This was the first official meeting between Wang Zi'an and Tang Xuanzang.
"The poor monk Xuanzang of Lingyin Temple has met the Marquis——"
Regarding the legendary Tang Monk, Wang Zi'an was originally quite curious, but looking at the fair-faced and peaceful-looking monk in front of him, who was considered clean and good-looking, he stood in front of him respectfully and expectantly. At that moment, my heart suddenly felt a lot duller.
Even the thought just now of giving advice to others, cheating them in advance—ahem, encouraging them to go to the West to learn Buddhist scriptures in advance—has been lost a lot.
"Master Xuanzang, I have long admired your name - I wonder why Master Xuanzang is here this time?"
With his interest gone, he no longer had any intention of chatting with him. Wang Zi'an went straight to the point.
Master Xuanzang clasped his hands together and returned the salute. Then he took out a copy of "Journey to the West" from his arms and asked respectfully.
"This poor monk once studied this book day and night - in the eyes of others, it may be just a story with twists and turns, bizarre twists and turns, but in the eyes of the poor monk, it is every word and every word contains the true meaning of Buddhism. Even the above mentioned There seems to be a vague allusion to the Great Leiyin Temple in Xitianling Mountain, not to mention that the person who drew the scriptures in this book calls himself Xuanzang, who has the same name as the young monk——"
Having said this, Tang Seng raised his head and looked at Wang Zi'an with a solemn expression.
"——But the Marquis is taking the opportunity to teach the poor monk, through "Journey to the West", to teach the poor monk that as long as he breaks through the illusion, sees the true nature, and devotes himself to the Buddha, he can break all the suffering in the world and have the opportunity to go to the Western Heaven. Daleiyin Temple seeks to obtain Mahayana Buddhism, save the world, and cleanse people's hearts..."
Wang Zi’an:……
Ah, this——
To be honest, I have a nephew in later generations. After reading Journey to the West, he walked half-crouched every day, pulled his father, called him master every day, and kept asking his father to take him to the Great Leiyin Temple in the West to pray. Get the truth.
Looking at the monk with increasingly fanatical eyes in front of him, Wang Zi'an didn't know how to complain for a moment.
To be honest, when he wrote this, he did have a bit of the bad taste of a time traveler, thinking how fun it would be if Tang Monk saw this story, but - I never expected that you think so much!
For a moment, I didn't know how to answer the call, so I had to try hard to maintain the smile on my face to prevent myself from laughing directly. As a graceful, gentle, and unrivaledly handsome Marquis of the Tang Dynasty, I am polite.
At this moment, I saw Wang Zi'an's "deep eyes" and "majestic appearance", just like the Buddha holding flowers, "smiling and silent". Suddenly my heart was shaken, like listening to Huang Zhongda Lu, and like being enlightened, and I realized it instantly.
Can’t be wrong!
This must be me, the Buddha, using the words of the Marquis of Chang'an to enlighten me, and I want to go to the West to obtain the Mahayana scriptures in order to save the world. Master Xuanzang's eyes suddenly became firmer when he thought that those Buddhist disciples were all in vain and obsessed with money.
"Namo Amitabha, my Buddha is compassionate - thank you Lord Marquis for your enlightenment, the young monk has understood -"
Wang Zi’an:……
Ah, this——
Don't lie, I didn't!
But at this moment, what else can I do, I can only continue to smile and nod slightly in a pretentious manner.
Master Xuanzang has profound Buddhist teachings. At this moment, he has fallen into the surprise of being enlightened by the Buddha. He is full of fighting spirit to go to the West to obtain the true scriptures.
"The young monk is willing to go west to Lingshan to obtain the true scriptures, and also asks the Marquis to give you some guidance——"
"Really going?"
Wang Zi'an looked at the great monk in front of him with a playful expression.
I remember that according to the book, the time when Monk Tang went to study for Buddhist scriptures seemed to be in the 13th year of Zhenguan. But as for the actual year in which Monk Tang went to study for Buddhist scriptures, Wang Zi'an really didn't pay attention to this issue.
If you are not a believer in Buddhism, no serious person would pay attention to this.
"The world is ignorant, but the young monk is willing to seek the true scriptures, enlighten the world, and glorify my Buddha..."
Wang Zi’an:……
I admit, I had a bit of a bad taste when I asked people to write books, but I really didn’t think about it.
Guangdong my Buddha?
Forget it.
Because he really couldn't think of any benefits that the rise of Buddhism would bring to the Tang Dynasty or to himself. Could it be that when future generations mention him, he is said to be the driving force behind the rise of Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty?
It's not that Wang Zi'an has religious prejudices, but that this religion is actually a bit hard to describe.
It’s okay if you don’t have to produce yourself. You still have to get gold bodies and incense every day. Those fools and foolish women are deceived. It’s better when the society is stable, but when there is war, some people even sell their children. The women left their homes and careers to worship the Buddha, which once had a serious impact on society and the rule of the court.
Not to mention anything else, but if you look at the several vigorous top-down movements to exterminate Buddhism that have arisen in history, you will know why.
"Really going?"
“I really want to go!”
"Do you have to go?"
"I have to go!"
…
So, Tang Monk traveled to the West because he read his own "Journey to the West"?
It’s so confusing!
Looking at the monk who was obviously determined, Wang Zi'an even wanted to take the guy down for a moment. But he understood that this kind of thing cannot be forced. If there is one, there will be two. Without Tang Xuanzang, there would still be Song Xuanzang.
Since you can't stop it, then just give up - ahem, the beauty of adulthood is!
"It's so good, and it's a good deed of immeasurable merit. If you want to go, I can't help you with anything else, but I can give you a helping hand with a map, two good horses, and a few good horses..."
Although he didn't know the specific route to Tianzhu in this era, he still knew the general geographical distribution of the country. A small section of the world map he spent some time ago was enough for him.
"Well, thank you very much, little monk -"
This is the great merit of the Marquis of Chang'an!
Tang Seng did not refuse, but stood up, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to Prince An.
"The young monk is deeply impressed by the kindness of the Marquis for his advice. He dares to ask the Marquis if he has any other instructions. As long as the young monk can do it, he will not dare to refuse..."
Tsk, not bad, pretty good.
As expected, I gave you so many things.
Prince An stood up with a smile and walked to Master Xuanzang.
"You're welcome. As the ancients said, it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books. When Master goes to thousands of mountains and rivers, he will definitely see the exotic scenery, customs and customs that the ordinary people in our country cannot see-"
Having said this, Wang Zi'an patted Tang Seng on the shoulder with encouragement.
"It would be great if the Master could record what he saw along the way and draw the scenery and geography along the way into a book, and bring it back to the Central Plains one day so that we can also experience the exotic customs..."
Master Xuanzang nodded solemnly in agreement.
"This is a trivial matter, it takes a little effort, but the young monk will not dare to forget the Lord Marquis's instructions!"
He sent Tang Seng away with a smile, and did not forget to stand at the door of his house and wave goodbye to everyone.
"Master, it's a long journey, so take care of yourself along the way——"
After walking far away, Tang Seng bowed deeply to Wang Zian, then turned around again and strode away.
Once I leave, I won’t get the scriptures, and I swear I won’t return.
Well, there is also the Marquis’s request, which I must not forget!
…
The small amount of sponsorship funds for traveling west to learn Buddhist scriptures was simply insignificant to Wang Zi'an. After returning home, he immediately ordered someone to send them over. Except for the monk's robes and hats, which needed to be specially purchased at a clothing store, the rest were all ready-made and could be said in just one sentence.
However, no one gave me more money.
The two monks took so much money on the road, and if they didn't make trouble, they would really go on the road. Although in Wang Zi'an's view, if the one named Bianji really went on the road, the other two monks, Fang Er and Gao Yang, might not be the same. A bad thing.
This kind of thing, to him now, is just a trivial matter on a whim. On the contrary, it was because of Tang Monk's incident that it reminded him of his filial disciple Li Yifu, who, although now well-known in Chang'an and leading public opinion in the Tang Dynasty, still came over from time to time to say hello.
Duke Zhou was afraid of the day of rumors, but Wang Mang was humble and did not usurp the time?
With this humble, low-key, filial and obedient little performance, who wouldn't be lost in the lake if you let it go?
However, there is one thing to say, no matter what this guy's character is in history, his ability is really nothing to say.
Datang Evening News became a success under his management, and he quickly mastered the secrets of media promotion. He cooperated with Li Shimin quite well without even saying hello. However, precisely because of this, Li Shimin proposed several times that he wanted this guy to become an official.
It's just that, for a while, we couldn't find anyone suitable to replace Li Yifu, so we had to give up temporarily.
In this regard, Wang Zi'an is indispensable.
If oranges grow in Huainan, they become oranges; if they grow in north Huaibei, they become oranges.
Under Li Zhi, this guy dared to make friends and sell his official position, but under Li Shimin, he might not have the courage, and if he had the courage, he might not have the means.
Just thinking about it.
He heard brisk footsteps coming from outside the courtyard gate, and couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
This man, I really couldn't stop talking about him, so I thought of him and he came unexpectedly.
"Student, I have seen Master——"
As always, this guy rushed in first and gave Wang Zian a respectful salute. Then he pursed his thick lips and put down the package in his hand with an honest look.
"After the student went back yesterday, he put aside other tasks at hand, worked an extra class, and rushed out the last pieces of "Heroes of the Shooting Blighter" you requested in advance. I also asked Master to take a look..."
With that said, he first carefully took it out of the package and handed it to Wang Zi'an.
Then, he actually took out a box of snacks from inside.
"The student remembered that the three teachers' wives said that they really liked the snacks made by Wangjianglou. When they passed by, they bought some..."
"Senior Brother Li, you are here -"
At this moment, there was a sound of surprise from outside the door, and Di Renjie and Wu Zetian jumped in from the outside.
Seeing two people come in, Li Yifu took out two more things and handed them over respectively, as if by magic.
"Junior Sister Wu, Junior Brother Di, these are the inkstones that senior brother asked someone to buy for you. You are studying now, and senior brother has nothing to give you. I happened to get these two inkstones in the past few days. Seeing that you still return them If it is suitable, I will bring it to you..."
Wang Zi'an glanced at it.
Good guy, Chengni Yan.
Not to mention the value of future generations, even now, Chengni Inkstone is a good thing sought after by countless scholars and is worth a lot of money. It has a fine texture, is solid and thick, and is prone to ink. Especially these two inkstones, one is crab shell cyan, and the other is gorgeous rose purple. They are definitely the best among pure mud inkstones.
I don’t know how much effort it took to get this product, but it’s just a gift.
Sure enough, as soon as they saw the two inkstones, Wu Zetian and Di Renjie immediately fell in love with them. They grabbed the rose purple and crab shell green ones respectively, and they couldn't bear to let go.
"It's really a good inkstone, thank you senior brother——"
"Things are bought for use, as long as you like them..."
Seeing that the two junior brothers and sisters were particularly fond of him, Li Yifu habitually showed a simple and honest smile, as if he was a kind-hearted senior brother.
Wang Zi’an:……
If not, this guy is smart and would be popular here.
Every time I come, I bring something with me, no matter how high or low I am, I always take great care. He coaxed his three daughters-in-law and two young apprentices into running around and praised him profusely.
People have a certain way of doing things.
At least, Wang Zi'an felt that he couldn't do this.
"Okay, okay, just go away and play - it's so easy to be bribed, sooner or later you will have to count the money for others if you are sold..."
Di Renjie made a face and ran away holding the inkstone, while Wu Zetian picked up the snacks Li Yifu brought.
"This is for Master's wife, I think - I'll send it to Master's wife first..."
After saying that, he glanced at Wang Zi'an demonstratively, puffed out his small chest, deliberately bypassed Wang Zi'an's figure, and walked to the backyard. Only then did Wang Zi'an suddenly realize that this little girl had grown up a lot without knowing it, and she seemed to have become a bit like a girl.
cough--
He quickly looked away, coughed dryly, and changed the subject.
"How are your two deputies doing?"
"Back to Master, Ouyang Wen and Xu Zhongliang are both very perceptive. Now they are basically able to do things independently. They have helped the students a lot. With their help, the recent work has become a lot easier..."
Wang Zi'an glanced at him and smiled noncommittally.
This guy has obviously realized something and started to ambush himself, but he didn't expose his little idea. After all, no matter what angle you consider, Ouyang Wen and Xu Zhongliang are the best choices to take over his current job.
Neither he nor Li Shimin actually cared much about this.
Who can be careless?
As long as you can do things and know how to measure things, that's fine.
"Recently, the imperial court has plans to let you become an official. I don't know what you think..."
Wang Zi'an mentioned it lightly.
"Students have all the decisions made by their master!"
Li Yifu quickly stood up and bowed to Wang Zi'an.
Wang Zi'an waved his hand casually.
"You don't have to be like this - after all, it's been more than half a year since you joined me. In the past six months, you have done an outstanding job. I have noticed it and am very satisfied. Senior brother Ma Zhou joined me at the same time as you My subordinate has now become an official, and if you go there, you will have a helper to some extent..."
"Student, thank you Master for your teaching and support!"
After saying that he couldn't say anything else, he knelt on the ground and sincerely kowtowed to Wang Zi'an several times.
Without Master's support, how could I, as a scholar from a poor family, have the momentum and treatment I have today?
Even if there is an opportunity to become an official in the future, I don’t know how long it will take.
But since I had the master, everything has been completely different. The master is the noble person in my life.
