties. The society in the Northern Song Dynasty was relatively stable, and wars mostly occurred in border areas. Therefore, the social status of women in the Northern Song Dynasty was relatively not inferior to that of the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties.

But during the turbulent Southern Song Dynasty, the country was on the brink of destruction almost every moment. After defeating the Liao Dynasty, it went on to defeat the Jin Dynasty, and after defeating the Western Xia, it went on to defeat Mongolia.

In this unstable social atmosphere, people didn’t know when the cities where they lived might be breached by the enemy, and once the cities were breached, they had to escape as quickly as possible. In order to reduce the risk of getting lost, women had to stay with their families at all times. In this process, women continuously reduced the number of times they went out, and finally simply stopped going out.

As a result, the bad habit of women not leaving the house has emerged in this unstable society. It is difficult to say whether this result is the result of society's greater malice or kindness towards women.

But no matter what, the chain reaction caused by women being trapped at home is something that Chinese society cannot bear. Women's inability to go out means that the social value they create is gradually sealed.

How could the Chinese civilization, which had almost lost one-third of its social productivity, stand out in the Age of Exploration? What awaited it was only being abandoned by the times.

Chapter 288: Children from Poor Families

Putting aside the issue of women's status, the city of Luoyang in the Tang Dynasty was still quite prosperous. Even after experiencing the An-Shi Rebellion and being looted twice by the Uighurs, it was still one of the most important political and economic centers of the Tang Dynasty.

Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty called it "the center of the universe, where all nations pay homage". It was the world's political, economic and cultural center at that time, the most prosperous international metropolis in the world, the eastern starting point of the Silk Road and the center of the Grand Canal of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Luoyang City was known as Tokyo in the Tang Dynasty. It covered an area of 47 square kilometers and consisted of small cities such as the Outer City, Imperial City, Palace City, East City, Hanjia Cang City, Yuanbi City and Yaoyi City. There were a total of 109 neighborhoods and three markets in the city.

Old Man Bai's current residence is located in Yongtaifang on the south bank of Luoshui River in Luoyang City, close to Nanshi in the city. According to Old Man Bai, this is called hiding in the city, which is a high-end wisdom in dealing with the world.

In addition, the old man also proudly introduced the reasons for his choice of location, such as Yongtaifang is adjacent to Nanshi in the west for convenient shopping, and is close to Jianchunmen in the east. It is only two large blocks away and can be reached, allowing for quick escape, and Luoshui is only four small blocks away in the north, making it convenient for getting water.

The more Shen Yuelan listened, the more agitated she became. She couldn't help but sigh that this old guy was really born in the wrong era and worked in the wrong industry. If he were born in the future, he would definitely be able to make a fortune in the real estate sales industry.

[It's a pity that you don't become a "Zhuangzhaiyaren". ]

[Hahaha, right, I think so too, but in this era, studying hard and getting a good score on the imperial examination is the only way out for poor children. If I really become a "manor janitor", I will probably be a "manor janitor" for the rest of my life.]

[Humph, it seems that you look down on the identity of a "manor house agent". As expected, even the humblest family is still a noble family.]

Upon hearing this, Bai Juyi couldn't help but look up to Shen Yuelan. In the Tang Dynasty, aristocratic families have always been a problem that was difficult to get rid of.

Even during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the Guanlong Li family, as a member of the Li Tang royal family, was not even ranked among the many aristocratic families, and many women from high-ranking families were simply unwilling to marry into the royal family.

It was Emperor Taizong of Tang who, by revising the clan records, forcibly raised the status of the Guanlong Li family and promoted a group of poor clans, which dealt a blow to the arrogance of the Shandong families, but it was only a temporary blow.

It was not until 875 AD, when Huang Chao's uprising broke out, that all the luxurious houses were destroyed, and not even half of the noble houses were left; the inner treasury was burned to ashes, and the bones of the officials and nobles were trampled on the streets; that the aristocratic families finally withdrew completely from the stage of history.

However, that would only happen thirty years later. Today's aristocratic families are still as prosperous as ever, and even the poorest families are not something that ordinary people like Shen Yuelan can cling to.

[What the young lady said is very true. We, the children of poor families, consider ourselves inferior, but our eyes are very proud. Most of us are never willing to lower our heads and look down at the suffering of the people, even for just a moment.]

[Speaking of my family background, three generations of my family have served in the imperial court, and they have been devoted to Confucianism. My grandfather Bai Xun was the magistrate of Gong County, and my father Bai Jigen was the deputy governor of Xiangzhou. I am not talented, and I was only granted the title of Marquis of Fengyi County, but I can still be considered a family of officials, and my family has been nobles for generations.]

[When Bai was young, the aftermath of the An-Shi Rebellion was still there, and his family suffered from war and had to wander around. At that time, he set his ambition and studied hard. He kept studying even when his mouth was ulcerated and his hands were covered with calluses. His hair turned white in the morning and he kept studying even when his hair turned white in the evening.]

[Later, although I went through many twists and turns, as I wished, I rose from Zuo Shiyi to the position of the Minister of Justice, and now, I have resigned due to illness and am now serving in the Eastern Capital. Along the way, I have only stopped to look back at the world a few times, but even these few times are still talked about by people. Alas, what is wrong with this world? ]

Shen Yuelan felt complicated when she heard Bai Juyi's sigh. It seemed that the ruling class of the Tang Dynasty at that time was still quite sober. They knew very well the core contradictions of the Tang society, but they just refused to change them, or no one had the ability to change it.

[So, the master lied that he had a stroke and dismissed most of the prostitutes in his house on this ground? ]

[Hahaha, I didn't expect that Bai's little affair has become known to everyone? Alas, this is indeed a reason, but more importantly, it's because I'm old and incapable of doing it. ]

[I wanted to retire, but the sage didn't allow me to do so, so I could only claim that I was ill. Bai's house is actually in Ludaofang, but I haven't been back for a long time. I think most of the prostitutes there have left, right? ]

[I have heard that the two most famous prostitutes in the master's house are Xiao Man who is good at dancing and Fan Su who is good at singing. The poem goes: "Fan Su's mouth is like a cherry, and her waist is like a willow."]

[Hahaha, oh my, my underwear is about to be stripped off by the young lady. Sigh, keeping prostitutes is a common practice in the officialdom of this dynasty. I have been an official for decades, and it is not up to me to decide whether to keep prostitutes or not.]

[Besides, I am nearly 70 years old now, so even if I have the will, I am powerless. Haha, so most of the time, I actually treat this as a good deed. I will adopt a girl who has lost her parents and bring her into my house. When she reaches marriageable age, I will send her away. This way, it can also be considered a good deed.]

[Haha, I finally figured out that you are still devoted to Buddhism.]

[Hahaha, the young lady did see through it, but it’s not a big deal. The current saint is merciful and only ordered the monks to return to secular life. For someone like me who is already in the secular world, no one will care.]

[Sir, don’t you think the policies of the saints today are too radical? They want to destroy Buddhism and confiscate property at every turn?]

[Oh my, don't say that. We are still on the street. Be careful, walls may have ears!]

[Does our dynasty also have literary inquisition? ]

【Literary inquisition? This is a very appropriate description. Isn't this a very normal thing? During the reign of King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty, there was still a Wei witch who monitored slander and prohibited people from discussing state affairs. Those who violated the rules would be killed. Naturally, there are also such things in our dynasty. It's just a matter of degree.】

[At least, if you openly discuss current affairs on the street like the young lady did just now, you will definitely be invited by the bad guys to eat mutton soup. ]

Hmm? [The Bad Guys]? Is that the [The Bad Guys] from the cartoon? I didn't expect this profession to actually exist.

[The Bad Guys? I've heard of them. They seem to be a special army loyal to the royal family. Are they very powerful?]

[Loyal to the royal family? Special army? Very powerful? Uh... what the young lady said is not wrong. They are indeed loyal to the royal family. In fact, as long as they are affiliated with the court, there is no department that is not loyal to the royal family, at least in theory. ]

[The main responsibility of this organization is to solve crimes and catch thieves. Due to the nature of their work, the Bad People will come into contact with all walks of life and play certain roles at the right time, which makes their identities diverse, and there are many lowly occupations among them, so they are jokingly called Bad People. ]

[They are indeed very good at handling cases, but they are not that powerful. At least they dare not appear next to me.]

I see, you are awesome, even the bad guys who are equivalent to the detectives in later generations can't afford to mess with you.

However, this rough old man in front of him did have the capital to be proud of himself. When he was at his most powerful, he was the Minister of Justice, which was equivalent to the Minister of Public Security and Minister of Justice in later generations. Except for the emperor, ordinary people did not dare to touch him.

Chapter 289 Li Xia Chat

While the two were talking, they had already arrived at a rather quiet courtyard. An old plum tree was swaying quietly in the courtyard. Several girls who looked to be eight or nine years old were using ladders to pick plums under the direction of an adult woman who looked quite pretty.

Bai Juyi's favorite fruit was actually lychee from the south, but the climate in Luoyang was not suitable for the growth of lychee trees, so he had to settle for the next best thing and find a courtyard with plum trees.

【The Master is back! 】

[My dear, you came back early today! ]

[Hey, the master brought back four sisters today? Hmm? Are these...a little older? ]

[Haha, I'm back, I'm back. Fan Su, please don't be rude. These are the guests I invited back, not the singing girls. Please don't neglect them.]

【promise!】

[Hahaha, you ladies have come at the right time. It is the harvest season for green plums. I will ask Fan Su to pick a few for you to taste. Although these green plums are ordinary and not as sweet as the lychees in the south, they are also sour and juicy, and are a good summer treat.]

[So this is the real reason why you chose to live here, right? The convenient transportation and the superior geographical location are all just your nonsense, just to fool the kids? ]

Hearing Shen Yuelan's indignant question, Bai Juyi had an expression that said, "You finally noticed it." He explained to Shen Yuelan that no one would be stupid enough to confide in a stranger they met by chance, even if the two of them hit it off at first sight.

If Shen Yuelan had shown the slightest problem in the previous conversation, Bai Juyi would never have brought her to his home. But after many attempts, Bai Juyi, with his unique vision, was very sure that Shen Yuelan was just a naive person who was well-informed.

Shen Yuelan, who was awarded the title of "Silly and Sweet", curled her lips when she heard this. Could it be that she didn't care about the threat from the person in front of her? What was there to worry about a guy whose attack power was no different from that of an ant?

Of course, Shen Yuelan would definitely not tell Bai Juyi these words that were quite damaging to his self-esteem. Since she was already a naive person, she might as well maintain this personality. Just when Shen Yuelan was feeling smug, Shen Huanyan, who could hear her inner voice, secretly rolled her eyes.

You still have the character of a naive and innocent person. You had such a good image of an ice beauty at the beginning, but it was exposed in front of Gan Yuelong within three days. She wants to see how long Shen Yuelan can last.

The chat continued. When it came to poetry, the gap between Shen Yuelan and Bai Juyi was like the sun and the abyss. There was no way they could communicate, so Shen Yuelan had to find some other topics to chat with him.

Although the topic of beauties was a good one, there were children in the yard after all, so it was not easy to talk about it in detail. If they were a little too explicit, Fan Su, who was passing by, would give them a glare. So the two of them went around in circles and finally talked about winemaking.

Shen Yuelan was naturally well aware of this, but Bai Juyi also had some experience in this matter. He wrote in his poem:

[Open the jar and pour out the wine, which is filled with jade liquid and golden fat; playing with it is enough to enjoy it, and tasting it with joy is more than enough; one sip makes you hospitable, another sip makes your brows clear; after four or five sips, the intoxication spreads to your limbs.] This is a poem.

There is also a story about Bai Juyi making wine and enjoying it with his neighbors on New Year's Eve that has been circulating in the Weibei area. Regardless of whether privately brewing wine was illegal in the Tang Dynasty, the fact that this legend has been passed down is enough to prove that this man had excellent wine-brewing skills.

[I see, alcohol can actually be purified in this way, I've really learned something new.]

[What? Pork can also be used to make wine? Isn't that corpse water? ]