Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 231 The little fairy who has nothing to do

The next morning, when the bell rang, Wang Heng woke up leisurely. In just a few days, he had adapted to the life in the mountain monastery and had to get up at dawn.

Hearing this, Xiaocai asked, "Seventh Brother, is this our third day on the mountain?"

"It's the third day. I wonder if Mr. Zhang will return to the city this afternoon? Or should we stay one more night and return to the Imperial College tomorrow?"

"Oh, I must persuade Mr. Zhang to go down the mountain today and return to Suojin Village. Let's go to Ah Xian's house first and ask his cook to bake two dried plum and vegetable cakes with plenty of lard. This temple is too austere. If I eat vegetables and tofu every day, I will become a dried-up person in a few days." Xiaocai stretched himself, touched the teacup from the corner cabinet, and drank a few sips of yesterday's overnight tea: "Not to mention that there is nothing to eat, even the tea leaves are not in good condition."

Wang Heng agreed: "I have already seen the scenery, so I should go back to my own house, plant flowers and beans, and live like a god without any worries." His stomach was growling with hunger.

The two of them got up and washed up. Soon, the cloud board rang, and it was time for breakfast.

I stepped out of the room and looked up, only to see light clouds in the east. It must be a cloudy day today.

They arrived early, and there were only a few people in the dining hall of the villa. Today's breakfast was brown rice porridge with pickles. Xiaocai often claimed that he came from a poor background, but he underestimated the extent of his hardship. He almost couldn't swallow the food, and he swallowed it with difficulty.

Wang Heng wasn't in much better condition. He just drank a few mouthfuls to fill his stomach. Fortunately, he would probably go down the mountain today.

The two had nothing to do after dinner, so they packed their bags in the west wing and put them in place in advance, still taking two packages back with them.

While they were chatting, someone knocked on the door. It turned out to be the young monk Wuming. Abbot Zhihai assigned him to run errands for Mr. Zhang. Xiaocai said happily, "Young Master Wuming, did Mr. Zhang ask you to come and call us down the mountain together?"

"My two donors, please follow me to the main hall of the temple to watch the ceremony. Today, Abbot Zhihai is accepting disciples on behalf of the master and will accept Mr. Zhang as a lay disciple." Wuming said slowly.

"What does it mean to accept a disciple on behalf of a master?" Xiaocai took a breath.

"Abbot Zhihai's master, Zen Master Huifa, passed away many years ago. Today, Abbot Zhihai is accepting a disciple on his behalf and passing on his teachings to Mr. Zhang. Abbot Zhihai and Mr. Zhang are now brothers." Wuming said.

Wang Heng simply couldn't believe what kind of nonsense Master Zhihai had fooled Mr. Zhang into believing that Mr. Zhang, the leader of the Xingshe Party and a sixth-rank official in the imperial court, was willing to be a lay disciple.

Wang Heng and Xiaocai were skeptical and followed Wuming out of the courtyard.

When passing by the release pond, the monks from Jubao Temple were still chanting on the scripture platform. Today was the last day of the Liu Mansion's Dharma Assembly, so the monks did not dare to be negligent.

The mother and daughter of the Liu family had an accident, and Mrs. Liu is probably still recuperating in the house. Now only the housekeeper Ade and a few servants are in charge of the house.

After entering the mountain gate and rushing to the Main Hall, the ceremony had already begun. An old monk in the front row was solemnly wearing a red robe. He must be Abbot Zhihai. The three monks in the second seat were wearing brown robes. I have seen them before. They were the eldest disciple, Monk Guangwen, who was in charge of the Sutra Repository, the second disciple, Monk Guangliang, who was in charge of receiving guests, and the third disciple, Monk Guangheng, who was in charge of the Foguang Pavilion.

There were also several monks standing around the hall waiting for orders, so Wang Heng found a corner and stood there, while Xiaocai followed Wuming.

The ceremony seemed very simple. Abbot Zhihai passed Master Huifa's cassock and food bowl to Mr. Zhang, and then went to the secret room to teach him the Dharma.

After a while, Abbot Zhihai and Mr. Zhang returned to the main hall hand in hand with smiles on their faces, and it was obvious that the Dharma had been passed on.

I thought the ceremony was over. Unexpectedly, Abbot Zhihai

Suddenly he announced that he would be in seclusion for ten days, and that his junior fellow apprentice, Mr. Zhang, would supervise the temple. He gave his wooden fish to Mr. Zhang as a token of his loyalty. Even the solemn atmosphere in the main hall could not suppress the slight exclamation.

There are hundreds of monks in Jubao Temple, which is one of the largest temples within a hundred miles. The temple has rich property, and there are thousands of acres of fertile fields at the foot of the mountain alone.

It is no exaggeration to say that the abbot of Jubao Temple holds a high position of power and influence.

Abbot Zhihai is old and has long revealed that he will choose a successor from among his three disciples Guangwen, Guangliang and Guangheng. But now, he lets an outsider, Mr. Zhang, to be the abbot. What does this convey?
After the ceremony, the monks left the hall one after another. Abbot Zhihai made a gesture to Mr. Zhang, as if asking Mr. Zhang to follow him.

Mr. Zhang followed them. He caught a glimpse of Wang Heng and Xiaocai from the corner of his eye, paused, walked up to them, and said with a smile, "I have something else to do. I promised the old monk that I would stay in Jubao Temple for ten more days. What do you two think? If you want to go down the mountain, I will arrange it for you, but I think this is a rare opportunity. The scenery on the mountain is great. It's a good opportunity to escape the scorching heat and spend a few more days reading in the Sutra Library."

Having said that, if the two of them insisted on going down the mountain, it would seem that they were too unworldly.

Xiaocai said tactfully, "Mr. Zhang, what are you talking about? We came to the mountain to serve you as your servants, how can we run away and leave you alone in the temple?"

Wang Heng also said: "That's right."

Mr. Zhang said with satisfaction, "You can walk around for a while. Senior Brother has something to tell you. Please wait for me in the Sutra Library in half an hour."

After Mr. Zhang left, Wang Heng and Xiaocai walked out of the hall dejectedly. It seemed that they would have to continue eating vegetarian meals for ten days.

Jubao Temple was huge and there were many things to see, but the two were in a bad mood, and the mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, birds, fish and insects all looked listless.

When they arrived at the Sutra Repository, a young monk opened the door for them. The two of them casually flipped through the scriptures on the second floor. They waited for a long time but Mr. Zhang did not come.

After waiting for a long time, Wuming came to tell them that Mr. Zhang had been dragged away by several monks in the temple to discuss something, and would probably be busy today, so the two of them were left to make their own arrangements.

Soon the dinner bell rang and Wuming led them to the kitchen to eat. The two were already starving, and although the vegetarian meals in the kitchen were no different from those in the other courtyard's dining hall, they each ate two large bowls.

After dinner, they went to the Sutra Library to take a look, but Mr. Zhang was nowhere to be seen. It started to drizzle outside the window, so they decided to take a break from school.

When I walked out of the mountain gate, I saw that there was no one around the release pond and the temporary scripture platform had been dismantled. The ceremony at the Liu Mansion was probably over.

When I stepped into the villa, I felt it was so quiet, as if everyone in Liu's house had disappeared.

Xiaocai went to ask the young monk in the other courtyard, and it turned out that after the Dharma Assembly ended at noon, the people from the Liu Mansion went down the mountain. Before leaving, the housekeeper Ade went to look for them. Later, the monk in charge of reception at Jubao Temple told Ade that Mr. Zhang and his companions would stay in the temple for a few more days, so the housekeeper felt relieved to go down the mountain.

Fate brings us together and separates us, but the two of them don't care. They return to the west wing. The rain is getting heavier and heavier, dripping against the window. They listen to the sound of the rain and drink two cups of tea, feeling very comfortable.

Wang Heng thought to himself that this was like a little god with nothing to do.

By dusk, the rain stopped and the clouds dispersed. I opened the window and a pleasant smell of grass filled the air.

There were heavy footsteps outside the door, and several young monks hurried past, shouting, "Someone's dead. Go report to the abbot."