Chapter 75: In front of the Jingsi Hall
February 22
There was no one on the street at the moment. It only took him a moment to reach the market outside Daxiangguo Temple. Although it was night market time, there were few shops open in the market. It was cold and deserted.
He rode quickly to Huailiang's shop and saw Xiaoyi packing up his things. There was a cart parked at the door with pots, bowls and wine jars on it. It seemed that he was not just cleaning the house, but packing up his belongings and leaving.
Shen Kuo jumped off his horse and rushed in. As expected, there was no one behind the stove, so Huai Liang was not there.
When Xiao Yi saw Shen Kuo coming, he quickly saluted: "Master Shen is here?"
"Why did you throw the pots and pans into the car? Are you leaving?"
"Well, sir, it's not that I'm not happy, but the business has been so bad lately that I'm afraid I can't continue. The master came in a hurry this morning and said that it would be better to take a break for a few months. He paid me a year's salary and asked me to go back to my hometown to wait. He also asked me to take all the valuable copperware and porcelain bowls in the shop with me as a reward. I think... saying that I'll take a break for a few months is probably a lie. I'm afraid the shop will never open again."
"Where is the master?" Shen Kuo felt a chill in his heart, thinking that Huailiang must have run away. In fact, it was common sense. If he didn't run away, would he stay and wait to be caught?
"At this moment, the master is waiting for you in the temple."
"Master, is he waiting for me?" Shen Kuo himself was also surprised.
"He asked me to close the shop and go back to Daxiangguo Temple at noon. He also told me that if Mr. Shen comes, he should tell you that he is waiting for you in Jingsi Hall. If you have anything to ask him, just go and ask him."
"Okay, okay, thank you very much."
Shen Kuo quickly turned around and left the shop. It seemed that Huailiang was still upright and did not flee for fear of crime. He quickly bypassed the front gate of Daxiangguo Temple and went to the side gate.
It was almost past the time for burning incense and worshipping Buddha, and the sparse number of pilgrims were rushing out. Shen Kuo went in against the flow of people, and found a young monk who was sweeping the floor to ask where the Jingsi Hall was. He had been to Daxiangguo Temple, and knew where the various halls were, but he didn't know there was such a place as the Jingsi Hall. The young monk told him that there was a remote small courtyard next to the north wall. The paint-chipped doors and windows, peeling tiles, and a dead locust tree in front of the door were the house. That was where the monks of the temple went to meditate, recite scriptures, and face the wall to repent after being punished for breaking the precepts. However, the current abbot was generous and had long since abolished this rule. If the temple rules were violated, only the monthly offering money and clothing fees would be fined, and the house would be empty and no one would go there to meditate.
Shen Kuo hurried to the direction pointed out, his heart full of doubts. He didn't know whether Huai Liang was really there or just a feint.
He knew very well what kind of sin his mentor had committed, and that he was connected with Maitreya. Even if he killed a hundred of them, he would hardly be pardoned. He had one day to leave his hometown, so why didn't he leave?
I walked quickly to the remote courtyard, slowed down my pace, and heard the sound of wooden fish from afar. The sound was neither fast nor slow, and it made me feel peaceful. I walked to the small Buddhist hall with two doors, and through the broken window frame, I saw a monk sitting on a cushion with his back to me under the green lamp and ancient Buddha. Who else could it be but Huai Liang?
Shen Kuo calmed his mind and was about to move forward when Huai Liang, who had his back to him, spoke first: "Cun Zhong, you're finally here. I thought you were supposed to come at noon."
"I followed the water flow that the master pointed out and escaped with my life, but I fainted on the grain ship that was transporting grain out of the Suanzao Gate on the Wuzhang River. The grain ship went all the way into the canal. When I woke up, I was already dozens of miles away, so it was too late to come back."
As he spoke, he approached the Buddhist temple. The house here was old and small, and the statue of Guanyin was not very big. It was not a place where ordinary pilgrims would come.
"It seems that there are still some twists and turns."
"Master, since I'm here, I'm sure you know the unanswered questions in my mind?"
"Has Mr. Bao sent people to surround Kaibao Temple now?" the monk asked first.
"I think it should be crowded by now."
"I didn't hear any noise outside. Did you not bring troops to arrest me? Or did you leave your troops outside the temple?"
"There is not a single runner or bailiff inside or outside the temple. I am the only one here. Since the master has stayed, I should be open and honest."
"It's about time this day came. If you have any important questions, just ask."
Huailiang was so sincere that Shen Kuo hesitated. He decided to put the first question on the back burner and asked a question temporarily: "Why don't you leave the capital? You originally had a whole day."
"Haha, Buddha said: If I don't go to hell, who will?" Huailiang repeated what he said before leaving yesterday.
"Okay, I want to ask you again, Master. Who are you?" He finally asked this question, which was also the one he had been thinking about asking Xiao Ping recently. To him, Huai Liang and Xiao Ping were both mysterious characters.
"I am Huai Bing, Huai Liang, and Master Zhuge of the Maitreya Sect. I think you have guessed my last identity."
"It is indeed Zhuge Suizhi."
"Exactly."
"However, why? Why?" Shen Kuo asked two questions in succession.
Outside, solemn drumbeats could be heard from the northeast corner of the Dharma Hall.
"...The Agama Sutra says: If you hear the sound of the bell, all the sufferings in the evil ways will stop. Hearing the sound of the drum will give rise to good thoughts and increase mindfulness. Amitabha... Although I returned to the temple several years ago , I have been wandering around in the market and rarely hear the morning bells and evening drums. As a result... hatred grows and good intentions fade. This is karma, retribution, result, and sin."
"No, it's not like that. Yesterday I went deep into the temple. Even though I was about to die, the master secretly saved my life. Isn't this kindness? Isn't this right mindfulness?"
"But I was obsessed with the image and became possessed by the devil."
"Master, a great man from the secular world, who sees through the mundane world and knows everything, how can he be attached to appearances? How can he be possessed by the devil?"
"Ah, what I can't see through is the hatred and resentment."
"Is it the Privy Councilor Di Qing?" Shen Kuo suddenly realized the answer.
Huailiang stopped talking and just kept hitting the wooden fish, as if trying to drive away all the resentment and malice in his heart.
"Master, I only heard from you that Di Qing massacred the rebellious soldiers and civilians in Huzhou City and piled up human bones to build a Jingguan. This is indeed a very unscrupulous act..."
The monk still did not respond, and seemed to agree with Shen Kuo's speculation.
For a moment, deep thoughts flew, connecting all the chaotic clues together.
"Master, let me ask you a question. The first ten prophecies of Maitreya were all sinister and heart-piercing, all of which were meant to destroy the Song Dynasty and overthrow the world. However, when the puppets on the Baifan Building danced wildly, the words that the little ghost said were all hinting at the birth of the Fire Dog and Di Qing. At that time, I suspected that the original intention of Maitreya had changed, from inciting the separation of the world to stirring up discord between the emperor and his ministers. Was this change due to the manipulation of the master?"
"Yes, it was me. I helped Yu Jing use the lightning technique to get rid of the Saint Aunt and let him control the Maitreya Sect. I wanted to use the Maitreya Sect's expertise to direct their ability to harm the country to my enemies and get rid of Di Qing with the help of the court."
"The footprints of the evil spirit in the snow under the altar of state and religion also have the same meaning?"
"Last year, Yu Jingchu came to me and used gold and silver to lure me into the sect, promising me the position of one of the four hexagram masters in the sect. That was when my original intention of revenge was awakened. At first, I wrote a prophecy and wanted to use the evil fight to force the fire dog, and then use the fire dog to implicate Di Qing. However, the Maitreya sect is too ambitious and not easy to control. Moreover, the Saint Lady was still there at that time. She had a grudge against the court for killing her husband, so she was obsessed with overthrowing the Song Dynasty and did not think twice."
"So, you helped Yu Jing kill the Saint? If so, why did you teach me how to break the trick that would lead to the collapse of the country? What did you get for that?"
Shen Kuo began to unravel the mystery logically.
"What did you get? Of course, it was to destroy the Maitreya sect's base outside the city. At that time, Yu Jing had been discussing with me how to get rid of the Saint Lady. However, I knew his temper and that he was definitely not someone who could be easily controlled. Moreover, he had a steady stream of gold and silver behind him. Getting rid of the Saint Lady would only make him more arbitrary and difficult to control in the sect. So I tried to help him get rid of the Saint Lady first, and then lead you to destroy his nest outside the city, so that he could not gain a foothold . In that way, only I could provide Yu Jing with a new hiding place, so that my words there would have more weight."
"What a new hiding place! Follow the steps and let Maitreya Sect work for you."
"Haha, that's exactly the plan."
"When Kaibao Temple was leaning, you were in charge of correcting it, so there is a underground palace under the tower that only you know about... Is this the secret of your repairing the tower? You didn't remove the top of the tower from above and replace the central column, but you opened the foundation from below and inserted the copper core?"
"I knew that with your intelligence, it would only be a matter of time before you understood everything."
"However, even if the Maitreya Sect hides in the underground palace under the Kaibao Pagoda you provided, you still cannot control their actions and point the spearhead at Di Qing as you wish?"
"Yes, the only person I want is my enemy Di Qing, but the forces behind Yu Jing want more than just Di Qing."
"So it was you who arranged for water to drip on the crossbow on the bed in Baifan Building to soak the bowstring? So that they could not succeed?" Shen Kuo continued to deduce.
"Yes, I suggested this plan to him. Originally, he didn't plan to shoot arrows, but only planned to put a powerful crossbow stolen from the Privy Council there, and forcibly framed the Privy Councilor Di Qing for intending to assassinate the king, but Yu Jing was lucky. He calculated that although the powerful crossbow had a range of only 600 steps, and it was 700 steps away from the palace gate, which was slightly insufficient, but the top of the Baifan Building was 60 feet high, which could increase the range by 60 to 70 steps. If he sent a death squad to shoot one, there would still be some chance. Even if he hit the secondary carriage, he could kill the important ministers and deter the enemy. So I temporarily added a dripping funnel in the lantern on the crossbow. Soak the bowstring in water, and the range can be reduced by half."
"Why is Yu Jing so hostile to the Song Dynasty? He doesn't have the same hatred with the court as Saint Gu for killing her husband."
"He has a big spender behind him who makes the decision for him. This is something I didn't expect at first."
"What's the logic behind using the Five Thunder Method to get rid of the Saint Lady? When Xu Chong was chasing Yu Jing in the tunnel outside the city, he was determined to take the two bundles of ropes with him regardless of his own death. I think there must be a connection?" Shen Kuo's question returned to the technical aspect.
"Yes, there is a connection. In the killing method passed down by the Maitreya sect, kites are used to attract thunder from the sky and fire from the ground. Sometimes this method is used to destroy houses and kill people invisibly, and the government cannot investigate. They naturally also know that ordinary ropes will transmit thunder from the sky, and anyone who touches them will die. Even if there are dead men, they will not be able to complete their mission if they die. However, they also know that if lard is applied to the rope, their lives can be saved."
"Are those two bundles of thread special?"
"I always have a few jars of pig fat in my shop, so I took on this task, and the Saint Aunt did not suspect anything. But I went to the jeweler and exchanged three taels and four cents of silver powder for it, mixed it into the pig fat, and then applied it to the thin rope, which was different."
"So it can conduct lightning?"
"Haha, this is a simple matter, just like applying gold powder to the Thunder God Pillar in the palace, the thunder will be drawn into the ground."
"But now that the Saint Lady is dead, are there any changes in the Maitreya Sect?"
"Yes, there is a change. This change comes from a woman. A woman I have never seen before."
"It's Xiao Ping?"
"It's this Xiao Ping. A mysterious woman. Although we have never met , she always opposes Yu Jing. I only know that her name outside is Xiao Ping, and her nickname in the sect is Hu Yong'er. She claims to be a fox fairy who knows magic. This Hu Yong'er is the saint of the sect and the descendant of the Saint Aunt. So after the Saint Aunt died, she should be the Saint Aunt. Yu Jing wanted to expel her from the sect several times, or kill her with the sect's method of breaking the verdict, but she passed the test repeatedly. Xiao Ping has some foxy skills, and Yu Jing is a lustful man. After several collusion, he gradually got close to her and alienated me. So I came up with a plan to lure you to catch her. But I didn't expect that she would run away again. I still can't figure it out. I think she must be most afraid of me, because I have repeatedly ruined her plans, so you can chase her to the bottom of the pagoda, probably because she is causing trouble?"
Shen Kuo didn't say much, just nodded slightly.
"Okay, I've told you everything you want to know. As for what I didn't say, I'm sure you've already figured it out."
"But why did you save me last night? If I died, your plan could continue."
"Because there was no plan of ours, I advised Yu Jing to get rid of Di Qing first, but Yu Jing insisted on doing what he wanted and completing the prophecy to overthrow the Song Dynasty, which was not what I wanted."
"If I had escaped last night, I would have brought the government troops to arrest you. You know this better than anyone else. Why don't you help me stay alive?"
"Because I know that if I kill one more person, I will be one step closer to Di Qing. The so-called revenge is nothing but the cycle of karma. I have been studying Buddhism for half a lifetime, but I only realized this simple truth yesterday. So I let you go yesterday to atone for my sins. Even if you didn't come, I would not let Yu Jing's last prophecy come true and let his trick succeed."
"I want to tell you one thing, Master. Xiao Ping is not a bad person. She doesn't want Yu Jing's idea to succeed."
"I am no longer obsessed with this matter. I don't want to know who Xiao Ping is and why. Amitabha, if you want to arrest me according to the law, I am here. Xiao Yi is just a clerk, he has nothing to do with this matter."
Shen Kuo suddenly laughed, and Huai Liang, who was laughing calmly, was also a little surprised.
"Cunzhong, why are you laughing?"
"I went to arrest Xiao Ping a few days ago. Before she escaped, she told me that her maid Xiao Ping had nothing to do with the case and I should not embarrass her. I think that although you two have been enemies before you met, you are actually good people. It's just that due to fate and your own obsessions, you were involved in this case."
