Shopkeeper Li walked out of the small door and saw the fat monk blocked in the shop, and an ominous premonition arose in his heart.
Even if you wholeheartedly worship Buddha, how can you block Buddhists in the house and prevent them from leaving?
This fat monk is not only going to the hall to find out why Master Liujie was taken away by the government, but he is also going to inform other monks to temporarily stop creating public opinion and wait for him to find out the truth of the matter before making any plans.
Could it be that this person has obtained a confession from Master Liujie and is here to prepare for his death?
But looking at Xiao Chen's blue gown, his gentle and slightly childish appearance, coupled with his pious words and expression, it doesn't look like him.
Perhaps, he was just devoted to the Buddha and was so excited when he saw the fat monk that he did not notice these details.
But no matter what, no matter who the other party is or what his purpose is, Fat Monk must go now.
Inquiring about information and informing others to stop creating public opinion is the most important thing at the moment.
"Sir, you need to buy something. Come in and take a look. What can you choose if you are standing at the door like this? Besides, you are standing at the door like this, facing the master. Outsiders don't know, and they think you are deliberately embarrassing the master."
Shopkeeper Li smiled, stood next to the counter, and bowed slightly to Xiao Chen.
When Xiao Chen heard this, he raised his head and looked at the other party.
Although he deliberately put on a coarse cloth gown, his delicate skin, humble words, and a faint demeanor of contempt for himself are not something that an ordinary person can possess.
"The shopkeeper is right. It's a bit inappropriate for me to stand at the door and block the door like this." Xiao Chen said and walked inside.
Seeing the door being opened, the fat monk rushed out without saying a word.
"Master, Master, are you really not going to give me a chance to be baptized in Buddhism?" Xiao Chen stood at the door and shouted loudly towards the opposite corner where Duan Tianming and others were hiding.
The fat monk thought Xiao Chen was really talking to him, so he said without looking back: "We will see you again if we are destined."
After a while outside, Duan Tianming would greet him.
Entering the grocery store again, Xiao Chen looked up at the hoe hanging on the wall and asked with a smile: "I have several acres of paddy fields at home. I want to buy a hoe to weed. But I don't do much farm work. The shopkeeper
Can you tell me whether I should buy a wider hoe or a narrower one?"
Shopkeeper Li was stunned for a moment, a little dumbfounded at the time.
People who come to buy a hoe usually just point their fingers and say, "I want this, I want that, and how much money it will cost."
He was really confused as to what kind of hoe to use for weeding in the paddy fields.
"If the field is wide, use a wide hoe; if the field is wide, use a narrow hoe."
"My family's paddy field totals three acres."
Three acres. Shopkeeper Li doesn't know exactly how big these three acres are.
However, if you directly say that you don't know, what will the other party think of you?
Isn't it a big joke that a shopkeeper who runs a grocery store doesn't know the use of the things he sells?
Originally, this grocery store was just a name that he used to hide his name from others. If it was really spread that he didn't know what kind of hoe he used in the three-acre paddy field, people in the government would inevitably become suspicious if they found out.
Immediately he became worried and said casually: "Of course I'll use a big hoe. A big hoe can weed quickly."
"But, I seem to remember that my family used to use a small hoe for weeding and a big hoe for plowing the ground." Xiao Chen said with a smile.
In one sentence, Shopkeeper Li choked to a point of embarrassment.
"Then you buy two, one for weeding and one for plowing the ground."
Xiao Chen smiled and turned around slowly, no longer paying attention to the hoe hanging on the wall.
"The shopkeeper doesn't seem to know much about how to use a hoe. Could it be that the shopkeeper is not an ordinary citizen, but a powerful man who lives in seclusion here?"
Hearing Xiao Chen's words, shopkeeper Li was shocked and confirmed his suspicion just now that the other party was evil.
However, since the other party did not directly show any malicious intent, he could only take advantage of the situation and take it one step at a time.
"Your Majesty, I have good eyesight. It is true that I have never farmed. However, I am not a powerful person who lives here in seclusion. I am just a scholar who has failed repeatedly."
"I see." Xiao Chen smiled and saw the book open on the counter.
I couldn't help but walked over and reached out to take it.
On the page of the book, a large line of bold characters read: Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beautiful, but it is evil. Everyone knows that goodness is good, but it is not good.
Close the book and there are four big characters on the cover: Tao Te Ching.
"It turns out that the shopkeeper is studying the Tao Te Ching. I heard that Taoism and Buddhism are at loggerheads with each other in terms of competing for followers. Just now, the Buddhist master came here to buy straw sandals. Why did you sell them to him?
?”
Xiao Chen laughed.
"I'm just bored and reading to pass the time. How can I be a Taoist? Besides, when I open a business, I just want to make a profit. How can I not sell things?"
Having said that, Shopkeeper Li was extremely wary.
This person's life is fair and clean, and there is a hint of childishness on his face. He is obviously not very old.
But why is every word so sharp?
He keeps saying that he has three acres of paddy fields at home, so he must be a farmer. Why do you dare to say that you are a Taoist after reading your own books?
Not only was he literate, he also had a college education.
But, what is the purpose of a sudden visit from such a well-hidden person?
"Just now, the shopkeeper was reading the Tao Te Ching. Everyone in the world knows that the beautiful is beautiful, and it is evil. Everyone knows that the good is good, and it is not good. If this sentence is applied to the world, can it be understood in this way?
:Everyone in the world thinks that the world is peaceful, but the unfair side is revealed?"
Looking at Shopkeeper Li, Xiao Chen asked with a smile.
After hearing the last sentence, shopkeeper Li could no longer remain calm.
His eyes widened and his breathing became rapid: "Who are you? Who are you?"
"Dongchang, purple-clad Colonel Xiao Chen."
With a smile on his face, Xiao Chen said softly.
"Ah?" Shopkeeper Li opened his mouth wide, and his whole body wilted like an eggplant beaten by frost.
"You don't have to be like this, shopkeeper. In today's peaceful and prosperous times, you can't do anything big by yourself. Even if you create a certain amount of public opinion in the capital, you still can't withstand the joint suppression of Dongchang and Jinyiwei. Soon,
Let the public opinion disappear. It must have been coaxing and deceiving by the king of Han, or mixed with threats and inducements, so the shopkeeper had no choice but to come to the capital and lead a group of monks against his will to make a small fuss."
Xiao Chen slowly walked into the counter, sat down on the chair, put his hands on the counter to support his head, and stared at Shopkeeper Li who was standing in the middle of the shop with his head lowered with a smile.
"Do you have Master Liujie in your hands?" Shopkeeper Li slowly raised his head.
"That's right." Xiao Chen smiled, "Master Liujie not only devoted himself to Buddhism, but was also very concerned about important affairs in the court. He even followed me, the Thirteenth Service Chief of Dongchang, to visit the prison of the Ministry of Punishment with great interest. Originally, I
I thought that Buddhist disciples must be very disgusted with those tortures, but Master Liujie has been practicing for many years. He knew that those who were tortured in the prison were Ma Yunshan and his associates who had embezzled the imperial resources. He greatly praised the principal who used torture.
Wei. even said that people like Ma Yunshan, who are ungrateful and want to poach the court just after being promoted by the emperor, should be skinned and cramped so that they will never be reincarnated."
"So, I followed the advice of Master Liujie and sent people to make some sharp knives to peel their skin and cramp their muscles." Xiao Chen added.
"Of all the people, the one I value most is Liu Jie. I never thought he would be the first to betray me." Shopkeeper Li's body went limp, and he collapsed on the ground like mud.
"Shopkeeper Li's words are wrong." Xiao Chen pushed the counter with both hands and stood up slowly.
"Although he has repeatedly failed in the rankings, he may have studied the Tao Te Ching. Shopkeeper Li should have a certain amount of knowledge. The Ministry of Punishment is the highest punishment department in the Ming Dynasty and is absolutely orthodox. And our Dongchang is also an agency directly under the emperor. The entire
Ming Dynasty, what the Emperor says is an imperial edict. Everything the Emperor does is an act of justice. When we work for your Majesty and for the court, we do it openly and aboveboard. What Master Liujie did was not a betrayal, but a surrender, a surrender to the light.
.”
Shopkeeper Li slowly raised his head, his eyes already dim.
"I won't say any more. Since I've fallen into your hands, it's up to you to kill or chop him into pieces."
"Nonsense, how can I be willing to kill someone as talented as the shopkeeper?"
Walking forward, Xiao Chen stretched out his hand to help shopkeeper Li stand up.
