Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 436 Dharma Conference
Master Zhiyuan entered the Buddha Hall and respectfully lit a stick of incense. Then he led the novices and monks in their evening prayers.

Actually, the time for evening prayers at the temple had not yet arrived.

But Master Zhiyuan couldn't wait any longer. He needed to recite Buddhist scriptures and cleanse himself from head to toe with Buddhist teachings so that he could completely forget what Xie Shanren had said.

Bloodshed and carnage...

Is it really appropriate to say such things in a temple?

No wonder Buddha gets angry every time he sees her.

Master Zhiyuan thought of this and looked towards the main hall, instructing the monks beside him: "On the day of the Dharma assembly, the prayer flags in the main hall should be kept away from the incense and candles."

"Also... there shouldn't be too much incense, nor should it be too high... When offering lamps, the wicks must be short and not too far to the side."

"In short, things that are easy to tip over, such as eternal lamps, butter lamps, and incense burners, should be carefully watched over."

The monk immediately wrote it down.

"We also need to fill the water tanks in front of and behind the main hall with water in advance."

The monk glanced cautiously at the abbot, whose face was solemn and his expression unusually serious. Was it because the temple the abbot had served had been burned down that he was so cautious?

“Don’t worry, Abbot,” the monk said, “we will take care of all these things during the Dharma assembly.”

"We must not be careless in the slightest," Master Zhiyuan instructed again.

After speaking, Master Zhiyuan walked out of the main hall.

Such a fine temple, and to receive an imperial decree—what a wonderful thing! Master Zhiyuan silently clasped his hands together, deeply hoping that Benefactor Xie and his family could be reunited.

Just as he was thinking this, a thunderclap suddenly exploded in the sky, and Master Zhiyuan almost shuddered.

……

In the meditation room.

Xie Yuyan reached out and took the bowl of vegetarian noodles that Wang Yan handed over.

Madam Yu stood far away, simply because Lord Wang, understanding her hard work, had taken over the tasks that should have been hers. But this was for the best; when her mistress was busy, she didn't like to eat. As the number of people she had to help increased and the business expanded, she ate less and less, which really worried Madam Zhang and her.

It's certainly a good thing to have someone to eat with now.

Xie Yuyan's cold ailment hadn't subsided, and her family started brewing medicine every day again. The bitter medicine made her feel nauseous, as if she were being pickled by the medicine. In addition, she had a lot of things to do, so nothing tasted good. Although she forced herself to eat as much as possible, she still lost some weight.

Wang Yan must have seen this, which is why he asked the temple for vegetarian food.

"Let's eat noodles first," Wang Yan said, "and then we'll have some vegetarian snacks later."

The meditation room was small, with a small table between the two people. Xie Yuyan was fine, but Wang Yan had nowhere to put his legs and could only curl up there awkwardly, which looked really uncomfortable.

Xie Yuyan lowered his head to eat, while Wang Yan boiled water and made tea. Although they didn't speak, the atmosphere was not uncomfortable at all.

Unbeknownst to her, Xie Yuyan seemed to have gotten used to being alone with Wang Yan.

After finishing the bowl of noodles, she looked up and met Wang Yan's gaze. His gentle eyes held a deep, unfathomable depth, calm yet unfathomable.

He sat firmly in front of her, as if to shield her from all the storms outside.

It wasn't that he didn't worry about her, nor that he wasn't angry with the Xie family. He kept everything related to her in mind, but taking good care of her was more important than anything else right now.

So let her eat something peacefully before thinking about those things.

Wang Yan was not gentle, but he hid all his sharpness in front of her.

He just wanted her to feel more relaxed and comfortable when she was with him.

No two people are born perfectly compatible and intimately connected. But in order to be with the person you love, you strive to restrain yourself and change, carefully testing the waters and knowing how to maintain appropriate boundaries. It is this respect and cherishing that makes her heart flutter even more.

The person in front of her was neither Lord Wang in the imperial court nor the future prime minister who would hold power; none of those things had anything to do with her.

Only now, when his heart is moved by her, does it truly belong to her.

……

The Water and Land Dharma Assembly at Yunqi Temple lasted for several days, and the temple was packed with people inside and out.

On the last day, people were waiting in front of the temple gate early in the morning, because on the last day, the reliquary would be officially sent into the temple for worship.

Ordinary people may only have this one chance to see the reliquary.

Before dawn, a carriage was prepared at the Xie Shumi residence. Xie Chengxin and Xie Chengrang escorted Madam Zhou and Xie Wenjing out of the residence.

Madam Zhou looked up at the sky: "Is there any need to be in such a hurry? The Dharma assembly will last for half a day, and the offerings will not be made until the end of the day."

Xie Chengxin said, "My son went to the temple for the first six days, and there were even more people watching than during the New Year's Day prayers. Although our family received an invitation, we were still blocked outside if we arrived late."

"It would be better to get into the temple sooner. I have already arranged with the monks to prepare a meditation room for my mother and second sister to rest in advance."

Madam Zhou nodded upon hearing this: "Who would have thought? It's just investigating a case, yet it has made the temple even more popular."

Xie Chengxin said, "It's also because the temple name has been changed. If it were still Yunqi Temple, I'm afraid few people would go there in the future."

"The Buddhist Registry has gone to great lengths to preserve this ancient temple."

Xie Chengrang remained silent. Moving Baode Temple to the capital was not a decision that the Buddhist Registry could make alone. He had long felt that enshrining the reliquary was not so simple, and perhaps someone had already set their sights on that temple.

The carriage moved slowly forward, and Xie Chengxin and Xie Chengrang mounted their horses.

As you head east, the number of vehicles and horses on the streets increases.

“Father may also go to the temple today,” Xie Chengxin said. “Yesterday I heard Father and the others discussing matters in the study. The envoy from Western Xia is going there, and the Privy Council will also have to send someone to accompany him.”

"Because the Buddhist scriptures requested by the Western Xia also need to be handed over by the imperial court at this time."

This kind of thing usually happens at Daxiangguo Temple, but this year it has been moved to Yunqi Temple.

When the Western Xia envoy went, Xie Yizhi was not the only one accompanying him.

Xie Chengxin continued, "The Emperor has given Yunqi Temple a great deal of face."

Xie Chengrang said, "And the new porcelain from the coal kiln, just this one time, will make us famous."

High-ranking monks, court officials, envoys from Western Xia, dignitaries, and ordinary people from the city all gathered together, making this a more lively event than any other Buddhist gathering.

Is it really a coincidence?
Even a high-ranking official in the city couldn't invite this many people to a banquet at his home.

"Be careful, brother," Xie Chengrang said. "There are so many people here, we mustn't make any mistakes."

We must not cause trouble at this time.

With so many eyes watching, if anything goes wrong, there's no way you can get away with it.

Xie Chengxin said, "I know."

When the carriage arrived at Yunqi Temple, Xie Chengrang jumped off his horse and instructed his servants not to have any conflicts with anyone.

After explaining these things, the two brothers helped Madam Zhou and Xie Wenjing off their horses.

The Xie family members walked towards the temple gate. Xie Chengrang paid attention to the surrounding situation. His eyes swept around and he saw a group of people coming from afar. The person in the lead was Guo Xiong, whom he had seen before.