Arriving at the foot of Huishan Mountain around 10 a.m., I saw people pouring in from all directions, bustling about in the market at the foot of the mountain. The market was teeming with people and vehicles, and the stalls sold items for worshipping Buddha and offerings to ancestors. The air was filled with smoke and the smell of incense.
The two stood in the market and looked up at Huishan Mountain. They saw a stone-paved path winding its way up to Tongchan Temple at the summit. Through the dense trees at the top, they could see the temple's red walls and upturned eaves. People were going up and down the steps; those going up carried incense, while those coming down were empty-handed.
Meng Ruliu asked, "Sister-in-law, should we go find Jia Tuo first, or go see Master Huiming first?"
Su Wan looked closely at the archway at the foot of the mountain. The archway read "Huishan Blessed Land". There were probably hundreds of people gathered below, as if water was blocked under the archway. After looking for a long time, only a few people went up the steps.
“Come on, let’s go take a look at the area under the archway,” she said, pulling Meng Ruliu down towards the archway. “Something’s not right there.”
The two arrived at the back of the crowd. There were so many people in front of them that they couldn't see inside. They heard a man's impatient voice say, "No money? What are you doing at Tongchan Temple if you have no money? Move aside, next one."
A woman's pleading voice came from the front of the crowd: "I want to go to the temple to pray for my mother-in-law. Could you please tell Master Jia that the incense money can be sent tomorrow?"
The man's voice grew even more impatient: "What's wrong with all of you? You want to go into the temple to pray for blessings, but you don't even pay for incense? You expect the Buddha to bless you? Get out of the way, next one."
The crowd parted, and a woman of about twenty years old walked out, wiping away tears with her sleeve.
After the woman walked out of the crowd, Su Wan stepped forward and stopped her, saying, "Madam, who is this Master Jia you just mentioned?"
The woman stopped and looked her up and down, saying, "Don't you know? Master Jia used to be a monk official at Tongchan Temple on this mountain. Now he has returned to secular life and has to pay to come up the mountain."
Su Wan thought to herself, "He's actually quite easy to manage. This must be Jia Tuo."
Meng Ruliu asked, "Has this Master Jia arrived yet?"
The woman whispered, "No, he has some men watching over him here. I won't say any more, I'm leaving now."
Just as she was about to leave, Su Wan stopped her again and said, "They're demanding money like this, doesn't the local magistrate care?"
The woman lowered her voice even further and said, "The county magistrate accepted his bribes, so why would he care? The local captain also helps him. In the past, when people wanted to go to the capital to report him, they were all stopped by the soldiers arranged by the captain."
Su Wan said, "No wonder A-Jin didn't know. It turns out they're colluding with officials and businessmen to swindle the people out of their hard-earned money."
She lowered her arm, letting the woman leave on her own. Meng Ruliu said, "Sister-in-law, this Jia Tuo is no good. The county magistrate and the battalion commander are in cahoots with him."
Su Wan said, "I thought Master Huiming was a highly accomplished monk, but it turns out his disciples are all like this. Sister, we're going to teach them a lesson today."
Meng Ruliu was overjoyed and said, "Sister-in-law, I've been waiting for these whips for a long time."
Su Wan was startled and quickly reached out to stop her: "Sister Yi, please don't use weapons. The country has laws, these people are just lackeys, they don't deserve to die. Let's arrest the leader Jia Tuo, and take the county magistrate and the captain with us."
“But Jia Tuo isn’t here.”
"Let's make a scene and lure him out."
Meng Ruliu understood immediately and cleared a path ahead, with Su Wan following behind, arriving at the front of the crowd.
Beneath the archway stood a row of burly men, chests puffed out, arms crossed, completely blocking the path up the mountain. Next to them was a table where two men sat collecting money. One was short and stout, in charge of collecting the money, while the other was tall and thin, responsible for shouting instructions. The one who had just driven the woman away was the tall and thin man.
The tall, thin man said, "Listen up, everyone. Those who wish to pray at Shangtong Temple will each receive five taels of silver. No credit, just pay upfront to go up the mountain."
A woman holding a baby stepped forward, put down five taels of silver, and said, "Sir, my child doesn't sleep well at night. I would like to go to the temple to burn incense and ask Buddha to bless my child."
The short, stout man glanced at the woman, then opened his palm and said, "Where's the other five taels?"
The woman was somewhat surprised and said, "Sir, my child is only five months old, do I still have to pay?"
“Of course,” the short, stout man rubbed his fingers together. “If your child doesn’t pay, how can the Buddha bless your child?”
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