Chapter 93 Buddha, please protect your little fox (5)
Jingchen was not sleepy and got up very early the next day.
The way he washed was very gentle and his manners were very correct, which was pleasing to the eye just by watching him.
Outside the wooden window, the sky was breaking at dawn, and the green bamboo leaves were stained with the cool water droplets of the evening. The wind blowing in my face carried a faint bamboo fragrance and the sandalwood incense that was lit in the Buddhist hall as the morning sutras were chanted.
The head monk was busy preparing breakfast, and the white smoke curled up, adding a bit of liveliness to the quiet Putuo Temple.
Jingchen picked up the bedding and fruit plate on the floor, then left the meditation room holding the scriptures.
On the bed, a little red fox was sleeping soundly.
At this moment, there were two rows of young monks standing in the Buddhist hall, holding wooden fish in their hands and with thin bodies.
The abbot knelt on a cushion, reading a scripture in his hand.
At this moment, Wu An, who was in a trance, noticed the tall figure not far away. He immediately walked to the abbot and said respectfully,
"Abbot, the Buddha's disciple has arrived."
Jingchen hummed softly, put down the scripture in his hand and stood up.
"Abbot."
Jingchen bowed with both hands and nodded politely.
He was still wearing the plain clothes he wore yesterday, his long hair as black as ink was tied behind him with a white jade hairpin. He had a tall figure, but did not look thin. Instead, he had a clean and gentle temperament.
The abbot bowed, speaking in a tone that was neither light nor slow, very respectful.
"The robes, gold foil, Zen staff, and Buddhist beads are all ready. Are you ready?"
Jingchen nodded, his voice was very clear, and his face was indifferent, calm and self-possessed, unlike that of an ordinary person.
"Thank you, Abbot. We are ready. Let the ceremony begin."
The two men walked slowly out of the Buddhist temple, followed by two rows of young monks. Leading the way was a fat monk with fair skin and nine small dots printed on his head.
He is the oldest monk in the temple. He became a monk at the age of three and is now thirty years old.
The group of little monks like Wuan like to call him Fatty Uncle the most.
Wuan followed the fat uncle carefully, suppressing the urge to look around and lowering his head.
Today is the conferment ceremony for the Buddhist disciple who just arrived at Putuo Temple. He must perform well in front of the abbot so that the fat uncle will never dare to bully him again.
Outside the Buddhist temple, there were pilgrims and people from the mountain who gathered to see the Buddha's face.
After all, for the past eighteen years, the Buddhist disciple had been living in the deep palace. Not to mention seeing his true appearance, he had never even seen a corner of his clothes.
We could only learn from the little maid who came out of the palace to purchase that the Buddhist disciple Jingchen was extremely beautiful, with a gentle and elegant temperament, and did not seem like an ordinary person.
As the rumor spread, the people's curiosity grew.
Although I don't know why the current emperor allowed the Buddhist disciple to leave the deep palace and recuperate in Putuo Temple, this is undoubtedly a good opportunity to satisfy my curiosity.
The people of Daliang are open-minded and do not completely respect men, so there are also many young ladies and married women gathered outside the Buddhist temple.
The fiancés or husbands of many years beside them rolled their eyes in anger, but they couldn't suppress the little fangirl glow on their faces at all.
"Don't look at it anymore. The person hasn't come out yet. If you keep looking, your eyes will fall out."
A dark-skinned, slightly plump man snorted coldly at his wife.
The woman was too lazy to pay attention to him and continued to look around with her neck stretched out.
The man took a deep breath, stretched out his hands to cover the woman's eyes, and said sourly
"What are you looking at? He's a Buddhist disciple. Are you worthy of him? Besides, I'm not bad as your husband, okay?"
The woman seemed to have heard a huge joke and almost burst out laughing.
She pulled the man's hand away and looked him up and down with a look of sarcasm.
They have been married for many years. The man knew what his wife's eyes meant. He was so angry that his face turned red.
Jingchen walked slowly, the corners of her white gauze clothes swayed in the wind, her skin was as white as snow, and her long black hair fluttered.
From a distance, it looked like a banished immortal who had come down to earth.
The woman had never seen a god, but she felt that a real god should look like a Buddha.
It is difficult to tell whether it is male or female, and its beauty is not tainted by any impurity. Even the purest and most beautiful lotus in the water would feel ashamed of itself.
He is like an ink painting, with light colors, elegant tones, and a natural and lasting charm.
The woman finally understood what it meant to love someone for a lifetime at first sight. With just that one glance, she wanted to give up everything she had just to get a smile from him.
The conferment ceremony officially began.
The abbot and Jingchen stood sideways, and the fat uncle led Wuan and others to chant scriptures.
Wait for the right time, light incense and worship.
At this moment, the morning mist has dissipated and the sun is rising slowly. It is the best time to bestow the title.
The abbot was wrapped in a long cassock, his back was thin and very straight.
He closed his eyes, his gray beard hung in front of him, and his lips moved as he recited the Tianshi Scripture.
Jingchen stood beside him, like a tall green pine, with an indifferent expression and narrow eyes slightly lowered, looking as if nothing in the world could catch his eye.
After the young monk finished chanting, the abbot lit three incense sticks and inserted them into the incense burner.
At this time, several old men with solemn expressions came to the side, holding robes, gold foil, Zen sticks, and Buddhist beads in their hands.
The abbot withdrew his hand, turned around and looked at the pilgrims and the people. His tone was slow, but his voice was loud and full of energy, enough to reach everyone's ears.
"Your Majesty is so kindhearted that he has bestowed upon Putuo Temple the only blessing in the world. I am deeply honored and cannot repay you. I only wish you a life of health and a speedy attainment of the righteous path."
The people echoed in cheers, and the excited female voices almost drowned out all other sounds.
"The first item of the conferment is the bestowal of a cassock."
The abbot took the golden cassock from the old man.
Jingchen bent down, lowered his noble head, and spoke in a cool and clear tone, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Thank you, Abbot."
The abbot took a deep breath, his eyes turned red in an instant, and his hands holding the robes trembled uncontrollably.
He had waited for this scene for eighteen years, and Putuo Temple had also waited for eighteen years.
The Buddha who protects Putuo Temple has finally returned...
He carefully put a cassock on Jingchen, put on Buddhist beads, and then gold foil and a Zen staff.
Everyone held their breath, afraid of disturbing this extremely solemn ceremony.
Suddenly, a sharp eunuch's voice reached everyone's ears.
"Princess Chaoyang has arrived!"
The people seemed to have heard something terrible, and they all prostrated themselves and knelt down in worship.
A crimson sedan slowly emerged on the gravel road.
The sedan chair was made of precious metal, with valuable jade pendants hanging on all four corners, and even the curtains were hung with glass and jadeite.
As the sedan bearers walked, the colored glazes collided with each other, making a clear sound like bells.
In addition to the six sedan chair bearers, there were also nearly a hundred maids and old women following them.
The first person who dared to make a big fuss in Putuo Temple was Jingchen, and the second was Princess Chaoyang mentioned by the eunuch.
Princess Chaoyang is the emperor's eighth child and the first princess. Her biological mother is the emperor's most beloved concubine, Concubine Liu, so she has enjoyed great glory since she was born.
His Majesty dotes on her very much. Even if Princess Chaoyang asks for the stars in the sky, His Majesty will spare no effort to send people to pick them.
It can be said that Chaoyang is the envy of all women in the capital.
When she was three years old, she sneaked out of the palace and unfortunately got lost.
The emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of all three-year-old children in Daliang's territory. Regardless of gender, anyone with red peony patterns on the soles of their feet was brought to the palace for identity verification.
A woman’s chastity is very important. Her feet must never be seen by others and can only be shown to her husband on her wedding night.
But in order to find Chaoyang, the emperor sent people to strip the shoes of three-year-old children everywhere, and if they resisted, they would be killed without mercy.
This brutal act caused the people to cry out in grief and beg for punishment from God.
That year, Kyoto was devastated by floods. It was finally the Buddhist disciples who stepped in to appease the wrath of heaven.
The emperor immediately became much more obedient and no longer implemented such cruel punishments.
It was half a year later when Princess Chaoyang was found.
Her seven prince brothers were all excited and thrilled.
My sister has been found. Who of you will go to pick her up?
As soon as the emperor spoke, all seven princes raised their hands and recommended themselves.
The eldest prince: The school is closed, I will go to pick it up.
Second Prince: The war is cancelled, I will go to take over
Even the Third Prince, who had been bedridden for many years, pushed away the doctor who was giving him an acupuncture, and said while coughing
"Acupuncture is canceled. I'll take it."
The Fourth Prince quickly calmed him down and said calmly: The morning court is cancelled, I will go to pick it up.
The emperor swung a big bag in his face and roared
"I'm not dead yet! When did the morning court become your responsibility?!"
In the end, Concubine Liu went in person to bring Princess Chaoyang back.
From then on, the seven brothers treated Chaoyang like their precious jewel, fearing that she would get hurt.
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