Reborn in Liangshan: I built the strongest lineup

Daming Prefecture was one of the four capitals of the Northern Song Dynasty.

How to describe this city? It is high and the terrain is dangerous, with wide moats and deep trenches. Inside, there are hundreds of dance pavilions and singing stages, and tens of thousands of magnificent palaces and temples!

It can be said that the prosperity of Daming Prefecture was no less than that of Bianjing (Kaifeng) in the Song Dynasty!

That's why Cai Jing placed his son-in-law here as the prefect.

Because there's a lot of oil and fat here!

"Fish for sale! Fresh fish!"

Three new people arrived at the Daming Prefecture Fish Market today. Of course, there are new people at the Daming Prefecture Fish Market every day, so having three more people won't seem like a problem.

These three were none other than the leaders of the Liangshan navy: Ruan Xiaoer, the "Standing Tai Sui"; Ruan Xiaoqi, the "Living Yama"; and Zhang Shun, the "White Stripe in the Waves"!

They rowed small boats piled high with fresh, large fish, mingling with the rest of the fish market.

"Hey bro, new here?"

The fishmongers around them greeted them.

"Yes, I heard fish prices are high in Daming Prefecture, so I'm here to make a little money. Have you been here a long time, brother?"

Ruan Xiaoer greeted the fishmonger and casually handed him a gourd.

The fishmonger took it, unscrewed the cap, smelled it, and exclaimed in admiration:

"Good wine, brother, you know your stuff. I've been here for seven or eight years, and no one knows the fish market better than me."

“Your fish are good, top-quality even in the fish market, but if you want to make a big profit, you’ll have to grease some palms, otherwise, some people will be envious.”

"Are there fishermen in Daming Prefecture too?" Zhang Shun had been a fisherman in Jiangzhou back in the day, and he was quite interested to hear news about his old profession.

"The fishmonger is easy to deal with, but the market supervisor is the key. He's not easy to fool. You brothers have come from afar, so you have to bribe him. Otherwise, forget about making a fortune, you won't even break even."

The fishmonger and Ruan Xiaoer chatted casually and quickly became acquainted, their conversations becoming increasingly varied.

"Brother, what interesting things are happening in Daming Prefecture lately?"

Seeing that the time was right, Ruan Xiaoqi immediately asked.

"You know what, it really exists!"

The fishmonger was also a talkative fellow, and with everyone enjoying the food and drink, he opened up completely when Ruan Xiaoqi asked him this question:

"Do you know Master Lu from Daming Prefecture? He's the richest man in Daming Prefecture! Recently, his steward reported him and he was arrested!"

"Ah, a servant can accuse his master? Isn't that a slave accusing his master!"

Ruan Xiaoqi feigned surprise.

"Oh, this servant is really something. Not only did he sue his master, he also married the original master's wife and seized the master's assets. Now, even the Lu family's signboard has been changed to the Li family's!"

"Brother, don't lie to me. There's no such thing as a magic trick in this world. I may be from the countryside, but I'm not stupid."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Xiaoqi knew that the fishmonger probably knew a lot, so he deliberately disbelieved him and provoked the man with his words.

"Hey, you still don't believe me? Why would I lie to you? Let me tell you, the Lu family used to get all their fish from me. Do you think I'm not familiar with the Lu family?"

"And this matter has spread throughout the entire Daming Prefecture. Let me tell you this: that Master Lu is just too foolish. He thinks that he can rest easy after saving someone's life. Besides, his wife is not the type to stand being alone!"

"That Li Gu is very good with words, and he made Jia Shi very happy. Lu Yuanwai is also obsessed with martial arts and is often not at home. So, the two of them have become lovers..."

The fishmonger truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned local; once he started chatting, he would tell you everything.

"Brother, according to you, Li Gu is a scoundrel! How could he treat his master like that? He's utterly unethical!"

Ruan Xiaoqi grumbled and cursed.

"Morality? What's that worth? Brother, I thought you were a very moral person, but what about you three brothers now? Aren't you only able to sell fish?"

The fishmonger patted Ruan Xiaoqi on the shoulder:

“Look at that Li Gu. Although he’s not ethical, he’s now in charge and doesn’t have to be subservient to others anymore. At most, we can only curse him behind his back. But when we meet him to his face, we still have to respectfully call him Master Li!”

"Old brother is right, come on, let's drink!"

Ruan Xiaoer handed over another pot of wine, then changed the subject, "So where is Master Lu now? He wasn't exiled, was he?"

"Not yet, but it should be soon. If you want to see what Master Lu looks like, I'll take you to the street. I guess the prefect will parade them through the streets first, and then exile them."

"Why is that?"

"Are you stupid? The prefect has taken a third of the Lu family's property. If he doesn't convict Master Lu of a particularly serious crime, how can he explain it to others? The reason he's keeping Master Lu locked up in the prefect's office is probably to gather other evidence and then convict him of a serious crime."

"I see, brother. We brothers really need to rely on you to make a living!"

Zhang Shun and the others flattered the old fishmonger.

"Alright, alright, you guys are good at this. This wine is good. How about this, after the market tonight, I'll take you to our favorite restaurant for dinner."

……

Puji Temple is the largest temple in Daming Prefecture.

Recently, the birthday of Liang Zhongshu's wife is approaching. As she is a Buddhist, Puji Temple needs to organize a large-scale water and land ritual to celebrate her birthday.

At this time of year, wandering monks from all directions would come to Puji Temple to enjoy vegetarian meals for a few days and take the opportunity to beg for alms.

"Abbot, three more wandering monks have arrived."

The guest monk of Puji Temple entered the abbot's room and spoke to the abbot.

"According to the rules, let's arrange them in the west wing, where all the wandering fellow disciples are.

The abbot was reading scriptures when he glanced at the guest monk and looked somewhat displeased. He felt that such a trivial matter should not bother him.

“But the abbot, they are different.” The guest monk’s expression was somewhat unnatural.

"Oh? What's going on?"

The abbot put down the scriptures.

"They, all three of them are martial monks."

"Martial monks, that's strange. Why did the Water and Land Dharma Assembly attract martial monks as well?"

The abbot was somewhat surprised. "Where are they? I'll go take a look."

At the entrance of Puji Temple, Guanghui led the way, with Lu Zhishen and Deng Yuanjue following behind him.

"Where do you cultivate, senior brother?"

The abbot came out and greeted Guanghui.

“Amitabha Buddha, fellow disciple Fazheng greets the abbot. These two fellow disciples are Fayan and Faneng. We come from Miaolin Temple in the south. We heard that Puji Temple is preparing to hold a Water and Land Dharma Assembly, so we came here to solicit donations and participate in the assembly.”

"So it's Junior Brother Fazheng. But Junior Brother, we don't need martial monks for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly. If you want to collect alms, you can stay at my Puji Temple for a few days."

The abbot said to Guanghui.

"Don't worry, senior brother. Although I am a martial monk, I have not neglected my studies. I am most proficient in the Diamond Sutra. If needed for the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, I can give a lecture on it."

Guanghui and the others already knew that Liang Zhongshu and his wife would be attending the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, so their goal was to sneak into the assembly.

"Oh? Junior brother is also skilled in scriptures?"

The abbot of Puji Temple was taken aback. Could this really be true?

“Senior brother, martial monks are still monks, and they emphasize the unity of Zen and martial arts. If you don’t believe me, I’ll explain the Buddhist teachings to you now…”