Black Lotus Concubine's Case-solving Notes

Abbot Jingwu took the officials' wives on a tour of the main hall, then said goodbye to everyone on the pretext of serving the Buddha.

The rest of the trip was very free. Feng Jia didn't want to travel with those wives of officials, so she took Song Huai to choose a quiet path with few people for sightseeing.

The little monk who led them was probably in his early ten years old. He was very lively and kept introducing this and that along the way.

Feng Jia followed him up a step, looked at the black monk robe on him, and blinked: "Young Master, I see that among the monks coming and going, some wear yellow monk robes, some wear blue monk robes, and there are many like you who wear black monk robes. Is there any explanation for this?"

The little monk said proudly, "Donor, although our Cheng'en Temple is only the size of a palm, there are many monks in the temple! For the convenience of management, the abbot divides us into different levels according to the length of time we have been in the temple and our personal talents. In addition to the abbot wearing a patchwork robe, the lighter the color of the monk's robe, the higher the status!"

At this point, the young monk touched his bald head in embarrassment and said, "I can't do that. I've only been in the temple for less than half a year. I have average qualifications and haven't experienced the nunnery rites yet. So I can only wear the lowest grade black monk robes. Black monk robes represent outer sect monks and can only practice in the outer courtyard!"

Doesn't Buddhism teach that all living beings are equal? ​​Why is there a hierarchy in meditation and enlightenment? This was the first time Feng Jia had heard of this.

The three of them walked up the steps one after the other. The young monk pointed to the front and said, "I heard from the brothers that you will stay in the temple for half a month. We have already cleaned up the meditation room in the back mountain. It is not far away. It is quiet and suitable for recuperation. I will take you to have a look."

"Thank you for your help, little master."

As he was speaking, the young monk suddenly ran a few steps with his robe in hand and shouted excitedly, "Look! It's the abbot!"

Feng Jia followed his gaze and saw the tall man in patchwork monk's robe standing under a locust tree, talking to a disciple in a white robe. Hearing the voice, he smiled and nodded in the direction of Feng Jia and the others.

The young monk immediately put his hands together and bowed in the direction of the abbot.

Feng Jia also nodded, but his eyes unconsciously fell on the white-robed monk, and a strange feeling crept into his heart.

The man seemed to be aware of her gaze. His hawk-like eyes shot over and he whispered a few words in the abbot's ear before turning and leaving.

The man walked briskly and was a well-trained man.

Feng Jia and Song Huai exchanged a glance, and Song Huai immediately understood and followed the white figure silently.

When the young monk looked up again, the venerable abbot had already walked down the stairs from the other end of the road. After watching his back devoutly, the young monk turned around and was stunned for a moment: "Hey, where is the distinguished guest?"

"She helped me get something from the carriage," Feng Jia said, "By the way, is that the meditation room you just mentioned to be arranged for us?"

The little monk's attention was quickly attracted, and he smiled and led the way, "Yes, dear guest, I will lead you there!"

"What kind of person is your abbot?" Feng Jia followed behind him and asked as they walked.

"Our abbot? He is a very powerful person!" The young monk's eyes lit up. "You may not know this, dear guest, but before he became a monk, our abbot was a traveling barefoot doctor who saved countless lives. Later, he became sensible of worldly desires and settled down here. He built this Cheng'en Temple, which must have happened more than ten years ago!"

Feng Jia smiled and asked, "Which year was it exactly?"

The young monk scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "Which year exactly? Was it fifteen years ago or sixteen years ago?"

The young monk shook his head and said, "It's hard to tell. The first batch of disciples who followed the abbot have all left one after another. I think only the remaining few masters know the exact year."

Feng Jia nodded, stood on the steps and did not move forward, just looked at the little monk's wrist. Finally, he knew where the strange feeling he had just felt when he saw the white-robed monk came from: his arm.

His arms are much thicker than those of ordinary people, which should be the result of years of hard practice of some kind of hand skills.

Feng Jia asked: "You said that most of the first batch of monks have left. Why?"

The young monk sighed and said with some regret, "Originally, Cheng'en Temple was not big, with only a dozen fellow disciples following the abbot. Apart from the fishing villages at the foot of the mountain who would come to pay their respects, there were basically no incense offerings. They thought the temple was deserted and poor, so they left one after another."

"Who is the master you are talking about?"

The young monk smiled and said, "Among those fellow disciples, there are also three who have always insisted on following the abbot. They are the only monks in our temple who are qualified to wear white robes. By the way, the one you have seen and just talked to the abbot is one of the three! Master Kufan!"

It turns out that the eagle-eyed man is called Kufan, and he is the master with a very high status.

The young monk continued, "Later, the thousand-year-old red cattail tree next to the white pagoda in the temple suddenly came back to life. Coincidentally, that year was the Kaiyuan year when our emperor ascended to the throne. So there was a rumor that the real Buddha appeared in our temple and attached himself to the old red cattail tree. The spiritual energy protected it, which allowed it to grow vigorously even without watering or fertilizing. Cheng'en Temple became famous because of this, and pilgrims came to pay homage and burn incense in an endless stream!"

At this point, the little monk's eyes sparkled: "The incense was popular, but the abbot did not use the money to repair the temple, nor did he buy anything for himself. Instead, he built many meditation rooms in the back mountain to accommodate those refugees without household registration, or beggars like me who were abandoned by their parents and had no food to eat!"

"Then your abbot is really a kind person." Feng Jia said with a smile.

"So I respect the abbot very much!" The young monk's eyes sparkled with a strange light, "Of course it's not just me! All the fellow monks in the temple are the same as me! It is the abbot who provides us with food and clothing, and gives us a place to live! We will never be able to repay him in our lifetime!"

Feng Jia frowned. For some reason, she always felt that the little monk's worship was too direct and enthusiastic, making her feel uncomfortable.

So she changed the subject: "Young Master, the small fishing village you mentioned is at the foot of the mountain? But we walked here from there and didn't see any village houses along the way. On the contrary, the weeds on the road were taller than a person, and there didn't seem to be any signs of human life."

The young monk said, "My dear guest, you don't know that the fishing village was abandoned ten years ago!"

“Why is it abandoned?”

The young monk did not answer immediately, but looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and asked, "Dear guest, have you heard of the Taiping Sect?"

The Taiping Sect originated from a Taoist group in the previous dynasty. Its founder, Xunliao, claimed to be an alchemist from the Penglai Island who could make elixirs of immortality.

The previous emperor, Wu Yingzong, was wise and intelligent, with the appearance of a dragon and a phoenix, and a handsome face. Unfortunately, in his later years, he believed in the Taoist teachings of cultivating immortals, neglected state affairs, and became obsessed with cultivating immortals. Not only did he appoint Xun Liao as the High Priest of Eternal Night despite opposition from court officials, he also built a Changming Palace for him and allowed him to develop believers in it.

According to historical records, during its heyday, the Taiping Sect had more than 100,000 followers, a number so large that it could almost rival the army. Its influence is self-evident.

Later, Wu Yingzong died suddenly due to excessive consumption of elixirs. Xunliao was dragged out of the Changming Hall and beheaded in public. The followers of the sect scattered, and the Taiping Sect collapsed from then on.

It was not until the Changming Palace was destroyed that people discovered that the Taiping Sect's so-called techniques for cultivating immortality were actually just ripping out the hearts and livers of living people. These were inhumane things, and it was a complete evil cult!

After the death of Emperor Wu Yingzong, the country faced a change of regime. The will announced that the third prince would ascend the throne. The crown prince then colluded with the General of Cavalry to overthrow the dynasty and establish a new one. They ruthlessly massacred the third prince, and serious riots broke out in society. It was Xu Yutai, who was the fifth prince at the time, and the current Emperor Longqing, who led his troops to restore order and thus avoided the loss of life.

Also, because the heyday of the Taiping Sect coincided with the darkest moment in the Dali period for hundreds of years, the three words "Taiping Sect" have almost become a taboo.

Feng Jia asked, "Are you talking about the evil cult that was wiped out ten years ago?"