On the early morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, before dawn, the road from Ningbo to Taibai Mountain was full of pedestrians, all believers from all over the country who came to attend the Tiantong Temple Dharma Assembly.
Zuo's family was walking on the road in a car. Zuo Zhong didn't take too many people with him this time. There were only three cars in total. The intelligence department didn't send anyone to accompany him. Peers among colleagues are the most sensitive. Dozens of spies appearing together were too conspicuous and very conspicuous. It's hard to hide Japanese spies.
Moreover, the Ningbo Police Department also sent a large number of police officers to help today. Coupled with the disguised secret agents from Tiantong Temple, it is safe enough.
Zuo Jun looked at the excited people outside the car window and was a little confused, so he asked Zuo Zhong: "Brother, why do you think these people are so happy?"
Zuo Zhong thought for a moment and said leisurely: "You get what you ask for, so you are happy."
Zuo Jun didn't understand, so he simply closed his eyes and fell asleep. Zuo Duo seemed to understand something. After all, he went to a church school and was no stranger to faith, but he became unhappy at the thought of going back to school.
Looking at his siblings, Zuo Zhong smiled slightly, thinking about today's Dharma gathering, wondering if he could catch that fox by the tail. It would be a pity if this opportunity was wasted.
The car was parked outside Wansong Avenue. The sun had already risen and mist shrouded the mountains. It seemed like it was a sunny day today, but the temperature in the mountains was surprisingly cold. In addition, it was still early, and the Zuo family did not have to compete with ordinary charity people. Everyone stayed in the car to rest. Zuo Jun and Zuo Duo were already asleep.
Zuo Zhong put on his gloves, wrapped himself in a cashmere coat, carefully opened the car door, quietly got out of the car, closed the door, and then exhaled a breath of white air.
At this time, Gu Qi appeared beside him like a ghost and reported in a low voice: "Section Chief, there is a letter from Tongsuo. The mission last night was successful, but the result was not good. Those masters are more or less presbyopic, and the serious ones are very serious." A few people, here are photos and rough files, it will take time to get into details.”
After saying that, he handed a bag of documents to Zuo Zhong. Zuo Zhong took it without opening it directly and walked aside: "Go to your car and take a look. There are many people here. Have the brothers' food arrangements been arranged?"
Gu Qi followed suit and replied cautiously: "To prevent accidents, the meals the brothers eat are all vegetarian food sent from the city. They will not disturb Hong Wu and other masters. Please rest assured, section chief."
The two of them got into Gu Qi's car, opened the zipper on the document bag, and took out the documents inside. Photos of old monks with kind faces or dignified appearance appeared in his eyes.
Zuo Zhong looked at it for a long time and then took out the corresponding personal information. All of these people were abbots of various temples or great lecturers, but based on their backgrounds, most of them were lonely.
Gu Qi explained on the side: "These people are basically orphans. Either they were left at the gate of the temple in a disaster year, or there is only one person left in the family, so they can only rely on Buddhism. Moreover, because of the need to preach and travel, their whereabouts are difficult to verify. .”
Zuo Zhong sneered: "What a good reason and excuse. The Japanese really worked hard."
Gu Qi also agreed: "Yes, if it is another identity, no matter how true the background information is, we can still trace it to investigate. If they are like this, it will be troublesome. We can't go to the underworld to investigate."
Zuo Zhong put the information into the document bag, and while wrapping the sealing rope around it, he said: "These people are watching closely to see if they can find some witnesses such as fellow villagers and neighbors. They are not all dead, right? There is one For one, bring me all the witnesses to Ningbo and ask all regional stations to cooperate."
Gu Qi lowered his head and said: "Yes, section chief, I will ask the intelligence teams of each district station to handle this matter as soon as possible. It is just about to celebrate the New Year, and it is easy to find the personnel. There is no way they will all go back to their hometowns."
Zuo Zhong felt it was right: "That's the truth. Nothing is difficult in the world except for those who are willing. We have done a solid job. Even if we catch the spy, we can use this as evidence. After all, the identity of the spy should have a big impact. Conventional torture methods It’s not easy to use it on him, so be careful with everything.”
Only then did Gu Qi realize that if there is no conclusive evidence, even if there is a suspicious object, it will be in vain. You can't put the respected master on the electric chair to be a light bulb. Public anger is hard to offend.
The temperature gradually increased, and the mist condensed into water droplets on the car window, slowly sliding down from the top of the glass, forming traces. Zuo Zhong suddenly heard his sister Zuo Duo calling him outside.
Zuo Zhong pushed the document bag to Gu Qi: "I'm leaving first. If you have anything to do, come to me at the viewing platform. Remember to restrain your aura. Although the other party is a monk working as a spy, he is absolutely professional and cannot be careless."
After saying that, without waiting for Gu Qi to speak, he opened the car door and walked out. When he saw Zuo Duo running around looking for him, Zuo Zhong waved his hand: "Duo Duo, I'm here, what's the matter?"
Zuo Duo jumped over and ran over, looking at the car behind him. She recognized that it was her family's car. Thinking that it might be used by her brother's colleagues, she gave up her curiosity and said playfully: "Mom, Dad." Said it was time to go."
Zuo Zhong looked at his watch, and it was past six o'clock before he knew it. The puja started at seven o'clock, so it was indeed time to set off. It was not a good idea to be late for this.
"Let's go."
The Zuo family climbed the mountain road. This time Zuo Xuechen refused to let Zuo Zhong carry him on his back. The old man was very energetic after a good rest.
On the road, there was no distinction between high and low in the crowd, and they all walked on a pair of feet. But when they arrived at the temple, they were divided into high and low. For example, if you were a Zuo family, you didn’t have to fight for a seat in the front row. There was a little novice monk who led them to a special area. , and hot water and pastries are provided.
It is very close to the Dharma altar, so you can listen to Master Hongwu's lectures very clearly. There is a wall behind it to block the cold wind, which is very comfortable.
Those who could be in this place were either high-ranking officials or wealthy businessmen. As soon as Zuo Xuechen and Zuo Shanwen arrived, they frequently greeted their acquaintances while Zuo Zhong hid behind them.
People in his profession would not show up if they could. Anyway, Ningbo only knew about the eldest son of the Zuo family, and not many people had seen him.
At this time, ordinary people also occupied their seats. Apart from crowding, there were no quarrels. It seemed that everyone was very polite in front of the Buddha.
At seven o'clock, Master Hongwu walked out of the main hall surrounded by people from all over the Tiantong Temple. At the right moment, a ray of sunlight shone on him, making him look like a god.
Zuo Zhong understood why the Dharma Assembly had to start at seven o'clock. This was the time when the sun was rising and the mist was slightly dispersing, making it easier for people to see the Holy Spirit.
Otherwise, if the master walks out under the dark sky, no matter how high his Buddhist practice is, he will not be able to show his aura of transcendence. This is just product packaging.
"The merits of all the monks chanting sutras, reciting the Buddha's name, and making offerings before the Buddha will be dedicated to the good fortune and avoidance of disasters for all living beings, increased blessings and wisdom, physical and mental freedom, family well-being, everything going smoothly, and good wishes fulfilled. I pray that the righteous Dharma will last for a long time, and the Dharma will be prosperous. This is to cultivate blessings and wisdom to gain peace and happiness in this life, and to prepare the material for the lotus kingdom in future generations!"
As Master Hongwu announced the start of the ceremony, monks from Tiantong Temple and other temples began to chant sutras loudly, and some of the devotees knelt down.
Zuo Zhong was behind his family, scanning the group of monks with his eyes, especially the dozen or so people in the information, but when he saw them, Zuo Zhong was stunned.
These masters all looked like rabbits, and their blood-red eyes were a bit scary. When the cold wind blew, the monks burst into tears.
Zuo Zhong felt a little sorry, knowing that this must have been caused by Gu Qi's hands and feet. There were many masters here who had suffered the same fate.
But there was no way, there had to be sacrifices. In the past, Buddha also cut meat to feed eagles. He stared at these people closely, trying to see if there was anything abnormal.
However, until the end of the chanting, Zuo Zhong found nothing. These masters were very familiar with the sutras they were chanting, and their pronunciation was clear and their posture was natural.
Zuo Zhong was not disappointed. This Japanese spy would not have hidden himself until now. The next step was to see the effect of Master Hongwu's lectures.
The theme of this lecture is to get rid of attachments. The spy must be looking forward to it. Will the spiritual flaws be magnified in such a situation?
Master Hongwu walked up to the Dharma altar, sat down cross-legged and began to lecture. During the lecture, his words were obscure and difficult to understand, and his diction was profound. Except for the monks and a few charitable people, everyone else, such as Zuo Zhong's family, was confused.
In the Buddhist temple not far away, Gu Qi and several agents with cameras looked out from the crack in the door.
He ordered in a low voice: "Take pictures immediately. Take pictures of all the expressions and movements of those dozen people. If the case is solved, I will take credit for you. The section chief is watching outside, so you must not be careless."
The agents found several best angles, observed the masters, and kept pressing the shutter. Only the inaudible sound of the shutter was left in the hall.
As the lecture progressed, the expressions of these masters became rich, some were smiling, some were doubtful, and some were expressionless, and Zuo Zhong gradually focused on the three people.
Zhanjing, original, and deeply suffering. These three are all abbots or preachers of Putuoshan Temple. The three of them have the strangest reactions, but I don’t know whether they have broken their attachments long ago or are hiding something.
While Zhanjing listened attentively to Master Hongwu's sermon, he fiddled with the rosary beads and sometimes shook his head slightly. It seemed that he disagreed with what was said on the altar, and he didn't know who he was performing for.
He didn't express any objection, but he straightened his legs and sat on the ground like a country man. This was a bit rude. Is it really what a great monk should look like?
Shen Ku was the one who listened most attentively among the three people. The others would always move their bodies every once in a while because of their old age and frailty, or because of the cold weather, but he was the only one who didn't move at all.
The focus of his attention gradually focused on Shen Ku. Shen Ku, at the age of sixty-seven, taught the Dharma at Haichao Temple in Putuo Mountain. He had a great reputation in the Jiangnan area. He was also highly virtuous and had many good believers.
Haichao'an is one of the three major temples in Mount Putuo. It was praised and rewarded by the court many times in the previous dynasty, and was even named Huguo Zhenhai Zen Temple. After the Republic of China, it was renamed the original temple. In short, it has a great influence in the Buddhist circle.
Thinking back on this person's information, Zuo Zhong was hesitant. This person had been staying at Haichao Temple for ten years. He usually did nothing special and rarely even left Mount Putuo. Could he be a spy?
The job of a spy is to obtain intelligence, but there are no high-ranking officials among his followers, and he does not make friends with powerful people everywhere. The most important thing he does is to pray for poor people and eliminate disasters. It is unreasonable to know what intelligence he can obtain.
