Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 134: Hongfa's Hidden Disgrace

At 3:15 am, the foundation laying and consecration ceremony of the main hall of Da Ci'en Temple was officially held.

The ceremonies of breaking ground, erecting beams, sprinkling water for purification, lighting flowers, chanting incense, and welcoming the saint were carried out in an orderly manner, and Buddhist musicians led the playing of chimes, bells, and drums in sequence.

Eminent monks invited from various major temples in Jinling, dressed in gorgeous robes and holding Buddhist instruments and rosaries, circled the main hall where the deceased rests, chanting sutras and praying. The buzzing Sanskrit chanting was soul-stirring.

A solemn and magnificent aura arose spontaneously, and seemed to hover above the main site of the hall, unwilling to dissipate for a long time.

Finally, Prince Ning burned incense and presided over the ceremony, and the civil and military officials of Jinling present kowtowed in worship.

As an eighth-rank councilor who was copying scriptures and praying for blessings at the Da Ci'en Temple, Jia Cong spread out paper and picked up a pen under the pre-set curtain.

Concentrate and calmly write the prologue of the scripture copying text:

The majestic appearance of all virtues,
The pure body of Dharma nature.

Respond to everything calmly,
Benefit all living beings…

The foundation laying and consecration ceremony of the main hall of Da Ci'en Temple lasted for an hour in an extremely solemn atmosphere, and the officials and monks who participated in the ceremony dispersed one by one.

Qin Ye and Jia Cong, the two chief officials sent by the Imperial Edict of the Capital to be in charge of the construction and prayer of the Da Ci'en Temple, specially came to see Prince Yongning off.

When the young prince left, he asked his attendants to give Jia Cong an exquisite ivory plate, inviting him to visit him when he had time to drink tea and talk about books. With this ivory plate, he would be able to have free access.

Qin Ye, who was standing aside, was watching with envy. The young man's calligraphy skills really brought him great fortune.

Not only was his eighth-rank official status related to this, but it was also said that Prince Jiashun became friends with him because of his calligraphy, and the Heart Sutra, which the retired emperor regarded as his favorite, was also written by him personally.

Now, King Ning also looks at him differently because of his calligraphy. It is true that one method can prove the truth and lead to the understanding of all methods.

At this time, a young man wearing the uniform of the garrison's general flag officer came over. Jia Cong also recognized this man. It was Liu Hai, the general flag officer of the Jinling Garrison Water Supervision Division, who had driven the boat to guide them through the waterway when the official ship entered Yanziji that day.

On that day, Liu Hai went on board to check Qin Ye and his certificate from the Ministry of Rites, imperial edicts, etc. He had clear ideas and was meticulous in his work, which left a deep impression on Jia Cong.

Wasn't he the chief of the Water Conservancy Department? He should be working on waterway shipping, so why did he end up at the construction site of Da Ci'en Temple?

Liu Hai stepped forward and saluted Qin Ye, saying, "Sir Qin, one hundred and fifty guards under my command are already guarding the important checkpoints at the temple site.

My Lord, you have built a storehouse on the north side to store the wood, lacquer, lime and other materials used in building the temple. These things are most likely to cause fire. I have added 20 people to the storehouse to guard it strictly to prevent any mistakes.

In addition, 613 masons, carpenters, stonemasons, painters, and others who worked on the construction of the temple, as well as 50 convicts who were doing coolie labor, would be present within three days.

I will have my men check the craftsmen's identities to be on the safe side."

Qin Ye replied with satisfaction: "General Liu is smart and meticulous. This arrangement is very appropriate."

"In addition, I will also send people to guard the Anding Temple residence where Lord Qin and Lord Jia are staying."

Qin Ye was surprised and said, "There are six or seven hundred people pouring in to build this temple, and their ranks are complicated. We are most afraid of disputes and frictions. General Liu should focus his manpower on these to prevent them.

My official residence is in Anding Temple, which is an old temple with strict gates. There is no need to send special soldiers to guard it. It would be a waste of General Liu’s troops and hinder the support and construction of the temple, which would not be good. "

Liu Hai said: "Master Qin, you don't know that a month ago, a Japanese wanderer killed people in Longtan Port. These wanderers escaped under the encirclement of the garrison troops.

Nowadays, all waterways and land routes leading out of Jinling are strictly guarded. These Japanese bandits may not be able to escape for the time being. They are very likely hiding somewhere in Jinling. Qixia Mountain is located in a quiet area with deep mountains and dense forests.

It is also a place where it is easy to hide, and I am also worried that something might happen, so it is always better to be careful."

Qin Ye was horrified when he heard this. He had heard that those Japanese wanderers were bloodthirsty and killed people without blinking an eye. Now that Jinling City still has these hidden dangers, he really needs to be more careful. "In this case, everything will be arranged according to General Liu. The construction of Da Ci'en Temple is an imperial decree and an important matter for the court. The task of supporting the construction will be entrusted to General Liu."

"I will do my best!"

Jia Cong looked at Liu Hai's departing back and asked, "Master Qin, I remember that Liu Hai was the general flag of the Jinling Guards' Water Supervision Division, and he was in charge of waterway shipping. How come he was transferred here to guard the construction site?"

Qin Ye replied: "I have had several official dealings with the people of Jinling Guards, and I do know some of the reasons. Last month, Japanese wanderers in Jinling Longtan Port caused chaos and killed a captain of Jinling Guards.

This captain was named Liu Bingsheng, Liu Hai's second uncle. Three or four years ago, Liu Hai was brought into Jinling Guard by his second uncle.

Because he was young and capable, and had the care of Captain Liu, he was promoted to the general flag within a few years. The relationship between the uncle and nephew was deep. Captain Liu died at the hands of ronin, and Liu Hai sought justice for his second uncle.

He was very concerned about the case of the Japanese ronin rebellion. I heard that he found out some of the truth, but he disagreed with his superiors and got involved in something dirty, so he was sent here to guard the construction site. "

Jia Cong suddenly realized that he was being framed because of a disagreement with his boss.

When he first heard Jia Yucun talk about the rebellion of the Japanese ronin, he said that one group of ronin were confronting the officers and soldiers of the garrison, while another group actually managed to loot 200,000 strings of cash and escape the search of the Jinling Guards.

At that time, I felt that something was not right. I wondered what Liu Hai had found out, and why he got into trouble with his superior and was excluded. Could it be that there was another hidden story behind the Ronin Rebellion in Japan?

In fact, he had only heard about the matter from hearsay and knew very little about it. He just made a few random guesses and didn't take it to heart. It was none of his business anyway.

Qin Ye said: "No matter what, Liu Hai is smart and capable, and he is a very capable person. I feel much more relieved to have such a person to support the construction site."

After Jia Cong finished his work, he went back to the carriage to get the luggage, picked up Xiangling, and asked Guo Zhigui to drive back to the mansion first and come to pick him up in three days.

……

There are four hundred and eighty temples in the Southern Dynasty, and there are many towers in the mist.

After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the four dynasties of Song, Qi, Liang and Chen all established their capitals in Nanjing.

These four dynasties all worshipped Buddhism, and a large number of temples were built in Jinling over the course of the four dynasties. Four hundred and eighty temples are just a fictitious number, and the actual number is even higher.

However, after a long period of history, how many of them were destroyed in the Zhurong wars, and only two or three out of ten survived.

This Anding Temple is an ancient temple built in the Southern Liang Dynasty. Although the temple is not very large, believers have donated money to repair it over the years. The halls and temples are majestic, and the sounds of bells and chanting can be heard from time to time.

Qin Ye and Jia Cong's official residence is located in the eastern corner of the temple. It used to be a three-story library. After Anding Temple was renovated last year, the Buddhist scriptures were moved to other places for storage, and this place has been temporarily vacant.

Standing on the third floor of the library, one can have a panoramic view of the construction site of Da Ci'en Temple not far away. This is also an important reason why Qin Ye requisitioned this place to build an official residence.

After Jia Cong settled down in the official residence with Xiangling, every day at 9:00 p.m., Jia Cong would go to Ci'an Hall, where the tablet of Empress Dowager Xianxiao was temporarily placed.

Under the golden statue of Buddha, with the sound of wooden fish chanting, they copied various volumes of Buddhist scriptures according to the list drawn up by the Ministry of Rites and prayed for Empress Dowager Xianxiao.

These copied scriptures will be permanently preserved in the temple's Sutra Repository after the completion of Da Ci'en Temple.

After lunch, he would take Xiangling for a stroll or take a nap. When the three-hour bell rang in Anding Temple, he would return to Ci'an Hall to copy scriptures.

There is a reason why we choose the Si and Wei hours of the day to copy the scriptures.

The Si time is also known as the Yuzhong time, which is the time before the sun is at its highest point in the sky at noon; the Wei time is also known as the Rihui time, which is the time when the sun is slightly west after noon.

These two hours are when the purple divine light is the warmest in a day. It is the best time to concentrate and gather blessings, communicate with heaven and earth, and naturally, it is also the best time to copy scriptures and pray for blessings.

(End of this chapter)