Chapter 58 Continue to listen to the story of the monk
With that said, Zhao Ran was about to get up. Of course he was just making gestures, but in fact he really wanted to hear what he said.
As soon as he stood up, he was stopped by Mingjue and sat down again. Mingjue said: "We are hosting a banquet today. How can we drive away the host and guests? It's inappropriate, it's inappropriate. These are just words of the same family, as Senior Brother Xingzhen said.
I just heard it and forgot about it."
Everyone sat down, and Mingjue continued to talk: "At that time, I received a mission failure report from the Imperial City Division, saying that Ning Gu, a senior official in Sichuan, encountered a Taoist siege and retreated..."
Zhao Ran listened calmly with a smile, but his heart skipped a beat, and the tea cup in his hand shook slightly!
Xingzhen interjected: "Are you talking about the report issued by Deputy Envoy Li of the Imperial City Department? I remember reading it at the time, and there was nothing surprising about it. I didn't see the name of Master Xu Gu."
Mingjue said: "I checked the files. Before Master Xu Gu broke through the realm, the Imperial City Secretary invited him to give lectures on Buddhism."
Xingzhen said with a smile: "You are talking about this without any evidence, just listen to it as a story."
Mingjue also laughed: "It was originally a story. But I always feel that Master Xu Gu is very interesting. He is not as simple as his resume on the surface, otherwise he would not have become the elder of the West Hall inexplicably."
As we talked, the dishes from Baoen Temple were also served one after another. In addition to vegetables, there were also various beans, especially vegetarian fish made from tofu, vegetarian duck, etc., which not only looked beautiful, but also tasted great.
, it is indeed well-deserved.
In this world, Buddhism does not abstain from eating meat and fish. The Xia Kingdom is fine, but the weather in Tubo is extremely cold. The monks who have just entered the practice cannot bear it without eating meat and fish. Only those schools with extremely strict precepts
There are similar bans.
But since there is such a gimmick, Baoen Temple happens to be doing an excellent job in vegetarian food, so it has gradually become a tourist attraction for everyone.
After tasting the vegetarian food at Baoen Temple, he removed the bowl and brewed fragrant tea again. Xingzhen opened his mouth and said to Zhao Ran: "Cheng Donor, last time I got a painting of a mountain guest from the benefactor. When I returned to Tianlong
After the hospital, I went to enjoy the fun with Junior Brother Mingjue. Junior Brother Mingjue was very happy..."
Zhao Ran nodded and said: "Next time if I have a chance, I will go to Ming Dynasty with someone else and see if I can ask for a calligraphy scroll from the mountain travelers and give it to Master Mingjue."
Xingzhen nodded and said: "The reason why I invited the donor here this time was not because of the calligraphy of the mountain guest. My junior brother has been very fond of calligraphy all his life, and he is obsessed with it. From the perspective of a poor monk, he can actually write very well.
Cheng Donor is the one who collects everyone here. I invite you here today because I want to ask Cheng Donor to identify and give you some advice."
So, Zhao Ran understood instantly and immediately laughed: "Good thing, come on, I am lucky to be able to see the calligraphy of the eminent monk today!"
Mingjue said a few words of modesty, then took out a few calligraphy scrolls from his sleeves. These sleeves must be storage instruments. Zhao Ran pretended to be surprised and said a few words of envy, then spread out the scrolls on the table to examine them.
When it comes to calligraphy, Zhao Ran is an expert. Although he was not worth mentioning in the world before traveling, here, he has become a top celebrity with his unique and novel calligraphy innovations. Of course, his current identity cannot be exposed.
But it does not affect his judgment from a perspective beyond the world.
The three paintings are all in small regular script, but they are three poems. Zhao Ran has never read them. He doesn't know who wrote them. He guesses that they were written by monk Mingjue himself. However, he didn't dare to speak freely, so as not to show his cowardice, so he just appreciated the calligraphy.
Upon seeing it, Zhao Ran was slightly surprised. It was indeed a good word!
Under the expectant gazes of Xingzhen and Mingjue, Zhao Ran pondered for a moment and said: "It comes from the sky and goes from the sky. It is indeed a good word. It has the true meaning of "empty" in the Buddha... The word "Master Mingjue" has the same meaning as "Master Mingjue".
Zen Master Tang Shiyong is also comparable."
Mingjue's face suddenly glowed with joy, and he humbly said: "I'm a generous donor."
Xing Zhen praised: "Chan Donor really has a good eye. This junior fellow monk, the poor monk, has been trained by the two kings since he was a child, and the one he admires the most is Zen Master Yong."
Zhao Ran said: "So it turns out that I have indeed won the favor of three of them. Cheng has a merciless request, I don't know whether to say it or not."
Xing Zhen said: "If you want to be a donor, just say it and you don't need to tell anyone."
Zhao Ran nodded: "Can Master Mingjue give up on these three calligraphy paintings? Jinbo Auction House will hold the sixth autumn calligraphy and painting auction in two days. Unfortunately, there is no highlight work. Cheng wants to buy these three paintings.
Having the works on stage can also add color to the auction."
How could Xingzhen and Mingjue be unhappy? The two of them invited Zhao Ran out for a vegetarian meal just for this reason.
After the matter was negotiated, the relationship between the three of them became a little closer.
Since when it comes to calligraphy, the three lovers naturally have a wide range of topics in common. They talked to each other and talked about the mountain guest who is now very popular.
Mingjue admired the mountain guest's "mountain body" very much. He actually collected one and kept it with him to study it every day. As he spoke, he took out another scroll from his sleeve and spread it on the table.
At first glance, it is a picture within a calligraphy.
In the painting, a woman carries a hoe on her back and walks along the sandbank where the mountain spring flows, gradually disappearing into the clouds and mist. Sixteen meaningful small characters in regular script are written in the blank space above:
"The jianjia is green and the white dew is like frost. The so-called beauty is on the side of the water."
Mingjue pointed at the scroll and explained: "This is an inscription written by a mountain guest for the woman in the painting. It should be an early work."
Zhao Ran was shocked and looked at the calligraphy and painting for a long time without saying a word.
Seeing that Zhao Ran was silent for a long time while looking at the calligraphy and painting, Mingjue was surprised and said, "Has Donor Cheng seen this painting and calligraphy? Could it be that this work is a forgery?"
Has Zhao Ran seen this calligraphy and painting? He has seen it before!
When Zhao Ran first entered Wuji Academy, Zhou Gao, then the prefect of Long'an Prefecture, held an elegant gathering at Beacon Villa. Yu Zhiyuan, a disciple who was also interested in calligraphy, invited Zhao Ran to attend the pen gathering, where he met the elegant and elegant female crown Zhou Yumo, who was astonished at the time.
.
Zhou Yumo took out his own landscape painting and asked Zhao Ran to inscribe it, and Zhao Ran took up his pen and wrote these sixteen words.
After careful identification, Zhao Ran was shocked. What was the forgery? This was definitely an authentic work! It couldn't be more authentic!
The question is, how did this calligraphy and painting get into the hands of Mingjue?
Zhao Ran calmed down and said: "It is undoubtedly authentic and cannot be fake. I just wonder where Master Mingjue got it from?"
This calligraphy and painting was the beginning of a tacit understanding between him and Zhou Yumo. Now it has fallen into the hands of Monk Mingjue, the deacon of Tianlongyuan. It really makes people feel anxious and uneasy.
Zhao Ran thought about it for a long time, and found two most likely reasons. One is that Zhou Yumo transferred this calligraphy and painting to others, and then wandered to Xingqing Mansion; the other is that Zhou Yumo was captured or even killed by Buddhists in Xia Kingdom.
After killing him, this painting and calligraphy became a trophy for the Buddhist monks.
If it's the former, the meaning behind it is really sad; and if it's the latter, Zhao Ran simply can't imagine it...