100 Chapter 100
◎Righteous Path◎
In late March, the rain is as soft as butter.
Yan Tai rested at home for a night, but he could not hold back any longer the next morning, so he said goodbye to Xie Mingzhuo and went to Jianzhou Salt Field to return to his wife.
Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to speak: "Your Highness, Ah Hui has worked so hard this year. Even if she hasn't done anything meritorious, she has certainly contributed. If her true identity is revealed one day, could you please show some leniency for her hard work?"
This person is really affectionate and righteous.
Xie Mingzhuo reassured him: "Laws are made by people. People can change, and so can laws."
As long as Xiang Jinghui can make achievements in salt affairs, the court will definitely not treat her unfairly.
Yan Tai put aside his worries, bowed deeply, then left the house, rode a horse, and rushed to Jianzhou.
After five days of working at the salt field, Liu Zhaoyu and the others must be exhausted both physically and mentally, and will not come to disturb us again in the short term.
Xie Mingzhuo sat by the window, the sound of water dripping from the eaves like a beaded curtain tinkling in his ears, and the sky in the courtyard was covered with leaden clouds.
"Princess, there's a letter from the capital." Jiang Qing came over quickly.
Xie Mingzhuo's eyes lit up, he took the envelope, tore it open, unfolded the letter paper, and after reading a few lines, a smile appeared on his face.
The words of four people were squeezed into one letter without any logic, as if four people were talking in your ears at the same time, no different from chatting together as usual.
Dad said it was too dangerous outside and asked her to go back quickly. He didn't want to attend the court meeting for a single day.
Her mother and elder brother mentioned to her the recent development of Tiangong Institute, saying that rubber had been found and they were now studying how to produce rubber products and plant rubber trees on a large scale. The manufacture of steam engines was not far away.
My second brother is planning to expand the newspaper and set up branches, and he is working hard on it.
Xie Mingzhuo read it over and over again before refolding the letter and putting it properly into the mailbox.
All she can do is provide her family with a stable and peaceful environment, free from the wind and rain, and away from the noise of war.
After two days of rest, the sky cleared up and the blue sky was clear.
Liu Zhaoyu and others came to pay a formal visit, wearing clean official robes and riding in tall and wide carriages.
Governor Kong Ganyi, who had been at home on sick leave, also came respectfully this time.
Everyone waited outside the door for the news to be announced, but Gao Quan told them, "The princess is ill. Please go back."
"Are you ill?" Jiang Youxin asked hurriedly, "I'll send for the best doctor in the city right away."
Gao Quan: "No need, with Doctor Xu here, there's nothing serious, it's just..."
"Just what?"
"The princess is worried too much. She often has nightmares at night. She's not in good spirits and has lost her appetite." Gao Quan's face was filled with worry. "Captain Jiang said that if she were in the palace, asking a Taoist priest to chant some sutras would help. Unfortunately, she's far away in Shu and can't listen to any of the sutras to relieve her pain."
"Hearing sutras?" Jiang Youxin couldn't help but glance at Liu Zhaoyu. "That's easy. There are many Taoist temples in Shu, and some well-known Taoist priests are highly respected. Why don't I invite them to come and chant sutras for the princess?"
"Oh?" Gao Quan thought for a moment, "But the princess is used to hearing the sutras recited by the imperial Taoist priest. If she doesn't like it, won't it aggravate her condition?"
“How do you know if you don’t try?”
Gao Quan: "I'll go ask the princess."
Not long after, he returned and announced, "The princess said that if you can help her out of her troubles, she will definitely reward you handsomely."
Jiang Youxin bowed and said, "Thank you, Governor Gao. It is our duty to relieve the princess's worries."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sudden exclamation and noise behind him.
"Master Kong fainted! Master Kong fainted!"
It is no longer news that Kong Ganyi has been bedridden for many years. Today, he dragged his sick body to come and pay a visit to the princess to show his loyalty.
Unfortunately, the princess didn’t see it and fell down first.
"Hurry back to the city and call a doctor!"
Gao Quan looked at Kong Ganyi's gaunt and pale appearance and could not help but say, "Mr. Kong's condition cannot be delayed. Why not bring him to the palace first and ask Doctor Xu to treat him? Then send someone to the city to find a doctor who is familiar with his condition."
Kong Ganyi's followers were naturally eager to do so, but they still asked, "Will it disturb the princess?"
Meng Fan happened to be leaving the house. Seeing this situation, he said, "Master Kong has devoted decades to serving his country. Your Highness is too late to show sympathy. Hurry and bring him in."
The attendant immediately lifted Kong Ganyi and followed Meng Fan to the wing room. Xu Qinglang also received the news and rushed to see the patient.
The rest of the officials returned home.
Liu Zhaoyu strode into the study. When he reached the second room, green mist was curling up from the incense burner. A man was sitting cross-legged in the mist, wearing a plain white Taoist robe, showing his immortal demeanor.
"Shenzhen, stop pretending."
Do you really think you are a god?
Taoist Master Shen Zhen stood still like a mountain and said slowly, "Taiwanese Liu, please don't be impatient."
"The princess is ill and needs a Taoist to chant sutras and calm her mind," Liu Dutai chuckled. "Master, can you still sit still?"
Shen Zhen opened his eyes, swept the whisk across his arm, stood up from the futon, went to the table and poured a cup of tea before speaking.
"Last April, heavy snow fell. The Emperor, alerted by a Taoist immortal, changed his previously foolish ways and stopped obsessing over alchemy. The Empress and the three heirs also underwent a complete transformation, a miracle indeed."
Although Liu Zhaoyu did not believe in ghosts and gods, this matter did reveal something strange.
"It's widely rumored that it's because of the guidance of the Taoist immortals that he was able to transform like a god."
"Yes." Taoist Master Shen Zhen sipped his tea. "I have practiced Taoism for many years, with a sincere heart and a strong will, yet I have not been able to glimpse even a glimpse of the Tao, let alone a Taoist immortal appearing in my dreams."
Liu Zhaoyu couldn't help but say: "That's the real dragon emperor, you are just a mortal."
"No, how can we know whether the Dragon Throne came first and then the Son of Heaven, or the Son of Heaven came first and then the Dragon Throne?"
The founding emperor came from a poor family, yet he ruled the world and became the so-called true dragon emperor.
Liu Zhaoyu was fed up with his roundabout rhetoric and went straight to the point: "Now the opportunity is before you, don't you want to go and see the princess in person after she has been instructed by the Taoist Immortal?"
"See."
On the fifth day of the third month of the Renxu year, dozens of Taoist priests with fluttering robes stood outside the princess's temporary residence waiting to be summoned.
These people all came from Taoist temples within a radius of fifty miles from Chengdu Prefecture. They received orders from the provincial government to come and relieve Her Royal Highness the Princess's worries.
Governor Gao said that the princess was used to listening to the imperial Taoist priest chanting scriptures. If she encountered something inappropriate, wouldn't it make the princess even more annoyed?
The officials did not dare to take responsibility, so they summoned dozens of Taoists and let the princess choose herself. If the one she chose was not suitable, they could not blame them.
Among them are old Taoist priests with white hair and vigor, middle-aged Taoist priests with dignified manners, and young Taoist priests with handsome looks.
No matter what type the princess likes, it can be satisfied.
Shen Zhen stood among the crowd, his hair and beard were all white, his posture was calm and composed. Even though he was not tall, he was particularly eye-catching.
The other Taoists all bowed and said, "So you are Taoist Master Shen Zhen from the Lingxiao Temple on Longming Mountain. I am so sorry for your disrespect."
"Greetings, fellow Taoists." Shen Zhen returned the greeting.
Gao Quan stepped forward at the right moment and said, "Masters, please come in."
Everyone entered the mansion and followed him through the corridor, walking further and further away until they stopped at a deserted courtyard.
"Master Gao, what does this mean?" A young Taoist priest was the first to speak without hiding the truth.
"There are too many people, and the princess has no time to meet with everyone, so she has set up an exam. Only those who pass the exam can see the princess."
Everyone: “…”
"The examination room in the courtyard has been set up. The examination papers and the four treasures of the study are placed on the table. If you do not wish to take the exam, please leave. Those who are willing, please come in and take a seat." Gao Quan paused, and seeing that no one turned around, he said, "The exam will last for one stick of incense. Please don't delay."
Dozens of people immediately swarmed into the courtyard, found a nearby table, sat down, and lowered their heads to look at the test papers.
There are two types of questions on the test paper, which are equivalent to the "Tie Jing" and "Mo Yi" questions in the imperial examination, which are later called fill-in-the-blank questions and short-answer questions.
Xie Mingzhuo personally read through Taoist scriptures and extracted topics from them, including the well-known "Tao Te Ching" and obscure and niche scriptures.
This is to test the knowledge of the Taoists.
But she still overestimated these Taoists.
In later generations, if one wanted to become a Taoist priest, one had to have at least a master's degree. However, most Taoist priests at that time only knew some Taoist terms that were enough to shock the people. All they had to do was put on a Taoist robe and they could become a Taoist priest.
Only a few Taoists who have obtained certificates of ordination are recognized as "experts" by the government.
Among these Taoists who came to relieve worries, only a handful of them had certificates of ordination, and half of them could only recognize common characters. Their handwriting was even worse, and they couldn't understand the fill-in-the-blank questions, let alone the short-answer questions.
God truly has real abilities.
He glanced at the "Posting Scriptures" questions and was able to answer most of them, but the rest were too obscure to answer.
Let’s look at the “Mo Yi” questions again. There are five of them. The first three can be found in the scriptures, but the last two seem wrong no matter how you look at them.
The fourth principle: Does the principle serve the people by alleviating their worries or by gaining their benefits?
The fifth path: The palaces and temples occupy fertile land, and many of them are under false names. Is this the right path? Or is it an evil path?
All the Taoists took a deep breath.
living room.
Xie Mingzhuo lay on the chaise longue, asking Feng Caiyu to hold and massage his right hand while he flipped through dozens of answer sheets with his left hand.
After eliminating the semi-illiterate answer sheets, only a dozen or so were left that were readable.
From the handwriting of these people, we can tell that they must have attended school for a few years, have a certain academic foundation, and their handwriting is also neat.
She glanced over the questions that tested memory and focused on the last two "Mo Yi" questions.
These two questions are particularly sharp and full of traps. No matter how you answer them, you will be quite passive.
Everyone flatters themselves, saying that Taoism can solve people's doubts and worries and give them spiritual sustenance. The reason why there are so many fictitious names under the names of palaces and temples is because the law stipulates so.
There is a sense of guilt and whitewashing between the lines.
Only one person answered with reason, logic and confidence, and signed his name "Shenzhen" at the beginning of the volume.
Regarding the fourth path, he said that whether to relieve worries or gain profits, one must observe one's original intention.
When common people go to the temple to pray, they have hope in their hearts. Hope is precious, but it is ephemeral and fleeting. Taoist priests can help their hope take root and sprout with their eloquence, and perhaps save common people from despair, guide them out of confusion, and relieve their worries.
As for the benefits of asking for divination, since the people are grateful and offer sacrifices voluntarily, it cannot be considered as robbery.
If it is intentional fraud, it has nothing to do with the Taoist temple, it is the business of the government.
He also answered the fifth question beautifully.
The imperial court had a rule that the land owned by palaces and temples did not need to pay taxes, and many of the palaces and temples used false land tax, but did not violate the law.
Of the land that was not illegally leased, 50% belonged to the landlords, 30% to the imperial court, and the common people only 20%, or even less.
The land owned by Guiji is 50% owned by the landlord, 10% owned by the palaces and temples, and 40% owned by the common people. They all have their fill of fat and fat, and are well fed and well clothed, living a happy life.
For tenants, it is the right way, so how can it be called an evil way?
He simply switched concepts.
After Xie Mingzhuo finished reading it, he handed it to Meng Fan and said, "Read it again."
"yes."
Meng Fan read aloud with the scroll in his hand, his pronunciation clear and loud, but his voice grew weaker as he went on, and he would pause from time to time and steal glances at Xie Mingzhuo.
"What are you looking at me for? Keep reading."
Meng Fan had no choice but to finish reading it, and his palms were sweating with fear.
The question was sharp, and the person's answer was also sharp.
Xie Mingzhuo turned over lazily and asked, "Just tell me what you think, no matter what you say, I'll forgive you."
Jiang Qing was the first to answer. She half-knelt beside the couch and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, it sounds quite reasonable to me. But I still feel something is amiss."
"This man is cunning," Feng Caiyu said. "He appears to care about the people, but he doesn't mention whether the people who cultivate the land for the palace and temples can actually get 40% of the grain. The landlords came up with this trick to avoid taxes, so they can embezzle the taxes owed to the court instead of giving them to the people. It's really ridiculous."
Meng Fan nodded in agreement. "At first glance, what he said seemed to be for the benefit of the people, implicitly criticizing the imperial court for exploiting them. But in reality, he was just whitewashing the collusion between the landlords and the imperial court. His intentions were ill-intentioned."
"Anything else?"
"Yes," Meng Fan continued, "but let's look at the long term. The less tax revenue the court receives, the emptier the treasury. How can we maintain the government? How can we support a strong army? If the government is weak and the army is inactive, how can the country be stable? How can the people expect to have enough food, warm clothes, and a happy life?"
Jiang Qing suddenly understood and gave a thumbs up excitedly.
Yes, yes, that's right. That's right. She was almost led into the gutter by that person's words just now.
Xie Mingzhuo clapped his hands and praised, "Aqing has sharp intuition, Ayu is smart and insightful, and cousin has foresight. They all said it well."
"Your Highness, I'll let it go." Jiang Qing blushed.
"You are a military commander, and a keen intuition is crucial." Xie Mingzhuo patted her shoulder.
"The princess is the one who has the overall situation." Jiang Qing blushed and quickly changed the subject, "Your Highness, who is this person?"
Xie Mingzhuo sat up and said, "You'll know when you see it."
A moment later, Gao Quan arrived at the examination hall and announced, "The five who have passed are: Taoist Xuancheng, Taoist Suqing, Taoist Chengfeng, Taoist Shenzhen, and Taoist Lingyang. These five Taoists will follow me to see the princess. The rest of you, please leave."
It goes without saying how depressed those who failed the exam were. They could only choose to leave the mansion quietly. Only a handsome Taoist priest was hesitant and suddenly ran to Gao Quan before the guards drove him away.
"Master Gao, please let me see the princess!"
Gao Quan: “…”
He waved his hand, signaling the guards to drag the man away.
If you have a little bit of beauty, you will try to get close to the powerful and wealthy. This kind of lunatic who doesn't know his own ability should not pollute the princess's eyes.
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