Chapter 363 I’ll Stay at Your House Tonight
Prajna Bodhisattva!
The moment this female Buddhist Bodhisattva stepped into the Zhao family, Zhao Duan, who was sitting in the hall, noticed it.
When he heard the word "Amitabha" in the yard, he had already confirmed the other person's identity.
That 52-year-old beautiful woman who coveted his body and intended to donate it... Zhao Duan glanced at Zhen Bao beside him:
Ugly old nun?
Why is she here? And so late at night?
"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand me. I have absolutely no connection with that old nun!"
Zhao Duan was eager to clarify and said that they had not met since the last time, which was also the first time they met.
The empress ignored him.
…
In the yard.
When Prajna Bodhisattva, who was a monk but had a seductive power far beyond that of an ordinary woman, appeared, the mother and daughter were completely stunned.
"Bodhisattva?"
Eugene stammered that she had met Prajna.
Because Jizhao Temple occasionally held some activities to bless believers, Eugene Hua had visited Jizhao Temple once when she had symbolically believed in various gods and had the honor of seeing Prajna.
But at that time, the female Bodhisattva facing the believers was quite serious, and her dress was far less... casual than the one she wore tonight.
How could a dignified Buddhist Bodhisattva come to visit so suddenly?
And you said you came to see Dalang (Big Brother)?
The mother and daughter were confused again.
At this time, the palace guards outside the door also rushed in, looking nervous.
"Get out."
It was not until the empress's voice came from the direction of the inner hall that several palace guards who had caused the energy to be shaken by blocking Prajna bowed and retreated.
Prajna Bodhisattva continued to smile as he walked straight into the inner hall, followed by the mother and daughter who subconsciously followed him.
"Prajna Bodhisattva? You broke into my house..." Zhao Duan had a stern face and spoke in a serious tone.
He didn't want to have anything to do with this old nun who was always trying to squeeze out his potential in order to fill her own void.
But halfway through, Xu Zhenguan, who was like the hostess beside her, interrupted her: "What are you doing here?"
The White-robed Bodhisattva smiled and said:
"If Your Majesty can come, why can't I? Today, I heard that at the Plum Garden gathering, Lord Zhao overshadowed Zhengyang and even brought up the theory of the Heart School. I found it very interesting. This Heart School has similarities with the Zen branch of our Buddhist sect. Therefore, I took the liberty to come here and discuss the Dao with Lord Zhao in detail."
Ah, this... Although some of the theories of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism do have similarities, why can't we come during the day to discuss Taoism?
Why did you come here so late at night... Zhao Duan became furious and wanted to cut ties and explain.
But the empress beside him sneered, "Just discussing Buddhism?"
The White-robed Bodhisattva looked at Zhao Duan with an ambiguous expression and said with a smile:
"If Master Zhao is willing, I would naturally like to join him in practicing the great Dao of dual cultivation."
Bah! How shameless... Xu Zhenguan's beautiful eyes were filled with evil, and her jade-like face was frosted.
Dual cultivation?
Eugene Hua and her daughter were struck by lightning. Even though they did not know much about spiritual practice, they still had the ability to read people's expressions.
It was already indecent for this Bodhisattva to come to the house dressed like this so late at night, and now she openly said that she came to practice dual cultivation with the mother and daughter. The worldview of both mother and daughter almost collapsed.
He looked at the empress and then at Prajna, and was confused about the situation for a moment.
"How is Dalang related to Bodhisattva again?" You Jinhua couldn't understand.
"Brother...does he have any involvement with so many women outside?" Zhao Pan bit his lip, indignant for his sister-in-law.
Bodhisattva, please shut up... Zhao Duan's face changed, and he thought to himself, what are you trying to do?
Not long ago, my aunt lamented that eating at home was too lonely.
Boy, it's getting lively now...
Fortunately, the maids and servants in the house had all rushed back home early to avoid disturbing the emperor, otherwise there would be more rumors in the streets tomorrow.
What kind of messed up stories will emerge from those folk novels like "Secret History of the Imperial Palace".
"Prajna Bodhisattva doesn't seem to take what I said last time to heart." Xu Zhenguan said coldly.
The White-robed Bodhisattva stared at her quietly, then remained silent for a moment. Suddenly, she turned her head to look at Zhao Duan and smiled.
"Master Zhao, won't you say anything?"
I don’t want to talk, I want you to get away from me... Zhao Duan’s forehead was covered with sweat, and he felt that Zhengyang was not as troublesome as this old woman.
Is it popular among Buddhists to destroy other people's feelings nowadays?
"You don't have to speak."
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him, his domineering aura radiating out, then turned to look at the White-robed Bodhisattva with disdain:
"If you want to discuss Buddhism, I can discuss it with you."
Prajna Bodhisattva recalled the last time the Empress had injured her internal organs. Her expression froze for a moment before she smiled sweetly.
"Your Majesty, please do not be angry. I was just joking. I hope you will forgive me for my intrusion today. I will not disturb you two from having dinner."
After she finished speaking, her figure quickly faded away, and she quietly retreated several feet, appeared in the courtyard, and then retreated several feet again.
He had already left Zhao's house and disappeared into the night.
He ran away after a teasing... This scene made the Zhao family members stunned. Soon they realized that if Prajna didn't leave, the empress would really punish her.
…
Quiet.
"I...I'll go out and see if the water in the kitchen has boiled."
Eugene stammered, made up a lame excuse, and dragged her daughter away, who was not satisfied with the melon.
In the inner hall.
Zhao Duan swallowed his saliva, feeling that this episode came quickly and went away even faster. Apart from being cheated, nothing happened.
"Your Majesty...she..." Zhao Duan felt that he should explain.
Xu Zhenguan exhaled lightly, the cold expression on his face dissipated, and his brows relaxed as he said:
"She did it on purpose, I can see that."
With Prajna's cultivation level, even if he didn't know it at first, he would definitely be able to sense the presence of the empress before entering the Zhao family's gate.
But he still came in to stir up trouble at the cost of getting injured. His intention was too obvious, he just wanted to disgust people.
But even if the empress was angry, the most she would do was to beat her up. It was impossible for her to do anything over such a small matter.
"Your Majesty is wise... This old woman just can't stand seeing Your Majesty and I getting along well." Zhao Duan was indignant.
Xu Zhenguan glanced at the lackey who was trying to take advantage of the situation: Who said I want to be friends with you?
"Your Majesty, this old woman just talked about something like the School of Mind and Zen...it doesn't sound fake." Zhao Duan changed the subject.
He could see that Prajna was probably really looking for him because of the psychology, and it was just a convenience for her to provoke and destroy other people's emotions.
Xu Zhenguan said "yes" indifferently, frowned and said:
"Your philosophy of mind... is indeed somewhat similar to the Prajna branch of Zen Buddhism within Shenlong Temple."
She explained it to Zhao Duan, and it wasn't complicated.
The ancestral home of Buddhism in this world is in the Western Regions, which is famous for its rich scriptures and texts, a bit similar to "Tantric Buddhism". The ruler of Buddhism in the Western Regions is the "Reincarnated Dharma King", a force that combines politics and religion.
After being introduced into the Dayu Dynasty, it underwent some localization transformations and became today's "Central Plains Buddhism" headed by the Shenlong Temple.
However, during the localization process, branches also emerged internally. Among them, the faction headed by Abbot Xuanyin still retained the style of the ancestral temple, was characterized by strict adherence to the precepts, and advocated ascetic practice and meditation.
The other branch was more thoroughly reformed. Influenced by Taoism, it advocated "sudden enlightenment" and "Zen meditation".
"Prajna belongs to the latter branch of Zen, and Nagarjuna Bodhisattva can also be considered as this school."
Xu Zhenguan explained, "So, it's not entirely surprising that she came to you after listening to the teachings of the Heart."
Is that so... Zhao Duan marveled at this, and had a clearer understanding of the differences and disputes within the Buddhist community in this world.
Xu Zhen looked at him and said:
“But her rush to find you may be related to the unrest within the Buddhist sect.
I've heard that after you defeated the Shenlong Temple in your last battle between Buddhism and Taoism, the Western Regions also got the news. They may have thought the Shenlong Temple's defeat was a good opportunity, so they've been making some moves recently. This old nun is also anxious to increase her strength."
Is this my fault too?
Zhao Duan looked innocent. He hadn't expected the Buddhist-Taoist rivalry to affect the development of Buddhism in the Western Regions... Just as his new policies had caused the Eight Kings to emerge from their dormant state and take action one after another...
Unintentionally, the two things Zhao Duan participated in were influencing and promoting the situation of the entire continent in different ways.
"Okay, these are still far away from you." Xu Zhenguan's voice softened a little.
Zhao Duan nodded and said, "It's getting late. Shall I escort Your Majesty back?"
After this interruption, the meal seemed to be over.
Xu Zhenguan just stared at him quietly without saying a word. She stared until Zhao Duan's body was covered with hair. Then she said softly:
"Do you think, if I leave, will that old nun come back and force you to practice dual cultivation with her?"
Zhao Duan was horrified: "This... How about I go back to the palace with Your Majesty and hide for a while?"
Xu Zhenguan continued to look at him strangely, then suddenly smiled and said:
"No need to bother. How about I stay at your house tonight?"
ah?
Zhao Duan was stunned, and his first thought was: Is there such a good thing?
The second thought is:
Bodhisattva is so helpful!
…
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(End of this chapter)
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