With just one glance, everyone was shocked by the many gods and Buddhas in the Thousand Buddhas Temple. They all seemed to have lost their souls and stood in the middle not knowing where to look.
This is indeed a temple invested by the imperial court. Most of the statues of gods and Buddhas in it are made of gold. I don’t know whether they are pure gold or cast. At least they look magnificent, with the light of everlasting lamps shining everywhere.
After everyone watched for a while, a monk came out from the inner wall behind the central Buddha statue, walked slowly to a few people, and then said to Li Zijin: "Your Highness, the host has invited you."
In addition to the large hall at the entrance, this main hall also has an inner wall that divides the hall into two rooms, the inside and the outside.
The outer room is large and the inner room is small. The inner room is divided into three floors, so few people enter.
The monk who came from the inner room led the group to the outside of the inner room and asked their followers to wait in the main hall. Only Xia Shang, Li Zijin and Ni Chang were left to enter.
Then the three of them walked all the way to the top floor of the palace, where they saw a relatively large lower-floor room.
There is no trace of Buddhism here, it is more like an ordinary scholar's room, with pens, ink, paper, inkstones, and a desk, piano, and chess.
Inside, by the window, two people were sitting opposite each other, playing chess seriously, with the scent of tea lingering in their hands, which seemed quite comfortable.
One of the two men was dressed as an ordinary scholar, and the other was wearing a cassock.
Presumably this man in cassock is Master Wujie, the abbot of Thousand Buddhas Temple.
But the person who plays chess with him...
Xia Shang took a closer look and recognized this person as Mr. Dongyue.
The arrival of Li Zijin and Nishang interrupted the chess game upstairs. The monk who was playing chess stood up and walked up to the two men with a smile: "The poor monk Wujie, please see Your Highness the Prince and Your Highness the Princess."
Saying this, he bowed respectfully to show his respect.
At the same time, Mr. Dongyue also looked in the direction of Li Zijin. Unlike the host, Mr. Dongyue just nodded calmly and said nothing.
On the contrary, Li Zijin and Nishang saluted one after another: "Student has met Mr. Dongyue."
After a brief greeting, the two old men's eyes fell on Xia Shang.
"Who is this?" Master Wujie asked.
Li Zijin replied: "Mr. Xia Shangxia of Yangzhou, a friend, happened to meet him in the temple, so he came over with him."
"It turns out that he is an old friend of His Highness the Prince. It's a pleasure to meet him. I wonder where the benefactor was born and what his official position is?"
The first question he asked during the meeting made Xia Shang frown. Besides, he was a monk and the abbot of Thousand Buddha Temple...
"Just an ordinary businessman."
"Businessman?" Wujie looked puzzled, but could not see any contempt. He still smiled and said, "The donor came from thousands of miles away and is sincere."
"Yangzhou merchants are not ordinary Yangzhou merchants."
On the side, Mr. Dongyue suddenly spoke. He was dressed in gray cloth without any modifications and looked very simple, but the elegance between his brows made him not look old at all.
"If I remember correctly, this Mr. Xia is the one who made the famous wine Wuliangye flourish, right?"
"Mr. Dongyue is laughing, the essence of grains is a small shop opened by this junior."
"Small shop? It's not small! Not to mention the sales of Wuliangye in various places in Yangzhou. Just talk about the scale of the new winery in Suzhou, which is unique in the world. Before I came to the capital, I heard that Wuliangye's new winery has been completed, leading to
Several well-known trading houses in the capital have also negotiated the purchase. The first batch of wine will be shipped to the capital soon. I believe that within half a year, the name of Wuliangye will be well-known in the capital."
Mr. Dongyue is a good drinker. How could he not understand that Wuliangye is such a good product?
But there is no Wuliangye in Beijing yet, and the host on one side has no idea what the two are talking about.
Mr. Dongyue took the initiative to explain: "Master Wujie, I don't know something. The Wuliangye brewed by this person is the best wine in the world. In the Jiangnan area, almost everyone knows about it, and it is also expensive.
Wuliangye, the best of all, is even more precious than gold. Many famous people in the south of the Yangtze River came to seek it, but it was priceless. This included me, who searched for the best Wuliangye several times, but all failed.
.”
Xia Shang laughed and looked at Mr. Dongyue: "If I had known that Mr. Dongyue liked it, I should have taken the initiative to deliver it to you. Sir, don't worry. If you bring new wine to the capital, I will personally select the best wine and send it as a gift."
At home."
"This is naturally the best thing."
Such a conversation quickly narrowed the distance between Xia Shang and Mr. Dongyue.
Xia Shang did not expect such an episode.
Seeing that several people in the room were getting along well, Master Wujie invited them to sit on the futon in front of the bed.
Xia Shang went over and saw that the chess game in front of him was not over yet. There were only a few pieces on the board.
However, the monk Wujie seemed to have no intention of continuing, and said with a smile: "The prince and princess must not be negligent, and Mr. Dongyue must not be negligent either. We can only invite a few of them to gather here today."
Mr. Dongyue didn't answer. He didn't seem to think much of the host. Instead, he asked Xia Shang: "Mr.
"Huh?" Xia Shang said easily.
Mr. Dongyue chuckled: "There is no need to hide it. Mr. Xia came in earlier and his face showed a hint of joy after he recognized me. Although it was only for a moment, it also showed his heart palpitations."
Xia Shang paused for a moment: "At this poetry meeting, just like others, I am just taking the opportunity to become famous. I can see Mr. Dongyue tonight, and I will have the opportunity to say a few words tomorrow. Isn't it a good thing? So I am happy."
"Master Xia is a businessman, why are you so obsessed with fame and fortune among scholars?"
"Being an official is a lifelong wish."
"But according to the laws of the imperial court, officials and businessmen cannot work together."
"The records of the law are true, but there are also many people who are advanced officials and businessmen, and it is not obvious that they have violated many taboos."
Mr. Dongyue nodded in agreement: "The struggle for fame and fortune is what you young people are chasing after. There is nothing wrong with you having this idea, and I don't need to advise you. But becoming famous in the poetry festival is not something I can help.
"
"This is natural. I just hope that I can be by Mr. Dongyue's side tomorrow and say a few words. Whether I can win applause depends entirely on God's will."
Li Zijin interjected: "Oh, wouldn't it be nice to ask the husband to tell you tomorrow's question? If you have one more day to prepare, you will naturally be much better than others."
Mr. Dongyue did not answer and only looked at Xia Shang.
"Why is this necessary? But rely on real materials."
Mr. Dongyue nodded: "It's very good, very good. The wine is as good as the person, and it deserves to be as pure as Wuliangye."
At this time, the monk Wujie on the left lowered his voice and asked in Xia Shang's ear: "This donor, it is easy to make money but hard to keep it. Why don't you give up some sesame oil money in this Thousand Buddha Temple to ensure that your family business is prosperous? We, Qian,
Buddhist temple…”
The monk suddenly started talking about business, which surprised Xia Shang, but before he could say anything, he saw a strong gust of wind coming from the window.
With a "pop" sound, the lights in the room went out and the panels on the two windows clanked.
The room was dark, and I didn’t know what was going on. I heard the door being opened, and someone shouted: “Host, be careful!” (To be continued)