Top Scholar

Chapter 524 Don't Worry About Not Having Children After Marriage

However, along the way, all one could see were withered willows drooping by the roadside, and the spring in front of the fishing platform had dried up, exposing the cracked riverbed.

Due to the prolonged drought, the distant western mountains have lost their verdant color, and a gray-yellow mist hangs over the layers of peaks. Even the evergreen pines and cypresses appear somewhat withered.

"It hasn't rained more than twice since the beginning of spring this year, and neither of those rains were heavy." Su Lu sighed as he looked at the withered yellow fields in the distance. "The summer grain harvest in Beijing is doomed to fail."

"It was like this all the way north, from Nanjing to Beijing, not a single drop of rain fell," Huang E said softly. "The people wanted to draw water from the canal to irrigate their fields, but the canal transport authorities wouldn't allow it, so a conflict broke out, and the three ministers' boats were caught in the crossfire..."

"Yes." Su Man nodded and said, "This year's nationwide drought is extremely rare. The other day, Minister Cao of the Ministry of Revenue said that as many as ten provinces are severely affected!"

"How many provinces are there in the whole country?" Zhu Yin exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, the situation is extremely serious." Su Lu nodded.

"We finally got to come out, can't we say something happy?" Auntie was annoyed; she was kind-hearted and couldn't stand hearing such things.

"Alright, alright, we won't say anymore." Everyone stopped talking about unpleasant things that would upset their aunt.

After traveling for half an hour, the group saw the Western Mountains stretching out before them like a green screen, extending for dozens of miles, with layered peaks and the sound of chanting echoing through the air. Temples were scattered throughout the mountains, and almost every mountain peak had a magnificent ancient temple.

A grand rain-praying ceremony was being held in front of Faqing Temple at the foot of the mountain. The abbot, wearing a red kasaya, led all the monks and believers in the temple to burn incense and chant sutras with devotion. The sound of wooden fish drums and chanting echoed in the temple, making people involuntarily slow down their pace.

Not daring to disturb them, the group went straight up the mountain towards Baolian Temple.

Along the mountain path, pilgrims came in an endless stream, including couples carrying incense, candles, and offerings, clearly drawn by the reputation of Baolian Temple.

After a short meal, the gate of Baolian Temple came into view in the distance. This temple is an ancient temple dating back to the Yuan Dynasty, with a history of 150 years, yet it shows no signs of age, clearly having been renovated in a very timely manner.

Amidst the verdant pines and cypresses, the palaces and halls, numbering in the hundreds, stood in layers, with flying eaves, bracket sets, carved beams, and painted rafters, revealing the immense wealth of the place.

Su Lu had long been familiar with the information about Baolian Temple. He whispered to his elder brother that the temple owned tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, was always bustling with incense offerings, and had a thousand monks.

"In terms of reputation in the capital, it may not be the best, but as the saying goes, 'the meat in the buns isn't on the pleats.' In terms of financial strength, it's definitely among the top," Su Lu said. "That's all thanks to its unique skill of delivering babies."

“Yes, I’ve heard the saying, ‘Don’t worry if you have no children after marriage, find a child and you will be blessed at Baolian Temple,’” Su Man nodded.

"How so?" Athena Chu asked curiously.

"It is said that any woman who has been married for a long time without children, if she personally goes to the temple to pray and spends the night in the clean room behind the hall, will have eight or nine out of ten conceive a child, and the children born will all be strong and healthy, without illness or disaster," Su Lu said calmly.

"Thanks to this skill, Baolian Temple is always bustling with visitors and worshippers. There are even wealthy families from Baoding and Hejian who send their wives from afar to have children. The monks in the temple never solicit donations, yet they attract devout men and women to make offerings... Just look at this magnificent temple, and you'll know the rumors are true."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Auntie's eyes lit up immediately; she was now eager to have a grandson.

Su Lu was startled upon hearing this and quickly said to his aunt, "Auntie, something is definitely amiss. The ancestral hall of Baolian Temple is too strangely effective, especially the 'women staying overnight at the temple' rule, which is really not right. How can a woman be allowed to stay overnight in a sacred Buddhist temple? And family members are not allowed to accompany her, so I came to check it out today."

Su Man quickly nodded and said, "Yes, Mother, the Bodhisattva has shown us that we must not let anyone stay overnight."

"This temple has been open for so many years, how could so many people have been fooled?" Auntie pouted and said, "Only you two are smart."

“Alright, you two are indeed clever…” The good thing about my aunt is that she’s pragmatic; she has to believe what the two brilliant scholars say.

“But Auntie, we still have to keep up the act,” Su Lu said with a smile.

As they arrived at the temple gate, the group stopped talking. The guest monk, seeing that it was a woman with two young couples and several servants behind them, knew that important guests had arrived and hurriedly greeted them with a smile.

"Are you here to worship Buddha or to pray for a child?"

"I pray to Buddha and also for a child," Su Man said.

"Understood, understood." The guest monk then led everyone into the temple, first offering incense in the main hall, and then to the ancestral hall at the back.

Inside the hall are enshrined the Goddess of Fertility and the Arhat who grants children. Under the yellow embroidered curtain in front of the shrine, there are piles of colorful shoes donated by devout men and women, numbering at least several hundred pairs.

"Each pair of these five-colored shoes was given to believers who came to fulfill their vows after their prayers for children were answered in recent years," the monk said with a soft smile.

"There are already so many success stories?" Su Lu felt a chill run down his spine.

"That's right." The guest monk said proudly, "In the entire Shuntian Prefecture and even Beizhili, who doesn't know that our Baolian Temple is the most effective place to pray for a child?"

"Impressive," Su Lu exclaimed in admiration.

~~
After offering incense and presenting lavish offerings to the Goddess of Offspring, Su Lu asked the monk in charge of receiving guests, "So, what exactly should be done?"

"Please come in, both of you." The monk who was in charge of receiving guests led Su Lu and Su Man into the side hall, where the women were waiting in the courtyard to cool off.

In the side hall, there were several plates of exquisite fruit, a pot of fragrant tea, and a dignified-looking monk sitting cross-legged.

The monk who was in charge of receiving guests invited the two brothers to sit down on the prayer cushions and respectfully introduced them: "This is the steward of our ancestral hall, Zen Master Huipu."

After the two men clasped their hands together, the monk in charge of receiving guests explained their purpose to Zen Master Huipu, then, concealing it with his sleeve, gave him a thumbs-up before bowing and leaving. "Amitabha," Zen Master Huipu said, his spirits clearly lifted, and asked, "May I ask which patron requests a child?"

“Neither my brother nor I have any children yet,” Su Man said.

“Then you’ve come to the right place.” Zen Master Huipu smiled and said, “Our ancestral hall is the most efficacious. As long as you are destined to meet the Goddess of Fertility, your wish will be granted.”

"How do you determine if someone is destined to be with you?"

“After your period has completely ended, please fast for half a month before coming to the ancestral hall to pray. If you can obtain a sacred offering, then you will be considered fortunate,” Huipu replied.

"If you can't get the Holy Broom, you're out of luck?" Su Lu asked.

“Yes,” Huipu nodded. “But you two can rest assured, I see that you both have the appearance of having many children and grandchildren, and you will surely be blessed by the Goddess.”

"Why do we need to wait half a month after our period has completely ended?" Su Lu asked again.

"Because menstruation is unclean, it will offend Your Majesty," Huipu replied.

"I see." Su Lu said in realization.

"Do you two have any other questions?" Huipu asked with a smile.

Su Lu cupped his hands again and said, “Master, you are merciful. But I have a question. Why must my wife stay in the temple? Although monks are supposed to be free from worldly desires, there is still a difference between men and women. I’m afraid this will cause gossip.”

“Hehe, if you can’t get over it, then look elsewhere.” Zen Master Huipu smiled indifferently: “The Buddha saves those with affinity, and so do the Bodhisattvas.”

"Master, please don't be offended. My younger brother is obsessed with studying. He often says that he has become the top scholar in the imperial examination," Su Man quickly apologized.

“When did I say that myself?” Su Lu immediately retorted.

Just as Huipu was about to speak, Su Lu said smugly, "I was personally appointed by the Emperor."

“Alright…” Huipu glanced at Su Lu sympathetically, deciding not to argue with him. He patiently continued:
"What you may not know is that at midnight every day, the yang energy is just beginning to rise, which is the time for conception and new life. The Goddess of Fertility will naturally appear at this time. Therefore, women must stay overnight in the temple in order to receive the Goddess's blessing and successfully plant jade in Lantian."

To reassure this 'bookworm,' he added, 'The clean room is made entirely of brick and stone, with the doors and windows tightly shut, and relatives guarding outside. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The wife of the esteemed Minister Jiao successfully conceived a child here more than twenty years ago. What do you two gentlemen have to worry about?'

"Ah? Even Grand Secretary Jiao came to pray for a son?" Su Lu was indeed shocked. "Then there's really nothing to worry about."

Having said that, he pressed his advantage, saying, "In that case, I would like to see the clean room first, so that I can inform my wife and put her mind at ease."

"..." Huipu's eyes flashed with impatience: "Sigh, you scholar, you're so petty and unclear. How can you possibly pass the imperial examination like this?"

“I’m already the top scholar, I don’t need to take the county-level exam anymore,” Su Lu said.

"Alright, this way please, top scholar." Huipu was convinced that there was something wrong with his head, so in order to get rid of the boy as soon as possible, he led the two to the clean room courtyard next to the ancestral hall.

In broad daylight, the courtyard was deserted. Only a row of seven clean rooms stood, all with heavy wooden doors secured by brass locks. Iron bars were fitted over the windows, making it appear indeed heavily guarded.

Su Lu pleaded and begged, and Hui Pu opened a clean room for him to go in and take a closer look.

The room was simply furnished, with only a bed, a curtain, and an incense burner. The incense ash in the burner was piled up, indicating that incense was burned frequently.

"There are no Buddha statues here, so why do we need to burn incense?" Su Lu asked like a curious child.

“Because incense can communicate with the gods,” Huipu replied casually.

"I see." Su Lu suddenly realized: "Using incense to attract the spirits!"

"Right. I can give you the key then too." Huipu's patience had completely run out: "Are you relieved now?"

"I'm relieved." Su Lu nodded, finally stopping his questioning. The two brothers then pretended to pray to the Buddha and donated some money for incense before taking their leave with their families.

~~
After descending West Mountain, on the return journey, the two brothers walked side by side at the front of the group. Su Man whispered, "There is indeed a problem."

“This is a big problem,” Su Lu snorted. “Using incense to invite gods is a Taoist concept; Buddhists would never say anything like that! They would at least say it’s for repelling mosquitoes…”

“Indeed.” Su Man nodded: “The so-called ‘precepts, meditation and true fragrance’ refers to the Buddhist practice of using incense for cultivation, while Taoists use incense to invite the gods to descend.”

“That Huipu is already a steward monk, how could he not know this?” Su Lu said coldly, “The only possibility is that he is lying to us!”

"Could there be something wrong with that incense?" Su Man asked.

"Very likely." Su Lu nodded and opened his hand, revealing a small, fingernail-sized remnant of incense in his palm...

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(End of this chapter)