Master Guichen said that this winter has been plagued by frequent snowstorms, so it may not be a good year. After living here for a few days, Yingniang saw that all the materials in the temple were provided by Cuzhen. Master Guichen was too old to walk long distances or heal. It is said that two young monks had burns on their faces and did not want to see anyone. It is said that they once went down the mountain to beg for alms. Because of the terrible injuries on their faces, everyone avoided them in fear and let dogs bite them. Lingbao felt even more inferior.
Yingniang recalled everything Lingbao said, but she didn't expect that she would meet Master Guichen halfway through the journey.
Gui Chen led the female benefactor into a pavilion. Ying Niang wanted to find out the past deeds from Ling Bao. When she saw that the master seemed to be waiting for her, Ying Niang couldn't help but feel embarrassed and her ears felt hot.
Master Guichen's old voice sounded: "I know that the donor really wants to know the past of Mercy Temple. In fact, Lingbao and the others don't want to tell the truth to the donor. It's because they can't talk about the old facts of this temple."
"I once heard rumors about your temple. It is said that a blood-clothed compassionate monk massacred your temple and also killed a high official. He has not been brought to justice yet." Ying Niang said what she knew: "The old things the master said can be compared with It’s related to the Blood-Clad Merciful Monk.”
"He is the effect, but not the cause. Everything is the result of the abbot and the others." Guichen was surprisingly calm when talking about the tragedy: "The blood-clothed compassionate monk was once a knowledgeable monk at Mercy Temple. Among all the knowledgeable monks, he was the most popular. The young one is named Sophora flavescens."
"Sophora flavescens is something that the poor people down the mountain can no longer afford, so they send it to the temple to become a monk and earn a living."
"He has been fond of Buddhism since he was a child. When he grew up, he became more knowledgeable and outstanding in martial arts. Because of his special eyesight, many dignitaries named him to guide him."
"I know that those noble people looked at him as if they were looking at a strange thing. When he was a child, some noble people wanted to dig out his eyes to see why he grew into double golden pupils. Cun Zhen has been popular since he was a child. , was very articulate, and helped Sophora flavescens with a few nice words, and he was able to save his eyes after the confusion."
Ying Niang clenched her hands, her head suddenly stung, and a pair of golden double eyes suddenly appeared in her mind. At the same time, a deep and deep male voice smiled deeply, lingering in her ears, and the familiarity made her heart palpitate. .
“…His eyes were like gold…”
"His eyes are like gold." Ying Niang blurted out, her eyes blurred, and a hint of pain flashed across her eyes. The memory of that moment gave her a splitting headache.
Guichen laughed: "Yes, Sophora flavescens's eyes are like gold, very dazzling. Now I kind of believe that Sophora flavescens taught you the Nine Turns of Lotus Rebirth Sutra. He is the only one who doesn't take the scriptures handed down from ancient times seriously. If you miss me, just miss it.”
"His character is like a bad iron, stubborn and stubborn, and he doesn't like the abbot." Guichen sighed: "While the other handsome young novices were still ignorant, he had already frightened and angered the nobles in the secret room. Not only that, he was also imprisoned by the abbot. Later, his reputation as a knowledgeable guest in white clothes spread, and the abbot fell in love with him."
Ying Niang didn't understand why there was a secret room suddenly.
Guichen closed his eyes and turned the beads: "The abbot will select the good-looking ones among the young novice monks, and provide them exclusively for the entertainment of some special and good nobles. They are also known as prostitutes outside. If you really like them, you can take them back. , Cunzhen is like this, he has stayed with the Grand Governor for many years."
Ying Niang opened her eyes wide and listened to this in disbelief, feeling cold in her heart.
Is this a Buddhist monastery or a devil's cave?
"The abbots and elders in the temple all know about this, and they all acquiesce. After all, those noble people donate a lot of money to the temple every time." Guichen said slowly, letting the old man say that this matter is a matter of cause and effect. Retribution, if the temple did not give high incense money to the people, why would they end up selling their daughters and losing their sons.
The poor people at the bottom of the mountain borrow money from the temple, and the collateral is their houses, land, wives and children, or jewelry, clothes. Once the money is not paid, the temple will take back their belongings.
There may be good temples that actually use the incense money to solve the suffering of poor people, but Guichen has never seen it.
"After Sophora flavescens grew up, he killed them. He was the one who killed a senior official who was a frequent visitor to the temple, so he is wanted to this day."
"He didn't set the fire. It was a hot and dry weather at the time, lightning struck the old trees, and the monks were unaware, which led to the fire that burned down the Mercy Temple."
"Cunzhen didn't want anyone to disturb us, so he asked the governor to seal the Mercy Temple."
"After that, Mercy Temple became a ghost temple."
Ying Niang listened to this old story and spent some time to calm down and keep her mind from being confused: "Master, why are you telling me this tonight?"
Guichen smiled and said: "Probably, if you don't tell the truth, you won't feel at ease when you see the Buddha."
Ying Niang was there the next morning.
I learned the news of Guichen’s passing away.
Chapter 282
The two young monks cried so hard that they were out of breath. Ying Niang and them collected the body of Master Guichen and buried it in the back hill of Mercy Temple.
She was busy until dark before she accepted the fact that Master Guichen had passed away. Obviously, the master had said a lot to her last night.
When night fell, Ying Niang felt worried and went to Lingbao's room. She heard the young monk's suppressed cries and the comforting voice of his senior brother. She was sure that the two young monks would not secretly go to the back mountain to cry in the middle of the night. Finally, Yingniang returned to her room in the monk's house.
The two monks cried miserably in the morning, which made Yingniang feel sad and felt as if her heart was blocked all day long.
While the young monk was carving the stele, Yingniang burned the entire volume of the Nine Turns of the Lotus Sutra to Master Guichen, and copied another volume and placed it in the sutra room. This made her feel better and less remorseful.
If she were not so selfish, maybe Master Guichen would be able to see the entire volume of the Nine Turns of the Lotus Sutra with his own eyes.
Ying Niang was so invaded by this thought that she couldn't sleep well, and she didn't sleep for a while until dawn.
For three days in a row, the temple was immersed in a sad atmosphere. Just when Ying Niang was thinking about what to do next, late at night, there was a sudden movement near the side door of the monk's residence. Ying Niang almost immediately put on her clothes and cut off her clothes. She also took out the knife and hid it in her cuff. She knew in her heart that it was Yu Dalang who came, but just in case, she still took the knife with her.
It wasn't until Yu Dalang's figure appeared furtively at the monk's residence that Yingniang came out from the darkness.
Yu Dalang was startled by the sudden appearance of Lady Ying and almost shouted.
"Don't make a sound, it's me." Ying Niang said softly, taking Yu Dalang into his room in the monk's house, blowing on the firewood and lighting the candle.
Yu Dalang was in shock: "Did you know? Suddenly there was a new tomb in the back mountain. I was almost scared to death when I walked over. I thought I had encountered a ghost breaking the wall. Have you encountered anything here? There is something in this temple. No ghosts?"
"There are no ghosts." Ying Niang sat at the table and poured a cup of tea for Yu Dalang: "The new grave was dug by me and the monks in the temple, and a master is buried in it."
A mouthful of tea suddenly popped out of Yu Dalang's mouth: "What did you say?"
Ying Niang omitted the tragedy of the Mercy Temple that year and talked about what happened after entering the temple. The two young monks and Master Guichen were both survivors of the fire that year.
Yu Dalang was shocked when he heard this. He really didn't expect that there were people in the ghost temple. Looking at Ying Niang's calm and composed appearance, Yu Dalang tried to make up for his timidity and laughed dryly: "I knew that the night I went in, There is something fishy in the temple, and it turns out that someone is pretending to be a ghost behind the scenes."
"Now that the old monk is dead, there are only two young monks left in the temple." Yu Dalang put down the package and opened it, which contained frozen and hard sesame cakes: "Why don't I take you to the Tang Family Women's Temple. "
"I want to go there after a while." Yingniang said. There were only two young monks left in the temple, and Yingniang couldn't let them go here.
"Okay." Yu Dalang said.
"Are there any movements from the Miao family?" Yingniang asked again.
Yu Dalang picked up a piece of sesame seed cake and ate it, making a loud crunching sound: "On the first day of the new year, his family came over to make trouble. When they heard that you left, they didn't believe it. After staying in my house for two or three days, my mother kicked him out. Later...well , my uncle came to find my mother in person. He is my mother’s brother and helped my father find a job..."
When Ying Niang heard this, she could already guess Cui Niang's choice. Although she had expected it, she still felt a little sad when she actually heard it.
"The Miao family secretly went to the Tang Family Women's Temple to look for you. After several days of squatting, they wanted to go into the temple to look for you. Auntie and the others didn't give up even though they didn't find you. They tried to go in again and again, but were beaten by the guards of the women's temple. When I came out, I kept blaming my mother-in-law for lying to them."
"The housekeeper of the Xiang Mansion thought the Miao family was teasing him when he saw no one," Yu Dalang laughed when he talked about it: "In anger, he broke Miao Erlang's leg. Now the whole family is not bothering anymore and is recuperating at home."
Ying Niang showed a rare smile and started laughing too.
"These cakes are for you. Master Cunzhen doesn't know when he will come back. If there is not enough food in the temple, you can eat it yourself." Yu Dalang pushed the package to Yingniang.
Ying Niang accepted it. If there was not enough food in the temple, she would definitely share it with the two young monks.
"Are you busy these days?" Yingniang asked.
"If I can be busy, tell me, what do you want me to do?" Yu Dalang said.
"I want you to send a letter to Master Cunzhen and inform him of Master Guichen's passing away," Yingniang said.
"Okay." Yu Dalang agreed, and saw Ying Niang going to the long table by the window and starting to study ink and write letters. Yu Dalang looked around and found that the people in the temple should treat Ying Niang pretty well. Compared with the last time he came, the monks' dormitory There are many more things.
Yingniang smoothed the paper and wrote slowly.
After writing the letter, Ying Niang handed it to Yu Dalang.
"It's very late now, why not find an empty room to rest for the night." Yingniang said.
Yu Dalang thought for a while. Now that he knew that there were innocent people in the temple, he felt much bolder, so he stayed happily.
But when he saw the two burned young monks the next day, Yu Dalang was still frightened. Their faces were so ugly that people would probably have to kick him out if he went out to beg for alms.
Lingbao hid behind his senior brother and looked at the strangers in the temple.
After the two young monks learned that he was an old friend of Lady Ying and was about to set off to deliver a message to Master Cunzhen, they were no longer afraid.
After Yu Dalang left.
Ying Niang took the two young monks to continue to visit the temple. By the way, she picked some cabbage and radishes from the vegetable patch, cooked some vegetable soup in the kitchen, steamed the scones until soft, and the three of them ate together. , two young monks went to the back mountain to collect firewood.
Just when Ying Niang thought that Yu Dalang would come back in the evening, Yu Dalang did not come back. A whole day passed, and Yu Dalang seemed to have disappeared from the world after sending a letter.
By noon the next day, Yingniang couldn't sit still.
Did something happen to Yu Dalang? The two young monks were also uneasy.
Yingniang looked at Lingbao and the others, holding a bamboo stick in her hand: "I'm going to find Yu Dalang and take a look at Cunzhen. You guys just wait for me in the temple. In the evening..." Before she could finish her words, Lingbao was Grabbed the hand.
"Female donor, you can't see, let's go together." Senior Brother Lingbao mustered up the courage to say.
"Yes, let's go together." Lingbao said, "I will lead the way for Ying Niang."
The two young monks unexpectedly persisted, but in the end they had no choice. Ying Niang put on her curtain hat, held a stick in one hand, and held Lingbao in the other. Lingbao then held the senior brother, and the three of them went down the mountain together.
Before leaving the mountain, Yingniang took the money with her.
After going down the mountain, Yingniang was led by Lingbao for a walk.
It was very lively at the foot of the mountain. Ying Niang listened to all directions. After a while, she learned from tourists and vendors that today was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Ying Niang noticed that the two young monks were afraid when facing many people, so she spent money to buy two masks. After wearing them, the two young monks finally no longer tolerated the strange looks from others, especially Lingbao, who touched the masks. He touched her again and again and thanked her repeatedly.
The three of them were walking in the prosperous city of Luoyang, rushing to the Governor's Mansion of Luoyang. Lingbao secretly looked at the stalls on the street, with vendors and tourists in the streets. It was not yet evening, and the lights were dancing with fish and dragons. Luoyang has become prosperous. The buildings and boats in Luohe River are decorated with lights and colorful decorations, and everyone is laughing.
Lingbao watched intently. He rarely came out and rarely saw such beautiful scenery. Luoyang would definitely be more lively at night.
Lingbao's wrist suddenly felt painful when being held by Lady Ying. He looked at Lady Ying in confusion. Lady Ying was wearing a curtain hat today, and the gauze covered her face. However, she was short and thin. When he looked up, I still see Lady Ying’s face.
Lady Ying is the most beautiful person Lingbao has ever seen.
"Ms. Ying, what's wrong with you?" Lingbao asked.
"Something's wrong." Ying Niang stood at a street corner. Under the curtain, she frowned tightly, looking a little uneasy: "I heard the sound of horse hooves."
Among the thousands of sounds of joy and laughter, it is difficult to describe how Yingniang felt when she suddenly heard this sound. It was so subtle, like a drop of water falling into the sea, but Yingniang heard it.
"Ah! I didn't hear it." Lingbao listened carefully.
"I didn't hear it either."
"It's true." Yingniang held the Lingbao tightly: "How far is it from the Governor's Mansion?"
"Come on, walk through this street and you will see the Governor's Mansion. Cunzhen has a house nearby," Lingbao said.
The three of them walked much faster, and after a while, Yingniang heard the increasingly heavier sounds of armor and swords clashing, as well as the increasingly clear sounds of horse hooves.
"There are so many soldiers." Lingbao looked at the soldiers and horses galloping on the street in surprise. At the same time, a small official came out and announced a three-day curfew on January 15th, and no one was allowed to stay on the street.
The commotion on the street was quickly controlled by Luoyang guards. On the wide streets, scouts rode on horseback, as if there was an urgent matter, casting a haze over the city of Luoyang.
"Why did you come out?!" Yu Dalang hurried back and suddenly saw three people on the street. He thought he was dazzled. They were sweating profusely and pulling Yingniang and the others away from the officers and soldiers. These Luoyang soldiers knew how to get rid of them if they were unhappy. People whip.
"I saw that you didn't return after delivering the letter for a long time. I thought something had happened to you, so I came to find you." Ying Niang came back to her senses.
