"Creak-" Accompanied by a dry friction sound, the wooden front door was pushed open, and the morning light shone into the Mahavira's Book, dispersing the darkness inch by inch.
Zhang Qixian, the appeasement envoy of the Yongxing Military Route of the Song Dynasty, accompanied by the abbot of the temple on the white horse, held three pillars of incense and entered slowly. Then, amid the sound of Sanskrit singing, he bowed three times and kowtowed to the Buddha.
The green smoke lingers, making the Buddha sitting behind the incense table appear compassionate and solemn.
Unlike other officials in the Song Dynasty, Zhang Qixian did not believe in Taoism, but he worshiped Buddha sincerely.
On every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, as long as he was not attending a court meeting in Bianliang, he would go to the temple in person to offer incense to the Buddha.
But here in Chang'an City, Jingzhao Prefecture, Yongxing Jun Road, no matter how devout a man or woman is, he would not have the guts to compete with the economic and strategic appeasement envoy.
Therefore, every time when Zhang Qixian comes to the temple to offer incense, the monks of Baima Temple specially set aside the period from Chen Shi to Si Shi to receive Zhang Qixian alone.
Moreover, no matter whether Lay Buddhist Zhang comes early or late, the monks' morning lessons will definitely start at the moment when he steps into the Mahavira Hall with his left foot.
In this way, when Jushi Zhang burns incense, he can be accompanied by the sound of chanting sutras, adding a certain solemnity.
Zhang Weixian has been in a high position for a long time, how could he not realize that the monks are trying hard to flatter him?
However, he was aware of it, but he was unwilling to expose it, let alone pretend to refuse this convenience.
He just tried his best to arrive at the White Horse Temple in time, and stayed in the temple for no more than a quarter of an hour each time to burn incense.
In this way, other pilgrims will not be kept waiting too long. If the Buddha in the far west sees it, he will not blame him for being domineering, but will appreciate his kind deeds that are convenient for others.
In addition, although he was sincere in worshiping the Buddha, the amount of sesame oil he donated to the temple was not too much. It was only half of an ordinary person's monthly income.
Doing this can prevent subordinate officials from donating large sums of money to the temple in order to attract his attention.
It can also help other good men and women understand that the key to worshiping the Buddha lies in sincerity, rather than building a taller golden body for the Buddha or building a more majestic temple.
This is the essence of the word "education"!
There were a total of fourteen economic and strategic envoys in the Song Dynasty. If we put them in the Han Dynasty, they would be fourteen state shepherds.
Shepherds teach the people for the sake of the emperor!
An excellent state pastor must not, after taking office, set fire to everything and make the people under his rule restless.
It's about moisturizing things silently.
Since Zhou Mu is honest and dedicated to his duties, the officials below him will naturally not dare to stretch their hands randomly. Occasionally, there will be one or two bold ones who will be wary of it.
Zhou Mu doesn't like extravagance, and the officials below naturally don't pursue ostentation too much.
Zhou Mu knows how to make things convenient for others, and the officials below will naturally...
However, in recent days, the enlightenment kung fu that Zhang Qixian believes in and admires has obviously encountered some setbacks.
Therefore, after he offered incense today, the time he stayed in front of the Buddha was obviously much longer than the previous times.
The monk has a good eye and will not disturb him.
The sound of chanting sutras all around also made it easy for him to meditate.
He was already over sixty years old, and he didn't ask for any old age and health. He just wanted the Buddha to bless him so that he wouldn't lose his old age before he submitted a letter to beg for his bones.
He has noticed that at Yongxing Military Road, various forces within the officialdom are intertwined, and it is difficult for outside managers and appeasement envoys to enforce orders and prohibitions.
He has long lost the vigor he had when he was young. He does not want to drastically rectify the local officialdom. He only wants to complete the tasks assigned to him by the officials to stabilize the local area, and then get the title of Third Division and return to his hometown with honor. (Note: Third Division, that is, Taishi,
Taifu and Taibao are honorary in nature and have no real power. But they can bring a lot of glory and development convenience to the family.)
…
"Enxiang, favor!" It was as if the Buddha was deliberately testing him. Before he could calm down, Judge Liang Hao had already hurried into the main hall. "There is a document delivered to the capital, and I need the favor to open it and read it in time."
."
At this moment, the person Zhang Qixian least wanted to see was Liang Hao.
Because, as long as Liang Hao comes to find him at this time, something big must have happened.
However, when he heard the other party say the secret code he had agreed with him, Zhang Qixian immediately smiled and nodded, "Yes, I understand. You go outside and wait for a while. I will be back soon!"
After that, he turned around again, clasped his hands and confessed his sins to the Buddha. Then he slowly walked away, calmly left the temple, and boarded the car to return.
After the guards helped him pull down the curtain of the carriage, his expression immediately became very gloomy, "Tai Su, what happened? You actually came to White Horse Temple to find me in person!"
"Forgive me, uh-" Liang Hao stepped into Zhang Qixian's bronze carriage one step ahead, but before he had time to adjust his breathing evenly. Hearing his superior's questioning, he quickly gasped and responded, "I didn't mean to disturb you, actually.
Yes, it is true that the earlier this news is known to Enxiang, the better. The magistrate of Ding'an County set fire to himself in front of the second hall of the county government for three days."
Zhang Qixian was shocked and blurted out a series of questions, "What did you say? Magistrate Zhang set himself on fire? When did it happen? Who was the person who invited him? Didn't you secretly tell him to invite him to Beijing with kind words?"
Zhaofu?! Go and invite his people, why are they so unsafe?"
"It's Wang Quan, the Zuo Army Inspector. He has been in charge of the Zuo Army Inspector for seven years. He is a very stable person." Liang Hao knew that at this moment, he did not need to defend himself. He raised his hand and responded with the key points, "I sent
Before he went to invite Zhang Wei, he had personally reviewed his resume. He was sure that he was the one with the least involvement with the Transportation Department, and rarely made mistakes in his work!"
"Hmm -" Zhang Qixian muttered in a low voice, and then asked quickly, "Didn't he go to Ding'an from Fangzhou? How many days did it take him on the road? Did he get to Ding'an first, or did Magistrate Zhang set himself on fire first?"
"It took two days and one night on the road. Before he entered the county, Magistrate Zhang had already lit a fire. It took about an hour or so!" Liang Hao frowned and continued to report, "Enxiang, this matter, Wang Quanquan
I'm afraid I can't find any faults!"
"Haha, two days and one night, fortunately, he didn't go in a sedan chair!" Zhang Qixian's face turned black with anger, but he had to agree with Liang Hao's point of view.
It takes two days and one night to transfer from Fangzhou to Ding'an, which is certainly not a delay for ordinary travelers. But Wang Quan was ordered to "invite" Magistrate Zhang, and walking for two days and one night on the road was tantamount to deliberately leaving enough time for him.
Time to prepare.
However, as Zhang Qixian, who was the pacifier of the strategy along the way, even if he saw that Wang Quan was "letting go", he would not be able to get any evidence, let alone do anything to him.
Although in theory, he had the power to dismiss the other party, the crime could not be too serious. The economic and strategic pacification envoy rarely served in one place for two years. When he was ordered to return to Bianliang, the local officials naturally had
method to reinstate Wang Quanguan.
"My subordinates have arranged for someone to take care of Li Yixian to prevent Zhou Chong from making another mistake." As Zhang Qixian's confidant, Liang Hao must not only know how to report bad news to the other party. After the other party understands the current new situation, he will immediately
He stated his remedy plan.
"Li Yixian is also from Jingzhao Mansion, right?" Zhang Qixian frowned again after hearing this, "Wang Quan is his subordinate."
"Exactly!" Liang Hao nodded, and his voice suddenly became a little solemn, "The manpower in the Transportation Department now needs to avoid suspicion. The manpower we brought is not familiar with the local situation. Therefore, the subordinates could only
Borrowing people from Jingzhao Mansion. Now that I think about it, it’s a chess match..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the rapid sound of horse hooves could be heard outside the car window. Immediately afterwards, the face of guard Liang Xiao appeared outside the reopened curtains.
I'm sending urgent news!"
"Send it over!" Zhang Qixian immediately anticipated that the situation might be bad and waved his hand tiredly.
Liang Xiao agreed and left, and not long after, another envelope with the Huoqi seal intact was put into the carriage with both hands.
Zhang Weixian took advantage of the daylight and opened it with his own hands. He glanced at a few lines and threw it to Liang Hao with a wry smile. "Zhou Chong is indeed dead. In the prison car, he used the railing to clamp his neck in the middle of the night and killed himself."
He was hanged. Li Duha admitted that he was incompetent, took the initiative to suspend his duties, and asked for punishment! How dare I punish him? I originally thought that everything was under control! Now it seems that I can return to Bianliang alive.
It’s the Buddha who bless me! Hahaha, hahaha, I’ve been smart for half my life, but when I got old, I finally became a fool for a while, haha——”
He raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eyes, and continued to laugh wildly and shook his head, "Hahaha, I finally understand that when the officials asked who was going to clean up the mess of the Yongxing Army, no one in the civil and military officials in the court was willing to raise their heads. Hahaha.
, the water here is indeed deep enough! What I suffered this time was not unfair at all!"
"Enxiang!" Seeing Zhang Qixian, who had shown kindness to him, he was so angry that he could not speak coherently. Liang Hao couldn't help but his eyes turned red, gritted his teeth, and said resolutely: "Enxiang, two of the three people involved in the case are already dead.
. Next, I’m afraid Inspector Han will also be doomed. I have no way to repay you for your kindness in knowing and guiding me. I would like to personally lead a sentry to bring Inspector Han to Jingzhao Mansion."
As he spoke, he stretched out his hand to push the door of the carriage. Unexpectedly, his arm was pulled tightly by Zhang Qixian.
"You can't go. If you go to look for the boy named Han, he will definitely die faster!" Zhang Qixian was so angry that his beard trembled, but his mind was unusually clear. "Zhang Wei and Zhou Chong are already dead. In any case, the boy named Han will die faster!"
Han's boy can't die anymore. As long as he doesn't die, some people on the Yongxing Army Road will never want to cover the sky with one hand forever."
"Bless me!" Knowing that Zhang Qixian said this for the sake of his own safety, Liang Hao begged with red eyes, "I am by your side, and every move I make may fall into the eyes of others. I'm afraid your decrees will not be published.
The official is here! And when Xiaguan leaves Chang'an, you have a living chess piece in your hand. If Xiaguan doesn't believe it, they dare to kill Xiaguan openly!"
"You can't die, and neither can the boy named Han!" Zhang Qixian didn't let go, just continued to shake his head gently, "Go and send an order to the Jingzhao Mansion Yamen to issue a sea arrest document and hunt for Han Qing. Tell them to make sure to post the notice for three days.
Inside, it was posted at all the city gates and checkpoints on the Yongxing Army Road. After catching Han Qing, he was immediately taken to the pacification envoy's camp. I, I will interrogate him personally!"
"Enxiang!" Liang Hao was stunned, and quickly understood that Zhang Qixian was ready to give it a go with the local officials. Then, with red eyes, he reminded, "What crime? He is also from the ninth grade after all, and his grandfather
With my cousin..."
"The charge is to detain local officials for no reason!" Zhang Qixian thought for a moment and responded quickly, "That's enough! I am a strategic envoy, and I don't need to ask anyone for instructions when hunting down someone from the ninth rank! As for his grandfather and Tang
As for my uncle, I believe that they will understand sooner or later. If I don’t do this, the boy named Han will definitely die!"
