Chapter 110 Karma
June 19th (early morning)
The two walked into the lobby together.
Xu Chong also smiled and laughed, trying to test Lao Bao's attitude, but Lao Bao suddenly slammed the table and shouted, "You are a self-willed mediocrity, you really want to piss me off to death."
Xu Chong knelt down quickly.
Shen Kuo, however, saw that the problem was not serious, and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Sir, I think Xu Jieji was in a state of panic. That's why he resorted to this desperate measure."
As expected, Lao Bao was pretending to be angry. He had reason to hate that his authority was challenged. Of course, if Xu Chong hadn't done this, he would have hesitated whether to find Di Qing. Logically, he should have reported it to the emperor first, but now it seems that the emperor's mood is not stable and it is easy to be provoked. Now, there is no need to hesitate. Xu Chong made the decision for him.
"Humph! Don't let this go easily. Xu Chong, you should remember to take twenty strokes of the cane. Now it's important to solve the case and let it go for now. If I forget in the future, you must not forget."
"I understand."
Shen Kuo hurried over and pulled him up.
"Sir, is the chancellor still in the back hall?" Shen Kuo quickly found a topic to talk about. He could see that Bao Zheng was in a good mood. He had become quite good at reading people's expressions these days. Even if Bao Zheng looked gloomy, he could still guess something from his tone.
"Well, the Prime Minister needs to rest. He has not recovered from a serious illness, and just now we had a very interesting conversation, which has hurt his vitality. His carriage is outside, and I will have to trouble you to take him back to Xiangguo Temple later."
"yes."
Xu Chong stood aside and did not dare to interrupt. He signaled Shen Kuo to ask questions with his eyes. Shen Kuo understood his meaning and wanted to know what they talked about.
"Sir, since the Prime Minister has nothing to do with this case, why did you talk for two hours?"
"Of course, he was talking about his mask. He only said that he lost it a few days ago. In fact, a Fanyang hat-shaped evil cloud suddenly rose in the front yard of Daxiangguo Temple. The people in the mansion searched everywhere but found no money missing. After a careful inspection, they found that the mask was missing."
"So that's how it is? I'm afraid it's a trick of those thieves."
"Di Gong didn't know the thief's tricks. He just thought that the thing was evil. He didn't dare to say anything. But he didn't expect that the thief's bite would really go deep into the thief's bones."
"Husband, in my opinion, there must be a conspiracy behind this." Xu Chong finally mustered up the courage to interrupt.
"Do I need you to tell me?" Old Bao swung his sleeves. "Do you think I am old and foolish? Do you need me to make decisions for you in everything?"
"I dare not."
"Humph. How could I not know that there is something suspicious? Whoever commits rebellion would put the token of trust in someone else's hands? And this mask is the most well-known symbol of Di Gong. Just like the so-called magic pen, it has a reputation, but it is all deliberately created by the thieves."
"My husband is wise."
"But you have saved a lot of trouble by calling Di Gong here today. You can make meritorious contributions while serving your sentence. If you do a great job, the twenty strokes of the cane can be spared."
"I dare not shirk my duties."
Lao Bao really couldn't care too much about Xu Chong. He wasn't a double-standard person. Seeing that Wen Yanbo had to bear such a big disaster, he really shouldn't care about Xu Chong's matter. He was just trying to scare him.
"Sir, does Di Gong also think that the whole thing is a conspiracy?" Shen Kuo said.
"Not really. Dee Gong still feels that it is fate."
"Mr. Di, do you believe in destiny?"
"Well, Prime Minister Di also thinks that this matter seems to be a matter of fate. When he was young, he did not believe in fate. He only cared about fighting on the battlefield and felt that soldiers were just licking blood on the tip of the knife and did not need to believe in ghosts and gods. However, he also said that he had done a bad thing a few years ago, and now thinking back on the ulcer on his back, it was probably retribution."
"What kind of evil?"
"Di Gong didn't say that. He only mentioned that a great monk had advised him to get close to Buddhism to resolve the cause and effect, but he misunderstood."
"Oh. Is it the guidance of a senior monk?"
"Well, I don't know who that eminent monk is. But Di Gong is an upright and honest man. The eminent monk advised him to get close to Buddhism, so he occupied the front yard of Daxiangguo Temple. Alas..." Lao Bao couldn't help laughing as he spoke.
Shen Kuo suddenly had the urge to tell Lao Bao who the monk was, but he resisted the urge. Perhaps this matter could wait. Since Xu Chong could act rashly once, he felt that he could also act on his own once, and he had every reason to believe that he could find an optimal solution.
"Oh, it's getting late. Di Gong came to visit at night because he was afraid that the news would get out and the palace would know. You two should send Di Gong back. By the way, take a look at the scene in the mansion to see if there are any traces of the Western Qiang claw hook climbing."
"yes."
The two men stepped out. After a while, a groom from the Di Mansion came out with Di Qing. This time, he did not take a sedan chair and was quite low-key, but just took a carriage. There were only two horse-riding guards and a groom driving the carriage.
Xu Chong also rode a horse to escort the carriage, and Shen Kuo and Di Qing rode in the carriage together.
He had met Di Qing a few months ago, but Di Qing did not recognize him. At first, they were quite awkward when they sat in the car together, and they did not talk much. Di Qing had a serious carbuncle on his back, and his waist could hardly stand up straight.
The carriage was driving on the street in the early morning, and there was no one around. In the distance, bells rang, which were the so-called morning bells and evening drums, and it was time for the city gates to open.
Di Qing didn't say much, just sighed. His situation was already bad. Although Bao Zheng could listen to him, he couldn't guarantee what the emperor would think. In the Song Dynasty, if a general was suspected of having ulterior motives, he couldn't explain it even if he spoke a hundred times.
Shen Kuo secretly observed from the side, trying to muster up the courage to offer his suggestions to this former god of killing on the battlefield, but he felt it was too abrupt as the Daxiangguo Temple was just a few blocks away.
"Sir, are you Bao Longtu's aide?" Di Qing suddenly wanted to chat a few words.
"Reporting to Judge Di, I am only temporarily involved in solving the case. I originally wanted to stay in the capital to prepare for the exam, but there have been too many disasters this year, and the government has cancelled the imperial examination. I am about to return home."
"Young Master, you haven't achieved fame yet?" Di Qing's expression brightened.
"yes."
"Alas, I am actually just a warrior who holds a high position. If there is someone with achievements around me, I would not feel comfortable."
"Prime Minister, I am just a commoner. It is a great honor for me to meet the Grand Marshal." Shen Kuo did not expect Di Qing to be so humble. Perhaps as Xu Chong said, in the Song Dynasty, military men really had no status.
"According to what you have seen, this is actually a case that can be solved? Isn't this a bad omen from somewhere?"
"I don't think so, Prime Minister."
"The guest star is in the sky, and they say the sun and the moon are in the same sky. There may be changes in the world. I just talked about it with Bao Longtu, and he said that there may be some tricks of the Liao Kingdom mixed in. Do they want to take advantage of the astronomical changes to plot against our Song Dynasty?"
"It is true that the Liao State is plotting against our Great Song, but that alien star is billions of miles away, and this flickering light has been on the road for thousands of years, so it naturally has nothing to do with the Liao State."
"Nothing?" Di Qing was confused for a moment. In his opinion, such an ominous sign meant that something big was about to happen.
"I want to ask the Prime Minister, this guest star is shining. Can only the Great Song see it, or can the whole world see it?"
"Of course, the whole world can see it."
"Is that a bad omen for our Song Dynasty or for the Liao State?"
"this……"
Shen Kuo's words seemed to wake Di Qing up, and his sullen expression eased a lot.
"Prime Minister, if Liao was sure that they could defeat Song on the battlefield, they would not resort to such tricks."
"However, there must be some providence in the universe, right?"
Di Qing became depressed again.
"Prime Minister..."
"I am only 47 this year, and it is time for me to contribute to the country, but I got a back ulcer. Now I think about it, I have been fighting for half of my life and have committed many sins. If you say there is no retribution in the dark, I don't dare to believe it."
"Prime Minister... do you want to understand the cause and effect of this story?" Shen Kuo finally waited for the opportunity.
"Can karma be resolved in this world?"
"I don't understand cause and effect, but knowing the knot in the heart of the Prime Minister, the knot can naturally be resolved in this life."
"You know my knot?"
"But what happened with Master Huai Bing in Huzhou?"
Shen Kuo's words startled Di Qing. If the carriage had not had a roof, he would have been able to stand up at that moment.
"You mean Master Huai Bing? Do you know about the killing of prisoners by me?"
"Yes, Master Huai Bing told me about it."
"I regret not listening to the master's advice. Although I live in a Buddhist temple now, I see the scene of hell as soon as I close my eyes at night. I also heard that the picture of hell appeared in Gyeongbokgung Hall, but I dare not take a look."
"Master Huailiang told me that when he advised the Prime Minister to get close to Buddhism, he did not mean to ask you, Di Gong, to live in the temple. However, the Prime Minister misunderstood his intention."
"So that's how it is?" Di Qing suddenly realized.
"If the Prime Minister is willing to confess before the Master, I think the demons in his heart will be eliminated immediately."
"However, I don't know where the master is traveling now?"
Xu Chong and two guards were riding in front, but they didn't expect the carriage behind them to suddenly turn around and head north. They quickly turned back and chased after it. Seeing the carriage rushing towards the north gate, the three of them didn't dare to ask, so they could only follow closely behind.
In the vegetable garden of Daxiangguo Temple in the north of the city, Monk Huailiang was standing on the broken wall, watching the twinkling guest star in the east. It seemed to be getting dimmer and dimmer, and it seemed to be disappearing.
He returned to the house in confusion and lay down on the bed again, wanting to sleep for a while. Then he heard the sound of carriages outside. He thought to himself, are those scoundrels who stole vegetables here again? Why did he turn a blind eye and let them get more and more aggressive, and today they came with carriages? But the time was not right, it was only the morning of the morning, and those scoundrels didn't get up that early.
Just as he was about to put on his shoes and get up, he saw someone pushing the door open. It turned out to be Shen Kuo. He was stunned.
"Master, I miss you so much."
"you……"
Huailiang's face turned red and white. It was hard to tell whether he was angry or happy, or maybe a little bit of both.
He got up to look for his shoes and heard footsteps outside, which suddenly alerted him.
"There are others? Are you bringing people to arrest me?"
Di Qing suddenly rushed in and knelt down in front of Huai Liang.
When Shen Kuo came in, Huailiang's face was filled with astonishment, but it also revealed a cunning feeling that everything was within expectations. Di Qing 's kneeling really frightened him and he sat down on the bed. He was speechless for a long time.
"Master Huai Bing, save me." Di Qing said.
"Save you?"
"Save me from this endless sea of karma."
"You get up and talk first."
Shen Kuo quickly helped Di Qing up. Xu Chong also arrived outside the door. He looked out and saw Di Qing kneeling on the ground. He quickly retracted his head and did not go in. He just waited outside with the other two.
The three of them sat down and remained silent for a long time.
At this moment, only Shen Kuo could come out to smooth things over.
He stood up first and clasped his fists towards Huailiang.
"Master, please forgive me for being so presumptuous."
"Cun Zhong, you are more than presumptuous. You and I hate this person the most, why did you bring him here..."
"The current situation is related to the safety of the people of the world. I think you can let it go." Shen Kuo said leisurely. He did not mention his personal grudge, but only mentioned the people of the world.
"Master, I regret not listening to you, massacring the people and building that Jingguan. I beg for your forgiveness," said Di Qing.
The monk looked unhappy, as if he was about to have a fit.
Shen Kuo quickly came out to smooth things over.
"Master, everyone in this world is capable of making mistakes."
"Haha, can we forgive mistakes if they are made? You also know what the Analects says: Repay evil with good, how about that? Confucius said: How do you repay good? Repay evil with justice, repay good with virtue."
Huailiang sneered.
"But when will the cycle of revenge end? Forgive others when you can."
Huailiang was stunned. He did not expect Shen Kuo's answer.
In this round, Huailiang used the allusion of repaying grievances with honesty from the Analects, while Shen Kuo used the Buddhist text of Kumarajiva. They exchanged their positions.
"That's good, that's good. However, when I close my eyes, all I see are the people in that city who were massacred by Di Gong. How can I let it go?"
"If that false sect becomes powerful, the whole world will be in turmoil, and there will be more than just Huzhou City. Master, please think twice."
On the surface, Shen Kuo gave the monk a way out, but in fact he was also implying that the monk himself had made mistakes and had tried several times to use Maitreya religion to frame Di Qing, and had almost made a big mistake. If Yu Jing succeeded, the world would be in chaos, and Huai Liang would have to face this responsibility.
"If you say so, I am obsessed." Huailiang sighed, "Di Gong, I will only tell you one thing. If you are willing to listen, you can get rid of your inner demons and sleep peacefully."
"Master, please teach me."
"Move out of Daxiangguo Temple and return the temple property to the monks of the temple. I guarantee that you will never have nightmares again. This karma can be eliminated."
