Chapter 393 Can I pray for a marriage?
Shang Ruyi slowly walked out of the main hall. The dazzling sunlight outside stung her eyes, causing tears to well up again. She quickly lowered her head, looking at the piece of paper in her hands and the gentle handwriting on it—
Humans live in this mortal world, their lives filled with nothing but love and hate.
These eight words not only exposed her bloody wounds, but also completely stitched up her long-slow-to-heal injuries.
The scar left behind may be hideous, and may even cause her pain in the future, but she eventually emerged from that pain and from the nightmare of that blood-stained night.
Just then, Eunuch Yu's voice came from ahead—
"The Empress Dowager departs to return to the palace."
Shang Ruyi looked up and saw that Empress Dowager Jiang had already walked down the steps. The officials and monks of Dayan Temple who were serving her probably did not expect that the Dharma assembly was not over yet and that the Empress Dowager was going to return to the palace. They hurriedly came forward. Since Empress Dowager Jiang could not speak, she naturally did not say much to them. She only gave a few instructions from Eunuch Yu. After that, the people did not say anything more and could only step forward to respectfully see Empress Dowager Jiang off.
Just as she was leaving the mountain gate, Empress Dowager Jiang turned back and glanced at Shang Ruyi, who was still standing blankly at the entrance of the Mahavira Hall.
Even under such dazzling sunlight, her smile remained as gentle as water.
Humans live in this mortal world, their lives filled with nothing but love and hate.
She was telling her that those who stayed had a responsibility to be happier than those who left.
So she didn't ask.
Even though she had been in despair and in great pain these days, tormented by the pain of being unable to speak, and even more so because of Chu Yang's death, her soul had been scattered.
But the moment she saw Shang Ruyi, she decided not to ask any more questions.
No matter what had happened in the past, no matter how many of her dreams were stained red with blood in the Jiangdu Palace, no matter how deeply her sword wounded her, she no longer asked.
Just because asking again would hurt other people.
She saw through everything and accepted everything, so she left herself with that hideous scar, and also left herself in this world full of wounds.
At this moment, Shang Ruyi suddenly felt as if some of the gloom that had been weighing on her heart for a long time had been taken away.
Not only the memory of that night stained with blood, but also the unspeakable jealousy that had been building since he learned of Yuwen Ye's true feelings, all seemed to be put down at this moment.
She stood quietly, watching Empress Dowager Jiang's figure disappear beyond the mountain gate, before letting out a long sigh, holding the paper, and turning to walk towards the back of the temple.
Before long, we arrived at the Lay Buddhist Association.
However, upon entering, they couldn't find Yuwen Ye. The room the abbot had arranged for them was empty, with only Cheng Qiao standing guard at the door. Shang Ruyi asked him with some confusion where Yuwen Ye had gone, and Cheng Qiao said softly, "The second young master only sat for a short while, but couldn't stay, so he left again."
Where did he go?
"It seems so. They went to the main hall in front to see the Bodhisattva."
"..."
It seems that even Cheng Qiao knew that Yuwen Ye was not a believer in gods or Buddhas.
So he didn't go to worship the Bodhisattva, but to visit the Bodhisattva.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then nodded and turned to walk forward.
Fortunately, she had visited Dayan Temple with her parents when she was a child, so she was not too unfamiliar with the gods and Buddhas enshrined in the main hall. Although Cheng Qiao did not explain which Bodhisattva Yuwen Ye was going to see, Shang Ruyi still walked to the Buddhist hall behind the main hall.
If she remembered correctly, the statues enshrined here were the Three Saints of the West.
Among them are Bodhisattvas.
Of course, that wasn't the whole reason. As Shang Ruyi approached the Buddhist hall, she heard a chime behind her and turned around to look. Not far from the Buddhist hall, a vermilion pavilion came into view. Like the Mahavira Hall, its doors and windows were tightly closed, but it was not as quiet as the Mahavira Hall. On the contrary, she could faintly see the flickering candlelight and the swaying figures inside, and she could also hear the low chanting of Buddhist scriptures.
That is the lecture hall where the inner altar ceremony is being held today.
This Buddhist hall is the closest place to the lecture hall.
As she listened to the Buddhist scriptures and slowly walked to the entrance of the Buddhist hall, she looked up and saw a tall figure standing in the center of the hall.
It is Yuwen Ye.
He was indeed here.
At this moment, only a few oil lamps were burning in the Buddhist hall. The dim light shone on him, making his originally robust body appear somewhat thin. Even the aura emanating from him was no longer as powerful as usual, but instead exuded an indescribable tranquility.
He stood before the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, head tilted back, hands behind his back, quietly gazing at the Bodhisattva's lowered eyes.
I wonder what he was thinking as he watched.
Shang Ruyi had never seen him like this before.
What is he thinking, or what is he asking for?
Just thinking about it made her laugh inwardly—how could someone like Yuwen Ye possibly come to the Buddhist temple to ask for anything?
Just then, a person walked in through a side door of the Buddhist hall. It was none other than the abbot of Dayan Temple, Master Xinzheng.
The old monk, exuding a mercenary air, slowly walked in, smiled, clasped his hands together in prayer, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and then asked, "What is the Second Young Master praying for?"
Yuwen Ye did not look at him, but kept staring at the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who was high above, yet with lowered eyes and downcast gaze, looking down upon all living beings.
After a long silence, he said in a deep voice, "What can the Bodhisattva give me?"
He spoke these words with an indifferent and arrogant tone, which made Shang Ruyi frown slightly. However, Master Xinzheng did not find anything wrong with them and simply smiled and said, "Bodhisattvas can save people from seven calamities, cure three poisons, and grant two requests."
As he spoke, he looked Yuwen Ye up and down again, then smiled and said, "Second Young Master, you are born extraordinary, a prodigy, and have achieved fame at a young age, full of vigor and ambition. I suppose there's no need for the Bodhisattva to save you from the seven calamities and cure you of the three poisons. But these two requests—"
What can one ask for in a second request?
"I pray for a son, I pray for a daughter."
"..."
"For ordinary people, having both a son and a daughter is a great joy in life."
Yuwen Ye paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Can I pray for a marriage?"
"...!"
Shang Ruyi, standing outside the Buddhist hall, suddenly felt a sudden heaviness in her breath.
Master Xinzheng seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Well, Second Young Master has come to the right person."
"..."
"If you want both a son and a daughter, how can you not first arrange a marriage?"
"..."
“However,” he looked at Yuwen Ye with some doubt and said softly, “Isn’t the Second Young Master already married? This humble monk observes that the young mistress is beautiful and intelligent, a person of exceptional character. Why does the Second Young Master need to seek marriage again?”
"..."
Yuwen Ye remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "If two people cannot be mutually in love, it cannot be considered a good marriage."
"...!"
Shang Ruyi's heart skipped a beat.
As if in response to her heartbeat, a clear and melodious chime came from the lecture hall not far away, followed by a chorus of murmurs. Although they were reciting Buddhist scriptures, it sounded somewhat noisy from a distance.
The two people in the Buddhist hall had obviously heard it as well.
A glint of cunning flashed in the scheming little eyes of the Master Xinzheng. He then smiled and said to Yuwen Ye, "Second Young Master, listen, is the sound of the bells chaotic, or is the sound of people chaotic?"
"..."
Yuwen Ye said with a half-smile, "Are you trying to say that it's my heart that's in turmoil?"
Master Xinzheng clasped his hands together and smiled, "Second Young Master has a karmic connection with Buddhism."
If an ordinary person heard this, they would naturally feel smug, but Yuwen Ye's eyes were even more indifferent. He sneered, "Master, you don't waste any effort at all. You're trying to pull me into Buddhism so quickly."
"..."
"Is it because the Buddhist community is short of one person, so you have to fill that position again?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the entire Buddhist hall became heavy.
Even the normally still oil lamp's flame dipped slightly downwards at this moment.
Shang Ruyi gently turned her head and looked at the lecture hall.
Even now, the inner altar ceremony has not ended. That sound of the chime, no one knows who has made a profound statement, or who has spoken of the essence of Buddhism, but those sounds do not bring peace of mind.
On the contrary, it's alarming.
Just as her breathing became somewhat erratic, Master Xinzheng's eyes flickered, and he suddenly smiled again, saying, "Second Young Master does indeed have an affinity for Buddhism, but that doesn't mean that your answer just now was correct."
"oh?"
Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly.
Although he did not believe in or chant Buddhist scriptures, he was not entirely ignorant of Buddhist teachings. He could not have been unaware of the well-known story of how the wind and the flag move because of the mind.
Therefore, he answered Master Xinzheng's question almost without thinking.
But it was said to be wrong.
Yuwen Ye looked at the old monk with a half-smile, who exuded a mercenary air, and said, "Then, please tell me, Master, what is this chaos?"
Master Xinzheng smiled and said, "Nothing is in chaos."
"..."
"It's just that the second young master is saying one thing and meaning another; he's confused."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye's expression hardened.
The monk Xinzheng had already put his hands together in front of him, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and then turned to walk towards the door. Shang Ruyi couldn't dodge in time—in fact, she didn't dodge at all, and just stood at the door, meeting the monk Xinzheng's smiling eyes. He also bowed without any surprise: "Young Madam."
"...!"
Yuwen Ye's back stiffened, and he turned around.
Shang Ruyi looked at him, then bowed slightly to Master Xinzheng. Master Xinzheng smiled and said, "Gentlemen, the Dharma assembly at the lecture hall will continue for a while. Why don't you rest here for a bit?"
After saying that, he put down his long monk's robe and walked away.
Shang Ruyi turned her head and watched his back disappear into the distance. When she turned back, she was met with a pair of deep black eyes that were now flashing with an unusual light. She didn't know when, but Yuwen Ye had already reached the entrance of the Buddhist hall and was looking down at her.
Shang Ruyi was subconsciously flustered and lowered her head.
Even without meeting his gaze, Yuwen Ye's eyes remained fixed on her face, scrutinizing every single change.
He asked, "You cried?"
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