Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 490 Let's Go Now
Master Jingyuan twirled her prayer beads as she looked at Xie Yuyan.

"I wonder what this humble nun needs from the virtuous man?" asked Abbess Jingyuan.

Xie Yuyan looked at the serious Abbess Jingyuan, but her expression was extremely relaxed, as if what she was about to say was exceptionally simple.

"I would like to ask the nun if I have a relative who wants to perform a ritual to help the souls of my deceased parents and siblings to be freed from suffering, is it possible for the temple to perform this ritual?"

Abbess Jingyuan was slightly surprised. Madam Xie had indeed asked about something that monks could do. She nodded almost without hesitation: "Yes."

Xie Yuyan continued, "He has some special requirements for the ritual."

"I want to release river lanterns and release animals."

After a moment's thought, Master Jingyuan said, "River lanterns guide the deceased out of suffering, and releasing animals can accumulate blessings for the deceased, so it is certainly feasible. However, such rituals are usually performed on Buddha's Birthday or the Ullambana Festival. Buddha's Birthday has already passed. Thank you for your kind intention. I can arrange a water and land ceremony for that benefactor on the Ullambana Festival."

Xie Yuyan thought for a moment: "If the deceased died on the water, his family and relatives will have nightmares every day and won't be able to wait that long. Could the temple arrange a Dharma assembly in advance?"

Master Jingyuan now has some doubts about whether Xie Shanren really has that relative or friend.

However, it was common for monks and nuns to hold religious ceremonies, so she had no reason to refuse.

“Amitabha Buddha, it is the monks’ duty to enable the living to abide in the Dharma. If this is true, then the Dharma assembly does not need to be held at any particular time.”

Xie Yuyan smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Abbess. I will send you the money for the ceremony immediately."

Master Jingyuan was about to say that there was no need to be in such a hurry.

Xie Yuyan spoke first, saying, "Does the Buddhist Registry have any boats for performing rituals? We shouldn't delay, let's set off now to borrow a boat."

Master Jingyuan rarely showed her emotions, but at this moment she was slightly stunned: "You mean now?" She even forgot to call Xie Yuyan "good person".

Xie Yuyan said, "That's right. Now we must ask the abbot to help him abide in the true Dharma."

Master Jingyuan frowned. It seemed she was right; Xie Yuyan was about to perform the ritual.

"What exactly are you..." As soon as Abbess Jingyuan finished speaking, she began to suspect that the whole "going to perform a ritual on the water" thing was just a pretext.

As for that relative or friend...

It now appears that it never existed.

Xie Yuyan looked at Abbess Jingyuan with clear eyes.

Master Jingyuan composed herself: "Should we have someone else come with us on the boat to the river?"

Xie Yuyan nodded: "Not many, only two people will go together."

"I wonder if we could ask the abbot of the Buddhist Registry for help. My relative is being tortured to the point of near death. If he cannot be relieved soon, I fear his life will be in danger."

Master Jingyuan looked at Xie Yuyan. How could she say such a deceptive thing so naturally? If she didn't know Xie Yuyan a little, she might have believed it.

Master Jingyuan said, "I heard that you have a good relationship with Master Zhiyuan of Baode Temple. Why don't you go and see him?"

Xie Yuyan didn't hide anything: "Abbot Zhiyuan isn't familiar with the people in the Buddhist Registry. Even if he agrees to borrow a boat, it will have to wait until tomorrow." Tomorrow would be too late.

Moreover, Zhiyuan didn't know the Empress Dowager and wouldn't inform Cining Palace about tonight's events. This was also why Abbess Jingyuan couldn't refuse her.

Knowing that something was happening on the Bian River, how could we not go and see what was going on?
Master Jingyuan took out her copper hoop lock and began to slowly fiddle with it. After a moment, she said, "The money for the Dharma assembly must be paid in full."

Xie Yuyan nodded: "I will immediately have someone fetch five hundred strings of cash and deliver it to the nunnery."

Upon hearing about the money, Abbess Jingyuan stood up, called over the nun at the door, and instructed her: "Prepare lanterns, incense, candles, and river lanterns. Tell Jingheng to select ten people to come with me to the river for a Dharma assembly later."

……

On the Bian River.

Zhao Zhongliang stood at the bow of the boat, being led slowly along the river by the boatman. However, the boat did not row far, but instead circled around, mainly to check if any suspicious boats were approaching.

Another man emerged from the cabin and walked straight to Zhao Zhongliang, saying, "Thanks to you all for coming along this time, otherwise we might not have enough manpower."

At this point, the man sighed, "I thought I came to Bianjing just to hear some news and confirm the transactions at the border market, but I never expected something like this to happen so suddenly."

The man often traveled to the Northwest with caravans, and on several occasions he was protected by Zhao Zhongliang's bodyguard team. On several occasions they encountered bandits, and it was only through the combined efforts of the caravan and the bodyguard team that they were able to escape danger.

Because of these experiences, the man gradually developed more trust in Zhao Zhongliang and began to reveal some things to him. Of course, the man wasn't just being loose-lipped; he had other plans. He wanted to incorporate Zhao Zhongliang's militia into their caravan.

Liu Yigui patted Zhao Zhongliang on the shoulder: "I called you over to broaden your horizons, but you've ended up getting into trouble. Once we get out of here safely, I'll talk to the Third Manager and give you some extra money as compensation."

At this point, Liu Yigui seemed afraid that he might overthink things: "This was an accident; no one expected it to turn out this way..."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhongliang couldn't help but ask, "Is the one who's been helping us with our business behind the scenes... Minister Xia? I overheard people talking about it when I was gathering information on the street."

Normally, Liu Yigui wouldn't have said anything, but things are different now. With Xia Mengxian's trade route gone, they might encounter trouble if they went to trade in the Northwest again, so it's even more important to keep Zhao Zhongliang and his men here.

Liu Yigui nodded.

Zhao Zhongliang's expression changed slightly: "Then... it will be difficult to run a caravan in the future."

Liu Yigui laughed: "It's not as terrible as you think. Although losing Xia Mengxian will be more troublesome, we still have other people in the court."

"Don't worry, Minister Xia is not our biggest backer. At most, he just works for us. You don't need to worry about anything happening at home. Just give the Third Manager some time, and he will take care of it."

Zhao Zhongliang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

“Zhao Chuan,” Liu Yigui said, “I’ll say it again: joining the caravan will only bring you benefits and no harm. You’ll earn more money, and there will be people to help you solve any problems you encounter. This is also an opportunity for you. Right now is the time when people are needed. As long as you are trusted by the Third Manager, the Northwest will be handed over to you in the future.”

"The Third Manager will give you enough money and grain to strengthen your militia. In less than three years, you'll have several times more men than you have now. Then you won't have to fear those mountain bandits anymore."

Zhao Zhongliang listened, and even nodded subconsciously.

Liu Yigui's smile deepened immediately: "From now on, we'll be as close as brothers, and I'll take good care of you."

Zhao Zhongliang responded, then looked around warily, seemingly deep in thought: "Brother Liu, could you give me some pointers later? There are so many ships, which one should we focus on protecting? If things go smoothly this time... I can save face for the Third Manager."

I know staying up late every day is bad, but I just can't change it. I've tried to change my sleep schedule several times, but I've failed each time...

I'll see if I can update tonight; if not, I'll update tomorrow morning.