荒墟牧神 - 第258章 人皇道尊如來 - 簡牘書房

Yanfeng pressed two steamed buns into a starving man's bowl, ladled out a spoonful of dried vegetables, and said with feeling: "What is a Buddha? This is a Buddha — a living Buddha, a Buddha born among men, the Buddha of all the common people! Not you, with the title of Tathagata on your head or the title of Dao Sovereign, speaking some chicken-soup words to soothe the soul — that does not make you a Buddha or a Dao Sovereign! Minister of Agriculture, I ask you again: since the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping's reforms are so good, and there is more grain, why is it that when disaster strikes there is still famine?"

The Minister of Agriculture looked troubled and hesitated: "This..."

"Speak!"

"Yes. Besides the population having multiplied several times, there is also the matter of meat, and the matter of war. Feeding livestock requires grain; the army feeds strange beasts, drills troops, wages war — all require grain and fodder. But the chief cause is the circulation of farmland. Some farmland has been bought up again by the great clans and powerful houses and by the sects and temples, and become landlord estates."

The Minister of Agriculture said: "The grain has gone back into their hands. The last sect rebellion — it was because they had money and grain in hand that they dared so much. And this famine should never have grown so great; is it not because after the war the treasury is empty, and these great clans, powerful houses, sects, and temples are unwilling to release their grain? The last sect rebellion caused too great a disturbance..."

Yanfeng turned his head and glanced at the assembled ministers: "The great clans, powerful houses, sects, temples, and Daoist monasteries — once they sat high above, seated in the heavens, eating delicacies and rare dishes every day, speaking of wind and flowers and snow, discoursing on the Dao and divine powers, debating the immortality of gods and immortals. The farmers fed them — and who among them would so much as lend a hand to those farmers? And if the farmers would not submit, they simply sent down calamity and tribulation! Is this snow disaster strange? Not at all. When the sects ruled the nations in the past, such snow disasters were common enough! Only it was not gods sending disaster or Heaven sending calamity, but the sects sending disaster and calamity, to make the common people submit and dare not rebel!"

"The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping reformed, and made the sects labor for the farmers, labor for the merchants — and they were displeased and would not do it. The Imperial Preceptor reformed again, opening lesser academies, grand academies, and great academies, passing the sects' own arts on to the common world, letting the common world do the work — and they were even more displeased. They wanted to rebel, to kill! Little do they know that eight generations back, their own ancestors were all farmers, not one of them anything special!"

"You too have seen it clearly and heard it clearly. This time I strike off their heads; next time, if you do as they have done, I will strike off your heads too! The officials I want are not these sects lording it on high, these 'masters' and 'Buddhas.' The officials I want are those who can do solid work! Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants — the scholar must be able to work for the farmer, the artisan, the merchant; must do things! There are still some scholar-officials at court who think themselves a cut above. Damn it — Historian, allow me one coarse word. — Damn it, every day chattering and prattling, thinking themselves so pure and lofty! I could wish to strike off their heads!"

The civil and military ministers bowed their heads and dared not speak.

The two historians exchanged a glance, both showing dismay; the elder of them said softly: "Your Majesty, the Son of Heaven should be careful with his words."

Yanfeng said: "I do not often use coarse words. If I were not furious, would I curse? Historians, bear with me."