Chapter 27

When Zhang Daoquan arrived at the study, he was even more nervous than Liu Chang'an had been earlier, unsure of where to place his hands, his expression tense and his movements stiff.

After all, Zhang Daoquan was nothing more than a charlatan, his status and position far inferior to that of Zhao Junchen. It was understandable that he felt nervous upon seeing Zhao Junchen.

Under Zhao Junchen's gaze, Zhang Daoquan lowered his head, waiting for instructions. After a long while, he realized he had yet to kneel and greet Zhao Junchen, so he hurriedly knelt down, almost falling to the ground in his clumsy movements.

"Never mind, never mind, get up and sit down to talk."

After Zhang Daoquan had knelt and greeted him, Zhao Junchen said with a smile.

Zhao Junchen was much more courteous to Zhang Daoquan because he did not intend to control him but rather to establish a cooperative relationship with him, with Zhao Junchen as the dominant party.

Through the locust extermination in Luan Prefecture, Zhao Junchen realized that the influence of various religions in the court and the country was far greater than he had imagined. Therefore, he also planned to put effort into religion, which might become a future asset.

In Zhao Junchen's view, the theory of "the unification of the five teachings" and "sharing incense" proposed by Zhang Daoquan was quite tempting to ordinary believers and could easily form an influence. The success of the "Yigandao" in another timeline was a clear example.

Since it had potential, Zhao Junchen naturally would not miss the opportunity to invest.

However, Zhao Junchen did not intend to get too deeply involved. Although the power of religion was great, openly supporting a new sect would easily invite criticism, and the charges of "having ulterior motives" and "colluding with heretical sects" were not something Zhao Junchen wanted to bear.

Therefore, Zhao Junchen's attitude towards Zhang Daoquan was one of broad sowing and thin reaping, success would be welcome, but failure would not be a concern.

After Zhang Daoquan finally managed to calm his nervousness, Zhao Junchen said with a smile, "How is the preparation for the Grandmother Temple going?"

Zhang Daoquan quickly stood up and replied, "Your Excellency, it is almost ready. In a few days, we can move to the capital. In addition to the more than thirty people from the Grandmother Temple, there are also over three hundred believers who are willing to go to the capital with us."

Zhao Junchen nodded and said, "Having more people is a good thing. With familiar and close believers by your side, you will find it easier to establish yourselves in the capital."

At this point, Zhao Junchen frowned and said, "However, if you want to gain more believers in the capital, it would be best to change the name of the 'Grandmother Temple.' The people in the capital are well-informed, and such a crude name might not win their trust."

Zhang Daoquan nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Excellency is right. I plan to change the name of the Grandmother Temple to the Tongji Temple, which means that all the gods and Buddhas will protect the people together."

"Tongji Temple, this name is acceptable. At least it doesn't sound like a fraud," Zhao Junchen nodded and then asked, "What are your plans for development after you arrive in the capital?"

Zhang Daoquan had many ideas and was quite excited when Zhao Junchen asked. He said, "Your Excellency, I have thought about it. Although the Two Immortal Holy Mother of the Grandmother Temple is well-known in Luan Prefecture, few people in the capital will know her. Therefore, after we arrive in the capital, we plan to first spread the doctrine of 'the unification of the five teachings' and 'sharing incense' to the believers..."

Zhang Daoquan listed a series of plans, all of which were well thought out, making Zhao Junchen quite satisfied.

After listening to Zhang Daoquan's explanation, Zhao Junchen said with a smile, "You have thought it through, but since you are not familiar with the environment in the capital, there might be some oversights. I can offer you a few more suggestions."

Zhang Daoquan quickly said, "Please instruct, Your Excellency."

"Instruction is too much to say. I am not familiar with religion," Zhao Junchen waved his hand and continued, "However, the capital is a place of complex power dynamics. The Buddhist and Taoist sects there are not as weak and easy to bully as those in Luan Prefecture. Without the support of officials, it will be extremely difficult to develop in the capital. Therefore, after you arrive in the capital, while maintaining a low profile, it is crucial to spread the doctrine to government officials and develop believers among them."

Zhang Daoquan looked surprised and asked, "With Your Excellency supporting us, isn't that enough?"

Zhao Junchen's expression turned serious, and he said, "This is what I want to tell you next. The emperor now believes in Buddhism, so I must also follow. Therefore, although I am very optimistic about your potential, I will only assist you secretly before you truly develop. Publicly, I will have no connection with your Tongji Temple. Do you understand?"

Hearing Zhao Junchen's words, Zhang Daoquan, though somewhat disappointed, nodded and said, "I understand. After we arrive in the capital, our Tongji Temple will not cause any trouble for Your Excellency."

Zhao Junchen nodded in satisfaction and said, "However, if you encounter problems that you cannot solve, you can seek help from my attendant, Xu Qingyan. I will do my best to help you."

Hearing Zhao Junchen's assurance, Zhang Daoquan felt relieved and said, "With Your Excellency's words, our Tongji Temple has nothing to worry about."

Thinking about Zhang Daoquan's nervousness when he first saw him, Zhao Junchen felt somewhat uneasy and said, "When you saw me just now, you were too nervous. The capital is full of officials, and you must get used to it quickly. Otherwise, how can you develop believers in the official circles? Learn from the Buddhists and Taoists; even when they see the current emperor, they maintain the demeanor of transcendent beings, which makes people trust them."

Zhang Daoquan nodded repeatedly and said, "Please rest assured, Your Excellency. I respect you because I know your wisdom and abilities, and I am grateful for your support. As for other officials, I will not be so flustered when I see them."

...

After a brief conversation, seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Junchen hinted for Zhang Daoquan to leave.

However, as soon as he left Zhao Junchen's study, Zhang Daoquan saw Xu Qingyan waiting outside the door, seemingly for a long time.

"These are for you."

Without a word, Xu Qingyan handed Zhang Daoquan a wrapped package.

Zhang Daoquan opened the package and was stunned.

Inside the package were two booklets, and on top of the booklets were ten silver bills, each worth 500 taels, totaling 5,000 taels.

Zhang Daoquan had never seen so much silver before. He swallowed hard and asked Xu Qingyan, "Xu Xiaoge, what does this mean?"

Xu Qingyan snorted and said, "Do you think the land and commodity prices in the capital are the same as in Luan Prefecture? If you go to the capital in your current state, you will likely end up begging on the streets in a few days. This money is from my master, to help you build a temple when you arrive in the capital."

Hearing Xu Qingyan's words, Zhang Daoquan was extremely grateful and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency, thank you, Xu Xiaoge."

Xu Qingyan snorted again and said, "Don't just thank us. Compared to the silver bills, these two booklets are more important. The first booklet contains some tricks taught by my master. Take a look and see if they are useful."

Hearing this, Zhang Daoquan did not dare to be careless and quickly flipped through the booklet. It contained mostly tricks used by charlatans and witches to deceive believers, some of which Zhang Daoquan already knew, such as fake illnesses and fake cures, white alum and hot oil, and rice porridge to draw ghosts. There were also some he had never heard of, such as sprouts to lift the statue, sandalwood light, and divine sounds from the sky.

These were all tricks that Zhao Junchen had heard of in his previous life, and he now taught them all to Zhang Daoquan.

After carefully reading through the booklet, Zhang Daoquan was highly impressed and felt even more confident about his trip to the capital. He said to Xu Qingyan, "They are all useful. With these, we won't have to worry about finding believers in the capital."

Xu Qingyan frowned and said, "My master's intention is that your main focus in the capital should be spreading the doctrine. These tricks are only auxiliary. Do not put the cart before the horse and lose the big picture for the small."

"Understood, understood."

"As for the second booklet, it is even more important," Xu Qingyan said softly. "It contains the names and positions of some officials in the capital. After you arrive, focus on developing these people as believers. Even if you cannot succeed, try to develop their close associates. Do you understand?"

"Understood, understood. I will do my best."

"Most importantly, you must remember this," seeing Zhang Daoquan nodding repeatedly, Xu Qingyan's expression did not ease but became even more severe. "After you arrive in the capital, your relationship with my master must not be known by others. Otherwise, to clear his name, my master will be the first to deal with you. Do you understand?"

Seeing Xu Qingyan's stern expression, Zhang Daoquan replied with the most serious and solemn expression, "Your Excellency has already mentioned this. I understand very well and will not cause any trouble for you."

...

When Zhao Junchen was writing the second memorial, Xu Qingyan entered the room and reported, "Young Master, I have given him the items and warned him. He is a smart person and will know what to do."

"That's good." Putting down the rabbit hair brush, Zhao Junchen looked at the sky outside the window and said, "Prepare to go to Fugan Wine House. We are hosting the banquet today, so we cannot be late."

"Yes, Young Master."

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