On a bright spring day in 1369, Zhu Yuanzhang and Liu Bowen traveled lightly and simply and set foot outside Nanjing, only to see the greenery and flowers. They roamed to the outskirts of the city to observe the prosperity of the farmland and water conservancy, but on the way, they came across an unusual dispute, and the abbot of Lingshou Nunnery was complaining about the frivolous behavior of a passing monk. Although such things happen from time to time among the people, they involve people in Buddhism, and they attract everyone's attention.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard about this, he decided to get involved in the handling of the case himself. Together with Liu Bowen and local officials, he stepped into the courtyard of Lingshou Nunnery. What seemed to be an ordinary case of indecent assault gradually revealed the unusualness behind it in the process.
In the solemn Buddha hall in the nunnery, the case is being heard, and Zhu Yuanzhang did not appear, but hid behind the curtain and quietly peeped. The nun's crying echoed in the silence, her words sincere, tears accompanied by accusations, detailing the monk's disrespectful behavior towards her and greed for the possessions of the nunnery. The monk, on the other hand, remained silent, closing his eyes tightly, as if the troubles of the world had nothing to do with him, and he was detached from the world during his meditation.
The progress of the interrogation made the atmosphere of the scene more and more solemn, and Zhu Yuanzhang's patience was quietly passing away. Finally, he stepped out of the curtain, and all doubts seemed to dissipate. He approached the nun and sniffed lightly, a wisp of fat powder lingering on the tip of his nose. On closer inspection, he found that the nun had tiny piercings in her earlobes and faint marks left by the necklace on her neck. These subtleties are so incompatible with the identity of the monks.
Then, Zhu Yuanzhang gently picked open the sleeve of the nun with his fingertips, revealing her arm hidden in it. Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the unique and delicate bracelet mark on her arm, which was obviously a mark that would not appear on ordinary cultivators.
The corners of Zhu Yuanzhang's mouth hooked up a mocking smile, he turned around and faced the crowd and officials gathered in the nunnery, and there was a hint of firmness in his voice: "It seems that this nun's pure cultivation is just her empty talk. Far from being a simple indecent assault, we are dealing with uncovering an elaborate fabricated lie. After saying that, he decisively ordered someone to carefully search every inch of land in the nunnery.
Soon after, an even more astonishing discovery shocked everyone. In the backyard of the nunnery, the retinue discovered a secret chamber filled with men's clothing and records of women's transactions with the outside world. What is even more shocking is that the officers and soldiers explored deeply and found a number of male corpses in a secret cellar, all of whom were victims who had been lured here by the nun under various pretexts.
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, he approached the monk again, this time, his voice revealed a few traces of respect for the other party: "Master, you can speak freely now." Tell us how you were caught up in this intricate conspiracy? ”
The monk slowly opened his eyes, and his voice was calm and powerful: "Amitabha, the poor monk was originally from Fengyang Longxing Temple, and this trip was to raise funds to repair the temple. Unexpectedly, when he strayed into this realm, he was framed by this woman for no reason. Fortunately, with the blessing of the Buddha, the truth finally surfaced. His words were peaceful, but every word was like a heavy stone.
Zhu Yuanzhang bowed slightly, then turned to the nun, and his voice was cold: "You framed the innocent, and even committed the felony of murder, defiling the pure place of Buddhism." Today, I will not let you know the law. Take it immediately, and three days later, the city center will be sentenced to Ling Chi as a warning and comfort to the souls of the dead! ”
Subsequently, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered a complete lockdown of Lingshou Nunnery, and at the same time launched a detailed investigation of the officials involved to ensure that there were no more implications in such incidents. As for the wronged monk, Zhu Yuanzhang personally gave gold and silver to appease him, and restored his reputation, allowing him to return to Longxing Temple and continue his path of pure cultivation.
After the dust settled on this case, Zhu Yuanzhang's supervision of Buddhism became more and more severe, and he resolutely did not allow any scum of Buddhism to tarnish the holy name of Buddhism. As for the nun, she also received the punishment she deserved for her crimes. Zhu Yuanzhang's move not only defended the dignity of Buddhism, but also reflected his fairness and courage as an emperor.