Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 121 Panic
Xie Yuyan was right. She had already taken over this body. The people and things that had happened in this body before were not important to her. All she needed to remember was who she was.

As for what Wang Yan will think, that's his business.

Wang Yan didn't press the matter further. That was his cleverness; the two of them didn't know each other very well, and while they could exchange a few perfunctory words on the surface, they couldn't possibly get the other's true feelings.

Wang Yan paused for a moment and then said, "The Xie family has managed to persuade the prefect of Daming Prefecture."

Daming Prefecture was originally an important town in the north and the throat of Hebei. Xie Yuyan had handled government affairs on behalf of the emperor in the Wende Hall and knew a lot about the government affairs of Daming Prefecture. She also decided to appoint the previous governor of Daming Prefecture together with the other ministers.

Liu Yin, the prefect of Daming Prefecture, had an elder brother who was a former official of the emperor during his time as a prince. Liu Yin accompanied his brother on campaigns, including the Battle of Dingchuan Village between Daliang and Western Xia. Although Daliang was defeated, his brother died in battle and was posthumously awarded the title of Military Governor of Zhenrong Army by the emperor. Afterwards, Liu Yin remained in the northwest, engaging in numerous battles with Western Xia. As a result, he was highly valued by the court and took office in Daming Prefecture last year.

“Prefect Liu has some prestige in the Northwest Army, and many military officers have followed him,” Wang Yan said. “Even if the Xie family seeks help from Prefect Liu, they may not be able to meet the prefect himself. The steward or young master in Liu’s mansion can order someone to handle the matter.”

Xie Yuyan nodded, then turned to look at Wang Yan. When Wang Yan returned to his residence in the capital, he would also be helping his master with official business. Many trivial matters would not catch his master's eye.

Wang Yan meant that they had noticed Prefect Liu because of the Xie family, but they were still far from having any leverage over the Liu family.

Even the Xie family wouldn't be completely destroyed by this incident.

The affairs in the Northwest are inherently complex and intertwined. In other words, if it weren't for this, Wang Hechun wouldn't have come to the fore, much less have interested her in getting involved.

Xie Yuyan smiled slightly: "The Xie family is not yet in its time of collapse, and they are still of use to me."

Such a good stepping stone, how can it be used only once?

The more times she stepped on it, the better. She was afraid that the Xie family wouldn't be able to withstand it twice and would fall apart, and then it would be the Liu family's turn.

And then there's the Liu family...

The two walked into the main hall while talking.

The novice monk guarding the temple handed Xie Yuyan a stick of incense.

Xie Yuyan gently twisted his fingers, gathering the three incense sticks together, and then skillfully lit them.

A wisp of smoke rose, and following the smoke, she looked at the clay Buddha statue in the hall. At this moment, the Buddha statue in the hall seemed to be plated with a layer of gold, looking exactly the same as when she recuperated in the temple.

Xie Yuyan felt a little dazed. Back then, when she was seriously ill, Consort Liu planned to take the opportunity to get rid of her. She sat in the darkness, waiting for those "rebels" and "traitors" to break into the temple.

She set a trap, killing hundreds of people here, leaving the ancient temple covered in blood. Her feet and skirt were also stained with blood. She then stormed into the Liu residence with evidence in hand, killing fifty-three men on the spot and accusing the Liu family of treason.

and so……

People whose clans were wiped out by her, how could they still be afraid of them?
The tall Buddha statue, with its lowered eyes, did not exude compassion but rather a sense of majesty. Xie Yuyan frowned slightly and stared intently at it.

Amidst the swirling smoke, the inanimate objects seemed poised to awaken from their slumber at any moment, their massive bodies poised to crush everything in their path.

Xie Yuyan didn't move at all, his head tilted back in the smoke.

The emperor forced Consort Liu to her death, but after only six months of grief, he found a new favorite. He schemed to seize her position as empress, yet feared her and dared not harm her.

Therefore, Buddha has no compassion; compassion always belongs to those who wield sharp weapons, because only they can decide the life and death of others and themselves.

Xie Yuyan's vision cleared again, and the Buddha statue in front of him was still just a clay figure.

"Xie Yuyan." A warmth touched her arm, and she was immediately supported. Xie Yuyan turned her head and saw Wang Yan.

A hint of panic suddenly appeared in Wang Yan's deep gaze.

"Are you okay?"

Just as she stepped into the hall, smoke from who-knows-where suddenly enveloped her, and seeing that her figure was about to disappear, he panicked and hurriedly reached out to pull her up.

"Let's talk after we get out."

Xie Yuyan was pulled by Wang Yan towards the outside of the palace.

Once the two stood outside the hall, Xie Yuyan noticed that the hall was filled with billowing blue smoke and faint flames, and he didn't know what was burning. Several novice monks rushed in with buckets of water, but they couldn't control the fire inside.

When the monk Zhiyuan heard the news, he rushed over. Seeing the burning main hall, he put his hands together and chanted Buddhist mantras. A young novice monk cried anxiously.

"We were making incense inside and forgot to put away the brazier."

"It must have been the dried incense that started the fire."

"Master, it's all our fault."

Zhiyuan shook his head to comfort his disciple, saying that he had just sold the coal mine and now the main hall was on fire, perhaps the Buddha was blaming him.

Xie Yuyan only came to her senses at this moment. When she entered the main hall, she was lost in her memories and did not notice that the hall was filled with smoke.

He probably inhaled too much smoke afterward, which is why he was in a daze. Fortunately, he regained consciousness in time and was taken out of the main hall by Wang Yan.

As Xie Yuyan was pondering, the incense stick in his hand suddenly felt light, as Wang Yan snatched it away.

The three incense sticks broke into several pieces at his fingertips. Wang Yan said calmly, "These clay figures don't need to be offered incense anymore."

Xie Yuyan found it strange that Wang Yan should not be so angry. He wanted to find out why, but Wang Yan had already returned to normal.

"Amitabha."

Hearing Zhiyuan's voice, Xie Yuyan turned to look.

Zhiyuan looked solemn, his eyes were red, and the poor monk looked like he was about to cry.

The temple, which was originally in good condition, was ruined today by these two people who came to visit, causing him to lose his faith in Buddhism and even burn down the Buddha statue.

"Why is the abbot so sad?" Xie Yuyan asked. "The Buddha also advised you that you should rebuild Baode Temple."

Zhiyuan looked at Xie Yuyan with a puzzled expression: "Please enlighten me, benefactor."

Xie Yuyan said, "The main hall burned down, so you had no choice but to raise money to repair it and sell the coal mine in the temple."

"Otherwise, if we suddenly start selling crushed coal, people will question us."

"Buddha saw your piety, loved you, and found an excuse for you."

"And you, as long as you remember to earn money and make a golden statue for Buddha, Buddha will not lose out."

Zhiyuan instinctively reached out to cover his ears, his eyes filled with suspicion. Could the fire be caused by these two...?

Zhiyuan quickly recited the scriptures. He couldn't make wild guesses, much less wrong others, lest he make one mistake after another.

Madam Yu accompanied Madam Zhang to seek scriptures, but little did they know that in the short time they were away, the main hall would burst into flames. Madam Zhang turned pale with fright, while Madam Yu forced herself to remain calm. Only when they saw that Xie Yuyan was unharmed did the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.

Such an incident has occurred at the temple; we cannot linger here.

Xie Yuyan looked at the burning flames and suddenly had an idea. He looked at Zhiyuan and said, "Since we are going to mine coal, the road down the mountain needs to be repaired. It is not convenient to start construction in winter, so let's make the road smoother first."

“Someone will come tomorrow, so there’s no need for alarm, Great Monk.”

However, the fact that more people would reach the flat road at the foot of the mountain wouldn't frighten him.

After experiencing the fire in the temple's main hall, Zhiyuan felt that his Buddhist faith had become more steadfast and would no longer be easily shaken.

He put his hands together and said, "Don't worry, benefactor."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "I hope so."

(End of this chapter)