Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"But those women did not come voluntarily. Most of them were disaster victims who were defrauded by the abbot using insidious means during the major disasters in previous years." Liu Wenbing added.

Sun Weifan frowned upon hearing this and said:

“It’s not okay even if it’s voluntary!

A monk should meditate on the Buddha's teachings. If you want delicacies and women, you shouldn't be a monk."

Liu Wenbing agreed with Sun Weifan's words.

“Your Excellency’s words make sense, but many of the people who had been resettled in the temple at that time also saw it.

I, your humble servant, believe that this involves religion and am concerned about the negative impact it may have on the people, so I have come here immediately to ask Your Excellency to make the decision."

Zhang Shikang, who understood the situation, sneered:

"Is it possible that only by becoming monks can they have the opportunity to enjoy delicacies and sleep with women?

Are all the monks in the temple fat and big-eared?

Did they find a lot of property?"

"Your Excellency is wise." Liu Wenbing nodded immediately.

Zhang Shikang continued:

"This world is never black and white; it's filled with dirty grey.

There are those who are despicable, those who curry favor with the powerful, and those who are hypocritical. There is no need to be surprised.

The women were settled with government money, and as for the monks...

Anyone who participated in raping women should be beheaded.

The temple property was added to the national treasury."

Liu Wenbing frowned slightly when he heard this:

"But sir, doing so will inevitably have a significant impact on the local people. According to my investigation, there are still many local people who believe in Buddhism."

"I am only responsible for announcing it. As for whether these people will continue to believe in Buddhism in the future, that is none of my business. Just do it.

"We need to cut the Gordian knot. You must return tonight and hang their heads on the temple gate tomorrow," Zhang Shikang said without hesitation.

"Nephew, this is against the rules." Sun Weifan said in a low voice.

The Ming Dynasty court had a government office specifically responsible for managing religion. Whether one was a Buddhist or a Taoist, one had to obtain a certificate of ordination issued by the court before being able to call oneself a monk.

If monks in certain temples violated the precepts or the Ming Dynasty laws, they would naturally be punished by the government office in charge of them.

Zhang Shikang's direct and arbitrary execution of these people was against both reason and ethics.

Sun Weifan was actually subtly reminding his nephew that he should pay attention to his influence, especially in the court.

Now that Zhang Shikang holds a high position, his reputation among the people is very high due to a series of reforms and the many victories he has won.

This is not a good thing.

For example, during this disaster relief, Sun Weifan had expressed his support in a tactful way, but Sun Weifan's tact was different from that of others. He meant that it was best not to get involved to avoid causing trouble.

Obviously, Zhang Shikang didn't listen.

"In an emergency, we must take temporary measures. The temple has a lot of money and grain, which can be used to make up for the food shortage.

If there really is a Buddha, he would do the same thing as using the food stored in the temples over the years to help the victims.

Otherwise, he is not the Buddha."

Zhang Shikang shook his head and picked up the chopsticks again very calmly.

Religion is indeed a very sensitive thing. Zhang Shikang knows that in Europe, and even in most areas west of the Western Regions, religion is an extremely important part of a country.

Before the European Renaissance, even kings had to share power to a large extent with religious leaders.

What's worse, if the king offends the religious leader, his fate will basically be disastrous.

Zhang Shikang heard that there was once a European king who offended the Pope. In order to ask for forgiveness, he stood outside the Pope's church for three whole days in the middle of winter and finally bought an indulgence.

As for indulgences, they were of course invented by the Holy See. It was said that as long as one bought an indulgence, no matter what sins one committed, one could be forgiven by the Lord.

This situation lasted for thousands of years in Europe. Even after the Renaissance, the influence of the Holy See was not as great as before, but the influence of religion did not change.

Compared with other regions, the religious atmosphere in Ming Dynasty is quite Buddhist and gentle.

There are many religions in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, such as Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, animism, and even totem worship.

But among these many sects, there is one religion that once left a significant mark in history, and that is Buddhism.

This is not Zhang Shikang's nonsense. Going back to the Ming Dynasty, over the past thousand years, China has experienced many times of destroying Buddhism, the most famous of which were the Three Wus and One Zongs.

So the question is, if China is so tolerant of religion, why did it choose to destroy Buddhism instead of destroying Taoists or other religions?

The answer is very simple, because Buddhism has money and knows how to deceive people.

The specific reasons will not be discussed here, but originally monks were allowed to eat meat. It was after the Three Wars and One Rebellion destroyed Buddhism that the surviving followers had to add more rules and regulations in order to continue the tradition, which is why the saying of "green lamp and ancient Buddha" came into being.

But this is contrary to human nature, so since then, it has been rampant and cannot be stopped.

In comparison, monks who live a simple life can even marry and have children.

The question is, what does the Buddha think?

As for why the destruction of Buddhism only existed before the Ming Dynasty and never appeared again after the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the reason is very simple, because the Ming Taizu directly solved the root cause.

Zhu Yuanzhang himself had been a monk, and he understood too well how this sect sucked blood. Since then, religion has become moderate in China. As long as it does not affect the national economy and people's livelihood, people can believe in whatever they want, even Ultraman.

Although Zhang Shikang was an atheist and treated most religions equally, he did not like monks, especially the huge golden Buddha statues in every temple.

It’s as if Buddha was supposed to be this luxurious.

Taoism, which was regarded as the state religion by the Ming Dynasty, has a long history of coming out of seclusion in troubled times to save people and retreating to practice in prosperous times to practice in seclusion.

Zhang Shikang feels that this is the belief worthy of promotion. First, it does not override the people, and second, it does not override the country. It is low-key, humble and people-oriented.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shikang suddenly asked:

"Is there a large gilded bronze statue in the temple?"

"Yes, sir, there are more than one, there are several gilded bronze statues." Liu Wenbing replied in confusion.

"The country is short of copper, so why not melt it down?

Half will be given to the Ministry of Revenue to mint copper coins, and half to the General Administration of Manufacturing to mint cannons."

After saying this, Zhang Shikang was full, so he asked Liu Wenbing and Sun Weifan to leave.

Sun Weifan never spoke about his own affairs, but he seemed to be more worried about Zhang Shikang.

As soon as he left the tent, he whispered to Liu Wenbing:

"Marquis Xinle, it's unacceptable for my nephew to behave like this. If the world only knows about the Duke of Zhenguo, what will Your Majesty think?

You have to persuade her if you have the chance, you can't just rely on me."

Liu Wenbing was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then he sighed and said:

"Alas! Your Excellency is so smart, how could he not know the consequences of being too successful and threatening the ruler?"

……