Dafo Temple is the second largest Buddhist temple in Dacheng Kingdom and the largest Buddhist temple in Jiangnan.
The temple is always bustling with worshippers all year round. Even though it has been snowing heavily in recent days, perhaps because of the severity of the snowstorm, there are more believers praying to Buddha sincerely.
Upon hearing that Princess Showa was coming to pray in person, Daibutsu Temple began preparing to welcome her early.
The carriage stopped at the foot of the mountain and could not go up. Yuan Zhao did not take the sedan chair that came to greet him, but had Yuan Musheng and Yuan Zhizhi, who could not "walk", carried up.
She herself looked at the hundred steps in front of the Big Buddha Temple and bowed at each step like an ordinary believer.
Yuan Nan'an insisted on staying with her.
Yuan Zhao's statement that he came here to pray for blessings was not just an excuse.
The severe cold weather, which occurs once in a century, has lasted for nearly two months and shows no signs of stopping. How many people and livestock have frozen to death or starved to death, and it is even more difficult to say what consequences will be caused after the spring.
As a princess of the dynasty, she should do something for the people of the world and share the worries of her father and brother.
So she didn't care about the heavy snow and the biting cold, and didn't care about the snow staining her clothes. She bowed her head with every step and prayed devoutly.
Pray for good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people.
I pray for the prosperity of the country, the health of my fathers and brothers, and the peace and prosperity of the people.
Of course she has selfish motives.
I also pray that her children will be safe and sound and will no longer be harmed by others.
Ask for evil retribution for evildoers.
…
Behind her, Yuan Nan'an imitated his mother, with a stern face, and bowed his head in prayer.
The mother and daughter had an extraordinary temperament, and they attracted people around them to stop and take a look at the hundred-step stairs in front of the Big Buddha Temple.
The people who came to burn incense originally wanted to catch a glimpse of the princess's beauty, but they did not expect that the princess was praying so sincerely.
The people spontaneously followed her, moving in a mighty procession from the foot of the mountain to the top.
Yuan Musheng and Yuan Zhizhi soon arrived at the entrance of the Buddhist temple on the top of the mountain.
The abbot of the temple, Master Huikong, and a group of monks braved the snow and waited at the temple gate.
Hearing that the princess was praying at the bottom of the stairs, Master Huikong stepped forward and saw people kowtowing in the wind and snow.
He pinched the Buddhist beads and sighed, "Amitabha, Your Highness is truly kind-hearted."
Then Master Huikong also led everyone in the Buddhist temple to sit cross-legged and began to chant scriptures and pray for blessings.
Yuan Musheng's gaze was focused on his mother and second sister in the snow and wind.
This was the first time he had walked out of the gate of Wei Mansion since he broke his leg and returned to Yangzhou five years ago. It was very cold today, but his legs no longer felt the biting cold.
Yuan Zhizhi was held by her eldest brother, and her pair of black eyes as big as grapes rolled around as she looked at the abbot and his group.
[I heard that the monks at the Big Buddha Temple once said that Wei Jiaojiao was carrying a destiny. Who said that?]
If it weren't for this sentence about carrying a destiny, Wei Jiaojiao wouldn't have been able to be crowned a princess and included in the imperial family's jade discs.
Yuan Musheng's eyes darkened. Could it be that the monks of the Big Buddha Temple were also on the side of the Bai family?
Destiny? What destiny could Wei Jiaojiao have?
Half an hour later, Yuan Zhao reached the top of the mountain.
Her and Yuan Nan'an's clothes were already dirty and wet, and their faces and hands were red from the cold wind and snow.
Master Huikong stopped chanting and received the group.
"The temple has arranged a meditation room for His Highness and the young master and young lady. A disciple will lead the way later."
Yuan Zhao nodded and thanked the abbot.
But after Master Huikong finished speaking, his wise eyes stopped on Yuan Zhizhi, who was held in Yuan Musheng's arms.
Yuan Zhao and Yuan Musheng were a little nervous. Zhizhi had a special identity. Could it be that the master had seen something?
Yuan Zhizhi was not afraid at all, blinking her bright eyes and looking at the abbot.
I am still muttering in my heart:
[Could it be this white-bearded abbot? But there's a golden glow on his head; he doesn't look blind!]
These monks don't practice properly. They gossip and chatter every day. Most likely, they don't recite the sutras enough. After reciting for 49 days, they no longer have the energy to chatter. Who has the destiny?
Yuan Zhao's heart trembled when he heard her thoughts.
My goodness, this is the abbot of the Big Buddha Temple, who has high cultivation level. How can he talk like this?
The corner of Master Huikong's mouth twitched, and then he smiled. He moved his lips as if to say something but stopped.
He just looked at Yuan Zhizhi deeply.
But another monk beside him frowned and said, "The fate of this young donor..."
Yuan Zhao and his mother felt their hearts tighten.
"Huian!" Master Huikong interrupted what Huian was about to say, "Don't speak nonsense."
Huian wanted to say something, but Master Huikong, who was standing in front of him, looked back at him with a warning in his eyes.
He frowned and looked at the three-month-old baby with a serious look, feeling somewhat unwilling.
————
The Big Buddha Temple arranged a quiet meditation room for Yuan Zhao and his family.
At night, the children fell asleep after a day of running around.
Yuan Zhao came out of the inner room and walked into the courtyard.
The snow had stopped all day and I don't know when it stopped. A bright moon was hanging high in the sky, and the moonlight reflected on the snow, creating tiny lights.
Not far away, there were the sounds of monks chanting scriptures, which were low and regular, and made people feel calm.
But Yuan Zhao looked from the courtyard towards a certain direction below the mountain, his brows slightly furrowed, one hand pinching his wide sleeve, his heart was not calm.
It was almost Yin time when the entire Big Buddha Temple fell into a deep silence and a figure quietly came up from the foot of the mountain.
The man entered the yard very quickly without disturbing anyone.
Yuan Zhao walked forward and greeted the man into the outer room.
It’s Biyun.
Yuan Zhao pulled her, and although he was anxious, he still took her to sit by the charcoal fire first.
The snow got heavier as it got deeper and it was too cold.
When Gan Tang saw the two men coming back, he quickly added a few more pieces of charcoal into the charcoal stove.
He then handed Biyun a cup of hot ginger tea.
Biyun took a sip and felt some warmth on her body. Knowing that the situation was urgent, she lowered her voice and said, "Your Highness, I went to Heishan Village."
Yuan Zhao's heart skipped a beat and he motioned for her to continue.
"Heishan Village is located halfway up the mountain behind the Big Buddha Temple. Not only is the village hidden, but there's only one road leading to it, and the rest are steep cliffs, making it difficult to get in and out."
"Fortunately, I have some martial arts skills, so I was able to get to the vicinity of the village." When Biyun spoke, Yuan Zhao noticed through the candlelight that her arm holding the teacup was trembling slightly.
She reached out and rolled up Biyun's sleeves, only to see that her arms were covered with bruises and many scratches of varying sizes.
"What's going on?" Gan Tang asked when he saw this, and Yuan Zhao also looked at Biyun.
Biyun put down the cup and shook her head. "Nothing. To get to the village, we have to cross a cliff. There are also many thorn bushes near the village. If we are not careful, we will get hurt."
"Gan Tang, go get the medicine I brought." Yuan Zhao lowered his eyes, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "So what else did you see?"
"The population of Black Mountain Village is not large, with only a few dozen households. However, they are very well guarded from the outside, and there are also night watchmen at night. I waited until the wee hours of the morning, and only then did the night watchmen relax a little."
"But I am afraid of alerting the enemy, so I dare not get close easily."
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