Official Wizards

Yan Suqun didn't know what others said. On New Year's Eve, she urged Yang Ding to accompany her to a temple in the county to burn incense and worship Buddha, saying that after worshiping Buddha, her marriage would be happier.

Yan Suqun said she would go during the day and wait until early morning on the first day of the new year to burn incense before leaving.

The two of them were talking and laughing while sitting in the car.

Yan Suqun said, "I heard that the first stick of incense in the first year of junior high school is very expensive. In addition to being rich, you also need to have connections to burn it. And that stick of incense will probably take several people to resist. Haha, it's fun to think about it. , I have to go see it with my own eyes in the early morning,"

Seeing Yan Suqun's happy look, Yang Ding also wanted to satisfy her. What's the point of just watching it? It's hard to burn it. That can make Yan Suqun even happier.

Yang Ding said, "Xiao Yan, why are you so promising? Have you never thought about burning a stick of incense?"

Yan Suqun touched Yang Ding's forehead with her hand, "Deputy County Magistrate Yang, are you a little feverish? Although Fengtai Temple is not big, the gods and Buddhas inside are said to be somewhat efficacious, and there are many officials from other places. Come with a wealthy businessman. Although your position is not low, I think you have to work hard if you want to be a pillar of smoke, haha,"

Yang Ding thought for a while, yes, it is probably very uncertain, there are too many rich and powerful people, but we can give it a try.

When they arrived at the temple, Yan Suqun was very curious about everything. From the time he went to college to working, she had not gone into the temple again, so she looked at this and that, but she was sincere.

Yang Ding noticed that Yan Suqun knelt down and worshiped every Buddha statue very devoutly. Her serious and attentive look, coupled with Yan Suqun's aloof look, was very lethal.

But in front of the Lord Buddha, Yang Ding's humble heart did not dare to have too many distracting thoughts.

Yang Ding walked aside and called the director of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Fengtai County. Although the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau is not the superior department of the temple, many things in the temple require their coordination, so to a certain extent, the abbot of the temple will still give him some face.

It's better to try than not to try, because Yang Ding really wants to see Yan Suqun's happy expression and her smile. A phone call is nothing. No matter how difficult things are, Yang Ding can try it.

Director Min Zong was also very embarrassed when he received Yang Ding's call. It was not that he couldn't help, but that he couldn't help. Last year, he made a call to a county leader. As a result, the abbot of the temple said that there was a wealthy businessman. I already contacted him and offered him one million, so I declined politely.

What can Director Minzong say? Did he spend one million on his own just to win the appreciation of his leader?

There was no other way, Director Minzong spent a lot of time to get rid of the county leader, and it made him feel very uncomfortable. Instead of taking him as a good person, he felt like a sinner.

The chief minister of Minzong only talked about this incident. As for Yang Ding's request, he did not answer directly at all.

There is no need to answer anymore. Yang Ding understands the embarrassment of others and it is useless to put pressure on him. He is also helpless.

Yang Ding returned to the Buddhist hall, told Yan Suqun that he had to go to the bathroom, and asked Yan Suqun to stay here for a while, waiting for him.

After asking where the abbot was, Yang Ding walked straight over. There were tables and chairs outside the door of the abbot's room, and a young monk who looked like a secretary was sitting here.

Yang Ding reported his position, and the young monk immediately went into the room to report to the abbot, and then Yang Ding walked in.

The abbot was still very polite. After all, he was the leader of the county. However, when Yang Ding mentioned the first incense stick at midnight, the abbot shook his head.

"County Magistrate Yang, I may not be able to meet your request, because the newly appointed Magistrate Ming has already asked me to order the first incense stick of the New Year. Magistrate Yang, I am really sorry,"

Every year, the abbot would worry a lot about offering incense in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year. There are too many people who want to offer the first incense, and there can only be one person, so if you agree to one, you will offend the other people.

However, the abbot still prefers to allocate the first stick of incense to the rich, because these rich people are generous and can add a lot of income to the temple.

A small amount of charity can feed the people in the temple for a year or two, and some will even help with the renovation and expansion of the temple.

Officials are different. They cannot give you money, but they have the power to decide many things about the temple, such as power supply and water supply, when the roads outside the temple will be widened and renovated, and whether a small town can be planned near the temple. …

Of course, the popularity of a temple is accumulated. If there is a spiritual Buddha, there will be incense. The more remote the temple is, the more people it can attract to worship the Buddha honestly.

The reason why the abbot agreed to Mingyi was because there was a deal.

The abbot has always wanted to be the abbot. The abbot is just the head of the temple and is elected by the temple. The abbot is different. Only by becoming an abbot can one become a true leader recognized by the government.

To become an abbot, you must obtain two permissions, one is the permission from the Buddhist Association, and the other is the permission from the government's religious department.

Mingyi said that as long as he could burn the first incense stick in the early morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the permission from the government's religious department would have been approved. The abbot only needed to secure the Buddhist association and expand the size of the temple, and it would be natural for him to become the abbot.

The abbot and the abbot are actually the same thing for this small temple, but to gain social recognition and become a high-ranking figure in the Buddhist circle, the abbot naturally agreed to the deal with Mingyi.

Another advantage of being an abbot is that you can manage several temples. There are very few eminent monks who can be called abbots.

Yang Ding didn't know about this at all, he just thought it was Mingyi, the county magistrate, who put pressure on the abbot. He was the deputy county magistrate, one level lower than Mingyi. It was obvious to whom the abbot assigned the first incense stick.

The abbot saw that Yang Ding was thinking about something and his expression was very helpless. The abbot was not willing to offend these leaders.

He continued, "County Magistrate Yang, you don't have to be the first incense stick. How about I reserve a spot in the top ten for you?"

Top ten.

Even if he is the second person to offer incense, Yang Ding is not interested. If he is not the first, how can he please Yan Suqun.

Yang Ding said, "Abbott, I can give you whatever County Magistrate Ming can give you. I can still give you what County Magistrate Ming can't give you. I hope you can consider it. If you can adjust, I will give it to you." Donate 1 million anonymously to your temple after this year,"

When the abbot heard it, it was 1 million.

Who can not be tempted, but the abbot has already agreed to Mingyi, and now he regrets it, because the temptation given by Yang Ding is really too great, and Mingyi will never be able to do this.

However, the abbot did not dare to agree easily. How to explain it to Mingyi is worth pondering. If he could not think of a suitable reason, the abbot could only sigh about his bad luck. Why didn't this Yang Ding find him earlier?

The abbot said, "Mr. Yang, please forgive me for not being able to reply to you for the time being, but you can leave me a phone number. No matter whether it works or not, I will let you know before seven o'clock tonight."

The abbot also wanted to persuade Mingyi, 1 million, don't be a fool, but the abbot did not dare to mention the 1 million in front of Mingyi.

Yang Ding was about to leave first. When he saw the food in the room, Yang Ding smiled and said, "Abbot, can you eat meat? Oh, I also put a few bottles of beer. My life is quite comfortable."

The abbot also looked over. In fact, this is a normal thing. The monks today are different from those in the past.

The abbot said, "County Chief Yang, after wine and meat pass through your intestines, the Lord Buddha will remain in your heart. If you have Buddha in your heart, you can save yourself from following the procedures, right?"

After Yang Ding left, the abbot kept thinking about how to speak. Not long after, Mingyi walked in.

Mingyi quickly clarified the purpose of his visit. It seemed that the first incense stick in the early morning was not for him, because a leader in the city heard about this temple from somewhere and insisted on the first incense stick.

And Mingyi was assigned a task through the Denghe Municipal Government Office.

Ming Yi doesn't have to wear a stick of incense, he is just a temporary interest, like Wei Tianlun who doesn't believe in Buddhism.

Mingyi was also dubious. One day while eating, he heard someone talk about the auspiciousness of the first stick of incense. On a whim, he contacted the abbot of the temple.

Being able to offer a favor to the city leader, Mingyi was very cooperative. When the municipal government office called, Mingyi agreed on the spot.

He has obtained the qualification to be the first stick of incense, and he is free to transfer it to whomever he wants.

The abbot was also thinking about it when he heard this. Mingyi obviously didn't study Buddhism much, he just had a temporary interest.

"County Magistrate Ming, don't blame me for talking too much. It's very taboo to transfer this kind of thing to others. People who worship Buddha are naturally very pious. It's really not good to change hands. Burn incense and kneel down to worship the Lord Buddha. How can such a thing be transferred? Ah, County Magistrate Ming, it doesn’t matter if the leader doesn’t have good luck at that time, but you have brought bad luck to me, and I’m really to blame for it.”

After hearing this, Mingyi thought that the abbot's words made sense. This was worshiping Buddha. It was different from other things. Sincerity would lead to success. If you were not sincere, your wishes would not come true, and you might even get into trouble.

Mingyi nodded, "It makes sense, it makes sense. You can't ruin my good luck. Abbot, what should I do now?"

The abbot looked very understanding and loving, "County Magistrate Ming, since this is the situation now, I personally suggest that you give up this first stick of incense and ask the leader to come to me directly, and I will explain it to him. , if he is willing, I will assign the first incense stick to him, what do you think,"

Mingyi had a temporary interest. After listening to the abbot's words, Mingyi thought that the abbot was a very righteous person. At least he did not deceive himself. If he really transferred his power to the leaders of the neighboring city, he would be really unlucky. Who would then Come to the rescue.

Mingyi nodded, "Okay, okay, abbot, the method you said is good. If I withdraw, just pretend that I have never made such a request to you. I will ask the leaders of the neighboring city to come to you directly."

The abbot felt happy, okay, come on, come on, if you don't get any benefits, you can still cheat. In short, if Yang Ding puts a stick of incense on his head, his own interests will be maximized.