Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 459 Thunder and Lightning
Zhiyuan twirled the prayer beads in his hand. When there was no way out, it seemed he could only sigh.

"Thank you, benefactor," Zhiyuan said, "why don't you sell these pills?"

The lower the price, the harder it is to get. Now that Benefactor Xie is refusing payment... he really has no idea what to do.

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "How can you sell items donated by the temple? If I do this, I will be violating the laws of Daliang and will be imprisoned."

"Does the master wish me to do this?"

Zhiyuan hurriedly said, "Amitabha, this humble monk had no such intention."

Xie Yuyan said, "Since that's the case, we'll have to rely on Master to handle it. I feel most at ease with the donated medicinal herbs in Master's hands. After all, Master has always managed Buddhist charcoal and Buddhist porcelain very well, and has helped countless people with them. Even the reliquary allowed Lady Shen and Master Huizhen to have their grievances redressed..."

"And this ancient temple..."

Zhiyuan's heart pounded. This wasn't praise; it was a demand for money. How much would it cost to exchange all the money he'd earned at Baode Temple in Daming Prefecture, the fame he'd gained in Bianjing, and the temple itself? Even if he wore only a monk's robe and trousers from now on, he still couldn't pay it off.

Moreover, can the abbot of Daming Prefecture be the same as the abbot of the ancient temple in Bianjing? Even if he were to renounce his vows and go out begging with his young apprentice, the Buddhist Registry would still arrest him and bring him back.

“Benefactor, please tell this humble monk the truth,” Zhiyuan looked at Xie Yuyan with eyes full of Buddhist wisdom and Zen, “how difficult will this matter be?”

Xie Yuyan shook his head: "This time it's different from the Buddhist charcoal and Buddhist porcelain. I don't need the master to arrange it personally. I'm just borrowing Master Huizhen's reputation... However, there aren't enough pills. I'll have to trouble the master to decide which temple to give them to."

Zhiyuan humbly asked, "Then...which temple should we give the pills to?"

Xie Yuyan said, "Naturally, it's the temples that are willing to do business with us. The trade routes from Bianjing and Daming Prefecture all the way to the northwest are difficult, and we need temples to take us in."

Zhiyuan squeezed the prayer beads with a little force and almost crushed them.

So... this is still a business transaction. It seems like he has the final say on who gets the pills, but in reality, he has no say in who gets them. If a temple sends someone to inquire, he will have to find a way to deal with it.

Or he should just leave; he might as well abandon the temple altogether.

Just as the room fell silent, Yan Sui's voice came from outside: "Master, Madam, are you in the meditation room?"

Mother Yu opened the door to the meditation room, and Yan Sui quickly walked in.

Today, Yan Sui took off his monk's robe and wore new clothes made by Zhang. Early this morning, he went to the academy with Yang Qin, walked around the academy, listened to the teacher's lecture, and then walked back to Baode Temple by himself.

Upon entering the temple, he immediately asked the young novice if there was anything going on at the temple. Only after seeing his master did Yan Sui breathe a sigh of relief. Like a head of a household, having been away from home for a day, he was worried that his elderly father, who was in his seventies or eighties, might not be living a peaceful life, so he had to examine him from head to toe.

"How is the academy?" Master Zhiyuan asked first.

Yan Sui grabbed his master's robe and immediately said, "There's nothing fun about it. It's just like the usual morning and evening prayers in the temple."

Zhiyuan, however, saw a fleeting glimmer of light in Yan Sui's eyes. This child, who had been worrying about him ever since coming to his side, now finally had a good place to go…

“Then go,” Master Zhiyuan said. “Learn carefully from the teacher, just like you would listen to morning and evening prayers.”

Yan Sui was still somewhat hesitant. He glanced at Xie Yuyan, clearly wanting to gain some courage from Xie Yuyan, since it was Xie Yuyan who had sent him to the academy.

Xie Yuyan smiled and said, "The Baode Temple in Bianjing is different from that in Daming Prefecture. Every year, the Buddhist Registry will give a sum of money to support the temple's expenses, which is something that Daming Prefecture does not provide. Moreover, the monks' fields have all been planted this year, and the temple has enough stored grain. Furthermore... Baode Temple is very popular, and donations and offerings are indispensable."

"Even if Master Zhiyuan were to give away all the rice and grain in the temple to the refugees and relinquish the monastic lands of Baode Temple, no other monks would come knocking on the door."

Master Zhiyuan was horrified by these words. How could he possibly do such a thing? In the past, Baode Temple didn't have much land for monks, and some of it was obtained by seizing land from villagers. That's why he returned it.

“There’s no need to worry,” Master Zhiyuan reached out and touched Yan Sui. “Under the emperor’s nose, these monastic lands are all clean and tidy. There’s no reason for them to be returned.”

Yan Sui breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that even if he didn't save any money, his master wouldn't starve. "To get to the academy, we still need..."

Before the word "money" could be uttered, Xie Yuyan interjected, "I've already spoken with the academy. If you're willing, you can go with Qin Ge'er starting tomorrow."

"However, whether you can go to a government school in the future depends on your own abilities."

Yan Sui's eyes brightened even more.

Master Zhiyuan silently added another entry to the accounts of his dealings with Xie Shanren.

Before leaving Baode Temple, Xie Yuyan looked earnestly at Master Zhiyuan: "Abbot, please rest assured. I dare not say anything else, but all the pills that leave the temple will definitely be used to save people."

These words were barely a consolation to Master Zhiyuan.

Even though he knew that Xie Shanren was deceiving him.

Master Zhiyuan bowed in Buddhist salutation: "Amitabha, thank you for taking care of your health, and don't overwork yourself." He really couldn't handle the constant disturbances.

"If you happen to meet Mr. Wang, please give him my regards and ask him to come and sit in the meditation room when he has time."

He would much rather the two of them talk and play chess in the meditation room, at least with the room closed and the outside world quiet. Right now, they're so busy they can't even see each other…

Master Zhiyuan sensed that a great storm was about to break.

These two are probably like thunder gods and lightning goddesses; wherever they go, the weather changes.

……

in the palace.

Wang Yan happened to look up at the sky when a cloud drifted over his head, and the sky gradually darkened, clearly indicating that it was going to rain.

“Lord Wang,” said the eunuch Jiang, who came out from the back hall, “His Majesty invites you in.”

Wang Yan walked into the hall, where the emperor, who had just finished meeting with officials, was resting on a soft couch. He could relax for a moment after handling state affairs in the inner palace each time.

"Your Majesty."

Wang Yan stepped forward and bowed.

The Emperor opened his eyes and said, "Today, the Ministry of Personnel sent a memorial mentioning your destination. It seems that my chief minister also wants you to be transferred to a post outside the capital."

"I would like to hear what you have to say, Your Highness."

The emperor's eager gaze fell on Wang Yan, but he noticed the solemnity in Wang Yan's eyes, and the relaxed expression on his face gradually tightened.

"What?" the official asked. "Is there a document?"

Wang Yan took out a document and several sheets of paper from his sleeve, but he did not hand them to the Emperor. Instead, he said, “I have heard about a matter that I feared was fabricated. So I carefully investigated and have now obtained evidence. I wrote this document overnight. However, this document has not yet been reviewed by the Secretariat and cannot be presented to Your Majesty at present.”

The Emperor frowned: "What's so difficult about that? I will immediately write a secret edict for you, granting you the right to submit secret reports."

Wang Xianggong was in charge of the Secretariat, but Wang Yan wanted to bypass the Secretariat and deliver the memorial to him.

The emperor immediately realized the importance of this matter.

That's all for today's update. Good luck tomorrow!