Sword drawn from the constellations, poison as its edge.

Chapter 112 Shenjie Temple

The two entered the horse market, and after browsing for a short while, Mu Wanqing took a fancy to a white horse and excitedly asked Jiang Zheming if he liked it.

Jiang Mingzhe nodded. This horse was indeed excellent, with four long legs, bamboo-like ears, grape-like eyes, a toad-like face, a wide front crotch, and a narrow rear crotch, almost like the famous horse in storytelling.

The price is fine, 150,000 coins, one go, no bargaining.

Jiang Mingzhe already had an understanding of the prices at this time.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, there was a shortage of money and the price of gold soared. The Dali Kingdom was no exception. Mu Wanqing's bracelet weighed about six taels. According to the gold price at that time, each tael of gold was worth 15,000 coins, which is 90,000 coins.

As for the price of horses, the price of ordinary riding horses varies from twenty to fifty thousand coins, depending on their age and quality.

If we compare it to a car, a donkey or mule is like an economy car, a typical horse is like a sedan worth 200,000 to 500,000 yuan, and this white horse is roughly equivalent to a luxury car worth 1.5 million yuan.

After all, it's a small-town horse market, and after looking around, there wasn't a better horse than this one.

Jiang Mingzhe didn't care, but Mu Wanqing was determined to form a black and white duo with him, and he couldn't resist the temptation, so he was determined to buy it.

She counted on her fingers, muttering to herself as she did the math. From what she said, there was a gold hairpin she hadn't been willing to wear in her bundle, a gold necklace around her neck, and a few taels of loose silver on her side. If she put it all together, it should be enough...

That young woman doesn't know how to manage a household!

Jiang Mingzhe shook his head, then had no choice but to pull himself together and use all his skills to negotiate the price with the boss.

Before long, the deal was struck for 80,000 coins, and both host and guest were delighted.

Mu Wanqing was incredibly surprised and kept pestering him, asking, "Are you really the manager in charge of purchasing horses for the Prince of Zhennan's mansion? Did you really use this horse as a model, and there's a big deal for two hundred more horses later? You didn't cheat that horse dealer, did you? But if you cheated him, why did you ask him for a 10,000 coin kickback? Wouldn't it have been better to just buy it for 70,000 coins directly?"

Jiang Mingzhe patiently explained, "You're a girl, you can't possibly sell all your jewelry, can you? This bracelet sold for 90,000 coins. After buying this horse, you'll have 10,000 left. If you buy me a couple of outfits, there probably won't be much left. How are we going to go to Suzhou then? I want that 10,000 coin kickback, of course, for food, drinks, and lodging on the way. Otherwise, how can I, a grown man, spend a little girl's money?"

"Oh!" Mu Wanqing's eyes lit up with joy, and she couldn't help but skip as she walked. "So you asked for kickbacks just to support me? Jiang Lang, how can you be so good to me? Quick, quick, I want to buy you the best clothes!"

In high spirits, she found the largest clothing store in town, had the young clerk running around in circles, and bought two white dresses, a pair of calfskin boots, and a python skin belt for a full ten thousand coins.

She then used both soft and hard tactics to force Jiang Mingzhe to change clothes on the spot. Jiang Mingzhe couldn't resist her, so he had to ask the waiter to take him to the back room to change clothes.

He was already handsome, and in this white Shu brocade robe, paired with new shoes and a new belt, he was truly dashing and elegant, comparable to a reader, which made Mu Wanqing's starry eyes shine and her pretty face blush.

It's a pity that Xiao Mu wasn't a literary woman of later generations, otherwise she would have been able to praise her: "A gentleman as beautiful as jade, unparalleled in the world."

It was Jiang Mingzhe who spoke up, shattering Xiao Mu's reverie: "Alright, from now on I'll take care of you. What do you want to eat today? This young master will treat!"

Mu Wanqing exclaimed happily, "There are so many things I want to eat!"

He then asked the young waiter, "Hey, do you have anything delicious and cheap around here?"

The young waiter paused for a moment, then quickly said, "If you want something delicious and cheap, you can only go to Shenjie Temple for vegetarian food. A bowl of vegetarian noodles costs five copper coins and contains shiitake mushrooms, straw mushrooms, white fungus, and sesame oil. If you want more noodles, you can ask for more. If you're willing to spend another five coins, you can also buy a small plate of vegetarian roast goose. It's said that the monks in the temple learned the recipe from Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. I was fortunate enough to have tasted it, and I still remember the taste vividly."

Mu Wanqing said happily, "Oh dear, then the two of us can have a full meal for fifteen coins. Jiang Lang, let's go to Shenjie Temple."

Seeing her genuine joy, Jiang Mingzhe couldn't help but be slightly moved: She's generous with money when it comes to spending it on you, but meticulous when it comes to spending your money. What a treasure she is!

Seeing that he agreed, Mu Wanqing quickly asked about the location of Shenjie Temple, which was several miles outside the East Gate.

The two didn't ride horses, but led two horses, one black and one white, walking and talking casually. Most of the talking was done by Mu Wanqing: "What should we call this white horse? Hmm, a fine horse like a dragon, how about calling it Little White Dragon?" Jiang Mingzhe shook his head, thinking to himself that he was not Tang Sanzang, and calling him Little White Dragon was not as good as calling him Little Guizi.

Mu Wanqing didn't mind: "Then let's call it White Rose. Black Rose and White Rose, don't they match well?"

Jiang Mingzhe thought it sounded a bit effeminate, so he offered his opinion: "I'd like to call it Master Bai Qi..."

"Huh?" Mu Wanqing thought about it seriously and frowned, "But Bai Yunfei, the leader of the Cangshan Sect in Dali, is the seventh in line and is known in the martial arts world as Master Bai the Seventh. Your horse is named Master Bai the Seventh, which will definitely offend his taboo..."

Jiang Mingzhe thought Mu Wanqing disapproved and was about to speak when he heard her suddenly lower her voice and say seriously, "If you really like this name, we can go and challenge the Cangshan Sect and kill Bai Yunfei, then it will be fine."

Jiang Mingzhe broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said, "No, no, no, I've changed my mind. I suddenly think 'White Rose' sounds the best."

"Hahaha, right!" Mu Wanqing, unsuspecting, immediately became smug: "I love roses the most, hee hee, white roses, white roses!"

As she called out, she reached out to touch the white horse's head. Black Rose was displeased and opened its mouth to bite the white horse. Mu Wanqing quickly pushed it away and stroked it a few times before Black Rose calmed down.

This temple didn't have any rule against women entering. The two tied up their horses and went inside. A welcoming monk greeted them, glanced at them, and said with a smile, "You two don't seem to be locals. Could it be that you've heard that this temple is most effective for seeking marriage, and have come specifically to offer incense and worship Buddha?"

Mu Wanqing's expression immediately turned serious. Jiang Mingzhe sniffed, smelling the scent of his companions, and decisively said, "No, we heard that your vegetarian roast goose is the best in the south, so we came here to enjoy it."

The monk who was in charge of the reception laughed and brought over a plate of incense, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. Since you're already here, why not offer a stick of incense before the Buddha? May the Buddha bless you both so that your wishes may come true and you may live in harmony."

"He's got some skills, at least at the manager level," Jiang Mingzhe nodded and smiled, then picked up a few sticks of incense and handed them to Mu Wanqing.

The monk's words, "It is most effective for seeking marriage," proved to be true. Mu Wanqing bowed to every Buddha and Bodhisattva she saw along the way, and even kowtowed to the Eighteen Arhats one by one, her face full of piety, chanting incantations. She donated all the few taels of silver she had left to incense money.

Fortunately, the temple is of limited size; otherwise, if all five hundred Arhats were gathered, Xiao Mu's necklace and hairpin would likely be in danger of being lost.

Jiang Mingzhe also found it interesting. He had come to eat vegetarian noodles to save money, but the money he donated for sesame oil was enough to afford several large meals.

After bowing around, the guest monk reappeared, smiling as he led the two to the dining hall. He instructed the young monks there, "These two benefactors are my kindred spirits. Tell the kitchen to prepare a plate of vegetarian roast goose and two servings of vegetarian noodles with generous toppings. This is a small token of my appreciation for you."

Jiang Mingzhe nodded secretly. The guest monk could tell they were from out of town, yet he still handled the after-sales service so well. He truly understood the essence of sales. Judging from the guest monk's appearance, he was only in his thirties. In the future, the position of abbot of this temple would most likely be his.

Mu Wanqing was naive after all. Although she had donated five or six taels of silver, she felt uneasy about the fifteen copper coins as a gift and thanked him repeatedly.

Then a middle-aged monk not far away whispered, "Master, these monks of the Jie Temple are probably obsessed with money. To earn more money from incense offerings, they even let women into the temple. What kind of behavior is this?"

Another middle-aged monk chuckled and said, "Junior brother, be quiet! Master told us to observe and listen more, and speak and discuss less along the way. Have you forgotten all that?"

The monk spoke with a touch of Buddhist wisdom, but as soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but add, "Moreover, how can a small temple in the south compare to our Buddhist monasteries in the Central Plains?"

Jiang Mingzhe now possesses abundant internal energy and excellent hearing. Although the conversation was being conducted in hushed tones, he still managed to hear it. He turned his head and glanced at the scene, where he saw four middle-aged monks and an old monk with a white beard. They had probably just finished their vegetarian meal and were drinking tea.

Jiang Mingzhe then asked the monk in charge of receiving guests, "Master, from which temple do those monks over there come?"

The monk in charge of receiving guests showed a hint of envy and said, "Those gentlemen are eminent monks from the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingzhe sneered, thinking to himself, "What kind of talk is this about women entering temples? Every monk in the world can talk about this, but Shaolin Temple is the least worthy to speak up!"
He felt a pang of regret: it's a pity that Ye Erniang died so young.

(End of this chapter)