Destroying Sects and Abandoning Temples, Meeting an Acquaintance Again

The Arrowfish Flying Boat flew towards Anping Prefecture. Since it was adjacent to Datong Prefecture, a day would be enough for the Arrowfish Flying Boat at its speed.

Zhao Xing went out for some fresh air, while Long Xiao focused on piloting the flying boat.

Heavenly Timing was enough for Long Xiao, this thick-skinned Martial Man, to recover from his sadness, and he became talkative again. "Why does it keep raining? I can't see anything anymore. Can you please stop the rain?"

Zhao Xing said, "How can the rainfall statistics for an entire prefecture be changed so easily? Do you want to die?"

In normal times, inland areas don't really matter if there's a lot or a little Rain Water.

But now it is on the eve of the Pacifying Barbarians War, and Datong Prefecture and Anping Prefecture are both important border areas.

Zhao Xing, a nobody, dared to alter the rain count. Regardless of whether he was a genius from the Ten Yang Grotto-Heaven or not, even if he was a genius from one of the Ten Great Grotto-Heaven Heavens, the Ministry of War would not hesitate to behead him.

Long Xiao, trying to make conversation, said, "We've already arrived in Anping Prefecture. By the way, why did the Military Realm give you such a mission, even involving matters of the Yin Realm?"

Yin Spirit reside in the Yin Realm, similar to the role of the Military Realm. However, only two types of people can enter the Yin Realm: the dead, whose souls are automatically absorbed by the Yin Realm if they are not destroyed, and those whose souls are not sealed Yin Spirit, which dissipate after a period of time.

This duration typically spans three to five generations.

Because after three to five generations, the descendants basically stop worshipping incense, so it naturally disappears.

One possibility is that by cultivating to the Third-Rank Yuan Soul, one can break free from the constraints of the Fate Soul residing in the womb and travel to the Yin Realm.

The Yin Realm was not created by the Great Zhou, but existed in ancient times.

Entering is difficult, but leaving is not. Incense offerings, magical spells to summon the soul, or even the natural creation of an entrance through the convergence of Yin and Yang can all help the Yin Soul leave the Yin Realm.

Zhao Xing previously made a fortune in Gucheng. That situation was a convergence of Yin and Yang, and an entrance appeared. However, because the wandering soul could not enter due to other abnormal reasons, it remained in the Yin-Yang realm.

Therefore, the first thing a new Dynasty of Fate does upon its birth is to take over the Yin Realm, establish the system of Yin Spirit, and prevent Yin Soul from causing havoc on the human world.

Zhao Xing also thought about Long Xiao's question carefully.

"At the Seventh Grade rank, not only the Agricultural Official, but all professions can Invoking the Gods. I may have a great chance of being appointed Seventh Grade official after completing the Nine Ring Mission, which is why this training is provided."

"Long Xiao, have you consulted any deities?"

Long Xiao nodded. "I invited the Lord of Fate once and the Giant Spirit True Lord once, but that was seven years ago."

"Only twice? What was the price?" When Zhao Xing was reborn in his previous life, the Yin Spirit system had already begun to have problems, so he played it less often.

But Invoking the Gods comes at a price, mainly because the process of sending them back is difficult.

"Twice is already a lot, and the price is not small." Long Xiao said, "When military warriors Invoking the Gods, they usually need to use their essence and blood as a medium. The second time I invited the Giant Spirit True Lord, it was at the critical moment of life and death, and I had no choice but to pay the price of 50% of my essence and blood."

"That time I lost at least 10 years of my lifespan. Later, I was granted a title and went to the temple to have my lifespan extended. I don't know how much of it I made up for."

Long Xiao recalled, "There was really no other way. The situation was too dangerous. If we hadn't asked for help, we would have died instantly. We didn't care about shortening our lifespan."

"Sacrifices are better; they Invoking the Gods at a very low cost."

Zhao Xing said, "That depends on which deity is being worshipped. If the difference is too great, the sacrifice will shorten one's lifespan."

Long Xiao said, "I don't know the specifics, but I feel that those who can become priests are all very powerful, truly capable of anything from heaven to earth."

Zhao Xing nodded. Ceremonial Official and Priest, why are they called early-stage priesthoods?

Because they are too powerful and too comprehensive.

They would summon any god appointed by the Great Zhou!

Especially military Priest, after reaching the Seventh Grade, can almost summon Yin Spirit of any profession to possess them.

Once possessed, the Priest would acquire some of the abilities that the Yin Spirit possessed in life.

All professions can Invoking the Gods, but the Invoking the Gods are too great; basically, you can only invoke the deities specific to your profession.

Priest, however, can invoke anything. For example, an Eighth Rank Priest can Invoking God Possession of True Lord Cao Xi, thus gaining the power to Summoning Wind and Rain, and for a short period of time, become equivalent to a Military Sima Nong.

If you invite Earl of East Lake, he'll immediately become a muscle giant.

The clergy, literally, refers to a super-divine profession.

When Zhao Xing was in Gucheng, he had considered becoming a Ceremonial Official to have some fun. Later, he became Priest, and he was truly an invincible figure among his peers.

But for the sake of long-term planning, they ultimately gave up the immediate pleasure.

Because the Priest relied too much on the Dynasty of Fate system, once the Yin Spirit system collapsed, the priests fell from their pedestal.

If you then try to Invoking the Gods, the unbound Yin Spirit won't obediently serve you. They'll mostly take your money and do nothing, or the price will be ridiculously high.

If the Agricultural Official were to cause harm to the local area, the damage would be immense. Therefore, the review and promotion of the Agricultural Official, especially the Military Sima Nong, were subject to even stricter requirements.

But compared to the military Priest, he's still a bit green.

"The sacrifice is indeed powerful," Zhao Xing said. "I wouldn't Invoking the Gods unless it's necessary. I reckon I'll be acting as a juror in Anping Prefecture this time. I won't be the one actually doing the work."

Zhao Xing saw things quite clearly. As an Agricultural Official, he was only tasked with offering advice; he couldn't actually be asked to eliminate those Yin Spirit.

To put it bluntly, it's just about using words.

The system of Yin Spirit is something all officials must understand. When Military Sima Nong are on campaigns, if Invoking the Gods, they must be careful not to borrow the power of any Evil God.

Otherwise, the combined power of the Military Sima Nong and the Evil God would be devastating.

The current prefect of Anping Prefecture Cui Zhe, is a Fourth Grade official.

Wei Hong, the Priest of the Anping Prefecture Temple, was Upper Fourth Rank, half a rank higher than the prefect.

After arriving in Anping Prefecture, Zhao Xing first reported to the Agricultural Supervisorate of the Prefecture, and then sent a letter to the Temple of the Prefecture through the Agricultural Supervisorate's channels.

During this process, Zhao Xing naturally looked through the list of officials, big and small, in the temple. He vaguely felt that the name Wei Hong was familiar, but he couldn't remember it for a moment.

To show their respect, the Anping Prefecture Temple dispatched a team of Priest, and Zhao Xing was assigned to accompany them on their Priest.

When Zhao Xing received the list the next day, he saw a name called Wei Xuancheng on it and his brows furrowed.

"Hiss, so it's him. We've run into another formidable opponent. Are they all here to try and make a living from the Pacifying Barbarians War?"

Zhao Xing looked at the list of names and was speechless.

Wei Hong was nothing special; he was a Fourth Grade official, but his highest rank was only Third Grade -rank, and he was only Priest at the imperial mausoleum, with no real power.

But his younger brother, Wei Xuancheng, became prime minister during the reign of Wu Emperor!

This person's greatest achievement was reforming the "Yin Spirit system." He single-handedly implemented the "Destroying Sects and Abandoning Temples" policy, which solved Wu Emperor's problem of the Yin Spirit gradually becoming too numerous.

Of course, his end was also tragic. During the reign of Yuan Emperor after Wu Emperor, Wei Xuancheng's tomb was dug up, he was removed from the ancestral temple, and finally he was dragged out of the Yin Realm.

Whipping the corpse and whipping the soul, until the soul is scattered and the spirit is destroyed, this person died precisely because of his own righteous plan.

"Why is Lord Zhao staring at me?" The next day, the person sent by the temple to pick up Zhao Xing was Wei Xuancheng, but at this time he was only a Seventh Grade Priest.

Wei Xuancheng came from a prominent family. He was arrogant towards his superiors but respectful towards his inferiors. He cared little about those of high status and instead showed great respect to the common people.

At this time, Wei Xuancheng was only thirty years old, but he was already a Seventh Grade and had an older brother who was a Fourth Grade official, so his future was Boundless.

"Lord Wei's appearance is similar to that of an old friend of mine. I was momentarily lost in thought. I hope Lord Wei will not take offense." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in greeting.

He was only stunned for a second, but the priest was very sensitive to thoughts, so he quickly made up an excuse, locked his mind, and stopped thinking about it.

Wei Xuancheng didn't care, after all, he wasn't much older than Zhao Xing, they were both young people.

"Please, Lord Zhao."

"Please, Lord Wei."

Zhao Xing and Long Xiao followed Wei Xuancheng onto the flying boat and first arrived at the temple in the prefectural city.

Then they paid their respects to Gong Ming, a Sixth Rank official in charge of leading the sacrificial ceremony in the side hall.

Following the thirty-two Priest, including Wei Xuancheng, they boarded a "Cloud Rain Tower Ship".

The following steps will be taken to complete the task:

Gong Ming will take Zhao Xing to 52 folk temples.

At each location, Zhao Xing would give his opinion on how to deal with the folk temple: whether to keep it or leave it.

He will stay inside the Cloud Rain Tower Ship and will not go down.

Next, the prefectural city sacrificial ceremony will proceed with the actual procedures.

We don't necessarily have to follow Zhao Xing's advice.

If more than half of Zhao Xing's suggestions are adopted, he is considered qualified and can be rated C. If 70% are adopted, he can be rated B; if 90% are adopted, he can be rated A.

"This task is neither difficult nor easy; it simply involves two options: go or stay."

"You can take a chance, even if you only say one word, whether to go or stay. As long as the final suggestion is consistent with the temple's actions, you'll pass."

"Even if you know nothing about temple administration, if you're lucky and guess correctly 26 times in a row, you can pass the test." Wei Xuancheng sat in a private room; he was the one responsible for relaying messages and explaining things to Zhao Xing.

"If your opinion is substantial and adopted by Lord Gong, even if you guess wrong a few times, as long as the difference isn't too great, you can still be promoted one rank. Does Lord Zhao understand?"

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Lord Wei." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in thanks.

In other words, Gong Ming and Qiu Mingyi are the same; they have a great deal of autonomy in the matter of scoring him.

After waiting on the Tower Ship for half an hour, we soon arrived at the first destination.

Wei Xuancheng first left the private room, and then returned.

"We've arrived at the first place. Lord Gong asked me to ask you, what should be done with Yan Guang Temple?"

After a moment's thought, Zhao Xing said, "The temple should be removed and its Golden Body destroyed!"

Wei Xuancheng said, "Is there anything else you want to say? If not, I'll reply."

Zhao Xing nodded and said, "Not only this place, but I have the same attitude towards all 52 temples in Anping Prefecture, which is to remove these folk temples."

There are three reasons for this.

Wei Xuancheng extended his hand and said, "Please speak."

"Firstly, there are private temples in Anping Prefecture. Although some of them are not considered to be Evil God gods worshipped in a lewd way, and some even occasionally have meritorious deeds, it has already cost a lot of money to maintain the advancement of the Yin Spirit over the past two hundred years."

"According to the Yin Spirit worship system of the Great Zhou, even the main gods have annual, monthly, seasonal, and daily sacrifices. These Yin Spirit, who are not officially recognized by the court, require even more sacrifices."

"This humble official is not familiar with the affairs of the Divine Temple, but is quite knowledgeable in numerology. I can do some calculations for Lord Wei and the other officials of the temple."

"Taking Yan Guang Temple as an example, in order to advance over two hundred years, it must maintain a major festival every ten years and a minor festival every year."

"In years of great sacrifice, daily sacrifices must be performed four times a day, each time with the offering of three kinds of sacrificial animals: cattle, sheep, horses, silk, jade, and bronze, totaling one hundred and sixty items."

"Even if the sacrificial rites can be reused, there are still 1,695 meals to be offered each year. The remaining 51 temples, although not as grand as Yan Guang Temple, require a total of 34,453 meals to be offered each year."

"Every month during the festival, guards must be invited to carry the statue of the god through the streets, and temple keeper, household servants, and musicians must be invited. Each time, no fewer than three thousand people are mobilized, and the number of people mobilized in a year reaches one hundred thousand."

"Whenever there is a parade, believers will buy incense, candles, and paper money, and even throw copper coins into the donation box. If 100,000 people donate only 10 coins each time, that's still over 100,000 taels of silver. In fact, the amount is much higher! Even the Military Realm can't keep track of it."

"This is only a year. Just consider those privately established temples. Anping Prefecture still has officially recognized gods appointed by the imperial court! If the people don't believe, fine. But if they do believe, they would rather live in poverty than not support the gods they worship."

"Over two hundred years, these 52 temples have absorbed the labor of several generations of people, amounting to hundreds of millions. But have the beneficiaries truly reached the people?"

"Even if those Yin Spirit have meritorious deeds to perform, why would wild gods need to do them?!"

"Draining the people's resources and overstepping his authority for personal gain—this is the first offense deserving of death!"

Zhao Xing's voice was firm and resounding, and a flash of anger appeared in Wei Xuancheng's eyes after hearing it.

That's exactly what he wanted to hear!

He hadn't thought about all that before, but Zhao Xing's listing of numbers immediately infuriated Wei Xuancheng.

Yes, how wasteful!

It might not be obvious when applied to a single generation of ordinary people, but the accumulated amount over the past two hundred years is astonishing. Zhao Xing's words were very incisive. Since there is extravagance, there must be beneficiaries. Who are the beneficiaries?

Of course, it's Noble Families and clans!

They are like termites crawling on the people, constantly sucking their blood.

There will always be some people who are fooled by these people without realizing it, spending their hard-earned money and even praising them.

Zhao Xing, as expected of the Agricultural Official, used a financial perspective as the basis for his decision, which immediately impressed Wei Xuancheng.

Wei Xuancheng bowed deeply. "Lord Zhao's analysis is incisive and insightful, like a revelation to my heart. Please accept my bow."

"I wouldn't dare say that; it was just some presumptuous talk. If I've said anything wrong, please forgive me, Lord Wei." Zhao Xing quickly stood up and returned the greeting.

In reality, what he said were the correct strategies that Wei Xuancheng later presented to Wu Emperor in the imperial court.

Of course, things are not as exaggerated as they were later for Wei Xuancheng.

Wei Xuancheng even wanted to reform the imperial tombs. He proposed the "Five Temples System," which meant that after five generations of descendants—the emperor, the concubines, the princesses, and the princes—there would be no need for sacrifices. Instead, sacrifices would be offered at the Son of Heaven's Temple.

Zhao Xing was still holding back; compared to the bold and decisive actions of Wei Xuancheng in later generations, his words were merely a needle in a haystack.

It was enough to pierce the hearts of Wei Xuancheng and the temple Priest, but it wouldn't seem too excessive.

"Please continue with the second and third points, Lord Zhao." A glint of interest flashed in Wei Xuancheng's eyes. He was eager to know what other unique perspectives Zhao Xing might have.

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