What did you two do?
Anyone would have to ask this question at this moment.
Zhao Changqing touched his nose and said embarrassedly, "When I was young, I had a lot of hands. I often liked to climb up and down, and I wanted to touch anything that was fun. It was inevitable that I was a bit annoying."
"What about Wenqi?"
"My brother said that Wenqi's personality is like mine, and I guess that's true."
Zhao Changqing spoke somewhat casually.
But this sign has been hanging there for so many years, there must be some story behind it.
He Youyou hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the sign and asked him, "So, are we still going in or not?"
Zhao Changqing chuckled: "We'll take a detour and not enter through the main hall."
As he spoke, he led He Youyou around the main hall and into the small door on the side.
Behind that hall was another hall.
There is a courtyard in the middle.
A few monks were sweeping and cleaning in the courtyard, but they didn't say anything when they saw them come in.
Zhao Changqing led her through the various Zen temples.
Upon arriving at a side hall, they saw a middle-aged monk sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat, chanting scriptures.
The monk had a fair complexion and no beard, and his face was free of signs of hardship, giving him a very refined appearance.
Zhao Changqing leaned against the palace door and softly called out, "Imperial Uncle."
Upon hearing the call, the monk abruptly stopped chanting.
Who dares disturb my chanting?
Zhao Changqing stepped across the threshold and sat down on the futon opposite him: "It's me, Imperial Uncle."
The monk opened his eyes and looked him over for a while.
His expression remained calm and expressionless: "You're back?"
"I'm back."
"How did you get in? Didn't you see the sign outside?"
Zhao Changqing was taken aback and complained, "Uncle, I'm not a child anymore. Why are you still hanging that plaque? Am I destined to never be able to overturn this case in my lifetime?"
The monk solemnly replied, "My Buddhist name is Mingzhen."
Zhao Changqing had no choice but to change his address: "Master Mingzhen..."
Master Mingzhen's gaze shifted from him to He Youyou, lingered for a moment, then returned to him, asking, "You don't burn incense or worship Buddha, what brings you to my temple, benefactor?"
Zhao Changqing's eyes darted around: "Master, I've come to have my fortune told."
Mingzhen retorted, "If you want your fortune told, go to a Taoist priest. What are you doing here in a Buddhist temple?"
Seeing that the two were still insistent, He Youyou quickly stepped forward to help: "Master, can we draw lots here? Is it alright if we draw lots?"
Mingzhen looked at her and nodded: "Drawing a fortune stick is possible. What kind of fortune stick would you like to draw, lady? Your home, your marriage, or your children?"
“My son is taking the imperial examination today, so I asked for a fortune stick for his studies.”
Mingzhen looked at Zhao Changqing in surprise: "The child is already so big?"
Zhao Changqing pursed his lips and remained silent.
Mingzhen got up and took a divination stick from the table next to him.
He Youyou knelt on the prayer mat and prayed devoutly to the Bodhisattva statue in the hall, then shook out a fortune stick from the divination tube.
She picked up the fortune stick and handed it to Mingzhen.
Mingzhen found the divination slip and read it aloud: "Go straight to the Immortal Rock to learn immortality, this knowledge will be announced by the Emperor; the blue sky and the sun and moon shine brightly, a righteous heart will spread fame throughout the world."
"Master, is this a good fortune slip?"
Mingzhen nodded: "Good, it's an auspicious sign. This divination indicates the guidance of a noble person, and everything will be harmonious and auspicious. With lofty ambitions and the help of noble people, all things will go smoothly, and fame and success will be achieved."
Upon hearing the words "success and fame," He Youyou felt at ease and immediately thanked Mingzhen.
Seeing that she had drawn a good fortune stick, Zhao Changqing was also a little envious.
"Master, I would also like to request one."
Mingzhen looked at him: "What do you want to ask for?"
"Marriage."
Mingzhen also tossed him a fortune stick container.
A moment later, the form was signed out.
"All day long I sit on the riverbank, fishing at the rocky shore, but the water is cold and the bait is no good, so I sigh that there are no fish; I sit patiently on the beach for ten days, and I finally catch a golden carp."
Zhao Changqing, hearing that the fortune slip didn't sound good, anxiously asked, "Master, why does this fortune slip sound so ominous?"
Mingzhen glanced at him: "It's not a top-tier fortune, but it's not bad either. You just need to be patient and wait for the right opportunity."
Zhao Changqing said dejectedly, "Do we have to wait again? Is there a faster way?"
Mingzhen shook his head repeatedly: "Alas, you have committed too many sins, so I'm afraid you won't have a good chance before the Bodhisattva. If you want to get things done quickly, you should do more good deeds and pray for some blessings."
"How can I seek blessings? Please advise, Master."
“In my temple, the wisdom sword in the hand of the Heavenly King of Growth in the front hall was broken when you were seven years old, and the pure vase in the hand of the Bodhisattva in the back hall was broken when you were eight years old. It has not been repaired for so many years. Why don’t you repair these things and sincerely repent and create merit again?”
He Youyou looked at Zhao Changqing in shock.
This guy...
They even dared to touch the Bodhisattvas in the temple?!
He truly deserves the sympathy.
Out of curiosity, He Youyou asked again, "What about Zhao Wenqi? Did he cause trouble everywhere too?"
Mingzhen said with his eyes half-closed, "Benefactor Zhao Wenqi is slightly better; he didn't touch those statues. However, he burned down two of my meditation rooms while playing with fire in front of the eternal lamp."
puff--
He Youyou clasped her hands together and said devoutly, "I, He Youyou, am willing to donate to build ten meditation rooms to perform meritorious deeds for the Second Prince."
The two had a vegetarian meal at the temple, enjoyed the scenery on the mountaintop, bid farewell to Mingzhen, and descended the mountain.
On the way, Zhao Changqing told her about the history of the temple.
His third uncle, also known as Master Mingzhen, had a connection with Buddhism since childhood and left home early to become a monk.
Emperor Taizu couldn't bear to part with his son, so he built a temple on a mountain near the imperial city for him to practice Buddhism.
When I was a child, Zhao Changqing often came to play.
Because of his mischievous nature, he caused a lot of trouble here.
When He Youyou descended the mountain, she held her fortune slip in her hand, feeling quite satisfied.
Zhao Changqing also clutched his own note, looking sullen.
After descending the mountain, the two returned directly to the palace gate to wait for the others.
The palace examination was not as crowded as the metropolitan examination.
There are one or two thousand people in the provincial examination, but only two or three hundred remain in the palace examination.
Soon, the two met Ahri.
He Youyou asked excitedly, "Ali, did you see the emperor? What did he look like?"
Ahri shook her head: "I dared not look directly at His Majesty's face, so I did not see it."
He didn't see the emperor, but the emperor saw him.
Emperor Zhao Changheng sat high in the main hall and saw the young man in the distance, whose appearance seemed familiar.
Such a beautiful and delicate face is unforgettable to anyone who has seen it.
He stepped down from the dragon throne and approached to examine it.
Afraid of disturbing the child while he was writing, I didn't dare to walk directly in front of him and even deliberately kept a few people between us.
Unexpectedly, the candidate who was closest to the dragon robe saw the hem of the robe swaying back and forth in front of him and was so frightened that his hands trembled like leaves.
Zhao Changheng recognized him.
Isn't this the kid we ate with?
This child deduced a major land consolidation case from just a few Jeju refugees fleeing famine; his wisdom and insight are extraordinary.
Unexpectedly, this child, at such a young age, is a candidate for the imperial examination and has even passed the metropolitan examination.
That's truly rare.
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