Yang Fan and Hong Liu wandered around the White Horse Temple.
Under the management of Xue Huaiyi, the White Horse Temple had completely degenerated into a big temple fair. There was no solemnity of a Buddhist temple. Instead, it was filled with sensual pleasures. On this day, very few people went to the Tenderness Square to seek pleasure. Therefore, the prostitutes in the brothel also took a long break and came to the White Horse Temple to relax.
Many of the beautiful courtesans had changed into ordinary clothes and were accompanied by a playful and cute little maid and two big teapots with small hats. Their movements were elegant and their manners were dignified. They were even more elegant than the proper girls from the prestigious families. However, there was no lack of coquettish behavior. At first glance, people would know that they were girls from the brothel.
Seeing this scene, Yang Fan could not help but shake his head.
Not long after, Chen Dong happened to bring his wife and child to the temple fair. They met an acquaintance and the two of them gathered together to chat about everything under the sun. It was very comfortable. When it was close to noon, there was still no sign of the Emperor. Chen Dong guessed that the Emperor would not appear during meal time, so he invited Yang Fan to a restaurant outside.
Yang Fan said goodbye to Hong Liu and left with Chen Dong.
According to Xue Huaiyi's instructions before he left, the Emperor would arrive at most three quarters of the morning. However, the White Horse Temple waited from dawn until noon, and there was still no sign of the Emperor. Hong One and Hong Liu discussed and decided that they had no choice but to eat first. In the end, there was another problem.
Today, Xue Huaiyi was holding a big dharma conference. The so-called dharma conference naturally included lectures and teachings. The most popular program was the "Chanting of a Thousand Monks." Xue Huaiyi was the Protector of the State and had the power to command all the Buddhist sects in the world. Therefore, he transferred a thousand monks from various temples and prepared to chant the "Great Cloud Scripture."
Wu Zetian liked grand occasions, and he thought that this grand occasion could make Wu Zetian like it. This event was not only grand, but it could also show that the Emperor had the support of the people. More importantly, he was the one who proved that Wu Zetian was the reincarnation of Maitreya with the "Da Yun Jing Shu" and made great achievements for her ascension to the throne. He also wanted the Emperor to remember his kindness.
In order to create a kind of mysterious effect, he hid all these monks in the back garden. There were a thousand monks densely packed together, each one was wearing a big red kasaya, with a Pilu hat on their head. They looked like a thousand Tang Sanzang, bright red and awe-inspiring. But they had been standing from morning till noon, and were so hungry that their chests pressed against their backs, and so tired that their heels were cramped.
More importantly, Xue Huaiyi originally planned to invite the Emperor in the morning and hold a series of events. He planned to wait until the Emperor was tired at noon and rest in the temple. At night, he would accompany the Emperor to watch the lanterns. He did not prepare lunch for these monks, and the cooks of the White Horse Temple could not cook food for so many monks.
Now that the Emperor had not arrived, these one thousand people could not leave, but they also could not let them starve. Hong Yi was so anxious that he walked around in circles. Fortunately, his master was rich. After some deliberation, his disciples took the initiative to ask the kitchen to prepare more food, and to go out and buy a lot of food.
There were a lot of unused pots in the kitchen, but the stove was limited. So, the head cooks took the initiative to start cooking in the courtyard. The firewood was very moist in the winter, so when the fire was lit, thick smoke could be seen billowing from the White Horse Temple. The smoke rose into the night, becoming another miracle of Luoyang.
As the thick smoke rose, it didn't take long before three groups of people rushed towards the White Horse Temple from three different directions amidst the shouts of people and neighs of horses. The first group consisted of Imperial Censor Zheng Chao, the second group consisted of Luoyang Commandant Tang Zong, who was under the jurisdiction of the Capital Governor, and the third group consisted of the Jin Wu Guards' Brigade Commander Liu Xiangyu.
These three groups of people were responsible for the security of the capital. When they saw the thick smoke from the White Horse Temple, they knew that there was a big ceremony here today, and there were many people attending the ceremony. They thought that there was a fire and rushed over. As a result, when they rushed to the entrance of the alley, they could not squeeze in. The three officials made a prompt decision and ordered in unison: "Charge in!"
The servant of the city patrol raised his whip and lashed. The officers and soldiers of the Jin Wu Wei raised their sheathed steel swords and slashed. Luoyang Commandant Tang Zong did not hesitate either. With a command, the patrol officers under him waved their water and fire sticks and rushed in like they were performing a drama.
Who would have thought that not only would there be chaos outside, but there would also be chaos inside.
What were Xue Huaiyi's subordinates?
They were just a bunch of ruffians!
How could you expect such a group of trash to do anything reliable?
They ordered all sorts of dishes from restaurants, restaurants, and snack stalls. They had all kinds of meat and fish.
They were monks who drank wine and ate meat, but the one thousand monks who were waiting to sing the Great Cloud Scripture were real monks. They were determined not to eat these things. After a series of protests, these ruffians became angry. A group of ruffian monks was quarreling with a proper monk. The waiters sent by the restaurants to deliver the food could not wait and urged them to ask for money.
No one wanted to eat the food. How could the ruffian monks be willing to pay? So they quarreled with the waiters again. This quarrel could not be controlled. They quarreled from the backyard to the front yard. A large group of people who were watching the fun suddenly surrounded them. They felt that this was the most exciting show of the White Horse Temple's ceremony.
The group of ruffian monks usually kept to their word. They had never lost so much face. They quarreled until they were ashamed and angry. They simply started to fight. This fight inevitably affected the innocent. The innocent was not to be trifled with. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and joined the fight. Anyway, in this chaos, no matter how powerful the White Horse Temple was, they would not be able to find him for revenge.
Even in modern society, some garden activities often resulted in stampedes due to poor organization. Moreover, this White Horse Temple's ceremony was not organized or guided. Even if the government sent bailiffs, because the White Horse Temple had always been domineering, they only maintained order in the periphery. They were not willing to wander around inside.
When this fight started, the people outside desperately rushed in and squeezed to watch the fun. The people inside helped the old and the young to rush out. They dodged the incense sticks, prayer beads, tables and chairs, hanging Buddha statues, and all kinds of strange weapons. The chaotic scene of stampedes inevitably occurred. After a while, the huge Buddha statue that Xue Huaiyi drew with his blood also collapsed with a loud bang. It was trampled into pieces.
By the time Yang Fan and Chen Dong had eaten and drank to their heart's content, they were laughing and chatting as they rushed back. When they saw the White Horse Temple in a mess, they were stunned. Chen Dong still had his wife and child with him, so it was inconvenient for him to go in. Yang Fan told him and led seven or eight bodyguards to squeeze in. Even with his martial arts, when he squeezed into the White Horse Temple, his clothes were messy, his hat was crooked, his hair was disheveled, and he was sweating profusely.
Yang Fan squeezed into the White Horse Temple and saw that it was even more chaotic here. There were fights everywhere. Yang Fan wandered around for a long time, but he could not find anyone he knew. Monk Yi Zhuo, who was hiding behind a pillar and looking at the scenery, saw him and quickly called him over. Yang Fan asked him and understood the reason.
It was useless for Yang Fan to understand the chaotic scene before his eyes. Even if he gathered all his fellow apprentices from Hong One to Hong Nineteen, the scene before his eyes still wasn't something they could put a stop to. At this time, the Featherwood Guard's Grand General Wu Youyi led the army over in a grandiose manner.
Under the suppression of the mighty army, the chaos was finally put to a stop.
Wu Youyi came to clear the way. The emperor had already set off and would arrive soon.
This time, Monk Hong Yi and his fellow apprentices were dumbfounded. They did not know how to deal with the situation in front of them.
Seeing this, Yang Fan quickly came forward. First, he asked Hong Yi to pay, then he sent away the waiters of the restaurants and restaurants. Who was injured? Everything was settled with money. As long as he was willing to leave, he did not care about money! The same method was used for the civilians who were accidentally injured. In a hurry, it was impossible to distinguish who was right and who was wrong, so the White Horse Temple had to pay.
The magic of money was endless. In the blink of an eye, the families of the victims were swept away like the autumn wind sweeping away the fallen leaves. Following that, he paid for many young and strong men from the commoners who had come to watch the show to help clean up the battlefield. At the same time, he asked the Yulin Guard, the Golden Guards, the patrolling imperial censors, and the people of Luoyang Prefecture to help maintain order and guide the crowd.
As for the one thousand monks, they chose those whose kasayas were still intact, those who still wore Vairocana hats, and those who did not have bruised noses and swollen faces. The others retreated first. In the end, only two hundred and forty monks were left. They hurriedly retreated to the backyard to prepare to chant scriptures. The reincarnated Pure Light Buddha, the Immortal Nun of Hanoi, also took advantage of the chaos and quietly slipped away with her female disciples.
Yang Fan's command produced a miraculous effect. When the Emperor's guard of honor appeared in the distance, the entire scene was no longer chaotic. However … the giant Buddha that Xue Huaiyi had painstakingly drawn was gone. The Emperor's favorite scene of joy with the people was gone. The scene was cold and deserted. Except for the soldiers … there were more soldiers!
Wu Zetian did not want to see the Great Dharma Assembly at the White Horse Temple. As her position as the Emperor stabilized, she was tired of those pretentious things, especially the case of Liu Sili and Su Lianyao's rebellion. It made her notice that she was not the only one who could use Buddhas to bewitch the people.
She was the Emperor. She could still do things without Buddhas to bewitch the people. It was just that sometimes it would be more troublesome. However, other people could use Buddhas to do many things that they could not do. This made her even more vigilant towards those who were not from the Buddhist world and were showing off their supernatural powers with the will of the fake gods and Buddha.
She had only come today to brush Xue Huaiyi off. She was afraid that this bastard would do something stupid again. Thus, despite Xue Huaiyi's repeated urging, she was not in the mood. It was only in the afternoon that she could not drag it on any longer. Only then did she put on the guard of honor and came slowly. When she arrived at the White Horse Temple, she saw that there was no grand occasion at all. Her displeasure was written all over her face.
Xue Huaiyi was also puzzled. Although it was early when he left, it looked more lively than now. Where were the people? Where were the Buddha statues? And … where were the disciples?
After looking for a long time, he saw Master Sanshan standing respectfully in front of the temple with a group of monks from the White Horse Temple. None of his disciples … Oh! There was one. Monk Yizhuo was there. Yizhuo stood behind Master Sanshan. He had a kind face and a sage-like demeanor. No matter how he looked at it, he looked like a Taoist.
Xue Huaiyi was very puzzled. However, he was accompanying the Emperor, so it was not appropriate for him to ask. He could only bring the Emperor into the temple with a belly full of questions. While Master Sanshan was leading the monks of the White Horse Temple to see the Emperor, he hurriedly called Monk Yizhuo to his side.
Monk Yizhuo hurriedly explained. Xue Huaiyi's heart immediately turned cold. He did not care about being angry now. He only thought about how to please the Empress in such a situation.
Yang Fan tried his best, but he could only clean up the scene to this extent. He was now a minor official. He did not have the right to accompany the Emperor, nor did he have the right to welcome the Emperor. He could only blend in with the few remaining commoners. Looking at Xue Huaiyi's ugly expression, Yang Fan shook his head secretly.
He still remembered what Xue Huaiyi had said to him that day in the "Golden Hairpin Drunkenness". Right now, he really wanted to rush up to Xue Huaiyi and ask, "You can't let go of the riches and honor that you obtained by humiliation?"
…
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