The temple is the busiest time on the first and fifteenth day of every lunar month. Today is not a day for offering incense, and there are not many people in the temple. The young novice took a broom and swept the open space in front of the door, sweeping away the snow.
While glancing in the direction of the temple gate from time to time, he was always paying attention to the people coming. He thought to himself that there was a distinguished guest coming today, so he had better be careful and vigilant, so as not to leave a bad impression on the distinguished guest.
Just as he was lost in thought, a veiled woman walked in from the door with her maid. She looked unfamiliar, as if she was the first person to come back to the temple.
When the little novice monk saw the person coming, he hurriedly stepped forward to guide him and said politely: "Amitabha, Nvtan is more polite."
Xu Niang was nervous for a moment, but then she came to her senses and nodded, saying in return: "You are polite, little master."
"Nv Tan Yue came today to offer incense or to pray for blessings?"
Xu Niang smiled and said: "I'm not praying, but I suddenly felt moved in my heart and wanted to come and pay homage."
The young novice monk nodded and said, "That's it. Nv Tan Yue, please follow me this way."
Xu Niang followed him all the way to the inner hall of worship. Although she looked around, she couldn't hide the excitement in her heart. She hadn't been out for a long time. There were no other people to disturb her, and there was nothing to worry about.
Her thoughts came and went, which really made her feel relieved.
Qingrong and Xu Niang said that in fact, if she wants to go out, she can. No one here knows her, and there are foreigners and Han people coming and going. No one will care too much, as long as she is careful. There is no need to hide all day
In the small courtyard, this would only arouse suspicion. For example, the monk Huicheng might have such bad intentions just because he saw Xu Niang living alone and no one cared about her.
Xu Niang also felt that what she said made sense, so she chose a day to go out with Bai Li. She didn't want to go to the crowded market place, so she came to the temple. However, the one she went to was not the Thousand Buddha Temple, but a temple.
In a temple that is relatively remote, not close to the market or the government office. If there is any benefit to going to a temple to worship Buddha in Xizhou, it is that there are so many temples. Even if she does not want to go to Qianfo Temple again, she will not go there at all.
Worried about not being able to find a place to worship Buddha.
The young novice monk led her into the hall and then left. She was not the only one in the hall, but there were also several women worshiping. Xu Niang waited until they were about to leave before going forward and kneeling before the Buddha.
She closed her eyes, but she didn't know what she wanted to ask for from the Buddha, or in other words, she no longer wanted to ask for anything. She felt that this was God's favor for her. Did she hate it? Of course it was hate and resentment, but she
So what can I do? She is really too meager, like an ant, unable to bear it.
Her parents have passed away, and there are almost no people she cares about in the world. Now she is alone and does not want to seek marriage, so... I would like to continue to be peaceful and stable like this, so that my parents can rest in peace in heaven and no longer worry about her...
Xu Niang opened her eyes, but did not get up immediately. She was lost in thought for a moment while looking at the Buddha statue... Was the compassionate look on the Buddha statue looking at all living beings? Bai Li first recognized the person standing behind the partition wall, and she reminded Jiang Xu Niang in a low voice.
: "Auntie, this is Prince Ju."
Xu Niang came back to her senses and followed the line of sight, and sure enough she saw Ju Yunwei glance at her with an unclear expression.
I don’t know when he came and how long he looked at her. However, after his eyes met with Xu Niang’s, he looked away for only a moment. Perhaps he didn’t want to be too rude, so he just nodded slightly at Xu Niang without waiting for Xu Niang.
My mother reacted and left.
Xu Niang was helped up by Bai Li, and she didn't care about Ju Yunwei's reaction. Anyway, from his not so good look just now, we could tell that Prince Ju probably couldn't stand her since the last time, and he was angry. Before.
Others always look at her, but now she is being asked to look at other people's faces everywhere. It's true that things have changed.
Xu Niang shook her head mockingly, but she told herself that she didn't need to care, she was just an insignificant person.
…
Ju Yunwei always felt that Mrs. Jiang was just giving in, being a low-key, spineless woman, and making herself so low and low for a man. She knew that she was not favored by Mrs. Lu, but she still looked at him eagerly.
It was stupid to come forward to seek flattery. I thought she was going to hide in her small courtyard for the rest of her life, but she didn't expect to see her outside. It was really strange!
"Your Majesty, where are we going?"
Ju Yunwei also quickly put the incident behind him, came back to his senses and ordered: "First go to Master Jueming of Qianfo Temple."
Master Jueming promised last time that he would convene other temples to donate money and silk. He was aware of this matter, but there were many involved. He could not ignore the matter and let the two men take Xizhou into their hands like a fish in water.
.It’s okay if this thing doesn’t happen. If it does, it won’t be that easy!
…
Thousand Buddha Temple.
In a Zen room, two men were sitting in front of the table. It was quiet for a while, and no one spoke. After the tea boiled, a man poured the tea into the cup and smiled gently, "General, please use it."
Xue Shao took it and said politely: "Master Lao."
Kong Ji just smiled. This was the first time he had been alone with Xue Shao in private. Although he was not as good as his master, he could still treat people and things calmly. But now facing the man in front of him, he felt a little anxious in his heart.
The score is uncertain. I wonder why Xue Shao came here?
Xue Shao wasn't a talkative person either. He didn't speak when he saw Kong Ji. There was a silence between the two of them, and the atmosphere was very subtle for a while.
In fact, Xue Shao did not have any issues with Kong Ji, but if he had no objection to him, it would be absolutely impossible! I don’t know what Kong Ji’s attitude is now, but before, he had never misunderstood, but no matter what
Said, that's all in the past. What's more, as long as the person in Qingrong's heart is herself, why should she care about others?
Xue Shao thought like this and didn't think it would be awkward to speak first. He said: "I heard that Master has been in Xizhou for many days. He was busy with official duties earlier and was unable to have time to talk. Please forgive me."
The words were spoken in a business-like manner, and no emotion could be heard.
Kong Ji just smiled indifferently, "It doesn't matter, the general has a lot of things to do every day, why bother with such trivial matters."
Xue Shao nodded and said, "It should be."
In fact, he didn't come here specifically for Kongji. Qingrong mentioned to him that no matter what happened in the past, they were now favored by Master Jueming, so they should come here to express their gratitude.
, Moreover, Kong Ji can be regarded as an old friend of his and his wife, so there is nothing wrong with coming here to talk about it. Originally, Qing Rong was going to come with him, but she had just recovered from the cold, and Xue Shao didn't want her to worry about it.
, it’s no problem for him to come alone.
But he didn't need to say anything more to Kong Ji.
So, after a brief exchange of greetings, the two fell into silence again.
Seeing that he had nothing to say, Xue Shao did not intend to stay any longer and planned to say goodbye and leave. However, before leaving, he still mentioned what happened last time and said: "Actually, Sanniang and I were willing to talk about what happened last time.
I believe that the Master is a human being, but due to some reasons, I may not be able to give the Master an explanation for this matter. I hope that the Master will... forgive me."
Although Kong Ji was prepared, he couldn't help being stunned when he heard these words. Ripples appeared in his heart as if a pebble had been thrown into it, but he didn't know how to speak. He was speechless for a long time, and could only sigh,
"Amitabha."
…
Ju Yunwei here also just met Master Jueming. He learned that Master Jueming came forward and other Buddhist temples in Xizhou also expressed their willingness to donate money. Ju Yunwei thought that they probably saw that Qianfo Temple, a big temple, had already left, so they didn’t want to
If you pay this amount, I'm afraid that the future will be like the Thousand Buddhas Temple. After all, the Thousand Buddhas Temple is a big temple, and there is Jueming as the presiding officer. If this happens to those small temples, I'm afraid they will just watch the incense offerings cut off.
Seeing that the abbots of these temples had some resentment in their hearts, Ju Yunwei naturally didn't mind adding fuel to the fire. Since they wanted the small profit in front of them, then give it to them. Although the ancestors of the Xue family also went on many military expeditions.
On the border of the Western Region, the descendants of the Xue family have some prestige here. If things go on like this, Lu Kaiyan and Xue Shao may lose their hearts... By then, these two people will have no choice but to let the Duhufu do what they want.
Ju Yunwei's entourage reminded him from behind: "My lord, look, isn't that General Xue? He hasn't gone far yet."
He had just heard the famous master say that Xue Shao had come to the temple. He didn't expect to meet him at this time. Could it be that they were enemies on a narrow road? But Ju Yunwei was in a good mood today. He smiled at the figure and said, "What a coincidence. Let's go."
, go and have a face-to-face meeting with General Xue."
With that said, he quickly walked over and called Xue Shao, "General Xue! What a coincidence. I didn't expect to meet you here today. It seems that the general and I are destined to be together. It seems that the general is free today? It's been a long time."
When you see the general, why don’t you come with me and have a few drinks?”
Xue Shao was not surprised to see that the visitor was Ju Yunwei. He nodded and said, "Your Majesty Ju, your Majesty means well, but I'm afraid it's not easy to talk about drinking and sex in this Buddhist land."
Ju Yunwei laughed when he heard this, raised his eyebrows and glanced at Xue Shao, "I don't think someone like the general would be taboo about these things?"
Xue Shao didn't laugh or get angry, and his tone was calm as if he was just stating the truth. He shook his head and said: "What kind of person am I? I am just an ordinary person who is promoted by the prince."
Ju Yunwei looked at his cold expression, and felt that it was an eyesore. How could Mr. Lu live with a person who didn't know his interests all day long? He snorted and smiled.
It's a bit scattershot, "General, who are you sarcastic about? Now that the general is in the limelight, he says such depressing things, how can I save my face by asking me to wait? I think we might as well just jump into the river and save ourselves from being embarrassed again."
Already."
Xue Shao was too lazy to argue with him. Why did he think he was so funny? But thinking about what Qing Rong had said to him: You still have to leave some leeway when interacting with people outside. Besides, he is also an actor. Could it be that
Still can't take his move? He also laughed out, shook his head and said: "The prince is joking. A few days ago, the prince asked Lu Changshi to inform me that I will go hunting in a few days, so that I can travel with the prince with peace of mind.
, I have to deal with the affairs of the military camp earlier. I am about to go back to the barracks, so I can’t drink this wine with the prince. I forgive you. When I go hunting, I will have a good drink with the prince."
"Okay!" Ju Yunwei looked at him, nodded and smiled, "As a gentleman says, a horse cannot be chased. I will wait for the general. We will not return until we are drunk!"
After Xue Shao dealt with it for a few more words, he turned around and left the Thousand Buddha Temple. Ju Yunwei was much more difficult to deal with than he thought... But during this hunting, Xue Shao was indeed willing to accompany Ju Yunwei to have wine.