Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 278 Dharma Conference
The second day of February.

Before dawn, the streets were already bustling with activity.

The people of Daming Prefecture all knew that today was the Dharma assembly at Baode Temple. People who came to worship Buddha got up early and went to Baode Temple with their families.

Outsiders in the city who stayed in Daming Prefecture for a day or two also received the news.

The news about the Dharma assembly at Baode Temple was published in the tabloid.

Even if they didn't buy the tabloids, they would hear these messages from people selling face wash.

This is another major event in Daming Prefecture since Prefect Liu and others were arrested.

"Is Baode Temple that famous?" Shen Zhongguan pushed open the window and looked outside.

Standing to the side, Han Si said, "Ever since the sale of Buddhist charcoal in the city, the people have placed great faith in Baode Temple. They even say that the charcoal mined from the temple is exceptionally good."

"I've also heard some other rumors."

Shen Zhongguan was very interested and gestured for Han Si to continue.

Han Si said, “In the past, coal dust was poisonous, but Buddha couldn’t bear to see people suffer, so he neutralized the poison in the coal and taught how to make Buddhist coal. It was because too much magic power was used that the main hall of Baode Temple caught fire, which destroyed all the Buddha statues inside.”

Han Si found these words utterly ridiculous; who would believe such things?

Just as he was about to say something more, he heard Shen Zhongguan call out in his ear, "Amitabha."

Han Si was taken aback and turned to look at Shen Zhongguan, where he saw a hint of seriousness on his face.

Shen Zhongguan said, "That's quite possible. The main hall wouldn't catch fire for no reason. Besides, the charcoal really does look like the ordination scars on a monk's head. If it weren't for the Buddha, who would have thought of such a thing?"

Han Si was glad he hadn't blurted anything out; he hadn't expected Shen Zhongguan to be a Buddhist.

Shen Zhongguan continued to look down: "It seems that not only ordinary people, but also wealthy families in Daming Prefecture believe in Baode Temple."

In just a short while, four horse-drawn carriages had already passed by on the street.

Han Si said, "Those merchants who want to do business with the Yang Xie family are also preparing to go to Baode Temple. After all, this business started with the Buddhist charcoal from Baode Temple."

Shen Zhongguan nodded: "In my opinion, it is only thanks to the Buddha's blessing that Yang Xieshi was able to survive. She should just focus on selling Buddhist charcoal and clay stoves and not have any other ideas, such as trying to use this opportunity to get her hands on porcelain."

“If this displeases Buddha, he might take everything away from her.”

Han Si said, "You're right."

“Let’s go,” Shen Zhongguan suddenly became interested. “Let’s change our clothes and go take a look at Baode Temple.”

Han Si thought it was just a casual chat, but he didn't expect the eunuch to take it so seriously. He didn't dare to go against the eunuch's wishes, so he had no choice but to agree. He hurriedly changed his clothes, called a carriage, and the two of them headed to Baode Temple.

We left a bit late, and before we even reached the gate of Baode Temple, we were stuck there, unable to move an inch.

Han Si had no choice but to help Shen Zhongguan out of the carriage again, and the two walked all the way. Fortunately, there were vendors hawking their wares on both sides, so they could look around. Otherwise, walking in such cold weather would have been quite unbearable.

Unlike the food in the city streets, the food here is all vegetarian, which adds a touch of novelty.

"A bowl of herbal tea, please."

When it's cold, hot herbal tea is especially tempting.

Han Si finally managed to squeeze in and get two bowls of hot tea, but before he could even drink from them, he was stunned.

Shen Zhongguan didn't notice anything unusual about Han Si. Instead, he eagerly took a sip of the hot tea and immediately felt refreshed. He even glanced at the tea stall and saw that it read: Shuntong Water Shop.

He knew that Shuntong Water Shop was owned by the Yang Xie family.

Shen Zhongguan said, "That Yang Xie family is quite something, doing business like this."

"You noticed it too?" Han Si looked away from the bowl and turned to Shen Zhongguan.

Shen Zhongguan felt a little uneasy under Han Si's gaze. It was just Shuntong Water Shop, why was he making such a fuss? Han Xinglao should be a steady person. Unexpectedly, Han Si then poured the tea in his hand on the ground and handed the teacup to Shen Zhongguan: "This porcelain... was fired in the Yang Xie family's porcelain kiln."

Shen Zhongguan didn't find anything strange about this. It was quite common for Yang Xie's Shuntong Water Shop to use porcelain made in their own kiln, wasn't it? Just as he was thinking this, Han Si grabbed his arm.

Han Si seemed very excited. He pulled Shen Zhongguan forward a couple of steps and pointed to the vegetarian soup stall and the porridge stall...

"They are all... porcelain like this."

"Porcelain from the Yang Xie family."

The newly fired porcelain from the Yang Xie family was quite different from that of other kilns. Their porcelain had a thick, heavy body, a solid texture, and a white background with black patterns, making it easily distinguishable at a glance.

The two were still talking when they saw someone chasing after them.

"Bowl, don't take my bowl away."

The waiter from Shuntong Water Shop chased after them until they were right in front of Shen Zhongguan and Han Si, who then realized that the waiter was calling for them.

"You can't take this bowl away. It was fired in the same kiln as the Buddhist porcelain in the temple."

The waiter took the porcelain bowl from Han Si's hands without any hesitation, then looked at Shen Zhongguan and said, "You can drink slowly, I'll wait here."

Hearing the commotion, the surrounding people all turned to look. Shen Zhongguan immediately felt ashamed. He finished the medicinal tea in one gulp and handed the bowl to the waiter.

The waiter put away the bowls, a smile on his face: "If you'd like to drink more, come back later."

Shen Zhongguan wanted to reprimand the shop assistant, but then realized that Han Si had indeed walked quite far from the herbal tea stall earlier. Since they were in the wrong first, he couldn't say anything more.

While the two were distracted, someone nearby asked them a question.

"Is what that person said true?"

"Was the bowl in his hand fired in the same kiln as the Buddhist porcelain?"

“Not only the bowl in his hand, but also the ones we use,” Grandma Li smiled, her wrinkles deepening. “Many of the porcelain items in this market today are from the Yang family’s porcelain kiln.”

"Could they burn that much?"

“That’s right,” said Granny Li. “In order to make the best Buddhist porcelain for Baode Temple, we use several kilns to fire them at the same time. The temple needs them urgently, so we can’t put all the porcelain in one kiln. If the firing temperature is not controlled properly, then all the porcelain in the kiln will be wasted.”

"It's best to fire them separately like this, and place the Buddhist porcelain in the best place. We'll fire each piece well as we can."

"In this way, more porcelain pieces will come out of the same kiln."

After Grandma Li finished speaking, some people began to examine the porcelain on her stall.

No wonder I think this porcelain bowl is nice.

"Yes, I think so too, it's just different from the ordinary."

Are you selling this porcelain bowl?

Grandma Li immediately waved her hand: "No, no. We finally managed to buy it, how can we sell it? Aren't you going to the Buddhist assembly? Hurry up, it'll be time soon."

Seeing that there was no room for discussion and fearing they would miss the Dharma assembly, the group stopped arguing and hurried to the temple.

Upon witnessing this scene, Han Si's heart sank. He subconsciously looked up at Baode Temple, a bad premonition creeping over him...

Everything had been calm on Yang Xie's side, and he thought everything was really fine, but now it seems she may have been prepared all along.

After this Dharma assembly, perhaps the situation will be different.

Thank you to "Worry-Free is the Realm of Hope" for the chapter red envelope.

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