It happened to be Song's birthday celebration. Jiang Shuwan went back for the banquet, and it was getting late. When she returned to the Marquis's residence, she saw several old monks begging for alms at the gate.
Monks begging for alms are common, but Buddhist monks like Pei Yanzhi are rare.
Pei Yanzhi, dressed in official robes, stood at the door, instructing Yin Quan to deliver vegetarian meals to the monks who were begging for alms.
He hadn't even changed out of his official robes, clearly having just returned from the yamen. The phrase "wearing the stars and moon" probably refers to this Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice.
He handed the vegetarian meal to the begging monk while preaching the sutras to him.
No one knows what Pei Yanzhi said, but the old monk kept chanting Amitabha Buddha's name and said, "If one can sincerely repent, confess one's sins, feel ashamed and remorseful, correct one's past mistakes and vow never to repeat them, know that such a person will surely be able to eradicate all sins..."
Jiang Shuwan didn't understand the scriptures and was about to approach to listen when Pei Yanzhi suddenly looked at her.
His eyes were initially filled with murderous intent, but the moment he saw her, they returned to a calm and indifferent state.
It was no different from before, but Jiang Shuwan still felt there was something in his eyes.
Just as she was about to get a better look, Pei Yanzhi had already turned his gaze away and stopped talking to the old monk. He nodded to Jiang Shuwan and went straight into the Marquis's residence.
Jiang Shuwan, being cautious, quickly asked Qingxing to buy a bag of steamed buns and caught up with the old monk.
“Master, I also believe in Buddhism, but my practice is not advanced enough. I don’t know what scripture you and my husband were talking about just now.”
While speaking, they offered him a large steamed bun as a bribe.
Upon seeing the large steamed bun, the old monk smiled slightly, put his hands together in prayer, and said...
“Amitabha Buddha, female benefactor, the scriptures that this humble monk discussed with your husband arose due to a karmic connection and should not be casually shared with others. This is the profound mystery of Buddhism, which each person must comprehend individually. If you are sincere in your practice, female benefactor, you will naturally have the opportunity to understand it in the future.”
As he spoke, he grabbed the large steamed bun from Jiang Shuwan's hand and slowly walked away.
Jiang Shuwan: "..."
Damn it!
You old bald monk!
Leave me my steamed bun!
Having lost a bag of steamed buns for nothing and without getting any news, Jiang Shuwan immediately asked Qingxing to buy a lot of scriptures as soon as she returned to her room.
Almost all the maids in her courtyard were literate, and after searching for a whole day, they finally found the scriptures that the old monk and Pei Yanzhi had discussed.
“If one can sincerely repent, confess one’s sins, feel ashamed and remorseful, correct one’s past mistakes and vow never to repeat them, know that such a person will surely be able to eradicate all sins.”
It is a book called "Confession Sutra".
Jiang Shuwan: "???"
Jiang Shuwan was completely puzzled; Pei Yanzhi, who didn't believe in Buddhism, was actually giving a sermon.
Is it still about the "Confession Sutra"?
Why doesn't she believe it?
That night, Jiang Shuwan had a dream.
That was the second year after Pei Yanzhi was kicked out of the Pei family, which happened to be the anniversary of the old lady's death.
The sky was so dark it looked like it was about to collapse, with churning clouds and howling winds. Soon after, a torrential downpour began like a waterfall.
Raindrops pounded hard on the ground, splashing up countless droplets.
Jiang Shuwan was dressed in plain clothes, her face solemn.
"Miss, be careful not to catch a cold." Qingxing held an umbrella and helped her into the carriage.
The journey from the Earl's residence to the Marquis's residence was not far, but the carriage was moving rather slowly due to the heavy rain.
The mere act of getting into the car was enough to soak her clothes and hair instantly, even with an umbrella. Qingxing lifted the curtain and looked at the heavy rain outside, exclaiming, "The rain is really heavy today!"
However, the carriage was stopped before it even reached the Marquis's residence.
Jiang Shuwan slightly lifted the carriage curtain and leaned out. She saw Pei Yanzhi standing in the rain, soaking wet, his clothes clinging to his body, his hair hanging down in a mess, and rainwater streaming down his face.
He looked utterly disheveled, like a poor little dog abandoned in the rain.
At this time, Pei Yanzhi was not yet the Grand Secretary of the Great Jing Dynasty, but he was still a prominent figure in the court with immense power.
The normally dignified and aloof person was now standing in the rain begging her like a pitiful little thing.
"I prayed for a lamp for the old lady at the temple, could you please take it in for me?"
He was kicked out of the house by the old Marquis, removed from the family genealogy, and was not allowed to go to the ancestral hall to pay respects to the old lady.
Jiang Shuwan had little contact with him, but she knew about the bond between the old lady and him.
Although it is unknown what heinous crime Pei Yanzhi committed to be expelled from the Pei family.
Jiang Shuwan remembered the old lady who had treated her well, and reached out to take the oil lamp from his hand.
The oil lamp is simple and dignified, with its body made of dark copper. The marks of time have left mottled marks on its surface, and you can still smell the scent of incense when you take a gentle sniff.
Jiang Shuwan had seen such oil lamps many times at Xiangguo Temple.
It is indeed an oil lamp from Xiangguo Temple, and it's something that most people can't even get by begging for it.
It seems Pei Yanzhi went to great lengths to obtain it.
Unexpectedly, it was the sparks from this lamp that burned the entire Pei Clan Ancestral Hall to ashes.
Later, when cleaning the ancestral hall, they found a token inside.
The symbol on the token was clearly a token of Pei Yanzhi's political enemy at court—the Crown Prince.
The old Marquis, along with the entire Pei clan, believed that the fire was caused by the Crown Prince and launched a campaign of revenge.
No one knew about this until Pei Yanzhi killed Li Chengyun and supported the young emperor to ascend the throne.
At the time, Jiang Shuwan was still uneasy, and only she and Pei Yanzhi knew about this matter.
She thought the other party would come to kill her to silence her.
Unexpectedly, Pei Yanzhi didn't get to wait for her, but instead was reborn...
Jiang Shuwan was smart from a young age and was rarely deceived.
The burning of the ancestral hall was one of the few times she was deceived.
"Miss, why are you up so early today?"
Qingxing lit a lamp and came over. She saw Jiang Shuwan lying on the bed, her forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.
"But it's too hot. I'll have the servants bring a few more basins of ice."
"No need, it was just a nightmare that scared me."
Jiang Shuwan waved her hand and got up early again.
Over the next few days, she instructed people to keep an eye on Pei Yanzhi's movements.
Pei Yanzhi has secret guards around him, especially Yin Quan, who is a master who fought to a draw with General Gu.
Jiang Shuwan didn't ask General Gu and the others to take action; instead, she used all the maids and servants in the mansion as her spies.
Especially during this period, the old lady took Liu Yunyan to Lotus Manor, and Wen Shi stayed in the Buddhist hall all day chanting scriptures and did nothing. She was the one who made the decisions in the entire mansion.
Therefore, as soon as she gave the order, news about Pei Yanzhi's courtyard came flooding in like snowflakes.
From the grandest matters like how long the prince would stay out and return, to the smallest details like food and tea, the maids and servants recorded everything.
They did discover something strange – Pei Yanzhi brought back a lot of account books from the Ministry of Revenue, wrote and made notes in the library for a while, and then sent the account books from the carriage to the palace.
When the account books were being moved, an old woman secretly glanced at them. Because she only knew a limited number of characters, she only knew that they mentioned land tax.
"Land tax?"
"Could it be the land tax I'm thinking of?"
"This guy is going to cause a huge upheaval!"
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