bullyxtreme Chapter 245 Council Meeting in the Palace
Chapter 245 Council Meeting in the Palace
Chapter 245 Council Meeting in the Palace
Inside the main hall, a stumbling monk was grabbed by the collar and locked in the Buddha hall to keep him company.
This man, whose secular name was Sun Yin, was originally a monk at the Iron Buddha Temple in Yangzhou. He later committed a crime and fled to Huaixi, where he joined the White Lotus Sect. He developed his influence in places like Luzhou and had an ambiguous relationship with the White Lotus Sect's eminent monk, "Master Peng".
This person should not be killed; he should be imprisoned for now.
The reason why Zen Master Shouxing failed to see through his identity and revealed a lot of his secrets along the way was that Sun Yin was indeed a monk of Tiefo Temple, and everything he said about Tiefo Temple made sense, so Shouxing had no doubts.
The two were then locked in the Buddhist hall. The monks of Chong Sheng Temple had other matters to attend to and gradually left, leaving the "buddies" in the care of their families.
They sat in the reed shed at the entrance of the Buddhist hall, seven or eight men, women, and children, pickling salted fish and weaving bamboo baskets while acting as guards. This is the advantage of a "den of thieves": everyone is a traitor, everyone is a relative of a thief, there are people who can be used everywhere, and there are spies everywhere. If outsiders come in, they have nowhere to run.
Shouxing and Sun Yin were untied by the wrists and given some food and water. Soon after, they were tied to the pillars again, staring blankly at the doorway, seemingly lost in thought.
After a moment, Sun Yin, feeling increasingly annoyed, asked, "Zen Master, what brings you here? Are you just staying for a while, or is there something else?"
Shouxing kept his head down and remained silent.
Sun Yin sighed and said, "We might not even see the sun rise tomorrow, so why are we hiding anything? Let me speak first. I'm here to help others establish incense societies in Taicang, Suzhou, and Hangzhou. Huainan is too poor; the people have no food or clothing, and they can't even find enough candles for incense. We can only try our luck here. Putting everything else aside, the Suzhou and Hangzhou areas—"
"Incense gatherings? Those who burn incense and mislead the masses deserve to die." Shouxing snorted weakly, saying, "Do you know that the White Lotus Sect was once an honored guest, discussing the essence of Buddhism with princes and nobles? But what have they been doing lately? Bewitching foolish men and women, repeatedly launching uprisings, not only causing many deaths but also incurring the court's displeasure towards monks and nuns. You are utterly ignorant and unreasonable!"
Sun Yin was about to die, yet this bald monk Shouxing was still so prejudiced? What's wrong? Does he think that we, the White Lotus Fragrance, would willingly degenerate and be suppressed by the court, thus implicating you big monasteries with temple lands and money to raise sheep?
He sneered and said, "Dalongxiang Jiqing Zen Temple is indeed an honored guest, but what does that have to do with you, Shouxing? Aren't you still tied up here like a dead dog, suffering alongside me?"
Upon hearing this, Shouxing turned deathly pale, and his body began to tremble, whether from the cold or from fear, it was hard to tell.
Sun Yin turned his head away, disheartened, and didn't want to look at him anymore.
There was a noise at the door.
Sun Yin looked over listlessly, only to see a child walking towards him.
He roused himself slightly and groaned, "Kid, come here. I'm thirsty, could I have some water?"
The child was wearing a red cotton-padded jacket with several cloth pockets sewn onto it, each containing a bamboo tube, the purpose of which was unknown. Upon hearing Sun Yin's words, he took two steps closer and, as if by magic, pulled a dagger from his pocket, drawing it out with a swift motion, its cold light gleaming.
The men, women, and children working at the gate all looked at the two prisoners with gloating eyes, constantly making jokes and banter.
One of the older men coughed and said, "Sihai, be careful, don't mess with them too much."
Cao She hasn't ordered the execution of those two bald monks yet.
Sihai paused as he approached Sun Yin, but did not answer. Instead, he used his dagger to pry open Sun Yin's monk's robe and lightly traced his name on his chest.
Sun Yin was almost in tears and instinctively tried to back away. But where could he hide when he was tied to the pillar?
In a few moments, he felt a heat in his crotch, and a strong stench of sex filled the air, making his face and ears turn red.
Si Hai glanced at him disdainfully, put away his dagger, and turned to walk to the door.
Seven or eight children stood outside the door. Some had snot running down their noses and were slovenly, while others had their crotches open, with small insects vaguely visible. Each of them held a bamboo stick in their hand.
Sihai glanced at everyone and said, "Form up and leave."
The children immediately turned around and lined up in a row. In their haste, some even stuffed bamboo sticks under their crotches, as if they were riding horses.
Sihai threw a punch directly at him, a real punch, not just playing around.
The boy who was hit burst into tears.
Si Hai rebuked sternly, "The cavalry hasn't engaged in battle yet; they can only lead their horses on foot. Who gave you permission to ride a horse?"
The boy just kept crying and ignored him completely.
Sihai punched again, angrily saying, "If you don't cherish your horses like this, will you even be able to fight back if we encounter thieves?"
After saying that, she raised her little fist high, as if to hit again.
The boy quickly wiped away his tears, pulled the bamboo stick from between his legs, and held it in his hand.
Sihai slowly lowered his fist and said, "Let's go."
The boys obediently replied, "We will obey the Grand Commandant's orders."
The adults burst into laughter when they saw it.
These kids are used to being wild and unsupervised. If they don't have any chores to do, they usually just play outside and won't be brought home unless they're hungry.
And the games they play most often are war games.
Of the nine children in total, almost everyone held official positions, including Grand Commandant, General, Grand Marshal, Military Governor, Commander, Commander-in-Chief, Commander-in-Chief, and various other titles.
After a battle, if a few generals and commanders don't die, then the game isn't over, and the fighting has to continue.
Sun Yin and Shou Xing also noticed the commotion. After hearing Si Hai's words, they realized that this was indeed a den of thieves, with even the children dreaming of rebellion. They were doomed this time.
After Sihai led a group of children to the outside of the Mahavira Hall, he ordered them to disperse, then ran to the hall entrance and squatted there to eavesdrop.
The guards at the gate were familiar with him and didn't chase him away; they just watched him with smiles.
Sihai's little face was full of seriousness, without a trace of childlike innocence, as he listened quietly—
"The chaos caused by Tsai has made Southern Taiwan hesitant to investigate cases casually. It seems we'll have to hold off until the mess is resolved. But what's with this 'guardian'? Why is he still investigating in Matuosha?"
"Didn't I say? The matter of Qianming Guangfu Zen Temple has dragged on until now. There are always bald monks coming to appeal. Jiangyin Prefecture doesn't care, so they appeal to Hangzhou. That's why this happened."
"I don't think so. This person also checked the red headband. I felt it was inappropriate when I saw a village woman wearing a headband while plowing the fields, and Brother Shao also saw it. How did this get out? Someone must have been loose-lipped and spread it to the busy Yamen Street."
"Perhaps someone at Chong Sheng Temple harbors resentment and secretly reports it? Who can say for sure?"
The group of people were talking all at once, shouting and arguing, until someone spoke up to stop them.
"In this world, how can you do anything without making mistakes?" Shao Shuyi's voice rang out.
Sihai leaned forward slightly, pricking up his ears to listen.
"The Shen family has entrusted me with the freight trade to Jiangning, and Old Master Zheng has also instructed me to transport grain to Longwan City after the spring," Shao Shuyi continued. "How many people can these businesses support? It's extremely difficult to give them up. If we do nothing and head straight to Jiangning next year, I'm afraid many troubles will arise. Zhu Chen has deep roots in Jiqing Road; a slight hint from him could make many people make things difficult for me. It all depends on whether he's willing to do so. Furthermore, the salt trade is also inseparable from him. I've already made my intentions clear, and Wang Bai of Taizhou has agreed to join us. Mo Tianyou of Wuxi has already started selling our salt since the twelfth lunar month. If this goes on for too long, it will inevitably become uncontrollable and people will find out. Once Zhu Chen discovers this, we will be forced to go to war with him in Wuxi, which is not a good thing."
"Brother Shao is absolutely right. The key to defeating Zhu Chen lies in taking him by surprise. If we let him calmly gather his forces and wage a war of attrition step by step, we'll be in for a tough time. Nobody knows what the final outcome will be."
"Yes, Brother Gao is right. Zhu Chen must be killed. If we don't kill him now, he might come back to kill us next year. In my opinion, we should gather everyone together, make a hundred men, and go straight to their door to see who lives and who dies."
"Brother Wu, you're getting impatient. That's not how you fight a war. You say you'll storm their doorstep, but they'll avoid you. What are you going to do then?"
You don't even know where Zhu Chen is. By the time you see him, he might have already brought back many men from other states, making it much harder to fight him then.
"Why not set a trap, kidnap Zhang Sanniu or some of Zhu Chen's confidants, and force him to come to our door to fight? That should work, right?"
"We still need to catch them off guard. Zhu Chen may not know we're going to attack him yet; it's a classic case of the enemy being in the open while we are in the dark—"
""
Si Hai stared wide-eyed, listening silently.
He didn't understand many things, but he kept trying to comprehend them. Hearing this, he understood a little: no matter what, Brother Shao was going to kill Zhu Chen, then expand his territory and make more money.
Therefore, Father would have to lead his men into battle.
"Alright." Shao Shuyi's voice rang out again. "I've decided to go to Jiangning soon to do some research. As long as we act swiftly, the government shouldn't be too much of a problem. On the contrary, if things get out of hand, the government will take sides. In such a large area as Jiqing Road, there might not be anywhere for us to hide. Let's leave it at that. Between me and Zhu Chen, one of us has to fall."
After Shao Shuyi finished speaking, he paused and then said, "Keep Sun Yin for now, don't touch him. If we cross Chaohu Lake to the west and go deep into Jiangxi and Huguang, this fellow might be useful. Time is of the essence, some things really can't be delayed any longer. Save me a boat tomorrow, I want to go to Jiangning myself. You all continue with what you're doing, don't slack off."
"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied in unison.
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