Red House Shoufu

Chapter 356

On the Qiqiao Festival on the seventh day of July, there has been no instruction about the Qincha Temple and the turmoil that night in the palace in the past two days.

Civil and military officials have repeatedly asked questions, and both the Palace of Qinzheng and the cabinet have dismissed them while they are still under investigation.

This incident has no effect on the people of the capital. After all, there are so many temples in the capital, there is one less Chincha Temple, and there are still so many places where you can go to pray for Buddha.

The Qiqiao Festival came as scheduled, and the festive atmosphere in the capital was extremely strong.The streets are full of things for the daughter's family to celebrate the festival, and all kinds of lanterns are also placed on both sides of the street early in the morning.According to court practice, Wucheng Bingmasi and Shuntian Mansion did not stop vendors from setting up stalls on the street, but sent more patrols to maintain order and safety.

There are obviously more children on the street than in the past. Whether it is a lady or a jasper, they all swim together, choose goods in small stalls and shops, and you can even see young scholars following far behind the woman they like. Carrying a lot of boxes and so on.

There are also many vendors on Ningrong Street selling Qiqiao Festival today, and clever small vendors are also specially selling toys and other things that children like near the two prefectures of Ningrong.

For example, at this moment in front of Jia Lan is a small stall of a woodcarver. The gray-haired stall owner is quickly carving a rabbit with a carving knife. The wood chips keep falling, and a lovely rabbit appears in Jia Lan. in front of the eyes.

"Old man, how much is this set of twelve zodiac signs?"

Jia Lan had already prepared a birthday gift for his cousin, but at this time he felt that the set of wood carvings of the Chinese zodiac in front of him was more suitable.

The old man smiled when he heard the words: "Two taels of silver a set."

"Where is the Fu Lu Shou next to it?" Jia Lan pointed to the three statues of Fu Lu Shou next to the twelve zodiac signs. He wanted to give this set of statues to his great-grandmother.

The old man smiled and uncovered the area covered by the linen cloth, revealing a large pile of painted wood carvings of various kinds.

The servant behind Jia Lan let out an ah, and saw all kinds of wood carvings under the linen cloth.For example, Monkey King, Marshal Canopy, General Rolling Curtain, etc., who are popular in the capital today, are all very similar to the descriptions in the storybook.

"Good workmanship!"

"Second Uncle Lian... my nephew greets Second Uncle Lian!"

Jia Lan realized that Jia Lian was already standing beside her when she heard the sound of good craftsmanship, and hurriedly greeted her.

Jia Lian patted Jia Lan's head, knelt down and picked up a wooden carving to look at carefully.

The old man cupped his hands and said, "It turns out that the second master is now, and the little second is being polite."

"My old man's craftsmanship is amazing. I wonder if it is possible to order some woodcarvings?" Jia Lian nodded in return, and then asked.

"It's all just for fun, and it can't be praised by the second master. What does the second master want to carve?" The old man replied modestly.

Jia Lian pointed to the Buddha statues and gods among them and said, "I plan to set up a nunnery at home. How many life-like statues of gods and Buddhas can I carve?"

When the old man heard that it was a big job, he immediately responded with a smile: "Little old man, I have nothing else. The craftsmanship of woodcarving was passed down from my ancestors. All Buddhist temples and Taoist temples in Beijing have statues from my family. The eighteen arhats in the side hall of Dabaoen Temple , is from the hand of the little old man."

Sure enough, he is a folk expert. This old man looks ordinary, but he has such superb craftsmanship, which has to be admired.

"So it's old man Yu..."

Speaking of the statues of eighteen arhats in Dabaoen Temple, Jia Lian thought of those rumors in the capital.The only ordinary household in Yongfang in Dashi, the great grandfather once bestowed a house on the Yu family. The reason was that the ancestor of the Yu family had superb wood carving skills, which perfectly presented the wife who passed away in the early years for the great grandfather.

Jia Lian got up and clasped his fists: "Then I will leave it to the old man. When the mansion is free tomorrow, I will ask the housekeeper to go to the old man to discuss the Buddha statue in the nunnery."

Then he said to Jia Lan: "What does Lan Ge'er like, just tell me, the second uncle will give it to you."

"No, no, my nephew wants to buy it for sister Qiao..."

Jia Lan repeatedly declined and explained.Jia Lian laughed, and said nothing else.The elder brother gave the younger sister a birthday gift, so naturally no one else could pay for it.

When Jia Lan returned to Rongguo Mansion with a large pile of exquisite wood carvings, he immediately attracted the attention of the whole family.

Jia Lan gave the twelve zodiac signs to sister Qiao who was crawling around on the soft slope, the blessings and longevity to the old lady Jia Shishi, and various wood carvings, which were sent one by one to Li Wan, Tanchun, etc. In the hands of several people.

"Brother Lang is such a good boy. The three gods of fortune, wealth and longevity have more charm than those enshrined in Qingxu Temple."

Jia Shi himself believed in gods and Buddhas, so Jia Lan gave the right gift and was praised by the old lady.

The rest of the people in the Rongxi Hall were also full of praise. Jia Lan was a little embarrassed to be praised by everyone, and he touched the back of his head with a smile and replied: "I also heard that many vendors came to the door, so I thought about going out for a walk. , I didn’t expect that there was an old man who was proficient in woodcarving, and he used a carving knife like a god.”

"It's the handicraft of Yu's family in the workshop! My grandson has asked Mr. Yu to carve Buddha statues for the nunnery in our home. The old lady thinks it's feasible?" Jia Lian, who was sitting by the side, explained aloud.

Jia Shishi suddenly realized that she was a frequent visitor to various Taoist temples in the capital, so she naturally knew Yu's family.She remembered the message from Yuanchun before, and wanted to set up a nunnery in the garden, so she nodded and said, "It's a good idea. Your Majesty has always been frugal, and the use of copper is a bit eye-catching. The Yu family's craftsmanship is exquisite. There is a lot of good news, so let him come over."

"Grandson also has the same plan. Instead of putting it in the warehouse to make ashes, it is very suitable for use in the nunnery. Even in this nunnery, it is best to arrange people to worship every day, and it is difficult to find suitable people in a short time."

He didn't have a good idea about the enshrining Jia Lian in the nunnery. Although there were many nunneries in Beijing, he didn't know much about the major nunneries in the capital.Moreover, the reputation of some nunneries is not very good. The Grand View Garden is the place to visit relatives in Yuanchun. If something goes wrong with the person selected, it will be a big trouble.

Jia Shishi also frowned, this is indeed a problem.The grandfather and grandson didn't have any good ideas for a while, and Xing Xiuyan whispered at the side: "Old ancestor, I have someone here..."

"Sister, don't talk nonsense..."

Jia Xingshi was about to stop Xing Xiuyan from continuing, but Jia Shishi became interested.She turned her gaze to Xing Xiuyan, and asked, "Oh? Sister Yan, tell me."

Xing Xiuyan realized that she had been impolite when her aunt reminded her, but Jia Shi asked again and again, and she finally said it: "Don't blame the ancestors, I was rude. But when I talked about the nunnery, I remembered my friend in Suzhou. She It is the practice of leading hair, under the tutelage of Master Xuanzhen of Panxiang Temple in Xuantou, Suzhou. Two days ago, I went to the Muni Temple to offer incense and saw her..."

"Master Xuanzhen, is that Master Xuanzhen who is proficient in innate calculation?"

When Jia Shishi heard that he was Master Xuanzhen's disciple, he became even more curious.Although this master Xuanzhen passed away in just one year at the Muni Temple in Xicheng, his reputation has long since spread throughout the prefectures and counties of Gyeonggi.

She also went to ask Master Xuanzhen to do a fortune telling for herself, and when she came back, her whole face was full of red.

Seeing Xing Xiuyan nodded, Jia Shishi sighed and said: "It's a pity that Master Xuanzhen passed away early, otherwise it would be great to invite her to settle in. Is the disciple of Master Xuanzhen you mentioned just passed his age?" The little cultivator of the [-]th has an extraordinary appearance, and he has the charm of being out of the world?"

"Back to the ancestors, you should be talking about Miaoyu. Master Xuanzhen brought her to Beijing last year. I became friends with her when I was young. Miaoyu is proficient in Buddhism and the way of poetry and calligraphy. Good tea..."

Seeing that the old lady was very curious about Miaoyu, Xing Xiuyan described in detail her relationship with Miaoyu and the specific situation of Miaoyu.

After this narration, not to mention Jia Shishi, even the other people in the room also became curious.Is there such a Buddhist in the world?
"Sister Yan, where does Master Miaoyu live now? Maybe you can invite me to the residence?" Jia Shishi is a person with a quick temper, so he asked to invite Miaoyu to come.

Xing Xiuyan knew that Miaoyu was not doing very well recently, and was being targeted at the Muni Court, so she replied, "Miaoyu has been living in the Muni Court since Master Xuanzhen passed away, and she told me a few days ago that she was going back to the South , it is estimated that it will be cooler in a few days and I will leave Beijing."

"That's fine..."

Jia Shishi called Yuanyang and asked her to arrange for Mammy to go to Xicheng to invite someone.When Xichun heard that a sister who was proficient in Buddhism was coming, she immediately asked Xing Xiuyan about Miaoyu's situation.

……

The capital city of the Qiqiao Festival was extremely lively, and Daiyu went out by car early in the morning, preparing to go to the Rongguo Mansion for a banquet.

However, when the carriage reached Zhuque Street, it ran into the driver of Prince Zhongshun's mansion, and upon questioning, it turned out to be Gao Yunwan, the little princess.

Gao Yunwan abandoned her family's carriage and ran to sit beside Daiyu, chatting with Daiyu about the grand occasion of the temple fair in Muniyuan.

"Are you going to Rongguo Mansion for a banquet?"

Daiyu explained: "Second Brother Lian's eldest daughter has her first birthday today, so I got up early in the morning."

"It turns out that today is the granddaughter's birthday that Rong Enbo talks about every day, and he said that my brother has just left the house with a gift... Then I will go too. It's still early, sister Yu will accompany me to buy gifts for the little birthday star, There are a lot of interesting things in the temple fair of the Muni Temple..."

The friendship between King Zhongshun and Jia She is known to everyone in the capital. Although Jia She is not at home, Gao Yongheng has already arranged for his son to go to congratulate him today.

Gao Yunwan took Daiyu's arm and shook it for a while, and finally the Lin family's carriage headed west, aiming at the Xicheng Muni Court.

The July [-]th temple fair was very busy, and the carriage couldn't go there at all. Under the guard of the guards, the two walked slowly on the street, surrounded by young wives and big girls who came to play.

"This lantern is beautiful..."

"Sister Yu looked at the clay figurines, one by one..."

"Wow, this should be from the West, and it can still play a tune with a twist!"

The noble daughter of the royal family has never been short of money.It's a pity that there are so many rules, and most of the time you can't help yourself.

The things Gao Yunwan comes into contact with every day seem to be luxurious, but they lack a lot of fun.There were so many toys at the temple fair, from all over the world, but it dazzled her and let out exclamations from time to time.

Daiyu was accompanied by Lin Shu when she was young, and in the past few years, she has visited all kinds of temple fairs in Suzhou and Beijing. Most of these toys and other things have been bought, so she patiently introduced them to Gao Yunwan.

But they still had to go to the Rongguo Mansion for a banquet, so naturally they couldn't waste time, they walked from the street to the end of the street, and when they picked out a lot of gifts, they happened to arrive at the gate of the Muni Court.

"My servant pays respects to the princess and Miss Lin!"

Daiyu searched for the sound and looked over, and it turned out to be Yuanyang, the most powerful maid beside her grandmother.

Gao Yunwan didn't have a deep memory of mandarin ducks, so she didn't recognize them for a while.

"Sister Yuanyang, it's Qiao's birthday today, why are you here? Grandma is here too?"

Daiyu couldn't help asking, the old lady can't do without mandarin ducks to serve her, and there must be many guests in the mansion today, so she can't do without mandarin ducks even more.

It was only then that Gao Yunwan realized that the person who saluted and greeted her was probably a maid from the Rongguo Mansion, so she stood aside and looked at the person in front of her curiously.

His words and deeds are dignified and dignified, much stronger than ordinary girls.Sure enough, they are under the command of Mrs. Tai of Rongguo Mansion.A maid can be trained so dignifiedly, no wonder her mother and concubine once said that the virtuous concubine can win the favor, and Mrs. Rong Guo has half of the credit.

Yuanyang briefly explained the reason to the two of them, and pointed to the two nuns and a girl in cassock who happened to come out of the Muni courtyard: "Master Miaoyu said that he wanted to prepare some gifts, so the slaves will come out first to arrange the driving. gone."

Daiyu looked at the carriage not far away, nodded and said, "That's just right, Sister Wan and I are going there, let's go together!"

……

Miaoyu was pulled into the Lin family's carriage by the curious Gao Yunwan. After getting into the carriage, Miaoyu figured out the identities of the two, and she was surprised and generous.

"Mother Concubine once wanted to ask Master Xuanzhen to count for my brother, but it was a pity that it was delayed due to trivial matters..."

Gao Yunwan sighed for a while, and asked Miaoyu: "Is Master Miaoyu also proficient in innate deduction?"

Miaoyu shook her head: "Master once said that the art of congenital deduction is the art of secrets, which consumes energy and effort, so poor nuns are not allowed to learn it."

"It's a pity..." Gao Yunwan sighed again.

But Daiyu said: "Sister Wan, although I have never believed in the theory of gods and ghosts before, I have seen a great master who is proficient in this technique. Master Zhiran of Daxiangguo Temple, even my brother admires it!"

"The county lord said Master Qingran, the poor nun, met once when he was in Suzhou, and he was the one who suggested that the poor nun come to the capital."

Miaoyu suddenly asked: "Does the county lord know where the master is now? Yesterday, the poor nun went to the Daxiangguo Temple, and the monk who knew the guest said that the master is not in the temple."

Daiyu replied: "The master should still be in the south of the Yangtze River. He appeared in Jinling before."

"It's a pity, the poor nun is going back to Suzhou soon, I don't know if I can see the master again."

Miaoyu's eyes were full of unwillingness, which Gao Yunwan and Daiyu could see clearly.

Driven by curiosity, Gao Yunwan asked: "Master Miaoyu found out what is the matter with Master Ran? Why don't you wait in the capital for a while?"

Miaoyu sighed: "I am ashamed to say that the poor nun said that I am a Buddhist, but in fact I am just avoiding disasters in Buddhism. I am originally from Suzhou, and my ancestors were also a family of scholars and officials. Because I was sick because of childhood, I bought a lot. Substitutes are useless, after all, I personally entered the Buddhist sect and became a monk at the Xuantou Panxiang Temple. I just got better, so I took my hair to practice. I met Master Ran before, and he said that my way out is in the capital..."

(End of this chapter)