Chapter 56: Fulfilling a Vow
After punishing Mengxi and Zhiqiu , Erye started to eat. When he saw Mengxi was still calm, as if he had not punished her just now, he could not help but get even angrier and his face became even gloomier. He hated her calmness, as if she didn't care about anything anymore. He punished her so harshly just to see her panic and fear, to make her afraid of him, to know how to cater to him and please him. A feeling of powerlessness from the bottom of his heart made him extremely depressed. He put down his chopsticks after eating two bites and told people to clear the table.
Mengxi returned to the east wing, washed up briefly, leaned weakly on the bed, and stroked Zhiqiu's red and swollen face with her hand. She couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart. She ordered Zhichun to get some medicine and help him apply it. She sighed and said:
"Don't do such stupid things again, it's not worth it"
"Second Madam, it's all because of me that I was punished today. Although I was not able to exempt you from punishment, I will feel better if I can accompany you to be punished. Second Madam, please don't blame yourself."
Mengxi sighed and asked Zhixia and Zhidong to go out and guard the gate. After the two of them left, Mengxi ordered Zhichun to close the door and said to the two people:
"I will not stay in this house for long. I will leave one day. Are you two willing to go out with me? Don't be shy. Just speak your mind. If you don't want to, I won't blame you. I will send you somewhere else before I leave and do my best to keep you safe."
"Second Madam, I am willing to follow you. No matter where you go, you are my master. I am your person in life and your ghost in death."
When Zhiqiu heard Mengxi's question, she knelt down and swore. Mengxi frowned when she heard this, as if she had tarnished her innocence.
"Second Madam, I am also willing to follow you out of the house to serve you."
After hearing what Zhiqiu said, Zhichun also knelt down and said.
"Okay, okay! Everyone, get up. This is your choice today. If we really leave the house in the future, we will call each other sisters. When there is no one around, you don't have to follow so many rules in front of me."
Mengxi is a modern person and has no sense of hierarchy. She is too lonely here and truly treats them as friends and confidants, but she also knows that this cannot be rushed, so she said this.
"Second Madam, please don't say that. I will always be a servant. How dare I call my master a sister? Second Madam, please take back what you just said, or you will kill me."
"You all should get up."
Seeing that the second grandma insisted, the two men had to get up.
Mengxi continued, "Everything I arranged today is to prepare for my future departure from the mansion. Just listen to me. I don't know if this will work yet, so don't tell Zhixia and Zhidong for now."
"Yes, I know what to do."
"We are opening a pharmacy outside the mansion. You two will have to go out of the mansion often to do business. Zhiqiu, you have to find a way to recruit a few servants from the second gate. Don't be afraid to spend money, but choose those who are smart and capable of taking on responsibilities. Be careful and pay attention to the first wife's people."
"I know what to do"
"Tomorrow, the old lady and the first wife will go to Jingyun Temple to burn incense. You two can find an excuse to go out again and pawn the valuables in my dowry. Be sure to find out the details of the pawnshop and don't go to the Xiao family's property."
"Second Madam, you can't do that"
"It's nothing. We need money to open a pharmacy. The amount is huge. We can't go to the accounting office to get it. It's even more impossible to ask the second master for it. My monthly salary is just that little. It will take a long time to save enough money to open a pharmacy."
"Second Auntie, when will it be?"
Mengxi was shocked when she heard this. How could she have forgotten that Da Qi didn't have a zodiac sign yet and just blurted it out? No wonder Zhiqiu didn't understand. He rolled his eyes at her guiltily and said:
"It's when the monkey celebrates the Chinese New Year and the horse is in confinement."
Seeing Zhiqiu's eyes flashing and wanting to ask more, Mengxi quickly continued what he had just said:
"This is the only way for us at the moment. Brocade and other things are too eye-catching and not easy to take out of the house. They are also not worth much money. They are just for show. If we don't work harder now, we may be worse off than prisoners in the future. I am tired too. You all can go down now."
After Mengxi finished speaking, she leaned there and closed her eyes.
…
The Taizu of Da Qi believed that Taoism was promoting some unorthodox techniques that were not worthy of being accepted by the upper class, while Buddhism's Four Noble Truths, Eightfold Path, Twelve Links of Dependent Origination and other theories of cause and effect were the right path. Therefore, Da Qi had always revered Buddhism and suppressed Taoism since its founding, which led to the emergence of temples and pagodas all over Da Qi like spring after rain, and they were very popular. There were countless temples and pagodas of all sizes in Pingyang City alone, among which Jingyun Temple was the largest.
Jingyun Temple is located in the east of Pingyang City. It has a typical palace-style layout. The main buildings include the Mountain Gate Hall, Heavenly King Hall, Great Buddha Hall, Main Hall, Yuantong Hall, Dharma Hall, Sutra Library, etc. There are bell towers, drum towers, dining halls, guest halls, abbot's rooms, etc. on the east and west sides.
The abbot is a hermit monk named Moder, with the Buddhist name Jingyun. No one knows how old he is this year. It is said that he has lived for hundreds of years. It is said that he has a quirk, that is, no matter how powerful or noble, he will only see those who are destined to meet him. If there is no destiny, even if you are a king or a general, and donate mountains of gold and silver, you can never see him. Because of this, there is an endless stream of people who come to visit him, and they are all honored to see him.
It is also said that this person can help people avoid disasters and prolong their fortunes, and his virtue is immeasurable and his magic power is boundless. Even the Emperor of Qi would come to worship him every spring to pray for peace and prosperity for the country and the people. Not to mention the noble families and dignitaries in Pingyang City, most of them offer incense here all year round, so Jingyun Temple is also prosperous. In addition, merchants from all walks of life in Pingyang City set up stalls here, built houses around it, and set up shops for rent. Over time, this place has become the most prosperous commercial port in Pingyang City.
Today is the third day of the Xiao family's porridge distribution. It is even more lively outside the Jingyun Temple. There is a long queue of people waiting for porridge in front of the porridge stall opened by the Xiao family outside the Yimen Gate. As long as you shout "Second Master Xiao, may you have great fortune", say some auspicious words and chat about New Year's snacks, you can get a bowl of porridge and a white steamed bun. The people who got the porridge and steamed buns squatted on the sides of the road and ate them with big mouthfuls. While eating, they talked enthusiastically about the gossips of the people in Pingyang City. The legendary fate of the second master of the Xiao family has become the mainstream, and the story of the Xiao family using his legitimate wife to bring good luck has been spread like a legend, and has become a good story in Pingyang City.
Old Lady Xiao and the First Wife arrived at Jingyun Temple in a horse-drawn carriage with a group of more than 40 people. The vendors , pedestrians and pilgrims on both sides made way for them and stopped to watch. It was very lively. The carriage passed the archway and came to the ceremonial gate. To show her piety, the old lady got off the carriage at the ceremonial gate. When she looked up, she saw a pair of couplets on both sides of the ceremonial gate.
The first couplet is: If you do good, you will not prosper. Your ancestors will suffer from disasters. When the disasters are over, you will prosper.
The second line is: Those who do evil will not be destroyed, but their ancestors have more virtues, and when their virtues are exhausted, they will be destroyed.
With the help of the attendant secretary, the old lady passed through the ceremonial gate and came to the steps of the main hall. She saw that the hall was located on a platform, with a glazed roof and stone railings, which were exquisite. In front of the hall was a large copper incense burner with smoke curling from it. A large plaque was hung on the eaves of the second floor of the hall, with four large golden characters inscribed on it: "Daxiong Hall".
