Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 257 Buddhism
Xie Yuyan and the monk Zhiyuan each sat on a prayer mat.

In the vast side hall, only the fragrance of incense wafted through the air, and the two remained silent for a long time.

Monk Zhiyuan believed Xie Yuyan's words. If he held a Dharma assembly, Baode Temple could raise funds for a public granary. With spring planting approaching, these grain seeds could help many people.

But he couldn't guess what else Xie Yuyan would do with this besides the charitable granary, or to what extent.

It wasn't until Xie Yuyan took a white porcelain magpie-tail incense burner from Mama Yu's hands, lit the incense inside, and then dismissed the others from the side hall that the conversation ended.

Looking at the magpie-tail incense burner, Monk Zhiyuan understood something.

The Magpie Tail Incense Burner is a Buddhist ritual implement. Since Xie Yuyan asked him to perform rituals at Baode Temple, these items would naturally be used.

Therefore, the purpose of the Buddhist ceremony was to promote the fame of her porcelain.

She can't sell well anywhere...

Monk Zhiyuan asked, "Why must it be at Baode Temple?"

It doesn't matter what she sells, but could she please not always start with him?
Xie Yuyan did not answer, but said, "The border markets of Daliang, Western Xia, and Northern Qi are about to open, and I want to take the porcelain to the border markets to sell."

“The porcelain that was selected before was from the Xie family’s porcelain kiln. Now that the Xie family has fallen, it won’t be easy for us to take over the deal.”

"It's not that our porcelain is poorly made, but rather that we haven't had time to produce more porcelain to sell on the market. Most of the goods traded at the border markets are selected by the people and must have some reputation in Daliang, which we haven't achieved yet."

"I don't have the patience for taking things one step at a time, being meticulous and thorough."

"Missing out of the border markets for a year means losing a lot of money."

"If one path is blocked, we have to find another way."

Monk Zhiyuan looked at Xie Yuyan, who had been so righteous and secretive before, but now he was too lazy to even go through the motions.

Why do I always tell the truth in front of him when I'm so eloquent?
Even if he wanted to be fooled, he couldn't.

"As for why Baode Temple?" Xie Yuyan asked matter-of-factly, "It's because this is the most famous temple in Daming Prefecture."

The Buddhist prayer beads in the hands of the monk Zhiyuan spun a little faster.

Why is Baode Temple famous? Would she not know?
So, all because he accepted a piece of lotus root charcoal...

One mistake, and you're doomed for life!

This was the first time Zhiyuan had ever encountered such an overbearing swindler.

No, no, Zhiyuan quickly recited a few Buddhist scriptures. He was not a fraudster but a kind person!

“Great monk,” Xie Yuyan said, “do you know the villagers of Chenyao Village?”

Monk Zhiyuan calmed himself down and said, "I have heard about it, but as a monk, I am detached from worldly affairs and do not know much."

He heard about it from Yan Sui.

Yesterday, Yan Sui inquired about Xie Benzhu at the foot of the mountain and heard that Xie Benzhu and the villagers of Chenyao Village were trapped in the mountains by the rebel army. Fortunately, Wang Yan arrived in time to rescue them.

As for why the rebels targeted Chenyao Village, Yan Sui also found out some information.

A few years ago, bandits invaded Chenyao Village, and almost all the men in the village were killed. Now it is known that they were not bandits at all, but soldiers ordered by Prefect Liu to impersonate them. The village was massacred simply because Chenyao Village took in a soldier who was about to report Prefect Liu and his associates.

Xie Yuyan continued, "The refugees in the mountains are not limited to Chenyao Village; there are also many people who cannot pay their taxes. They borrowed money from wealthy gentry to cultivate the land, but when the autumn harvest came, they could not repay the money and had to use their land to pay off the debt. Without food to eat, they also faced forced labor, so they had no choice but to flee with their families."

"This time, Lord Wang made an exception for them and allowed them to return to their hometowns. However, when he sent people to search for them in the mountains, he discovered that a small number of them had quietly left."

This was something that the monk Zhiyuan was unaware of.

Xie Yuyan continued, "They know that even if they return to their hometowns, they will face the same predicament. Even if the court exempts them from corvée labor, they will still have to repay the money they owe to the gentry. Rather than becoming slaves to the gentry, it would be better for the whole family to stay together and make a living in the mountains." "Now that the court has opened up the markets and provided convenience to the common people, isn't it because most of the land is in the hands of officials and powerful families? The common people have no land to cultivate and can only do some trading or work as laborers in places like porcelain kilns?"

“But if merchants imitate the landlords and oppress their employees, even if the market prospers, it is the big merchants who will benefit, not the common people.”

"Thanks to the production of Buddhist charcoal and clay stoves, many laborers in Daming Prefecture received a daily wage of one hundred coins, allowing them to live a life with enough to eat. As a result, Baode Temple has become very popular. Why doesn't the abbot continue to do his work and protect even more people?"

Xie Yuyan's expression turned serious as he finished speaking.

As the incense smoke curled upwards, it blurred her features.

The light in the main hall seemed to be suppressed, and her lotus-root-colored dress suddenly turned into a deep blue pheasant pattern.

Her voice came from afar.

"The master's robe is not big enough; perhaps it should be stretched a bit more."

Everything before the monk Zhiyuan's eyes seemed to be distorted, and he suddenly couldn't distinguish what was real and what was fake.

He himself was also deeply involved and unable to move at all.

The offering lamps before the Buddha suddenly flickered, and a flame that suddenly ignited finally burned the prayer flags beside them, burning away the encroaching darkness.

The monk Zhiyuan regained his clarity of mind. Before he could calm down, he saw a fire suddenly break out. Without thinking of anything else, he hurriedly got up, took a few quick steps, tore down the burning prayer flag, and threw it into a water vat beside him.

Since the fire in the main hall, he had people prepare water tanks in various Buddhist halls to prevent similar incidents from happening again, and today they have indeed come in handy.

"Thank you for speaking so prudently before the Buddha," said Monk Zhiyuan, his hands clasped together. "The main hall of the temple has already burned down, but this side hall..."

Xie Yuyan looked at the enshrined Bodhisattva. Despite the repeated fires that had broken out in the temple, she seemed completely unafraid and pointed to the clay sculptures.

"It seems this clay sculpture also wants to be recast into a golden body."

After Xie Yuyan finished speaking, he picked up the offering lamp next to him, brought it to his nose and smelled it: "Too much ghee was added to the lamp, so the flame is inevitably a bit big."

“The young novice is used to oil with many impurities and does not know the properties of ghee. Master, please give me some pointers.”

After saying this, Xie Yuyan raised his eyes: "Master, you don't actually think this fire is because of me, do you?"

Master Zhiyuan shook his head. In the Buddhist hall, they discussed making money under the guise of Buddhism... but she felt no guilt whatsoever.

“It really is that effective,” Xie Yuyan said. “So many temples that have been encroaching on land and selling ordination certificates should have been burned down long ago.”

After sitting down on the prayer mat again, Xie Yuyan's voice came again: "Master, where were we?"

Master Zhiyuan twirled his prayer beads again, and the scene he had just witnessed vanished into thin air, as if it had been nothing more than a fleeting delusion. However, his gaze toward Xie Yuyan held a newfound seriousness.

"How do I spread out the robe?"

No… Master Zhiyuan regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, wishing he could sew it shut. He had been completely misled.

“Yes,” Xie Yuyan said, “let’s discuss what to do next.”

……

Outside the side hall.

Xie Zishao arrived breathlessly. His tenth sister hadn't asked him to come with her to Baode Temple. Master Zhiyuan liked him so much, how could he not come to pay his respects?
"Where are the master and my tenth sister?" Xie Zishao asked the young novice monk beside him.

The young novice bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern for the Dharma with the abbot."

Xie Zishao nodded upon hearing this, it seemed his tenth sister was indeed a person of intelligence. But for some reason... Xie Zishao sniffed, he seemed to smell a burnt smell.

(End of this chapter)