Chapter 381: A Chapter Concluded

Walking along the winding, twisting corridor, he held a stack of memorials in his hand—government affairs that the Son of Heaven had reviewed and approved, needing to be passed down for handling.

Fan Zhi wore a purple robe, his bearing upright and proper, yet his face was stiff and his expression solemn, exuding an air of exceptional authority. Nearing forty, Fan Zhi increasingly carried a certain "old stick-in-the-mud" temperament—or perhaps it was because he held high office and wielded the power of a chancellor that he imposed more restraint and demands upon his own conduct and dealings.

His steps seemed somewhat hurried, each stride generating wind and stirring his robes, much like Fan Zhi's character, which had always been rather impatient, forcing Wang Qiwu at his side to keep pace step by step. Compared to Fan Zhi, Wang Qiwu's bearing was clearly far more vigorous—a young man of excellence, no more and no less.

Glancing at the crimson-robed youth beside him, Fan Zhi could not help but feel a measure of envy and jealousy in his heart. He had entered officialdom during the Later Tang years, and through the vicissitudes of this chaotic age, he had served three dynasties and six reigns, until he encountered Liu Chengyou and was finally able to accumulate and then burst forth—wielding prose and governance, compiling histories and revising laws, unleashing his abilities to the full. Only upon reaching the position of chancellor did his life's ambitions begin to take shape.

As for Wang Qiwu, before reaching thirty, he had passed the special examination and earned his jinshi degree—had it not been for Wang Pu, he would surely have been the top scholar. Upon entering officialdom, he encountered an enlightened sovereign, became a close minister, and was often consulted on matters of state and military affairs. The court's talented men were growing in number, and young officials were rising, but compared to others, Wang Qiwu's starting point was clearly a full step higher.

Seeing Wang Qiwu following somewhat awkwardly, Fan Zhi slowed his pace, thought for a moment, and said: "Qiwu, His Majesty has always valued your talents. As for the regulations for supervising Buddhist temples, I think I'll trouble you to put in the extra effort—I'll assist."

Hearing Fan Zhi say this, Wang Qiwu was somewhat puzzled. He clasped his hands and humbly replied: "With the Chancellor present, how would I dare to take charge? The *Great Han Criminal Code* came from the Chancellor's own hand—such a mere set of regulations..."

Before Wang Qiwu could finish, Fan Zhi interjected: "You also know these are mere regulations—they won't consume much energy. You only need to prescribe the right remedy for the ailment, adapt to circumstances, and consider everything thoroughly."

Pausing for a moment, Fan Zhi continued: "The matter of 'suppressing Buddhism' won't last much longer—it's about to conclude. This is a grand plan of His Majesty and the court, and it absolutely cannot be left unfinished. How it is properly brought to a close afterward will rest on the foundation of this set of standard regulations. In this suppression of Buddhism, all those who exerted themselves from top to bottom are loyal and courageous ministers following His Majesty—he wishes for you and me to contribute our share as well. However, I also know that His Majesty wants even more to temper your credentials..."

"Is the Chancellor perhaps overthinking things?" Hearing these words, a gentle smile still hung at the corner of Wang Qiwu's mouth. Translated plainly, his words meant: Chancellor Fan, perhaps you're reading too much into this!

"Qiwu has been at court for two years now, hasn't he?" Seeing this, Fan Zhi abruptly changed the subject.

Wang Qiwu nodded, his eyes exceptionally clear: "I passed the special examination at the Mid-Autumn Festival in the first year of Qianyou—now it's been just over two years!"

Stopping in his tracks, Fan Zhi sat for a moment with Wang Qiwu in a pavilion at a corner of the palace grounds. Gazing into the distance at the layered palace halls, he said: "In today's court, old ministers have retired, authority has returned to the central government, and the various ministries and bureaus still have many vacancies. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been determined to forge ahead, vigorously enacting reforms and selecting the worthy and capable—you and I are both among those chosen. These past two years of special and regular examinations, though they have selected some talent, still leave us lacking successors compared to what the court requires. With your insight and vision, Wang Qiwu, you must surely be able to see something of this."

"Even as an observer, I can see that His Majesty holds great hopes for you, Wang Qiwu. Given time, there will surely be a seat for you in the Hall of State Affairs..."

This discourse left Wang Qiwu silent for a while, after which he slowly rose and gave Fan Zhi a solemn bow: "I thank the Chancellor for his instruction!"

Then, turning toward the direction of Chongzheng Hall, he made another reverent bow.

Fan Zhi's speech, it seemed, had a somewhat deceptive quality to it—as if he were trying to offload his work onto Wang Qiwu...

Seeing Wang Qiwu's reaction, Fan Zhi stroked his beard, and a smile appeared on his stiff face—an expression that said "this lad is teachable."

After chatting for a while longer, Fan Zhi took the lead and returned to the Hall of State Affairs. The current Chancellor Fan had become a pillar minister within the Hall of State Affairs, shouldering the affairs of the times, his authority growing heavier by the day and his prestige steadily rising.

Autumn passed into winter, and as the weather gradually turned cold, animals sheathed their claws, and the court likewise set aside its great policies. The "Buddhist Rectification" campaign, which had lasted four months in total, officially came to an end on the winter solstice of the third year of Qianyou, proclaimed by imperial edict and announced by the central government.

In this movement—nominally one of rectification, in truth one of destroying Buddhism—a total of 33,730 Buddhist temples of all sizes were abolished and destroyed, approximately 230,000 persons were released from monastic registration, and more than 7,000 monks who had violated the law or fled their duties were arrested and investigated. Land confiscated and reported by various regions alone amounted to over 7.6 million mu.

As for wealth, grain, and the like—the visible, immediate benefits—they were even more abundant. As the largest share of this gluttonous feast, over ten million jin of copper was shipped to the Eastern Capital, while gold, silver, coin, and grain were beyond counting. In short, it was a windfall—the enormous dividends of the Buddhist suppression flowing continuously into the Eastern Capital had long since put the court officials at ease. Of course, there were always those who muttered gossip, citing "tyranny" and "harsh measures," but for that, the Wude Office had already taught such people a lesson.

After this upheaval, only slightly more than three thousand temples remained throughout the Great Han, with registered monks and nuns numbering fewer than sixty thousand. The development of Buddhism in the Great Han had suffered a heavy blow.

Of course, behind the enormous gains, calamities could not be entirely avoided. During these several months, more than forty popular uprisings erupted across the various circuits and prefectures. Though the uprisings varied in scale, the local generals and officials who suppressed them varied in efficiency and methods, and more than twenty thousand people died in the chaos. Moreover, in Henan, a considerable number of monks and nuns secretly fled to the Southern Tang and Jingnan to take refuge. Though the court promptly issued orders and dispatched troops to intercept them, a significant loss of population still occurred.

Of course, Buddhism and Daoism flourished all the more in the Southern Tang. These monks who would rather flee to distant foreign lands clearly possessed resolute devotion to the Buddha. Their going to the Southern Tang was not entirely a bad thing for the Great Han.

Commissioned by the Emperor, Fan Zhi and Wang Qiwu gathered a group of academicians and formulated a relatively comprehensive set of regulations for the management of Buddhist temples and monks and nuns, titled the *Great Han Qianyou Regulations for the Management of Temples and Monastics at Home and Abroad*.

First was the question of which temples would stand or fall. All prefectures, counties, and towns were required to have imperial charters, determined by their "merit" and registered population numbers. Those built privately without charters would be dealt with by law.

Second, monks and nuns must be registered with the government, with their names reported to the central Bureau of Sacrifices for unified management. Registered monastics would be subject to periodic assessments.

Third, for ordination and tonsure, there were age restrictions for both men and women—fifteen for men, thirteen for women. Additionally, consent was required from parents or grandparents at home; orphans needed the approval of resident uncles or elder brothers. Even then, the government would still test their knowledge of the scriptures. Only when all conditions were met would they be registered.

Fourth was the continued development of the ordination certificate system. All certificates from previous dynasties were to be completely discarded, and monks and nuns in existing temples had to apply to the government for new certificates within one year. Of course, they could hardly avoid being squeezed for another layer of profit—after all, the government had administrative costs to cover.

As for the rest, they were supplementary provisions, prohibiting the old practices of monks and nuns gathering crowds and deluding the masses—such as playing with props and implements, using talismans and heretical arts, falsely claiming to manifest transformations, return from death, or sitting in nirvana, and magical tricks with holy water and holy lamps. Additional clauses for punishment and legal action were also added.

These regulations were nothing less than another layer of restriction on the development of Buddhism. Liu Chengyou gave them a cursory glance and approved them without further deliberation—indeed, he was not particularly concerned with these regulations at all. In his heart, this suppression of Buddhism was essentially a one-time transaction; suppressing the development of Buddhism was never his ultimate goal.

Nor did he believe that such regulations could truly restrict the development of Buddhism. The vitality of the Buddhist faith was simply too tenacious. He might be able to suppress it during his own reign—but what of the succeeding sovereign? What of the emperor two generations hence?

In Liu Chengyou's view, as long as it benefited his grand enterprise, and the national conditions and the realities of the times required him to destroy Buddhism, then he did it. It was just that simple!