Chapter 559: Xu Jie Wants a Good End

Hai Rui Hai Gangfeng!
My God, the Hai Qingtian that I have been searching for all over Jiangnan is actually in Tianjieyuan!

My Buddha, why don’t you give me a little hint?
Monk Zhongyuan’s head was shaking back and forth, which made people worried. This peeled egg must not fall to the ground, otherwise it would break, which would be a pity.

His body was shaky, as if he would fall to the ground in the next second.

Monk Zhongyuan took a few deep breaths and insisted on not falling down. The lives of thousands of monks in Tianjie Temple were in his hands, so he must not fall down.

He stretched his right hand behind his back and secretly gestured to the trusted young monk who had been following him.

Go and report the news quickly!
Hai Rui came to search the house and told those bastards to run away quickly and send away those beautiful nuns as well. Oh, and also the account books, money and treasures, all had to be hidden.

The little monk was a clever fellow. He left quietly immediately, and as soon as he turned the corner, he started running wildly with his two thin legs.

Well, as long as we send all the evidence away and hide it well, you won’t be able to catch us and you still can’t do anything to us!

At least Tianjieyuan has the guardian decreed by Emperor Taizu as a talisman, which is immune to all evil and invulnerable to water and fire!
Zhong Yuan, who had calmed down, clasped his hands and bowed his head, saying, “I, Zhong Yuan, greet the Governor, Master Hai.”

Shu Youliang said from the side: “You, a monk, have seen the world. You are so calm when you hear the name of my master.”

Zhong Yuan said with his eyes drooping: “I have done nothing wrong, so why should I be afraid of Master Hai?”

Shu Youliang couldn’t help but cursed: “You are so shameless! No, the walls of Nanjing City are not as thick-skinned as you!”

Wang Shiqiu cursed at the side: “What I hate most is you bastards who wear monk’s robes, chant Buddhist mantras, but do nothing like human beings.

If our master hadn’t been standing here, I would have smashed your salted egg flat long ago.”

Zhong Yuan laughed inwardly and became more confident.

My own people have already gone to report the news. After the evidence is sent away and hidden, now that I have no handle on you, what can you do to me, Hai Qingtian?
A gentleman can be deceived by his own ways!
You are the famous Hai Qingtian. You are more concerned about these things than most people and dare not act recklessly.

If it were any other officials, I would be worried that they would lose face and do something reckless, which would ruin things.

You are the Lord of the Sea, but I feel uneasy about you.

Hai Rui’s expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said to Monk Zhong Yuan, “You, the monk, said you wanted to take me around to have a look. Now that we haven’t seen enough, you want to leave?”

Monk Zhongyuan said quickly, “No, no, let me take Master Hai to continue the tour. This way, please, this is the main hall of our temple.”

Hai Rui reminded him, “The Emperor has issued a decree that Buddhist temples can only be called cha, yuan, or tang, and cannot be called si.”

“I made a mistake, please forgive me, Master Hai! This is the main hall of our temple, please come in, Master Hai.”

Hai Rui held up his collar, walked up the steps, and came to the door of the main hall.

The main hall is very magnificent, with the lower wall, stone altar and railings all made of white marble and carved in a very unique way. The door frame is decorated with colorful glazed bricks with Buddhist themes such as lions, white elephants and flying sheep.

The roof is inlaid with gold, silver and jewels.

More than 150 wind chimes are hung under the corner beams. When the wind blows, they make a tinkling sound, which is so crisp and pleasant that the sound can be heard from miles away.

Walking into the main hall, in the middle is a 10.9-meter-tall Buddha statue, with a solemn appearance, sitting cross-legged on a lotus seat. His left hand is placed horizontally on his left foot, and his right hand is bent in a circular “preaching seal”. His whole body is shining with golden light, dazzling the eyes.

The Buddha statue enshrined in the hall is Sakyamuni.

On his left and right were his two great disciples, Kasyapa and Ananda.

The east and west walls of the Mahavira Hall are decorated with golden statues of the Eighteen Arhats and twenty celestial beings, which are divided into two layers: the upper layer is for Arhats and the lower layer is for celestial beings.

On the north wall of the Main Hall, the statues of Guanyin on the east and Ksitigarbha on the west are on the west.

There are east and west side halls on both sides of the Main Hall, the west one is the Patriarch Hall and the east one is the Kalayana Hall.

Hai Rui walked around the lotus pedestal, raised his head, looked at the golden Buddha statue, and shook his head: “Why does the real Buddha need a golden body?”

Zhang Dao nodded and agreed, “Yes, the Buddha is merciful and compassionate, and he benefits all living beings. Could it be that he is after the golden statue above and below?”

Monk Zhongyuan glanced at them and said, “Master Hai, if the Buddha statue is not tall and golden, how can it show its majesty and how can it show the piety of believers?”

Hai Rui smiled faintly: “The Buddha is merciful, why does he need to be majestic? The Dharma is boundless, why does he need to be pious?

This Buddhist temple with hundreds of rooms, I see, is not built for Buddha. All things in Buddhism are empty, where is the emptiness? Is it empty in these continuous Buddhist halls, empty in this golden glow?

This Buddhist temple is built for you. This Buddha statue is for you to use. “

Shu Youliang said with deep feeling: “Master is right. The common people regard Buddha as their hope to save them from suffering and disasters, but you bald asses regard Buddha as a tool to make money and enjoy yourself.”

Zhongyuan’s round face turned black instantly and really looked like a boiled egg.

“Master Hai, your servant has spoken nonsense in front of the Buddha statue in the Great Hall, which is an insult to the pure land of Buddhism. This temple, um, this temple is the Dharma Protectorate Buddhist Court appointed by Emperor Taizu, so Master Hai, please respect yourself.”

“It is you who have insulted the pure land of Buddhism, and it is you who have violated the rules of our ancestors. You have sheltered criminals, hired prostitutes, hired gamblers, opened pawnshops, and lent money at high interest rates. You evil monks have made the Buddhist temple conferred by Emperor Taizu filthy.”

Monk Zhongyuan’s face turned even darker, like an over-braised egg. He sensed something was wrong and said with all his might, “Master Hai, you are saying this without any evidence.”

Before he could finish his words, he suddenly heard several gunshots in the backyard, which frightened Monk Zhongyuan so much that his whole body trembled.

Where did the gun fire? What happened?
Shu Youliang gloated at the side and said: “Shooting, haha, shooting. It seems that the Nanjing Guards have caught a big fish.

“Not a single bald fish in this courtyard of Tianjie Courtyard will be able to escape.”

Monk Zhongyuan asked tremblingly, “Master Hai Hai, what’s going on?”

Hai Rui waved his hand, and Zhang Dao stepped forward, holding a secret decree in both hands and reading it loudly.

“Sacred edict: Recently, there have been a lot of bad and good Buddhist temples in Nanjing, and many of them are illegal, causing great harm to the people. This is considered a chronic disease.

“I order Hai Rui, the Right Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and the Governor of Jiangsu, to conduct a thorough investigation and deal with the case severely. I order all the departments that have been informed of this to assist and not to obstruct. I decree this!”

Monk Zhongyuan collapsed to the ground with a thud.

After a while, Wang Tianhua, wearing a new military uniform, hurried over with his personal soldiers.

“I, Wang Tianhua, the commander of the Nanjing Left Guard Regiment of the Guard Army, pay my respects to the Right Capital Xianhai Lord.”

Hai Rui asked, “Have they all been caught?”

“In reply to Lord Hai, I ordered my subordinates to surround the courtyard and block all the doors. None of the monks on the list escaped. In addition, we also found 112 nuns and women, 19 boxes of account books, six treasuries, countless gold, silver, jewelry and copper coins. And more.”

Wang Tianhua paused for a moment, and Hai Rui asked, “Anything else?”

“There are also one hundred muskets, five hundred swords and spears, and twenty sets of armor.”

You are dancing vigorously in front of the Buddha statue with your bare buttocks sticking out.

Hai Rui turned his head and looked at Monk Zhongyuan. “Monk Zhongyuan, you are the warehouse manager, in charge of the warehouse of Tianjieyuan. Explain to me why your academy has weapons and muskets.
Could it be that this is the divine weapon that Emperor Taizu gave to your temple to protect you?”

Monk Zhongyuan didn’t know how to answer: “Maybe, probably, probably, I don’t know either. I’m just a storekeeper, doing odd jobs. I don’t know such stories either.”

Shu Youliang laughed beside him and said, “How dare you answer this question? You are pushing the responsibility onto Emperor Taizu. Xiaoling Mausoleum is nearby, aren’t you afraid of angering Emperor Taizu?”

Tianjieyuan was raided by Hai Qingtian!

The news spread throughout Nanjing like a whirlwind. Countless people dropped their work and ran like crazy to Tianjieyuan in the south of the city.

In less than an hour, the gate of Tianjieyuan was surrounded by thousands of people, pointing at the gate and talking loudly. There were even more people on their way.

“Someone has finally cleaned up this Tianjie Courtyard!”

“Thank goodness, the Emperor has finally sent Hai Qing Tian to deal with these evil monks!”

After a while, the guards came out with groups of monks. There were hundreds of monks who were shackled and chained together. They looked dejected and deathly pale.

As soon as these hundred monks were escorted out, they were recognized by the victims among the onlookers.

There were women, children, old and young, crying and holding their heads together: “Oh, God! You finally opened your eyes and sent Hai Qingtian to deal with these bastards. My son, you died so unjustly and tragically!”

“Old Third, my Old Third, did you see that? These bastards were arrested by Hai Qingtian!”

Amidst the heart-wrenching cries, broken shoes, mud, and clods of earth were thrown at the monks, mixed with stones, which hit more than a dozen monks, leaving them with bloody heads.

The guards rushed forward with shields raised to protect them.

Hai Rui stood in the front yard of Tianjie Courtyard, with his hands behind his back, looking at the towering palaces.

Behind him was the gate of Tianjieyuan and the noisy sounds outside the gate.

“Master, why don’t you go out through the front door?” Shu Youliang asked softly.

“I’ll leave quietly through the back door later.”

Fang Zhiyuan asked in confusion: “Master, tens of thousands of people in Nanjing are waiting outside to thank you.”

“What is there to thank me for? I would rather there is no such person as Hai Qingtian in the Ming Dynasty.”

Wang Shiqiu and Fang Zhiyuan looked at each other, what did the master mean by this?
“I wish there were no diseases in the world, and I would rather the medicine on the shelf be covered with dust. The more famous the master is, the more injustices there will be in the Ming Dynasty.”

Hai Rui narrowed his eyes, looked at the golden and magnificent roof of the Tianjie Palace under the sun, and sighed, “It would be great if the Ming Dynasty no longer needed a judge like me.”

The news that Hai Qingtian appeared in Nanjing and had seized Tianjieyuan, the largest jungle in Jiangnan, quickly spread throughout the southeast.

After receiving the news, Xu Kun ran home in a hurry and rushed into the study.

Xu Jie, who was writing, looked up when he heard the sound and saw Xu Kun, who was sweating and panting, and he couldn’t help but frown.

“Master, something big has happened.”

Xu Jie lowered his head and continued to write his words on the rice paper.

“What happened?”

“Hai Hai Hei Zi has shown up.”

The pen in Xu Jie’s hand was fixed, not moving at all, as if it was welded to the paper.

“where is it?”

There was a slight tremor in Xu Jie’s question.

“In Nanjing, Nanjing, he also raided the Tianjie Temple, saying that he raided it under a secret order. Sir, why did he go to Nanjing and raid Buddhist temples?”

“Where’s the boss?”

“do not know.”

Xu Jie’s face changed several times, and suddenly he raised his right hand and slammed the Huzhou Golden Rat Hair Brush on the table.

The ink-filled pen tip exploded, and the ink splashed all over the rice paper and the table. The delicate Xiangfei bamboo pen tube cracked.

“Waste!” Xu Jie stared at Xu Kun and cursed loudly.

Xu Kun was so frightened that his legs went limp and he knelt down, “Master, I don’t know what happened to the eldest brother. He ran to Nanjing Tianjieyuan and hid there two days before I took action.

Master, my son is not very familiar with Nanjing, and Tianjieyuan is a conspicuous place, so it is really difficult to start.”

“Now that the boss has fallen into Hai Rui’s hands, there will be endless troubles!”

“Master, Hai Rui was raiding the Tianjie Temple, and Big Brother just happened to be there, so he ran into us. Besides, Hai Rui had been sneaking around in secret for more than a month, and suddenly showed up in Nanjing. It turned out that he was going to clean up the scum of Buddhism, and it had nothing to do with us!”

Xu Jie sat dejectedly on the chair, “How could I have given birth to someone as stupid as you! Hai Rui had been in hiding for more than a month, and people in Jiangnan were talking about it.

Now that he suddenly appears and raids the Tianjie Temple, do you really think he is here to tidy up the Buddhist temples and Taoist temples in Jiangnan?”

Xu Kun asked in confusion: “Isn’t it? In the first year of the Longqing reign, Hai Rui was ordered to tidy up the Buddhist temples and Taoist temples in the capital, and the Buddhist and Taoist communities in the north were purified.

Everyone said that Hai Rui would come to Jiangnan sooner or later, and as a black-faced judge, he would definitely not miss any Buddhist temples and Taoist temples in Jiangnan. Now, he is really investigating the Buddhist and Taoist temples.

Xu Jie closed his eyes and really didn’t want to talk to him.

When Hai Rui went south this time, he first concealed his intentions and whetted everyone’s appetite. Then he suddenly showed up and raided the Tianjie Temple, the largest jungle in Jiangnan. This was both unexpected and reasonable.

At least the officials and gentry in Jiangnan were like Xu Kun and felt relieved.

The sea black guy is not coming for us this time.

Childish and stupid!

“You can’t even tell the difference between real and fake, real and fake. I have nothing to say. Go call Yuandong.”

Xu Yuandong is the son of Xu Ying and the fourth grandson of Xu Jie.

What are you calling this kid for!
Xu Kun was still hesitating, and Xu Jie roared, “Go!”

Xu Kun immediately got up and ran away.

After a while, Xu Yuandong stood at the door and said, “Master, your grandson Xu Yuandong is calling you.”

“Come in.” Xu Jie waved his hand and said in a friendly voice.

Xu Yuandong walked up to him and stood with his hands hanging down.

“Here is a letter. Take it and go to the capital to find Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Taiyue.”

Xu Yuandong was stunned. “Master, are you asking your grandson to find the Prime Minister Zhang Gong?”

Xu Jie sighed, “After you find him, no matter what, you will stay in the capital and follow his arrangements.”

Looking at Xu Yuandong’s face, it was as if I saw myself when I was young, preparing to go to Beijing to take the exam.

Forty years have passed in a flash, and I am now in my twilight years.

“Go.” Xu Jie waved his hand indifferently.

Xu Yuandong took the letter and respectfully left the study.

Xu Jie looked at the empty study and sighed sadly, “My self-torture scheme was too lazy for anyone to even read. It ended in vain. Yan Jiexi, you are still lucky!”

(End of this chapter)