Fu Yi took out a small branch of red apricot blossoms from his sleeve and handed it to Yun Ye. Yun Ye took it with a bitter smile and said, “I knew it couldn’t escape the discerning eye of an expert. The Buddhist sect painstakingly designed a trap for my grandmother, forcing me to keep silent on this matter. But the Great Tang’s Chang’an is full of talented people. Trying to deceive the world with petty tricks will ultimately be nothing but flowers in a mirror, moon in water. Though the technique is marvelous, in the eyes of the wise, it’s not worth a laugh.”
After hearing this, Fu Yi was even more satisfied. The Yun family’s attitude of neither shirking nor concealing raised his satisfaction with them to the peak in an instant. He said with a smile, “This old man simply cannot stand seeing them deceive people. Marquis Yun is the true expert and surely understands the harm of the Buddhist sect. This old man’s constant targeting of the Buddhist sect is not from personal grudge but from public-spiritedness.”
“The Buddhists do not speak of the righteousness between ruler and subject, father and son—disloyal to the ruler, unfilial to the father. They idle about without engaging in production, shaving their heads and changing their clothes to evade corvée duties. This is point one.”
“They exploit the common people and drain the national reserves. They preach demonic books and evil doctrines, intimidating foolish men and defrauding them of money. Most common people lack knowledge and do not investigate the root causes, believing their deceitful words. Thus they make people chase past sins and vainly seek future happiness, causing people to become deluded and vainly pursue merit. This is point two.”
“They do not fear prohibitions and violate the law. When their bodies fall into criminal nets, they still worship Buddha in prison, reciting Buddhist sutras to try to escape their crimes. Human life, death, longevity, and short life are naturally determined; punishment, virtue, authority, and fortune are all decided by the sovereign. Yet Buddhists falsely claim that poverty, wealth, nobility, and baseness are controlled by Buddha. This is usurping the sovereign’s authority and arrogating natural power. This is point three.”
“When Buddhism runs rampant, its evil fruit is ‘few within the realm serve the king diligently, many delight in private pursuits.’ Standing before the five courts, looking at those below, the disloyal and unfilial gather in connected rooms. When it enters a family, it destroys the family; when it enters a state, it destroys the state. We labor sleeplessly to create the beginnings of a golden age—how can we allow it to be destroyed by these treacherous people?”
“Sir speaks most correctly. In the times of the Five Emperors and Three Kings, there was no Buddhism, yet rulers were enlightened, subjects loyal, and dynasties long-lasting. Emperor Ming of Han first established Buddhist temples, but only Western Region monks transmitted their teachings themselves. Before the Western Jin, there were strict laws prohibiting our countrymen from shaving their heads to become monks. After the Ten Thousand Upheavals, prohibitions relaxed. Due to serving Buddha, rulers became foolish and subjects treacherous—Emperor Wu of Liang is especially worthy of warning.”
Speaking with a moral gentleman like Fu Yi, Yun Ye found it extremely difficult, constantly needing to cite classics and quote authorities. Just explaining the origins of Buddhism left him drenched in sweat.
Fu Yi laughed heartily, taking Yun Ye’s hand and saying, “Marquis Yun truly has insight! In ancient times, Bao Si alone bewitched King You and destroyed the state. Now with one hundred thousand monks and nuns carving and painting mud Buddhas to deceive the world, they must be prohibited. Order monks and nuns to marry each other as husband and wife, bear and raise children—ten years of nurturing, ten years of education, and naturally we can enrich the state and strengthen the army. The four seas can avoid the calamity of monks and nuns devouring resources like silkworms, and the common people will also know where authority and fortune reside.”
Fu Yi’s such radical words still left Yun Ye dumbstruck. Marry all the abbesses to the baldies? He didn’t know if such a fantastical idea would win the monks’ welcome—perhaps it could work.
“Sir’s words are reasonable, but blaming King You of Zhou’s loss of state on Bao Si is improper. I humbly believe King You’s loss of state was due to his own misdeeds and unrelated to Bao Si. What virtue or ability could a weak woman have to make a great empire collapse? If Bao Si were married to our current Majesty, at most she’d be a favored consort in the harem, receiving some extra rewards. If she wanted to influence court politics, probably the moment she opened her mouth, the Empress would have her hung on the southeast branch to sun-dry.”
“So you see, for dynastic changes and the rise and fall of the world, emperors bear responsibility, and we common men naturally also have responsibility. To force it upon a weak woman is not the action of a true man.”
Fu Yi looked at Yun Ye and suddenly bowed, saying, “I humbly accept your teaching. These years studying at the academy have also yielded some insights. The academy teaches that the rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every man—truly an aspirational thought. It also says that when a woman is violated by a violent man, it is due to men’s incompetence. This old man deeply agrees. Breaking through mental obstructions with the great spirit of ‘I serve the world’ allows one to have the great mind that embraces all rivers—truly remarkable.”
While speaking, the two strolled into the Yun family’s specially made glass house. Seeing this crystal palace-like enormous room, Fu Yi was so astonished he nearly fainted.
“Sir Fu, do not be alarmed. This large house is entirely made of glass. Not only does the Yun family have one, but the Cheng family has one, the Zhangsun family has one, the academy has one, and the palace has an even larger one. It’s not worth much money—the entire building cost no more than two thousand strings of cash. Because the Yun family conducts many experiments, this greenhouse was built somewhat larger.”
Seeing Fu Yi’s extreme shock, Yun Ye had to explain to avoid him thinking the Yun family was exceeding their station. Poor people had no way to understand the mindset of wealthy people like himself.
After Fu Yi collected himself and regained his composure, servants opened the door, requesting the Marquis and guest to enter and observe. The process of entering was quite cumbersome—they needed to change shoes and clothes. The bewildered Fu Yi allowed the servants to manage him. After he put on the protective clothing and entered the greenhouse with Yun Ye, seeing the riot of colors inside, he immediately thought he had arrived at Qujiang in the flying-oriole month of March. The red were peach blossoms, the pink were apricot blossoms, the white were pear blossoms, and even more absurdly, there were one or two clusters of purple peonies blooming brilliantly.
The flowering periods of these plants were not at the same time, yet they were blooming simultaneously. Many branches still had unopened buds. He picked a peach blossom, took the stamen and held it in his mouth—a slightly cool bitter taste came. This was something he often did in childhood, long branded into Fu Yi’s bones. Only at this moment did he confirm this was not a dream.
“Why is it like this?” Fu Yi asked Yun Ye in bewilderment.
“Sir must not be confused by the five colors. All things in the world have patterns that can be traced. As long as one masters the growth patterns of plants, one can create everything before your eyes.”
“Long ago we discovered that plant growth is related to temperature. Sir should not be unfamiliar with the Wenyang Supervisor, right? There is a poem that says: ‘A hundred wine-curtained tall buildings, willows before the palace, flowers before the temple. Receiving warm spring water from the inner garden, melons are presented by mid-February.'”
Fu Yi wracked his brain but couldn’t recall who wrote this excellent poem. However, Yun Ye had always been praised as a great literary figure, so this must be his impromptu composition.
Seeing Fu Yi seemed unfamiliar with this poem, Yun Ye realized he’d accidentally plagiarized again, so he continued, “This technique of using hot spring geothermal heat to ripen melons and fruits appeared as early as the Qin and Han periods, but their scale was very small. Only after glass reappeared in the world did we have true greenhouse cultivation. Melons and fruits grown in such an environment are almost no different from those outside.”
“Marquis Yun, this old man would like to ask—how can these peach blossoms bloom only now, a full eight months later than the peach trees outside? What is the principle?”
“Very simple. Just place the dwarf peach trees in pots in an ice cellar for half a year. When the autumn wind blows, move them to the greenhouse and wait for them to revive. Once the temperature is suitable for flowering, they will bloom. Nothing mysterious about it. The Yun family is making a fragrance that requires peach blossoms, so we planted more peach blossoms. Nothing mysterious—just artificially extending winter.”
Fu Yi breathed a long sigh of relief. As long as everything before him was within his understanding, it was fine. After walking a large circle around the greenhouse, Yun Ye invited Fu Yi to sit at a stone table. He himself took down a watermelon hanging from a rack, washed it in the water basin, then split it open with that treasured blade he’d gotten from Yuchi Gong. Not a bad watermelon. He gestured inviting Fu Yi to eat. The old man wasn’t polite, picking up a slice to slowly savor.
These past two years, watermelons in Chang’an had become overabundant. Every wheat harvest season, melon farmers would drive ox carts loaded with them into Chang’an city—all produced in Lantian County. During this season, the Lantian County yamen would set aside even such first-priority affairs as tax collection, dispatching bailiffs and constables to follow the large convoy of melon carts into the city, responsible for coordinating selling locations. This was a major income source for over a dozen villages on the dry plateau. If watermelons didn’t sell well, the villagers would have to gnaw on potatoes all year.
Growing wheat on the dry plateau meant planting a gourdful and harvesting two ladles—if Heaven didn’t cooperate even slightly, there would be total crop failure. That area was Lantian County’s famously poor region. Though they planted potatoes, yields weren’t high either. The county magistrate consulted agricultural experts from the academy and decided to grow watermelons. As a result, the sandy soil that wasn’t good for growing wheat or potatoes produced watermelons all over the ground. Last year, by growing watermelons, the people of the dry plateau finally didn’t go hungry, so this year they planted even more. Watermelon prices in Chang’an market plummeted, transforming from the darling of great households to a common item that even craftsmen took to work for relief from heat. Fu Yi’s family had also bought quite a few this year. Though the watermelon in his hand looked much better than those from the fields, its taste was far inferior.
Hearing Fu Yi’s evaluation, Yun Ye put down his melon and said, “This is the price of violating natural principles. The Yun family spent countless efforts, yet the watermelons we grew are not as delicious as those casually grown by melon farmers on the dry plateau. It’s just for show—to look nice on a fruit plate during festivals and holidays.”
“Marquis Yun is a person among immortals, and everything you do starts from benefiting all people. Now fake Buddhas run rampant in Chang’an—will Marquis Yun just watch with eyes wide open?”
Yun Ye smiled bitterly again and said, “The Yun family made one careless move and fell into someone’s trap, forced to keep silent. We are truly powerless regarding this matter. For the sake of family honor, we can only swallow this green-headed blowfly whole.”
“How difficult can that be? Marquis Yun need not break the agreement—just lend this old man a hand. When the time comes, watch this old man make his move. How about the Yun family watches from the sidelines?”
“Naturally. I wonder how Sir wants the Yun family to assist you?”
“This old man plans to become a Buddha. I wonder if Marquis Yun has good strategies to teach me?”
“This… this… wanting to become a true Buddha, I’m afraid the Yun family is powerless!”
“Bullshit true Buddha! This old man wants to become a fake Buddha that no one can see through, to confront face-to-face with that Buddha who emits light, disperses strange fragrances, and has peach blossoms dancing around. Don’t monks often say ‘If I don’t enter hell, who will?’ Reverse it and it works too—if I don’t become Buddha, who will?”