Tongchen was already over sixty years old, and the eminent monks accompanying him were older. In front of everyone, Changsheng and Zhang Mo were just two children. Due to the big age difference, the two looked quite different walking among a group of old monks. unexpected.
It stands to reason that when guests come to the door, Tongchen, as the host, should maintain a harmonious atmosphere, but Tongchen only leads the two of them forward slowly and does not take the initiative to talk to them.
Feeling that the atmosphere was a little awkward, Chang Sheng turned to look at Zhang Mo, but Zhang Mo just looked back and had no intention of speaking.
Changsheng wanted to say something to break the deadlock, but he swallowed it back. He came here to ask for help. If he acted too easy-going, he would be easily looked down upon by the Shaolin Temple.
The Main Hall is a place where the Buddha is enshrined, not a place to receive guests. The Zen Room is a living place for monks, not a place to receive guests. Shaolin Temple also has a special place to receive distinguished guests, which is the East Hall located on the east side of the Main Hall.
Shaolin Temple is the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism and the largest temple in China. There are many palaces and monks' residences in the temple. Due to the age, many of the palaces and monks' residences are old and mottled. However, although the buildings in the temple are old, they do not appear dilapidated and are solemn. There is a hint of solemnity, but there are also toads jumping and screaming in the temple, destroying the tranquility and solemnity that this Buddhist holy place should have.
On the way to the East Hall with the monk, Changsheng kept pondering in his heart about how he should talk to Tongchen next.
After half a stick of incense, the two of them were led by Tong Chen and others to the east hall. The guests and hosts took their seats. The accompanying old monks did not leave, but sat at the bottom of Tong Chen.
After sitting down, a young novice immediately brought tea. Tongchen raised his hand slightly and said, "Take some tea, please."
"Thank you so much, Master," Changsheng thanked him, and then got straight to the point, "Although you are outsiders, you care about the country and the people's livelihood. You have previously suppressed rebellions and corrected deviations, causing many deaths and injuries among the monks in the temple. The Emperor expresses his gratitude. Shaolin Temple is grateful for the sacrifices made by the Shaolin monks, so the two of us are sent to visit the masters and the monks in the temple."
All the old monks were originally expressionless, but after hearing Changsheng's words, their hearts warmed up and they all showed relief.
"The Emperor is concerned about us. Although we are monks, our family and country are in trouble. Naturally, we cannot just sit idly by and watch," Tongchen said in a deep voice. "It's just that we are vulgar and clumsy, have no military skills, are not useful, and have let down the expectations of the Emperor and the people."
"Master's words are serious," Changsheng said. "Although Master took command to suppress the rebellion, he suffered many setbacks, but he set an example for monks and martial arts practitioners all over the world. Although the previous wars were not satisfactory, it was not because Master had no way of commanding his troops." , but the master and the monks are good in nature and have noble virtues, and are not as cunning, insidious, and despicable as their opponents."
"Namo Amitabha." Tongchen clasped his hands and chanted the Buddha.
Changsheng said, "Master, the emperor asked me to say hello to you and all the masters on his behalf. Recently, there is a famine all over the country. The Shaolin monks are the heroes of the imperial court. The emperor is worried that the Shaolin Temple's food and grass will not be able to continue, so he specially ordered the Ministry of Household Affairs to squeeze out five pieces of silver. Ten thousand taels and fifty thousand dans of rice and grain are provided for the expenses of the masters and the monks in the temple."
As soon as the words of longevity came out, all the monks, including Tongchen, were moved and clasped their hands and chanted Buddha's name.
Monk practice strives to be empty of the four elements and have a mind as calm as water. They are not easily moved, but whether they are moved depends not only on their personal temperament, but also on what the other party has done. Fifty thousand taels of silver and fifty thousand dans of grain are very scary figures, especially in the In the year of great disaster, it is particularly precious. No matter how many good words you say, it is not as touching as real money and silver.
As the saying goes, if you are not a family member, you do not know how valuable firewood and rice are. Although Changsheng is no longer in charge of the household department, he is still a family member. He knows how much 50,000 taels of silver and 50,000 dans of grain are worth. There are two reasons why he is so generous. First, he has been a family member. Although the Tongchen commanders always suffered defeats, they could not deny the huge sacrifices made by the Shaolin Temple in the process of revolting. They did try their best and suffered many casualties. Even if they were defeated, they should be treated well, otherwise they would be cold to them. heart of.
Second, they had to ask the Shaolin Temple to come out and rush all the way to Gupo Mountain on Lingnan Road to fight against the Japanese pirates. This was a crucial battle. The Japanese pirates were bound to make a desperate move. This battle was very dangerous, and those who participated in the battle might not come back alive. It's really unreasonable to ask people to sacrifice their lives if they don't show some sincerity.
Tongchen was not stupid. Hearing what Changsheng said, he immediately guessed that the court had something to ask for, because everything has a degree. If it was just a simple condolence and visit, ten thousand loads of grain would already be a generous gift. Such a terrifying gift was already Beyond visitation.
"Namo Amitabha," Tongchen announced the Buddha's name, then turned to speak calmly, "The emperor and the prince are in your thoughts, and everyone in the Shaolin Temple is grateful. The monks meditate and recite the Buddha, do not work, and only eat one meal a day. It is already a lot of panic. The court How can I be ashamed to accept such a generous gift?"
Changsheng didn't know Tongchen, but after hearing Tongchen's words, he immediately thought highly of Tongchen. As the saying goes, he who knows others is wise, and he who knows himself is wise. Tongchen can clearly realize that monks don't work. , should not occupy more rice grains, this alone shows that this person is of high moral character, upright and generous.
"Master, what you said is wrong," Changsheng said seriously, "You and all the monks in Shaolin Temple who participated in countering the rebellion are heroes of the Tang Dynasty. The imperial court will never forget your efforts and sacrifices."
When smart people talk to each other, there is never any need to argue or bargain, because both parties know what they can do for the other party and what the other party may need from them.
"Although the Shaolin monks are outsiders, they are also citizens of the Tang Dynasty. When our family and country are in trouble, we should do our best," Tongchen said in a deep voice, "Since it is a gift from the emperor, the Shaolin Temple can only accept it shamelessly."
Seeing that Tongchen agreed to accept the money and rice, Changsheng felt very happy. Before that, the monks had given him the impression of being stubborn, pedantic and stubborn. He had never thought that Tongchen could be so understanding of people. As the saying goes, eating the emperor's salary is for him. Jun shared his worries. Since Tong Chen decided to accept the money, rice and grain from the court, it meant that he would spare no effort to contribute to the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Mo on the side did not expect that Changsheng could reach a tacit understanding with Tongchen so easily and quickly. Thinking about it carefully, a large part of the reason why the two of them could reach a tacit understanding so quickly was that Changsheng spent a lot of money. In the year of great disaster, everyone's Life is hard, and Shaolin Temple is no exception. This amount of money and rice is enough to ensure that the tens of thousands of monks in Shaolin will not go hungry.
Now that the tacit understanding has been reached, it is time for Tongchen to express his position, and the expression of his position is also knowledgeable. You cannot directly ask the court what it needs from Shaolin Temple. That would appear to be not a tacit understanding but a transaction. Tongchen is so old, so this is true He naturally understood, and then cleverly asked about the recent war situation, and Changsheng seemingly unintentionally told what the Japanese pirates had done in Gupo Mountain, and the real reason why the Shaolin Temple was infested by snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
No matter how advanced the Taoism and easy-going temperament of the old monks, including Tongchen, were, they could not withstand being noisy by toads and crows day and night for seven or eight days. When they learned that this incident was caused by Japanese pirates, Tongchen and all the old monks After exchanging glances, the monk took the initiative to express his willingness to send Shaolin monks to expel the Japanese pirates and protect China.
Over a cup of tea, important matters were settled. There was no awkward pleading, no forcing others to make things difficult, just smooth flow and silent understanding.
"The Japanese pirates are cunning and ferocious, and going to Lingnan is very dangerous," Changsheng asked in a deep voice, "No one who is a master of purple energy is allowed to take risks. May I ask, master, how many masters of purple energy are there in Shaolin Temple who can go on expeditions?"
After thinking for a while, Tongchen said, "Including Lao Na and all the uncles and uncles, there should be eighty-five people."
"Elders, please don't be alarmed," Changsheng said. "As the abbot, you cannot leave without permission."
"Sixty." Tongchen said.
"Only sixty." Changsheng nodded seriously. In fact, he had never thought that there were so many purple energy masters in Shaolin Temple before, because many Shaolin monks were killed or injured in previous wars. The Zen ancestral temple really lived up to its reputation, and its strength was really amazing...
