Tang Sanzang was appointed State Preceptor of Jisai Kingdom and put in charge of trade with Gaochang Kingdom.
The two kingdoms opened their borders to each other, exchanging goods each lacked.
Commerce gradually flourished within Jisai Kingdom.
The prices of many goods fell.
Grain, for instance.
Previously, flooding in Jisai Kingdom had led merchants to hoard grain, driving its price very high.
But after trade began with Gaochang Kingdom, large numbers of grain merchants from Gaochang transported grain into Jisai Kingdom, and grain prices rapidly fell.
This could be counted as a good thing.
Of course, there were also some disadvantages.
For instance, ordinary people who had more grain at home than they could eat suffered considerable losses as a result.
Overall, however, life became somewhat easier for the common people.
After trade began between the two kingdoms, Jisai Kingdom collected customs duties, and with the market taxes paid by trading merchants as well, its treasury now had money.
The silver needed for flood control was allocated.
Flood-control work could continue.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
Some common people began praising Tang Sanzang's merits.
Some merchants began praising Tang Sanzang's policies.
In fact, however, Tang Sanzang had never issued any policies beneficial to the people's livelihood from beginning to end. He himself knew nothing of governing a kingdom; he had merely put himself out in front and borne a title.
Even so, many people remained grateful to Tang Sanzang.
But everything good came with something bad.
What benefited one side would harm another.
Soon, many officials in the kingdom banded together to impeach the State Preceptor, accusing a monk of interfering in government, bewitching the sovereign, seeking immediate gains, and debasing the kingdom and misleading its ruler.
Some nobles called Tang Sanzang a demon monk, saying of him,