Looking at Han Du, Zong Lai said meaningfully: "The prince has satisfied all the requirements of the poor monk. Now it is time for the prince to fulfill his promise, right?"
Knowing that this matter could not be avoided, Han Du nodded calmly and said: "Okay, what do you want me to do?"
Zong Lai said: "The poor monk is indeed dying soon. Although I don't know when it was, I'm afraid it happened in the last one or two years. The poor monk hopes that after his death, the Marquis can take care of the Tianjie Temple."
Perhaps because he was afraid that Han Du would not agree, Zong Lai hurriedly explained: "You don't have to do everything personally. You just need to ask the Lord to take care of you when Tianjie Temple is in danger."
Han Du laughed heartily and did not directly agree to Zong Lai. Instead, he asked strangely: "Your Tianjie Temple is now in full bloom and it is at the height of the sun. Why would you make such a request?"
Zong Lai sighed and said: "The Marquis also said that the sun is rising in Tianjie Temple now, but once the sun passes, the sun will gradually begin to set. This poor monk has no choice but to ask the Marquis for a guarantee."
"There are many princes and nobles in this dynasty, and there are many who are more powerful than me. Why did you choose me?" Han Du asked noncommittally.
A smile appeared on old Zong's face and he said: "I have known King Dongou for many years, and I admire him very much. King Dongou can entrust the government of Xinguo to you, so I naturally believe that you are the best."
s Choice."
Han Du hummed strangely, and complained unwillingly: "That's not necessarily the case, maybe this time it's wrong?"
"Do your best and obey destiny! If the poor monk is wrong, it only means that Tianjie Temple has exhausted its power, and the poor monk can feel at ease."
At this point, Han Du had no choice but to agree. After all, the owed favors needed to be repaid.
"Okay, I can promise you. No matter what happens in the future, as long as I am alive, I will do my best to protect your Tianjie Temple, and at least I will leave you a trace of incense."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis!" Zong Li clasped his hands and said solemnly. Zong Li was smiling, as if he had seen something that would make him happy. In his opinion, with Han Du's promise, he could finally let go completely.
, no more worries.
However, Han Du sighed and said slowly: "You are only treating the symptoms but not the root cause. Sooner or later, Tianjie Temple will cease to exist."
Han Du's cursed words did not make Zong Long feel dissatisfied, because he knew that Han Du was telling the truth.
Zong Lai said with a smile: "No matter what it is in this world, it will die one day. It is like a big tree. No matter how huge the tree is now, it will eventually become withered.
The branches and leaves turn into dust.”
"It is true that it will turn into dust, but haven't you seen that before this big tree turns into withered branches and leaves, it has already spread its branches and leaves?" Han Du said with a meaningful smile.
"Spreading branches and leaves?" Monk Zongli suddenly fell into deep thought.
Even Yan Ne, who had always been very dissatisfied with Han Du, couldn't help but start thinking when he heard this. It's no wonder that he was so easily obsessed with Han Du's words, it was because Han Du's words were so Buddhist.
The towering trees will eventually turn into dust, but even if it is such an inevitable fate, will it delay the blossoming of the towering trees before that?
An Qing was not interested in the mystery between Han Du and Monk Zong Lai. She just glanced at Han Du worriedly. She said, "Why do you want to torture them like this? Why don't you explain it to them directly?"
Han Du smiled and responded to An Qing's look: "Tell them directly, not only will they not believe it, but they will also doubt it. In this case, it is better to let them think for themselves."
After drinking tea, Zong Lai turned around first and said to Handu with a smile: "Does the Marquis mean that Tianjie Temple will also bloom?"
Han Du spread his hands with a smile and said: "Isn't it possible? While Tianjie Temple is at its peak, spread it out. Don't put the eggs in one basket, so that you can resist risks more effectively!"
Zong Li chuckled lightly, nodded in agreement: "The Marquis's move is indeed a clever one, and it is better than a poor monk asking the Marquis to take care of him. But the Marquis should also know that the emperor has never wanted Buddhism to expand wantonly. He even went so far as to specifically
The Senglu Department was established to manage the monks and nuns in the world. To put it bluntly, if Tianjie Temple spreads its branches and leaves, it will probably die out faster."
"Hahaha" Han Du burst out laughing after hearing this.
Seeing Han Du like this, Zong Li was moved in his heart. He quickly put his palms together respectfully towards Han Du and said, "If you have any wise ideas, please give me your advice!"
Han Du pointed at Zong Lai, shook his head and said: "You guys, your vision is too limited, and you will only see the Ming Dynasty. Can't you promote Buddhism in places other than the Ming Dynasty?"
"Beyond the Ming Dynasty?" Zong Li was shocked, and his eyes widened as if he had been enlightened.
Han Du continued to smile and said: "As far as I know, you Buddhists are originally
Are you from outside the Central Plains? Since you were able to travel thousands of miles to the Central Plains back then, why can't you go out now?"
Since you can walk in, you can naturally walk out! Zong Lai woke up from a dream.
"Sea trade has been around for many years. Now even an ordinary person in the capital knows that overseas is not a barbaric land, but a fertile land of wealth. Since maritime merchants can go out, why can't you? And I think about it.
, as long as there are people, you can preach Buddhism, right? Are there no people overseas?"
Zong Li was overwhelmed by the questions he asked one after another and was left speechless.
After Han Du stopped asking, Zong Li bowed his head to Han Du and said, "Thank you, Lord Marquis, for reminding me. If Lord Marquis hadn't spoken out, I'm afraid this poor monk would have been trapped in this barrier of knowledge until his death."
"However," even with Zong Lai's cultivation level, he couldn't help but blush, and said sheepishly: "The poor monk knows very little about overseas, but he doesn't know what the situation is like. I wonder if Lord Marquis can help to clear up the confusion?"
Han Du smiled and nodded, and said happily: "Overseas, in the north of the Ming Dynasty, there are Korea and Japan. There are also many people in Korea. Up to now, the people there don't believe in anything, they are just like a blank piece of paper.
As for the Japanese country, because Buddhism traveled eastward, there is Buddhism there, and I’m afraid you know it better than I do.”
Zong Lai nodded slightly and said: "During the Tang Dynasty, Monk Jianzhen traveled east to the Japanese country. This is also recorded in the Buddhist scriptures. The poor monk naturally knows it. However, it has been hundreds of years since the Tang Dynasty, and there has been very little contact during this period.
, even in the BC Yuan Dynasty, contact was completely severed. What is the situation of Buddhism in the East now, even the poor monks have no idea."
Han Du didn't know if Monk Zonglong was eager to distance himself from the Japanese Buddhism, so he said: "Perhaps if there is a chance, the master can visit the Japanese country and let them correct their evil ways."
Zong Lai said with a serious look: "I'm afraid the poor monk will have no chance to visit the Japanese country. However, clearing the source of Buddhism is the first priority of Buddhism. Even if the poor monk is gone, Buddhism will never sit idly by and watch!"
Han Du nodded with satisfaction. What he wanted was Zong Ling's words. This was the thought that suddenly came to Han Du's mind just now. He felt that if he wanted to conquer the Japanese country, there was another way, and that was to conquer their beliefs. Buddha Fadong
To this day, Buddhism has become the first belief of the Japanese in the Japanese country. However, at this time, the Buddhism of the Japanese country is somewhat different from that of the Ming Dynasty. In other words, the Buddhism of the Japanese country has combined many local dark sides and become a little abnormal!
If Buddhism in the Ming Dynasty could invade the Japanese country forcefully, it would be
If Ben Qingyuan replaces the local Buddhism in Japan, he might really be able to completely conquer the Japanese.
But it’s still early to say this now, so it’s better to mention Zong Lai’s curiosity first.
Han Du continued: "And to the south of the Ming Dynasty, there is Nanyang. I must have heard of Nanyang's name even though the master lives in a temple, right?"
"The poor monk in Nanyang has indeed heard about it from some believers, but he doesn't know much about it. Are there many people in Nanyang during the Ming Dynasty?" Zong Li asked doubtfully.
Han Du smiled, his voice involuntarily raised, and said: "The Thirty-three Governor's Mansions of Nanyang. The Governor's Mansion of Luzon alone now has more than 600,000 Ming people. The natives also have almost the same number. One Luzon has one."
It has over a million people. And the Old Port Governor's Mansion, which is known as the twin pearls of the South Seas together with Luzon, is no worse than it. Although the others are worse, the thirty-three Governor's Mansions add up. If you do the math, you should have
How many people are there?”
Zong Lai immediately looked at Han Du in surprise. He did not expect that there would be so many people in Nanyang. According to Han Du, even if he conservatively estimated over and over again, the number of people in Nanyang would exceed tens of millions.
The Ming Dynasty now has only about 60 to 70 million people, which means that one Nanyang is equivalent to one-sixth or seven of the size of the Ming Dynasty.
And how many Buddhist temples are there in the Ming Dynasty, and how many are there in Nanyang?
"Master Marquis, may I ask how many Buddhist temples there are in Nanyang?" Zong Lai couldn't help but ask excitedly.
Han Du shook his head and said: "Not even one!"
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for telling me!" Zong Li was filled with excitement.
There is one sixth-seventh of the Ming Dynasty in Nanyang, but there is not even a Buddhist temple. If Buddhism can be spread to Nanyang, how many Buddhist temples can be built? At least, a governor's palace should have one, right?
Han Du saw through Zong Li's thoughts at a glance and said meaningfully: "Just like that, master is satisfied?"
Zong Li looked at Han Du in confusion, clasped his hands and bowed: "Please make it clear to me, Lord Marquis. I am so grateful that I dare not forget it."
Han Du continued: "Going west from Nanyang, only a few thousand miles away is the former Tianzhu. I heard that the master was sent to the Western Regions twice as an envoy, 'wading through the quicksand, crossing the green mountains, traveling all over the Western Heaven, and reaching the Buddha's land',"
It took five years, 'a round trip of more than 40,000 miles,' and we experienced hardships and obstacles along the way."
"At the same time, he brought back the remains of a monk named Jue Yuan Huitan who was also from the Taizhou lineage and died in Sri Lanka during Hongwu's three-year mission to the Western Regions."
"That's true. It seems that the Marquis is quite familiar with my Buddhist affairs." Zong Lai nodded with a smile.