How Have I Advanced with Bold Diligence?

Wei Yuan had not discussed the second stage of his plan in detail with Xu Yi. The plan remained somewhat vague, with many specifics still in need of refinement, but its core was still aimed at human karmic luck. Wei Yuan had discovered that the amount of karmic luck gathered depended not merely on how well mortals lived in Qingming, but also on how terribly they had lived before. The greater the upheaval across the five commanderies and the hungrier the people became, the more readily they would contribute karmic luck the moment they picked up their first bowl of thick congee from a Qingming porridge shed. At that moment, in the cells of the military camp, dozens of Wei Yuan's incarnations were interrogating the people who had just been rounded up. Those questioned ranged from patriarchs and matriarchs at the top to servant chiefs and courtesan concubines used to entertain guests at the bottom—a wide variety of people. The subjects of the interrogations left them utterly bewildered as well. They were asked about mundane details of daily life, such as when they took their meals, when silver was distributed, how much was paid, and so forth. As the interrogations progressed, all the information was consolidated within the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, and Wei Yuan gradually reached a conclusion: at least in Xiangrong Commandery, the mortals who depended on the prominent clans were remarkably loyal to them. Their first strand of karmic luck had very likely already been offered to their clan. It had to be said that these clean-stream scholars were exceptionally adept at governing their families. It went without saying that the household-born servants were fiercely loyal; even the farmers on the estates had worked the same plots for generations without ever moving, long regarding the estates as their homes. Yet to Wei Yuan, people who had already offered their karmic luck to others were far less valuable. For them to generate a second strand of karmic luck, either their personal cultivation had to advance a step, or they would have to wait a considerable length of time—often measured in decades. Thus, while household-born servants of wealthy families were seen by outsiders as remarkably capable talents, in Wei Yuan's eyes, they were nothing more than sugarcane bagasse that had already been squeezed of its juice. As the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World continually analyzed data gathered from the five commanderies, many conclusions grew clearer and clearer. Entrenched here, these families had formed self-sufficient little kingdoms—impervious to outside infiltration and unyielding to pressure. If natural disasters or man-made calamities struck, the clan would step forward to weather the brunt and shelter the mortals. In return, on the clan's estates, they collected the money and grain taxes, and they also harvested that most easily acquired first strand of karmic luck. No matter who ruled this land—be it the King of Jin, the Emperor of Tang, or a banner of Zhao planted in the soil—it made no difference. Little could ever be levied here; all a ruler could get was whatever pittance these families chose to bestow out of courtesy. Through various maneuvers, these clans paid virtually no taxes at all. With a population of nearly ten million, Xiangrong Commandery yielded only one million taels in tax silver. Although that was somewhat better than the Xu family's domain, when compared to the average of over ten million taels from the commanderies under direct royal administration or the Lu clan's three core commanderies, any fool could see the difference. Only then did Wei Yuan realize that there were truly formidable minds among the clean-stream faction. Or rather, the founder of the clean-stream faction had been a master of statecraft. Whether Jin occupied this land or Zhao arrived, they would still have to employ these reputable clean-stream scholars; people like Zhuang Zhong would merely swap one official robe for another and carry on governing. This entire institutional design exploited the loopholes in the Tang Code to the utmost, truly achieving a state where no matter how the royal banners shifted, the clan would stand unbroken for a thousand years. How to break this deadlock? Wei Yuan flew into the sky, hovering motionless ten thousand feet above, looking down at the earth below as he pondered in silence. According to Wei Yuan's usual practice, the best way to solve a problem was not to address the issue itself, but to eliminate the person creating it. Once that person ceased to exist, the problem vanished with them. Applied to the present, that meant slaughtering all the clean-stream officials, which would naturally eradicate the clean-stream families. The so-called local gentry and magnates, lacking backing from officials in the capital, were nothing more than piggy banks to be smashed open whenever money was needed. Wei Yuan pondered further: Why did monarchs not slaughter the clean-stream scholars? Leaving aside how vast the clean-stream faction's power was, how thoroughly they held practical control at every level, and how easily a ruler who tried to purge them might meet a violent end himself, Wei Yuan scrutinized historical precedents and concluded that the biggest reason was that monarchs all desired a noble posthumous reputation. The more benighted and incompetent an emperor was, the more desperately he longed to leave his mark on the annals of history. And the clean-stream scholars routinely exploited this very weakness, deceiving those above and concealing from those below to adroitly attain their own ends. And why did monarchs crave a place in history? Naturally, it came from reading biographies of ancient sages and sage kings until their blood surged with passion, after which the clean-stream faction would egg them on, planting the ambition of securing eternal renown. Nearly every monarch had a weakness for such vanity. And who wrote the history books? The clean-stream scholars. Thus, the cycle was closed. Wei Yuan once again admired the progenitor of the clean-stream faction to no end. That person had acted far more ruthlessly than Wei Yuan ever had, yet enjoyed a reputation countless times better. By comparison, Wei Yuan felt he was not even fit to carry their shoes. Of course, perhaps the clean-stream faction's original intent had been noble, but by now it had warped entirely into something else. Shielding allies and crushing rivals had become merely their baseline standard. Wei Yuan felt that he had to shatter this state of affairs. As for why it had to be shattered, even he could not articulate; he simply harbored an instinctive, visceral revulsion toward this system from the bottom of his heart. Such a sudden impulse had to have a reason; Wei Yuan simply could not place it for the moment, which meant that either the time was not yet ripe, or his cultivation had not yet reached the required height. As for how to break the current impasse, Wei Yuan was struck by an epiphany: he already held a supreme, wondrous method in his hands, known as mounted bandits, capable of resolving all the trials and tribulations of the mortal world... Wei Yuan was suddenly startled. How could he think such a thing?! The idea itself was fine—it was the phrasing that was wrong! He looked around and shouted, "Come out! I see you!" "Patron Wei, constantly uttering false words invites divine thunderbolts." Peacock Mother of Buddhas stepped out from the darkness, accompanied by the little monk Honglian. Not having met for many days, both the Peacock Mother of Buddhas and the little monk had grown even fairer. Not only was the Peacock Mother of Buddhas radiant with vigor, but the little monk's entire body also shimmered with a faint, precious luster. His cultivation had reached completion, ready to break through to the dharma idol realm at any moment. Considering his age, the little monk's cultivation progress was quite astonishing. Wei Yuan frowned and glared at the Peacock Mother of Buddhas. "Why have you shown up again? Haven't you passed into Parinirvana yet?" Ever since learning from Qingtong that he had drawn closer to the Great Joy King Buddha once again, Wei Yuan had become exceedingly wary of the Great Precious Flower Pure Land, growing irritated at the mere sight of monks. Peacock pressed his palms together. "This poor monk's sins are heavy; I must still suffer in the bitter sea of samsara for another ten or eight thousand years. I thank Patron for your concern." Wei Yuan snorted and snapped in irritation, "Since Grandmaster lives so long, you will surely attain the true fruition. Even if you don't become the peacock before the Buddha, serving as a footrest tortoise would suit you quite well." The little monk Honglian said indignantly, "We helped you fight the Shamans for so long no matter how you look at it! If you won't properly thank us, fine, but why curse us?" Wei Yuan pointed at Peacock. "Ask him! What underhanded tricks did he pull behind my back? How is it that I've drawn closer to the Great Joy King Buddha again?" Peacock had a realization and said, "So it is about this! Patron truly possesses profound Buddhist affinity. Having advanced with bold diligence during this period, you have already subtly grasped several nuances of the King Buddha's true essence. Without reading scriptures, without beholding the dharma body, you comprehended the true essence solely through your own inner heart. When it comes to Buddhist affinity, if Patron claims second place, no one in this world could claim first." Wei Yuan reached out a large hand, seized Peacock, hauled him over, and fumed, "Hold on, explain yourself clearly—how have I advanced with bold diligence?!" Peacock said earnestly, "Patron's precious light is now consummate, and you are about to take another step forward to comprehend the true essence of the King Buddha. If this is not advancing with bold diligence, what is?" "I am asking you what exactly I did to be considered advancing with bold diligence!" This was the question that concerned Wei Yuan the most. He had pondered it repeatedly, even running checks with the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, but found no trace of anything he had done that drew him closer to the Buddha. Peacock smiled enigmatically and kept his mouth shut. No matter how Wei Yuan tried to coax or threaten him, he refused to utter a single word. Unable to pry an answer out of him, Wei Yuan had no choice but to give up. He could not truly resort to violence either; the mere fact that Peacock and Honglian had fought fiercely for months and slain countless foes during the Land of Rain's invasion warranted Wei Yuan treating them with courtesy for the rest of his life. "Why have the two of you come running here anyway?" Peacock Mother of Buddhas said, "Patron now holds absolute authority over the five commanderies, and having forged good karmic ties with Patron in the past, we have come to ask for a favor. The five commanderies will soon be plunged into turmoil, and I wish to build some temples across them." Constructing temples was not merely a matter of raising a few grand halls; it involved geomancy and earth veins, as well as purchasing surrounding acreage as temple property. Sometimes, multiple temples occupying different earth vein nodes could even alter geomantic fortunes. Wei Yuan asked, "Which Buddhas will be enshrined in these temples?" "The King Buddha does not require incense offerings, so it will mostly be the Great Sun Tathagata." "Very well," Wei Yuan agreed with a nod. So long as there was no coerced buying or selling, building a few temples was no great issue. Furthermore, with Peacock's abilities, any land he wished to buy would surely be offered up willingly. At the moment, Wei Yuan had no designs on the lands of the five commanderies, so even if some issue arose from these temples, it would be a headache for whoever came after him. Having received Wei Yuan's promise, Peacock and Honglian turned and departed without another word. Wei Yuan frowned slightly. Peacock's sudden appearance here could hardly be just for a few temples. Was he trying to warn him of something, or did he have another scheme in motion?