Chapter 81 Section 81: The Treasure of Town Temple

The sedan chair flew towards Zeng's mansion.Li Wenlu, Mei Yi, and Zeng Zhaojun also got on the sedan chair in a hurry; Li Wenlu and Mei Yi followed Zeng Guofan into the mansion, and Zeng Zhaojun hurriedly invited a doctor he knew well. Zhou Sheng called people to carry Zeng Guofan to the bed in the bedroom. Tang Xuan also entered the bedroom with his family member, the third elder brother of the Nan family who came from Heyetang to report the funeral. Everyone surrounded Zeng Guofan and called "Master" and "Master". non-stop. At this time, Zeng Zhaojun hurried over with his doctor.

The doctor felt Zeng Guofan's pulse, and asked someone to help Zeng Guofan up. He rolled up his sleeves and began to pat Zeng Guofan's back according to the acupuncture points. After patting for a long time, he heard Zeng Guofan's throat click twice. .The doctor asked Zhou Sheng to put a basin in front of Zeng Guofan, and then he exerted force suddenly, and Zeng Guofan heard a wow, and spit out a big mouthful of white phlegm. Li Wenlu said, "It's okay", and saw that Zeng Guofan's eyes could move slowly, but he didn't seem to understand what happened. The third brother of the Nan family knelt down on the ground at this time, and shouted: "Eldest young master, the third brother of the Nan family pays his respects."

Zeng Guofan was stunned, jumped out of bed, plopped and knelt down opposite the third brother of the Nan family, grabbed the heavy filial piety tied in the waist of the third brother of the Nan family with both hands, and asked in surprise: "The old ancestor is really gone?" Hugging the third brother of the Nan family and crying loudly.Everyone in the room wept. After crying for a while, Li Wenlu helped Zeng Guofan and said, "My lord's condolences!" Only then did Zeng Guofan stop crying slowly, and while calling Li Wenlu, Mei Yi, Zeng Zhaojun, and the doctor to sit down in the study, he told Tang Xuan to prepare for the mourning hall, and arranged for Li Bao, Liu Heng and others to go to the street to buy the family's Filial piety cloth.

Li Wenlu sat down for a while, then resigned together with Mei Yi and Zeng Zhaojun. The doctor also got up to say goodbye, Zhou Sheng handed over the money he had prepared, but the doctor refused to accept it.Zhou Sheng had no choice but to stuff the money into the doctor's medicine box. After sending a few people to the door to watch the sedan chair, Zeng Guofan returned to the study and asked about the cause of death of his ancestor Zeng Xinggang. On the third day of October, when Zeng Linshu and his younger brother Jiyun greeted Zeng Xinggang together, Zeng Xinggang also discussed with his son whether Zeng Guofan might return home this year to visit his relatives.Zeng Linshu knew that his father missed his eldest grandson, so he lied to him that Zicheng had sent a letter last month, explaining that he would come back to visit relatives at the beginning of the year.

Zeng Xinggang also said at the time: "The official of the Ministry of Rites is an important minister of the imperial court. He told Zicheng to put the country first and then the family. There is no country and no family. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it." Zeng Linshu replied: "My Qing Dynasty governs the country with loyalty and filial piety, and Zicheng is afraid that the emperor will not allow it if he doesn't visit his relatives!" Zeng Xinggang said that he had no appetite and did not go to the dining hall for breakfast.The two brothers Zeng Linshu hurriedly came to the bedroom to have a look, and asked what was wrong.

At this time, Zeng Xinggang had already answered the question: "I don't know how your mother is doing over there. This old thing, I thought of visiting me in the middle of the night last night." Zeng Linshu felt that something was wrong, and when he left his bedroom, he sent his servants to Xiangxiang to invite the doctor; when the doctor arrived, Zeng Xinggang could not speak, closed his eyes peacefully, and gasped for breath. The doctor felt his pulse, quietly pulled Zeng Linshu aside, and said in a low voice, "The old man is useless, hurry up and put on your clothes, you won't be able to put them on if it's too late."

Zeng Xinggang passed away at night, at the age of seventy-six, he died without any illness. The funeral was also well organized, and people from the governor's office in Hunan sent special scrolls and couplets. The third brother of the Nan family finished speaking with snot and tears, and Zeng Guofan cried again. Sending off the third elder brother of the Nan family, Zeng Guofan took a leave of absence for two months, set up a suit, and kept a filial piety for his grandfather.Daoguang felt his filial piety, and he was approved by the imperial court.The Zeng Mansion in the capital is all covered in white.

For seven days, Zeng Guofan ate and lived in front of his grandfather's coffin.All the big and small officials who came to ask questions were blocked by Zhou Sheng. Seven days later, Zeng Mansion opened its doors to welcome guests. To Zhou Sheng's surprise, the first guest he greeted was a young monk from Baoguo Temple. Due to the season, and the rain the night before, the young monk's bare scalp was pale and blue, and he was chilling. The little monk was originally thin and wore few clothes. When he stood in front of Zeng Guofan, he was still shivering.He clasped his palms together to make an inquiry, and said: "Master Zeng, the elder Yizhen of my family please come to the temple to meet him quickly, and he has something important to say to him."

Zeng Guofan and Elder Yizhen haven't seen each other for half a year. He originally wanted to spend a few days in the temple to relieve his recent depression, but because of his filial piety, he was afraid of attracting criticism, so he didn't make the trip. After listening to the little monk's words, Zeng Guofan thought over and over again, and finally said: "How is the elder? Please tell the master: I have a filial piety, and it is not suitable to travel. When my leave is over, I will definitely visit Baocha." The little monk hesitated for a moment, and then said: "The elder has not had water or rice for more than ten days, and it seems that he will not be able to wait until the adult's leave is full." He lowered his head as he spoke.

Zeng Guofan was startled, and hurriedly asked: "Why, Master is ill? Why didn't you tell me earlier!" He turned around and shouted out the door: "Li Bao, prepare the sedan chair." A promise from the outside. Zeng Guofan turned his head and said to the little monk: "Please wait a moment, little master. I will change my clothes, and we will go." Then he walked out of the study and went to the bedroom to change. Soon, Zeng Guofan's sedan chair left the mansion, except for the four bearers, there were only three guards, Li Bao, Liu Heng and the young monk in front of the sedan chair, a total of six people.Li Bao and Liu Heng are high-ranking bodyguards, Li Bao has a seventh-rank title, and Liu Heng has an eighth-rank title. The two have long been separated from the ranks of ordinary guards, and they are sent to Zeng Guofan by the Ministry of Rites.

Zeng Guofan was led by the young monk all the way to Yizhen's meditation room.Master Yizhen lay sideways on the Zen bed, covered with a thin quilt. Zeng Guofan and Yizhen hadn't seen each other for only half a year, and Yizhen was already so skinny and thin-skinned, his complexion was blue and black, as if he had changed completely. Zeng Guofan hurried to the bedside and called out emotionally, "Master!" The little monk also whispered in Yizhen's ear and said, "Master, Master Zeng is here." Yizhen's whole body moved violently, and then he slowly opened his eyes, and after a long time of discernment, he said: "Let Mr. Zeng sit down and watch tea." After a rest, he said: "The poor monk's return is approaching, his old eyes are dim, It's because I can't see the face of adults..." After speaking, he struggled to get up. The little monk hurried over and helped Yizhen up to sit against the wall, then he went out and brought in a wooden stool, and went out to pour tea. Yizhen pointed to the stool with his finger, and after Zeng Guofan sat down, he said slowly: "The poor monk is useless. The reason why I asked the young man to bring the lord here is because there is something to tell." At this time, the little monk tiptoed in, put two cups of tea in front of Zeng Guofan and Yizhen, and quietly withdrew, closing the door. Yizhen went on to say: "When the poor monk was young, he used to worship the elder Shikong of Wutai Mountain as his teacher. Shikong's common surname is Wei, and he is a descendant of Wei Zheng, the famous prime minister in Tang Dynasty. Shikong was already a hundred years old when he accepted the poor monk, and he still has a lot of time. He never tires of explaining Buddhist principles to poor monks. "One day, Elder Shikong caught a cold and fell ill. The poor monk was grateful for his kindness and waited on him for more than two months. When Elder Shikong was dying, he gave the poor monk a yellow cloth Baggage, inside the bundle, there are three volumes of old tattered books. Shikong said that this book is ancestral, and it was acquired by the ancestor Wei Zheng when he was young. It has been hundreds of years, and he has never shown it to others. He feels my sincerity, In my heart, I decided to give this ancestral thing to the poor monk, and it can also be regarded as a memorial for the poor monk. "The poor monk took the book in his hand, but Shi Kong was still worried, and told the poor monk: 'This book should not be passed on to those who are not upright, nor should it be passed on to those who are not generals.' After Master Shikong passed away, the poor monk left Mount Wutai. , this burden has been carried by the poor monk all the time. The poor monk has been in the world for eighty springs and autumns, and he has seen several famous mountains and rivers, and met some princes and generals, but it is all passing. Those who are upright lack the guts to accomplish great things, while those who are courageous, resourceful and upright are all ordinary people and cannot become pillars. "My lord, although you and I are from the same village, we met in the capital. Although we don't have close contacts, we can bond with each other. The poor monk has read countless people, and has also learned the techniques of pornography and the old. The poor monk is a dying person. Let me just say a few words, I don’t think your lord will be bothered. I think it’s easy for your lord to pay homage to a minister. It’s also possible to be a king or a marquis. Only adults can keep the three volumes handed down from the Wei Dynasty for the poor monk. The qualifications of the book writer should not be in vain, and the poor monk can easily go to see Elder Shikong." As soon as he finished speaking and took a break, he took the pillow tremblingly and tried to tear it apart, but he couldn't move it!Zeng Guofan hurriedly took the pillow, tore it lightly, and a big gap opened in the pillow: a bundle of yellowed books fell out. Yizhen pointed to the bundle of books, and said: "That's it. Master Zeng, drink your tea slowly, the poor monk is tired and needs to rest for a while." Then he closed his eyes. Zeng Guofan took the bundle of books and quietly withdrew, seeing the young monk standing outside the door, he said: "Master is tired, he wants to rest for a while, you can walk around with me." The little monk said: "Knowing that the adults have entered the mountain gate, the vegetarian room has prepared a table of vegetarian dishes for the adults to use. The adults should go with the monk to eat." Zeng Guofan agreed with a "yes", and then asked: "Which doctor is the one who showed Master the pulse?" The little monk replied as he walked: "It's Mr. Qi from the "Yi Shou Xing" of the capital. He took the pulse seven days ago. When the pulse is out, he will tell Master Zhixiang, prepare for the funeral, the master's time has come. The master himself said The time has come." Zeng Guofan stepped into the fasting room with the young monk and before he was seated, an old monk hurried in, sang the Buddha's name to Zeng Guofan, and said: "Master Zeng, Master Yizhen, who is my host, has passed away. Amitabha!" Zeng Guofan hurried to the meditation room, and saw Yizhen's fellow disciples were busy cleaning his body and changing his robes, and a dozen monks were setting up firewood in the middle of the temple. After they put on the robes, they carried them to a futon and sat down, hardening their legs to the same shape as when they were chanting sutras. Seeing that, Zeng Guofan seemed to have fallen asleep, his face was relaxed, without any look of pain and nostalgia, as if he had completed the task entrusted by the Buddha and returned home on the crane.Zeng Guofan has always treated people with sincerity and forgiveness in making friends. When he recalled his relationship with Yizhen, he felt hot in his eyes and burst into tears. He held back his grief and asked the little monk to take out a pen and paper. After pondering for a while, he wrote the four characters "The Soul Comes Back". Parting, Zeng Guofan told the little monk that the words "Soul Comes Back" must be incinerated.The little monk nodded in agreement. Zeng Guofan left the temple and never set foot in Baoguo Temple again.However, Zeng Guofan wrote to Yizhen the four characters "The Soul Comes Back", but they were not burned, but stayed.Many years later, it became the treasure of Baoguo Temple.