Red Mansion: Fuyao River and Mountain

Chapter 158 The Secret of the Buddhist Temple

The next morning, Jia Cong took Qingwen and set off to Anding Temple to copy scriptures.

Previously, he was busy with the affairs of counselor to Prince Ning, and also spent a lot of time and energy on the case of Zou Huaiyi.

The progress of copying the scriptures has been delayed for a long time. Now the foundation, keel and beams of the main hall of Da Ci'en Temple are all ready. It is estimated that it will be completed in less than two months.

Jia Cong needed to copy the twelve scriptures approved by the emperor and submitted to the Ministry of Rites, so the remaining time was a bit tight.

He decided to stay in Qixia Mountain for a few more days to speed up the progress of copying the scriptures and finish copying the imperial scriptures before the main hall was completed.

Before leaving, he instructed Jin Cai to take the framed calligraphy and paintings and send them to the Xue family mansion as a return gift.

When I arrived at the construction site of Da Ci'en Temple, I met Qin Ye and chatted with him for a while. I saw a look of urgency on his face, so I asked him and found out the reason.

Due to the major case of Zou Huaiyi, various departments in the capital frequently sent personnel to Nanjing on official business, and reports were frequently exchanged, which exposed some of the secrets of the Nanjing officialdom.

In addition to reporting on the progress of major cases at the Water Conservancy Bureau, these memorials also mentioned some of the shortcomings and deficiencies in the daily political affairs of various departments in the secondary capital.

The incident at the Water Conservancy Bureau had already made Emperor Jiazhao wary, so he naturally wanted to take precautions.

Therefore, in the past half month, Emperor Jiazhao ordered various departments in the capital to send personnel to Nanjing to inspect government affairs, reform bad policies, investigate mediocrity, and eliminate redundancy.

Li Dekang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, naturally did not dare to fall behind, and the construction of the Da Ci'en Temple in Nanjing had always been the focus of the emperor's attention, so he carefully selected personnel from the Ministry of Works to go to Nanjing and calculated the time to visit the construction site today or tomorrow.

Although the construction progress is normal at the moment, Qin Ye is still a little nervous because his superiors are inspecting the place by imperial order.

For the entire morning, when Jia Cong had some free time from copying scriptures, he went to the third floor of his official residence several times to take a walk, and he saw Qin Ye running back and forth at the construction site.

After lunch, Jia Cong returned to Ci'an Hall to copy scriptures. Qingwen sat alone on the stone steps outside the hall, feeling bored.

Then I saw Ruizhu and her daughter coming towards me.

Ruizhu smiled and pulled Qingwen aside to talk. Qingwen followed her for a few steps, then turned around and saw Qin Keqing entering Ci'an Hall.

Although Qingwen is straightforward and not too cunning, she is very smart. After so many days, it's clear to her that there is something fishy going on here.

It is obvious that Miss Qin is attracted to Third Master's handsomeness, and Third Master also likes to be with her. It's because Miss Qin is so pretty, and that's what men like.

Wu'er, that silly girl, thought that Third Master was still the same as he was a few years ago and that he didn't like fame. She even forgot that Third Master touched her hand from time to time.

"You little bitch, you are at it again. Don't try to fool me. I know all your tricks. If you let Miss Qin provoke the Third Master and cause trouble, I will see what you can do."

Ruizhu blushed, "You are such a snob, what nonsense are you talking about? How old is your Third Master? It's just two people talking about something out of boredom. What's the point of it?"

Qingwen curled her lips and said, "What do you know? The book says that people under seven years old should not sit together, and men and women should not touch each other. Our Third Master is almost seven years old, so he is still young. You are just kidding me."

Qingwen felt a little jealous when she saw that her third master always liked to gossip with Miss Qin. Although she let it go afterwards, when she saw Ruizhu arguing with her, she naturally would not let her off.

Ruizhu still insisted: "You also know that seven-year-olds do not sit at the same table. I know that in your family, the maids have done a lot of work to warm the master's quilt and accompany the bed. You still have the nerve to say that you sit at the same table but not at the same table."

Qingwen blushed: "I told you to talk nonsense, I'll tear your mouth to pieces."

He jumped up from the stone steps and chased Ruizhu, and the two little girls were laughing and playing.

……

The Ci'an Hall and the temporary official residence were both located in the back courtyard of Anding Temple. Ever since this place became the place for copying Buddhist scriptures and resting the body of Empress Dowager Xianxiao, the back courtyard was closed off by the temple's abbot Xu Ming.

Except for the young monk Zhining who came to add incense, other monks and pilgrims were not allowed to enter. Qin Ye and Jia Cong usually entered and exited from the west corner gate, which was usually guarded by soldiers.

Therefore, this backyard was deserted during the day, and Qingwen and Ruizhu played and laughed without restraint, and soon the two maids wandered off to who knows where. After Jia Cong finished copying a passage of scripture, he saw Keqing still kneeling on the cushion, with her hands clasped together, as if praying.

A ray of warm sunlight shone into the hall through the breathable window lattice on the top of the Buddhist temple, shining on Keqing who was kneeling in front of the Buddha.

Blending in with the world, the rose is gorgeous and shining, with a graceful and alluring figure. The mountains and peaks are gathered together, and the beauty is simple and elegant. There is an indescribable beauty in it.

Jia Cong was staring blankly. Keqing noticed his strangeness and blushed. She said, "Master Cong, why are you staring blankly instead of copying the scriptures?"

Being seen through by her, Jia Cong looked somewhat embarrassed. He put down his pen and walked over to her side, sitting down on the cushion. He could smell the sweet fragrance of orchid surrounding him, and he couldn't help feeling a little dizzy and relaxed.

He couldn't help wanting to get closer to her, and said with a smile: "Keqing, you often kowtow in front of the Buddha, what wishes do you make?"

Qin Keqing looked back at him, and seeing that he was talking and laughing, with handsome eyes and eyebrows, her heart was filled with tenderness, and her face flushed. She did not dare to look at him any longer, and turned her head away.

"I dare not make a wish to the Buddha, I only ask for his mercy. I have lost my original mind, my words and deeds are out of line, I have committed sins and it is difficult to extricate myself. I only ask the Buddha to give me a peaceful mind and keep me away from worries and fears."

Jia Cong's heart trembled when he heard the sadness hidden in her words, and he naturally understood the meaning of her voice.

The two of them have been together frequently these days, and he is not a fool. How could he not see that Qin Keqing is interested in him? And it would be hypocritical for him to say that he is not moved by such a beautiful woman.

It's just that liking and possessing are often two completely different things. Even though the barriers between men and women have become non-existent in later generations, there are still many cases where emotions are so strong that the rules of propriety cannot be crossed.

Not to mention that nowadays the ethics and morals are very strict. Although he is naturally greedy, he is not so stubborn as to think with only his lower body.

The two of them usually just chatted to kill time. They had a shallow relationship and did not cross the line. They were both from prominent families and had some sense. They were young and had no strong desires.

If this side courtyard wasn't usually deserted and there wasn't a man and a woman alone, I'm afraid they wouldn't even have the chance to say those few words.

Jia Cong was feeling a little worried after hearing what Keqing said, when he suddenly heard voices coming from outside the hall.

"A few days ago, I received a letter from the Ministry of Works stating that officials from various departments of the Ministry of Works would come to inspect the construction of the Grand Temple. I didn't expect that His Royal Highness Prince Ning would also come."

"After finishing my work in Nanjing, I will return to Beijing in a few days to report to my father. Before I leave, I will naturally come to see the progress. My father is very concerned about the construction of Da Ci'en Temple, so I can report to him when I return."

"My prince heard from his personal guards that Chengshilang was copying scriptures in Ci'an Hall. His calligraphy is exquisite and has become a master. Why don't we go in and take a look?"

Jia Cong recognized the voices of Qin Ye and Prince Ning, and his face changed color. Qin Ye was usually at the construction site at this time, so how come he suddenly came here with Prince Ning?

And judging from the footsteps, there were quite a few people coming together. They should be officials sent by the Ministry of Works to inspect the progress of the construction of the temple.

Although he and Qin Keqing did not have anything to do with each other, the Buddhist temple was empty and a single man and woman were alone together. If these people caught them, they would probably have no way to explain themselves.

Moreover, Qin Ye is Keqing's father, and Keqing is about to get married. Prince Ning and officials from the Ministry of Works are also present. If everyone goesssips, it may turn out to be a tiger. Keqing is likely to be ruined.

This kind of gossip has spread so quickly from ancient times to the present, and it is so terrifying that no one would care about right or wrong. If it were reported back to the capital, I dare not even think about the scene.

Qin Keqing recognized her father's voice and her face turned pale. Ruizhu and Qingwen were at the door, but now she had gone somewhere and she didn't hear any sound at all.

In a hurry, Jia Cong grabbed Keqing's hand and led her to hide behind the tall statue of Guanyin in the hall.

He copied Buddhist scriptures in Ci'an Hall for more than a month and learned that there was a small incense room two feet square behind the Guanyin statue, where incense and candles used in the temple on a daily basis were stored.

Every morning, the young monk Zhining in the temple would take out incense and candles from the incense room and replace them with the incense on the offering table in front of the Buddha.

Now, in the entire Buddhist temple, there was only that place where one could hide. He would try to avoid this first to avoid being seen. He and Keqing would not be able to clear themselves even if they jumped into the Yellow River.

　The new chapter has been banned and is under review. It is estimated that it will be updated later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)