Chapter 218: The Figure of the Third Pawnshop
An image appeared in Lin Ye's mind.
night!
Han, Beidi County, Taishou Mansion.
A middle-aged official was looking at the bright moon in the backyard with a sad look on his face.
Think about Chen Qian. He was a man of talent, but because of his humble background, he was ostracized by the prominent families in the court and was eventually demoted to a cold and bitter frontier place like Beidi County.
Even so, Chen Qian still did not give up. He was confident that he could manage Beidi County well.
But after three years, his self-confidence was gradually eroded.
The fact that the people in the north couldn't speak the same language was a big problem. There were many indigenous forces, and they didn't care about the orders from the court at all. They didn't take him, the governor, seriously either.
If it weren't for the fact that this is the frontier and there are troops stationed here, he would be in danger of his life if he left the prefectural government.
Full of talent, but nowhere to display it.
"Mr. Chen couldn't sleep at night. Is there something troubling you?"
A scholar in a green robe walked in. Seeing this, Chen Qian smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Liao, I have been the governor of Beidi County for three years, but I have not made any achievements. I am depressed."
"It is precisely because I know that Mr. Chen is depressed that Liao came here specially to give Mr. Chen a plan to relieve his depression."
"What's your plan, sir?"
"When I was traveling, I met people from the Western Regions. From them, I learned that there is a religious sect in the Western Regions with many followers. All the people in the Western Regions believe in this sect and regard the words of the leader as oracles. If Mr. Chen can introduce this sect and let it preach in the North, so that all the people in the North believe in this sect, then the indigenous leader will no longer be a problem."
Chen Qian listened to Mr. Liao's words, his eyes became brighter and brighter, "Then please invite the missionary for me."
"I shall serve you."
…
…
A month later, Chen Qian met a missionary from the Western Regions in the prefect's mansion. There were people in the north who were engaged in business and trade with the Western Regions, and there were people who understood the Western language. Chen Qian asked them to translate what the missionary said and record it in a book.
After reading the scriptures and doctrines preached by the missionaries, Chen Qian was greatly shocked. He was sure that this was the recipe he wanted to govern the north.
Chen Qian spent five years training a group of Buddhist disciples, and he called himself the chief disciple.
He built temples all over Beidi County and arranged for these Buddhist disciples to go to the temples to chant scriptures and spread Buddhism. However, after a year, there were very few believers and not many people came to the temples.
Just when he was hesitant, Mr. Liao gave him another plan.
"When recruiting government officials, Buddhist disciples are given priority."
"All Buddhist disciples can have their corvée and taxes reduced."
"You can receive millet if you go to the temple to listen to the sermons."
As soon as these three notices were issued, many people from the north flocked to the temples. Not to mention being employed as official errand boys, but the reduction of corvée labor and the receipt of millet were tangible benefits.
In just three years, the people in the north all regarded themselves as Buddhists. The number of temples in the county also increased from a dozen to hundreds, and there was a temple in almost every village.
Chen Qian issued a public notice as the governor of Beidi County, but not many people in Beidi County paid attention to it. However, the people regarded his words as a great disciple of Buddhism as divine oracles.
After tasting the sweetness, Chen Qian directly asked his subordinates to call him the great disciple who protects the Buddhism. The Taishou Mansion also became the first holy place of Buddhism. Every abbot of the temple had to come to the Taishou Mansion to report, and every abbot of the temple was appointed by Chen Qian himself.
Chen Qian's prestige in Beidi County reached an unprecedented level.
Relying on his status as a Dharma protector disciple of Buddhism, Chen Qian was finally able to display his talents and began to issue some decrees through the mouth of Buddha. Beidi County was also thriving and the people were unprecedentedly united.
However, the good times did not last long. Five years later, the imperial court received a report that Chen Qian, as a prefect, did not spread the power of the Han Dynasty, but instead promoted Buddhism.
The imperial court was furious when it heard the news and ordered Chen Qian to return to the capital to explain.
In the prefect's mansion.
Chen Qian and his retainer Mr. Liao were in the yard again.
"Mr. Chen, you cannot go back. The reason why the court asked you to return to the capital to report is because they are afraid that if they directly order you to be arrested, there will be a rebellion in the north."
"I know what you said, sir, but if the king wants me to die, I have to die. Besides, there are powerful enemies outside the north, and there are other troops stationed there. If I don't return to the capital, I'm afraid the next imperial edict from the capital will cost me my life."
"Mr. Chen, please look!"
Mr. Liao took out a bamboo slip. Chen Qian glanced at it and looked shocked: "Sir, what are you doing?"
"These are the Buddhist believers in the garrison. I have developed them secretly over the past few years. I can guarantee that they are loyal enough to Chen Jun."
"Sir, you are asking me to start a rebellion... This is inappropriate. It is absolutely inappropriate."
Chen Qian shook his head. Even with this garrison, he could not be a match for the imperial army, not to mention the foreign enemies who were eyeing him covetously .
"Mr. Chen, we naturally cannot rebel, but if we can let the court know Mr. Chen's role, and know that no one else can keep Beidi County stable, and I bring some gold and silver to the capital to make some arrangements, then the court will naturally not touch Mr. Chen again."
"How do I let the court know that the Northland cannot be without me?"
"Let the tiger out of the mountain!"
…
That night, Chen Qian sat alone in the backyard, thinking a lot.
Thinking of how he was ostracized in the court.
Thinking that he was banished to this desolate place in the north, while those children of prominent families were able to rise step by step to high positions in the capital.
Thinking of the Buddhism he introduced with great difficulty.
Thinking that under his governance in the north, the people's lives are getting better and better.
…
the next day!
The people of Beidi County were shocked by a piece of news.
The border was lost, foreign enemies invaded, and they robbed and slaughtered the people at will, so the people fled to the county town.
Chen Qian ordered the city to be sealed off, and on the third day, foreign enemies arrived at the county town and began to attack it.
Fortunately, Chen Qian had reinforced the city walls several times over the years, and the enemy had no siege equipment and could not break through the city. But this time when foreign enemies invaded, the people in each village seemed to have been notified in advance, and they all brought food into the county city, resulting in the enemy troops not being able to snatch much food this time.
The enemy leader was unwilling to retreat without getting any food, so he ordered a siege on the city.
This siege lasted for a month.
Although the enemy did not seize any food, they captured many civilians and prisoners. These prisoners were their food, but there was a food shortage in the city at the moment.
"Mr. Chen, it's time to make a decision!"
In the backyard of the prefect's mansion, Mr. Liao stood outside the door of the Buddhist temple, anxiously looking at Chen Qian who was kneeling inside. Chen Qian looked up at the largest Buddha statue in Beidi County, which was made of pure gold, and did not reply for a long time.
"Mr. Chen, this is not the time to be soft-hearted. Not to mention your own life, the lives of so many people in Beidi County are also at the mercy of your thoughts."
"You...go and do it."
Finally, Chen Qian's answer came from the hall. Mr. Liao was overjoyed and turned around and hurried out of the prefect's mansion.
An hour later, the people of Beidi County received the Buddha's will conveyed by the Buddhist guardian disciple.
Because the people of Beidi County were devoted to Buddhism, the Buddha decided to select a group of believers to go to the Western Paradise to listen to the Buddha's personal lectures.
As soon as the news came out, the people in the county town were extremely excited, and everyone wanted to listen to the Buddha's teachings, but in the end only one thousand people were selected.
Second month!
The Buddha once again selected his followers.
In the third month, choose again.
The enemy troops outside the city have been eating the captives for three months, and the people inside the city...
By the fourth month, the enemy finally retreated because all the prisoners had been eaten.
Beidi County withstood the enemy's siege for three months, and not a single civilian died in the city.
The news reached the court, which was shocked, and Chen Qian's prestige in the north reached its peak.
"Mr. Chen, this is a commendation from the court."
Mr. Liao was holding an imperial edict. Chen Qian took it but didn't even look at it. He just threw it on the ground.
"Mr. Chen, you..."
"I have defended the city for three months. This great achievement should have been announced by the court to boost the military power of the Han Dynasty and the morale of the people. However, the court shelved this news. With just this piece of imperial edict, I am afraid that even the imperial secretary would not mention me."
The Zuo Zuo Lang was an official in the court who was responsible for recording state affairs.
If one can be included in the author's writing, it means that one's name will be recorded in history.
"The court is afraid of me. I'm afraid they will try every possible means to transfer me out of the North."
"Mr. Chen, how should we respond?"
"Although the foreign enemies have retreated, there are still small groups of enemy troops roaming around in our Beidi County, looting the people's food and killing our Beidi people. Let the soldiers hunt down the enemy troops."
Mr. Liao was stunned. There was no enemy army in Beidi County. This time, the enemy army besieged the city for three months but failed to break through. They were short of food for the winter, and most of the soldiers starved to death or froze to death. They would probably not be able to invade again within ten years.
"Where did the enemy come from?"
"I remember that some tribes have not yet believed in Buddha."
"Liao knows how to do it."
"Thank you for your hard work, sir."
After Mr. Liao walked away, Chen Qian looked at the golden Buddha in front of him with a sarcastic smile on his face. The next moment, he picked up a hammer and smashed the golden Buddha.
The golden Buddha made of pure gold would naturally not be broken, but it shook and fell from the statue and fell to the ground. In Chen Qian's view, the pair of kind eyes seemed to be mocking him.
"Since you cannot protect your believers, then there is no need for a Buddha like you. From now on, I am the Buddha."
"You are right. Since everyone is a Buddha, why can't you be a Buddha?"
A voice sounded behind Chen Qian. Chen Qian turned around and saw a young man in white standing behind him.
"Who are you?"
Chen Qian looked at the other person warily.
"I am here to help you. You want to become a Buddha, right? I can give you the things you need to become a Buddha."
"The things that lead to Buddhahood?"
A golden eye appeared in the hand of the man in white.
"Take it and you will become a Buddha."
"What do you want me to do?"
Chen Qian could feel the attraction of those golden eyes, but he also knew that the other party would not help him for no reason.
"According to the Third Pawnshop's rules, any transaction must be fair to both parties. I will help you become a Buddha, and when you become a Buddha, you must do something for me. Now that you have not yet become a Buddha, it is useless for me to propose conditions. When you become a Buddha, I will come to you."
The man in white left the golden Buddha behind and disappeared.
The image that Lin Ye saw was not over yet. What followed was everything Chen Qian did on his way to becoming an alternative Buddha.
Change the doctrine, cast Buddha statues...
Fake death...
"Don't look at it. Maybe you also want to follow the path of an alternative Buddha."
The sudden helpless voice made Lin Ye walk out of the image. Bai Jinye looked at Lin Ye with a helpless expression.
"Sometimes I wonder if our horoscopes conflict with each other. This is the umpteenth time you've ruined my deal."
Lin Ye also looked at Bai Jinye, but his expression was very serious: "Why are you doing this?"
"You're asking me a question, right? How about you trade with me and I can tell you the answer."
Bai Jinye looked very excited. Lin Ye's mouth twitched slightly: "No, I was just asking casually."
"Oh, that really disappoints me." Bai Jinye had a sad expression: "I really want to find an enemy of yours now, and then make a deal with him to kill you, so that you won't ruin my deal every time."
"I don't have any enemies. Are you afraid you can't find them?"
"No way. Judging from your style of doing things, you don't seem like someone who doesn't have enemies."
"I have sent all my enemies to hell."
Bai Jinye: ...
"Well, that's a shame. Next time I'll show up before you kill your enemy. That way you'll be in time. But it's difficult...your enemy must be able to pay the price of the deal. Otherwise, I'll show you a way to take over the appraisal institute and dominate the world. Go and kill the scholar in the appraisal institute first."
"Scholar? Which one do you mean?"
"Who else could it be other than the number one in your institute?"
Bai Jinye looked at Lin Ye with interest: "I know many of his secrets. Maybe one day you will become enemies. Do you want to get some information from me?"
"No."
"Then I'll take the loss. You can ask me three questions, and I'll just ask you one. Isn't this a good deal?"
"If you allow me to answer freely, I can agree to this deal with you." Lin Ye replied.
Bai Jinye: "Forget it, forget it, I'll just go find the next trader. This Golden Buddha Eye has endless mysteries, so make the most of it."
Looking at Bai Jinye's disappearing figure, Lin Ye's expression was extremely solemn. Judging from the fact that he had disrupted Bai Jinye's deals several times, this man was very evil.
He can even trade with people like Chen Qian, which shows that in his worldview there is probably no justice or evil, and the only thing he cares about is trading.
…
Outside the temple, Wei Yang was waiting anxiously. He wanted to step into the temple several times, but he held back in the end. He only breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Lin Ye's voice.
"Tear down all these pagodas and return the head to the villagers of Xun'an Village. Remember the facial features that the villagers told you."
"Remember." Wei Yang nodded heavily. While waiting in the temple, he deliberately reviewed what happened in the village in his mind, focusing on the names and facial features told to him by the villagers.
"Okay, I'll leave this matter to you. You can go back after burying them. I will go to the Manul tribe by myself."
