Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 427 The New Temple

Upon hearing someone ask about Madam Xie, Guo Xiong immediately turned around and saw two nuns standing not far away.

Guo Chuan helped Guo Xiong out of the crowd, and the two brothers looked at the nuns: "Excuse me, what is this place, Venerable Masters...?"

The older nun said, "My Dharma name is Jingyuan. I come from the Sangha Office and wish to see Madam Xie."

Seeing that Guo Xiong and Guo Chuan hesitated, the nun continued, "I am here for the sake of Yunqi Temple."

Guo Xiong had a guess, and Guo Chuan, who was next to him, lowered his voice and said, "Madam has publicly stated her identity."

Guo Xiong was in prison and naturally knew nothing of these things. Now that his younger brother had said this, he understood that his wife was not going to hide her whereabouts.

Guo Xiong said, "We brothers will guide the nun."

Jingyuan replied, "Then thank you very much, benefactor."

Guo Xiong had been tortured in prison. If Xu Huaiyi hadn't released him in time, his leg might have been broken. Even so, his pre-existing condition worsened, causing him to walk with a limp. Fortunately, the yamen had arranged for a doctor to treat him, and he was told that with rest for ten days or so, he would recover, and would be perfectly fine after a month.

“Since you have difficulty walking, we will walk slowly,” Jingyuan said. “Our temple has a kind of medicine for treating sprains and bruises. You can come with me to the temple to get some for application later.”

Guo Xiong quickly expressed his gratitude.

As the group approached the courtyard, a servant was peering out from the doorway. Seeing Guo Xiong's delighted expression, he was about to speak with him when his gaze swept over the two nuns, and he immediately stopped in his tracks.

The servant was handpicked by Madam Yu at the dock. Although young, he was very clever. Upon seeing the situation, he took off running into the courtyard, clearly to deliver the message.

Seeing this, Jingyuan slowed down and waited for the servant to return.

A moment later, Yu's mother came to greet her at the door.

“Please come with me, nuns,” said Mama Yu, stepping forward to lead the way.

The courtyard was not far from the perfume shop. When Abbess Jingyuan stood at the gate, she could already see the bustling scene at the perfume shop, with people coming and going. In that short time, at least seven or eight people went in.

"The lady is inside the house."

Mother Yu stepped forward to lift the curtain, and Jingyuan went in first. Then she saw the woman in front of the table.

Xie Yuyan also raised his eyes, and their gazes met.

Jingyuan performed the Buddhist ritual, and Xie Yuyan stood up and returned the gesture, then invited Jingyuan and his disciple to sit down to the side.

Xie Yuyan asked, "I wonder what brings you here, Abbess?"

Master Jingyuan said, "Originally, I was looking for you, Madam, about the relic box, but now I have other questions and would like to ask you for advice."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Please speak freely, Master."

Master Jingyuan said, "When Madam was in Daming Prefecture, she had already started using coal, so she should know more about coal than others."

“Daliang has only just begun to mine coal on a large scale,” Xie Yuyan said. “However, compared with others, we, the people of Daming Prefecture who were the first to use coal, know more about it.”

Master Jingyuan looked towards the door: "I heard that when Madam opened her perfume shop, the first thing she did was build a stove in the house. Is that stove different from the one used for burning firewood?"

Xie Yuyan responded, "Our new stove is more suitable for burning charcoal." Abbess Jingyuan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is the eldest daughter's porcelain kiln also like that?"

Xie Yuyan seemed to know everything and was willing to answer whatever the nun asked: "The new kilns in Daming Prefecture are all newly renovated coal kilns. In addition, we have also opened a kiln in Lizhou."

“I’ve heard that the firing temperature is the most important factor in firing porcelain,” said Abbess Jingyuan. “How does Madam manage to control these?”

Xie Yuyan looked at Abbess Jingyuan. This time, she did not respond immediately, but instead smiled and said, "This cannot be explained in a few words, nor can it be told to others casually. I can only say that I have many craftsmen under my command who are good at distinguishing fire. Back in Daming Prefecture, we were able to classify coal into different grades and know the size of the fire and how long it could burn.

Master Jingyuan was not disappointed, but said, "No wonder the eldest daughter-in-law's business was able to get ahead of others."

Xie Yuyan's smile faded slightly, but her gaze remained calm: "Does the nun want to do business with me? Like... Baode Temple?"

Master Jingyuan's face remained expressionless, but a glint flashed in her eyes: "How did Madam Xie find out?"

Xie Yuyan said, "The nun came to find me because of the relic box. Now that she can put the relic box aside, what she wants to ask me is naturally more important."

"Later, the nun asked about coal and the method of controlling the fire. These are the most important things I have, and they are the reason why I have been able to make many deals."

"I have it, you don't. If it's not by force, then we can only obtain it through negotiation."

"Isn't this just buying and selling?"

Master Jingyuan nodded in agreement: "What you said is right, it is a business transaction."

“In our temple, we usually dye some cloth. The boiling, steaming and other processes require precise control of the heat. Although coal is good, if you don’t understand it, you can’t control the heat and mistakes are inevitable.”

“We are not afraid to try, but it would be easier if we had someone knowledgeable in this field to help us.”

"I heard that Madam runs a mine at Baode Temple and has even hired monks. Since she has done such a thing, she's probably willing to do this business with us."

"Of course, Madam, you can rest assured. We are different from Yunqi Temple. We only want to do legitimate business. There is no need to hide anything. We can withstand scrutiny no matter when."

Xie Yuyan asked, "Which nunnery is the nunnery you're referring to, Master?"

“Ciyun Nunnery,” said Abbess Jingyuan, “there are dozens of nuns in the nunnery, but if we accept nuns from Yunqi Temple, there will be more than a hundred. In the past, we would print and dye a small amount of cloth to supplement the temple’s income. If we use coal instead, we can produce more cloth, so we won’t have to worry about having too many nuns in the nunnery.”

Xie Yuyan heard a different meaning in Master Jingyuan's words: "Does the Master mean that Yunqi Temple should be merged into Ciyun Nunnery?"

Master Jingyuan nodded.

"What about Yunqi Temple?" Xie Yuyan asked.

“This is another matter I wanted to discuss with Benefactor Xie,” said Abbess Jingyuan. “Yunqi Temple has been involved in several incidents, and it’s unlikely that many pilgrims will visit it again if it remains standing.”

"The Buddhist Registry discussed the possibility of building a new temple at the site of Yunqi Temple."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yuyan followed up on Jingyuan's words and asked, "A new temple?"

Master Jingyuan nodded: "This new temple is related to the lady's reliquary."

"This reliquary brought the truth of Miss Shen's case to light, which shows that it has a connection with Yunqi Temple. However, I heard that Madam Xie agreed to donate the reliquary to Baode Temple in Daming Prefecture."

“One reliquary, two causes and effects; to achieve both, Baode Temple must be moved to Bianjing.”