Song Che fed the hard worker some water and after a moment of relief, the hard worker slowly opened his eyes, but his body was still limp and he couldn't even open his mouth to speak, which showed how much suffering he had suffered.
Song Che soaked another bowl of flatbread in water, added some shredded beef, fed it to him, and then regained his energy a little.
"Thank you so much for saving my life!" The hard worker cried and knelt down to worship.
"You don't have to be so polite, fellow countryman," Song Che hurriedly helped him up and asked, "In your country, if farmers can't cultivate the land well, they have to work hard until they die?"
The hard worker said: "We have planted the land, and we will have a good harvest this year! It was the cruel national master who used the excuse to arrest us as coolies to build a big Buddha statue for His Majesty the King..."
National Division?
Buddha statue?
Song Che asked the hard worker to find out, and it turned out:
King Wusun was obsessed with Buddhism and had been a lay disciple in his early years. He observed fasting and vegetarianism throughout his life, was benevolent and righteous, and loved the people like a son.
A year ago, the king suddenly fell ill with a strange disease, which could not be cured even after searching for a good doctor for a long time. Just when the king was about to die, an eminent monk who claimed to be from Tianzhu came to Wusu, and he rejuvenated the king overnight. The king's illness was cured. In order to thank him, the king named him the protector of the country and spent a huge sum of money to build a Tianluo Temple for the princes and nobles to worship and worship Buddha;
But this national master had no mercy. In order to build the temple, he arrested many young men and forced the serfs to do hard labor. Thousands of people died from exhaustion;
Originally, Tianluo Temple had been completed last month, but unexpectedly, the national master said that there was still a big Buddha in front of the temple. Wusu State did not have suitable stones, so he did not hesitate to knock stones from the mountains fifty miles away and have them transported by coolies. Return to the temple;
The giant Buddha he built is four feet high and weighs tens of thousands of kilograms. It must be completed before September. If it fails, all the hard workers will be beheaded!
Monks have compassion and need to be kind to all sentient beings, but this national teacher is building a lot of construction projects and wasting money and people. How can he be worthy of the title of "eminent monk"?
“It’s true that both humans and gods are outraged!”
Liu Xiang'er said unfairly: "Even those old bald donkeys in our Daliang area are just trying to get some sesame oil money. Your bald donkeys here simply don't treat people as human beings! The same goes for your king. How can she love the people like a son?" ? In my opinion, he is clearly a fool!"
"Ouch! Miss, please don't talk nonsense!" The hard worker looked around, extremely frightened. "If your words are overheard and reach the ears of the Imperial Master, you will be beheaded!"
"Xiang'er, don't be unprotected. You should be careful in your words and deeds in a foreign country." Song Che scolded Liu Xiang'er and asked the hard worker where Tianluo Temple was.
The hard worker pointed to the front of the avenue and said: "Turn around the big bend in front, look up and you will see a temple, that is Tianluo Temple."
"Where can I stay overnight?" Song Che asked again.
The hard worker shook his head, "I don't know about this. Tianluo Temple is usually only used for people to burn incense and worship Buddha. Except for the princes and nobles, I have never seen any passersby staying overnight in it."
He lowered his voice and persuaded: "Benefactor, there are more than a hundred monks in Tianluo Temple. I work in the temple, and I often see them secretly transporting wine and meat to the temple. They are definitely not good people. You'd better take a few more steps." , it’s a good idea to stay at the inn ahead!”
Song Che rolled his eyes and smiled secretly, "Thank you fellow for reminding me, I have my own plan." Then he gave the hard worker some water, food and healing medicine, and the caravan continued to set off.
When the road turned a corner, I saw a temple. It was so majestic and majestic that I thought it was a palace.
"Boss, from the look in your eyes, are you going to stay in this temple tonight?" Nangong Yue asked.
Song Che smiled and said, "Do you think there's anything wrong?"
Nangong Yue pursed her lips, "Although it is an insult to merit, the more holy some places are, the dirtier they are. Monks who do bad things in the name of burning incense and worshiping Buddha are not uncommon in our Daliang area."
Song Che even experienced it personally. Wang Zhi, the great pirate in the past, turned into a monk and hid in Ciyin Temple, raped, robbed, and committed all kinds of evil, but he ended up burning him to pieces.
Merit?
sacred?
None are as good as physical transcendence.
"Don't be afraid, we will pay homage to sacred places; we will transform filthy places."
Arrive at Tenraji Square.
A four-foot-tall Buddha is about to take shape, and hundreds of hard workers are working together to lift the stone. Perhaps in the temple, the supervisors are much more "merciful". Although they hold whips in their hands, they still give the Buddha some face, right?
Song Che is an atheist and is not interested in Buddhism, but since he is here, he "doesn't look at the monk's face but the Buddha's face" and throws in a few taels of incense oil money to express his feelings.
There are monks knocking on wooden fish and chanting sutras in the Buddhist hall, and they pretend to be presentable, but once they meet a beautiful female pilgrim, the masters can't help but take a second look.
There is an old monk on duty next to the merit box. He has a stern face when pilgrims donate less, but smiles when pilgrims donate more.
Song Che threw the ingot of silver into the box, and the old monk immediately smiled and said, "Amitabha, the generous donor will definitely be blessed by the Buddha..."
Song Che changed his greetings and said with a smile: "Master, we are businessmen from Dongtu Daliang. We are going to Wusu country to do business. Seeing that it is getting late, we happened to pass by your temple. I wonder if we can stay overnight?"
When the old monk heard that he wanted to stay for the night, he immediately showed a troubled look, "The donor does not know that Tianluo Temple was built by His Majesty the King, and His Majesty the King only allows people to pay incense and worship."
"Is that so?" Song Che showed some regret and sighed: "The silk I shipped is worth more than gold. It is very expensive. I want to stay in an ordinary inn. I am afraid that the gangsters will miss me, so I want to come to the temple to stay. Since If your temple is inconvenient, then I’d better find another place.”
When the old monk heard this, his eyes brightened, he hurriedly grabbed Song Che who was about to leave, and said with a smile: "The donor generously gave so much sesame oil money, we should respect the donor as an honored guest. Since it is getting late, then you are here Let’s stay in the temple.”
Song Che sneered in his heart and lied to the old monk: "But didn't Master say that His Majesty the King won't let civilians stay overnight? If I break the rules, I'm afraid it will affect you!"
"Hey, don't be afraid. The donor came from afar and didn't know anything. The abbot of Tianluo Temple, Master Xinjue, is the current national advisor. The king must respect him. Donor, you are a distinguished guest of Tianluo Temple. Live here. One night is fine.”
When the old monk talked about his abbot, he looked arrogant.
"If that's the case, then we would be disrespectful."
"Donors, you don't have to be polite. We monks are always willing to give to others... Come on, come and clean the guest room in the west wing quickly, and tell the kitchen to cook some more vegetarian dishes to entertain all of you distinguished guests!"
