Tang Dynasty Xie Lu Lang

Chapter 133 Committing evil deeds in the morning and reciting scriptures in the evening
Changshou Temple is located in Jiashanfang, Luonan, on the south side of Nanshi.

During the Wu Zhou period, Empress Wu Zetian's teeth fell out and new ones grew, and her white hair turned black. Therefore, she changed the era name to Changshou and established the Changshou Temple in Luoyang, the capital, to celebrate this event.

Changshou Temple is located in a bustling area of ​​Luoyang, near the Nanshi commercial center. Moreover, it has a very auspicious meaning, so it is one of the most popular temples in the capital. Its various side businesses are also doing very well.

However, Changshou Temple suffered a setback this summer. Due to various violations, it was severely cracked down on by the government, and the temple was even temporarily closed, which greatly reduced its popularity.

Even after the lockdown was lifted, many devout men and women, fearing repercussions, dared not come to worship and make offerings, and the once bustling temple is now deserted.

After learning about this situation at the counter, Zhang Dai invited Wang Yuanbao to come to Changshou Temple to learn more about it.

He had long planned to run a temple business, and had even obtained a name card of a high-ranking monk to use for paying respects. Now that he had such an opportunity, he naturally wanted to take advantage of it.

Since the distance wasn't far, the two men, accompanied by a few attendants, strolled over. When the two monks from Changshou Temple who had come to invite him saw that Wang Yuanbao was willing to go, they couldn't help but smile broadly. One hurriedly returned to inform the temple abbot, while the other stayed behind to lead the way.

Changshou Temple is located in the western part of Jiashanfang. The temple covers a large area and is close to the North Gate of the Fangmen area, where the famous Changshou Temple Pawnshop in Luoyang is located.

This pawnshop covers an area of ​​twenty or thirty acres and is formed by the merger of three monasteries. It looks rather low-key and simple from the outside, but at its peak, the daily flow of money and silk alone amounted to several thousand or even tens of thousands of strings of cash.

Unfortunately, the pawnshop's main gate facing the street is now tightly closed, with traces of the seal previously affixed by the government still remaining on the door. Many pedestrians linger or stop to look around the nearby streets, presumably having some financial dealings with the pawnshop and wondering when it will resume normal operations.

"Wang Yuanbao is here. Does Wang Yuanbao intend to buy the pawnshop?"

As soon as Wang Yuanbao entered Jiashanfang, he was recognized by the people wandering the streets, and soon someone called out to him.

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhang Dai hurriedly led An Xiaochen a few steps to increase the distance between them and Wang Yuanbao. When they looked back, Wang Yuanbao was surrounded by curious and eager passersby, who were all asking him if he planned to buy the pawnshop and continue operating it.

Surrounded by the crowd, Wang Yuanbao was in a terrible predicament. Only with the help of his attendants pushing and shoving did he manage to break free and then hurried towards the gate of Changshou Temple.

When the pedestrians saw that he was really heading to the temple, even more people gathered around. As Wang Yuanbao and the others ran into the temple, they blocked the temple gate again.

Although Changshou Temple occupies a vast area, it is deserted inside, with few believers coming and going. Only a dozen or so monks in their robes stand there anxiously.

When Zhang Dai first entered, he didn't attract their attention. But when Wang Yuanbao ran in somewhat disheveled, the monks swarmed forward to greet him: "Please, Wang Yuanbao, you are busy with many affairs, yet you still accepted the invitation. It shows that you have a compassionate heart and cannot bear to see this famous Buddhist temple suffer such difficulties..."

Wang Yuanbao had his own business of making money through illegal means and had little interest in this trade. Moreover, he already had some disagreements with Changshou Temple, and recently, Changshou Temple's pawnshop was among those who colluded with merchants from the southern market to squeeze him out as a powerful figure passing through the area.

Therefore, seeing Changshou Temple in distress, he felt mostly gloating. Hearing the monks flatter him, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Venerable monks, you flatter me. I am merely a worldly merchant; how could I presume to possess the heart of a bodhisattva? I am here today to accompany a noble young master..."

He glanced around the temple, past the monks, and finally spotted Zhang Dai, who had been overlooked by the monks, leisurely admiring the Buddhist stories depicted on the temple walls. He quickly followed after him.

The monks, filled with anticipation, regarded Wang Yuanbao as their benefactor and savior, and no longer paid attention to anyone else. When they saw Wang Yuanbao approaching Zhang Dai with a fawning expression, they couldn't help but panic and hurriedly followed behind Wang Yuanbao.

Buddhist narrative paintings or sculptures depict Buddhist stories; they can also be simply understood as comic strips.

Changshou Temple is not known for its profound Buddhist teachings. It is a secular temple that caters to the general public, mainly providing psychological comfort and financial services to believers. Therefore, the paintings on the temple walls are the more common "Vimalakirti Sutra Transformation".

Although the story is very common, the illustrations are exquisite. The curves of the characters' lines and the coloring are very distinctive. Even though Zhang Dai himself did not know much about ancient painting and had no senior or junior sisters studying this subject, he was still very engrossed in watching it.

Wang Yuanbao followed behind Zhang Dai without speaking or disturbing him. The monks who hadn't paid attention to Zhang Dai before were now feeling uneasy. A middle-aged monk leaned close to Wang Yuanbao and whispered, "May I ask, Mr. Wang, whose son is this young master?"

Wang Yuanbao simply waved his hand dismissively, when suddenly Zhang Dai exclaimed in surprise, "This mural was actually painted by Wu Daozi?"

"Young master, you have a truly discerning eye! This mural of astonishing changes was indeed painted by Wu Daozi in the third year of the Kaiyuan era. It is considered a masterpiece in our temple, and all the temples in the capital admire it but cannot obtain it!" Finally hearing the young master speak, a monk hurriedly stepped forward, smiling and flattering him.

Eyesight my ass!

Zhang Dai turned his gaze back to the inscription on the wall, and then looked back at the murals covering the wall. He felt that the lifelike figures and the ingenious color schemes seemed to gleam with a dazzling golden light.

He was so pleased to have seen a painting by the master painter so easily, and such a large one at that. He even wished he could peel off the plaster from the wall and preserve it properly.

An old monk finally seized the opportunity to step forward and bow to Zhang Dai, saying, "I am Huian, the abbot of Changshou Temple. Young master, you are handsome and radiant. I have traveled to many noble residences and grand halls in the two capitals, but I have never seen anyone with such wisdom and Buddha-like appearance as you. It is truly astonishing. All my past experiences pale in comparison. May I ask how I should address you?"

"This young master is a distinguished grandson of Zhang Yan, and the top scorer in this autumn's prefectural examination. Young Master Zhang is quiet and studious, and rarely sees strangers, so you naturally don't recognize him!"

Wang Yuanbao introduced the man to everyone with a proud expression.

"So you're from a prestigious family. Your demeanor is truly admirable!"

The abbot, Huian, led a group of monks to pay their respects to Zhang Dai, showering him with compliments. He seemed more like a hospitable shopkeeper from the South Market than a reclusive monk from a Buddhist temple.

At this moment, another monk spoke up, trying to establish a connection: "There is also a Buddhist hall in the temple donated by Madam Zheng, an Upasika from the Yan family. Madam often comes here to worship Buddha. Young master, you can rest and listen to the sutras in this Buddhist hall today!"

The abbot, Huian, was newly appointed and not yet fully familiar with the temple's affairs. Upon hearing his subordinate, the supervisor, say this, he hurriedly and warmly invited Zhang Dai to the Buddhist hall, completely unaware of the subtle change in the young man's expression.

Changshou Temple also welcomes devout men and women to stay here for short periods of quiet meditation and Buddhist worship. The level of hospitality varies depending on the sincerity of each person.

Ordinary laypeople live among the monks and participate in temple labor. Those of higher status have their own private quarters where they only need to attend morning and evening prayers. Only the highest-ranking laypeople are entitled to have their own dedicated shrine, with resident monks chanting scriptures and giving sermons.

When Zhang Dai arrived at the Buddhist hall, he saw that it was located in a fairly central area of ​​the temple, and the building was quite tall and imposing, more eye-catching than some other Buddhist halls with similar purposes nearby. It was indeed befitting of Zheng's status as the eldest daughter-in-law of the prime minister.

"How much would it cost to build a Buddhist temple like this?"

Zhang Dai did not rush in. Instead, he pointed to the Buddhist hall and asked a few monks, wanting to know how much money the Zheng family had spent to obtain such a respectable and grand treatment.

Several monks showed some embarrassment on their faces. The abbot who had spoken about the matter earlier quickly stepped forward and said, "The Buddhist temple does not limit the amount of money or silk donated by believers. Madam Zheng's Buddhist heart is touching, and she is diligent in serving the Buddha. She has made offerings for the Buddha's birthday, Nirvana, the memorial days of various Dharma Masters, the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, and the monthly vegetarian feasts. The head monk was moved by her sincerity and allowed the monks to build this Buddhist hall for worshiping the Buddha. Believers do not need to contribute money or silk."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, it turns out it's a free gift!" However, he didn't mention how much the various rituals cost.

He had previously erected a monument for his deceased mother and wanted to invite monks to perform a Buddhist ceremony. However, because Buddha's Birthday was approaching, they refused to accept the invitation and only sent a monk with two novices to chant a sutra and charge him thirty strings of cash.

Each of the rituals and ceremonies calculated by the abbot requires at least a hundred strings of cash in offerings. Based on this calculation, the annual expenses for Buddhist worship would likely be several thousand strings of cash.

Judging from this situation, the reason why his father Zhang Jun doesn't move out is probably not only because of filial piety, but also because he simply can't afford to support such a spendthrift wife after moving out and becoming financially independent!
This woman spent thousands of coins on Buddhist rituals without batting an eye, which led her steward to set his sights on her father-in-law's private treasury.

The monks were naturally unaware of the internal ethical relationships within the Zhang family. At this moment, another monk in charge of the morning prayers smiled and said, "Madam Zheng is indeed a devout Buddhist. The other day, she donated 500 strings of cash for incense and candles to support the monks in reciting the 'Seven Buddhas' Mantra of Repentance' in the morning."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Dai frowned immediately. What evil deeds had this woman committed behind her family's back that required spending five hundred strings of cash to have a monk chant sutras to atone for her sins?

Asking directly would obviously not get the monks to answer, and it would also expose their own appalling ethical relationships. Zhang Dai simply kept the matter to himself, and when he got home, he instructed Aying to investigate carefully, find a handle on them, and then find an opportunity to teach them a lesson.

As for the present, the main task is to inquire about the difficulties in the temple's operation and see if there is any possibility of investment or shareholding.

(End of this chapter)