The Heavens Begin with Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 87: The Bhikkhuni in the Mantou Temple

Everything happened just as Zhan Ershisi had imagined. After he arrived at Tiekan Temple, he just announced his name and was immediately welcomed in by the abbot. Tea, snacks and snacks were served to him with great hospitality.

Of course, Zhan Ershisi could not be stingy, and according to the old rules, he started by giving a reward. He stuffed a silver ingot into the hand of the young monk who was serving tea and water, which immediately made the abbot and the young monk smile.

Mr. Zhan really lives up to his reputation!
If a young monk who serves others can get so much reward money, would the abbot be stingy?

The abbot immediately used all his strength to flatter Zhan Ershi, making him smile from ear to ear. However, Zhan Ershi did not come here to listen to his flattery, but had something to do. So after a while of polite conversation, he got straight to the point and said to the abbot with a smile:

"The master is quite famous in this Buddhist temple. Do you know if there are any high-ranking nuns who have achieved enlightenment in this capital?"

The abbot was stunned. He had heard of this high-ranking monk before, but this was the first time he had heard of this high-ranking nun. However, he understood what he meant, so he smiled and explained:
"For us outsiders, there is no distinction between men and women. Even a nun is a high monk."

"If the donor is asking about this famous nun, the nun Jingxu in the Shuiyue Temple next door is the best among them. Every powerful and wealthy family in the capital knows her."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Ershisi knew that this Master Jingxu was not a person of virtue, but must be a person who had been rolling around in the secular world, so he waved his hand and said:
"I don't need people like these who act as brokers among families. I am only looking for those who have magical powers and are proficient in Buddhism."

The abbot frowned and evaded the question:

"Magic power and supernatural powers are naturally acquired after practicing meditation. If you don't tell others, others won't know about it."

"The Buddha taught us not to display supernatural powers to preach, so even if someone has supernatural powers, they will only know about it to themselves and will not tell others."

"I wonder if you have encountered any difficulties in finding such a great monk?"

"If you trust me, you may as well tell me and see if I can help you get rid of the disaster."

As soon as Mr. Zhan heard this, he knew that this bald guy was just a show-off and probably couldn't be relied on. But after thinking for a while, he still said:

"There is a female lay Buddhist in my house who is a devout Buddhist. However, her practice seems to have gone astray and her behavior is very unusual. So I want to find an expert to help explain and guide her so that she can return to the right path."

The abbot suddenly realized, "It turns out that she is a female lay Buddhist. No wonder the donor wanted to find the nun."

He was also very familiar with the dirty deeds going on in the backyards of the powerful and wealthy, so he didn't even ask for the specific reasons.

Seeing that his family couldn't do business, he lost interest, but still wanted to make friends with the wealthy Mr. Zhan, so he smiled and said:
"I don't know much about Master Youdao, so why don't I invite Master Jingxu over and ask her about it? Maybe she will know more."

Zhan Ershisi thought so too and nodded in agreement. Then the abbot asked the young monk next to him to go to Shuiyue Temple to invite Master Jingxu to come over.

Not long after, an old nun came over with two young nuns.

The old nun had a solemn look on her face and looked very good, but the two young nuns were more beautiful and charming than the other.

Seeing Master Jingxu coming, the abbot introduced the two of them and then left the room, leaving them to discuss it among themselves. Whether it succeeded or not, it all depended on his favor.

Jingxu had already known the reason from the young monk, so after a few polite words, he said:
"Buddhism has great powers, but without guidance, it is inevitable that one will go astray. Since the woman in your house was not seduced by evil spirits, but just went astray in her practice, we only need to guide her back on the right track. There is no need for any magical powers to help her."

Zhan Ershisi certainly knew that he didn't need any magical powers, but he had to use this threshold to identify whether it was a genuine Taoist priest. If he found a fake, the failure of psychological counseling would be a small matter, but if he talked too much and leaked the news, it would be very embarrassing.

Seeing Zhan Ershisi pondering, Jingxu volunteered:
"I don't dare to claim to be a great monk, but I am familiar with the scriptures and Buddhist stories. You may invite the women in your family to my Shuiyue Temple for a few months of meditation. I will personally guide you and you will definitely see results."

"If that doesn't work, I will look for another senior monk or elder to help."

After hearing this, Mr. Zhan became a little hesitant.

Xichun's current condition is not suitable for her to leave the house, let alone leak the news.

What's more, when he heard Master Jingxu introduce her two disciples, Zhishan and Zhineng, he suddenly remembered who this Master Jingxu was.

This fellow was the old thief who secretly instigated Feng Lazi to write a letter to force the Chang'an County garrison to cancel the engagement for three thousand taels of silver, and finally forced the couple to death.

With this kind of person, you still expect her to provide psychological counseling?

Even good people have to be misguided by her guidance... Hey, it seems that he doesn't need to straighten Xichun out!
He needs Xichun to adjust in the direction he needs. In short, it is training and personalization.

As long as Xichun's attitude of being submissive and accepting everything that comes her way is changed and she only obeys the orders of Master Zhan, the goal will be achieved.

A greedy guy like Jingxu is the same kind of people as the masters who roam around in the circle of wealthy people in later generations. As long as you give him money, he will definitely do things beautifully for you. Maybe he can really find a way to "fix" Xichun.

Moreover, since she can move around in the backyards of many powerful families and has not been silenced until now, she is probably quite tight-lipped.

Well, this counterfeit doesn't have any magical powers, so it would be convenient to silence him in the future.

With that said, it seems that maybe this old nun is really suitable, even more suitable than Miaoyu.

Then the only question left is whether her professional skills are good enough?

Seeing that Mr. Zhan's eyes were full of scrutiny, Nun Jingxu smiled and straightened her back, looking confident.

Zhan Ershisi considered his words for a moment, then said with a smile:
"The woman in my family has a special status, so it is inconvenient for outsiders to know..."

Before he could finish, Jingxu interrupted with sympathy:

"I am a nun who practices cultivation. I never dare to speak carelessly. Even if I see or hear something, I will never tell it to others."

Zhan Ershi nodded with satisfaction and continued:

"There are so many people in Shuiyue Temple, and I'm afraid..."

"Donor, please rest assured. In Shuiyue Temple, we practice in seclusion on weekdays. No one is allowed to go out, and no one is allowed to talk too much. Otherwise, there will be severe punishment according to the temple rules."

After a pause, Jingxu added:

"If you are worried, you can send some maids to the nunnery to serve you, so that the nuns in the nunnery won't be clumsy and offend you."

Zhan Ershisi was more satisfied after hearing this. He immediately took out a handful of banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the table in front of Jingxu, saying with a smile:
"I have always believed in Buddhism and have always wanted to offer something like a perpetual lamp in front of the Buddha to pray for blessings, but I have never had the chance. Now that I have met the nun today, I will trouble you to help me."

Jingxu immediately smiled, and his pretended solemn appearance turned into a fawning one. He reached out and grabbed the banknote, stuffed it into his sleeve, and said with a smile:

"Since the donor is so pious, the Buddha will surely bless the nobleman in your house and hope he will recover soon."

Zhan Ershisi was amused to see her change of expression and her skillful movements in grabbing the banknotes, but he felt more relieved and only ordered:
"I will have the housekeeper secretly send you to Shuiyue Temple. You need to live in a separate courtyard so that no one can disturb you. Someone will naturally tell you how to recuperate."

Mr. Zhan is a kind gentleman. There are many things he cannot say personally, so Xiren has to convey them.

Old Nun Jingxu was used to this kind of behavior. As soon as she heard it, she knew that there was something secretive going on. She didn't ask and just waited until the people arrived. She agreed to it repeatedly:

"Don't worry, benefactor. Shuiyue Temple is very large with many courtyards. We will definitely not allow anyone to disturb your meditation."

Zhan Ershi picked up the tea bowl, sipped the tea, and said with a smile:
"Please be attentive, Master. If you can really help me to cultivate, I will naturally have other intentions."

Jingxu knew that the matter was settled, so he stood up, said goodbye, and left with his two disciples.

Zhan Ershisi also went out, said goodbye to the abbot, stuffed ten taels of silver into the merit box, and mounted his horse and returned home with the abbot's respectful farewell.

After arriving home, Zhan Ershisi first called Xiren and others over, told them the situation, and asked them to prepare the carriage and stay in Shuiyue Temple for a while.

In addition to these maids and old women, he also asked someone to go to Lixiangyuan to call Zijing over.

Shuiyue Temple is not a good place. It seems that there is some flesh trade in secret. If a group of weak women go there, who knows if they will fall into the tiger's mouth.

Zijing was the female bandit who followed Master Zhan to rob the Xue family that day.

She has extraordinary skills and has killed several people. She is a typical thief.

If there was anyone in Shuiyue Temple with evil intentions, she might not be able to kill all of them together. With her as a bodyguard, Zhan Ershisi could not be more relieved.

After receiving the order, Zijing temporarily acted as the housekeeper. She took the carriage, took Xichun, Xiren and several maids and went out towards Shuiyue Temple.

Mr. Zhan put his worries aside, thought for a moment, and then went out to Yun'er's courtyard.

Now that elder brother Zhen's funeral had been over for a long time and he saw that the storm had passed, he planned to have Jia Rong secretly bring Yun'er into the mansion.

Originally, that small courtyard was prepared for Jia Baoyu, but Jia Baoyu was a man who easily bored with the old and loved the new. When he had just started learning to dance, he was very excited, and after having his first experience of sex, he became addicted to it and often ran to Yun'er's courtyard.

But after learning the simple movements in the early stages, Baoyu gradually lost interest because he found it hard to continue practicing.

In addition, there were many changes in the mansion, and the affairs of the four major maids made him overwhelmed. Moreover, Xue Pan was now busy at the construction site every day and could not spare time, and Jia Rong had a new love and no longer accompanied him, so Baoyu had less and less time to hang out with Yun'er.

Since the courtyard has lost its original function, there is no need to keep it any longer. Just let Jia Rong bring the people into the mansion. Anyway, Ningguo Mansion has completely fallen into the clutches of Master Zhan, so there is no need to worry about the news leaking out.

Hearing that Master Zhan was coming, Yun'er hurriedly brought the girls out to greet him.

Master Zhan smiled and hugged Yun'er as he entered the inner room. The maids and servants outside hurriedly divided the work. Those who needed to boil water did so, and those who needed to cook did so. Since Master Zhan was here, he would definitely have to stay overnight, so they had to serve him well.

Qingwen was also busy among the crowd, feeling mixed emotions.

She has been having a hard time these days.

Not only did she live in a simple, stuffy little house with a group of maids, she could only take a bath once every few days and was surrounded by all kinds of strange smells of sweat and feet, but she also had to endure mosquito bites every day. The inferior mugwort mosquito coils had no effect at all and were very choking.

In addition, she can only wear coarse linen clothes now. Whenever she walks, she can feel her delicate skin being rubbed repeatedly, which is extremely uncomfortable.

Although she still had a few of her old cotton and silk clothes, she didn't dare wear them at all.

She was too glamorous, and when she wore it she looked different from the other maids. She didn't fit in and was particularly ostracized.

Unlike before when she could eat meat whenever she wanted and eat dessert whenever she wanted, now she can only eat coarse grains that make her throat ache every day. She can’t eat any meat for ten days or half a month, and she can’t even think about eating sweets.

Now that the weather is getting colder, she is worried about what she will do when winter comes.

Apart from anything else, just washing clothes and dishes in the cold winter is a difficult task.

In order to highlight the kindness of the Zhan family towards their servants, Yun'er played the role of a cunning, tyrannical and vicious master villain very well.

She was very harsh to the servants, beating or scolding them at every turn. And in order to prevent Qingwen from feeling targeted, she treated all the servants equally.

When Baoyu came over at the beginning, Qingwen tried to complain to Baoyu, but in the end nothing happened. Moreover, because of this incident, Yun'er was very dissatisfied with her, and she disliked her even more. This gave her a good excuse to make things difficult for her, and she spared the other maids.

Later, Baoyu came less and less often, and she couldn't find anyone to help her pass on the message. The money in her pocket was all used up, so she couldn't leave even if she wanted to, and could only stay here.

If Baoyu had not come for so many months, she would have wanted to ask him to help her to go back to the Zhan Mansion to be an embroiderer.

In the end, she didn't wait for Baoyu, but waited for Master Zhan.

Now she didn't care whether it would be embarrassing to go to Master Zhan in person to ask for help or not. She should first think of a way to leave this shabby place!

Although the 996 work schedule in the Zhan Mansion is very hard, at least Master Zhan is kind. He provides excellent food and lodging to the servants, and their wages are high. It's not as bad as here.

I have to say that Yun'er did a great job at her job. She made Qingwen realize deeply that the blessing lies in following the master you belong to. She also obviously lowered her self-cognition and expectations. She could even endure something like 996. It can be seen that the life of a worker is much better than that of a slave who is beaten and scolded at will.

This is a good sign!
Qingwen's assigned job was to cook. After all, she had lived in the Rongguo Mansion and had practiced cooking. The dishes she made were better than those made by others, both in appearance and taste.

While she was stir-frying quickly in the heat from the stove, she was thinking about how she should ask Master Zhan for help later.

She had been here for a few months and had already known about the affairs between Master Rong's concubine and Master Zhan. However, since Master Rong didn't care, why should a maid like her meddle in other people's business?

I can’t even take care of my own family!

She is busy cooking now and has no time to get away. It will not be convenient for her to disturb Mr. Zhan when he is eating and drinking later.

After Master Zhan brought Yun'er into the room, she was not responsible for accompanying him by the bed, and had no reason to get close to him.

According to her observation, after eating and drinking, Yun'er would most likely dance for Master Zhan, and Master Zhan would make a pot of tea, and Yun'er would sip the tea while enjoying the singing and dancing to help digest the food.

That was her only chance!
Qingwen quickly cooked a few dishes, signaled to other maids to bring the dishes up, then she quickly took off her apron and went back into the house to change clothes.

Since you are going to change jobs, you have to leave a good impression on your future boss. I don't have to say you have to be very pretty, but at least you have to be clean and tidy.

The maids brought the wine and food to the table. Yun'er asked someone to bring a hot towel and asked Master Zhan to wash his hands and face first. Then she helped him to sit down. She sat sideways in Master Zhan's arms and poured wine and served him food.

Mr. Zhan drank a few glasses of wine with a smile, and then got down to business.

"Now Baoyu hasn't come for many days, right?"

"In that case, there is no need for you to stay in this small courtyard any longer. You can move into Ningguo Mansion later."

"But there are many female relatives in Ningguo Mansion. The first wife and the mistress are both here. You will definitely feel a lot of restrictions when you enter there, so I want to ask for your opinion."

"Are you willing?"

Of course Yun'er was willing. Being a concubine had no official status and she might be abandoned at any time. But now that she had entered the Ningguo Mansion and officially became Master Rong's concubine, even for the sake of the family's dignity, the Jia family would not drive her away in the future.

At most, it's just a gift to someone else.

Anyway, every master is a master, and serving anyone is serving him, so what does it matter?
As for having to endure the anger of the first wife and the mistress, isn't that the fate of a concubine? What does it matter?

What's more, Master Rong was just a figurehead, and he didn't have any major conflicts with Grandma Rong, so it would be even safer.

I just don't know if Madam Rong knows about what happened to Mr. Zhan.

Yun'er hugged Master Zhan's neck and asked in a sweet voice:
"If I enter Ningguo Mansion, will I still be able to see the master in the future?"

"I can't bear to leave you. If I move into Ningguo Mansion, I will have to separate from you. I would rather stay in this small courtyard for you all my life."

Master Zhan laughed and said:

"Don't worry, the master has always been a man who never abandons or gives up on women. As long as they are the master's women, no one can be left behind."

After hearing this, Yun'er chuckled and said:
"Then how will the slave meet with the master in the future? What if he is caught by the first and second wives?"

There were several maids serving on both sides of the table. Master Zhan didn't want to go into too much detail, so he just smiled and said:

"The eldest and the mistresses in Ningguo Mansion know about what happened between you and me. They won't interfere, but it's hard to say whether they will cause trouble for you for other reasons."

Yun'er didn't know that the two mistresses of Ningguo Mansion were also having an affair with her master. She thought that since she was not Master Rong's woman, Madam Rong would not be jealous of this. She probably wanted to show her power for the sake of her authority in the mansion. As long as she was a little obedient, there would not be much trouble.

She thought to herself that since she had Master Zhan to protect her, her life would not be in danger. At most, she would suffer physical pain. Compared with the anxiety and worry of not knowing what would happen next, it was nothing. So she nodded happily and agreed:
"Then I will obey you in everything, Master, and move into Ningguo Mansion soon."

Yun'er was delighted to receive such great news, and became even more gentle, serving Master Zhan comfortably.

After finishing a delicious dinner, Yun'er asked someone to clear the dishes and serve the fragrant tea. She kissed Master Zhan lightly on the ear, threw him a seductive look, and said in a sweet voice:
"Master, please sit here for a while. I will change into a colorful feathered dress and show you my latest choreography."

As soon as she walked out the door, Qingwen came in holding a cup of tea.

While Yun'er was away, Qingwen hurriedly poured tea for Master Zhan, then knelt down in front of him and kowtowed.

"Ok?"

Master Zhan raised his eyebrows and asked curiously:
"Miss Qingwen, why are you doing this?"

"Ah ba, ah ba..." Qingwen knelt on the ground, shouting and gesticulating, and after a lot of effort, she finally made Master Zhan understand.

"Oh, you want to go back to being an embroiderer?"

Qingwen nodded hurriedly and looked at him expectantly.

Seeing this, Master Zhan did not tell her that Yun'er was going back to Ningguo Mansion, and only said hesitantly:
"Last time, I gave Baoyu face and hired you as an embroiderer, but you ran away after working for a month, causing many clothes in my mansion to fail to be delivered on time, resulting in a lot of losses."

"Now you are coming again, how can I trust you again?"

Qingwen felt regretful and quickly raised her hands, placed them at the side of her head, swearing, and screaming.

Mr. Zhan was kindhearted and extremely compassionate to women. He could not bear to see a beauty suffer, so he sighed:

"Well, since you've begged me so sincerely, I'll mercifully give you another chance!"

"I can agree to this, but we have to be clear in advance. Once you enter my house this time, you are not allowed to run away again. We have to sign a death contract!"

After hearing this, Qingwen began to hesitate again.

She was originally bought by Lai Da, but after being driven out of Rongguo Mansion, Lai Da didn't want to have anything to do with her, so he threw the contract back to her.

Because she was fed up with the days without freedom, she later signed living contracts with the Zhan family and Yun'er, which allowed her to leave at any time.

Now Master Zhan wanted her to sign a death contract again, which clearly meant that he wanted her to sell herself into slavery once again, which made her very embarrassed.

After experiencing so many things, her thoughts are no longer as naive as when she was with Baoyu before, but precisely because she has experienced different masters, she truly sees how miserable and helpless it is to be a slave.

She is still a living contract, and her life is already so miserable. But at least she can ask Baoyu for help to find a job in the future!

But if I sign a death contract again, even if I want to leave again in the future, I'm afraid I won't be able to escape!
Although the salary at the Zhan Mansion is high, the 996 work is really hard. A woman will age three years older after working for a year.

Could it be that Qingwen, a person of such character, talent and beauty, has to work hard all her life and be a female worker working 996 hours a day forever?

Seeing her hesitation, Master Zhan was not in a hurry. He just drank tea slowly and let her make her own choice. No matter what she chose, she could not escape Master Zhan's control in the end.

While Qingwen was hesitating, the door opened and Yun'er, wearing a colorful feathered dress, walked into the room briskly.

As soon as she came in, she saw Qingwen kneeling at Master Zhan's feet. She immediately raised her eyebrows and snorted coldly:
"Master, did this slave offend you?"

"I will give this slave a good beating and let her know what her duty as a slave is!"

As she spoke, she stepped forward, grabbed Qingwen's ear and pulled her out.

Qingwen screamed loudly but did not dare to resist and did not plead with Master Zhan. It was obvious that she had already made up her mind.

Give me freedom or die!
Qingwen is determined not to sign a death contract!
Seeing this, Mr. Zhan stopped insisting, put down the teacup and waved his hand gently.

"Forget it, she didn't provoke me. I was the one who asked her if she wanted to go back to the mansion to be an embroiderer, and she refused."

When Yun'er heard this, she let go of Qingwen's hand and kicked her to the ground, cursing:

"The master gave you a chance, but you didn't know how to appreciate it. You're still thinking about Master Bao?"

"Look at how ugly you are now. Even I feel sick when I see you."

"Master Bao has always only liked beautiful women, how could he remember someone like you?"

In fact, the scar on Qingwen's face was not very big. Although it was unsightly, it was not extremely ugly, let alone disgusting. However, this disfigurement had always been the thing that bothered Qingwen the most. She even dared not look in the mirror, for fear of seeing her ugly appearance.

As everyone knows, Master Bao is a face lover. The prettier the girl, the more he likes her. Those who are not pretty enough are considered old women and women, and are not considered his sisters.

Of course Qingwen knew this too. And because she knew this, after her face was scratched, she became even more worried about Baoyu's attitude and became extremely uneasy.

It is true that Baoyu has been coming here less and less recently. Qingwen doesn't know that Baoyu is also in a state of panic. She just thinks that Baoyu really dislikes her current appearance, so she becomes more and more panicked, worrying that she will really have one less big supporter in the future and will have to rely on herself to fight.

For no reason, she couldn't help but think that she might as well sign a death contract with Master Zhan. After all, Master Zhan was famous for his kindness to his servants.

But after hesitating again and again, she finally did not rush to sign the contract with Mr. Zhan. She decided to find an opportunity to meet Baoyu again and see Baoyu's attitude before making any decision.

Her persistence paid off the next day.

Yun'er happily gathered everyone together and announced her return to Ningguo Mansion.

Naturally, Qingwen also moved into the Ningguo Mansion.

(End of this chapter)