Chapter 396 Bujin Zen Temple
Chapter 396 Bujin Zen Temple
The city of Khotan is not big, with an area equivalent to that of a small county in the Central Plains. The population in the city is just over 10,000. Most of the houses in the city are bungalows, with a yard surrounded by mud. The housing conditions seem to be not bad, and there are no very low and dilapidated houses. More importantly, the Kingdom of Khotan now believes in Buddhism. It was not until the Song Dynasty, when Khotan was annexed by the Kara-Khanid Khanate, that the belief was changed.
Xiao Xia and a dozen soldiers walked slowly on the busy commercial main street. People around them avoided them and whispered behind their backs. Of course, Xiao Xia was accompanied by officials, including a Khotan minister who could speak Qiang. Xiao Xia also had many soldiers under his command who could speak Qiang.
Xiao Xia was going to the Bujin Temple. The street in front of the Bujin Temple was the Han Street, where the descendants of more than 20 Han painters lived.
At this time, Xiao Xia stopped in front of a shop. This shop turned out to be a jade shop. It was the only one around. Xiao Xia happily walked in.
The shop was run by a Sogdian merchant who greeted people with a big smile on his face. He did not speak Chinese, but Xiao Xia had a soldier under his command who could speak Sogdian. They said a few words to him, and the merchant smiled bitterly and said a few words.
The soldier said to Xiao Xia, "Your Highness, he said he doesn't sell jade, but runs a shop that specializes in buying jade!"
It turned out to be a jade shop. Xiao Xia smiled and said, "We buy jade to sell it! Bring it out. If it's good, I'll give you a good price!"
Xiao Xia and his men were all wearing armor, especially Xiao Xia who was wearing a golden helmet. The Sogdian merchant did not dare to refuse. He and his men carried out a very heavy box and said a few words to the soldiers.
The soldier translated, "Your Highness, he said that the previous jade was sold to several Sogdian merchants last month, and this is all he has now."
Of course Xiao Xia would not believe him. He knew these Sogdian merchants. They would only sell things of origin like this to Sogdians and not to outsiders. If they were willing to take out a box, it meant they had no other choice.
Xiao Xia opened the box, which was full of cloth bags. Each cloth bag contained a piece of jade, as big as a fist. Of course, they were all raw stones. Currently, only Chang'an and Luoyang have the technology to process them.
Xiao Xia looked at a few pieces and found that they were all of very high quality, with fine jade texture, as white as mutton fat, and without any dirt, cotton or impurities.
"How many pieces of jade are there in this box?" Xiao Xia asked.
The shopkeeper held up a finger to indicate one hundred dollars.
"I want this box. How much is it?"
The Sogdian shopkeeper said, "I will pay you according to the Sogdian price. I won't lie. One box costs five thousand strings of cash!"
Xiao Xia nodded. This price was right. It was equivalent to one piece of jade and fifty strings of cash. In Chang'an, the cheapest piece of jade cost five hundred strings of cash. The Sogdians could earn ten times the profit by trafficking it to Chang'an. Of course, these merchants would only charge one piece of jade and fifty strings of cash at most, and they would only charge good jade. They would also make ten times the profit.
Xiao Xia had an idea and asked with a smile, "What if I pay with silk?"
After listening to the translation, the shop owner nodded and said, "High-quality silk is also fine. It will cost one hundred rolls according to the market price."
A piece of high-quality silk in Chang'an cost about ten strings of coins. When it was shipped to Khotan, its value increased to fifty strings of coins. When it was shipped to Kangguo, its value doubled. When it was shipped to Constantinople, its value increased fivefold. A piece of high-quality silk cost five hundred gold coins. Only nobles could afford it.
Xiao Xia ordered several soldiers to fetch silk and satin, and left two soldiers to help him trade and move the goods. He then walked out of the shop. At this time, the official accompanying him asked with a smile: "Your Highness, do you like jade very much?"
Xiao Xia smiled and nodded.
The official added, "In fact, the best jade is in the palace and temples. I will go back and tell the king about it. He will definitely give your Highness a gift."
Xiao Xia smiled happily and said, "Thank you very much!"
They then came to Zen Master Bu Jin. The Kingdom of Khotan should be the Kingdom of Mie Fa in Journey to the West, which was a devout Buddhist country.
When Xiao Xia appeared on the street in front of the temple, many people ran out. They were all around 30 or 40 years old. They surrounded Xiao Xia and talked in a flurry, speaking Chinese. Many of them shed tears.
These are the descendants of the Northern Wei painters. Although their ancestors came to Khotan eighty years ago, three or four generations have passed. Although they have intermarried with the locals, their clothing and appearance have not changed, and they still speak Mandarin with a Luoyang accent. Xiao Xia nodded, "I am the King of Chu of the Sui Dynasty in the Central Plains. I came here specially to see you."
Someone asked sadly: "My grandfather said that we are from the Wei Dynasty. Did the Wei Dynasty fall?"
There was no way to answer this question. At this time, the abbot of the temple came out hurriedly. He was also a Han monk. He clasped his hands and bowed, saying: "I am Guangzhi. I heard that Your Highness had arrived and have been waiting for a long time!"
Xiao Xia nodded and smiled: "Let's go to the temple, and the abbot will invite some Han representatives, and we will sit down and talk!"
Xiao Xia entered the temple of Zen Master Bu Jin. The temple was not big, covering an area of about three or four acres. There were more than twenty monks, almost all of whom were Han people. They all came out and clasped their hands to welcome Xiao Xia.
Xiao Xia came to the VIP hall and sat down. Soon, a dozen old men were also invited. They were the grandchildren of the painter.
Xiao Xia smiled and asked the abbot, "Is this temple a Han temple?"
Master Guangzhi clasped his hands and said, "Your Highness, this temple was built fifty years ago with donations from everyone, as well as support from the Kingdom of Khotan, which gave us a piece of land."
"I see. How many Han people are there in Khotan now?"
"There are 477 people in total. Each of them has a record in the temple. Our temple is responsible for everything from birth to death. The temple is also a school, responsible for teaching children to learn Chinese from an early age. If there are any conflicts among people, the temple will mediate them."
So that's how it is. This temple has a great role! Xiao Xia asked again, "Are they all descendants of the twenty-five painters?"
Master Guangzhi nodded, "All of them!"
"What do you do for a living now?"
Master Guangzhi clasped his hands and said, "At present, I am mostly farming outside the city, growing a lot of vegetables. Secondly, I am a painter, and then I do some small business. Basically, I am inheriting my father's business!"
“How’s life?”
"It's OK, not as good as the best, but better than the worst. The main reason is that every household has farmland left by their ancestors, so even painters will go out of the city to grow vegetables."
"Great! Let me tell you about the situation in the Central Plains!"
Xiao Xia smiled and said to everyone, "I know that your ancestors were all Han people from the Northern Wei Dynasty, from the Luoyang area. A few years after your ancestors came to Khotan, the Northern Wei Dynasty split into the Eastern Wei and Western Wei. Later, the Eastern Wei was replaced by the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the Western Wei was replaced by the Northern Zhou Dynasty. About thirty years ago, the Sui Dynasty replaced the Northern Zhou Dynasty, and the Sui Dynasty later unified the world. So now the Central Plains is ruled by the Sui Dynasty. We are the Sui army, and we have just destroyed Tuyuhun."
There was no need for translation here, everyone could understand. Someone asked, "Excuse me, General, where is the capital of the Sui Dynasty?"
"Chang'an and Luoyang were both capitals of the Sui Dynasty!"
Everyone asked some more questions, and Xiao Xia answered them one by one. He smiled and said, "This time I have established government offices in Qiemo and Shanshan, Qiemo County and Shanshan County. You can also go to Qiemo and Shanshan to live. Of course, if Yutian is willing to accept the protection of the Sui Dynasty, I will leave a few hundred troops in Yutian. The army will also protect everyone. Young people are also welcome to join the Sui army."
At this point, Xiao Xia glanced at the accompanying official sitting next to him. There was a soldier translating for him, and it depended on whether he could understand and convey his words to the king.
After leaving the Bujin Temple, Xiao Xia returned to the military camp outside the city, and the accompanying officials hurried to the palace to report.
(End of this chapter)