Hearing the sound, Meng Tingyang, who had been following Murong Qing's car, rode up and asked, "Master Fang, what's going on?"
Fang Zilan did not answer, and the woman kneeling on the ground kowtowed several times, "Sir, I beg you!"
Seeing this, Meng Tingyang roughly understood it, but he didn't know what the woman was asking for. He was about to ask about the situation, but before he could speak, he heard Fang Zilan say: "I will go with this girl to take a look. You stay where you are and don't act rashly. "
"This..." Meng Tingyang hesitated, but heard Murong Qing's voice coming over, "Wait a minute."
"Master Fang, why did you get off the carriage?" Meng Tingyang looked back and saw Murong Qing slowly walking over with the support of his servants, and went straight to Fang Zilan's side, "Master Fang, if you go alone, I'm afraid you won't OK."
Fang Zilan looked at Murong Qing. There was obvious vigilance in his eyes, and she understood clearly, "It doesn't matter, I will be more careful."
"Sir, Longyan Temple is not far from here, just on the edge of the official road." The woman said anxiously: "If this young master is worried, you might as well go with him. But Brother Xu's life is at stake, and we really can't delay. Please still Adults help."
"Longyan Temple?" Fang Zilan frowned and said decisively: "I will take the first step with you. The rest of you don't have to worry, just follow."
After saying this, she helped the woman stand up and get on the horse, then climbed on the horse herself and led the woman straight towards Longyan Temple.
After a while, Fang Zilan saw curls of cigarette smoke coming from not far away, accompanied by the endless noise of people. She felt strange in her heart that the great capital worshiped Buddhism, and Buddhism was supposed to be pure. Even if Longyan Temple was full of incense, it should not be like this. What happened?
"Sir, we are here." As soon as the woman finished speaking, Fang Zilan had already reined in her horse and stopped.
The two dismounted in a hurry, and the woman shouted "Brother Xu" and rushed over quickly, pushing through the crowd and squeezing into the middle.
Fang Zilan followed the woman and walked to the middle with the crowd pushing her. She saw a man covered in blood who was surrounded and beaten by the crowd. He must have been the brother Xu that the woman said.
The woman threw herself on Brother Xu, received two sticks from him, and coughed out a mouthful of blood.
"Stop!" Fang Zilan stood next to the two of them, blocking the stick that was about to fall, using her strength to disperse the crowd a little, and shouted: "Stop it, everyone!"
She held the plum sword in front of her and said with a fierce expression: "Outside the capital, at the feet of the emperor, you dare to gather people to kill people. How brave you are."
"Where does this woman come from? She has a lot to do."
"Mind your own business, who killed someone?"
"You are just talking nonsense and spitting blood!"
Everyone said something to each other, but due to Fang Zilan's pressure, no one dared to step forward, and just waved the sticks in their hands to demonstrate.
Fang Zilan snorted coldly, and casually took out the Duke's token from his arms, "Fang Zilan, the Duke of Yue Kingdom in the capital, is here, who dares to make a mistake?"
"Duke Yue, Lord Fang?"
"Is it Master Fang who defeated the Miluo people?"
"Don't talk nonsense. The one who defeated the Miluo people was obviously the emperor..."
The crowd's voice gradually weakened, but their words still reached the ears of Murong Qing who followed them. He sat in the carriage and told Meng Tingyang to watch the changes quietly and not to act rashly.
"Which of you is taking the lead? Stand up and answer." Fang Zilan glanced at everyone one by one, and one of them stood up, "It's me who wants to answer Mr. Fang." The man who spoke was about thirty years old, and he looked like a farmer. .
Fang Zilan was not angry and said proudly: "Who is this man lying on the ground? Why did you beat him?"
"This is a monk from Longyan Temple, his dharma name is Ji Ran." The man said angrily: "Ji Ran is a monk, but he disrespects the Buddha. Shouldn't he be beaten?"
Fang Zilan went through the Dajing Laws she knew in her mind. It did mention that it was a sin for monks to disrespect the Buddha, but she couldn't remember exactly what it was, so she had to bite the bullet and ask: "How can you disrespect the Dharma?" ?”
The man gritted his teeth and said, "Ji Ran has an affair with this little girl Qiao Nian, and she has to return to secular life. This is simply disrespectful to the Buddha."
Fang Zilan frowned slightly, "Even if Ji Ran is guilty of disrespecting the Buddha, you should send him to the government office. How can you lynching him?"
The man opened his mouth but did not speak. Instead, Qiao Nian, who had been hit with two sticks, spoke, "Master Fang, that's not the case. Brother Xu's mother is seriously ill and he has long wanted to return to secular life, but the abbot of Longyan Temple cannot Yun also told the people who came to offer incense that Brother Xu was disrespectful to the Buddha. Previously, the abbot locked Brother Xu in the temple, but today he deliberately released him and forced Brother Xu to swear in front of everyone that he would not return to secular life. Brother Xu refused, so he He was beaten like this..."
Jiran's breath was like a gossamer, and he said intermittently: "Nian Nian, I...it's okay..."
Fang Zilan frowned even more tightly, "If I remember correctly, it is not against the law for a monk to return to secular life, so why is the host not willing?"
Her words were like a stone that stirred up thousands of waves, and everyone said:
"How can a monk return to secular life without breaking the law?"
"That is, serving the Buddha is such an honorable thing, how can I return to the secular world?"
Hearing this, Qiao Nian suddenly yelled, "You guys are talking nonsense!" After she yelled, she coughed violently. Fang Zilan leaned over to calm her breath and listened to her: "After the current emperor ascended the throne, he abolished the law that monks cannot return to secular life. For example, why can’t Brother Xu return to secular life?”
When Fang Zilan heard this, she understood completely. The abbot of Longyan Temple had long known that it was not against the law for monks to return to secular life, but he did not want to let Ji Ran return to secular life, so he instigated the people and drove Ji Ran into a dead end.
Thinking of this, Fang Zilan turned to look at Longyan Temple behind him, strode over, stood at the door of the temple and said loudly: "Fang Zilan, the Duke of Yue State, is here. Please come out and see the abbot of your temple."
There was no response from the temple. Fang Zilan unceremoniously unsheathed his sword and inserted it squarely on the threshold. "Fang Zilan, the man who killed and attacked, did not want your temple to be contaminated with murderous intent. But if the abbot refuses to come out and see you, I will I can only go to the temple to invite you."
After she finished speaking, she heard a rustling sound, and the abbot in a snow-white monk's robe stepped out and said "Amitabha".
"I've met the master." Fang Zilan bowed politely and said softly: "I heard that Ji Ran is a monk of your temple. I wonder why the master allowed Ji Ran to be beaten in front of the temple gate?"
The abbot did not speak, but looked down at the plum sword on the threshold. Fang Zilan's hand was covering the hilt of the sword, with no intention of taking it away, "Master, please answer."
"Everything in the world has a cause and effect, and you cannot force it." The abbot said calmly: "As the abbot of Longyan Temple, the poor monk can only control an inch of the temple. There are disturbances outside the temple, which the poor monk cannot control."
Fang Zilan was stunned. This was her first time dealing with a monk, so she had a hard time deciding what to do. If it was too light, she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to save Ji Ran. If it was too serious, she was afraid of being accused of disrespecting gods and Buddhas and getting into trouble.
Just when she didn't know what to do, she suddenly heard people behind her say in surprise: "Master Lioyuan from Baiye Temple is here!"
Fang Zilan looked sideways and saw a BMW Lotus driving over. Within the white gauze curtain, a figure sat in it, and he was the master of fate known to everyone.
