Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 15 Heart Sutra
Mrs. Xing was speechless at Lady Jia's question. The banquet was already halfway through, and the old lady had just realized that she was missing a grandson, right?

She herself didn't like that bastard, and now when she saw an outsider coming to her house, she put the blame on herself in front of her family.

It seems that only I, the stepmother, am the unkind one.

Madam Xing held back her anger and said, "This evil creature has always been stubborn and restless. It's hard for the master and I to control him. I don't know where he is hiding now."

Grandmother Jia knew that Mrs. Xing was dissatisfied, so she didn't say anything else. She just asked the maid to invite the person. Even if it was a eunuch, there was no need to avoid mentioning female relatives.

Everyone saw a maid bringing in a eunuch in his thirties. He had a fair and handsome face, wore a blue and gold-embellished flying fish robe, and a black gauze crown on his head. He behaved calmly and composedly.

"I am Wang Dong, the chief supervisor of the Jiashun Palace. I am honored to meet the old lady of Rongguo. I am here to bring New Year's Eve gifts to Master Jia Cong of your palace on the order of the prince."

Grandmother Jia was used to the Imperial Palace and knew that the Chief Eunuch was a high-ranking eunuch. This man turned out to be the chief eunuch of Prince Jiashun's palace.

Grandmother Jia hurriedly said, "Eunuch Wang is very polite. He is just a child. Your Majesty is really wrong to trouble you to make this trip."

Wang Dong smiled and said, "Madam, you are too polite. The prince has always valued talents. Those who can catch his eye are all heroes in the world. What's the big deal if I run a few steps?"

Grandmother Jia felt a little uncomfortable. This grandson whom she disliked the most was so precious in the eyes of others.

Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible for Prince Jiashun to ask his highness, the Metropolitan Governor, to give a child a New Year's Eve gift.

The reason was that when Zhou Changyan came back that day, he brought back the Heart Sutra written by Jia Cong.

Although Jia Cong carefully read the almanacs and biographies sent by Tanchun, a few books could not tell everything.

So he didn't know that in this timeline, there was no such person as Xuanzang, and the Heart Sutra, a Buddhist text, had not yet been translated into the Central Plains.

When Prince Jiashun got the Heart Sutra he wrote, he was not only amazed by the calligraphy, but also shocked by this Buddhist scripture he had never seen before.

Although the Heart Sutra has only 260 words, it expounds on the basic interpretations of Buddhism, such as the five aggregates, three categories, four truths, and the twelve links of dependent origination, and directly points to the core Buddhist concept that nature is empty.

Every word is like a gem, every sentence is profound. Reciting silently with a mysterious mind can help eliminate karma, transform evil, clear away the dust in the mind, see the nature and enlighten the mind.

In the original history, the Heart Sutra is the most widely circulated Buddhist scripture, and has been chanted by countless Buddhists for nearly a thousand years.

Anyone with some cultivation and knowledge will be moved by a world-class classic like the Heart Sutra.

The current emperor is a great devotee of Buddhism. He has lived in the deep palace for ten years, and has been accompanied by ancient Buddhist scriptures every day.

This move has led to the prosperity of Buddhism in the Great Zhou in recent years, and the number of people who believe in Buddhism has increased day by day.

On the birthday of the retired emperor, officials from various departments would present him with gifts such as Buddha statues, Buddhist robes, and ancient palm-leaf scriptures.

As the youngest son most favored by the retired emperor, Prince Jiashun was influenced by his father for a long time when he was young.

Naturally, he had some insights into Buddhism, and when he saw the Heart Sutra written by Jia Cong, he regarded it as a treasure.

He was well-read and had read a lot of Buddhist texts, but he had never seen the Heart Sutra.

I asked many of my followers, and they all said they had never seen it.

The fact that Jia Cong, a ten-year-old boy, could possess such outstanding and unique calligraphy had already shocked Prince Jiashun beyond words.

But this can also be understood as Jia Cong having an extraordinary talent in calligraphy.

But he doesn't believe that Buddhist classics like the Heart Sutra were also created by Jia Cong.

It’s not that I don’t believe it, but it’s absolutely impossible.

This verse of the Heart Sutra is profound in meaning and its words are clear, concise and refined. It can only be achieved by those who have experienced the world for a long time, have seen through the world and have great wisdom and understanding.

Such classics are not even the work of one person, but may be the result of the accumulation of the essence of several generations of Buddhist masters.

Although Jia Cong is gifted, he is not an immortal or god, and would never be so extraordinary.

But where did he get this Buddhist classic?

Because he admired Jia Cong's calligraphy, he wrote to him and invited him to a literary gathering, but that was just a friendship between two talented gentlemen.

Due to his status, he couldn't go to the house in person to ask the reason, so he came up with the excuse of sending a New Year's gift.

Wang Dong has been Prince Jiashun's attendant since childhood. He is shrewd, thoughtful, and experienced, and is his most trusted person.

If he were to deliver the New Year's gift, with his ability, he would definitely be able to find out the origin of the Heart Sutra from Jia Cong. This is why Prince Jiashun asked him to deliver the gift.

Wang Dong was a meticulous person. He glanced around the table and his eyes fixed on Jia Huan, who was sitting at the last seat.

He saw that the young men and women at this table were all grandchildren of the Queen Mother, and the one wearing the colorful jade on his chest must be the young man from the Jia family who was born with a jade in his mouth, named Baoyu.

As the chief eunuch of the royal palace, Wang Dong naturally knew about such strange stories in the capital.

So he thought that Jia Huan, who was not seated yet, was Jia Cong. However, the boy looked rather mean, and was far from the genius in the eyes of the prince. He was a little confused.

But then I heard Grandmother Jia say, "He is not here today."

Wang Dong looked puzzled. The Jia family was holding a New Year's Eve party, and all the children and grandchildren were there, but Jia Cong was not there.

Could it be that the rumors are true? If so, this old lady is getting a little confused.

Tanchun saw that the atmosphere in the hall was a little awkward, and she suddenly had an idea and said, "Madam, Third Brother Cong is feeling unwell today and couldn't come. My second sister and I were planning to go check on him, so let us lead the way for this eunuch."

After hearing this, Lady Jia, Mrs. Wang and others breathed a sigh of relief. Family disgrace should not be made public, and it was actually covered up by Tanchun.

Mrs. Wang usually treats this concubine's daughter kindly, just to gain a good reputation for herself.

Now that I see that she is smart, considers the overall situation, and maintains her dignity in front of outsiders, I really look at her differently.

Grandmother Jia was even more satisfied with Tanchun. She valued Tanchun the most among her three granddaughters. Today's experience proved that she was not wrong about her.

Daiyu was the most insightful person, and she had always been on good terms with Tanchun, so she understood that Tanchun was not just covering up for Lady Jia.

Even she could see that Jia Cong had just received a letter from Prince Jiashun yesterday, and today he sent someone to deliver a New Year's Eve gift.

An outsider thinks so highly of Jia Cong, but his own family members simply ignore and despise him.

Jia Cong's abilities are already remarkable; in comparison, the dirty things in the inner house are not worthy of being mentioned in public.

When the chief eunuch goes back and tells the story, others will only laugh at the Jia family's shallowness and short-sightedness, and their self-sacrifice.

Who knows, there might even be some malicious people who would say that my grandmother is confused.

By then, the whole family will lose face. My grandmother will be the only one to suffer, but my eldest uncle, Jia Cong, will be even more ruthless. The life of the third brother Cong will be even more difficult in the future.

Daiyu smiled in her heart. Tan girl was a good girl and very smart. She was now making up for her third brother Cong.

……

The granary in the east courtyard.

After Nanny Zhao left, Jia Cong and Zhi Shao were the only ones left in the room.

What happened in Rongning Hall yesterday spread to the East Courtyard in no time.

The old women and daughters-in-law in the yard, who were used to flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak, smelled the scent.

I knew that the child born by this prostitute was actually appreciated by the prince, and he even got to participate in some literary gathering that only scholars could attend.

I also heard that the second master of the West Mansion suddenly began to appreciate Jia Cong.

Who knows, this guy might turn things around and become successful. Even though his mother is not good, he is still the old lady's grandson, and there is nothing wrong with him.

So those gossipy old women in the kitchen started to secretly drain the water before they got Mrs. Xing's letter.

Tonight Zhishao went to the kitchen to get the food. The rice was freshly cooked, and there were also some fresh side dishes.

In addition, Jia Cong went out to buy some food in the afternoon, so this New Year's Eve dinner was unusually sumptuous.

Under the candlelight, the master and servant had a good New Year's Eve dinner.

After Zhishao had cleared the dishes, Jia Cong lit another candle and read the commentary on the Four Books given by Jia Zheng.

From time to time, sporadic firecrackers could be heard outside the granary, as well as the festive laughter of passers-by.

Compared with the outside world immersed in the joy of the coming of the New Year, the Linkuyuan is a cold and secluded place.

Zhishao was afraid of disturbing Jia Cong's reading, so she quietly found a ladder and posted the couplet written by Jia Cong on the door.

Suddenly, several beautiful fireworks exploded in the sky above the granary. Zhishao rubbed her red hands together and watched with joy as the fireworks went from brilliant to dead silence.

Jia Cong heard the noise and came out of the house. He saw Zhishao with a thin waist, thin clothes and shoes, and her little face was red from the cold.

"It's so cold, you dare to go out wearing so little, be careful not to freeze your skin."

As Jia Cong spoke, he picked up Zhishao's little hands, put them to his mouth and blew on them to warm them.

He looked up at the couplet that Zhishao had just posted on the door: "Zhishao, which character did you say is the best?"

Zhi Shao laughed and said, "Every word written by Third Master is excellent."

At this time, there was a knock on the door, echoing in the remote and quiet granary courtyard.

(End of this chapter)