gnovel Chapter 116 Two Parties
Chapter 116 Two Parties
Chong Sheng Temple is not large. Once you enter the mountain gate, you will find the Mahavira Hall, which enshrines Guanyin Bodhisattva.
Looking at the stone tablet in the courtyard, it is clear that the temple was built in the second year of Chunxi in the Southern Song Dynasty (1175) and was originally called "Guanyin Temple".
More than a hundred years have passed, and the saplings planted back then have grown into towering trees.
The temple is a brick-and-wood structure, and judging from its appearance, it has probably been renovated more than once, but it still cannot hide its old and worn atmosphere. Inside the main hall, there is a plaque with the four characters "端严净妙" (Duān Yán Jìng Miào, meaning "dignified, pure, and wondrous").
Looking at the incense burner and other items inside the hall, they are all mottled and worn, and it's hard to tell how many years they've been used.
"It's not as good as Bai Lianxiang's money," Wang Huadu commented sharply.
More than ten monks all bowed their heads and chanted Buddhist mantras.
"Isn't that right?" Wang Huadu sneered. "Back when I was stationed in the Red Army, I heard people say that there were White Lotus sect families in Lianghuai who could burn a thousand catties of wax at a time. Look at your dilapidated temple, how can you compare to them?"
The words were so harsh that a monk in his forties stepped forward, carrying a monk's knife, and retorted: "The incense-gathering followers forge scriptures, spread falsehoods and dangers, print and distribute them, and incite people's hearts. Such behavior is truly the scum of Buddhism and the evil of the Buddhist community. How can you lump us together with them?" "May I ask this monk, what business do you make in the temple?" Shao Shuyi stopped Liang Tai, who was about to blow the whistle, and asked.
"It's just for worshipping Buddha."
"Besides worshipping Buddha?"
"To save the world."
"I see." Shao Shuyi nodded and asked, "I just saw an old farmer in the village, and upon asking him, I learned that all the nearby fields belong to your temple?"
No one responded for a moment.
A moment later, the abbot chanted a Buddhist prayer, stepped forward, and said, "As you have said, our temple has 150 acres of land, all of which are leased to the villagers for cultivation. There are also some wasteland, which they have used to build houses and live on."
"Where did these 150 acres of land come from?" Shao Shuyi asked curiously.
"One hundred acres were granted by the imperial court to temples and monasteries, and the rest were donated by devout men and women."
How much rent do you collect per year?
The abbot was initially reluctant to answer, but after seeing the group of fierce-looking men behind Shao Shuyi, he said, "The annual rent is one hundred bushels."
"Not much," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
I had heard about the Qu family in the sand quarry from Governor Wang Hua before, and after learning more about them, I discovered that this family was truly remarkable. Qu Tingfa rose to the position of Salt Commissioner of Liangzhe, managing a total of thirty-four salt quarries. During his lifetime, he donated over two hundred hectares (one hectare equals one hundred mu) of his own estate to help Zen Master Gaofeng Yuanmiao build the Dajue Zhengdeng Temple in Tianmu Mountain, and also purchased several other mountain fields for the temple.
There was a household named Yang Zi in Caofu, who came from the Chepu Yang family, a family of seafarers. He once donated 6,000 mu of land to Chongning Temple in Hangzhou.
The scale of this donation is quite astonishing.
As for those who donate their land to temples and become second landlords, let's not talk about them. They donate in good faith, but only to evade taxes and corvée labor.
Chong Sheng Temple seems to be too little famous, and it is located in such a remote place. Over the years, believers have only donated fifty acres.
There is a world of difference between a large jungle and a small temple.
After asking a few casual questions, Shao Shuyi stopped smiling, bowed, and said, "I apologize for visiting today, but I have a favor to ask." The abbot sighed slightly and said, "Please speak frankly, benefactor."
Both sides had about ten people, but the difference was huge.
On our side, there were only one or two people with some martial arts skills, who relied on collecting rent. They only had two monk's knives, which were not capable of killing, and they had no chance of winning against these dozen or so fierce men wielding spears and axes.
Having managed the temple for many years, he was not so naive as to expect these people to fear karma and not dare to harm outsiders.
There have been numerous instances of ruthless bandits occupying temples and Taoist monasteries and murdering monks and Taoist priests. Even if the temples and monasteries were eventually taken back by the government, it was uncertain whether the people were still alive.
"I see there are still vacant houses in the village, why is that?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"You are unaware, benefactor," the abbot sighed. "Recently, the imperial court has repeatedly reclaimed the temple and monastery lands granted to us in the past. Even those not reclaimed still require taxes. Although the tenants of Changsi Temple do not pay taxes, many are engaged in miscellaneous corvée work. Some have not returned, and their families are struggling to survive. Furthermore, there was a plague a few years ago, which killed many people."
"I see." Shao Shuyi nodded and said, "In that case, could you rent me those vacant houses and the adjacent land? I don't want their farmland, just the houses and wasteland."
The abbot remained silent.
The fact that they prefer barren land and houses over cultivated fields inevitably raises questions.
In this world, no one is a fool. Even those who spend their days cultivating in temples and monasteries are inevitably affected.
This group of people doesn't look like good people. Could it be that they are planning to build a secret den of thieves next to Chong Sheng Temple?
He wanted to refuse, but he was also a little afraid. His lips opened and closed repeatedly, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Profound cultivation, profound Buddhist principles, and a calm mind seem to have no effect whatsoever in the face of unreasonable bandits.
After a long silence, he finally sighed and said, "I will do as you say, benefactor."
Upon hearing this, the other monks chanted a Buddhist prayer in unison.
Along this sandbar stretching over a hundred miles, not a single official from Jiangyin Prefecture could be seen from the beginning to the end of the year. The only official representing the imperial court's authority, the patrol and inspection office, consisted of only thirteen archers, who were utterly incapable of providing any protection to the people.
What can they do?
Zhu Ding was very famous in Jiangyin Prefecture.
Among the several well-known salt smugglers, he rose to power the fastest, had the shallowest foundation, but was the strongest.
Even a third-generation tycoon like Zhao Yangui couldn't compete with Zhu Ding, who only became wealthy in this generation.
The two sides had fought countless times over the smuggling of salt, with the Zhao family winning far more often than losing and suffering considerable losses.
The reasons are hard to pinpoint exactly. Perhaps it's because Zhao Yangui's family was too wealthy, and he lacked Zhu Ding's ambition and ruthless spirit. He faltered at crucial moments, resulting in the loss of a significant amount of territory.
As for figures like Wang Zongsan and Chen Xianwu, they came from similar backgrounds to Zhu Ding, emerging as society crumbled.
If the government were clean and the country strong, they would likely have no chance to rise in the ranks, spending their lives in the countryside wielding hoes and toiling in the soil. That was basically the situation in the underworld of Jiangyin Prefecture.
Therefore, when Zhu Ding entered Chengjiang Gate and had breakfast at Chengjiang Post Station, he was immediately recognized.
Many people feared such a vicious man. Therefore, upon seeing him appear, the people staying at the post station all checked out and fled. Zhu Dinghun didn't care and laughed heartily.
The seven or eight burly men following him also sneered. When they saw the beautiful young woman fleeing in a sorry state with her family, they couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks.
"Alright, we're going into the city after all, so behave yourself," Zhu Ding said, tapping his bowl with his chopsticks.
"Yes." Everyone responded, but their eyes were still darting around, clearly dazzled by the dazzling world of the city.
Just as Zhu Ding was halfway through his meal, two men dressed in short hemp clothing came over, held a money box above their heads, and said, "Brother Zhu, all the money from the Confucian Temple and the Imperial Academy is here."
One of his men stepped forward, took the money box, counted it carefully, and said, "Brother Zhu, there are five ingots in total, just right."
Zhu Ding nodded and said, "Give him twenty strings of cash each."
The subordinate pulled out forty strings of cash and handed it to the two men, saying, "This is a reward from Brother Zhu."
The two expressed their deepest gratitude, bowed repeatedly, and departed.
After they left, Zhu Ding continued eating his breakfast. Just as he was finishing, two more people arrived, bowing and reporting, "Brother Zhu, the salt money from the Chao Sect has arrived. Two hundred catties, and two hundred and fifty strings of cash. Please count it."
Zhu Ding was too lazy to talk and continued to eat the last piece of pastry on his plate.
The subordinate counted the money as usual. When he got to the last few bills, he frowned, put them aside, and said, "You even accept this kind of worthless money? Are you tired of living?" The two men who delivered the money turned pale and were terrified.
"Forget it." Zhu Ding swallowed the last bite of food and said, "We can afford to spend this money, it's not a big deal. Give him twenty strings of cash each."
The two men received the money and repeatedly pledged their loyalty.
Zhu Ding laughed heartily and said, "Get lost, come back after the Double Ninth Festival."
The two felt as if they had been granted a pardon and left with the money.
Half an hour later, someone else arrived: "Brother Zhu, the salt money from Nanzha..."
Zhu Ding spent half a day sitting at Chengjiang Post Station, while this place was busy for the other half of the day.
Some people were smuggling salt, and they were in a panic, afraid of encountering government soldiers.
Some smugglers carried smuggled salt and powerful bows and crossbows, ready to fight the government troops at any time.
Some smugglers brazenly went directly to the salt bureau's inspection office to pick up their salt, without even bothering to change the salt bags. The salt bags from the Huai River Transport Bureau were produced on Qingyuan Road. One jin (400 jin) of salt was divided into two bags, one bag containing 200 jin plus 10 jin of wastage. The bags were very distinctive and easily recognizable. Brother Zhu, who sold smuggled salt, was equally unpretentious.
The man sat in the official post station for half a day without moving, chatting and laughing with passersby, extremely arrogant.
Throughout the entire process, the government seemed to be blind, and no one bothered him at all, which was quite a strange story.
Occasionally, one or two passersby might see this and not dare to say anything, but they would privately lament why the Great Yuan Dynasty didn't do anything about these kinds of people. It wasn't this outrageous a dozen years ago, but now it's really getting more and more outrageous.
When people like Zhu Ding control every street, alley, and even village, is the government still the government?
Zhu Dingke didn't bother with their thoughts. Seeing that noon had passed, he called out to everyone, "Let's go to the Confucian Temple for a drink, and then we'll go to the yamen to deliver the money this afternoon. These corrupt officials are getting more and more greedy every year."
Everyone laughed and agreed, and followed suit.