One night more than 1,300 years ago, Xuanzang, who had just escaped from the desert with his life, had gone five days without food or water.
Exhausted, he came to Gaochang Kingdom and knocked the door knocker of Gaochang.
King Qu Wentai of Gaochang did not live in the city that day, but when he heard that Xuanzang had arrived at Tiandi City, he immediately ordered the accompanying ministers and Xuanzang to rush back to Gaochang overnight. Late at night, the gates of Gaochang opened for Xuanzang...
"The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" describes that Qu Wentai and his Gaochang Kingdom were excited for Xuanzang's arrival, and the reception was very warm.
Xuanzang originally had no plan to pass by Gaochang, but because he could not refuse the hospitality, he had to change his route and follow the Gaochang envoy to meet Qu Wentai.
Because of his longing for Buddhism, Xuanzang received unprecedented hospitality in Gaochang, and setting up a forum to give lectures was naturally an indispensable part of the program.
Qu Wentai was an ardent believer. He traveled in the Tang Dynasty for four years, visited many places, and saw the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty with his own eyes.
He highly praised Xuanzang's Buddhism, saying that he had never seen a monk with more knowledge than Xuanzang, and he admired him endlessly.
Maybe he admired Xuanzang so much that he finally made a request that Xuanzang couldn't accept:
[Please ask the master to stay in Gaochang and be our national teacher. Although Gaochang is a small country, there are always thousands of monks. These people and the Gaochang country need the master's guidance.]
This kind of honor as a national teacher is what all monks dream of, and it is simply an offer that cannot be refused.
But Xuanzang risked his life and traveled westward for his faith. He would not accept this temptation. The glory and wealth of the world were like floating clouds to him.
Faced with rejection, Qu Wentai did not give up, but pressed forward step by step, and finally even began to threaten Xuanzang.
[Master, if Gaochangguo does not allow me to go west, will I be able to make it? Master, please think again...]
Faced with King Gaochang's behavior, Xuanzang did not compromise and went on a hunger strike to gain the right to move on.
So after three days, Qu Wentai compromised, and the two parties reached a compromise plan:
Qu Wentai and Xuanzang became brothers and prepared materials to support Xuanzang's journey to the west. However, Xuanzang had to stay in Gaochang for three years after he returned from his studies, giving lectures and converting the people of Gaochang.
Xuanzang agreed.
So in the next month, Qu Wentai devoted all his efforts to making various preparations for him.
From then on, Xuanzang's Buddhist scripture-seeking career said goodbye to twists and turns and darkness, and a smooth road was paved towards glory.
After seeing these records, Chen Zhi began to think unconsciously. In fact, he didn't want to think too much about Buddhism.
The sanctity of Buddhism always scares people away, and they even dare not question it.
But as a normal person, Chen Zhi couldn't help but have a doubt in his mind, which made him look at Xuanzang again.
Not looking at him from the perspective of a saint, but looking at him from the perspective of an ordinary person.
Judging from these records, Xuanzang's position is actually very strange.
From a normal person's perspective, Qu Wentai threatened him to stay in Gaochang, which made him very disgusted.
But what Qu Wentai did later should make him completely forget this unpleasant memory.
Before Xuanzang arrived in Gaochang, he relied on charity to survive. Everywhere he went was very difficult. He used a wooden bowl to beg for scraps from the people and slept in the open air.
But after arriving in Gaochang, he became a rich man. Not only did he not have to worry about funds, but he could sometimes give charity to others.
"Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" records: "Since the gold, silver, damask, silk, clothes, etc. given by the King of Gaochang, they have all been kept in the big pagoda and the big garland as offerings, and then left with sincerity."
It can be seen that while Xuanzang was calmly studying Buddhism in India, he not only was not troubled by financial problems, but also had the financial strength to maintain courteous exchanges with the Buddhist community, which played a very important role in his future success.
So what are the specific gifts that King Gaochang gave to Xuanzang?
"Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty" clearly records this gift list. The materials Qu Wentai prepared for Xuanzang are as follows:
[Four attendant novice monks; made thirty sets of Dharma robes; also made face robes, hand robes, boots, trousers, and other items.
One hundred taels of gold, thirty thousand silver coins, and five hundred bolts of damask and silk were provided for the Master to travel back and forth for twenty years.
Give thirty horses and twenty-five men.]
These manpower and material resources were simply astonishing considering the national strength of Gaochang at that time.
Chen Zhi browsed some information on the ancient Western Regions on the Internet, including documents from the Gaochang period of the Qu family unearthed in Turpan.
Among them is the "Gaochang Neizang Zang Desheng Price Account", which is a document from the Astana Tomb. The content is a report on the trade tax for a certain year.
It details the quantity of each traded commodity and the amount of income tax collected from it, giving people some idea of the economic situation of that era and allowing them to calculate the value of these materials at the time.
Xuanzang received one hundred taels of gold, which was about 625 taels of silver. Although the amount was small, as a precious metal, the gold Xuanzang received greatly exceeded the total gold trading volume of Gaochang Kingdom in a year. This was a wealth involving the country.
And that 30,000 silver coins was a huge number, equivalent to 240 years of tax revenue from Gaochang Kingdom.
500 pieces of silk and damask, if calculated based on the estimated price that existed in Gaochang, should be 20,000 yuan.
In addition, in order for Xuanzang to travel westward smoothly, Qu Wentai wrote letters of credence to the kings of the twenty-four countries along the way. Each letter was accompanied by a piece of large silk as a gift, hoping that the kings of each country would treat Xuanzang well.
Large damasks are more valuable than damasks, and twenty-four pieces cost at least 10,000 silver. In order to seek help from the Western Turks Yehu Khan, he also offered "five hundred pieces of damask and two carts of fruit."
This kind of behavior is so unbelievable that Qu Wentai probably gave the entire treasury to Xuanzang without any reservation.
You know, it was a time of war, and the meaning of money was life.
The countries in the Western Region were divided and separated, wars were frequent, and thieves were rampant in the desert wasteland. The newly rising Tang Dynasty and the Turks, the overlords of the grasslands, coveted this small Gaochang.
Would Qu Wentai, the king of Gaochang Kingdom, really spend all his treasury and use the money to support a monk to learn Buddhist scriptures instead of staying to save his life?