Hsu Fengnian was speechless. Not to mention what he thought, Xu Xiao did call the old monk bald donkey every time he mentioned the old monk of the Cold Mountain Temple. He even gave the old abbot a nickname of the Butcher Knife Monk in private. Hsu Fengnian heard the general process of the incident from his mother when he was young. The monk Fa Xian was born in a rich and powerful family. He used to be the vice-director of the Ministry of Personnel in West Chu. After he resigned, he entered Taoism. However, he didn't cultivate in the famous temple on the big mountain. Instead, he chose a remote mountain and lived in seclusion for many years. Later, for some unknown reason, he converted to Buddhism. It was said that he had a debate with the previous abbot of the Cold Mountain Temple. In the eyes of the world, he inexplicably became the abbot. Back then, the Xu family galloped across the Central Plains. Wherever the horses passed, the flames of war were incessant. Not to mention the Liaodong Tiger from the northeast, even the generals of the armies in the Central Plains would turn pale at the mention of the tiger. Only the monk Fa Xian ran to the Xu family's military camp alone with a Buddhist scripture. He asked the butcher Xu Xiao, who was at the peak of his power at that time, to put down his butcher knife. If Wu Su hadn't stopped him, the monk would have been beheaded or even beaten with a stick. With his wife watching him, Xu Xiao had to pinch his nose and take the Buddhist scripture. He absent-mindedly chatted with the monk for a while and then asked someone to send him out of the camp.
As the Grand Secretary Zhang of the Five-colored County, Zhang Longjing was one of the richest men in a province. He was very slippery. He seized the opportunity and said, "Master, many people in my family are vegetarian and recite Buddhist scriptures. Recently, we need to do some Buddhist things …"
After patiently waiting for Zhang Longjing to finish his flawless speech, the old monk slowly opened his mouth and said, "Benefactor, this poor monk appreciates your kindness. It's a pity that what we're doing in your house is not Buddhist."
Just when Zhang Longjing thought this matter was completely over, the old monk unexpectedly changed the topic and said with a smile, "But we still have to go. What if we meet the destined person?"
Yuan Zuozong and Xu Yanbing looked at each other.
Hsu Fengnian was not surprised by this. He said with sincere regret, "The reason for the imperial court's annihilation of Buddhism is complicated. I won't talk about it, but I really hope that you can teach more people about Buddhism."
The old monk who was struggling to carry the oil lamp switched his other hand and said calmly, "It's one thing if I don't talk about the Dharma. It's another how many people I talk about it to, and it's another how many people listen to the Dharma. Whether there are Buddhist temples, Buddha statues, Buddhist scriptures, monks, and even Buddhas and Western Heaven in this world is actually not the most important thing. "
The old monk paused for a moment and looked at the young man in front of him. "It depends on whether there is a space in the hearts of all living beings to place the Buddhist Dharma. As long as the Buddhist Dharma exists, the temple exists. As long as the monks exist, Buddha exists. Without Dharma, even if everyone in the world is a monk, what's the point? "
Hsu Fengnian nodded.
What the old monk said was a bit big. But as long as there was a place for people to settle down, it was the truth. The Buddhist Dharma in the heart of the old monk was the habitat between the very big and the very small. In the past, Hsu Fengnian hated boastful scholars and was tired of those fortune-tellers. Now that he thought about it, it was probably because he couldn't stand those kinds of unrealistic words, especially the former. They knew the truth but didn't know the reason, as if they had already told you the truth. What to do next was up to you. When he was still in His Royal Highness, Hsu Fengnian had a lot of opinions about the so-called literati and civil officials. But before and after the hereditary succession, even though he had two unpleasant experiences in the capital, his impression of the scholars in Li Yang changed more and more. Among them were Chancellor Wang, Huang Shang, Han Guzi, Qi Yanglong, and so on. These were important figures who didn't blindly view Beiliang as an enemy. Of course, there were also pillars of the imperial court like Zhang Julu and Huan Wen who had always had the intention of removing the vassals from Beiliang. Then Hsu Fengnian began to think about a question. Could it be that when the young scholars grew older and had more experience, they could also grow into pillars of the imperial court worthy of anyone's admiration and the backbone of the country?
The monk Fa Xian glanced at the people around Hsu Fengnian and withdrew his warm smile. He asked indifferently, "Benefactor Xu, Beiliang has already started an uprising. Are they determined to rebel?"
Hsu Fengnian shook his head and said, "They are not rebelling."
The old monk who wore a leather hat and didn't wear a kasaya, so he didn't show his identity as a monk. He was a little surprised and continued to ask, "Is the prince receiving an imperial edict to quell the rebellion?"
Hsu Fengnian still shook his head and said, "There is an imperial edict from Great peace City, but I definitely can't see it. Probably the Jiedushi Cai Nan and the Administrator Han Lin who are now bedridden have already received the imperial edict."
The old monk frowned and asked, "Then does Guangling Road need the Beiliang cavalry to help the imperial court army quell the rebellion?"
Hsu Fengnian continued to shake his head and said, "No need. If there is a need, behind me is not ten thousand Beiliang cavalry, but at least twenty thousand Youzhou infantry. "
At this point, Yuan Zuozong narrowed his eyes and was filled with murderous intent.
After the old monk made an "oh" sound, he asked three questions in a row expressionlessly, "Is Beiliang in the territory of Li Yang? Are the people of Beiliang the people of Li Yang? Is the Beiliang Frontier Army the army of Li Yang? "
Hsu Fengnian also nodded expressionlessly and said, "Yes."
The old monk who held the oil lamp stood in the darkness and was silent for a long time. He asked, "King of Beiliang, were there any immoral and fatuous emperors among the three emperors of Li Yang?"
Hsu Fengnian smiled and said, "Not only were there no such emperors, but regardless of the personal grudges between the Xu and Zhao families, to be fair, the three emperors of Li Yang were all wise emperors in the history books. Zhao Li was talented and wise, even better than the founding emperor of Li Yang. Zhao Dun was diligent and tolerant, which was rarely seen in thousands of years. Zhao Zhuan was ambitious, but he didn't have high standards. Give him ten years of peace, and the world will be peaceful."
The old monk sneered, and then his smile suddenly disappeared. He said heavily, "What a strange thing!"
Hsu Fengnian put his hands in his sleeves and said slowly, "Master, you must be wondering why you, as a remnant of West Chu and a monk who had to live in a temple at the foot of the mountain, can look at the world calmly. Why would I, Hsu Fengnian, the Northwest Vassal King, lead an army to the south for my own selfish reasons?"
The old monk stared at the young man, looking at his eyes instead of his face. "Does your Highness have something to hide?"
Hsu Fengnian said self-mockingly, "Yes, but for everyone, it's not worth mentioning."
The old monk gently lifted the oil lamp in his hand and said, "Really not worth mentioning? I'm old and muddle-headed. If I don't lift the lamp, I can't recognize the road, can't see people, and can't see you. Isn't that also not worth mentioning? Maybe everyone in the world is, but I'm not at this moment. "
Hsu Fengnian wanted to say something, but he hesitated.
The old monk seemed to be talking to himself and said, "This world is very strange. Beiliang, a barren land, had to be defended by the fierce army under the Xu family. Xu Xiao had to be in charge to deter Beimang. Otherwise, not to mention others, even Gu Jiantang would not be able to defend it. At the same time, removing the vassal state was an irresistible trend. If the Xu family was lucky enough to defeat Beimang, removing the vassal state would be as difficult as ascending to heaven. No matter what the two successive Kings of Beiliang thought, it was hard to guarantee that their trusted subordinates would add fuel to the fire and wholeheartedly want to become the Emperor's minister and support the Emperor. Therefore, the Emperor of Liyang and the Xu family were very difficult for Beiliang and the Xu family. As the Son of Heaven, he could only let the civil and military officials and scholars scold him, but the Beiliang cavalry could only be surnamed Xu. Later, a scholar surnamed Zhang became a high-ranking official and came up with a way to make Beiliang and Beimang wear each other out. It would be best if the fish dies and the net splits. "
Hsu Fengnian said with a smile, "Yes, in the eyes of the imperial court, it was a dog-eat-dog situation."
The old monk glanced at the young King.
Hsu Fengnian said frankly, "If the Xu family implicated the imperial court to not treat the people of Beiliang as the people of Liyang, I'll admit it, and so will Xu Xiao."
The old monk became silent.
Hsu Fengnian stood there, lost in thought. "To say the least, the Xu family caused the Beiliang Frontier Army to die generously, but couldn't show their bravery. I'll admit it."
A young lord and an old monk. At this point, the old spy subconsciously reached out his hand to press the cold saber on his waist. However, Yuan Zuozong gently pressed his arm and shook his head at the old man who looked indignant.
Hsu Fengnian's sleeves were in front of him. The young men who looked like farmers in the countryside were chatting with an elder about the harvest. There was no resentment in their words, nor was there any passion. They were just talking about daily life. It was as if they were saying that it was going to rain, so they should quickly harvest the grain in the grain drying field. There was a lot of rain this spring, so there should be more grain this year than last year.
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