Chapter 252: Rebel Generals, Monks, and Aristocrats
After confirming that Prince Jiangyang had thwarted Xi Kangsheng's coup, the prime ministers and officials of the Menxia Province continued to argue all night before the verdict on the Xi family was finally made.
Xi Kangsheng should be sentenced to beheading, and Xi Nan should be hanged.
All the imperial guards who participated in the coup were executed, and the palace ladies and Empress Dowager Zhi who were involved in the coup were exiled.
To be fair, this punishment can be said to be quite light.
Except for Xi Kangsheng and Xi Nandang, father and son, all the other members of the Xi family who participated in the coup and were exiled, and those who were unaware of it were pardoned.
Even Xi Kangsheng's second and third sons were not held accountable.
This is also the result of the Xi family's deep roots and its marriages with various families as a prominent family with the surname Jia.
King Jiangyang Yuan Yi did not show any dissatisfaction with the result. This time, the rebellion of Xi Kangsheng was put down, which was the aftermath of the last Xuanguang Rebellion, and it completely stabilized the court.
In addition to Xi Kangsheng, several ministers who persuaded the emperor and the empress dowager to ascend the throne in the Xuanguang Hall were all dismissed and exiled. The eunuchs and palace maids who helped Xi Kangsheng were also handed over to Liu Teng for handling.
Yuan Yi even had to thank Xi Kangsheng and his son, who used an unsuccessful coup to eliminate the threats in the court, and to put a pressure on the emperor and the empress dowager. The vacant position in the court allowed him to sell it again.
The only thing that made Jiangyang Wang Yuanyi feel a little regretful was that after interrogating the servants of Xi Kangsheng's family, it was found that the monk Bianji from Longhua Temple, who was believed to have instigated Xi Kangsheng to rebel, had fled Luoyang the day before the coup and his whereabouts were unknown.
Prince Yuan Yi of Jiangyang vaguely felt that something was wrong. Bian Ji often went in and out of the palace to explain Buddhism to Empress Dowager Hu. Could it be that Xi Kangsheng's coup was really instigated by Empress Dowager Hu?
However, Empress Dowager Hu did not issue an edict after Xi Kangsheng's coup.
Yuan Yi had already issued a search warrant, ordering the counties and prefectures near Luoyang to search for Monk Bian Ji.
Prince Jiangyang was very satisfied. He believed that this coup was a trap set by Liu Teng to lure out the enemy. However, the emperor and the queen mother did not make any unusual moves. He did not have to worry about deposing the emperor or killing the queen. He only needed to sit in power and make money.
In this way, the second Xuanguang Hall coup came to an end.
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Outside the city of Luoyang, in a small temple, monk Bian Ji, wearing a wig, was staying overnight in the temple.
Fortunately, he left Luoyang early. Empress Dowager Hu and Xi Kangsheng were such a bad teammate. If he hadn't run fast, he would have been implicated.
After failing to submit a commission to Su Ze, Monk Bian Ji hid in this Buddhist temple and escaped from Luoyang, waiting for a new round of commissions from Su Ze.
There was another snowstorm today. Just when the small temple was about to close its gates, another group of people arrived to visit.
The weather this year is really strange. In February, there is still continuous snow and wind near Luoyang. It is said that the north has been suffering from snow disasters for more than a month.
The group of people staying here were led by a well-dressed man in his thirties who looked very noble.
Bian Ji's heart skipped a beat. This man should have come from Luoyang as well. He looked like a nobleman, but noblemen did not live in the post station, but stayed in this small temple. He must be up to something.
Maybe he escaped after the failed coup in Luoyang?
Bian Ji observed the words and expressions of the people and felt more and more that his judgment was correct.
That would be even more dangerous. If he really escaped from the failed coup in Luoyang, then if he was chased here by the official search team, wouldn't he be caught in the crossfire?
Moreover, seeing that the man looked ruthless and murderous, Bian Ji was afraid that he was not a good person. He might have killed everyone in the temple in order to hide his whereabouts.
Thinking of this, Bian Ji secretly stood up and prepared to leave the temple and continue on his journey.
However, he did not expect that it was too late. The people brought by the Luoyang noble had already guarded the doors entering and exiting the temple. After discovering Bian Ji, they immediately captured him and escorted him to the middle-aged man.
Bian Ji's wig was torn off, and the middle-aged noble said:
"He is clearly a monk, but he travels under a disguised identity. Kill this sneaky monk."
After the middle-aged nobleman gave the order, Bian Ji regained his composure and said:
"It's okay to kill me, but it will be troublesome if I delay your escape."
The middle-aged noble looked at Bian Ji coldly, but he was not surprised that the other party had guessed his identity.
He asked his attendants to let the monk go temporarily and asked in a cold voice:
"You monk said I was running for my life, then you tell me where I was running to. If you are right, I will not kill you."
Bian Ji's brain was working at full capacity. His guess was correct. This middle-aged noble was probably a Luoyang dignitary who was involved in Xi Kangsheng's coup and was forced to flee.
But I don't have the ability to read other people's minds, so how can I guess where the other person is going to escape to?
Bian Ji thought for a while, took out a wooden stick and wrote the word "Xi" on the ground, then said to the middle-aged noble in front of him:
"No matter where you are fleeing, it is all because of this word."
"This word is unlucky when it comes into contact with water, so don't run away to a place with water."
"That's all I have to say. If you want to kill me or chop me up, it's all up to you."
The middle-aged nobleman's face changed. He was surprised that the monk had said most of what he meant. He stared at the monk and said politely:
"I didn't expect that the master really had supernatural powers. I wonder what the master has to say about my future?"
Monk Bian Ji looked at the middle-aged noble in front of him, and he only wanted to get away as soon as possible.
If it is true as I guessed, those who are willing to participate in Xi Kangsheng's coup should be those who are still loyal to the Northern Wei royal family.
Then Bianji said:
"I have no other advice but loyalty."
"Loyal? Loyal?"
The middle-aged noble thought for a while and ordered Bian Ji to leave the small temple.
When Bian Ji reached halfway up the mountain and heard shouts and screams coming from the temple, he realized that his guess was correct. This middle-aged noble had escaped from Luoyang and started killing people in order to hide his tracks.
Bian Ji chanted the Buddha's name and looked back at Luoyang City again. He didn't know how many people had been affected by the coup.
By the time Bian Ji left in a hurry, the middle-aged nobleman's men had already killed all the monks in the small temple.
He was sitting in the Buddhist hall, and his confidant came forward and asked:
"General Xi, where are we going?"
This middle-aged man was named Xi Yi. Like Xi Kangsheng, he was from the Xi family, a noble family in the Northern Wei Dynasty. He was promoted to the rank of General Zhizhai.
Like General Zhizhai and General Zhige, they were both imperial guards who protected the emperor. Xi Yi was actually from the same clan as Xi Kangsheng, but was lured by Xi Kangsheng and his son to participate in the coup.
But before the coup, Xi Yi sensed something was wrong and did not appear in the Xuanguang Hall that day.
As soon as the news of the failed coup spread, Xi Yi immediately fled Luoyang City with his trusted family.
Originally, Xi Yi was planning to flee to the Southern Dynasty, which was a common occurrence during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, but Bian Ji's prediction just now made him give up this plan.
We can’t get close to water. If we want to go to the Southern Dynasty, we must cross the Yangtze River. Wouldn’t that mean we would encounter water?
Instead of going to the Southern Dynasty, Xi Yi thought for a while and said to his confidant, "Go north, to Xiurongchuan."
Xi Yi thought of his cousin Erzhu Rong. Their family had been the chieftain of Xiurong for generations. If he went to Xiurong, he would definitely not be betrayed to the court. His confidants were somewhat puzzled. In fact, Erzhu Rong had tried to win over Xi Yi a long time ago, but Xi Yi did not like this cousin who defected to Yuan Yi.
Unexpectedly, Xi Yi turned and fled to Xiurong in the north because of Bian Ji's words.
While on the run, Bian Ji received a new commission from Su Ze - to flee to Southern Liang.
Thinking of the fact that Southern Liang admired Buddhism and Emperor Wu of Liang's generous treatment of monks, Bian quickened his pace and headed towards Jiankang, the capital of Southern Liang.
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Guangzhou Port.
At this time, Guangzhou was a prosperous port city.
The seaport of Guangzhou was built by Tao Kan, a famous official of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, who was exiled here. After its completion, it became the center of maritime trade in the entire Southeast Asia.
One of the evidences is that Faxian, a famous monk from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, once sailed to India to seek Buddhist scriptures. He entered India from the Western Regions via the Silk Road, but in the end Faxian returned home on a big ship from the Lion Country (Bangladesh).
The destination of the ship that Faxian was on was Guangzhou, the largest port in Southeast Asia at the time. However, the ship encountered strong winds and waves and was blown to Qingzhou (Shandong).
Faxian started his journey at the age of 65, visiting more than countries over a period of years. He was years old when he returned to his homeland.
The story of Faxian's journey to India to seek Buddhist scriptures was not only widely spread throughout the Central Plains, but also had a great influence in the countries along his way, leaving behind the story of monks from the Central Plains coming to India to seek Buddhist scriptures.
On the ship docked at Guangzhou Port today, there is a South Indian monk wearing a cassock.
When Faxian traveled to India, he had already recorded the declining trend of Indian Buddhism.
The record of Faxian's journey to India - "A Record of Buddhist Countries" - recorded that many Buddhist holy sites at that time were occupied by Hindus.
When Faxian returned to China, the ship he took was mostly occupied by Hindus. There were rough seas at that time, and because Faxian was carrying a large number of Buddha statues and scriptures, he was nearly thrown into the sea by these Hindus.
At this time, the Central Plains region's respect for Buddhism also led eminent monks from India, Nepal and other places to start seeking Buddhist scriptures in the opposite direction and bring their teachings to the Central Plains.
This South Indian monk went through untold hardships and braved the storms at sea to arrive in Guangzhou just to spread his Buddhist teachings.
The monk's name was Dharma Bodhi. As soon as he got off the boat, he was invited to the governor's mansion in Guangzhou.
Because Xiao Yan was a devout Buddhist, he issued an order that any monks from India encountered at the ports of the Southern Dynasties should be escorted to Jiankang with courtesy.
Xiao Ang, the governor of Guangzhou, was the cousin of Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan. He himself also admired Buddhism and had great respect for monks.
So when he heard that there was a monk from South India on the ship, Xiao Ang immediately put down his official business and hurried to see Bodhidharma.
After the two talked for a while, Xiao Ang became even more excited and was certain that this Bodhidharma was a great monk.
He quickly said to Bodhidharma:
"My Daliang Supreme is the one who worships Buddhism the most. I will send you to Jiankang now. If you can gain the Supreme's favor, your great wish to spread Buddhism in the Central Plains will be fulfilled!"
Bodhidharma Bodhi clasped his hands together but did not show much excitement.
When Bodhidharma Bodhi was in South India, he was already a high-ranking monk revered by the state. Before he became a monk, he was the son of a king, or a Brahmin in the words of Hindus.
When Bodhidharma came to China, besides his wish to spread Buddhism, the most important thing was to seek the truth.
When he was on the boat, he also heard that China was now divided into north and south. Bodhidharma decided to meet the supreme ruler of the Southern Dynasty first, and then consider whether to continue north to visit Luoyang, the Buddhist capital that Faxian had always longed for.
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At the same time, in Nanzheng City of Liangzhou, Su Ze also met the guests from Guanzhong.
This is when the role of the Su brothers comes into play.
As the "top names" of the Su family in terms of martial arts, the Su brothers were very influential among the scholars in Guanxi.
It can even be said that a large number of scholars who came to Liangzhou for investigation came because of Su Ze's identity as the lord of the Su brothers.
Su Ze had to pretend to be eager to seek talents, and was dragged by the Su brothers to meet with Guanxi scholars every day.
Although Su Ze admitted that the quality of the Guanxi scholars was indeed better than that of the Liangzhou gentry, and there were some guys among them who could be considered talented, Su Ze would rather stay in the military camp and train his troops than to pretend to be friendly with these guys.
All I can say is that the current Kansai samurai are all half-baked.
After the Eastern Han Dynasty established its capital in Luoyang, scholars from Guandong became the top of the gentry, especially those from Hedong.
For example, the Qinghe Cui family. When Cui Hao was involved in the national history case and the Cui family was almost wiped out, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, they still had important ministers such as Cui Guang, the imperial teacher. Now the Cui family still has Cui Liang, who used to be the prime minister of the Ministry of Personnel and was in charge of the promotion of officials throughout the country.
After King Qinghe was executed, Cui Liang, a close ally of King Qinghe, simply claimed to be ill and returned home. This was the influence of the Qinghe Cui family.
Compared with the samurai in Kansai, the background of these samurai families in Kanto is not as impressive.
As for the Wugong Su family, his family could only appoint officials at the level of county magistrate, and could only be considered local tyrants.
Those who came to Su Ze also treated Su Ze as a backup. All of them were children of family branches, which made Su Ze even less interested.
These people came to join Su Ze, which was the "diversified investment" strategy that the aristocratic families had always adopted. Many people were even unwilling to serve in Su Ze's military government and were only willing to serve as local officials.
If it weren't for the hard work of the Su brothers, Su Ze wouldn't have wanted to meet these ambitious Kansai samurai.
After seeing off the children of Duling Du family, Su Ze looked at Su Chao.
Su Chao also shook his head. This Brother Du really had no ideas and was not even qualified to be a county magistrate.
However, the Duling Du family is also a prominent family in Guanxi. His ancestor was Du Yu, the commander-in-chief who destroyed the Wu Kingdom during the Western Jin Dynasty.
However, after Du Yu, the Du family could only produce officials at the county magistrate level at most. During the entire Eastern Jin Dynasty, Sixteen Kingdoms, and Southern and Northern Dynasties period, there was not a single one who could be recorded in history books.
However, this family quickly became prosperous during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The most famous person was Du Ruhui in the story of Fangmou Duduan. In addition, the great poets Du Fu and Du Mu also came from this family.
Seeing that Su Ze was a little tired, Su Chao asked:
"My Lord, next up is the Jingzhao Wei family's people. Do you still want to see them?"
Jingzhao Wei family?
Su Ze suddenly became excited, finally a big fish came!
The Tang people said "Wei and Du in the south of the city, five feet away from the sky", the Du here refers to the Du family of Duling just mentioned, and the Wei refers to the Wei family of Jingzhao.
Although the Wei family produced three highest officials in the Western Han Dynasty, there were no prominent figures from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the Wei, Jin, and Southern and Northern Dynasties.
The Jingzhao Wei family was able to become the most powerful family during the Sui and Tang dynasties, and its rise was during the late Northern Wei Dynasty.
Because the Wei family produced a man named Wei Xiaokuan.
Faxian's story is quite interesting
(End of this chapter)