The Jingsheng Wang family is one of the four major families in Lingshi County, Pingyang Prefecture (Jingsheng Village is under the jurisdiction of Lingshi). They are descendants of the Wang family who moved from Taiyuan during the Renzong period of the Yuan Dynasty. They first settled in Lingshi Gouying Village and then to Jingsheng , engaged in farming and business, then engaged in business and government. As the family became more and more popular, they built family-style castles on the mountains. This is a common practice among wealthy families in Shanxi. In Qi County, many promising families in Pingyao do this.
The Wang Family Courtyard is large in scale and is known as Five Alleys, Six Forts and One Street. However, most of them were built during the Kangxi and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty. At this time, the Wang Family Courtyard was far less large in scale, but it was also a wealthy local family with only their mansions. Gentlemen can look back on their necks.
At the beginning of the year, Li Zicheng headed north from Pingyang Mansion to Taiyuan. This was also the only way to pass. Wherever the bandit army passed, no wealthy gentry was spared. The Wang family knew that this small mountain fortress was not worth mentioning in front of tens of thousands of troops, so they decided to go there as soon as possible. Hiding deep in the mountains, the family was spared, and the Wang family compound was miraculously saved. Of course, there is also a theory that the Wang family defected to the rebel army at that time. There are different opinions and no one knows the details.
When it got dark, a guest came to stay overnight. The whole Wang family was shocked. Although the guest was an officer or soldier, who knew if it was a bandit or bandit? All the young men in the village took sticks and went up to the courtyard wall to defend themselves in case of any eventuality. Fortunately, the other party showed all kinds of weapons. The ID card proves that he is an officer and soldier, and he is from Dongchang!
This shocked everyone in the Wang family. Did the Dongchang guy really come to stay overnight or...
It's true that we stayed overnight, mainly because we wanted to experience the authentic Wang family compound. The Wang family saw that these people were not domineering. Although they were not close friends, they were quite peaceful. They felt worried and spent most of their time away. Dozens of Yu and his party were arranged in a separate courtyard to entertain them with good wine and delicious food. After the meal, Chang Yu climbed up to the high wall of Wang's house, wanting to take a look at the scenery and sigh with emotion. However, the night was too dark and he couldn't see anything. He was frozen like a dog early in the morning. Went back to the room, washed up and went to bed.
At dawn, Zhu Cixiang got up early to practice martial arts with several of his attendants, while Chang Yu strolled alone in the Wang Family Fort. There were more than ten courtyards in the fort where all the members of the Wang family lived. When young people passed by, they all nodded to show their goodwill. Chang Yu They returned the favor one by one, walked around for a while and then went up to the courtyard wall to see the snow-capped Cangshan Mountains and the green smoke curling up in the mountains. This is the authentic farmhouse experience.
After dinner, they said goodbye. Chang Yu still left some money, but the Wang family refused to accept it, so they gave up. The group headed towards Lingshi County, where they really entered the mountains. To go to Pingyang Fucheng (Linfen), you have to go through Lingshi County. After crossing the mountains and ridges through Huozhou, we have just arrived at Hongdong County.
"Lingshi, Huozhou is deep in the mountains, and it's easy for thieves to take advantage of it, but you don't seem to be worried at all?" Zhu Cixiang looked around with a worried look on his face on the way. It was obvious that Chang Yu had a shadow because of the last time. Then he said: "It doesn't matter."
It was not even half an afternoon after walking ten miles, Chang Yu pointed to the foot of Lubei Mountain: "There is a temple there, but let's take a rest." Everyone was surprised to rest after walking only so far, but since he said it, he agreed, and Kun Xing met the temple. Then worship, and go to burn incense.
This is a thousand-year-old temple named Zishou Temple. It is twenty miles away from Lingshi County and ten miles away from the Wang Family Courtyard. It was built in the Tang Dynasty. After the incense was discontinued, it was rebuilt in the Yuan Dynasty. Most of the buildings in later generations were built in the Ming Dynasty. It covers an area of less than five acres. There are more than 20 monks, and people from all over the surrounding villages and even the county town come to offer incense and worship Buddha.
However, dozens of people poured in in the morning, which really made the welcoming monk pale with fright. He hurriedly informed the temple abbot that dozens of armed men had entered the temple to burn incense. The abbot was shocked when he first heard about it, and then comforted the monks, or The female family members of a wealthy gentry in the city came to burn incense. In today's unfair world, it is normal for them to have servants to protect them.
Chang Yu doesn't believe in ghosts and gods, doesn't pay homage to Buddhas, and doesn't burn incense, but he still likes the environment and atmosphere of places like temples and Taoist temples. Walking around there is quiet and simple, and the whole person can feel very relaxed. What he sees and touches feels a bit nostalgic. The feeling of chanting today.
Although Chang Yu didn't believe it, he never forced others to believe it, and atheists in this era can be said to be rare. Dozens of his followers would burn incense sticks, kowtow and make wishes when entering the temple, but he was the only one who carried it. He walked slowly around the temple with his hands in his hands, looking around. Only Qing Yi looked uncomfortable following him.
"This donor, please stop." Chang Yu was stopped by a monk in front of a small courtyard: "This is the abbot's room, please move elsewhere."
"I just happened to be here to listen to the abbot's sermon." Chang Yu smiled slightly, and the monk said Amitabha: "The abbot doesn't see guests."
Chang Yuya Amitabha said: "Now that I've come, I won't be satisfied if I don't see you." As he said this, he stepped forward, and the monk stretched out his hand to stop him. Qing Yi stepped forward and grabbed the monk's arm. The monk was startled and punched Qing Yi. , Quanfeng Lieyou was actually a good player, Qing Yi flashed his head sideways in an instant, and threw the monk several meters away.
The monk's face turned green. He stood up and was about to take action. He heard a shout: "Back off." Then he saw a forty-year-old monk pushing open the door and walking out. He announced a Buddhist name to Chang Yu: "Almsgiver, please come in." Use tea." He glanced at Qing Yi and couldn't help but frown.
"Sorry to disturb the great monk." Chang Yu smiled slightly and walked into the abbot's room. It was so clean that it was almost empty, but there was a tea set.
The tea is also good, a wild tea from the mountains that cannot be called famous.
Chang Yu didn't say a word when he entered the room and sat down on the futon. The great monk didn't say a word, boiled water and made tea.
The water boiled and tea was made. The great monk handed it over. Chang Yu reached out to catch it but was not in a hurry to drink it. He held the tea lid and gently fiddled with the tea. The great monk turned to look at Qing Yi at the door: "Fellow Taoist, would you like to come in and have a cup?" ".
Qing Yi shook his head and said nothing. The great monk looked at Chang Yu again: "The donor does not burn incense or worship the Buddha when he enters the temple, but he still wants to listen to the Dharma?"
Chang Yu hummed, picked up the tea cup and took a sip: "Listening to the Dharma is just a pretense, just to listen to the great monk explain my doubts."
"Oh, the donor might as well tell me the confusion in my heart, and let the monk see if he can solve it." The great monk sat cross-legged across from Chang Yu and looked at him seriously.
"Buddha said: Is it true that he put down his butcher knife and became a Buddha immediately?" Chang Yu chuckled and glanced at the door, seeing Qing Yi slowly pull out the long sword from his waist.
"Putting down the butcher's knife means reforming one's past. It can be said that Phoenix Nirvana means becoming a Buddha in Buddhism. Why does the donor ask?" When the great monk spoke, he also glanced at the door.
"If he really put down the butcher's knife and changed his past, I would also believe that he could become a Buddha. But what if he put down the butcher's knife was just a pretense, how can he prove that he really put down the butcher's knife?" Chang Yu smiled faintly and stared at the great monk with an increasingly serious look. Be fierce. The great monk looked at him with increasingly sharp eyes: "Why did the donor conclude that he was just a pretense and not sincerely worshiping the Buddha?"
"Here, I still have the butcher's knife in my hand." Chang Yu stretched out his hand and pointed toward the door. Several monks were confronting Qing Yi with their swords in hand.
"The temple is hidden deep in the mountains and old forests. Bandits often come to harass the monks to practice martial arts and protect the temple property. The donor does not need to do what he wants." The great monk said lightly. Chang Yu smiled: "If others say this, I believe it, but it comes from the master of the Wenxiang Sect. Our family doesn’t believe what the marshal says!”
Chang Yu's words immediately revealed the identities of the two people. The great monk's eyes flashed coldly and then he smiled and said: "A poor monk serves the Buddha, and the donor should not lie." As he said this, he pretended to give Chang Yu some water, but at this moment Chang Yu suddenly took out his hand. The teacup was thrown at his face, and at the same time he kicked him over. The abbot took the opportunity to roll over and was about to get up. Chang Yu swung the saucer and knocked him to the ground. He went up to hold him down and took a handful from his hand. She put the dagger against his neck and said, "Don't let them stop!"
Several monks who were fighting fiercely with Qing Yi at the door saw this and quickly stopped without waiting for the abbot to say anything. However, they suddenly found that they were surrounded. More than ten strong men with knives poured into the courtyard and surrounded them.
"They are the bastards of Dongchang. If you fall into their hands, your life will be worse than death. Leave me alone and break out first." The abbot was not afraid of having a sharp knife pressed against his neck and shouted angrily outside the door. Chang Yu punched him. He was knocked unconscious.
Qing Yi was injured. Although she could only attack in the blink of an eye, the opponent was outnumbered and risked her life to save the abbot. Her actual combat experience was far inferior to her simplicity, let alone ruthlessness. She was unable to hold on with a single sword and was cut twice. Fortunately, his clothes were thick and his injuries were not serious.
The White Lotus sect is a professional rebel. It has been banned since the Yuan Dynasty. In the early Ming Dynasty, the imperial court also strictly prohibited preaching. During the Hongwu and Yongle years, the White Lotus sect rebelled in many places, and some even claimed the title of emperor. They were suppressed in the capital. By the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there were many folk religions. There are dozens of golden cicada, Wuwei, Longhua, Wukong, Maitreya, Jingkong, Wenxiang, Luo Dao, etc., but they all come from the same family: White Lotus Sect with different names and different teachings!
The abbot of this thousand-year-old temple was originally the head marshal of the Wenxiang Sect (their names are various, such as ancestor, master, old shopkeeper, young shopkeeper, pioneer, etc.) As for how he became the abbot, it is unknown, but he was After all, he was dug out by Jin Yiwei, and the clues that dug him out actually had something to do with the Wang family.
