"You've all misunderstood me!"
"You've wronged me."
"I'll hit him."
"I'll call again."
"snort."
As if that wasn't enough of a matter of principle, the monk threw away the broom, gave a wicked laugh, and circled around to the statue of the Bodhisattva of the Temple.
However, the monk did not notice that at this moment another monk entered the main hall, and he seemed to have come specifically to see him, as if he had something to tell him.
"You dare to frame me? I'll teach you a lesson. What should I write about it?"
After saying this, the monk took out a carving knife, stood next to the statue of the Bodhisattva, rested his chin on his arm and thought for a moment. Finally, he carved five large characters on the back of the Bodhisattva statue.
He was exiled three thousand miles away.
The monks who had just entered the main hall were dumbfounded and exclaimed:
"Zhu Chongba, you're in trouble now. If Elder Gao finds out, you're dead."
That's right, the monk who inscribed the bronze statue was Zhu Chongba, or Zhu Yuanzhang, a ruler destined by heaven, and the only one in Chinese history who was able to start his power in the south and eventually unify China by conquering the north.
At this time, Zhu Yuanzhang was just a pageboy in Huangjue Temple, and what pageboys did every day was nothing more than carrying water, chopping wood, ringing the bell, and cleaning the temple.
Although it was tough and tedious, at least we were able to get enough to eat. In these chaotic times, being able to eat our fill is already a great achievement.
"Jia Biao, what brings you here?"
"Brothers should be loyal to each other, so please don't tell the abbot, or I'm doomed."
Suddenly hearing a familiar voice at the door, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just finished carving words on the Bodhisattva statue and was feeling refreshed, instantly turned into a bitter face.
Actually, he was angry because a few days ago a rat had chewed up the candles on the offering table in front of the statue of the Bodhisattva Garan, and he was punished by his master Gao Bin. So he took his anger out on the Bodhisattva Garan.
To carve words on a Buddha statue is, to put it bluntly, disrespectful to the gods and Buddhas. Temples are places to offer tribute to the gods and Buddhas, and this kind of behavior can be considered the most serious mistake.
Standing at the door, Jia Biao grinned slyly and said, "Hehe, that depends on whether you're generous enough."
"Shut your mouth."
Zhu Yuanzhang walked up to Jia Biao, rummaged around in his pocket, took out a money bag, and slapped it directly into Jia Biao's hand.
Jia Biao tossed the money bag around to weigh it before saying, "Another distinguished guest has arrived. The elder put you in charge of this matter for the next few days, but I didn't expect you to be so leisurely here."
"Okay, I'll go right away. Thanks for this time, remember to keep it a secret."
Zhu Yuanzhang patted Jia Biao on the shoulder, not at all bothered by the fact that the other party had just extorted money from him, picked up a broom and turned to leave.
Meanwhile, outside the gate of Huangjue Temple.
Liu Bowen went in and soon returned with a monk carrying a broom. This monk was none other than Zhu Yuanzhang.
Upon seeing Li Boyang, Zhu Yuanzhang, holding a broom in one hand and bowing with the other, showed none of the unbridled demeanor he had displayed in the main hall earlier. He politely said, "Please follow me, sir."
Li Boyang nodded. Although he knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was in Huangjue Temple, he never expected that it would be the person in front of him. He calmly gestured for the other party to lead the way.
After entering the gate bearing the three gilded characters of Huangjue Temple, you are greeted by a wide square paved with marble. In the center of the square is a huge three-tiered incense altar, where incense is burning brightly.
A dozen monks were sweeping fallen leaves in the square. While the fighting raged outside, Huangjue Temple was thriving and had not been affected at all.
Zhu Yuanzhang, who was leading the way, walked at a leisurely pace at the front, leading the two towards the guest rooms. When they were almost at the door, he casually said something.
“Benefactor, we have been receiving a lot of pilgrims seeking lodging lately, so there are some areas where we haven’t been able to provide adequate care. We hope you can be lenient with us.”
Li Boyang naturally understood what Zhu Yuanzhang meant; he was asking for money. He glanced at Liu Bowen, knowing that it was his disciple who should do such a thing.
"This is a small donation for incense; please accept it as a token of my appreciation."
Liu Bowen was a master strategist, so he was naturally skilled in interpersonal relationships. As soon as he saw Li Boyang's signal, he took out two taels of silver from his bundle and handed it to Zhu Yuanzhang.
Zhu Yuanzhang accepted the silver very naturally, then took out one tael and stuffed it deep into his bosom, and put the other tael in his pocket before saying, "Amitabha, both of you are kind-hearted people, and the Buddha will bless you."
Seeing how naturally Zhu Yuanzhang performed these actions, Li Boyang almost burst out laughing. The other party was clearly an expert; that tael of silver would definitely be swindled and not given to the temple.
However, he did not point it out. Liu Bowen was about to reprimand him when he saw this, but he stopped him.
Huangjue's current prosperity is naturally due to its own means of making a living. If it were to simply give alms and do good deeds for free as people might imagine, it would have gone out of business long ago.
Huangjue Temple has three main sources of income.
The most important thing is the land. Almost all the land in this area was donated by the people to Huangjue Temple and nominally belongs to Huangjue Temple. After the villagers harvest the land, Huangjue Temple takes a commission.
Secondly, in the area influenced by Huangjue Temple, local gentry would make donations once or twice a year, and people who came to pray would also donate some incense money, which was also a very large income.
Then there are people like Li Boyang who pass through and ask for lodging. Huangjue also acts as an inn, and most of the ordinary monks' income comes from this. They have no access to land revenue or donations of incense money.
Soon, the monk led the two to the outside of the room, bowed to them, and said:
"I must also remind you that the people who have come to our temple to stay these past two days are a mixed bag. Please be careful not to get into conflicts with others when giving alms."
Li Boyang nodded slightly, but didn't take it too seriously. He was already being kind by not causing trouble for others; if anyone else dared to cause him trouble, they would really think that his Qi Refining Realm strength was just for show.
After Zhu Yuanzhang left, Liu Bowen gently pushed open the door of the room, and the two prepared to enter the room to rest.
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