tallest building

Chapter 46 Blood Scripture
Madam Gong was unaware that Gong Xu had encountered an accident.

But they already knew that Wen Mingqian and his mother had returned.

So when the carriage stopped outside the gate of the Marquis of Ruyang's mansion and the curtain was lifted, she did not show any surprise when she saw Wen Mingqian among the welcoming crowd.

However, I was still slightly surprised.

She originally thought Wen Mingqian would look much more haggard, after all, seven years of trials and tribulations had passed.

Moreover, in order to punish her, he warned everyone not to send money or gifts to Wen Mingqian, and let her live off the dozens of acres of cemetery land in her hometown.

But now Wen Mingqian is radiant and full of energy.

Could it be that she has been living a very comfortable life all these years?

In contrast, Song Shi, standing to the side, looked seven parts more haggard.

She was originally a little older than Wen Mingqian, but only two or three years older. Now, comparing the two, she seemed to be at least seven or eight years older than Wen Mingqian.

With these doubts in mind, Madam Gong entered the house surrounded by a group of people.

After everyone was seated, they came up one by one to greet each other.

When it was Wen Mingqian's turn, she walked up and gently knelt down in front of Old Madam Gong. Gong Chang'an also knelt down immediately.

"I, your daughter-in-law, pay my respects to my mother-in-law. I am an unfilial son-in-law, having not served her for many years. I have been filled with anxiety and fear day and night. Now that I see my mother-in-law in good health, even better than before, I am truly happy." Wen Mingqian lowered his head slightly, his words sincere.

"You're so carefree, coming back whenever you want. I'm already old and frail, how could I be any better than before? On the contrary, you look radiant, you're definitely better than before!" Old Madam Gong's tone was somewhat cold as she accused Wen Mingqian of breaking the rules and returning without informing her.

They even mocked her for living a comfortable and carefree life, completely forgetting that she was being punished to reflect on her mistakes.

The fact that Madam Gong had publicly berated Wen Mingqian in front of everyone made Madam Song feel very pleased.

If the old lady had been home before, she would never have let Wen Mingqian enjoy himself for so long. She would have sent her away long ago.

“The old lady is right to criticize me. It was indeed wrong for my daughter-in-law to return without saying goodbye, but it was truly out of necessity.” Wen Mingqian explained in a gentle voice and humble manner, “Since last year, Shuangxi has been plagued by an epidemic. Uncle Yu and his wife, as well as Aunt Huang and Ahui, all contracted the epidemic and did not survive. Only my son and I and Aunt Zhang are left.”

After a winter, the plague still hadn't subsided. The daughter-in-law had originally planned to write a letter to ask for permission. But she thought that it would take at least two months for letters to travel back and forth, and by spring, when the plague was at its peak, she wouldn't be able to leave.

After much deliberation, because this seedling still existed, and was ultimately of the Gong family bloodline, he took it upon himself to leave Shuangxi.

To be honest, my daughter-in-law didn't expect to be able to return safely. After all, the journey was long, and there was no guarantee she wouldn't die on the way due to the plague.

But if they stay there, the odds are even worse.

Fortunately, thanks to the blessings of our ancestors and the old lady, the journey was safe and smooth.

“Grandma, my sister-in-law was forced into this situation. It’s not that she didn’t want to endure it, but even after a year, the plague is still raging. Besides, even if she could endure it herself, how could she let the children risk their lives as well?” Madam Wei, the wife of Gong Rang, advised from the side. “Moreover, the children are already so old, they should come back to the capital to study properly. Didn’t you say before that Shuangxi is not a place to raise children?”

When Gong Chang'an was mentioned, the old lady Gong stopped attacking Wen Mingqian and instead turned her attention to her grandson whom she was meeting for the first time.

"Grandson Gong Chang'an greets his grandmother and aunt." Gong Chang'an knelt upright, his voice clear and resonant.

He kowtowed respectfully before straightening his knees.

"Oh my, what a handsome child!" Mrs. Wei said with a smile. "Get up and come over here so that the old lady can have a good look at you."

Gong Chang'an stood up and walked to the old lady Gong. Her dark, glassy eyes were slightly misty, and her small mouth was slightly pursed, showing an expression of longing for closeness but also some timidity.

Even if Madam Gong harbored immense resentment towards Wen Mingqian, she couldn't remain indifferent to this endearing grandson.

"Grandmother, did you have a hard journey? Chang'an has been looking forward to seeing you every day. It's all my fault that I couldn't be by your side to fulfill my filial duty. From now on, I will definitely stay by your side every day and make up for what I owe you." Gong Chang'an looked at the old lady Gong with longing eyes and expressed his filial piety without any joking.

Madam Gong was naturally moved upon hearing this, and she hugged him tightly, saying, "My dear grandson! You've suffered so much these past years."

Gong Chang'an gently embraced Old Madam Gong, silently shedding a few tears.

Wen Mingqian was still kneeling there because Old Madam Gong didn't tell him to get up.

Gong Chang'an then said, "Grandmother, my mother has also prepared a gift for you."

"Grandmother doesn't want her. Grandmother has you, that's enough." Old Madam Gong didn't even look at Wen Mingqian.

“Grandmother, please. My mother has been preparing this gift for six years; it’s made with her heart and soul,” Gong Chang’an pleaded. “Please take a look at it. If you don’t like it, then forget it.”

"Grandma, this is a token of my sister-in-law's goodwill, please take a look!" Madam Wei urged again.

Zhang Ma and Zhu Ma carried in a wooden box, which puzzled everyone, who wondered what was inside.

After putting it down, Mrs. Wei stepped forward and opened it herself.

"Sister-in-law, is this your handwritten copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra?" Madam Wei picked up the top scroll and handed it to the old lady.

Wen Mingqian copied the eighty-volume Avatamsaka Sutra.

Song couldn't help but sneer inwardly. What's so special about this? People say borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha, but Wen Mingqian is clearly using scriptures to offer to Buddha. Isn't she going back to cultivate herself? What else can she do every day besides copying scriptures?!

Actually, she wasn't the only one who thought this way; many people felt that Wen Mingqian's gift was not very clever.

It's said to be catering to their tastes, but where are these handwritten scriptures missing?

But when you look at Madam Gong again, you see that she is completely captivated by the scriptures in her hands.

After looking at him for a while, she raised her head and looked at Wen Mingqian with a completely different gaze than before.

"This...this is blood sutra?!" Old Madam Gong's voice trembled slightly, showing that she was greatly moved.

“This was written by my mother, stroke by stroke, with her own blood and gold powder,” Gong Chang’an said, sobbing. “She said that this was the only way to show her true sincerity and filial piety.”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Writing sutras with one's own blood is something only those with a great vow can do. How much more so for the eighty-volume Avatamsaka Sutra.

Blood scriptures are extremely rare and precious. If the person who writes the scriptures by blood does not observe a vegetarian diet, the written scriptures will turn black and become unusable.

But Wen Mingqian's writing was brilliant in every word and solemn in every stroke.

From ancient times to the present, only two copies of the Avatamsaka Sutra, written in blood, have survived. One of them is incomplete. The other is secretly kept in the True Scripture Pavilion, and ordinary people cannot see it at all.

Madam Gong was a devout Buddhist and knew how rare this box of scriptures was.

Even if you had the money, there was nowhere to buy it.

Because the amount of life essence and time it consumes cannot be measured in silver.

"You... get up!" Old Madam Gong did not make Wen Mingqian kneel anymore.

(End of this chapter)