Chapter 109: Chain Cannon

The first light of dawn appeared and the freezing snow had just stopped when Han San personally led a dozen trusted guards, braving the wind and frost, and galloped out of Beijing.

Along the way, the gale swirled and the accumulated snow filled the sky.

Not long after he left Beijing, Zhang Yunxiu also struggled to sit up from his bed.

He turned his head to look at Zheng Xi'er, who was still fast asleep; the flush on her face had not yet faded, and her hair, like a waterfall, lay in disarray over her fair, soft shoulders.

Her cherry lips were slightly parted, gently exhaling fragrance, and she slept as peacefully as an infant.

Last night, after the two had been passionately intimate, Zhang Yunxiu felt that the resentment he had accumulated for many days had dissipated completely.

Rising early this morning, he showed no signs of fatigue at all; instead, he was full of vigor.

Smiling as he tidied the strands of hair that had fallen to Zheng Xi'er's ears, Zhang Yunxiu carefully got out of bed, gathered his clothes, and dressed neatly.

Immediately after, he tiptoed out of the room and gently closed the door.

Looking up at the sky, which had rarely cleared, Zhang Yunxiu was in a great mood; he walked out of the small courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back, heading straight for Zhaoning Temple.

By the time he arrived, the sun was just beginning to show its face from the east.

The once-bustling Zhaoning Temple was now completely deserted.

The steps made of bluestone were covered in thick snow, and there were few pilgrims; only a few young novices holding brooms were sweeping above.

Zhang Yunxiu stepped through the snow and followed the stairs to the plaza in front of the Grand Hall.

Inside, the heavy sound of chanting mixed with the cold wind drilled into Zhang Yunxiu's ears.

In the center of the hall, an old monk with a refined appearance, crane-white hair, and a weathered face sat at the very front, wearing a cassock inlaid with gold thread.

Around him, the hall was crowded with disciples listening intently.

Listening to the chanting, Zhang Yunxiu was secretly amazed and walked into the hall unconsciously.

The monks inside did not notice him and continued to chant the Buddhist scriptures; it was not until a passage was finished that the old monk in the middle opened his eyes and shot a piercing gaze at Zhang Yunxiu.

The surrounding disciples also discovered Zhang Yunxiu's presence and turned their eyes to size him up.

"Patron, this temple is not receiving pilgrims recently; you had best return," a middle-aged monk closest to Zhang Yunxiu said, pressing his palms together and advising him in a low voice.

"I am not a pilgrim; I just have some matters I wish to discuss with the abbot, Master Yiru," Zhang Yunxiu replied, shaking his head with a smile as he looked directly at the old monk in the center.

Master Yiru nodded slightly, stood up, and led Zhang Yunxiu inside.

The two arrived at a small inner parlor and sat down with the courtesy of host and guest; two young novices came forward to refill their tea before respectfully withdrawing.

Zhang Yunxiu shifted his gaze and scanned the surrounding environment.

This place was exquisitely decorated and furnished with care; while it could not be called luxurious, it was certainly not something an ordinary family could afford.

"Master Yiru, I have a question and would like to ask for your guidance," Zhang Yunxiu said with a smile.

"Please ask, Patron," Master Yiru said, pressing his palms together to signal Zhang Yunxiu to speak.

"The Buddha says: 'All living beings suffer.' Why is it that the masters here do not show a single trace of suffering, but instead smile every day, as if they are not practicing Zen, but living like great lords?"

"That is because they have taken refuge in the Buddhist faith, have long since transcended the Six Paths, and after removing the seven emotions and six desires, naturally there is no suffering of the human world."

"Oh, I see; so you have all transcended the secular world." Zhang Yunxiu rubbed his chin and smiled, then suddenly stopped laughing and sternly rebuked, "If that is so, why does your monk Huineng dare to rape a civilian woman?!"

"Does the Patron have evidence?" Master Yiru knew the visitor had ill intentions, and his tone became cold.

"The confession of the monk Huixin is the evidence." Zhang Yunxiu gave a cold laugh, seized the flaw in Master Yiru's previous words, and pressed his attack, "You just said that the people here have all transcended the secular world, so you must be enlightened masters."

"If that is the case, what he says cannot be false, right?"

Master Yiru's two white eyebrows knit together, and he remained silent.

Zhang Yunxiu continued, "Since you trust your followers so much, do you dare to swear before this Buddha in front of us? If you dare, I will turn around and leave, and never step foot into your Zhaoning Temple again."

"Patron, it is better to be forgiving when one can," Master Yiru's tone softened completely.

"Old monk, I will also give you a piece of advice: the sea of bitterness is boundless, but a turn of the head is the shore. One wrong step leads to every step being wrong; one thought makes a Buddha, one thought makes a demon."

"If you don't even understand this simple truth, what kind of Buddhist Dharma have you been studying all these years?" Zhang Yunxiu pressed relentlessly.

The witness was one aspect, but if this old monk could expose his own scandal, the effect would be even better.

"I won't bluff you anymore; I have already found that woman. Because I was considering the face of Empress Dowager Li, I didn't expose this matter immediately. You should think about it carefully; paper cannot wrap up fire forever. If you turn back now, perhaps the Buddha can still forgive you."

Having said this, Zhang Yunxiu strode away.

Master Yiru's brows were knotted into a lump, and he stood frozen in place, unable to recover for a long time.

When he first learned that Huineng had broken the law, his first reaction had been uncontrollable rage, and he had prepared to send him to the government.

But when he thought that if Huineng's crimes were confirmed, it would be a devastating blow to the reputation and prestige of Zhaoning Temple.

He had painstakingly managed it for decades to have the glory Zhaoning Temple enjoyed today, and he would never allow Zhaoning Temple to be destroyed like this.

So he compromised.

He betrayed the Buddha and covered up the matter.

Just as Zhang Yunxiu had said, one wrong step led to every step being wrong; for these two months, he had been suffering, spending every day in pain and guilt. Several times, when he met Empress Dowager Li, he had wanted to tell her the truth.

But every time the words reached his lips, as soon as he met Empress Dowager Li's gaze, he became like a deflated ball and lost all his courage.

Regardless of whether what Zhang Yunxiu said was true or false, this time, he finally had the courage to make up his mind to expose the matter.

He pressed his palms together, bowed to the Buddha statue on the altar, and muttered, "Amitabha, if I do not enter hell, who will? It is fated that I should face this tribulation."

Cining Palace.

After being interrogated by Zhang Yunxiu, the monk Yiru knew the matter had been exposed, so he came here on his own initiative, prepared to tell Empress Dowager Li about it.

He was led by a palace maid to the side hall to sit down, and before long, Empress Dowager Li walked out with a smile: "Master Yiru, the *Heart Sutra* you explained to me a few days ago was truly excellent; I have gained some more insights now."

"That is because the Empress Dowager has a Buddhist affinity, which is why you were able to gain such insight."

The monk Yiru watched Empress Dowager Li walk up to the embroidered couch, smiled first, then collected his thoughts for a few seconds and continued, "I have come here today to bid farewell to the Empress Dowager."

"Ah?!" Empress Dowager Li was startled and asked hurriedly, "Is it because of the incident where Zhao Yong committed a crime?"

"Yes."

"How bold! They have such audacity to dare to bring you in for questioning as well!"

Empress Dowager Li was furious, while the monk Yiru shook his head repeatedly, lowered his head, and said, "No, no, it is this poor monk who lost his own moral integrity. This poor monk knew that Huineng had improper conduct, yet because I was burdened by the word 'reputation,' I strayed further and further."

"I suppose it is because this poor monk's six senses have not been purified, which led to this evil thought. This poor monk intends to go out and wander to temper my state of mind."

"Ah, how, how could it be like this?"

Empress Dowager Li muttered in a daze; she had not expected matters to develop to this point.

Blinking her almond-shaped eyes, Empress Dowager Li leaned forward and asked with a hint of probing, "Master Yiru, was this done by your subordinates behind your back, and you only learned of this matter now?"

"This poor monk has already said, this was all caused by this poor monk's own evil thoughts and has nothing to do with others." Master Yiru's tone was very firm.

Empress Dowager Li still did not forget to try to make amends: "Master, that you can expose your own family scandal shows your state of mind is broad; how can you abandon your disciples and followers because of such a small matter?"

"Empress Dowager, everyone has a Buddha in their heart, and the 'Buddha' in this poor monk's heart already has cracks. A broken mirror is hard to mend; this poor monk knows my sins are deep and heavy. In the future, I shall practice asceticism to pray for blessings for the Emperor and for Empress Dowager Li."

Having said this, Master Yiru pressed his palms together, bowed to Empress Dowager Li, turned his body, and tremblingly ran out of the great hall.

Empress Dowager Li's eyes reddened; she waved her hand to summon her personal maid and instructed, "Go, call the Emperor to Cining Palace; I have some matters to discuss with him."

That evening, an apricot-yellow sedan chair carried by four men slowly landed in the sedan hall of the Zhang University Scholar Mansion, and a eunuch wearing a python robe walked out from inside.

It was precisely the Managing Eunuch of Qianqing Palace, Wei Qing.

After walking out of the sedan hall, Wei Qing, under the guidance of You Qi, headed straight for Zhang Juzheng's study.

Bypassing the screen wall and passing through two long corridors, Zhang Juzheng's large study appeared before their eyes.

"Eunuch Wei, please go in yourself." You Qi pointed at the study, which was lit with lamp fire.

"Hey, alright." Wei Qing nodded, lifted his robe, and walked quickly forward.

Arriving at the door, he looked inside and saw Zhang Juzheng hunched over the table, writing something.

Hearing the movement outside, Zhang Juzheng raised his head. The two met eyes, and Wei Qing first smiled and said, "Master Zhang, I am sorry, I know you are busy with ten thousand tasks, but this matter was entrusted by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, so I must tell you personally."

"Eunuch Wei is too polite." Zhang Juzheng threw down his brush and smilingly invited Wei Qing to sit.

"I have only one sentence; I will leave once I have said it." Wei Qing shook his head and added, "The Emperor and the Empress Dowager said that Zhao Yong and the monk Huineng fought due to a verbal dispute, and subsequently, the monk Huineng died due to a pre-existing serious illness."

"What is the Empress Dowager's meaning?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Wei Qing tentatively.

Wei Qing shook his head and flattered with a smile, "I dare not guess the Empress Dowager's meaning, but since the Empress Dowager has the intention to turn a big matter into a small one, if you, Elder Zhang, follow the slope to descend and give both sides fifty strokes, this matter will be considered closed."

"I understand." Zhang Juzheng nodded and sent someone to see You Qi off.

Subsequently, he sent someone to call Zhang Yunxiu to inform him of the Empress Dowager's meaning.

"Sure enough, the Empress Dowager still favors those monks." Zhang Yunxiu felt bitter in his heart, but fortunately, this result was still considered good.

A fight would at most result in some strokes and a fine of silver, which was considered good.

While Zhang Yunxiu was pondering, Zhang Juzheng was already lowering his head to write.

"I have examined the registers of the Ministry of Revenue and know that there are fully one hundred thousand monks in the world, increasing by two or three thousand every year. If there are many monks, there are few commoners; if there are few commoners, the national strength will be exhausted. I humbly hope Your Majesty will use the classics to examine the monks of the world and dismiss those who are just making up the numbers."

"Father, you... what are you doing?" Now it was Zhang Yunxiu's turn to be shocked.

"Hmph, do you really think I don't know the harm of these monks?" Zhang Juzheng glared at his son and explained slowly, "Emperor Wu of Liang in the Southern Dynasties believed in Buddhism and even became a monk twice, letting his ministers pay money to redeem him, which ultimately led to the destruction of the country and the death of his people."

"There must be monks, but there absolutely cannot be this many. This time I have decided: of the one hundred thousand monks, at most only ten thousand shall be kept."

"Are you not afraid of offending Empress Dowager Li?" Zhang Yunxiu asked, shrinking his neck.

Zhang Juzheng flicked his sleeves and said with a stiff neck, "What is the use of saying these things now? You fired the first shot with a thunderous sound, and I must follow up with this shot, lest people look down on us."

(End of this chapter)