He San, a hungry refugee boy, never imagined that he was so hungry that he wanted to kill a bird from a tree to satisfy his hunger. Unexpectedly, he accidentally threw a stone into Anguo Temple and was captured as an assassin by the wolf-like soldiers.
, causing great disaster.
The brother and sister were anxious and frightened, sandwiched among several soldiers wearing helmets and holding swords. They were shivering and staggering as they were pushed into the main hall.
"Still not kneeling down!"
The soldiers were about to push the two men to the ground when He San saw the young man in brocade clothes sitting next to a kind-hearted middle-aged beautiful woman. He waved his hand and said: "Two little boys who are half-dead from hunger."
...They are just children, let them sit and talk."
"Little brat" almost blurted out.
Wanyan Kang coughed lightly, subconsciously straightened his posture, and his voice became serious: "Huh? Why don't you get two futons?"
So the soldiers quickly let go of the three brothers and sisters, and the young monk brought two futons.
He San quickly pulled his sister to lie down on the futon, kowtowed to the lady and young man in brocade clothes sitting in front of him, and kept pleading.
"Madam, Master, spare your life!"
"Amu, help!..." The girl also shouted after her brother, her throat hoarse and her speech unclear.
Mr. Bao, who had stopped chanting sutras long ago, looked at this pair of refugee brothers and sisters who were skinny, dirty-faced, disheveled, barefoot, and stammering. The older one was only twelve or thirteen years old, and the younger one was at most five or six years old. They had swollen feet.
I had several bloody sores.
"Hey...two poor children!"
Mrs. Bao suddenly felt compassion and ordered the maid: "Cui'er, ask the temple to prepare some food and water for them."
Just as Cui'er was about to leave, Wan Yankang quickly added: "It's best to use porridge and minced meat, change into clean clothes, and find someone to treat their injuries. Remember, don't let them eat too much at one time.
"
Cui'er nodded obediently, but then asked doubtfully: "Little prince, why don't you let them eat enough? I think they are all hungry!"
Wanyan Kang glanced at her and said lightly: "It's because they have been hungry for a long time and have been fasting for a long time. If they suddenly overeat, they will easily die."
Cui'er exclaimed: "My maid understands, the young prince is still attentive."
Zhiyuan put his hands together: "How good!"
Cui'er led the three brothers and sisters back, and Bao sighed leisurely: "The drought in the north is so serious this time, and the court is really poorly prepared. How many of these victims have starved to death... I am merciful!"
The monks nearby heard the words and clasped their hands together and chanted the Buddha's name: "Amitabha!"
Bao Qinniang casually sighed, attracting the monks to echo her, and suddenly the sound of Buddha filled the air in the empty hall, with an endless aftertaste.
Wanyan Kang's heart moved, and he took the opportunity to stand up and clasp his fists to Zhiyuan in salute: "Master, we came out of the capital to worship the Buddha in the temple. Along the way, we saw countless victims, dying of hunger in the fields. It can be called a tragedy in the world. The so-called human beings are not grass and trees, and how can we be ruthless?
Nowadays, groups of hungry people are trapped in Yanshan, and they cannot wait to die without saving them. Can the temple open a porridge factory to give them a way to survive?"
"A good person is not a tree, how can he be ruthless!"
As soon as Wan Yankang finished speaking, Liang Ziweng, who had a childlike face and crane hair, praised loudly: "What the young prince said is really good. I also think that since Buddhism is compassionate, the temple should open a porridge factory to give out porridge, as much as possible."
Thoughts."
Wan Yankang knew clearly that Liang Ziwen's agreement was just to flatter him, but he still gave him a smiling glance, and then stared closely at the solemn monk Zhiyuan in his cassock, without giving him any chance to divert his attention.
As a traveler from modern society, he knew that ancient temples often had huge temple properties. Even if they suffered from drought, their food reserves would not be lacking, especially for large temples like Anguo Temple with strong incense.
He had just arrived, so he should have acted cautiously, and the number of victims who needed relief was countless. Even the court would be cautious about this, and he should not have rashly opened his mouth to trouble the monks of Anguo Temple.
But thinking of the tragic situation thousands of miles away from Zhongdu City, and the refugee brother and sister who were about to starve to death just now, he couldn't control his impulse and couldn't help but do something.
Besides, you monks can't just shout "My Buddha is compassionate" without taking any practical actions, right?
Zhiyuan closed his eyes slightly, then opened them immediately.
If it were someone else, he could completely ignore it.
But King Zhao is one of the most powerful people in the Jin Kingdom, and the man in front of him is the only son of King Zhao. Of course, Zhiyuan cannot remain indifferent to what he says.
In particular, Princess Zhao's temperament and intelligence are far clearer than anyone else. If she directly refuses Wanyan Kang's "disaster relief request", Bao will be unhappy.
Mr. Kuang Bao is also the "leader" of this small circle of noble ladies in Zhongdu. If he loses the temple's largest benefactor in the past ten years, it will be even worse than the loss.
Zhiyuan slowly put his hands together in salute: "The young prince has a compassionate heart and cares about all living beings. How can we, Buddhist disciples, see death without saving anything? Then we will follow what the young prince said, and the poor monk will arrange for someone to open a porridge at the foot of the mountain.
factory."
It means that since the young prince has spoken, he must give him some face.
"Princess, the reason why this temple has not given out porridge before is mainly because of the severe drought in recent years, the fields in the temple are deserted, and the food storage is insufficient. In addition, there are more and more monks coming to the temple from all over the world to make orders. The poor monks are worried that they are unable to do it and dare not do it easily.
"
"It is not difficult to open a porridge factory, but what is difficult is... once the victims of the disaster in Zhongdu hear the news and all flock to the mountain, the situation will be difficult to deal with. If it is not handled properly, the temple may be in danger of being damaged."
Zhiyuan's next words were directed at Mr. Bao.
Mr. Bao looked a little sad after hearing this: "Master, Kang'er is so troublesome. He is causing trouble to the temple, and this disciple is really uneasy."
Zhiyuan turned around and asked the deacon monk to get the account book, and then said: "Princess, I am compassionate. No matter what, relieving the victims is a great merit. In fact, even if the young prince doesn't say this, this temple will prepare porridge in the next few days."
Factory."
Wanyan Kang smiled when he heard the words. He just listened to what the great monk said and didn't need to take it seriously.
"There are 261 registered monks in this temple, and 106 monks are temporarily staying in the temple. The temple has accumulated about 900 dan of rice and grain over the years. After deducting their own needs, the poor monks are willing to use 60% of it to help the victims."
Not long after, the deacon monk brought the account book of Anguo Temple and Zhiyuan presented it.
Mr. Bao shook his head and said: "I am a woman, how can I understand the account books! The master is so compassionate, which is really a blessing to the victims. After waiting for a while, I asked the prince to report to the court to commend the master and the temple for their virtues in the disaster relief.
That’s it.”
"Thank you, Princess."
Zhiyuan achieved his goal, his face became more solemn, and he chanted the Buddha's name again.
Afterwards, Zhiyuan hesitated and handed the account book to Wanyan Kang.
Although Wanyan Kang took it with both hands, he didn't look through it. He just put it on the case and said with a smile: "What the master said is not false, so there is no need to verify it with the account books..."
However, despite his polite words, Wanyan Kang secretly scanned the account book with his clairvoyant eyes and lost interest after just briefly looking at the content on the home page.
How could the great monk slap him in the face when he publicly showed the account books? You can understand what's going on if you think about it.
Regarding the great monk who was reluctant to speak, Wan Yankan saw it clearly.
But he didn't bother to worry about it.
At the same time, it is normal to feel sleepy. Although Buddhism is a pure place, it still has to support hundreds of monks and maintain decent operation. How can Zhiyuan be a philanthropist in vain?
He won't do it even if I leave him alone.
…
Zhiyuan clasped his hands and said again: "Princess, this poor monk has something else that you don't know whether to say or not?"
"Master, you're welcome. Please speak."
"During the disaster relief period of this temple, can you please ask the prince to send troops to guard the mountain gate to avoid disaster..."
Bao immediately turned to look at Chi Xi: "Just as the master said, General Chi Xi will immediately send someone back to report to the prince and send a troop over."
Chi Xi hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head and accepted the order.
As far as the military system of the Jin Kingdom is concerned, dispatching troops and generals is a major military matter. Although King Zhao is in charge of the imperial army in Zhongdu and has military power, without the decree of Emperor Jun of the Jin Dynasty, he can only use four or five internal guards dedicated to King Zhao at most.
Yes, you have to report it to the Ministry of War.
But once Anguo Temple releases the news of disaster relief, there is no telling how many victims will flock to the temple. Without the assistance of a large group of forbidden troops, it is probably difficult to control the overall situation with the hundreds of soldiers from Prince Zhao's palace alone, and there may be big trouble.
However, everyone knew that King Zhao loved Bao's mother and son. Chi Xi did not dare to disobey Bao's wishes, so he could only accept the problem first and wait and see how King Zhao would deal with it.
Chi Xi was about to turn around and leave the palace to send people back to the city when he heard his young master slowly smile and say: "General Chi Xi, wait a moment, I have something to ask you."