"The four continents where Buddha was built are Yangzhou, Jiangzhou, Guizhou and Taiyuan.
"It's okay to build giant Buddhas in Yangzhou and Taiyuan. I can understand it a little bit.
"'Yang Yi Yi Er', Yangzhou is the most prosperous place in several provinces in the south, and Taiyuan is also the administrative seat of Hedong Province, known as the northern capital.
"But what's going on with Jiangzhou and Guizhou on the other side of Lingnan Road? The people in our two states are not so well-off.
"Why don't Buddhas be built in the two capitals within the Guan area? Who doesn't know that the Guan area is the richest? How could it be so unfair?"
On the second floor of Yunshui Pavilion, a thin-faced scholar slapped the table and said.
The voice of another middle-aged scholar at the same table sounded:
"Brother Qi, please calm down. I was puzzled at first, but later I heard that these four Buddha statues are linked to the Great Zhou Songde Center.
"The four continents chosen for the location of the Buddha statues in four directions seem to be the suggestions given to the Holy Spirit by the spiritual watchers of Shangyang Palace. Now it seems that there is a profound meaning.
“Jiangzhou is an outstanding place in the world, with mountains, rivers and lakes, and Guizhou in the southwest also has the best scenery in the world.
"The Great Zhou Dynasty belongs to the virtue of gold. The construction of the golden Buddha is located in an excellent place with mountains and rivers, which is in line with the pattern of gold and water, and means the prosperity of the country.
"Those Yin-Yang family's spiritual warriors, hey, are good at bewitching the Sacred Heart."
The dissuading middle-aged scholar sneered. The scholar named Qi who had just spoken angrily calmed down and couldn't help but look at the person in front of him:
"I didn't expect Brother Chen to also understand the principles of Yin Yang and Five Elements."
"I know a little bit." After a pause, the middle-aged scholar surnamed Chen said meaningfully:
"In addition, the construction of Buddha statues in Taiyuan is a subtle and profound place. I want to ask Brother Qi, do you still remember where the Longxing Land in Liqian is?"
"Didn't Taizong start from Taiyuan back then..." The scholar surnamed Qi paused in his words, flicked his sleeves for a moment, and shouted angrily:
"It must be the advice of the Wei family and the Yin-Yang family's wise men. They are haunted by ghosts and ghosts all day long. They confuse their minds with their evil words and confuse the saints to listen!"
It was noon, and the entire second floor of Yunshui Pavilion, except for the table in the corner where Ouyang Rong, Li Dalang, and Yan Liulang, who were traveling in regular clothes, were eating quietly.
Many of the guests at other tables were discussing current affairs in the court.
It has been more than a month since the imperial court issued an imperial edict to raise funds to build the Great Zhou Dynasty Praise Center and the Four Directions Buddha Statues.
However, the discussion among civil scholars is still boiling and even getting more intense.
"Tan Lang, do you want to change to a private room?" Li Dalang looked back and called out worriedly.
Ouyang Rong raised his head and glanced at the lobby on the second floor.
Many of those who discussed current affairs were dressed as scholars and literati and were impassioned, but most of the merchants and diners were not interested in this.
Recently, because he was preparing for the state education ceremony, he came to know that the Temple of the Holy Master is near Yunshui Pavilion, only one street away.
No wonder scholars often come to this building for dinner. Last time I met the angry young man Yue Ziang, I can understand it.
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze, shook his head at Li Dalang, and immersed himself in eating, his movements calm.
Li Dalang and Yan Liulang looked at each other and followed him to eat peacefully.
At the moment, the table where the thin-faced scholar and the middle-aged scholar were sitting were having the most intense discussion, and the loudest voice could be heard clearly by Ouyang Rong, who was sitting in the corner of the table.
"Haha, I'm afraid this time it's not just as simple as bewitching Saint Ting."
Suddenly, a young scholar with a fair and handsome face put down his chopsticks at the table next to him and snorted in agreement with the two people who had just spoken:
"The two kings of the Wei family are clearly taking this opportunity to suppress the Prime Minister, the Master, and the ministers who are loyal to the country. This is another round of persecution.
"The two kings of the Wei family are causing endless harm. They are truly a cancer in the country."
All the scholars on the second floor agreed.
A scholar lowered his voice and asked cautiously:
"I heard that the master's seven attempts to beg for bones were rejected. Now he is claiming to have a minor illness. He has been in the mansion for half a month and has not gone out to attend court?"
The young scholar nodded: "In order to build the center and the Buddha statue this time, your Majesty, under the instigation of the Wei family, tried every means to bypass the Confucius and the Political Affairs Hall, and also took the money from the so-called inner treasury.
"Master may be venting his anger. Although Your Majesty respectfully calls Master the Master of the Country, sometimes he acts a bit domineeringly..."
"Hush, be careful what you say."
"Hmph, there's nothing you can't say."
The young scholar stopped humming, and the hall was quiet for a while. Everyone sighed together. Someone faced the north and said in a respectful tone:
"Master Ji, Li Cishi, Wei Yushi, Du Gieshizhong, Wang Zhubu... they sacrificed their lives for righteousness, and they are all righteous ministers, and they are the blessings of the country.
"He is really a role model for our generation. Although he was temporarily persecuted and demoted by the Wei family...but as long as the master and the Prime Minister are with them, the country and the country have hope and will never fall into the Wei family's family."
"It's a matter of the country, so it's natural for the Master and the ministers of the DPRK to refuse..." The young scholar nodded and said calmly:
"I heard that Mr. Ji's great-grandfather was once the minister of the imperial court. During the founding of the Qian Dynasty, Emperor Taizong ignored the Ji family who moved to Chang'an and showed favor to him. This was a good talk at the time.
"And Governor Li is a descendant of a certain founding Duke of Daqian. Guan Longerlang, who has a good family background, was favored and became an official... and the same goes for Wei Yushi..."
This person couldn't help but sigh: "Li Qian Yin Hui is still here..."
The scholars who had originally praised each other looked at each other, and couldn't help but take another look at this man who spoke boldly.
The lobby on the second floor was a little quiet... Not many scholars echoed this concern for the previous dynasty. After all, it was okay if some things were not put on the scale. Once they were put on the scale, even a thousand pounds would not be able to stop it.
Of course, those who report to the government will definitely be despised by the world's scholars.
In a corner not far away, Yan Liulang glanced at Mingfu, who had no reaction, and then turned to look at Dalang, who also had the surname "Li".
As a member of the judicial army of a state, he blinked, raised his hand, and held his sword. Li Dalang immediately smiled bitterly, toasted him with a glass of wine, and begged for mercy.
Yan Liulang smiled and let go, no longer joking.
At the same time, the scholars on the second floor quickly ignored this dangerous slippery slope.
"No matter what, it is a blessing out of misfortune that I can have a drink with such a noble spirit today. Come on, everyone, have a toast! Today's reward is my treat."
Some noble men in bright robes stood up, raised their glasses enthusiastically, and spent large sums of money.
On the second floor, most of the guests stood up, laughed and drank heavily.
Yan Liulang and Li Dalang looked at each other, stood up in tacit agreement, and started drinking.
The two friends drank wine shamelessly. Ouyang Rong shook his head. He was still sitting, picking up food as if no one else was around. In his ears came the unstoppable discussion of the scholars after drinking heavily:
"I heard that among this group of persecuted righteous Qing ministers, Chief Wang was demoted to Jiangzhou, where he was appointed as a doctor, while Du Ge was demoted to Longcheng County as county magistrate.
"But it is a pity that Li Cishi and Wei Yushi were demoted to places a little further away. One is in Raozhou and the other is in Yi County."
"It doesn't matter. When the time comes, a few gentlemen will come. I will go out of the city to greet them..."
"Same below."
"Add a young student..."
All the scholars welcomed him enthusiastically.
Ouyang Rong, who was working hard on the meal, paused slightly and pursed his lips.
There is indeed a shortage of a doctor from Jiangzhou at the Prefecture School. Nowadays, when the prefecture school holds a memorial ceremony for the first year, he, a long-time historian, has to preside over it. It was originally the responsibility of the doctor from Jiangzhou Official School.
I wonder if the former chief secretary of Chang'an named Wang Junzhi will be able to attend in time...
As for the recent events in the imperial court, Ouyang Rong, as the governor of Jiangzhou, also has news channels from the Xunyang Prince's Palace and the Prime Minister's Palace.
Naturally, I know more than these scholars.
In addition to Ji Qianyi, who was an official in Tianguan, Li Cishi, Wei Yushi, Du Gishizhong, Wang Zhubu and others were considered to be the group of people with the most intense opinions and attitudes in the DPRK and Zhongbaoli faction.
It can even be said that it is a Fugan sect.
This group of return-to-gan factions had previously accused Di Fuzi of being weak, saying that he only emphasized "preserving separation" and did not promote "resumption of cadres"...
Of course, these are just private disputes between the separatists, and they are still outwardly unified.
However, this time the incident between the center and the Buddha statue still separated them. It was regarded as a conspiracy of the Wei family to split the Baoli faction... Ouyang Rong was aware of the fire.
The food on the table was almost finished. Ouyang Rong seemed to hear something and suddenly frowned. He turned around and saw that the group of scholars were "conspirating loudly" to protest the construction of the Buddha in Jiangzhou Hall.
I heard a scholar in the crowd say in doubt:
"President Wang did nothing and helped Zhou to do evil. As expected, people have long said that he was promoted by the Wei family, like a snake and a rat...
"But what about Ouyang Lianghan? This Lord Changshi is a well-known gentleman in the world. Didn't he write a letter this time to advise and stop the construction of Buddha that wastes people and money?"
"Master Changshi should submit a letter."
"But why didn't this storm affect him at all?" Someone said in a cold tone.
There was silence in the building for a while.
After all, he is the governor of Honshu, and no one dares to take the lead in saying disrespectful words. Besides, he is a true gentleman who has been widely respected before.
However, in this strangely silent atmosphere, some scholars looked suspicious and became angry...
Li Dalang and Yan Liulang couldn't help but look at Ouyang Rong.
"It all depends on what I do."
Ouyang Rong smiled, picked up a piece of green cabbage and chewed it. His expression seemed to be that he thought about it seriously, then he turned around and said:
"That's it for now, let's eat first."
Seeing that he didn't care, Li Dalang and Yan Liulang couldn't help laughing.
Ouyang Rong laughed and shook his head.
His memorial did object.
But the point of opposition is a little different from most opponents.
Well, he made a serious calculation for His Majesty...
Naturally, this kind of calm and "straight man" rhetoric is not as fierce and conspicuous as the expressions of straight-faced ministers such as Li Cishi and Wei Yushi.
I don’t know if the queen read his memorial.
Anyway, in the end, the storm did not affect him at all.
About half an hour later, the luncheon on the second floor came to an end, and the scholars' discussions gradually subsided and they dispersed.
Ouyang Rong and his party also left Yunshui Pavilion.
In fact, there have been no fewer than ten such scholarly discussions a day in places like Yunshui Pavilion where there are many scholars and scholars.
Ouyang Rong walked out of Yunshui Pavilion and frowned slightly.
The emotions among the civil servants were more intense than he imagined. Even the scholars in Jiangzhou as far away as Jiangnan Road were discussing the matter heatedly. He didn't know what the quarrel was like in other places...
In the next few days, as expected, some scholars gradually gathered at the entrance of Jiangzhou Hall to protest against Jiangzhou's construction of the Buddha statue.
Ouyang Rong turned a deaf ear and went to Prince Xunyang's Mansion every day to "discuss" the strategy of building the Donglin Buddha with Li Xian, who was the governor of Jiangnan.
On the way, he also went to the abbot of Xunyangdu to hold a sage ceremony to bless the boat with good weather.
Looking at the traffickers and lackeys living their lives honestly, Ouyang Rong suddenly realized that what the officials and scholars were concerned about and arguing about actually had nothing to do with the majority of the people below.
Unless in order to build a Buddha statue, Jiangzhou Hall eats ugly food and collects exorbitant taxes to raise food supplies.
However, with him as the governor of Jiangzhou, sitting in the lobby of Jiangzhou, this kind of thing will naturally not happen.
For a time, in Xunyang City, except for the noisy criticisms made by scholars who liked "key politics" who gathered in teahouses and taverns, all other people's livelihoods were intact.
However, the low-key operation of the Jiangzhou lobby and the motionless Jiangzhou governors obviously did not satisfy the passionate scholars.
When Ouyang Rong rode Dongmei up and down on duty, he was often stopped by young scholars in the street.
Asked Master Chang Shi what he thought of the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Why didn't he and Jiangzhou Hall speak out? Could it be that they really wanted to obey the wrong actions of the imperial court.
Ouyang Rong calmly bypassed each time.
Later, in order to reduce trouble, Yan Liulang prepared a carriage for him and traveled in a low-key manner.
On this day, a somewhat anxious Yan Liulang came to ask how to deal with the scholars who gathered to protest outside Jiangzhou Hall.
Ouyang Rong went out and went to inspect the Shuangfeng Peak as planned. Before leaving, he said:
"As long as it doesn't affect the livelihood of normal people in the city, just let them be."
The next half ten days.
News came from various places one after another.
Public sentiment agitated in some state capitals among the ten provinces in the world. Local scholars directly attacked the government offices to protest against the construction of Buddha statues and bronze tributes.
There are hundreds of states in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and the folk customs in some places are more fierce, which is expected.
Especially in Guizhou, Yangzhou, Taiyuan and other state capitals where Buddha statues were built, there were many protests.
The officials in some states chose to go head-to-head and directly suppressed the soldiers, resulting in several cases of bloodshed and imprisonment.
For a time, the imperial court was shaken, and the discussion between scholars became more and more heated.
The imperial court in Shendu sent an edict to all states, with strict wording and demanding proper and serious handling. It should not affect the construction of the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the four directions of Buddha statues.
Sitting in the main hall, Ouyang Rong couldn't help but look deep in thought after reading these official documents.
When he got off duty that evening, when the carriage he was riding in passed by the door, he opened the curtain and glanced at the small groups of protesting scholars outside the Jiangzhou lobby, which were not too many and even became sporadic at mealtime.
No matter how Ouyang Rong looked at it, he thought he was cute. He suddenly felt that the temper of Jiangzhou scholars was actually quite good, which gave him a lot of face. Well, he had the characteristics of Jiangzhou's local salted fish...
I just don’t know if the news of this wave of bloodshed among the scholars will once again stimulate these naive and passionate scholars once it reaches Jiangzhou.
Ouyang Rong sighed and lowered the car curtain.
I really hope they can not forget their original intention and continue to maintain their fishing style.
In the following days, Ouyang Rong, as the governor of Jiangzhou, frequently went to the Prince of Xunyang's Mansion to discuss the construction of a Buddha with a certain Jiangnan governor.
Although Li Xian was appointed as the governor of Jiangnan, it was only in name.
Specific matters will be handed over to the deputies below, Ouyang Rong and Wang Lengran as usual.
It's just that Wang Lengran still doesn't care about anything, and Ouyang Rong has full authority to take care of it.
Of course, this was also because Li Xian was completely partial to Ouyang Rong.
Taking advantage of the fact that Wei's main energy was focused on strengthening the Songde Center of the Great Zhou Dynasty in Weizhou's legal system.
Ouyang Rong seized the rare window period.
He and Jiangzhou Hall did not wait for the so-called 20,000 yuan of powder money, and directly contacted Wang Caozhi, shopkeeper Ma and other small partners.
People arrived one after another and funds were in place.
Finally, the plan to excavate and build the Xunyang Grottoes at the double peaks agreed upon years ago was launched and slowly implemented...
(End of chapter)
