My father Zhu Gaoxu

Chapter 435
The White Lotus Sect originated in the Southern Song Dynasty and is a religious organization rooted in the bottom of the society.

In the Yuan Dynasty, because the rich and powerful were extremely harsh on the common people, the common people gathered together to keep warm in order to fight against the rich and powerful, so the White Lotus Sect developed greatly. .

The beliefs of the White Lotus Sect are very mixed, but the main beliefs are King Ming and Maitreya. Among them, Han Shantong proclaimed himself King of Ming. It is said that when Zhu Yuanzhang established the name of the country, he was also influenced by the White Lotus Sect.

After Zhu Yuanzhang was firmly established, he immediately banned the White Lotus Sect from preaching, and even brutally suppressed the White Lotus Sect members. After all, for the imperial court, the White Lotus Sect was definitely an unstable factor.

However, the vitality of the White Lotus Sect is extremely tenacious. Even though the Ming Dynasty suppressed it in every possible way, the White Lotus Sect is still rooted in the people and has a large number of believers. This is mainly because the teachings of the White Lotus Sect are simple, and the believers are united with each other to resist the risks of the outside world. , so even if it is officially banned, many people still join the White Lotus Sect.

Especially during the famine years, the White Lotus Sect developed rapidly. For example, in recent years, Shandong has suffered from natural and man-made disasters, so the White Lotus Sect members in Shandong area expanded rapidly. The number of followers of Tang Saier alone is tens of thousands.

You must know that Tang Saier is only one of the White Lotus Sect, there are more than a dozen similar to her.

Wu Shanniang is a member of the White Lotus Cult. After dark, she put the four children to bed and told the eldest son to take care of his younger siblings before getting out of the barracks.

Wu Shanniang's hometown was hit by a flood, and there was no grain in the field. The family had no choice but to flee. On the way, her husband left the last piece of dry food for his five-year-old daughter, and he starved to death on the road.

Although Wu Shanniang was devastated by this, she still wiped away her tears when she saw the four children. She fled to Qingzhou with the children, where she finally ate a life-saving meal and was arranged to live in a military camp. Finally survived.

Thinking of her husband who died on the road, Wu Shanniang couldn't help sighing, she only blamed her husband for his bad life, if he persisted for another two days, she would meet a member of the White Lotus Sect on the road, and with the help of her friend, she Only then can they bring their children to Qingzhou, otherwise their family of orphans and widows would have starved to death on the road.

After leaving the barracks, Wu Shanniang closed the door, picked up a piece of loess, and traced the lotus symbol on the door a few times, so that others would know that the family belonged to the White Lotus Sect. Even if there were people with dirty hands and feet, they would never dare enter the door.

"Shan Niang, let's go together!"

At this time, someone from the barracks next to him came out and immediately greeted Wu Shanniang.

Wu Shanniang agreed, and came to a hall in the middle of the barracks with her neighbors. This is the place where they, the White Lotus followers, burned incense and recited verses. This is also the custom of the White Lotus followers, usually only at night.

Candles were burning in the hall, and a picture of Maitreya was enshrined in the center. After the believers came in, they voluntarily went to get incense, and then went up to respectfully offer incense, and there were believers in white to guide them.

After Wu Shanniang finished offering incense, she found a place to sit in the hall, surrounded by believers like her.

For the present day, Wu Shanniang and the others are also very grateful, not only for Maitreya's blessing, but also for the Buddha's mother who sent someone to bring them to Qingzhou, and also for the noble person who sent food to relieve the disaster, who is said to be the son of the prince, This made many people know for the first time that there are good people in the government.

When the people were almost here, I saw an elder walking forward with a scripture in his hand, recited the Buddhist scriptures for everyone, and explained the true meaning of the scriptures. Whether Wu Shanniang and the others could understand or not, they were all very quiet. Dare to make loud noises.

After the elder had finished speaking, a middle-aged man stepped forward. This middle-aged man was named Wang Yue. It was conveyed through Coach Wang. Of course, if the believers encountered any unsolvable problems, they would always go to Coach Wang directly.

I saw the head coach Wang glanced at the believers in the hall, and then said loudly: "Brothers and sisters, the Buddha mother recently passed down a decree that we escaped to Qingzhou, and the son of the King of Han released food for disaster relief, not only gave them a full meal , It also gave us a place to settle down."

Coach Wang paused when he said this, and then continued: "But we have hands and feet, and the court can't keep supporting us forever. After all, no matter how much food the King of Han wants to come, there will be a time when the food is finished. If we wait until the food is finished, What do you say we should do?"

A question from Instructor Wang immediately aroused discussions among the believers below, and many people also showed worried expressions. After all, in order to escape, many relatives and friends starved to death along the way.

Now it is hard to find a place where they can eat enough and sleep well. If they are allowed to live the days of hunger and cold like before, I am afraid that no one will be willing.

"Coach, can the imperial court send us back to our hometown, and then distribute farm tools and seeds to us so that we can cultivate by ourselves, and when the grain grows, we will naturally have no worries about food and clothing."

Someone stood up and asked.

"Go back? I won't go back even if I'm killed. My hometown has been flooded long ago. Now it's a muddy land. Even the landlord has run away, let alone me, a small tenant. I won't have any land of my own when I go back. Or work for someone else!"

At this moment, someone jumped up and retorted.

"I don't want to go back either. After all, we all escaped when we couldn't survive in our hometown. Isn't it courting death when we go back?"

Others stood up and echoed, and many people also agreed.

Most of the believers here are impoverished. Even before they fled, they were all tenants. They lived by renting and planting the land of the landlord's family. Not only did they have to bear heavy land rent, but they also had to be exploited by local officials. The whole family is struggling with life and death, and they may starve to death if they are not careful.

Seeing the quarrels among the people below, Coach Wang finally spoke again: "Brothers and sisters, I know that most people are unwilling to go back, and the Buddha Mother also knows everyone's difficulties, so the Buddha Mother has found a better place for everyone! "

When Coach Wang said this, he made a fool of himself on purpose, and then asked everyone with a mysterious face: "Our White Lotus Sect has always believed in Maitreya, and it has the same origin as Buddhism, but do you know where the Buddha came from?"

"Isn't a Buddha just a Buddha? What's the source?"

The people below were all dazed. After all, these believers were from the bottom and had no opportunity to receive education at all. Naturally, they couldn't answer Coach Wang's questions.

(End of this chapter)