Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 438 Impossible

Wang Yan was different from ordinary civil officials. He had broad shoulders and a tall stature, and his official robes looked particularly upright on him. His dark eyes were like torches, and his expression was calm and serene. When he looked at others, his eyes were solemn and unwavering. Therefore, when people looked at him, they would subconsciously be more serious and cautious.

Behind him followed officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Left Registrar of Buddhist Scriptures, and then several imperial guards carrying a plaque.

After Wang Yan walked over, the hall and its surroundings immediately fell silent.

Xie Yizhi, along with officials from the Jiyisi and the Western Xia envoy, also arrived. Upon seeing Wang Yan, the Western Xia envoy whispered to Xie Yizhi, "Is this Lord Wang the eldest son of the Prime Minister Wang Xiang? The Emperor of Liang sent Lord Wang to deliver the plaque, which shows how much he cares about this matter."

Xie Yizhi spoke calmly and respectfully: "His Majesty only heard that those members of the evil cult were harming the people, which is why he ordered the Buddhist Registry to rebuild Yunqi Temple."

The Western Xia envoy also exclaimed in praise, "We have heard that the Emperor of Liang has always been benevolent and loves his people. Today, we have witnessed it with our own eyes."

Xie Yizhi had no intention of coming to Yunqi Temple. It was just a temple that was being renamed, so there was no need for him to come in person. However, these Western Xia envoys insisted on seeing the relic box, so he had no choice but to bring his men to accompany the envoys here.

Xie Yizhi said, "The envoy mentioned earlier that he had seen the relic box in Daming Prefecture?"

The Western Xia envoy said, "It was not that I saw it with my own eyes, but rather... the others in my entourage had the opportunity to see it when they went to Baode Temple in Daming Prefecture."

Xie Yizhi mentioned the relic box at this time to test the Western Xia envoy's tone and see if the matter was true or false. In his mind, this was most likely a hoax.

Xie Yizhi remained silent for a long time, until the Western Xia envoy asked, "Does Privy Councilor Xie not believe it?"

“That’s not the case,” Xie Yizhi said. “It’s just that I haven’t seen it with my own eyes.”

The Western Xia envoy put his hands together and said, "Our Great Xia reveres Buddhism. This time, our Great Xia Wuzu instructed us to retrieve the manuscript copy. For this purpose, we have also brought fine horses as an exchange."

Xie Yizhi was naturally aware of the Western Xia people's plans. They wanted to retrieve the original Chinese texts of Buddhist scriptures, translate them into Western Xia, and circulate them in Western Xia. Besides those who formally came to request the scriptures, many spies and merchants secretly went to temples to copy the texts. The so-called Western Xia envoy must have gone to Baode Temple in this way.

Those people must have seen something at Baode Temple and mistook it for the Buddha's descent. The nun at Yunqi Temple was the same way; ultimately, they all had something to hide.

The two events, when they collided, might seem to corroborate each other to others, but Xie Yizhi felt that they actually further proved that someone had done it on purpose.

Who is that person?

Xie Yizhi looked at Wang Yan...

"Master, the time has come. Let's change the plaque first!"

Wang Yan stepped forward and read out the imperial decree: "The Buddhist temple is a pure land and a field of blessings for all people. The abbot of Yunqi Temple, Miaojing, and others have seized farmland from the people and colluded with evil sects... The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review have verified that there is no error. They are hereby stripped of their monk status and sentenced. Yunqi Temple is hereby abolished and renamed Baode Temple. The abbot of Baode Temple in Daming Prefecture, Master Zhiyuan, is hereby ordered to reopen the temple gates. The newly ordained monks must strictly abide by the precepts and pray for the common people with the morning bell and evening drum."

Master Zhiyuan stepped forward to receive the imperial decree, and the Sangha Director led the monks in performing Buddhist rituals.

The novices and monks received the plaque and, under the guidance of Master Zhiyuan, hung it directly above the temple gate.

When Master Zhiyuan saw the words "Baode Temple," his eyes welled up with tears. Last year, he thought Baode Temple was going to disappear, but unexpectedly, it not only came back to life but was also moved to the capital.

He turned to look at his young apprentice in the crowd. Yan Sui had at least a dozen strings of Buddhist prayer beads around his neck and a bunch of amulets on his wrist. He was sniffing at the plaque, probably reminiscing about the days when he was poorly clothed and hungry.

A moment later, Yan Sui began talking to the people around him and even showed them the amulet hanging on his arm, clearly intending to take the opportunity to sell those items.

“Besides the amulet,” Yan Sui lifted his robe, revealing it covered with various items, “there’s also the Vajra Bell. When practicing at home, you can use the Vajra Bell to calm your mind.”

Master Zhiyuan took a deep breath and barely managed to calm himself down...

He suddenly felt relieved that he hadn't shaved his young apprentice's head, so he could pretend he didn't know the child. The plaque was replaced, but the devotees showed no intention of leaving; they had come to see the reliquary again.

Master Zhiyuan looked at Guo Xiong beside him and nodded to him: "Please ask Madam to bring the reliquary! I will enshrine it in the Buddha Hall."

Guo Xiong responded and quickly left.

Madam Zhou led Xie Wenjing a few steps forward, trying to get as close to the Buddhist hall as possible so they could examine the relic box more closely. However, they could only stand on either side, leaving the central position for officials and monks such as Xie Yizhi and Wang Yan.

"Don't be in a hurry. You need to take a close look at the reliquary later. If it is more colorful than the one enshrined in the Great Xiangguo Temple, you must accept your loss and give me your copy of the 'Commentary on the Rites of Zhou'."

Xie Chengrang recognized the voice and turned to look. He saw a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old in the crowd. He had a scholarly air about him and was still young, but he also had the fearless and arrogant temperament of a scion of a noble family.

That's Wang Zheng.

Wang Yan and Wang Zheng, who are rarely seen on ordinary days, actually came.

Moreover, it seems that Wang Zheng also placed a bet with someone.

Once a reliquary is passed around among these people, it becomes exceptionally important.

As Xie Chengrang was thinking, another burst of noise broke out.

"coming."

"coming."

Xie Chengrang looked up and saw a woman carrying a tray gracefully approaching. However, he was more interested in the relic box than the woman, so he hurried to look at the items on the tray.

The brown, yellow, and green glazes were exceptionally vibrant in the sunlight, but before he could clearly see whether there was actually a Buddha statue on the lotus pedestal of the reliquary, he felt a sharp pain in his foot as the person in front of him bumped into him solidly.

Standing in front of him was Xie Chengxin.

Xie Chengrang helped the man up and was about to ask him a question when he saw Xie Chengxin's panicked face. Xie Chengxin didn't know what was wrong with him; his eyes were full of fear, and in a short while, his forehead was covered in sweat. He stretched out his hand and pointed forward, his lips moving but only able to make a few sounds.

"She...she..."

The woman was getting closer and closer to him...

Xie Chengxin stood frozen in place, unable to move an inch.

He wanted to look away, but he couldn't help but keep staring at her.

The woman in the pale yellow dress walked slowly and gracefully, a ray of sunlight falling on her and clearly revealing her face.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, and her eyes seemed to hold bright pearls. Her makeup was simple, but it couldn't hide her natural beauty. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, she showed no fear, but instead exuded a sense of grace and poise.

Her gaze seemed to sweep over him, and Xie Chengxin's heart immediately felt as if it were being tightly bound by a rope, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

How can it be?

How could it be her? How is she still alive?

Xie Chengxin looked at his father in a panic, and then he saw the same look of astonishment in his father's eyes.