Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 386 Panic
Master Mingzhen was so terrified by this thought that her hands and feet turned ice-cold.

The events of that year seemed to unfold before her eyes, and the lifeless woman's eyes were fixed intently on her.

She thought that burying the person in the temple would make everything alright; if it weren't for the sudden large-scale construction outside the temple, she would have forgotten about it altogether.

Master Mingzhen felt an indescribable resentment. She had finally achieved a peaceful life and no longer had to live in fear, but someone had to remind her of this matter.

Miao Jing was the one who agreed to rent the land to those people.

Without a doubt, Abbess Mingzhen knew that Miaojing had accepted bribes from others.

Yunqi Temple prospered thanks to the worship of those high-ranking officials and nobles, so Miaojing naturally had to listen to them.

How disgusting.

If she had known, she should have eliminated Miaojing. It was all because she was too soft-hearted, thinking of her fellow disciple and wanting to help Miaojing and pull her onto the right path.

Master Mingzhen began reciting scriptures, as if to soothe her anxious heart, but what came out of her mouth was Persian.

Because she believed in Mani rather than Buddha. Manichaeism originated in Persia and was brought to Daliang by a Dharma attendant. The scriptures she recited belonged to the Manichaean scripture, the "Two Principles Scripture".

Finally, Abbess Mingzhen slowly exhaled and then walked quickly around the temple.

Earlier, she had left a mark in the temple, waiting for the believers to come looking for her. Now the time has come, and she hopes they will find her.

Following the steps up the back of Yunqi Temple, they quickly climbed the hillside. Abbess Mingzhen walked to a pine tree and waited anxiously.

Finally, she heard footsteps...

Master Mingzhen immediately hid, and only when two lamps were lit in the darkness did she breathe a sigh of relief and step forward.

The person carrying two lamps spoke, "Purity and light."

Master Mingzhen hurriedly bowed and said, "All dharma is equal."

The man carrying the lantern spoke up, "Is there anything urgent?"

Master Mingzhen said anxiously, "Please tell the missionaries that some trouble has occurred at Yunqi Temple. Please help us think of a way to stop those who rent land at Yunqi Temple from carrying out any more construction."

Even now, she still feels uneasy: "It would be best if we could get rid of those people."

The believer carrying the lantern said, “We already know. Didn’t you stop those people? Why make the missionaries go through all this trouble? There was an incident in Bianjing last year, and many believers were sent away. The missionaries we have now were just sent by the church, and they are currently very busy…”

Master Mingzhen was taken aback. She hadn't expected the missionaries to know so much. Could it be that another member of the temple had reported this to higher authorities? Or had they planted spies in the temple?
Master Mingzhen withdrew her thoughts: "I... stopped it for the time being, but this matter is of great importance. It involves the royal family of Daliang. If the matter is exposed, it is not a big deal if I am punished, but I am afraid that it will implicate other members of the sect."

"You're blackmailing missionaries." The man's voice grew even colder.

Master Mingzhen gritted her teeth. She used to be on good terms with the missionaries. If she needed anything, she could just ask the missionaries for help. Why did she have to go through all this trouble?

Last winter, a large number of people suddenly changed. The missionaries were replaced, and the attendants left. She continued to lie low in Bianjing cautiously for several months. Fortunately, nothing happened afterward, and there were no other disturbances, which put her at ease.

This year, new missionaries finally arrived, but she hasn't been able to meet them yet.

“I dare not,” Master Mingzhen bowed her head. “I was only thinking of the sect. I was afraid that not reporting it in advance would ruin important matters for the sect.”

“The missionaries will handle this matter,” the believer thought for a moment and said, “I will also report to the missionaries truthfully what you mean.”

After saying this, the believer added, "You have been far too lazy in Bianjing all these years. Not only have you failed to accomplish much, but you have also caused a lot of trouble."

Master Mingzhen lowered her head; she knew that the sect was dissatisfied with them.

But she had already tried very hard to recruit people into the religion. At least a dozen disciples at Yunqi Temple were followers of Manichaeism, and they would subtly pass on Manichaean doctrines to the believers in the temple by spreading the teachings to them.

The believer asked, "How is the situation at Yunqi Temple?"

Master Mingzhen immediately said, "I have recruited a few more followers. They have promised to send several hundred strings of cash as incense money, which I will hand over in full."

The believer's attitude softened somewhat: "Just wait, perhaps your problem will be resolved soon."

Master Mingzhen bows to the believers.

The cult member waved his hand: "I'm leaving now. Be careful from now on."

Master Mingzhen watched the devotees leave before carefully returning to her residence. A moment later, there was a knock on her door. Master Mingzhen went to open it, and a nun hurried in.

The nun's face was full of anticipation: "Have you seen anyone from the sect?"

Master Mingzhen nodded: "I've met you."

The nun asked anxiously, "What do the people in the sect say? When will those people be driven away?"

Master Mingzhen sighed: "We don't know yet. We need to explain it to the missionaries first."

The nun looked bewildered, then gritted her teeth and said, "Does the sect no longer trust us? Are they planning to abandon us here to fend for ourselves?"

Master Mingzhen's expression changed, and she quickly told the nuns to be quiet: "Don't talk nonsense. We spread the Dharma everywhere. Even if we don't have any merit, we have worked hard."

“Last year, the Dharma attendant died in Bianjing, and the money accumulated by the sect was lost,” the nun said. “But this has nothing to do with us. We cannot leave Yunqi Temple, nor do we know what is happening outside. No matter what happens to the sect, they should not suspect us.”

Last November, the attendant who remained in Bianjing, along with more than twenty followers around her, was suddenly arrested. It is unknown who secretly informed the government.

Not only that, the money hidden within the church was also stolen beforehand.

There must be a traitor within the church. All the believers in Bianjing were suspected, and they were naturally among them.

"Let's not talk about that anymore," said Abbess Mingzhen. "Let's think about that corpse instead!"

The nun pursed her lips: "So much time has passed, the body buried underground should have turned into bones by now. Even if it were dug up, we wouldn't be able to identify it."

"Even if... it's discovered before we even dig it out, we'll just pretend we don't know anything."

Master Mingzhen had thought about it too, but she didn't dare to take the gamble.

“Don’t forget that person’s identity,” said Abbess Mingzhen. “It’s one thing if she’s just an ordinary person, but she is the niece of the Dowager Consort and the sister of the Virtuous Consort.”

Thinking about this, Abbess Mingzhen regretted that she shouldn't have let someone bring such a calamity over.

As a result, he could not be sent to Bianjing and could only be imprisoned in Yunqi Temple.

The woman happened to smell the incense. If they let her go, she would probably come looking for them soon. Thinking this, they decided to kill her.

The nun said, “We can’t wait for the sect to help us. Tonight I will go down the mountain and let those who were involved in this matter leave the capital to hide.”

"When the authorities investigate, they won't find anything, and the two of us will naturally be fine."

Master Mingzhen hadn't originally intended to take action herself, but now it seemed that this was the only way forward.

"Go ahead, I'll cover for you in the temple."

The nun didn't care: "Today a benefactor came to the temple to request a Buddhist ceremony to help her conceive soon. If anyone asks, just say that I went to the benefactor's house."