Looking at Han Du, Zong Lai said meaningfully: "The prince has satisfied all the requirements of the poor monk. Now it is time for the prince to fulfill his promise, right?"
Knowing that this matter cannot be avoided, Han Du nodded calmly and said: "Okay, what do you want me to do?"
Zong Lai said: "The poor monk is indeed dying soon. Although I don't know when it was, I'm afraid it happened in the last one or two years. The poor monk hopes that after his death, the Marquis can take care of the Tianjie Temple."
Perhaps because he was afraid that Han Du would not agree, Zong Lai hurriedly explained: "You don't have to do everything personally. You just need to ask the Lord to take care of you when Tianjie Temple is in danger."
Han Du laughed and did not directly agree to Zong Lai. Instead, he asked strangely: "Your Tianjie Temple is now in full bloom and it is at the height of the sun. Why would you make such a request?"
Zong Lai sighed and said: "The Marquis also said that the sun is rising in Tianjie Temple now, but as soon as the sun passes, the sun will gradually begin to set. This poor monk is helpless and only asks for a guarantee from the Marquis."
"There are many princes and nobles in this dynasty, and there are many who are more powerful than me. Why did you choose me?" Han Du asked noncommittally.
A smile appeared on old Zong's face and he said: "I have known King Dongou for many years, and I admire his vision very much. King Dongou can entrust the government of Xinguo to you, so I naturally believe that you are the best." s Choice."
Han Du hummed strangely, and complained unwillingly: "That's not necessarily the case. Maybe this time it's wrong?"
"Do your best and obey fate! If the poor monk is wrong, it can only mean that Tianjie Temple has exhausted its power, and the poor monk can feel at ease."
At this point, Han Du had no choice but to agree. After all, the owed favors needed to be repaid.
"Okay, I can promise you. No matter what happens in the future, as long as I am still alive, I will do my best to protect your Tianjie Temple, and at least I will leave you a trace of incense."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis!" Zong Li said solemnly, clasping his hands together. Zong Li was smiling all over his face, as if he had seen something that would make him happy. In his opinion, with Han Du's promise, he could finally let go completely without any worries anymore.
However, Han Du sighed and said slowly: "You are only treating the symptoms but not the root cause. Sooner or later, Tianjie Temple will cease to exist."
Han Du's cursed words did not make Zong Long feel dissatisfied, because he knew that Han Du was telling the truth.
Zong Lai said with a smile: "No matter what it is in this world, it will die one day. It is like a big tree. No matter how huge the tree is now, it will eventually turn into dead branches and leaves. dust."
"It will turn into dust, yes, but haven't you seen that before this big tree turns into dead branches and leaves, it has already bloomed and scattered its leaves?" Han Du said with a meaningful smile.
"Spreading branches and leaves?" Monk Zongli suddenly fell into deep thought.
Even Yan Ne, who had always been very dissatisfied with Han Du, couldn't help but start thinking when he heard this. No wonder he was so easily obsessed with Han Du's words. It was because Han Du's words were so Buddhist.
The towering trees will eventually turn into dust, but even if it is such an inevitable fate, will it delay the blossoming of the towering trees before then?
An Qing was not interested in the mystery between Han Du and Monk Zong Lai. She just glanced at Han Du worriedly. It means: "Why do you want to torture them like this? Why don't you tell them directly?"
Han Du smiled and responded to An Qing's look: "Tell them directly. Not only will they not believe it, but they will also doubt it. In this case, it is better to let them think for themselves."
After drinking tea, Zong Lai turned around first and said to Handu with a smile: "Does the Marquis mean that the Tianjie Temple will also flourish?"
Han Du spread his hands with a smile and said: "Isn't it possible? While Tianjie Temple is at its peak, spread it out. Don't put the eggs in one basket, so that you can resist risks more effectively!"
Zong Li chuckled lightly, nodded in agreement and said: "The Marquis's move is indeed a clever one. It is better than a poor monk asking the Marquis to take care of him. But the Marquis should also know that the emperor has never wanted Buddhism to expand wantonly. He even specially A Senglu Department was established to manage the monks and nuns in the world. To put it bluntly, if Tianjie Temple spreads its branches and leaves, it will probably die out faster."
"Hahaha..." After hearing this, Han Du burst into laughter.
Seeing Han Du like this, Zong Li was moved in his heart. He quickly put his palms together respectfully towards Han Du and said, "If you have any wise ideas, Lord Marquis, please don't hesitate to teach me!"
Han Du pointed at Zong Lai, shook his head and said: "You guys, your vision is too limited, and you can only see the Ming Dynasty. Can't you promote Buddhism in places other than the Ming Dynasty?"
"Beyond the Ming Dynasty?" Zong Lai's whole body trembled for a while, his eyes widened as if he had been enlightened.
Han Du continued to smile and said: "As far as I know, you Buddhists are originally from the Central Plains, right? Since you could travel thousands of miles to the Central Plains back then, why can't you go out now?"
Since you can walk in, you can naturally walk out! Zongli woke up from a dream.
"Sea trade has been around for many years. Now even an ordinary person in the capital knows that overseas is not a barbaric land, but a fertile land of wealth. Since maritime merchants can go out, why can't you? And I think about it. , as long as there are people, you can promote Buddhism, right? Are there no people overseas?"
Zong Li was overwhelmed with questions after a series of questions and was left speechless.
After Han Du stopped asking, Zong Yi bowed his head to Han Du and said, "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for reminding me. If Lord Marquis had not spoken out, I would have been trapped in this barrier of knowledge until my death."
"But..." Even with Zong's cultivation level, he couldn't help but blush, and said sheepishly: "The poor monk knows very little about overseas, but he doesn't know what the situation is like. I wonder if Lord Marquis can help. Clear up the confusion?"
Han Du smiled and nodded, and said happily: "Overseas, in the north of the Ming Dynasty, there are Korea and Japan. There are also a lot of people in Korea. Until now, the people everywhere believe in nothing, just like a blank piece of paper. As for the Japanese country, because Buddhism traveled eastward, there is Buddhism there, and I’m afraid you know better than me.”
Zong Lai nodded slightly and said: "During the Tang Dynasty, Monk Jianzhen traveled east to the Japanese country. This is also recorded in the Buddhist scriptures. The poor monk naturally knows it. But it has been hundreds of years since the Tang Dynasty, and there has been very little contact during this period. , even in the BC Yuan Dynasty, contact was completely cut off. What is the situation of Buddhism in the East now, even the poor monks have no idea. "
Han Du didn't know if Monk Zonglong was eager to distance himself from the Japanese Buddhism, and said: "Perhaps if there is a chance, the master can visit the Japanese country and let them correct their evil ways."
Zong Lai said with a serious look: "I'm afraid the poor monk will have no chance to visit the Japanese country. However, clearing the source is the first priority of Buddhism. Even if the poor monk is gone, Buddhism will never sit idly by!"
Han Du nodded with satisfaction, what he wanted was Zong Long's words. This was the thought that suddenly came to Han Du's mind just now. He felt that if he wanted to conquer the Japanese country, there was another way, and that was to conquer their beliefs. Since Buddhism traveled to the east, Buddhism has become the first belief of the Japanese people in Japan. However, at this time, Buddhism in Japan is somewhat different from that of the Ming Dynasty. In other words, Buddhism in Japan has combined many local dark sides and become a little abnormal!
If Ming Buddhism can invade the Japanese country forcefully, and Zhengben Qingyuan replaces the local Buddhism in the Japanese country, then maybe it can really conquer the Japanese people completely.
But it's too early to say this now, so it's better to mention Zong Lai's curiosity first.
Han Du continued: "And to the south of the Ming Dynasty, there is Nanyang. I must have heard of Nanyang's name even though the master lives in Baocha, right?"
"The poor monk in Nanyang has indeed heard about it from some believers, but he doesn't know much about it. Are there many people in Nanyang during the Ming Dynasty?" Zong Li asked doubtfully.
Han Du smiled, his voice involuntarily raised, and said: "The Thirty-three Governor's Mansions of Nanyang, the Governor's Mansion of Luzon alone now has more than 600,000 Ming people, and the natives also have almost the same number, one Luzon has It has over a million people. And the Old Port Governor's Mansion, which is also known as the twin pearls of the South Seas with Luzon, is no worse than it. Although the others are worse, the thirty-three Governor's Mansions added up, you should do the math yourself. How many people are there?”
Zong Lai immediately looked at Han Du in surprise. He did not expect that there would be so many people in Nanyang. According to Han Du, even if he conservatively estimates over and over again, the population of Nanyang will exceed 10 million. The Ming Dynasty now has only about 60 to 70 million people, which means that one Nanyang is equivalent to one-sixth or seven of the size of the Ming Dynasty.
And how many Buddhist temples are there in the Ming Dynasty, and how many are there in Nanyang?
"Master Marquis, may I ask how many Buddhist temples there are in Nanyang?" Zong Lai couldn't help but ask excitedly.
Han Du shook his head and said: "Not even one!"
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for telling me!" Zong Li was filled with excitement.
There is one sixth-seventh of the Ming Dynasty in Nanyang, but there is not even a Buddhist temple. If Buddhism can be spread to Nanyang, how many Buddhist temples can be built? At least, a governor's palace should have one, right?
Han Du saw through Zong Li's thoughts at a glance and said meaningfully: "Is it just Nanyang, master is satisfied?"
Zong Li looked at Han Du in confusion, clasped his hands and bowed: "Please make it clear to me, Lord Marquis. The poor monk is so grateful that he dare not forget it."
Han Du continued: "From Nanyang to the west, only a few thousand miles away is the former Tianzhu. I heard that the master was sent to the Western Regions twice as an envoy, 'wading through the quicksand, crossing the green mountains, traveling all over the Western Heaven, and reaching the Buddha's land', It took five years, 'more than 40,000 journeys back and forth', and we experienced hardships and dangers along the way."
"At the same time, we brought back the remains of a monk named Jue Yuan Huitan who was also from the Taizhou lineage and died in Sri Lanka during Hongwu's three-year mission to the Western Regions."
"That's true. It seems that the Marquis knows a lot about my Buddhist affairs." Zong Lai nodded with a smile.
