Three Kingdoms: I am not Cao Rui

When Liu Chang, the Yellow Turban Taoist, left the North Palace, Zhang Sheng of the Five Pecks of Rice sect, Ge Xuan of the alchemy sect, and Zhi Qian of the Buddhist sect, who were in the study, all felt a mix of emotions, with joy and sorrow.

The good news is that judging from the emperor's attitude towards Liu Chang, he is indeed benevolent and should not be of any harm to him. The bad news is that since Liu Chang can be expelled, expelling one more wouldn't be a big deal.

Cao Rui watched Liu Chang stumble out the door and sighed. He then looked at Wang Su and said, "Minister Wang, it's truly lamentable that Liu Chang, a Yellow Turban Daoist, is so ignorant and incompetent. You are well-versed in classical texts; do you know what the Taiping Dao (Way of Great Peace) is capable of? How does it differ from the Dao of Alchemy and the Five Pecks of Rice Dao?"

Wang Su glanced at Ge Xuan and Zhang Sheng, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, in the past few months, I have gained some understanding of alchemy, the Five Pecks of Rice sect, and the Way of Great Peace."

“In the past, Zhang Jiao called himself the Great Teacher of Virtue and founded the Way of Great Peace. The Way of Great Peace took the Taiping Jing as its classic text and worshipped the Yellow Heaven to seek peace. In more than ten years, it developed more than 100,000 followers.”

"The Way of Peace has three methods. First, it uses talismanic water to cure the sick among the refugees and collects money and grain from wealthy families to relieve the poor. Second, it makes believers kowtow and repent, asking the Yellow Heaven to forgive their sins. Third, it uses the Way of Peace to lead believers with nine-section staffs to replace the government."

"As for its miraculous aspects," Wang Su paused, "the Way of Great Peace, apart from using talismanic water to cure diseases and bewitch people, has no other methods for cultivating immortality, and is different from the Way of Alchemy and the Way of Five Pecks of Rice."

As the leader of classical studies and the de facto supreme interpreter of the ideology of the Great Wei Dynasty, Wang Su, almost single-handedly with the support of Cao Rui, overturned the prevailing school of thought of Zheng Xuan. It can be said that in this kind of abstract summary of social science, Wang Su represented the pinnacle of his era.

Cao Rui pondered for a few moments: "So, according to Wang Qing, the Way of Great Peace used these three methods to gather the masses and rise from the grassroots during the Han Dynasty when the officialdom was corrupt and the people were suffering?"

“Exactly.” Wang Su nodded.

Cao Zhi listened to the conversation between Wang Su and the emperor, nodded in deep agreement, and then looked at Zhang Sheng and Ge Xuan in the hall. Ge Xuan still maintained his dignified and otherworldly demeanor, but Zhang Sheng's face already showed a hint of panic.

Cao Zhi sighed inwardly.

In his view, the Five Pecks of Rice sect, to which Zhang Sheng belonged, once dominated Sichuan and Chongqing. According to the methods summarized by Wang Su, it was nothing more than using ghosts and gods to frighten the people, using repentance to win over the people, and collecting rice instead of rent and taxes!
For someone like Cao Zhi, a member of the imperial family who held a high-ranking official position and was granted a title of king, the doctrines of the Five Pecks of Rice sect were utterly absurd; perhaps only commoners would have been more inclined to believe in it. On the contrary, Ge Xuan's alchemy, which claimed to lead to immortality, sounded far more appealing.

Cao Rui then turned to look at the bald Western Region monk, Zhi Qian: "Is it possible to become an immortal in Buddhism?"

Zhi Qian was about fifty years old. Although he was bald, he had a high nose, deep-set eyes, and a bushy beard, giving him the appearance of a Western Region foreigner.

Zhi Qian rose and bowed respectfully, replying, "Your Majesty, those who believe in Buddhism can cultivate themselves into Arhats or Buddhas, which has nothing to do with immortals. Buddhism does not cultivate supernatural powers; it only teaches believers to learn Buddhist teachings. Therefore, this humble monk also has no supernatural powers."

Cao Rui then asked, "Zhi Qian, I have heard that you are well-versed in Buddhism and the Five Classics, so you must be a reasonable person. You also heard what Wang Shizhong said just now. Now I want you to tell me about three methods of your Buddhist sect. How would you explain them to me?"

Zhi Qian bowed and then replied, "Your Majesty, may I have a moment to think?"

Cao Rui nodded in response.

Zhi Qian closed his eyes on the spot, his expression unreadable, and only opened them after about fifteen minutes, replying, "Your Majesty, if we were to discuss Buddhism in three aspects, the first is the inherent suffering of the world, the second is the cause and effect of good and evil, and the third is the cultivation of the next life!" Zhi Qian had expected the emperor to inquire about his teachings, but to his surprise, Cao Rui didn't ask any of those questions at all, and instead asked directly:

"Zhi Qian, how can you preach to those who do not believe in Buddhism? If you talk about the afterlife or the Dharma, I'm afraid not many people will listen to you. You must tell the truth; whether what you say is true or false cannot escape my eyes."

Zhi Qian remained silent for a few moments, quickly weighing the pros and cons in his mind. Then he replied, "Your Majesty, when I preach to those who do not believe in Buddhism, I will tell them about suffering in this life and blessings in the next, so that they can be freed from the suffering of hell."

Wang Su then added coldly from the side: "It's still just a way to scare the people, just like the ghosts and gods of the Five Pecks of Rice sect."

Zhang Sheng was taken aback, never expecting Wang Su to bring up his Five Pecks of Rice sect when the emperor asked about Buddhism. However, while Zhang Sheng had the courage and confidence to refute Cao Zhi, he dared not utter a single word about Wang Su and Wang Ziyong, who were truly powerful and trusted advisors to the emperor, in the emperor's study.

Cao Rui nodded to Wang Su, then said, "Zhi Qian, I don't believe in Buddhism. Will I go to hell after I die?"

Not only did Zhi Qian's expression stiffen, but everyone in the hall, as well as the ministers and guards on both sides, all showed surprise. Zhi Qian's forehead was already sweating, and he hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty is a sage ruler whose achievements will last for thousands of years. He will become an Arhat and has nothing to do with hell."

"I did nothing and yet I became an Arhat? You Buddhist sects are so stingy, you won't even let me become a Buddha." Cao Rui shook his head again: "Let me ask you again, Emperor Wu killed countless people when he pacified the world. After Emperor Wu's death, should he go to hell, be reborn, or become a Buddha or an Arhat?"

Zhi Qian was caught in a dilemma, his body trembling. He quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. The imperial family is of utmost importance, and this humble monk dares not speak recklessly!"

Cao Rui's voice also became stern: "You dare not threaten me in Luoyang, but you dare to threaten ignorant people with hell elsewhere?"

"In my opinion, the Five Pecks of Rice sect gathers people and collects grain to plot separatism, and the Taiping Dao recruits people in times of chaos in an attempt to rebel. At least their methods are somewhat clear, which is better than your insidious and frightening methods of collecting money from people."

Zhi Qian's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, "When did this humble monk and the Buddhist community start accepting money from people?"

Wang Su stood up, looked at Zhi Qian, and said in a deep voice: "At the end of the Han Dynasty, there was a man named Zuo Rong who gathered people in places such as Xiapi, Guangling, and Pengcheng. He collected money in the name of Buddhism and built a Buddhist temple in Xiapi. He used copper to make Buddha statues, covered the surface of the Buddha statues with gold, and used Shu brocade to sew the monks' robes. He built a nine-story pagoda with a multi-story pavilion at the bottom, which was large enough to accommodate three thousand people."

"Not only that, Ze Rong often holds bathing Buddha ceremonies on the so-called Buddha's birthday, with banquets stretching for dozens of miles and spending hundreds of millions of yuan. Zhi Qian, is Ze Rong a member of your Buddhist community?"

Zhi Qian, looking as if he had stepped in excrement, awkwardly said, "This person's actions are not..."

"Just say yes or no!" Wang Su said sternly.

"Yes!" Zhi Qian lowered his head, silently chanting a Buddhist mantra. (End of Chapter)