In the early spring, Chen Wenchuan became depressed because of his son's words. His eyes stared blankly at the small pond that had dried up because no one was taking care of, and sat in silence.

Since the imperial army entered Seoul, Chen Wenchuan asked to close the doors and doors. Except for himself and his eldest son Chen Zixing, who was safe in his work, no one was allowed to go out at will, nor could he participate in political affairs. After all, deep down he was inclined to the King of Korea, Li Bai. This was true for both the Confucian education received by the scholars and officials and the gratitude for the former kings. However, after many changes, he already understood that this was not something he could control. Who could fight against the empire that was at its peak?

As the situation in Korea gradually stabilized, Chen Wenchuan, who was living in seclusion, thought the storm had passed. Although he did not entrust the former king of Korea to protect the country of Lee's dynasty on his deathbed, at least Li Bai was safe. Although he wanted to enter the court to apologize, Chen Wenchuan knew that under the purchase of horse bones, the emperor of the empire would not only not punish Li Bai, but also give him a glory. What about the original throne of Korea? He was just a prince who enjoyed the treatment of a prince. He was restricted by the governor of Denglai. This time he went to the capital, he might be granted a prince.

Facing the powerlessness when Mount Tai collapsed and the existence of Li Bai, the fig leaf, Chen Wenchuan had already let go, but he was not interested in joining the imperial court to enjoy any wealth and honor, which violated his principles of being a human being. Moreover, Chen Wenchuan did not want to cause trouble anymore. Anyway, he was also a literati, and the empire was the most cruel to the literati. In Chen Wenchuan's heart, it was important to keep the family safe in this troubled times.

"No, I can't go." Chen Wenchuan murmured, making up his mind not to follow Li Bai to the capital.

Chen Wenchuan, who made up his mind, decided to find a way out for himself. He knew that he had a reputation and his family would not be let go easily. So at noon that day, Chen Wenchuan rode a donkey out of Seoul and went to a Lingguang Temple outside the city. He and the temple host, Monk Zhiyun, were friends for many years. He used to hide in the temple several times and donated gold and silver a lot on weekdays.

In fact, Monk Zhiyun was a Liao citizen who fled to Korea and entered the Lingguang Temple. Due to language problems, he lived in seclusion and rarely showed up. However, this time it was unusual. When Chen Wenchuan arrived at the gate of the mountain, he saw Monk Zhiyun busy receiving at the door, like a monk who was a guest. There were quite a few people coming in and out. There were rich merchants in gorgeous clothes and ragged beggars who were poor. Monk Zhiyun wiped his sweat when he saw Chen Wenchuan: "Amitabha, I feel relieved when I see the good health of the donor Chen."

"Thank you for your care." Chen Wenchuan got off the donkey and said hello to Zhiyun, but he never thought that a half-old boy was passing by with a bundle of vines on his back. Because the mountain vines were too long, they scraped Chen Wenchuan's shoulders. Chen Wenchuan almost rolled aside. The boy saw that he had caused trouble and stood there, not knowing how to do it.

"You go and do it. This is my friend, and I won't blame you." Monk Zhiyun said to the boy in skillful Korean dialect, and then said to Chen Wenchuan: "Old friend, I'm really sorry, there are too many people, and I almost hurt you."

Chen Wenchuan said: "It is in the chaotic times that there are always more people in the temple."

This is also true. Whenever there are wars and famines, poor people often hide in temples, and those who have experienced disasters are more willing to go to the temple to burn incense and worship Buddha in order to seek blessings from gods and Buddhas. However, the words of monk Zhiyun surprised Chen Wenchuan: "This time, these children were distributed by the court. I, a place where Buddhism is good, cannot be ruthless."

It turns out that the children and poor people coming and going in the temple did not come from the war, but were distributed by the court. They first settled these people in the temple, distributed rice, grain, bedding and clothes to provide them with. The monks in the temple were responsible for organizing these people, teaching them to learn rattan weaving, mat making, mud and tiles masonry, and simple carpentry. Of course, they also had to teach Chinese. After these people had a skill and were healthy and strong, they would board the ship and migrate to overseas provinces. This was not only a task assigned by the court to Lingguang Temple, but also a good deed of supporting the poor in the temple.

"I heard in the city that the court and the Lifanyuan were advocating the people to immigrate to the northern border. I heard that they would also give rice and grain to the land, and give land to plow seeds and oxen. Why didn't these people go?" Chen Wenchuan looked puzzled.

Monk Zhiyun said: "If you have to take care of your family and friends, you can only arrive safely. In the temple, these people are lonely and widowed without relatives or reason, or those who are the ones who have no support, how can you migrate?"

Chen Wenchuan understood that this was treating Lingguang Temple as a yangshiyuan and a craftsmanship, but it was no wonder that the temple itself was a small society, and there was no shortage of monks who could read and write and calculate. Monks were born to be trusted by the people and had natural residences such as houses and courtyards, which were the most suitable for these.

The two were chatting, but there were a few merchants from the dock who came to order the goods. They ordered handicrafts such as reeds, rattan baskets, etc. It can be seen that Lingguang Temple's business is booming. This is no wonder. These handicrafts are completely costless for Lingguang Temple. Reeds can be obtained by rivers and lakes, and mountain vines can also be cut up on the mountain. The people who are crafts are still learning skills and do not have salary. Even their food, clothing and expenses are actually paid by the court, so the price of handicrafts produced is very low, and they are very competitive in the just peaceful Seoul and its surroundings. Monk Zhiyun couldn't take it aside for a while and was unable to entertain Chen Wenchuan. Chen Wenchuan didn't care. So he rolled up his sleeves and acted as an accountant to serve Lingguang Temple.

I was busy until the evening. Only those who had been tired for a day were able to rest and have dinner. After the meal, the temple was also uneasy. People sat on the ground and learned Chinese. Anyway, they just learned to speak and did not need to light the lamp to waste wax. After the monk Zhiyun arranged the course, he immediately entertained Chen Wenchuan and settled in Zhiyun's Zen room. After eating, he savored tea and talked.

Chen Wenchuan did not hide anything about the monk Zhiyun. He told all the things that happened in these days and expressed his unwillingness to go to the capital. After hearing this, Zhiyun said, "I have heard that North Korea wants to join the Celestial Empire. I have also heard of it. I was reluctant to do it. But after reading these days, I felt that it was a good choice. After all, the four people are equal and the people are living in peace. The lower-class people have lived better than before."

Chen Wenchuan also knew this, and it was these that led to his idea that he did not want to cause trouble again. Chen Wenchuan said: "When today I am indeed the emperor of benevolence, but the occupation of the country of Korea is not a good thing. Besides, the two generations of Kings of Korea have had great kindness to me, so how could I go to the capital to praise me against my heart? But if I don't respond, I'm afraid that Li Decan will not allow it and will harm his family. It's really a dilemma."

Zhiyun smiled and said, "If you insist on not wanting to go, I have a way to do it, but I won't refuse."

"What method?"

Zhiyun pointed to his Zen room: "It would be better to be a monk in Lingguang Temple, my new dynasty official system, and officials should not believe in religion, so as not to favor one or the other. If you are ordained as a monk, they will naturally not force you to become an official. You always admire Buddhism, do not like extravagance, and your descendants are prolonged and your family is harmonious. As far as I see you, becoming a monk is not a loss."

After hearing this suggestion, Chen Wenchuan smiled first, and then became bitter: "This... I'm afraid the other party will interfere."

Zhiyun clasped his hands together: "Old friend, it's just a gesture. If they force it, it's useless to resist. If you can let you go freely and you become a monk, they should go with the flow."

Chen Wenchuan suddenly felt it was reasonable and immediately asked to shave his hair. Zhiyun felt something was wrong and hoped that he could notify his family. Moreover, Chen Wenchuan was also a famous scholar in North Korea and should someone come to watch the ceremony, but Chen Wenchuan didn't care. In the mentality of choosing a day is worse than choosing a day, he asked to shave his hair immediately, and the matter of watching the ceremony was cancelled directly. Zhiyun had no choice but to know that Chen Wenchuan was desperate, so he had to accept it, get hot water and razors, and personally slaughtered Chen Wenchuan.

Chen Wenchuan then found a monk from Zhike and asked him to go to Seoul to inform his family and send letters. Chen Wenchuan's whereabouts were all monitored. The person who monitored him informed Jin Shilong, and Jin Shilong reported to Li Decan.

The result was that Li Decan not only did not stop Chen Wenchuan, but also did not make him return to secular life, but instead thoughtfully added a certificate of tribute to him.

Chang Aday looked at the certificate issued by Li Decan and said, "Sir, why are you so kind to Chen Wenchuan? He became a monk and deliberately avoided going to the capital."

Li Decan put down his pen and sent Jin Shilong away, saying, "No matter how much Chen Wenchuan said, he was a survivor of the former Ming Dynasty and a famous Korean scholar. He has always been a name for his name against the Qing Dynasty. How can he be strong?"

"I thought it was better to use strength or strength. As you said, he was just a survivor of the former Ming Dynasty. He had no idea about the empire. Even if we deal with such a person, there was nothing above." Chang Aday said disdainfully.

Li Decan said: "You don't understand this. In the eyes of the imperial subjects, North Korea is abroad. Now it has been the empire for three years. The country is prosperous and you and I are not national officials. Chen Wenchuan dealt with it. It was heard in the ears of the imperial subjects. That is, the country was humiliated outside. In the previous national crisis, there were many people who bowed down. People like Chen Wenchuan who would rather live in North Korea than surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Even if they were scholars and officials, they were still heroes in the eyes of the Chinese people, and they could not be dealt with at will. That would be better, but he was willing to become a monk himself."

Half a month later, the congratulatory delegation led by Li Bai set off to the capital by land and sent Li Bai and others away. Li Decan immediately convened a meeting of military opportunities to prepare for a war against the Eastern Kingdom and the Southern Dynasties regime.

The change of North Korea reached March 3 of the empire, and domestic public opinion was already one-sided support. Before the incident began, both the center and the public opinion were doubtful about annexation of North Korea. It was not that people did not believe in the strength of the empire, but were worried about the issue of investment. The main domestic war was over, but it was still suppressing rebellions and suppressing bandits on a large scale, and a war was launched. In the eyes of people at that time, it was an unwise move. However, as Li Decan controlled Seoul in one fell swoop, public opinion was one-sided. With the progress of the North Korean liquidation, the Lifanyuan obtained a large amount of funds to cover up the issue of military expenditure. After controlling the richest part of North Korea, the Lifanyuan also became a hot commodity.

Merchants flocked to North Korea in groups to dig their first pot of gold. Whether it was the border appeasement zone or overseas provinces, they all asked the Lifanyuan to get more immigrants for themselves. As soon as the war machine was opened, the ordering of various military and civilian biological materials promoted the development of domestic industry, commerce and shipping. Under this influence, the imperial elders and parliamentarians gave the green light to the bills related to North Korea, and the army was also strongly supporting and constantly increasing troops to North Korea.

While the empire was raising its strength, the two major regimes of the Eastern Kingdom and the Southern Dynasties, the other side of the war, were already in chaos. The Southern Dynasties ruled the power was the traditional ally of the Empire, the Open Fire Army. They seized power as peasant uprising troops, but faced the Western and Eastern Dynasties, and it was difficult for the Western and Eastern Dynasties to control North Korea alone. When the situation of the Three Kingdoms was stable, the Open Fire Army lived a life of extravagance and debauchery. The new nobles exploited and oppressed the people as much as the old nobles. In order to avoid threatening the power in their hands, they abolished several generations of kings, so that the king would always be children under ten years old to facilitate the manipulation of political situation.

The Eastern Kingdom's regime was exhausted and the people were poor, but it was strong for a while under the command of Shen Qiyuan and Lin Qingye. However, with the deaths of the two heroes, the eastern country was divided on a large scale, and the real power was controlled among the various real power generals, and it was already a mess.

The empire sent troops to rectify the chaos in the West and recognized Li Bai's orthodox status, which immediately caused chaos within the other two regimes. The losers or minorities in the political struggle had lost their orthodoxism and caused trouble within the regime. The Lifan Yuan, led by Li Decan, continued to disagree, and differentiate and collapsed, which made the two major regimes in danger. When the Western countries were stable, the empire's policies of equal land exemption, officials' freedom of redemption, four people's equality, and lowering of rents and taxes implemented by the empire in the scope of the Western regime's rule gradually became aware of the people of the other two regimes, and a stir was set off in the two regimes where the people were already living in poverty. The people at the bottom were engaged in a row, and the matters of resisting food and taxes were endless.

Obviously, two such regimes cannot fight against the army from the empire. After Li Decan offered many favorable conditions for the real power generals, the key passes in various places opened up a road, leading the imperial army and various vassal soldiers into the city. Before the main force of the army entered the enemy territory, the two regimes had collapsed. Li Decan still commanded the troops to advance based on the principle of not killing one person, which means that many people would come from Changping War Criminal Management Office and the border, overseas provinces.
Chapter completed!