Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 440 Meaning
Xie Yuyan's lips curved slightly. It seemed that Xie Shumi had already made his choice, so now it was her turn.

Xie Yuyan said, "I also brought the Buddhist porcelain that was fired at the same time as the reliquary. I discussed it with Master Zhiyuan and decided to give it to you as a gift to express my gratitude for the reopening of Baode Temple."

Xie Yizhi frowned. If a merchant wanted to give porcelain to a court official, it would be a pipe dream. But she brought up Baode Temple and Master Zhiyuan, and it was Buddhist porcelain. At least on the surface, no one would refuse.

Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to the Emperor and the Cining Palace.

Xie Yizhi looked at the Western Xia envoys, whose expressions of surprise and delight were already evident. The shouts of "We have seen the Buddha!" ​​had clearly made the envoys even more convinced that the relic box was extraordinary.

They can't take the reliquary with them, but taking the Buddhist porcelain is fine too.

Xie Yuyan continued, "There aren't that many Buddhist porcelains, but the porcelain produced in the same coal kiln will be sent to Bianjing one after another. The believers and ordinary people who participate in the Dharma assembly today can also receive a piece of pottery or porcelain."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in cheers. They were even getting porcelain from the same kiln as the reliquary – why wouldn't they want it?

"When the Daming Porcelain Shop opens, everyone can go to the shop with their vouchers to select pottery and porcelain."

"There aren't many porcelain pieces, so each household can only be given one receipt."

Someone in the crowd spoke first: "Thank you, madam."

Then many others echoed this sentiment.

Upon hearing this, the master of ceremonies' eyes flickered slightly. Today, at least several hundred people have come to Baode Temple to participate in the Dharma assembly and have entered the temple. It seems that Xie Yuyan will have to spend a lot of money, but when the Daming Porcelain Shop opens, these people will go there to select porcelain, so there is no need to worry about the shop not being bustling.

Those who received the certificate would inevitably mention it upon leaving Baode Temple, and as people discussed it, the porcelain from Daming Prefecture gradually became known.

Missing the Dharma assembly cannot make up for it, and not being able to see the reliquary is even more regrettable. However, one can buy porcelain from the same kiln as the reliquary. There must be many people who think this way, which will surely attract many people to the porcelain shop.

Just now, the master of ceremonies heard believers and people shouting "Buddha has appeared!" because they saw Buddha sitting cross-legged in a lotus flower.

No one witnessed the Buddha's miraculous appearance that Jingxuan spoke of, but what happened today was witnessed by everyone.

The claim that the Buddha manifested was thus confirmed.

However… the emcee’s eyes flickered slightly; whether he actually saw the Buddha or not, who knows?

Once something becomes controversial, even if another perspective sounds illogical, some people will still agree with it.

When Master Zhiyuan led the novices and monks out of the main hall, Guo Xiong and others had already brought over the Buddhist porcelain.

The Western Xia envoy wanted to take another look at the reliquary; he hadn't seen the Buddha statue earlier and was still quite persistent. But before that, he wanted to get his hands on the Buddhist porcelain.

The Western Xia envoy said, "That tricolor reliquary is extremely well-made. The Buddhist porcelain from the same kiln must also be exceptional. It is our good fortune to be able to obtain one."

Guo Xiong opened the chest and took out a piece of Buddhist porcelain, which Master Zhiyuan then presented to the Western Xia envoy.

The Western Xia envoy couldn't wait to take it out and look at it. When he saw the red and green offering plate, his eyes lit up. He looked at Xie Yuyan and said, "The porcelain in your hand, madam, is it all made with charcoal?"

Xie Yuyan replied, "Exactly."

The Western Xia envoy asked, "Is it different from firewood and charcoal kilns?"

“The coal kiln is larger and can fire more porcelain at once,” Xie Yuyan said, “but it requires higher control of the temperature, and there are not many master craftsmen who can control it well.”

The Western Xia envoy then asked, "Then... how much does it cost?"

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "If a coal kiln is used well, the price will be lower than that of an ordinary kiln."

The Western Xia envoy's face clearly showed a satisfied smile. Xie Yizhi stood aside, carefully watching Xie Yuyan's every move. He couldn't mistake this woman in front of him, which was why he had been so surprised just now, but this woman's behavior was different from the person he remembered.

She can seize every opportunity to achieve her goals. Why didn't she have such methods back in the village? Is someone guiding her behind the scenes now, or was she deliberately hiding her talents before?
While Xie Yizhi was pondering, Master Zhiyuan had already handed out the Buddhist porcelain pieces one by one. Upon seeing this, Xie Yizhi looked at Xie Chengxin in the crowd.

Although Xie Chengxin hesitated, he still gritted his teeth and went over.

It is impolite to have a servant take over the Buddhist porcelain, but if you have your own son take it, you won't be criticized.

A box was handed to Xie Chengxin. Xie Chengxin bowed to Master Zhiyuan and was about to step aside when he suddenly felt a movement at the bottom of the box. Then his hand felt light, and the bottom of the wooden box, along with the Buddhist porcelain inside, fell downwards. Xie Chengxin tried to catch it, but it was too late. He could only watch helplessly as the incense burner inside fell to the ground and broke in two.

Exclamations arose from all around, followed by silence.

Xie Chengxin stared blankly at the red and green incense burner, a layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

"What should we do?" the vassal spoke first. "This is Buddhist porcelain; if it breaks like this..."

The word "unlucky" almost slipped out of my mouth.

Offering Buddhist porcelain is meant to receive the Buddha's blessing, but what does it mean if the Buddhist porcelain breaks?
Madam Zhou's expression changed as well. She was delighted to receive the Buddhist porcelain, but she still had to be careful to flatter the merchant. Who knew that everyone else's Buddhist porcelain was fine, but something went wrong when Xin'er went to get it.

“Amitabha,” Master Zhiyuan chanted a Buddhist saying, “The affairs of the world are unpredictable, so you need not take it to heart.”

Xie Chengxin took a long time to come to his senses: "This box... I..."

"Get out of here," Xie Yizhi said in a deep voice. "You're so flustered, you can't even do the simplest things right."

Xie Chengxin was reprimanded and had no choice but to stand aside.

Rather than saying the incense burner fell on its own, it would be more accurate to say that Xie Chengxin made a mistake. After all, the former is more likely to be associated with the Buddha's manifestation. Xie Yizhi looked at Xie Yuyan, and at that moment, the corners of her mouth seemed to turn up slightly, revealing a smile.

Xie Yizhi's eyes narrowed involuntarily as she tried to look more closely, but she quickly regained her composure.

Has the person in front of me truly forgotten what happened before?
Or perhaps she was just playing tricks from the beginning.

Why did she travel step by step from Daming Prefecture to Bianjing? Was it to return to the Xie family and take revenge on him?

If that's all the tricks and tactic they have, it's hardly impressive.

……

The master of ceremonies looked at the broken porcelain on the ground. Perhaps no one else noticed, but there was something unusual between Madam Xie and Privy Councilor Xie. How could someone who was always so meticulous make a mistake when presenting Buddhist porcelain?

Madam Xie was clearly targeting Xie Shumi on purpose.

The Empress Dowager was right after all; the matter of the relic box is probably not so simple.

Things are getting interesting.

……

After Master Zhiyuan finished presenting the Buddhist porcelain, the novice monks informed everyone that they could leave on their own.

Madam Zhou frowned, finally managing to call Xie Chengxin over to inquire about the matter.

Xie Yizhi and her men went ahead first.

After leaving Baode Temple, Xie Yizhi called over her confidant and whispered, "Go find Qiao Si and ask him if those two people have really been dealt with?" Why did she appear alive and well in front of him?
If he could, he would dig up the soil right now to see if there were two corpses inside.