Chapter 76 Chapter 76 The Story of Zhao Jinggong Temple Who do you think was...
Zhao Jinggong Temple is located in Changlefang. It has existed since the Sui Dynasty and was established by Empress Dugu in memory of her father. It is said that the abbot of the temple, Zen Master Guangxiao, asked the "painting saint" Wu Daozi to paint a "Hell Transformation Picture". After Wu Daozi accepted the invitation, he wandered in front of the painting wall all day long but could not get any inspiration.
Zen Master Guangxiao had no choice but to invite the young and talented Huangfu Zhen. Huangfu Zhen was young and had great spirituality in the subject of ghosts and gods, and the ghosts and gods he painted were vivid and lifelike.
Therefore, Wu Daozi was worried that Huangfu would threaten his position, so he hired someone to kill him.
Although the rivals threatening his status and position were gone, he was still tormented in his heart. That night, there was thunder and lightning. Wu Daozi rushed to the temple alone and completed the "Hell Transformation" that shocked the world.
That painting of hell did not have the common Ox-Head and Horse-Faced Monsters, or the Forest of Swords and the underworld. It only depicted the suffering and distortion of people in hell. It was said that this mural was famous in Chang'an, and many butchers and fishermen began to fear sin and practice good deeds after seeing the painting, so as to prevent themselves from falling into this endless sea of suffering after death.
Duan Zhiwei said: "If the butchers and fishermen quit, what will I sell in the future? I won't open a vegetable shop. It would be a sin to cut leeks and shepherd's purse and hurt them."
Aunt Duan explained the matter in detail, but it did not change Duan Zhiwei's mind. She was so angry that she covered her mouth and said, "Amitabha, you are already married, how can you commit such verbal sins?"
Aunt Duan paused and said, "Prepare some good vegetarian dishes and cakes tomorrow, and come with me to the nunnery."
Duan Zhiwei: “Oh.”
It was almost curfew when Yuan Shenji suddenly came back.
He was taking off his helmet in the room, and Duan Zhiwei helped him take on the Ming Guang armor, complaining, "Every time I just put out the stove, you come back."
Yuan Shenji had no choice but to apologize: "It's all my fault, just give me a steamed bun."
Duan Zhiwei carried him out with Ming Guang Jia in his arms: "We'll prepare some instant noodles in the restaurant later, so you can have something to eat whenever you come back."
Yuan Shenji: "What noodles?"
Hearing that he was back, everyone in the restaurant popped their heads out of their rooms. Pu Tao was young, so he asked openly, "Captain Yuan, I heard that the painting "Hell Transformation" in Zhao Jinggong Temple came to life. Is that true?"
Yuan Shenji was sitting at the dining table waiting for his evening meal. Hearing Pu Tao's innocent question, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Is this really the rumor circulating in the market?"
Zhao Jinggong Temple is small and has not been popular in recent years. The current abbot, Zen Master Guangrong, is thinking of renovating the temple again before the Buddha's Bathing Festival.
After all, the temple is a royal temple, and it is common for the Jinwu Guards to patrol and guard outside it. I just don’t know how the rumors could spread so outrageously that even such ridiculous rumors as the murals are alive have emerged.
Duan Zhiwei could understand it.
You should know that the Buddha Bathing Festival is the largest Buddhist event besides the Ullambana Festival. All temples have to bathe the Buddha with five-colored fragrant water and hold the Longhua Festival. In addition, they have to arrange incense, flowers, candles and set up vegetarian meals outside the temples. Tens of thousands of people come to watch and eat vegetarian food, and the cost is extremely high.
This rumor has made people more willing to abandon large temples such as Da Ci'en Temple and Qinglong Temple and instead go to Zhao Jinggong Temple to release animals and donate money.
This is really a clever marketing method.
Everyone had been surrounding Yuan Shenji like stars surrounding the moon, expecting to hear some strange story, but when they heard that this was just an ordinary patrol, they all lost interest and dispersed.
Duan Zhiwei then brought out a bowl of shepherd's purse and saury wontons. In the afternoon, Dugu sent over two shads. Jinhua Mao shamelessly asked Dugu if he had any other fresh food, but Dugu did not answer. However, at dusk, he sent over a few more chilled saury with rosy cheeks and shiny scales.
Duan Zhiwei braised two fish for the cat, picked out the bones of the remaining fish, beat an egg, and chopped it together with shepherd's purse and pork hind legs into a paste to make wontons. The soup base was clear chicken soup, and seaweed and dried shrimps were also added to enhance the flavor.
A bowl of knife fish wontons was handed to Yuan Shenji. The wonton skin was as thin as a cicada's wing. Through the candlelight, one could see the delicious filling inside, a mixture of green and white, and each piece was plump.
The meat of knife fish is tender and delicious. The rich and mellow fish flavor comes out when you take a bite. Knife fish is rich in fat and paired with fresh shepherd's purse, the taste is even richer.
Yuan Shenji finished a bowl in no time. Duan Zhiwei was quite depressed: "You eat too fast. This is the hard-earned Yangtze River Three Fresh."
After he finished eating, he went to the well to rinse his mouth, then came back and hugged her: "When I have time, I'll take you to Yangzhou for a stroll. You can eat all the river food you want."
Yangzhou was the hub of the dynasty's water transport network. Cargo ships from all over the world had to change ships here. Whether it was red oranges shipped from the south, flowered carpets from Persia, or precious sandalwood, gems, and red jade, they all needed to stop in Yangzhou, so the area was rich in products.
Duan Zhiwei has always wanted to go to Yangzhou to purchase sugar cane, because there is the purest sugar cane without impurities imported from Magadha, which will be more sweet and delicious when used to make sweet cakes.
She thought for a moment, then raised her foot and kicked him: "Don't try to fool me with empty promises. Wait until you have time to rest before you do it."
Yuan Shenji grabbed her ankle and said with a smile, "Don't worry, it will be done soon." Then he stood up and fetched a basin of hot water for her to wash her feet.
Duan Zhiwei saw him squatting and washing his feet seriously, and couldn't help asking, "Do you still want to go to Zhao Jinggong Temple?"
“Hmm…” He said without even looking up: “I’m afraid I’ll have to go there every day before the Buddha’s Birthday.”
"I think the Zhaojinggong Temple will be very busy on the Buddha Bathing Festival. I will set up a stall at the entrance on that day."
Yuan Shenji took out a white handkerchief and wiped her feet: "Others go to release animals and give away money, but you go to make money, that's good."
"Of course."
As the night grew late, the two men went to bed, chatted some nonsense, then extinguished the candle and went to sleep.
The next day, Yuan Shenji went to Zhao Jinggong Temple again. Duan Zhiwei was stirring the charcoal fire in the kitchen when Aunt Duan came in and said, "Stop it. Prepare some vegetarian food like Qingjing rice and we'll go to Qingyue Temple."
As a religious fanatic, Aunt Duan adhered to the principle of worshipping wherever possible, and she visited almost all the temples and Taoist temples in Chang'an.
Duan Zhiwei brought some vegetarian cakes and accompanied Aunt Duan to worship the Buddha in the main hall, and then went to the nun's room.
The nun in Qingyue Temple loved drinking tea very much. Every time Duan Zhiwei came, she would give her some tea cakes to go with her tea. Sometimes when there were pilgrims in the temple, the nun would recommend the good tea cakes from Duan's restaurant to them and brought many customers to Duan Zhiwei.
The nun was about fifty years old, plump and white, smiling like a Maitreya all the time, and was very amiable. She was very happy to see Duan Zhiwei: "Why did you bring food again?"
Duan Zhiwei took out a plate of jasmine magnolia green bean cakes from the lunch box. The nun smiled and said, "It's just right. The jasmine flowers that were just smoked the day before yesterday are brewed into tea. This goes perfectly with it."
The crust is thin and crispy, and the mung bean filling that has been stewed in the casserole for a whole morning is dense and sticky. It becomes even sweeter and refreshing after adding brown sugar. The rich aroma of jasmine and magnolia is intertwined with the sweet mung bean paste. It is sweet but not greasy, and if you savor it carefully, you can actually smell the sweet fragrance.
The three of them were drinking tea and eating mung bean cakes. Outside the bamboo curtain, a bunch of fragrant and bright peach-colored azaleas were in full bloom, and a warm spring breeze came in through the bamboo curtain.
The nun loves to eat and knows how to eat. She can talk about things like horseshoe bean curd, plum blossom tofu, and vegetarian meatballs in great detail. Duan Zhiwei often comes to her to learn from her.
But today the nun was talking about the Buddha Bathing Festival: "On April 8th, the Buddha is bathed. Duliang incense is blue water, tulip is red water, Qiulong incense is white water, Fuzi incense is yellow water, and benzoin is black water, to pour over the Buddha's head."
Aunt Duan listened for a while and finally couldn't help interrupting: "Master, have you forgotten that thing..."
The nun slapped her forehead and said, "Oh, yes, that thing."
Duan Zhiwei was confused and asked, "What is that matter?"
The nun tiptoed to the antique shelf and took out a pulse pillow, placed it in Duan Zhiwei's hand, and then began to take her pulse.
In ancient times, if a woman was sick, it was not convenient for her to see a doctor. Some nuns in nunneries were also quite knowledgeable in medicine, but they mainly treated women's menstrual disorders and other illnesses.
Duan Zhiwei was even more confused when he saw her taking his pulse, but he was too embarrassed to interrupt her.
After a while, the nun nodded with satisfaction: "You are in good health, so there is no need to prescribe medicine for conditioning."
She put the pulse pillow back and said, "The eighth day of the fourth month of the first summer is approaching, and the Blue Dragon's Tail will rise above the horizon. This is an excellent day. Make some pancakes to offer to the Buddha, and give them to the poor in the market. It will surely be helpful."
Aunt Duan smiled like a flower: "Thank you, nun, that's great. I'll go outside and offer more incense later."
Duan Zhiwei turned around and asked Aunt Duan: "What's that? The blue dragon's tail star is rising above the horizon. Is it a day to get rich?"
Aunt Duan quickly covered her mouth and said, "How can you say such nonsense in front of the Buddha?"
Then he quickly smiled at the nun and dragged Duan Zhiwei out: "The Blue Dragon Tail constellation governs fertility. April 8th is the Buddha's birthday and an even number. It is really an excellent day to pray for a child. You have been married for a long time, but your belly is still not moving. If you are not anxious, your aunt will be anxious for you."
Duan Zhiwei: “Ah?”
Although the restaurant made a lot of money, she still had some lofty ambitions, such as building another big restaurant.
Besides, she also wanted to go back to Liangzhou to climb Tianti Mountain. The top of the mountain is covered with snow all year round, and the Tianti Mountain Grottoes bear witness to how Buddhism was introduced from the west to the east to Chang'an. Those faded paintings of various flying celestial beings, auspicious beasts, flowers and trees have become mottled and faded after thousands of years. I wonder if they still look as colorful as before.
She also wanted to visit Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou. Quanzhou is rich in silk and there are rows of mulberry trees in Kaiyuan Temple. Duan Zhiwei wanted to see whether the ancient mulberry tree that was more than 1,300 years old was just a small sapling now.
In short, she would take foolproof measures to prevent a child from interrupting her lofty ambitions.
Aunt Duan was very disappointed with this: "You call that a lofty ambition? You just know how to play around. Captain Yuan also lets you do whatever you want? Be careful that he will take two concubines. You will cry later."
Duan Zhiwei didn't take it seriously: "Then I'll write him a letter of release and divorce him." Then she felt something was wrong: "No, Aunt Chang, why did you drag me to see him? What if he has a problem?"
Aunt Duan hit her with a fan: "He was trained in the army, he's tall and mighty, how could there be a problem?"
Duan Zhiwei thought about Yuan Shenji's performance at night and muttered, "It seems so."
Yuan Shenji was strong and had a strong fire. In winter, he would crawl into bed like a huge hot water bottle, so Duan Zhiwei didn't even need to light a fire basin.
She felt that her husband looked quite majestic when he stood there, and no one dared to mess with him except the enemies on the border and herself.
The two of them returned to the restaurant while talking. Su Yu stood at the door with an anxious look on his face. When he saw her coming back, he hurried over to greet her: "No...something bad has happened."
Duan Zhiwei got off the donkey cart and consoled her: "Why are you stuttering?"
Su Yu said: "Captain Yuan was beaten!"
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