Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 116 Baode Temple

When Baode Temple is mentioned, Xie Yuyan recalls some things that happened when he was in the Taoist temple.

Every year during festivals, when the disciples wanted to pay homage to their ancestor, their master would stop them.

"Whether it's the Jade Emperor's birthday, the Lantern Festival, the Taoist Ancestor Festival, or the Third Day of the Third Lunar Month, there's no need to worship the ancestral master."

"On the ninth day of the first lunar month, just go to the courtyard, light an incense stick, and offer some melons and fruits."

The ninth day of the first lunar month is a major day for Buddhism. Temples hold ceremonies to offer sacrifices to the Buddha and the heavens and to pray for blessings. On that day, we should give thanks for the compassionate blessings of the Three Jewels and for the protection of all the heavens.

They were a Taoist temple, yet they had to worship their patriarch at that time.

The master refused to speak about the matter when his fellow disciples asked him about it several times. The night before Xie Yuyan was taken out of the Taoist temple, she instructed her fellow disciples to prepare some food and brought it up again when the master was enjoying the meal.

The master said, “Because your ancestor was once a monk who also managed a temple. Unfortunately, he managed the temple to the point of ruin and was driven out by his monks. Disheartened, he had no choice but to return to secular life. Afterwards, he tried several times to get his ordination certificate back, but he always made a mistake at the crucial moment…”

"Back then, I was traveling around with him and almost starved to death. Fortunately, your grandmaster put aside his pride and sought refuge with an old friend, and I was able to find a place to shelter from the wind and rain. Later, your grandmaster asked me what I wanted to do in the future."

“I said I wanted to become a Taoist priest, and your ancestor simply entered the Taoist sect first.”

These words stunned the fellow disciples, but later it turned out their master was just joking.

After returning to the palace and regaining power, she ordered an investigation, but found no record of any abbot being expelled from the temple. She then asked her master, who also gave vague answers and refused to discuss the past further.

It wasn't until she fell ill and returned to Puning Temple that she heard an old novice monk mention the rescue that happened at Puning Temple decades ago. The person who saved her was not Master Huixin, but a monk named Zhiyuan.

She didn't know who the monk Zhiyuan was, so she didn't pay much attention to it.

A few days ago, when she went to the market, she asked about Puning Temple. Yang Qin told her that there was no Puning Temple at all, only a dilapidated Baode Temple.

The abbot of Baode Temple was the monk Zhiyuan.

She had never found a past similar to what her master had described in her previous life, but when she returned to Daming Prefecture sixty-four years ago, she encountered it.

Some things, even after only a few decades, can be distorted beyond recognition by hearsay.

Neither people nor events are entirely reliable unless seen with one's own eyes. She'll go see tomorrow to see if that monk Zhiyuan is indeed the grandmaster her master spoke of.

Xie Yuyan snapped out of his thoughts and immediately smelled a fragrance.

Yu's mother brought the food into the house.

Now that the third branch of the family has a cook, Zhang still goes in to help, simply because Xie Yuyan and Qin Ge'er like to eat the food she makes.

"Madam, please have your meal," said Madam Yu, glancing out the window. "But don't leave the courtyard; I'm afraid there won't be any peace and quiet tonight."

Xie Yuyan asked, "Has someone from the clan arrived?"

Mother Yu replied, "Master Xie has been arrested, and soldiers are guarding that piece of land in the north city, not allowing anyone to enter. The clansmen who pooled their money to buy the land with Yang Zongdao are getting restless."

Before anything went wrong, one could still deceive oneself that even if extra money was spent, there was still coal to sell.

Seeing that all their money had been spent, they were desperate to get the land.

Xie Yuyan said, "The Xie family dares not ask the court for money for that piece of land in the north city anymore, but Yang Zongdao bought forest land and mountain land, so the court will still give some compensation based on the price."

Zhang asked curiously, "How much can you give?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Four or five hundred coins per mu."

Upon hearing this, Madam Yu couldn't help but laugh. It turned out that when the eldest daughter-in-law said she would buy the land for five hundred coins, she wasn't just offering a random price, but rather based on something.

If Yang Zongdao finds out, he'll probably faint again.

Yang Qin, who was holding a cat, came over at some point and said, "They were all crying at Second Uncle's house. Second Old Madam has fallen seriously ill, and Second Uncle has called a doctor to come and treat her."

When Yang Qin returned from gathering information, he saw Yang Yu hiding in the west room of the second house. Yang Yu looked terrified, as if he was afraid that someone would arrest him and interrogate him. He was huddled there, trembling.

“Serves them right,” Yang Qin said. “If we had suffered a loss this time, who knows how they would have pressured us. They might have already kicked us out of the Yang family’s gate. This courtyard, including the water shop outside, would have been taken back by the clan.”

“We’ve treated them well enough.”

Zhang nodded. In the past, she might have been soft-hearted, but after witnessing the true colors of those clansmen, even if they cried bitterly, she still saw them as vicious, snobbish, and greedy men. "Don't pay them any mind," Xie Yuyan said to Yang Qin. "After you finish eating, bring your books and recite them to me."

Yang Qin's face immediately fell. His sister-in-law didn't just make him memorize things; she would also ask him about the reasons behind them. Sometimes she could come up with several difficult questions out of thin air. He even felt that his sister-in-law was more knowledgeable than Mr. Tong.

Zhang couldn't help but smile: "It's time to take the test; I've been so distracted these past few days."

After saying that, Zhang pretended to be stern and said, "If you can't memorize it, I'll hit your palms with a bamboo stick."

……

In the second room, Yang Mingjing waved for someone to take the food away. The crying and commotion in the courtyard was so intense that he had no appetite.

Yang Zongdao stayed at home and didn't come out, so his clansmen found him. If they hadn't listened to the second old lady, they wouldn't have gotten the money back from the third branch of the family. So now Yang Mingjing is determined to help them.

The old lady couldn't bear to watch them freeze or starve to death. They didn't want anything else, they just wanted to get back the money they had spent on the land, and they would never ask for any interest.

These people were convinced that they had a share of the money Xie Yuyan brought back.

Regardless of who they gave the money to or how much land they received in return, once the money reached Xie Yuyan's hands, Xie Yuyan had to return it to them.

Yang Mingjing couldn't explain things to them, so he simply hid in his study.

"Master," the steward whispered, "the Xie family has sent a message."

One problem wasn't even finished before another one came along.

Yang Mingjing took the letter, opened it, and his brows furrowed even deeper. The Xie family wanted Xie Yuyan to withdraw his lawsuit. The letter was earnest and sincere.

Why did Xie Yuyan have to make things so dire, even dragging down the land of Sanhe Village?

The Xie family was convinced that Xie Yuyan was reluctant to part with the coal, and they were willing to compensate the Yang family with land in the north of the city, as long as this false accusation case could be resolved.

"What are these?" Yang Mingjing threw the papers into the charcoal brazier. "How could she possibly agree to this?"

Even if she doesn't sell lotus root charcoal, she won't let the Xie family off the hook.

How should he handle these matters? He can't very well ask Xie Yuyan for advice.

……

The next day, Xie Yuyan gave the cloth and patterns to Yang, asking her to distribute them to the women in the clan.

“Let’s make lifelike flowers,” Xie Yuyan said, “so we can wear them on New Year’s Day.”

Yang smiled and agreed. This year they had earned more money and bought a lot of New Year's goods, and were even more looking forward to the arrival of New Year's Day.

After seeing Xie Yuyan off in the carriage, Madam Yang instructed the guards, "Take good care of him."

Baode Temple is located in the south wing, and it's fortunate that it's close by, otherwise how could they feel at ease? Xie Chongjun has been imprisoned, and the Xie family is not willing to let it go. They don't know how they will deal with the eldest daughter-in-law.

Xie Yuyan was quite relaxed. It was Wang Yan who had invited her to Baode Temple, and there would definitely be members of the Wang family watching her carriage.

The carriage began to jolt as it entered the back mountain, making it feel as if one's internal organs were being turned inside out, and the carriage seemed on the verge of falling apart. Even Zhang felt dizzy and lightheaded, and was afraid she would vomit if she took a few more steps.

"Stop it."

Xie Yuyan spoke up, and the servant reined in his horse and stepped forward to apologize: "Madam, this road is really difficult to travel."

Xie Yuyan got out of the car and looked up at the distant hillside. He could vaguely see a corner of the ancient temple, which looked particularly dilapidated.

When she came here in her previous life, the road was very smooth, and you could see the magnificent temple just by standing at the foot of the mountain.

It's hard to believe unless you see it with your own eyes.

How did the monk Zhiyuan end up in such a state, guarding such an ancient temple?
"Madam, look."

A man leading two horses slowly approached from a distance. When the man's face became clear, Xie Yuyan recognized him as Sang Dian.

"Does Madam know how to ride a horse?" Sang Dian asked, bowing as he approached. "My husband has prepared a horse. If Madam can use it, it will be easier to ride to the foot of the mountain."

(End of this chapter)