Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang waited in the banquet hall for about a quarter of an hour, but there was no news of the resignation of the ministers.
On the contrary, they were waiting for a piece of music.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang saw Zhang Maoze delivering the documents signed by the ministers to them.
They were both surprised.
Looking at the text again, it is a request from the ministers to beg the Queen Mother and Queen to speak.
Empress Dowager Gao looked at it, frowned, and asked Zhang Maoze: "Zhang Duzhi, do you know why I want to see you and the queen?"
Over the past hundred years of the Song Dynasty, there have been too few examples of ministers requesting to see the queen mother or empress while the emperor was still alive.
There is almost no precedent for asking to see the Queen Mother and the Empress at the same time.
Zhang Mao lowered his head and replied: "Empress Qizou: I thought it was because of the fire in the tribute courtyard of Kaibao Temple..."
"Gongyuan?!" Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang were surprised when they heard this: "Fire?"
"What's going on?" Empress Dowager Gao suddenly couldn't sit still.
Queen Xiang also became worried.
Of course they all know where the Great Song Gongyuan is?
Kaibao Temple!
The royal temple that guards the Wuzhang River in the southeast of the imperial city!
The temple with the tallest pagoda in Bianjing!
Inside the palace, it is said that when Taizong rebuilt the Kaibao Temple, there was an aspirant who advised Taizong: Kaibao Temple should be in the position of Shaoyang, where the country's surname is Wang Qi, so don't be careless!
Now, Kaibao Temple actually caught fire!
Coincidentally, the virtue of the Song Dynasty had already been designated as the virtue of fire during the time of Taizu.
The land of Wang Qi, the seat of Shaoyang, the royal temple, the Gongyuan... a fire?
It happened that the official family was ill and the world was in chaos.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang immediately became nervous.
It was more tense than the leaders imagined.
However, the direction of their tension is completely different from the worries of the leaders.
For the queen mother and queen who live deep in the palace.
If there is a fire or water accident, no matter how many people are burned to death, it is only an external matter.
The queen mother and empress could neither see nor feel it.
But burning the royal temple and the Kaibao Temple where the king's energy resides is different.
"Amitabha!" Empress Dowager Gao recited the Buddha's name.
"Blessed by Bodhisattva! Blessed by Bodhisattva!" Queen Xiang joined her hands and bowed, and then looked at Queen Mother Gao: "Empress, what should I do?"
Empress Dowager Gao said worriedly: "I have heard a long time ago that since the passing of the Japanese master in the fifth year of Yuanfeng, the monks in Kaibao Temple have not abided by the rules and precepts. They drink alcohol, eat meat, take wives and have children, and even take concubines. Business people abound!”
"It must be these unruly monks who did something nasty that offended the Buddha!"
In fact, even Empress Dowager Gao, who was deep in the palace, knew it.
This is not the first time that monks in the Song Dynasty did not abide by the rules and precepts.
There are many monks who occupy extensive land, engage in business and sell goods, lend money and collect interest, marry wives, have children, and take concubines.
I don’t know how many eminent monks in purple were followed by hundreds of people begging for food!
He also nodded to the queen and said: "The bride has also heard from the wives who entered the palace that these wandering monks are called 'hairless prodigal sons, living room Tathagata'. What's more, there is the wandering silver monk who calls himself 'The Master of Leaning on the Red and Cui', walking through the market with pride and swagger!"
The Queen Mother and the Queen reached an agreement at this moment.
It was all those desolate monks who did not abide by the rules and precepts, acted recklessly, and angered the Buddha, so that such disasters happened!
It must be so!
That must be the case!
Otherwise, could it be that the Queen Mother and the Queen, who sincerely worshiped the Buddha, recited the wrong sutra?
When Zhang Mao, who was serving at the side, saw this situation, he naturally agreed. Then he took the opportunity to stuff some private goods, and found out those monks from Daxiangguo Temple who were lending money in Tokyo city, and criticized them - Zhang Mao Nor's nephew is also running a loan business in Tokyo.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang heard that even the monks of Daxiangguo Temple were lending money? !
Immediately they all chanted in unison: "Amitabha! Sin! Sin!"
The compassionate monk not only lends money, but also resorts to various vicious methods to force people to repay the loans? So much so that someone was forced to die?
It’s simply unreasonable! Where is the compassion left?
With such monks controlling the temple, how could the Buddha not be angry?
No wonder some officials have prayed for officials recently, but to no avail.
The reason is found!
So, when the prime ministers of the three provinces and two prefectures and the two Hanlin bachelors from the Hanlin Academy were led to the side hall by the ministers at the pavilion gate, they met the Queen Mother and the Empress who were sitting behind the curtain. When doing something.
Everyone noticed that something seemed not quite right in the atmosphere?
Wang Gui, the left prime minister, could only bite the bullet, led his ministers, came forward with fluorine, and said: "My minister, Zuopushe, the minister, and Wang Gui, the minister of the family, asked the queen mother and the empress if they are okay!"
"I'm fine!" Empress Dowager Gao replied angrily.
"I am fine!" Queen Xiang replied angrily from behind the curtain.
The ministers thought that the Queen Mother and the Empress were shocked and angry because of the fire in the tribute courtyard of Kaibao Temple, which burned to death three ministers who were closely related to the royal family. When they were about to explain, they heard the Queen Mother behind the curtain ask. "Dear ministers, do you know that among the monks in the world, are there any who are accomplished in cultivation, profound in Dharma, and strict in observing the precepts, and who are worthy of leading the monks?"
Wang Gui and Cai Que looked up at the same time, their eyes full of surprise.
Queen Mother and Queen, what's going on?
However, Zuo Cheng, the minister, and Zhang Dun, the minister's minister, who were in the train, understood what Empress Dowager Gao meant.
The ruler, who came from Fujian together with Cai Que, shook his head and sighed in his heart: "It's so pitiful that you sit down at the front table in the middle of the night and don't ask about the people or the ghosts and gods!"
It is different from the supervisory officials in local military and state governments.
The governors in the two governments get along with the officials every day.
I have known for a long time that the emperor is a human being and not a god.
Not only can you be fooled, you can even be tricked.
The queen mother and empress in the palace are no different from women and children in the private sector.
Maybe even worse.
Therefore, Zhang Dun thought for a while, went out with a fluorine, and said: "I am telling the Empress Dowager and Empress that I have heard that after Yuanfeng Zhongri, the Japanese monk passed away, the officials ordered you to visit the Western monk who was good at Buddhism and understood Sanskrit. He went to Beijing to preach the Dharma and took charge of the translation and transmission of scriptures. Therefore, the Shaanxi Province Transfer Bureau appointed the Xiseng Jinzongzhi who came from the place where Master Tripitaka sought Dharma. After examination by the Secretary, he was indeed proficient in Buddhism and had high attainments in Sanskrit. The official then awarded him the title of "Xitian". Master Sanzang gave him purple robes and ordered him to preside over the court..."
Yuanfeng's restructuring abolished the tradition of prime ministers concurrently serving as "translators and envoys for translating classics and enriching texts".
This caused the officials in the three provinces to pay much less attention to the cause of Bible translation.
Except for Zhang Dun who had nothing to do and often went to the court to talk about Buddhism with the monk Jin Zongzhi, almost no one in the three provinces and two government officials took this matter to heart, and naturally they couldn't think of it for a while.
Zhang Dun paid attention to the Buddhist monk not because he believed in Buddhism.
On the contrary, as a Confucian disciple.
Zhang Dun always stayed away from Buddhism and the elderly.
Zhang Dun made friends with General Jin because that monk had been in the territory of the Western Bandits for many years and was valued by the bandit chief.
Zhang Dun, on the other hand, has always been interested in military affairs.
He is planning for a rainy day! While collecting and inquiring about the military, political and state affairs details of the Western thieves.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang were overjoyed when they heard this!
Japanese monk, a famous monk in the Song Dynasty!
In the seventh year of Qingli, he was welcomed into the Chuan Court by Renmiao and worshiped as "Master Xuanfan, the greatest master of the Tripitaka Dynasty in the translation of Buddhist scriptures in the West, and was given the title of Purple Sun by Master Xuanfan".
From Qingli to Yuanfeng, this eminent monk who traveled thousands of miles to China to teach Buddhism from Master Tripitaka has been presiding over the translation of Buddhist scriptures in the court. He has translated dozens of volumes of Buddhist scriptures.
He also served as the abbot of Kaibao Temple, the royal temple of the Song Dynasty.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang met this eminent monk from the West when they went to Kaibao Temple to offer incense.
It is indeed a majestic treasure with profound Buddhist teachings.
Now, when Zhang Dun mentioned that there was an eminent monk like the Japanese monk who came from the place where Tripitaka sought Dharma in the city of Tokyo, he couldn't help but feel happy.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang looked at each other, and then said: "In that case, I think that the fire in Kaibao Temple is probably because there is a lack of eminent monks in the temple to set an example and set an example for all the monks!"
"Fellow ministers, how about this monk being the presiding officer of Kaibao Temple?"
After hearing this, the prime ministers of the three provinces and two prefectures and the two Hanlin bachelors looked at each other.
Cai Que felt somewhat disappointed in his heart.
But, there is no way.
Just like he always tried to persuade his wife not to burn incense, but he always failed to do so.
Facing the empress dowager and empress who believed in Buddhism, as a minister, he had no other choice but to obey.
Fortunately, at least, we got a start today.
Three provinces, two palaces and Hanlin bachelors, two palaces in the same dynasty!
In the Song Dynasty, the most difficult thing was always setting a precedent.
Today, he took the opportunity of the fire at Kaibao Temple, which caused panic among the three provinces, two government offices, and Hanlin scholars, to set this precedent. This example can be cited in future incidents.
"I am obeying the decree!" After the ministers bowed their hands and worshiped, Cai Que took the opportunity to go out with the fluorine and said: "I dare to ask the Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness: Do you need to report to the official about the fire at Kaibao Temple? Home?"
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang looked at each other after hearing this: Didn't this matter be reported to the official?
Soon they woke up.
Right!
If this matter was reported to the officials, there would be no need to come before them.
Therefore, Empress Dowager Gao asked: "Dear ministers, is there any emotional harm involved in the fire at Kaibao Temple?"
Cai Que bowed his hands and said, "Let me tell you, the Empress Dowager and Her Royal Highness the Queen: Last night, the tribute courtyard of Kaibao Temple was flooded. Although the Kaifeng Prefecture inspected it and the Zuojun envoy in front of the temple led his troops to put out the fire, by dawn , the fire has been put out!”
"However, fire and water are merciless, and the fire in Gongyuan not only burned the provincial examination papers of Gongyuan, but also burned dozens of officials to death..."
"Among them, Lang Zhaiman, the advocator, Chen Fangzhi, the fengyi Lang, and Ma Ximeng, the Xuande Lang, have all been confirmed to be buried in the fire..."
"This matter is so big that I dare not specialize in it..."
"Nowadays, the official family is suffering from a minor illness, and the imperial physician has told his ministers: It is better to attend to more happy events and avoid worries, so as to keep the holy body peaceful..."
"I am so stupid and frightened that I beg the Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness for command!"
After saying that, Cai Que bowed his head respectfully and bowed again.
The ministers then bowed their heads and said: "I am waiting to beg the Queen Mother and Her Royal Highness for command!"
At this moment, not everyone in the three provinces and two governments noticed something strange.
However, under the threat of conformity, they had to hold their noses and dance to Cai Que's rhythm.
Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang did not notice this strange detail.
Only Zhang Maoze, who was serving Empress Dowager Gao and Empress Xiang, frowned inadvertently and noticed something strange.
But Zhang Mao didn't dare to interrupt, he didn't even dare to speak out!
When the prime minister is doing something, where is the room for the ministers to talk?
If he dares to speak out, he will have to pack up and go out tomorrow - the crows will be very happy to use a corpse that is known to the internal affairs department to prove their loyalty and integrity to the world!
Empress Dowager Gao couldn't protect him, let alone protect him.
Because this is an ancestral system!
…
Note: Large temples in the Song Dynasty would all have a treasury. It was initially an organization for believers to help each other, and then developed into a financial entity similar to today's pawnshop, bank, and venture capital...
As for the monks in the Northern Song Dynasty, there were more flower monks and more irregular monks.
Of course, the monk cannot be blamed for this.
Because the Northern Song Dynasty court was more playful than the monks.
In the Song Dynasty, monks' certificates basically served as checks and credit certificates today. Generally, when the court ran out of money, it would issue a bunch of certificates to people as money. The normal price was 100-200 yuan per certificate. Easily.
So, don’t be surprised that fake monks are running all over the streets.
Note 2: The symbol of eminent monks in the Song Dynasty was the purple robe given by the imperial court.
Note 3: The Japanese monk was an eminent Indian monk who came to the Northern Song Dynasty to teach the Dharma during the Qingli period. There were Japanese monks from Xining and Yuanfeng who came to Bianjing to seek Dharma and met the Japanese monk. Jin Zongzhi seems to have come from Afghanistan. He first served as a national teacher in Xixia for several years. Then he heard that the Song Dynasty was recruiting a Buddhist monk who could translate Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures, so he decisively ran away to the Song Dynasty ( He said it himself).
Historically, this person lived until the Southern Song Dynasty, and his name was left in the notes of many Southern Song Dynasty scholar-officials.
