(11)
After eating pickles, plain rice, and plain noodles for three days in a row, several officials quickly couldn't stand it because they had been living a life without food and wine. On this day, Mrs. Xiang finally got a banquet from the abbot of the temple, so they could relax their supervision of her a little and sent several colleagues to go out and buy some roast chicken and duck to satisfy their craving.
Mrs. Xiang and her party successfully got an audience with the abbot of the temple because they had been up early and late for days and sincerely worshiped the Buddha. This is a rule of the temple. Anyone who wants to visit the abbot must first worship the Buddha sincerely for several days and practice Buddhism and Buddhism personally. By chance, the abbot may take a break from his busy schedule to gather with the believers for a short while, giving them guidance and answering their questions.
The remaining officers and soldiers surrounded the temple abbot's meditation room as soon as lunch time came, leaving only the invited people and the novice monks who delivered meals and dishes to come and go freely.
When the last plate of pickled nettles was brought to the table, the old abbot sitting in the center of the Zen room could not help but speak eloquently: "When nettles grow in crop fields, they are weeds, but their young leaves are a delicious vegetable. ; People can not only make it into medicinal food, but also weave nettles into cloth. Compared with ordinary crops, it does not require people to take care of it, and it can be harvested several times a year, as long as its seeds can fall to the ground and take root."
The old abbot used his beautiful and white teeth, took a bite of the pickled vegetables, and added: "If you don't control it, it will become a weed that harms the crops; with a little effort, it will be on our table. Delicious food, and the clothes you wear! Everything in the world comes from this way. What you see at this moment is weeds, at that moment and after that, why can't it be delicacies?"
The juniors were confused and laughed at these great principles without saying a word. They just replied with compliments: "Abbott, great advice!"
After hearing this, the old abbot shook his big earlobes and said with a smile: "I'm sorry for talking too much, please use your chopsticks."
The three guests' dining tables were lined up in front of the old abbot, next to each other. They remained silent, just listened to what the abbot said and ate with their chopsticks.
When the old abbot saw that some of them were very reserved, he asked bluntly: "May I ask where the donors got their jobs? These days, the temple has caused a lot of trouble among the subordinates of the donors. Although the temple is boring, , it’s okay to be lively from time to time, but after all, this is a pure place for Buddhism. If it weren’t for the few people who chant sutras and worship Buddha every day and respect the Dharma, I would definitely not tolerate those deceitful people!”
"Abbott, those are not our subordinates. They are here to monitor me because...my husband is absconding in fear of crime. They guessed that I was going to have a secret meeting with him, so they took the order to follow me..." Mrs. Xiang replied. He said: "These two people beside me are my friends. We are all nameless and humble people. How can there be so many powerful warriors willing to stand by and provide protection!"
"Then, why did the donors come to this Buddhist temple?"
Murong Yan sat on the mat, bowed slightly and said respectfully: "Back to the abbot, we came to the temple only to pray for peace, nothing else."
"Most of the people praying have lingering fears. Could it be that Mrs. Xiang wants to pray for her husband?" the old abbot replied.
"I want to know where he has gone. I'm afraid that my broken body won't be able to survive the day he comes back..." After Mrs. Xiang said this, she couldn't control her emotions and covered her face and started sobbing.
The old abbot felt deep sympathy for this, and then waved to Murong Yan, asking her to calm Mrs. Xiang's emotions, and asked: "If it is just for blessing, why don't you tell the official officer the truth? I think they will understand you. If you encounter difficulties, you will naturally retreat. If they do not abide by the rules and are tyrannical in the temple, the disciples and pilgrims have long complained, and I am very embarrassed! "
"Old guy, I think you are indeed in danger now!" The young swordsman who had been silent for a long time suddenly stood up and asked: "Last night, I happened to hear something from a punished cook. A rumor. The guy thought there was no one around, so he cursed a few words in a low voice and said, "The abbot of this temple is just like me. He only entered the temple after stealing other people's certificates. Who knows how many bastard things he has done before. Why?" I can only carry water and dung every day, but that guy can sit back and relax?’ If these words got into the ears of those officers and soldiers, I wonder what the abbot’s plan was?”
The old abbot was fascinated by what he heard. He accidentally let go of the chopsticks in his hand, then clenched his fists and yelled: "This... this is nonsense! Tell me, which disciple said this, is it the Liu Aqi who just came? "
"Unexpectedly, the abbot is such a person?" Murong Yan pretended not to know anything and responded: "In this way, you asked us to drive away those officials. Is it because you are afraid of being found to be a fake monk? "
"Donor, monks don't tell lies. I have been in the temple for decades. If he was really a fake monk, he would have kicked the old abbot out of the temple long ago!"
"Then please abbot, please take out your ultimatum and let us see it?" As soon as Murong Yan finished speaking, she walked away from Mrs. Xiang, walked to the old abbot, and reached out to ask for the ultimatum.
"How could I carry such an important thing with me...I really forgot it and threw it away somewhere!" Faced with the coercion of the pretty girl in front of him, the old abbot sat on the felt and huddled up.
Murong Yan took advantage of the situation and instructed Bai Feng: "Brother Feng, please go out and tell the elder brothers that the abbot of this ancient temple is a fake monk. Since he can't produce an ultimatum, he may be harboring criminals!"
Mrs. Xiang, who was still stunned where she was, was at a loss. She saw the beautiful couple in front of her speaking and drinking, and they cooperated skillfully.
"Wait a minute!" the old abbot collapsed on the felt shouted: "Donor, that ultimatum is really irretrievable, just trust me once!"
"Brother Feng, don't worry about him, go out and wait for a while!"
After hearing this, Bai Feng opened the door and walked out.
When the officers and soldiers guarding the door heard some strange noises in the Zen room, they started chatting with Bai Feng. The young man said, "We were just discussing Buddhism..."
When Murong Yan saw Bai Feng going out to guard the door, she put down her veil with relief and made a face to the old abbot, which scared him so much that he was dumbfounded: "What...what happened to the donor's face..."
"You still say that you are not a fake monk? Do you have to ask those big officials to come in and rummage through the cabinets to find it?" Murong Yan pressed the question again and again. Seeing that the other party still refused, she smiled happily and said: "Old man, I see that you also know something about it. Buddhism, but it’s a pity that you don’t have a bright mind. Since you are not afraid of the big brothers coming in and searching, then the ultimatum must not be in the room, so I wonder if it happens to be on you, right?"
Before she finished speaking, Murong Yan took out a dagger from her arms, grabbed the white cassock and tried to cut it a few times.
The old abbot struggled on the ground several times and scurried away. In the process, Murong Yan cut off some string and a silk-like document fell from his cassock. It turned out that the ultimatum had been sewn inside the old abbot's cassock.
"This seal actually has the wrong words written on it?" Murong Yan quickly snatched the certificate and said in surprise: "It seems that you not only snatched someone else's certificate, but also used a fake one?"
"Donor, what do you want me to do before I let me go?" said the old abbot.
"You don't need to do anything big. As long as the abbot takes us with him when he lectures on the lotus platform of the temple next time, then no matter what we do, you don't have to interfere."
After saying that, the "fake monk" had no choice but to nod in agreement. Murong Yan then called back Bai Feng who was waiting outside the door, and everyone continued to have lunch in peace.
After the incident, Mrs. Xiang once asked Murong Yan with doubts in her heart: "How did you know that the abbot was a fake monk?"
Murong Yan said: "I didn't know, but there are a lot of fake monks, especially in today's world. How many people try their best to become monks in order to evade taxes and military service. Unexpectedly, it was just a small trick, and the guy didn't do it himself. .”
