0p0 Chapter 164: Adding Gold to the Clay Buddha
Chapter 164: Adding Gold to the Clay Buddha
This time, it was the wife of the Right Prime Minister who invited them to the mountain to enjoy the view.
Right Prime Minister Yuan Hua, his wife Lady Qing Ning, his eldest son Yuan Hongyi is the leader of the Jinyiwei, his second son Yuan Hongyang is a student at the Imperial Academy, and his daughter Yuan Yuan is still waiting to be married.
This trip to Xiangshan for sightseeing was suggested by my wife, Mrs. Qingning.
Every time the Right Prime Minister returned from the morning court, he was worried.
He used to be neutral in the court. Whether it was the Queen Mother's party or the fake prince's party, he never participated.
Relying on his status as an old minister, he only listened to the emperor's orders. Logically, he should be on the emperor's side. But sometimes the emperor favored someone, and he would argue with the emperor.
Although he was upright, he also accepted money from some salt merchants.
The emperor had known this for a long time, because when it came to employing people, he would turn a blind eye.
As long as nothing serious happens, the emperor won't pursue the matter.
Since Xia Yunyuan became the imperial merchant, he has not made any money.
Moreover, from south to north and from east to west, all commercial channels are strictly controlled by the prince.
Local officials were also replaced one after another.
He only had such a small salary to support a large family, but no one came to give him gifts. He felt that this was not going to work in the future, and that he had to earn money on his own.
It is said that old ginger is still spicy.
As soon as he changed his mind, he thought of getting on good terms with the Crown Princess and embarking on the path of business.
After discussing it with his wife, they came up with the idea of going into the mountains to enjoy the scenery.
It is early spring now. Xiangshan has beautiful scenery. There are some wild flowers on the road around the mountain. The trees are uneven. The higher you go, the more rugged the road becomes.
Situ Jin and Xia Luo sat in a sedan chair and enjoyed the scenery along the way.
"Why did the Right Prime Minister's wife think of this Xiangshan view?" Xia Luo leaned in Situ Jin's arms, eating snacks.
"It's because I'm nervous. I'm afraid that my position will be lost. Besides, I want to get close to you and make some money!" Situ Jin half closed his eyes, enjoying the fragrance of the person in his arms.
"Then just say it directly, why bother with all this?"
"I am an old minister and cannot afford to lose face. Only my wife can come forward!"
"If they didn't ride in a sedan chair, I wouldn't agree to it."
"We've been so stressed out lately, it's nice to go out and have some fun."
"We haven't seen a white-haired old man for a long time."
"You will be a 15-year-old next month. You will be very busy then, because you will be getting married a month after your 15-year-old birthday. He will show up then. We need to prepare well for this period."
"I was wondering why you are so calm. It turns out that all these social interactions are prepared for Zimo."
"Yes, now that Zimo has these foundations, even if we go back, he will be able to secure his position in a few years. The love that my father has for me will soon be transferred to Zimo."
"The only thing I haven't completed yet is to promise Zixuan to bring her embroidery to Southeast Asia. Zimo has entered the Imperial College now, and Xihui City will protect him and accompany him as he grows up."
"There are still two months before the wedding. Why don't we take her to Southeast Asia to fulfill her wish?"
"That's great. Daddy is familiar with Nanyang, so let him take us there when the time comes."
They talked and chatted until they reached the top of Xiangshan Mountain.
Xiangshan is famous for its maple leaves. Unfortunately, it's not the right time.
The ladies and wives of various families got out of their sedan chairs and walked.
Because there is Xiangshan Temple on the top of Xiangshan Mountain, and there are unique mountains and rivers, famous springs, ancient trees, and red leaves. It is not only a natural oxygen bar, but also a rich garden connotation. It is also a summer resort.
There are palaces and villas here, which are the holy places for the royal family to escape the summer heat.
The Right Prime Minister was fortunate enough to come to this holy place only after he had obtained the emperor's approval.
The bells of Xiangshan Temple are ringing, and the day has faded.
At night, we can only rest in the villa next to Xiangshan Temple.
The eight guards who followed them came to take care of their accommodation.
Then take them to have vegetarian meal.
Cooking is not allowed in the villa.
There are dense forests here, which can easily cause fires.
Situ Jin and Xia Luo were invited and had to follow their actions.
Otherwise, you can eat anything you want in this space.
Xiangshan Temple.
Most people burn incense in the morning.
But they did not reach the top of the mountain until evening.
It is a bit unruly to eat without praying first.
After all, we have come to the holy land of Buddhism.
Situ Jin held Charlotte's little hand and entered the temple.
They saw a Buddha statue in front of them. It had a kind face, gray hair, and even its beard was white.
Situ Jin held Charlotte's hand tightly with one hand and rubbed his eyes with the other hand. He thought he had seen it wrong. Then he turned and looked at Charlotte. Coincidentally, Charlotte was also looking at him in surprise.
"Isn't this a white-haired old man?" two people spoke at the same time.
The two of them walked around the clay statue several times.
Then he touched the white-haired old man's clothes. It was indeed made of mud.
Many young men and women from noble families were waiting outside to worship so that they could have a vegetarian meal. They saw the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess walking around the clay statue several times and thought it was a worship ceremony.
Situ Jin also knew that there were many people waiting outside.
He and Charlotte knelt on the mat and bowed three times.
Charlotte whispered, "Old man, if we knew you were here, we would have come to visit you a long time ago. When we saw your clay statue, we had an idea. Let them make a statue of you out of gold in the future. You are a golden bodhisattva. You save all living beings."
After the worship, they took three steps back and turned to leave.
The others followed their example and walked around the clay statue several times, then bowed three times, mumbling something unknown.
After dinner, everyone went back to the villa to rest.
Xia Luo and Situ Jin went to the Taoist priest's house in the backyard.
Explain your identity, and then talk to the Taoist priest about building a golden body for the Buddha statue in front.
The Taoist priest's expression of surprise was no less than that of a child seeing a nice toy.
A golden body! How much gold would that cost? How rich must this prince be!
"Master, can you estimate how much gold this clay statue of the Bodhisattva will cost? Give me an answer tomorrow morning."
"Donor, blessing the golden statue of the Bodhisattva is our wish in this life. Donor, I will tell you now that the golden statue of the Bodhisattva costs 100,000 taels of gold."
"That's no problem. After we leave, let the little nun take 7749 people to the other courtyard to carry the gold. The Taoist priest must keep his promise and inlay all the gold on the Bodhisattva. Not one ounce more or one ounce less."
"Don't worry, benefactor. I am here. If there is more, I will give it to the poor. If there is less, I will ask the nuns to go down the mountain to collect it."
"Okay. When the day comes when the Bodhisattva's golden body is blessed, we will come to worship. Just treat us as believers then. Don't make it public."
"The donor has a heart of a bodhisattva, and will surely get what he wants. All beings are equal. There will be blessings in the future."
"Thank you for your blessing, Taoist priest. Our wish has been fulfilled. Please stay, Taoist priest." Situ Jin and Xia Luo put their hands together and walked out of the Taoist priest's gate.
The next morning, the weather was fine and sunny on the top of the mountain. It was the perfect time to stand on the mountain and enjoy the view.
At this time, the wife of the right prime minister came with his second son Yuan Hongyang and daughter Yuan Yuan to greet Xia Luo.
"I am here to pay my respects to the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess!"
"Blessings to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess!" Yuan Hongyang and Yuan Yuan also bowed to pay their respects.
"This is Xiangshan, there's no need for formalities. This is your daughter Yuan Yuan, right?" Xia Luo knew that the Right Prime Minister had a daughter named Yuan Yuan.
"Your Highness has good eyesight. It is exactly me, Yuan Yuan." Yuan Yuan was graceful and spoke softly, yet still had the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.
"Well, I have a daughter who is about your age. I'll go play with her when I'm free."