Chapter 101: Gratitude Temple◇
Zhu Xi was officially engaged to Zhou Yu. Overjoyed, he also wanted to share the good news with his late father and mother. So, that very day, he took Zhou Yu with him to Gratitude Temple in the city to perform a prayer ceremony for his father, mother, and elder brother...
Zhou Jin happened to have a day off that day, and he hadn't seen Mu Qingni for a long time, so he took advantage of Zhu Xi and the others going to Gratitude Temple to ask Mu Qingni to go for a walk up the mountain together...
Mu Qingni happily agreed, and that day she arrived alone. Seeing this, Zhou Jin abandoned the carriage he had prepared and rode a horse. The two of them, one on each horse, galloped in front of Zhou Yu and his companions' carriage, and soon disappeared...
But Zhou Yu didn't envy them the least bit as they galloped along, because the carriage she was sitting in, furnished so comfortably by Zhu Xi, was covered in soft cushions and cushions. On the small table beside her were her favorite dried fruits, and a teapot affixed to the carriage was still brewing warm tea. On the small shelf beside the carriage were several picture books, a few Luban locks, toys like the Nine-Link Chain, and so on...
Who would want to ride a horse with such treatment? It’s so awful! Zhou Yu complained in his heart.
"Hey, Ayu, do you like what I prepared for you?" Zhu Xi asked gently while wrapping hazelnuts for Zhou Yu.
After saying that, he added,
"Don't worry, I bought all of this with the money I earned from my business over the years. I didn't just spend the money my mother left me."
He looked as if he was afraid that Zhou Yu would call him a good-for-nothing and a spendthrift.
Zhou Yu was instantly amused by him, and thought to himself, what a psychological trauma his words "useless" had left on this person!
Seeing him looking forward to being praised, I immediately felt soft-hearted and couldn't help but say softly:
"Thank you! I like it very much!"
Zhu Xi was so excited after hearing this that he couldn't help but come over and whisper:
"Ayu, I made this carriage seat based on the soft one in your house. Although it's not as good as the one in your house, isn't it also very comfortable?"
Zhou Yu was puzzled after hearing this. What? Which room are they in?
Seeing Zhu Xi giving her a mysterious, you-know-what expression, she suddenly realized that he was talking about the sofa in their RV!
Thinking that this guy had already been to their space, Zhou Yu decided to take him in to take a look.
He immediately lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out, only to see that his brother and Mu Qingni were no longer on the road. He guessed that they had gone to the front to wait for them!
Ye Qing in front was concentrating on driving the carriage. He wouldn't dare get in without Zhu Xi's call. The road ahead was still very long. I thought they could enter the space for ten to eight minutes, so there shouldn't be any problem...
So Zhou Yu pulled out a piece of dental floss from his sleeve and threw it into the corner of the carriage. Then he took Zhu Xi's hand, shouted "RV sofa" and led Zhu Xi into the space! !
Zhu Xi...
It turns out that the scene he had just witnessed wasn't just a dream! More than three years later, he was once again brought to this place by A-Yu...!!
In the past few years, he had been thinking about it by himself and did not dare to ask, for fear that Ayu would disappear if she was unhappy. Now, looking at Zhou Yu's sweet smile, Zhu Xi felt a little relieved. He could not help but hold Zhou Yu's hand and asked carefully:
"Ayu, Brother Jin once said that you are people with special abilities and come to this world to live a simple life. So what if one day you quarrel with me, or one day you have had enough of this place? Will you leave?
Can you please not leave?! If you're mad at me, you can hit me or scold me all you want, but can you please not disappear? I... I'm really afraid I'll never find you again...
I...I know I have...a lot of flaws, but I really like you...and want to be with you forever..."
Although Zhu Xi still couldn't figure out who Zhou Yu and his sister were, he knew that as long as Ayu wanted to leave, he couldn't stop her.
For the past few years, he has been terrified that one day Ayu will leave him, just like his parents and older brother... Even though he is now engaged to Zhou Yu, this fear still lingers...
As he spoke, his eyes welled up again... In his heart, the house before him was better than their palace, so the place where Ayu had lived before must have been very good too... He was really afraid that one day Ayu would get tired of this place and leave him alone and go back...
Zhou Yu...
I didn't expect that I brought this guy into the space to cheer him up, but ended up scaring him to tears...
Sigh! I really don't know what this guy is worried about! Zhou Yu thought: Not to mention that she can't wear it back now, even if she could, she wouldn't wear it back!
Isn't Zhu Xi in front of me prettier than a zombie?! Is she going to torture herself if she goes back in time?
But she would never say this to this guy. Seeing him crying, she patted his shoulder and comforted him:
"Don't worry, we won't leave here unless our lives are in danger..."
Zhu Xi heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and the sorrow that had been suppressed in his heart immediately dissipated. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Zhou Yu say:
"However, if you treat me badly, I will probably just leave you and live my own life..."
Zhu Xi...
…
Because time was tight and Zhu Xi spent almost all of her time crying, the two of them only sat on the sofa in the space for a while before returning...
Zhu Xi felt much more at ease with Zhou Yu's assurance. Of course, he automatically ignored Zhou Yu's subsequent words, because in his opinion, he would never treat his A Yu badly...
At this moment, he was trying every possible way to get Zhou Yu to agree that even if she had to leave one day, she would take him with her, when Ye Qing's voice came over.
"Master, we've reached the foot of the mountain!"
After hearing this, Zhu Xi had to shut up in disappointment, thinking to himself, it seems that it is impossible today, I will ask Ayu for help when there is a chance. Anyway, he has already made up his mind, from now on, he will go wherever Ayu goes!
Unexpectedly, when Zhou Yu was helped down from the carriage by him, he suddenly whispered in his ear:
"Okay! As long as you're willing to follow, I'll take you with me!"
Zhu Xi's heart! It was like it had wings—it flew away!
…
After the two got off the carriage, they saw Zhou Jin and the others had been waiting for them at the foot of the mountain for a long time. Seeing that the two had finally arrived, Ye Qing left to watch over the carriage and horses, and the four of them walked towards the mountain, chatting and laughing...
Because Zhou Jin and Mu Qingni were with him, Ye Qing was very confident in his master's safety, so he waited at ease in the carriage storage area of the temple at the foot of the mountain...
Zhu Xi and his companions soon reached Gratitude Temple halfway up the mountain. Knowing that the Fifth Emperor's grandson was coming, the temple had cleared out visitors early in the morning. When they arrived, the abbot, Zen Master Wu Nian, was already waiting at the temple gate with all the disciples.
Among the four, only Zhu Xi recognized Master Wu Nian, so he stepped forward and bowed to him.
"Master Wu Nian, it's been a while since we last met. How have you been these past few years?!"
"Amitabha!" Zen Master Wu Nian chanted the Buddha's name loudly, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Fifth Prince. I have always been well. I haven't seen you for a few years, and you have become even more outstanding!"
Then he said to Zhou Jin and the others:
"All the necessary prayer supplies are ready in the temple. Please come in, donors!"
After hearing this, everyone bowed to him and walked towards the temple...
…
Gratitude Temple was worthy of its century-old reputation. As Zhou Yu and his companions made their way along, they saw the temple surrounded by ancient trees and lush green grass. The temple before them was even more magnificent and expansive. In the distance, the mountains rose and fell, and the temple bells echoed softly and long...
Zhou Yu and the others were there, and couldn't help but calm down as well...
Under the guidance of Zen Master Wu Nian, the group lit incense at the tablets of the late Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and the eldest grandson. Since Zhu Xi still had to perform a blessing ritual for his parents and brother, Zhou Jin and Mu Qingni went to wander around the back hills of the temple, while Zhou Yu stayed behind to accompany Zhu Xi.
Two hours later, after the rituals were completed, Mu Qingni and the other two returned, and everyone walked out of the hall accompanied by Zen Master Wu Nian...
Zhu Xi asked with a smile as he walked:
"Master Wu Nian, why haven't I seen Yichan and the others for so long? I even brought them gifts! What's going on? Have they become shy because I haven't been here for a few years?!"
"Amitabha! Your Highness the Fifth Prince, Yichan and several others passed away due to illness three years ago and went to the Pure Land..." Zen Master Wunian said with compassion after hearing this.
"What?! They're all dead?!" Zhu Xi was shocked. Yichan and the others were the monks he used to hang out with when he often came to Gratitude Temple. He never expected that after just a few years, they'd all died?!
"What's going on? How could they all be dead?!" Zhu Xi asked again.
"Alas! What a sin, what a sin!"
Zen Master Wu Nian sighed:
"Back then, a severe cold epidemic raged through Kyoto. Yichan and his companions all fell ill after following their senior brother on alms rounds. Despite Senior Brother Wuwei's best efforts to treat them, they eventually...
"Alas! I think it must be the Buddha's mercy that he accepted a few people to be boys!"
Zhu Xi knew that Master Wuwei was an old monk with extremely high medical skills in Gratitude Temple. He did not expect that even he could not save a few people.
Zhu Xi sighed deeply after hearing this. Thinking of the days when he played with those little monks, he couldn't help but shed tears and sighed that things in the world are impermanent.
"Excuse me, is the tablet of the Zen Master and the others here? I'd like to go and burn some incense for them."
Zhu Xi asked.
"Amitabha, I will take Your Highness there right away!" Zen Master Wu Nian immediately nodded in agreement after hearing this.
So a few of them followed Zen Master Wu Nian to a side hall, burned incense to Zhu Xi's childhood playmates, and then said goodbye to Zen Master Wu Nian and walked out of the temple!
On the way down the mountain, Zhu Xi couldn't help but sigh to Zhou Yu. If those young monks hadn't told him the path from the back mountain leading out of the city, he wouldn't have been able to escape from Kyoto, let alone meet Zhou Yu and the others...
If that were the case, his fate with A-Yu would be over. This time, he had wanted to introduce A-Yu to a few people, but he hadn't expected the world to be so unpredictable... All four of his childhood playmates were dead...
…
But after listening to Zhu Xi's sigh, only Zhou Yu responded to him with a few words, while Mu Qingni and Zhou Jin did not say anything.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Xi couldn't help but ask when he saw the two of them looking serious.
"Something seems amiss!" Zhou Jin frowned. "Just now I saw that although the tablets of the little monks had some signs of ageing on the surface, the wood inside was new. It was as if they were made just to deal with you..."
"Ah? How could this be?!" Zhu Xi wondered, "Didn't they give Yichan a few memorial tablets in the beginning because they were afraid I would blame them?
But according to the rules of our Dayan, if a child dies before reaching adulthood, it is acceptable not to have a memorial tablet. I know this, so how could I blame them?!"
"That's what's weird," Zhou Jin couldn't understand. "Why are you going through so much trouble when you can just explain it away?"
"Maybe they were afraid that you would blame them for your bad temper? When they heard you were coming, they didn't dare to tell you that they didn't have a memorial tablet, so they hurriedly made one to deal with you!" Zhou Yu pondered.
"Humph! I didn't expect these monks to be so hypocritical. As the saying goes, monks don't tell lies. They all believe in Buddhism. Is explaining things to me more terrifying than breaking their vows and being punished by the gods and Buddhas?!"
Zhu Xi felt a little uncomfortable after hearing this.
"I'm always in a good mood every time I come here, and I even give the monks in their temple some cakes and other things from time to time. Otherwise, how could Yichan and the others be so nice to me?! How could I be as scary as they think?!
On the contrary, they were the ones who boasted about how they were in the ancient temple of the previous dynasty, but they couldn't even take care of a few young monks. When I left, Yichan and the others were still alive and well, but just a few months after I left, they all caught a cold and died?
It seems this auspicious Buddhist place isn't that great after all! I think I'll just continue praying for my father and mother in the palace and not come here anymore!
Zhu Xi didn't expect that he didn't blame the monks of Gratitude Temple for the deaths of Yichan and others. Instead, the group of monks thought that he had a bad temper and lied to him, so he couldn't help but get angry.
"Wait, you just said that when you escaped from Kyoto, it was those little monks who told you the path?"
Mu Qingni asked from the side, I always feel that the death of several little monks seems to be related to this matter?
"That's right!" Zhu Xi replied, "That path in the back mountain is so secret. If it weren't for them, how would I have known about it?! They told me at the time that they discovered the path by accident, and they were going to follow it to steal sweet potatoes outside the city, so they didn't want me to tell anyone!"
"Stealing sweet potatoes?" Zhou Yu asked in confusion. "As Buddhist disciples, why would they steal? Aren't they afraid of being punished?"
"I asked them the same question back then," Zhu Xi replied, "but they said they were never full at the temple, and the abbot wouldn't let them beg for alms. If they didn't steal some food, they'd starve to death!"
"This is even more wrong. Gratitude Temple is such a big temple, how much offerings does it receive in a year? How could a few hundred monks starve?!" Mu Qingni said.
Yes! Everyone was puzzled after hearing this.
"Qingni! Do you remember when we were strolling to the back mountain, you said that the monks you met looked more like soldiers than warrior monks?" Zhou Jin suddenly asked Mu Qingni.
"Yes, from what I know, warrior monks mostly use sticks. The calluses on the palms of those monks clearly indicate they're good at wielding long swords!"
Mu Qingni replied, and saw Zhou Jin's face change drastically as she spoke! Suddenly, an idea came to her mind, and she was also shocked:
“Is it possible?!”
The author has something to say:
Regarding the question of whether the fifth grandson of the emperor should ascend to the throne, Cai Cai has seen all the opinions in the comment section. Thank you everyone!
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