Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 300 Ready
It was common for the two countries to send people to gather information, and Daliang also established the State Information Office to control intelligence on vassal states.

When Wang Yan went to the frontier, he stayed at the State Information Office and placed his own people there. Therefore, it was not difficult for him to know the whereabouts of the spies sent by Western Xia and Northern Qi through the State Information Office.

Xie Yuyan did not directly ask Wang Yan for help, but Wang Yan knew what to do.

Since the porcelain is to be sold at the border market, it would be beneficial to keep track of more information about the vassal states.

Xie Yuyan started with Buddhist porcelain because both Western Xia and Northern Qi would request some scriptures from Great Liang whenever they made diplomatic exchanges with it.

The former Grand Preceptor of Western Xia passed away last autumn. It's unknown whether any relics of this Grand Preceptor remain. This is difficult to ascertain, but…

Wang Yan picked up his wine cup. Since Xie Yuyan had made the reliquary, there must be relics inside.

Wang Yan said, "There's no need to disturb them."

They were just waiting for them, and now that they've arrived, there's nothing more to do; the news will spread naturally.

……

Anfang Building, in a corner on the first floor.

The two were enjoying their meal, particularly the stir-fried dishes and the stewed lamb intestines.

Sheep intestines, liver, blood, and meat are stewed together with Chinese herbs to remove the gamey smell. Before serving, a handful of tender green scallions are sprinkled on top, and the aroma is immediately irresistible.

The earthenware pot used to serve this dish has a particularly thick and heavy body, so the dish inside doesn't cool down easily, and the soup is still bubbling and boiling when it's served.

The two couldn't wait to pick up a piece with their chopsticks. The hot sheep intestines and mutton were tender, sweet, and delicious. So, ignoring the scalding heat, they sucked in the air and chewed heartily.

Then, I picked up another flatbread, scooped a piece out of the pan with my chopsticks, and added it in along with the meat and broth. The flatbread immediately became something special. When eating it, I felt that I was chewing too slowly and swallowing it whole, but I regretted not tasting it properly.

After half a pot was gone, it was still piping hot. The two looked at the earthenware pot in front of them and thought it was a really good thing.

If you eat too much meat, you can eat some stir-fried vegetables to cleanse your palate. After repeating this process, you feel like you can never have enough to eat.

After finishing everything in the pot and plates, the two ordered ginger honey water and honey sesame pastries. Only when they were truly unable to eat anymore did they put down their chopsticks, lean back in their chairs, and show satisfied expressions.

"This restaurant is really good. We used to eat here when we were in Daming Prefecture."

Despite its large size, the restaurant's food is surprisingly inexpensive.

Taking a sip of ginger honey water, Hu Si said, "You can also hear some news in the restaurant."

Shen Lü looked around and nodded. While they were eating, the people at the next table were still talking about the Buddha's light at Baode Temple.

Some of them witnessed a sudden burst of light above the Buddha's head, which started out white and then changed into several colors.

This is definitely true.

Otherwise, why would the believers present have snatched the Buddha porcelain statue that day?

The Buddhist porcelain statues that have been part of the Dharma assembly can be taken home for worship.

Although the temple had made some preparations, there were still not enough Buddhist porcelain statues available that day, and most people were ultimately unable to get their wish.

The people at the next table hadn't finished speaking yet.

“Those offering plates are also nice, but the abbot of the temple refuses to sell them.”

"What's the point of offerings? The most amazing thing is that reliquary."

"However, only some people saw it on that day. After that, when believers went there again, they could no longer see it."

Upon hearing the name of the relic box, Shen Lü couldn't help but sit up straight.

"Where did it go? Could it have been bought by someone?"

"Shh, don't talk nonsense. How could such a thing be sold? I think it's been carefully stored away by the temple."

Several people exclaimed in regret, as only one of them had actually seen the reliquary. After the others left, Shen Lü looked at Hu Si: "Shouldn't we go to the temple to take a look?"

Hu Si nodded. After they arrived in Daming Prefecture, all they heard was about Buddhist porcelain. In particular, someone said that the reliquary looked exceptionally bright.

Such a fine reliquary; if we could buy it and bring it to the Imperial Preceptor, we might receive a reward.

“However,” Hu Si said, “didn’t they say that the reliquary has been put away and they probably won’t let us see it?”

"What's there to be afraid of? We'll go to the temple tomorrow. I'll distract them, and you can search around. How big can Baode Temple be? We can just search it more."

The two men thought the matter was feasible, so they got up and left the restaurant, preparing to go to Baode Temple the next day.

Yang Xiaoshan followed behind them until they entered the inn, then turned back to the restaurant. Before he even stepped inside, he saw someone come out to greet him.

Yang Xiaoshan looked up and glanced at him, then quickly stepped forward and said, "Lord Wang."

The two walked to a secluded spot, and Wang Yan asked, "Did Madam give any instructions to those two people?"

Yang Xiaoshan nodded: "Madam entrusted this matter to Abbot Zhiyuan, saying that as long as the abbot is at Baode Temple, we don't need to worry about it."

"Next, all we need to do is pack our things and wait to go to Bianjing with you, sir."

Wang Yan and Xu En, along with a group of officials, had finished organizing the case files of Daming Prefecture and would soon return to the capital to report. Wang Yan was worried that Xie Yuyan wouldn't accompany him, but it turned out she had already made arrangements.

Wang Yan was delighted, but fortunately, he was shrewd enough not to show it in front of Yang Xiaoshan.

Having clarified the situation, Wang Yan wanted to say something more, but then he heard footsteps. Xu En appeared in front of Wang Yan, grabbed his wrist, and said, reeking of alcohol, "I told you, no one can leave tonight. You can't sneak away."

Wang Yan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Want another drink?"

Xu En nodded.

Wang Yan said seriously, "Then let's see how much more you can drink."

He wanted to leave, but Xu En always stopped him. So this time, he would try a different approach. After ten cups of wine, he would see if Xu En could still get up.

……

Inside Baode Temple.

It was already dark when a small figure was digging hard in the ground in a side hall, trying to dig a small hole to fit in.

"What are you doing?"

Yan Sui was slumped to the side, panting from exhaustion, when he heard a voice.

Yan Sui knew his master had arrived without even turning his head.

“The lady said that someone is coming to look for the reliquary in the next couple of days,” Yan Sui said. “I’m trying to figure out how to protect the reliquary so that it won’t be stolen.”

The little apprentice is talking nonsense again.

If you want to protect the box, you can hide it in a secluded courtyard in the back of the mountain.

Now the young apprentice is digging a hole in the house, clearly preparing to play tricks and scare people.

Master Zhiyuan recited Buddhist scriptures, but Yan Sui couldn't remember them all. However, after Madam Xie did something, he learned most of it.

Master Zhiyuan was amazed by Yan Sui's skill, so Yan Sui ran off to fiddle with the oil lamp.

Finally, the shadow of a Buddha statue appeared on the wall. The pit that Yan Sui had dug was also at the base of that wall. Yan Sui took the wooden fish, sat down, and then struck the wooden fish while chanting sutras.

A moment later, he opened his eyes and looked at his master: "Cover this pit with wooden planks so that no one can see it. I will hide inside."

Yan Sui said excitedly, "When the time comes, when I speak, they'll think it's a Buddha statue talking; when I chant sutras, they'll think it's a Buddha statue chanting sutras. Master, do you think that will scare them?"