Volume 2 New World] Chapter 217 The Messenger and the Altar Master
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Chapter 217 The Messenger and the Altar Master
Although Ma Weisan was scared to death, he knew that hiding was useless, so he and Hu Qier came out to greet the "Dharma Master". 【Read full text】
"Disciple, I respectfully welcome Dharma Master." As soon as the two of them saw Xuande's appearance, they knelt down at a distance, put their hands on the ground, and did not dare to raise their heads. Ma Weisan was so scared that his hands were trembling. Suddenly, he found that Hu Qier's hands were also trembling.
In his early years, Xuande was a well-known master in the martial arts world. He was half a martial artist from the East and West Six Prefectures in Shandong to Ma Weisan in the south. He knew how powerful this old man was - not only was he superb in swordsmanship, but he was also extremely skilled in iron bullet skills: Ma Weisan saw with his own eyes that he suddenly fired an iron bullet at a banquet and directly smashed a person's skull.
As soon as he heard Xuande's name, he would think of the red and white brains splattered all over the floor.
What's more, this person is in charge of the Internal Law Hall - he specializes in inspecting all subordinate offices and investigating and correcting illegal activities. Of course, it is also his authority to punish dereliction of duty and traitors.
Even if you are the leader of a local altar, as long as he gives orders, you have to pack up your clothes and go to the main altar to pick up the "chaiji" from the inner law hall. Whether he can come back safely depends on his luck and peace. Will you be able to "become a human being" in Japan?
Ma Weisan is usually very perfunctory with people in the general circle regardless of their rank. When sending incense rituals to Jinan every six months, it is indispensable to give a gift to the deacons and deacons of the general altar. Regarding Xuande, he tried his best to flatter him and deal with it. So over the years, although people from the Yizhou branch have been "petitioning" from time to time, no one can touch them.
Xuande stopped and glanced at them: "Get up."
"Thank you, Dharma Master!" Ma Weisan quickly stood up, took a few steps sideways, and bent down to lead the way.
Looking at Xuan's livid face, Ma Weisan became more and more panicked. This time the matter was too big - it was his idea to hire someone to kill Taoist Zhang. Now not only is Taoist Zhang not finished, but the entire Yizhou branch has been torn apart. This crime alone is enough for him to bear.
The arrival of such heavyweight personnel as Xuande from the General Forum shows how much shock this matter caused among the senior officials of the General Forum.
Thinking of this, beads of sweat kept falling from his face.
There is a three-entry courtyard in the Ma family's residence specially used for dividing altars. The main hall had been filled with ice cubes according to Ma Weisan's instructions, and Xuan De unceremoniously took a seat on the chair in the middle where Ma Weisan usually sat. Several guardians of the Nei Dharma Hall who came with him occupied the seats next to him. All the faces were expressionless.
Hu Qier and Ma Weisan knew that they were guilty and did not dare to sit down. They only stood in the diagonal thorns with their backs hunched over.
He secretly observed several guardians, several of whom he knew - all were well-known masters in the sect. He has dealt with it through the gifts of three festivals and two tributes every year. There was only one woman he didn't recognize, but she seemed to be of high status. Probably the secret protector of the inner law hall.
Someone had already sent him a favor, and then brought him the Dragon Well—the Dragon Well in Ma Weisan’s house was a tribute to Ouchi. A grand canal supports many people who depend on the river for food. All kinds of goods traveling from south to north will inevitably "float" during the navigation. This was normal wear and tear at the time. Even if it is a tribute to the emperor, as long as you have money, you can get it in Jining.
Xuande washed his face under the service of the maid and drank another sip of tea. After a long while, he glanced at the two of them:
"It's a good thing. I've done this for you. What else can you say?"
Hu Qi'er was young after all, and she was so frightened by his words that she turned pale. Moreover, she knew much more about the methods of the guardian of the Inner Law Hall than Ma Weisan. She immediately lost her balance and knelt down, shaking her body and said:
"Master, please calm down! I do have disadvantages in doing things, but I never expected that the heretic spells are so powerful..."
"You are no match for him," Xuande sneered, "What use is this waste?"
Hu Qier was lying on the ground, not even daring to breathe. After a long while, she said in a trembling voice: "This disciple is incompetent, but I don't dare to complain if the Master punishes me - it's just that the power of the heretics is really unpredictable. Please pay attention to the Master."
Xuande said nothing and only turned his attention to Ma Weisan. Ma Weisan maintained his identity and did not kneel down, but his clothes were soaked with sweat under his gaze.
"Dharma Master! This heretic is really incompetent," Ma Weisan said, barely suppressing the panic in his heart. "However, the heretic did not show that he had magic powers at that time. The disciples only saw that he had miraculous effects in his medical practice - ordinary disaster victims. He is worshiped as a god, and the disciples were worried that it would ruin the sect's plans, so they thought of dealing with him."
He tried his best to defend himself. After all, Ma Weisan was born as a touban, capable of bending and stretching, good in eloquence, and analyzed the pros and cons in an orderly manner. He knew it would be difficult to clear his name. The collapse of a division within a state is a heinous sin within the church and cannot be excused no matter what the reason is. So he only worked hard to express "rights and wrongs".
At present, the Yizhou branch has begun to disintegrate, with some Xiangtang rebelling, some leading the two sides, and some directly disintegrating, resulting in extremely serious losses. Only the Xiangtang under his mawei three forces remains stable. Once Ma Weisan is executed or deposed, this part of the Xiangtang will inevitably collapse.
As the sect is in Yizhou, there will never be another believer as powerful as Ma Weisan who will come forward to serve as the leader of the branch altar. Once people's hearts are scattered, it doesn't take a year or two to put it back together again.
What's more, Taoist Zhang is now preaching outside to attract people's hearts. It is impossible for him to give the general altar enough time to clean up the mess.
Of course, Ma Weisan stated the stakes in an extremely cryptic way - with the abilities of everyone present, it was not difficult to understand what he meant.
As he considered the words, he secretly prayed that the money and various expensive gifts he had spent on him over the years could save his life.
Xuan De had a cold face and listened to his words without saying a word. It was not until a long time after he stopped talking that he finally spoke: "You two have committed a serious crime, and you must face the wall in the inner hall to wait for the crime!" He stood up and announced, "I will take charge of the affairs of this altar from now on!"
"Follow the law and order!" Everyone shouted together.
In the side room at the back of the main hall, people brought from the main altar were guarded, and Ma Weisan and Hu Qier were detained. The two of them are "facing the wall and waiting for the crime".
The courtyard is very quiet. This is originally the confidential place of the horse altar owner, and ordinary believers dare not enter. Now, the internal and external defense has been taken over by people from the general circle. Ma Weisan himself is in danger, and fewer people are willing to get close to him.
Although the wing room is not a "shabby house", the sun shines down all day in summer, and the room is still very hot at night. He is now in a state of "waiting for sin". Even in his own lair, his subordinates dare not come to flatter him. Naturally, he no longer has the ice cubes and various enjoyments he used to have, so he has to sit shirtless on the couch to take the food. Fan the sunflower.
Opposite is Hu Qier's house, with the door curtain hung tightly. Ma Weisan thought: I wonder how she lived?
Thinking of Hu Qi'er, Ma Weisan couldn't help but think of the woman in his house. Originally, it was too hot to fall asleep on summer nights, but he would always ask a woman to take a bath, strip off her clothes, and have sex with her. sweat. Now it's hard to even meet him.
Then I thought that this was the lair that I had run for many years, but now I allowed a group of outsiders to give orders here, and even my own life and death depended on their thoughts, and I felt very upset while being frightened.
Why would a good local man join a secret sect if he is not good enough? Over the years since he joined the religion, he has become a master of dance. Not only has his power expanded many times, but he has also transformed from an ordinary toubob into a wealthy nouveau riche.
At this moment, he suddenly understood a truth. In fact, his power and wealth did not belong to him but to the sect. He always thought that he was using the sect, but in fact, the sect was not using him?
For a moment, he had mixed feelings in his heart, and suddenly the door curtain was raised. Xuande walked in.
"Disciple, I respectfully welcome Dharma Master," he quickly dropped his fan and knelt down, "Disciple didn't know that Dharma Master is coming..."
"No need, just get up." Xuande sat down on the couch.
"Thank you, Dharma Master." Ma Weisan stood up and quickly took a long gown and put it on. Because he didn't know the purpose of his visit, his heart beat wildly for a few times. He took a few deep breaths before he calmed down and stood firm with enough strength.
Xuande was extremely skilled in martial arts. He was silent for a moment, knowing that the whistle outside the door had followed his instructions and moved to a place where they could not hear their conversation. He looked at Ma Weisan and sneered:
"Life is good for you here."
"I don't dare. I have some property in the local area. Compared with my colleagues, I really enjoy it a little less."
"Isn't there any money from Xiangyi in this?"
There was a cold smile on the corner of his mouth, and his pupils remained motionless, waiting for Ma Weisan's answer.
Ma Weisan's heart trembled, and he quickly said: "I don't dare! The incense instruments are delivered to the main altar on time and in the right amount. The disciples don't even dare to delay for a moment, and they never dare to be full..."
"I don't know how many people have come to the main forum to sue you." The benefits of getting three or four taels. Do you think I don’t know? If I don’t tell you what happened this time, it’s just to check the incense and ritual silver in the Yizhou altar over the years. You are committing a heinous crime and the crime is unpardonable!”
Ma Weisan hurriedly said: "Disciples definitely don't dare to get rich. We collect some extra incense rituals on weekdays - also for emergencies. This money is kept in the altar in case the main altar has something to offer at any time. ..." As he spoke, he glanced at Xuande and said, "The Dharma Master is here to eradicate the outsiders this time, and the disciple is willing to enshrine this pen and incense ritual."
Over the years, he has used various excuses to plunder the incense rituals. In addition to embezzling part of it himself, there is also a part that he specially proposed to save for the management of the people in the main altar. There are still more than 5,000 taels of this silver - the amount of Xiangyi that Yizhou turns in every year is only 4,800 taels. Ma Weisan planned to use the money to buy his own life.
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