Chapter 17 Daxiangguo Temple
February 4th, noon.
After bidding farewell to Bao Zheng, the two men left the chaotic temporary government office and planned to go to the Pig Slaughter Lane and Xiangguo Temple first. When they arrived at the gate, Xu Chong saw Shen Kuo's mount chewing on the bark of a tree, and he remembered something.
"Brother Shen, you are too slow. It's okay to go to Xiangguo Temple in Shazhu Lane today, but tomorrow we will go to Yongqiu Altar, which is dozens of miles away. This old donkey may delay us. Why don't I pick a good 6-foot-1-inch Longyou horse from the Imperial Army?"
"this……"
"Now we have to race against time to solve the case. Look at this donkey, it's old and skinny, how can it handle such an important task?"
Shen Kuo changed his mind and felt that it was a good thing. If he had a horse, he could take the opportunity to return the donkey and see Xiao Ping again. However, the donkey would suffer and might be sold to a butcher's shop by Xiao Ping. But as long as he could see Xiao Ping, he didn't care about it.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Xu Jieji."
The two of them mounted their horses and headed for the Pig Killing Lane outside the south city. The distance was not far and they arrived in a short while. Just then, a pig trader arrived and drove hundreds of pigs forward. The two had to move forward slowly among the pigs. These pigs were unloaded from the boats in Bianhe and loaded from carts outside the city. They were of different shapes, some black and some spotted. For a while, the road was crowded. Needless to say, the scene had long been trampled by these pigs.
"Why are there so many pigs?" Xu Chong said.
"In a few days, Madam Zhang's mourning period will be over, and the ban on banquets with more than ten people in restaurants and eateries will be lifted, so merchants are stockpiling wine and food."
"Mrs. Zhang's mourning period is one month, is that also beyond the limit?"
"The government attaches great importance to love, so the funeral is conducted with the rites of an empress."
"Oh, by the way, I looked at the files, and Madam Zhang's birthday is on the weapon of the skeleton puppet. Is there anything suspicious here that can be explored?"
"Master Bao has already checked, but there are no clues. Madam Zhang was born in a music school, and her birth date and horoscope before she entered the palace were very common."
The two went to several pig dealers to find witnesses to inquire about what happened that day, and the answers they got were similar to what was recorded. Most people were far away from the hat monster and didn't see it clearly. The one who was closest to the hat monster that day, Bald Ah Si from Fuyong, got seriously ill after throwing the pig-killing knife with all his strength under the influence of alcohol and has been bedridden ever since.
This incident was also strange. It was said that Ah Si was a man who did not care about anything. He did not care at all after throwing the knife. On that day, he not only boasted to others, but also went to the gambling house to exchange money. On the way back from winnings, he talked and laughed with his companions, saying that he would rush up to the hat monster next time he met it, and pull the monster in the mist down and send it to the government. But after dinner, Ah Si suddenly became crooked and squinted, drooling at the corners of his mouth and could not speak. He asked a doctor to see him and said that he had "external wind". He prescribed several doses of Rehmannia Decoction, but it did not work. Everyone said that the hat monster was unlucky because he threw the kitchen knife. Ah Si was only 37 or 38 years old, in the prime of his life, and was far from the age of external wind.
Shen Kuo and Xu Chong went to the bedside to check on Ah Si. He was still conscious, but he couldn't speak and half of his face couldn't move. His speech was slurred and couldn't be heard clearly. One of his hands could move, but he couldn't write and couldn't communicate for the time being, so the two had to leave.
He didn't get any useful information. It was only noon, so it was still early. It was too late to go and see the cracked altar. Shen Kuo thought he might as well go to Daxiangguo Temple to look for the monk who carved the stamp.
The two of them rode back to the inner city together, and were about to part ways at the gate of Daxiangguo Temple. Xu Chong was planning to return to the military camp outside Huaxi Gate. Shen Kuo saw that the Daxiangguo Temple was very lively, with all kinds of shops lined up, and people and vehicles coming and going in an endless stream. However, the gate of Daxiangguo Temple was very strange. He could not see the pilgrims entering the temple to worship Buddha, but he could see from a distance that there was a sign outside the gate asking them to stay away, and there were many servants in black clothes standing on the steps leading to the temple.
Shen Kuo asked Xu Chong, who was about to leave, "Xu Jieji, look at the sign at the door over there, it seems like someone is coming here?"
"Oh, Brother Shen, you misunderstood. It's not that a senior official from the court came to Xiangguo Temple. It's that the current Privy Councilor Di Qing has moved his residence to this Xiangguo Temple to stay temporarily."
"Lord Di has taken his mansion..." Shen Kuo was so shocked that his jaw almost dropped.
"I just came to the capital a few days earlier than Brother Xu, and I know all this by chance. Lord Di's residence was originally outside the city, but it was flooded in August last year, and no one could live there temporarily. So he borrowed the main hall of the Daxiangguo Temple as his government office. Now when you go to the temple to worship Buddha, you can't go through the main gate here on Bianhe Street, you have to go through the side gate, and the front hall doesn't accept incense, so it only serves as the office of the Privy Councilor and Lord Di's private residence."
"The mansion was flooded last year. It has been nearly half a year now. Why hasn't it been repaired yet?"
"I heard that Lord Di felt that the mansion outside the city was too far from the palace, and it was inconvenient to attend court... Hehehe, I also heard that Lord Di liked to be lively, and the city was too quiet, so... I came to the capital late and didn't know what was going on. Master Xu can ask the knowledgeable one."
"How could our Song Dynasty have such a irresponsible Privy Councilor?" Shen Kuo couldn't help but feel contempt.
"Brother Xu, Lord Di's behavior is indeed a little... lacking in morals, but you must also know that Lord Di is a pillar and has made great contributions to our Song Dynasty. He contracted an epidemic when he was pacifying the south a few years ago. After returning to Beijing, he has been ill and unable to sit or lie down. The government also allowed him to find a mansion in the city, but he has not been able to find a suitable one..."
"If you have great merit, you can seize the temple property? How can you say that you have little virtue?"
"I don't know much about this matter, and there may be some hidden secrets. I have to report to Mr. Bao this afternoon, so I'll take my leave first. Goodbye."
Xu Chong hurried to leave. After all, he was also a military officer, and Shen Kuo could hear that he was defending Di Qing. So the two of them said goodbye on the main street of Bianhe River and left on their horses and donkeys.
Shen Kuo went to Daxiangguo Temple and reminisced about the past. It turned out that the prosperity in front of the Daxiangguo Temple was even greater than before.
Since he could not enter the temple from here, he rode his donkey westward to go around the other side of the temple gate.
As expected, he went to the neighboring street, found the gate over there, got off the donkey there, and entered Xiangguo Temple. In Xiangguo Temple, the front hall had been separated by a long wall and was completely occupied by Di Qing's temporary residence, but the main hall in the back was still full of incense, and believers could still worship Buddha here. Shen Kuo walked to the main hall, which was solemn and quiet.
He had no money so he didn't donate any money for incense. He just asked a few Taoist priests and monks if there was a " Huai Bing" master here. Most of them shook their heads and left in a hurry.
Shen Kuo also found it strange. In his memory from more than ten years ago, Master Huai Bing was a famous figure in the capital, but people here didn't seem to remember him much.
He suddenly realized that the person he was looking for was too young. He had to find someone older.
So he wandered outside the main hall, trying to stop an old monk to ask. After waiting for a long time, he finally saw an old monk with a solemn appearance passing by. He hurriedly walked up to him and saluted. The old monk stopped, forced a smile and clasped his hands together in response. However, as soon as he asked, the old monk realized that the scholar who blocked his way was not dissatisfied with the merit box and wanted to have tea in the back hall and donate a large sum of money. He showed impatience on his face, and when he heard the name "Huai Bing", his expression flickered, and he repeatedly said that he didn't know him, and turned around and left in a hurry.
Shen Kuo was also disappointed. He knew that he should donate some money to the temple before asking for information. However, all the money he had was left on the boat. Now he was staying at his teacher's house and it was not easy to ask for some pocket money. As expected, he looked at other people's faces.
Just when he was feeling worried, someone pulled his clothes. When he turned around, he saw a little monk about seven or eight years old looking after the incense stall.
"Young Master, I also want to go into the main hall and burn some incense, but unfortunately I don't have any money with me."
"Are you looking for Master Huai Bing?" the young monk asked directly, obviously having heard the question he had just asked the old monk.
"That's right. Young master, do you know?" Shen Kuo was pleasantly surprised.
"The donor must be an old friend of Master Huai Bing. Master Huai Bing no longer uses this old Dharma name when he traveled to the south several years ago."
"Master Huai Bing went to the south?"
"That's right. About six or seven years ago, Master Huai Bing heard that Kuizhou was poor and barren, with few fields and many mountains. The people could only cultivate the land on the mountains. However, although there were many rivers, they could not irrigate the terraced fields on the mountains. As a result, many people became bandits. So Master Huai Bing worked hard to improve the old Han waterwheel, called the Molun Flipping Cart, which could use the water power of the river to send water to higher places. He also made a great wish to go to the steep mountains in the south to improve the terraced fields. At that time, he changed his Dharma name to Huai Liang. Therefore, among the young monks in the temple, few people know the Dharma name Huai Bing."
"Huailiang?"
"Yes. It is said that it is a wish that everyone in the world will have two meals a day, and from now on, they will be kind and not follow the thieves."
Shen Kuo was startled. Could it be that Huai Bing had gone to the south and never came back? Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people in the temple who didn't recognize him. But then he thought again. This little monk was only seven or eight years old. How could he know what happened six or seven years ago? Maybe there was a story behind it?
"Excuse me, little master, has Master Huailiang returned from the south?"
"I'm back. But..." The little monk seemed a little alert and turned his head left and right to check if there was anyone else nearby. "But Master Huailiang's personality changed drastically after he came back. He has been crazy all day long and has repeatedly broken the temple rules..." The little monk lowered his voice as he spoke.
"Why is he so crazy?" Shen Kuo asked.
"It is said that when Master Huailiang was in the south, he encountered a rebellion. He showed mercy and entered the military camp to ask for surrender on behalf of the leader. The government troops agreed to surrender at first, but then went back on their word and killed all the thousands of rebels who surrendered. They also chopped off their heads and built a Jingguan. Master Huailiang was frightened by this incident and became mentally ill after returning to the temple."
"What happened to Master Huailiang later?"
"The chief monks wanted to kick him out of the temple, but the abbot was kind enough to let him either manage the vegetable garden outside the Suanzao Gate or stay in the market outside the temple to sell cooked food. Master Huailiang finally stayed in the city to sell roasted pig heads, and I heard that his madness has improved. Now the front yard of the temple is occupied by the Privy Councilor Di, so he has to take a long detour to return to the temple, and he is inevitably stained with blood because he sells meat all day. The abbot promised him that he doesn't have to go to the temple to meditate every day, so he only goes to the temple a few times a year."
"So the master is actually selling pork in the market?"
"Not only that, Master Huailiang is very good at carving seals. He also uses the temple property and storefront to run his own seal carving business, and he doesn't settle accounts with the temple. Now he has made a small fortune, and he doesn't go to the temple for a month, but often goes to gambling houses and wine shops. The elders in the temple think he doesn't have the dignity of a monk, so they don't want to mention him. Naturally, the younger monks know him even less, and when they see him, they just think he is a fireman in the temple."
"I see. Is Master Huailiang in the market ahead now?"
"It's past noon here, and the diners have all dispersed. I don't know if they are still here. Maybe they went to get some wine or listen to some music. But there is still an apprentice in his shop, Brother Xiao Yi. We just need to find the sign that says roasted pig's head."
"Thank you very much." Shen Kuo was overjoyed and quickly thanked the little monk before turning around and leaving Daxiangguo Temple. He found the donkey outside the temple and led it back to Qianmen market.
