Chapter 445: This Was Not a Major Issue
Chapter 440 of "The Great Ming in the Box" starts with dramatic events: Liang Shixian stood muttering before the Deityâs enormous golden statue. âDeity, your humble servant isnât... Discover what happens!
Liang Shixian stood muttering before the Deityâs enormous golden statue. âDeity, your humble servant isnât badmouthing the Saint Lady; I just felt this matter should be reported to you.ââThe Saint Lady forged a divine edict and ordered me to sneak two people into Wang Chengenâs army. They seemed like wealthy young lords from Gaojia Village, probably very close to the Saint Lady. She used my hand to get them undeserved military honors, clearly aiming to climb to an official title laterâŚâ
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan nearly laughed aloud but held back forcefully. With such a colossal stone statue, laughing might shatter it.
Liang Shixian continued, âThough itâs no major issueâsuch things abound in the imperial courtâI still felt compelled to inform you. If you didnât hear it now, donât blame me for failing to report.â
Li Daoxuan remained still, thinking inwardly: Liang Shixian was commendable. His integrity alone made him fit for high responsibility in the new nation theyâd build.
After Liang Shixianâs rambling, the Clerk ran over. âCounty Lord, workers found a massive iron deposit in Yaotou Town. What should we do?â
Liang Shixian answered, âDig, of course! Remember the Deity adores digging and building⌠Though Gaojia Village has iron ore aplenty, itâs heaven-sent by the Deity. Our own output is pitiful. So, dig! Transfer all idle workers and mine relentlessly.â
The Clerk countered, âWe lack manpower these days. After the Deityâs rain, many farmers returned to their fields. Refugees in the county halved overnight.â
Liang Shixian rolled his eyes. âHead west to Bai Shui County and south to Dali County. The Deityâs blessings havenât reached them; drought persists there. Shout an invitation, and Iâll register the farmers we lure.â
The Clerk hesitated. âStealing population feels wrong. The neighboring county lords might get angry and confront you.â
Liang Shixian scoffed. âPeople they canât feed will inevitably rebel. By taking them in, Iâm preventing chaos using our resources. Any problem? Even the Provincial Governor would see my justice.â
The Clerk chuckled. âCounty Lord, your reasoning rings true.â
He rushed off.
Liang Shixian turned and bowed deeply again. âThank you, Deity. With you backing me, I dared shelter refugees generously, saving countless lives. This honors my years studying virtue.â
Li Daoxuan sighed inwardly. Cut the synchronized sense!
Instantly, light and shadows swirled. He returned outside the shrine.
Grabbing flour, he spread it before Liang Shixian.
Without words, Liang Shixian understood. The Deity encouraged his plan and supplied another vast grain shipment to freely âstealâ nearby peasants.
âYour servant wonât disgrace the mission.â
Simultaneously, at an ancient ferry dock in Shanxi,
Gao Chuwu, Xing Honglang, Zao Ying, Old Nan Feng, Zhao Sheng, and a baffled Master Zhan Sheng clustered around the holy Deity statue, its face half crumbled. They exchanged puzzled looks.
Xing Honglang wiped sweat. âWhich sculptor made this? Punish him with fifty lashes! The Deityâs face fell off halfway!â
Gao Chuwu declared, âIâll whip him!â
âStop!â Zao Ying cut in. âFifty strokes from you would kill him! And it mightnât be his fault. Maybe the statue was too small for the Deityâs colossal powerâtoo fragile, it shattered.â
Hearing this, everyone grasped the logic. âAh, that makes sense.â
Old Nan Feng slapped his forehead. âArgh! Disaster! When the Deity appeared earlier, I was too stunned to ask the fairyâs name from the fairy mirror song!â
Zhao Sheng sneered. âThatâs your only ambition?â
Old Nan Feng retorted, âGuard borders amid only men, eating stale bread in icy wastes for ten yearsâyouâd return even less refined!â
Zhao Sheng fell silent.
Master Zhan Sheng intervened. âAmitabha! Pardon the interruptionâwhat exactly occurred earlier?â
Xing Honglang answered, âDao Xuan Deity descended just now.â
Master Zhan Sheng asked, âDao Xuan Deity is?â
âAs you seeâa deity. Ah, a Taoist deity. Not odd for a Buddhist monk to not know.â
Master Zhan Sheng nodded sagely. âKindly manage the situation! I know Taoismâs Compassionate Travel True Beingâsheâs Guanyin Bodhisattva from Buddhism, spying on Taoism. She suffers in silence to someday ambush the Primordial Deity!â
Everyone gasped sharply. What monk was this? Blaspheming Guanyin? Then they recalledâhe was once a salt smuggler. His poor Buddhist grasp was expected.
Gao Chuwu grinned. âEveryone, no time for tangents! We must find a sculptor to restore the Deityâs statue! Doesnât a half-faced Deity unsettle you?â
Awoken by the simpletonâs words, they rushed to remedy it.
âQuick, find any citizen skilled in sculpting!â
âThere are merchants hereâmust be craftsmen!â
âYes, yes, scour the area!â
âPay artisan wages! More coin speeds carving!â
âWho has âDao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Tale?â Fetch it! Else Shanxi sculptors wonât know the Deityâs likeness!â
Chaos unfolded as they fumbled busily.
Master Zhan Sheng peered at the ruined statue, confirming no clay-clad impostor. Sighing, he sat cross-legged before the fractured Dao Xuan Deity Statue, palms pressed together. âWandering half my life, yet I meet a true deity here⌠and a Taoist one. Deity, is it right for a poor monk like me to speak with you?â
âIn youth, I killed endlessly, my hands steeped in blood. Only by middle age did I repent and lay down the blade. Could Heaven grant me redemption?â
The cracked statue, naturally, stayed silent.
Master Zhan Sheng murmured, âIâll take silence as consent. Surely I can cleanse my sins, reform, and die peaceably?â
Still, the statue uttered nothing.
Tears spilled abruptly. âSelf-deception fails⌠A sinner like me deserves eternal darkness in death.â