Chapter 7 Chapter 7: The Scholar Lives in an Ancient Temple and Is Desperate in Love

A light knock on the door awakened Wu Sidao, but when he stood up to listen, there was no movement, only the sound of the wind and rain outside the window.Wu Sidao thought it was a deaf mistake, and was about to go back to sleep when he knocked on the door again. "Who?" There was no answer, but the knocker rang twice more.Wu Sidao put on his clothes and got up, just opened the door a crack, a black shadow flashed in, turned around and closed the door again.Wu Sidao opened his eyes wide, but the room was too dark and he couldn't see anything clearly.Wu Sidao secretly chuckled and said, "What are you doing with this look? I'm a person who has been through the sea for a long time, and I have seen everything."

"it's me……" The man said something timidly.There was a flash of blue light outside, and the lightning shone in the sky, Wu Sidao saw it clearly, it was a woman!He suddenly felt the blood rushing all over his body, wishing to hit him with a crutch, and said viciously: "You?! Jin Fenggu—get out!" "I'm not Feng Gu." The man seemed surprised in the dark, and he spoke for a long time, but his voice was a little choked up: "I am... Feng Gu's stepmother—you must still remember Lancao'er, right?" Wu Sidao opened his mouth wide in surprise, and sat back on the edge of the bed.Lancao'er is my aunt's dowry girl, and she often came to serve her in Nanjing.Sometimes Wu Sidao and Feng Gu played the piano and recited poems, and she often watched with her needlework dazed.I came to the Jin Mansion all day today, but I didn't see her show up. She sneaked into the room at this time, and the reason is self-evident.Thinking about it, Wu Sidao said gloomily: "Seniors are orderly, men and women are different, you are overthinking things. Today, God knows what you know and I know. Don't say anything, just go!"

"Mr. Wu," Lancao'er said, her face could not be seen in the dark, "I am a serious person, not because... you are in great trouble, you have to go immediately!" I got up, and asked after a while: "Why am I in danger?" Lan Cao'er was so anxious that she didn't know what to say, "I don't have time to elaborate! I can't speak clearly even with a car! The plan of the old dead ghost and the party, I will send you off in the morning Shuntian Mansion will be treated as a prisoner..." Wu Sidao was thinking nervously, he couldn't figure out why this woman did this, so he couldn't tell whether her words were true or not.After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said with a smile: "I will send you to Shuntian Mansion, which is also a place where there are royal laws. The Empress Dowager passed away, and the imperial court gave me an amnesty. How can I get rid of me?" Lan Cao'er was stunned by him, sobbed for a long time and said: "I know you can't believe it... I'm an unclean person... The world is dangerous, and the Shuntian Fucheng is the master's brother; Master Longkodo is also a relative of the Eighth Prince! How can there be any reason? You...you don't believe me...how good..." Before she finished speaking, Wu Sidao had already set up his crutches and said in a low voice: "Don't you Said, I will leave immediately!"

"Amitabha!" Lan Cao'er recited the Buddha, and gently opened the door, a gust of rain swept in, causing Wu Sidao to shiver, but Lan Cao'er let out a sigh of relief, flashed out of the door, and raised his head Looking at the sky with lightning, he waved his hand and said, "Follow me!" As soon as Wu Sidao went out, he was drenched all over. With difficulty, he followed the erratic orchid grass with a cane, walked around the hallway, tiptoed through the West Flower Hall and entered the garden, dripping the stagnant water on the flower path, and walked past a gazebo , Seeing a dark corner door ahead, Lancao'er stopped, rustled out a bunch of keys and tried one by one.After a long time, Fang heard a "squeak" and the door opened.When Wu Sidao went out to look, there was a desolate suburb outside, lightning flashed one after another, lighting up like daytime, the surrounding rivers and seas were filled with the sound of thunder, lightning and wind and rain, turning the world into a chaotic world.Wu Sidao looked up to the sky and sighed, turned around and left.

"Wu—Mr. Wu!" "What?" Wu Sidao replied without turning his head. "Do you have any money?" One word reminded Wu Sidao: I didn't take the bag.After thinking for a while, she said: "No." Lan Cao'er groped in her bosom, handed over a bag, and said: "This is for me, the matter is too urgent, I haven't had time to prepare, you... don't dislike... Wu Sidao took the silver in a daze, and the silver was still warm, carrying the body heat of Lancao'er, and a wave of heat like blood surged up.Just as she was about to speak, Lancaoer asked again: "Where are you going? Is there somewhere to go?"

"I don't know." Wu Sidao stared blankly at the sky, shook his head and said, "Let's go and see!" "Someone from Siye's residence has come to inquire about you, you should go to him." Lan Cao'er said softly, "You...are disabled, have no relatives, and someone in the capital harmed you, I am afraid that only Siye can protect you well .” Wu Sidao glanced at Lancao'er in amazement, and his heart moved, he thought of the calm, prudent and well-groomed elder brother Yinzhen in the Hongqiao restaurant, but he never thought that he was always thinking of himself!Thinking about it, she murmured: "...This is fate..." "What did you say?" Lan Cao'er asked. "I didn't say anything." Wu Sidao came back to his senses, stared at Lan Cao'er and asked, "I want to know, why did you save me?"

"..." "Do you want me to guess forever?" "Mr. Wu..." "Well, huh?" "I...I am the most shameless... miserable woman in the world." Lan Cao'er sobbed, almost letting out her voice, "You...you...can you...kiss me?" There was another sound of thunder, and the wheels of the wheel spun and circled above the two heads as if they had run over a stone bridge.Wu Sidao remained silent, and came closer to take a closer look at Lan Cao'er's face.When the lightning came, it seemed that she was still as delicate, naive, and foolish as ten years ago.Without saying anything, he gave her a deep kiss on the wet and cold cheek, and said softly: "Smash this lock, go back and collect my bag..." With a sudden push, he turned around and disappeared into the boundless rainy night .

Wu Sidao walked through the deserted basil with one foot high and one foot low, crossed a section of mass graves, circled a pond full of reeds, and stepped off the official road into the street.He really wanted to calm down and think about what happened at Ye Lai, and what to do now, but the rain was too heavy, his mind was too chaotic, his heart was glued to the numbness, and he didn't know where the energy came from, so he walked away. Go fast—seems like it's best to go right to death. Suddenly there were three muffled gunshots in the rain, and Wu Sidao realized that it was Gongchentai telling the time, and it was midnight.He wiped his rain-soaked forehead and looked forward, a row of lights flickering faintly in the rain curtain.When I got closer, it turned out to be an ancient temple. The eaves of the mountain gate, the hanging buckets, the paintings and the arches are very magnificent. The white gauze palace lanterns swayed desolately in the wind, but there was no sound, only the faint sound of drums and cymbals chanting sutras could be heard in the temple.Wu Sidao went from the rainy ground to the gate of the temple, entered the inhabited area, stepped on the dry brick floor, as if he had just had a nightmare, stared blankly at the lights, felt the dazzling brightness, suddenly felt dizzy, he fell over Under the first ring of the mountain gate, I don't know anything.

When he woke up again, Wu Sidao found himself lying in a narrow, dilapidated house.Because of the overcast sky, the room was very dark, and there was a row of mottled steles embedded on the walls blackened by smoke—it was obvious at a glance that this was a monk's house rebuilt from a stele corridor, which had been in disrepair for a long time and had been abandoned.The rain outside is not so scary anymore, but it is still falling endlessly, there are bursts of thunder from time to time, and the raindrops drifting in with the wind from the broken window sills fall on the face, with a cold sweetness, very comfortable.Wu Sidao raised his head, but still felt dizzy and unbearably dizzy, so he lay down and closed his eyes to rest his mind, thinking to himself: I don't know who saved him?He suddenly heard a rush of footsteps, and hurriedly opened his eyes again.

"Wake up! Brother Li Fu—come and see!" Two scholars and a Toutuo came in, and they saw Wu Sidao looking at everyone suspiciously at a glance, and a square-faced scholar knelt down in surprise and greeted: "This dog-meat monk What a wonderful doctor——according to the group of bald donkeys in the temple, you have already been burned to ashes in the Zuojiazhuang Huarenchang! Tsk tsk! Life and death are as fleshy as bones, and your sexual voice is really a good method!" That one is called Li Fu He approached Wu Sidao, looked at Wu Sidao's face and said: "I really met you. Last night I thought it was hopeless! Sir, your surname is Taifu? If it weren't for Tian Wenjing and Xingyin, I'm afraid it would have been useless long ago. You've been in a coma for three days, you know?" "Three days?" Wu Sidao trembled all over, "I slept here for three days?" He said, and glanced at the Toutuo named Xingyin.

Xingyin was wearing a tattered earthen monk's uniform. He was greasy and looked about thirty years old. A black iron ring knife was dragging heavily around his waist. It weighed thirty or forty catties, but he had a hippie smile on his face. .Listening to Li Fu Tian Wenjing's words, he ignored it, pulled out a piece of fat and oily wax goose from his arms, and bit it, and said with a smile: "Mr. You are a human being in two lifetimes, how can you repay my monk?" Wu Sidao opened his eyes wide and said nothing, Tian Wenjing couldn't help asking: "So you two have known each other for a long time?" Wu Sidao shook his head, and asked in a weak voice: "Monk, where do you hang up, and how do you recognize me, Wu Sidao?" Xingyin chewed the goose meat, smacking loudly, and said with a smile: "Are you looking for the root of the dish? I am the judge under the seat of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, I will not criticize words, and your name is not listed in the book of life and death! The monks are all empty, and I don’t expect you to repay them. They are incomparable to the two of them. They write every night, stereotyped every day, and want to be big. Kui Tianxia wins the first prize, and falls into the world of mortals, not afraid of being full of mud! It's a pity... But there is also a monk who is inferior to others. He has no relatives to vote for and no marriage to count on. Of course, how can I get a woman? Throwing myself in the arms, kissing and cheating in the rain..." After saying that, he laughed.Wu Sidao was dumbfounded by his nonsensical words.Li Fu and Tian Wenjing just smiled.Tian Wenjing said: "I have never seen such a monk. Every day he eats chickens, ducks, and geese. Dead cats are eaten by dogs. He is really rude and defiles the mountain gate! At night, he grits his teeth, farts and snores. Now, if it weren't for brother Julai who lived in a thief's shop on the road and didn't have any money to spend, what can I do, who will be crowded with you and suffer?" After that, he pulled Li Fu, and said: "Let's do it according to the problem we assigned yesterday. Article, ignore him!" "Amitabha! You two are really wealthy people, and you don't know the Sixth Patriarch's way of keeping in good health!" Xingyin saw the two of them grinding ink and laying paper in front of a broken table in the north, and said with a smile, "My farting is like you making a fuss , that's kung fu—it's not a child's body, I'm afraid I can't practice it!" After finishing speaking, he got up and yawned lazily, and sat cross-legged beside Wu Sidao with his hands clasped together, as if he had changed in an instant, with a serious face With a look of respect, he said frankly: "Close your eyes, don't think about things, don't use force, I will cure you." Wu Sidao was also really tired, closed his eyes and said: "Wu has read all three tombs, five classics and eight books." Jiuqiu, the Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine has also studied the Golden Chamber Essentials, and I have never heard of such a cure. Don't make trouble, I don't believe it..." Xingyin sat upright with his hands together, and replied coldly: "My Buddha uses the emptiness Jishi, there are 300,000 volumes of Mahayana scriptures in the collection, I am afraid that you have not read them all--Amitabha, the road is like the sea, how can there be any cliffs?" Wu Sidao closed his eyes and wanted to refute, suddenly felt a cool and numbing air flow from the Yongquan acupoint, directly soaking into the Niwan Palace, and suddenly his heart was like the autumn wind passing over the hillock, and his mind was washed away like a wash. Xia Qingliang kept silent but couldn't speak anymore.He suddenly understood that this Lai Toutuo really possessed unique skills.Busily followed the instructions to gather his mind, and when he squinted his eyes slightly, Xingyinmuzao seemed to have settled down by accident, but he was still meditating as usual, there was no difference.At this time, Wu Sidao felt that the airflow was gradually warming up, getting stronger and stronger, rushing and reversing in the body, where the five viscera were making noises, all kinds of stagnation were shaken, tossed, and disintegrated by the airflow, and the limbs were all skeletal Feeling peaceful and beautiful suddenly, Wu Sidao couldn't help being surprised. "Okay." After a long time, Xingyin said, "Open your eyes and sit up!" Wu Sidao blinked, his eyes were clear immediately, he tried to support himself with both hands, and he sat up straight without any effort, but he didn't speak, just stared at Xingyin who had become smiling again.Xingyin put on a strange face, and said with a smile, "How about it, don't you thank Luohan?" Li Futian Wenjing had just finished an essay and was reading manuscripts in turn, and turned his face away when he saw this scene.Li Fuwu held a dripping pen in his hand, and said in surprise: "It's really a fairy method! A few days ago, I used the palm to give Qi to cure Mr. Wu's illness. Since this method is available, why not use it earlier?" Xingyin laughed and said: "Shen Yan doesn't need emergency medicine, he needs to be able to endure it! Don't you know that it's easy to fart and difficult to receive fart?" Wu Sidao asked in a daze, "You follow me all the way, save me, why?" "I have a fate with you." Xingyin said, "I came from the previous life at the Longhua meeting!" Wu Sidao saw that he refused to tell, so he had no choice but to let it go, and asked Tian Wenjing: "What kind of topic did the two stereotypes do? Can you see the teacher?" What?" "Oh," said Li Fu, "there are two papers that break the topic, and the title is 'Yin You Sanren'." After speaking, he handed over the two pieces of paper.Wu Sidao read Tian Wenjing's first, and wrote: There are many paths in the way, and if it returns to benevolence, then the wrong path leads to the sage, whether it is loyalty or forgiveness, it does not conform to the principles of heaven and man. Wu Sidao nodded and said: "Brother Tian's breaking point is reasonable, but it's not very relevant, and it can't stand the examiner's scrutiny. 'Three benevolence' is mentioned in the question. If you don't mention a word, how can the 'devil kings' Forgive you?" After finishing speaking, he looked at Li Fu's writing, but it was all in block letters, written beautifully and charmingly, but it was: The three sons have different ways, but they are one in benevolence.Benevolence is nothing more than that, why bother? Wu Sidao couldn't help sighing: "The words are concise and to the point, and they can be regarded as penetrating. It's just that this writing has no bone in it, and there are slight flaws - but compared with the two volumes, this one naturally has the upper hand." After finishing speaking, he sighed faintly. With a sigh of relief, he suddenly thought of himself, even if he could make a colorful article, could he still compete like Li Tian and Li Tian in the dragon gate?Xingyin laughed beside him and said, "I don't find it interesting to hear what you're talking about. What is the use of this kind of stepping-stone article to the world?" "At the beginning of Long live's ascension, stereotyped writing was decreed to be abolished, because it was really not beneficial to the world. But there is no other good way to imprison heroes - without this stepping stone, you will not be able to knock on this door. It’s usefulness!” Wu Sidao said politely, “But the text is for everyone’s use, and this article is not all empty talk. For example, the two articles just broke the topic and talked about the way of benevolence and righteousness. They are all for the sake of benevolence and love for the people. Strict, harsh, and violent—benevolence is fundamental. But when it comes to "benevolence", everyone takes a different path. The way of the world is ruled by lenient usage, gentle and civilized; He is still a benevolent person! Xingyin, you have read 300,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, do you understand this?" Xingyin laughed and said, "Where have I read Huangzi's 300,000 volumes? Just lead to this grand theory of yours! You scholars can’t figure it out, how can bald donkeys know?” Wu Sidao looked up at the sky and murmured: “This is true. Everyone can say the same thing about the principles of governing the world, and do it Still ignorant - listen, the thunder in the sky, some people say it is the drum of the sky, some people say it is the sound of nature. In short, it is the wrath of heaven, but who has ever seen a wolf, tiger, leopard, poisonous snake and beast killed by lightning? Only pick up people, pick up cattle Hit! God, is he fair?" As he spoke, there was a real burst of thunder in the sky, which made everyone tremble, and Wu Sidao's eyes were filled with tears. A few people were in a daze, when they heard the faint sound of drums and cymbals coming from the meditation hall in front of them, with the monks chanting scriptures and hitting the chime "Tuo Tuo", the endless wooden fish knocked on the mountain, which was very inconsistent with the atmosphere in the room.Tian Wenjing smiled and said, "Matsushita yelled, gluttonous food by the side of the qin—it's a shame, and I want to hear Mr. Wu's talk again! And who's going to do the funeral?" "Zhang Shiping is dead. The third son of Zhang Tingyu, the prime minister of the current dynasty." Xingyin said indifferently, "This is what the Zhang family did. Didn't you hear the "Curse of Rebirth" recited by the monks?" "Zhang Tingyu?" Li Fu thought with his head tilted. After thinking about it, "The Zhang family's great Confucianists and disciples of Confucianism also converted to Buddhism?" Tian Wenjing laughed and said, "You are really dumb! Now, which princes and ministers don't believe in Buddhism? Even the fourth elder brother, Tianhuang nobleman Golden branches and jade leaves are also Buddhist disciples! When it comes to Confucianism, Zhang Tingyu's father Zhang Ying is one of them. Zhang Tingyu is a kind-hearted Jinshi, but he is honored by his ancestors." Li Fu sighed: "Nowadays, you can't just look at the imperial examinations. You can think that if you get high in the middle school, you are a great Confucianist. Zhang Tingyu's talent and learning are considered to be top-notch among the ministers. At the beginning of the country, the scholars recruited Han scholars. At least there is an article that you can read a little bit." However, fame and fame are indispensable. Mingzhu has been a chancellor for twenty years, but he is just a fellow Jinshi; At that time there were no heroes in the world who made Zhu Zi famous, but now it is reversed, it is the tigers walking in groups in the mountains, and the monkeys dare not come down the trees!" After saying that, he smiled.Tian Wenjing said: "Zhang Tingyu is still honest, which is rare. Since we can't catch up with that time, we have no choice but to accept our fate. The first division, Beiwei, was the chief examiner of Wang Hongxu and Kui Xu, and the examiners of the first 18 rooms, I heard that none of them were Black room (people call the examiner who refuses to accept bribes a "black room")! This Mr. Zhang San, it is said that the Prime Minister did not allow him to take the path of kindness, and he was so tired of homework that he died of illness—to be a prime minister If you have this kind of heart, maybe this subject won’t be enough to eat up every household, right?” "You're too honest." Xingyin smiled and said, "I just believed Steward Zhang's fart! This Shiping is really mad, but it's not for homework, but for a woman, a real love! The Zhang family just wants to hide their ugliness, and let such a wind, this is Zhang Xiang's cleverness." Li Fu's eyebrows trembled slightly, and asked: "What's going on?" Xingyin glanced at Wu Sidao, and said: "Last year when Mr. Zhang went to Jinling, Zhang Shiping also went with him. Somehow, he fell in love with a servant named Guier from Xiaoyue Tower. When Mr. Xiang returned to Beijing, Zhang Shiping gave her He redeemed himself and hid in the deck to take back to Beijing. Not wanting to be found out by Zhang Tingyu on the way, he pinned the third master down in the official boat and whipped forty leather whips. Jing is going to die." Li Fu didn't say anything after hearing this, Tian Wenjing asked, "Where's that woman?" "The woman is very violent." Xingyin had no expression on her face. "At that time, I fell on Zhang Shiping and cried bitterly. I got up and bowed to Zhang Xiang, saying: 'I seduced the third young master. Xiangye, I Forgive the mistake of taking your life against the third master!' After saying that, he slammed his head on the iron anchor... Amitabha, sin!" Wu Sidao's heart sank when he heard it, and he couldn't help but think of himself: How could he not be lucky enough to meet such a fierce woman?Feeling desolate in his heart, he could only lower his head and remain silent.Tian Wenjing laughed and said, "It's a pity that Mr. Zhang San died because of love. Pu Liuxian of Shandong Province heard about it. He must write it into Liaozhai, and there is another good article to read." Li Fu said seriously: "Actually, this woman It's even more pathetic. If you can't guard your body like a jade, you don't have to seek death; if you really want to die, you shouldn't be in a brothel in the first place. This chaste woman is not like a chaste woman, and a whore is not like a whore, so writing an epitaph will hardly hurt a literati." Wu Sidao Listening to it is even more heart-piercing, such a tragic story is just a comment, it's just a joke!Because of standing up, he said: "Taoists are picky about people, and they are not inferior to the examiners. How many perfect people are there in ancient times who are perfectly combined with the principles of nature and human feelings? Confucius should really write the word 'last resort' in "The Doctrine of the Mean". Middle." After saying that, he walked out with his crutches, and walked south along the stele corridor. The back of this Dajue Temple is dilapidated, and the more you walk forward, the more tidy it becomes. Wu Sidao turned around the Dabei Temple, and suddenly felt that the golden emeralds were brilliant and his eyes lit up.The bronze statue of Tathagata standing in the middle of the Great Compassion Hall is five feet high, and the two subordinate Bodhisattvas are also made of bronze. solemn.The west wall of the verandah is painted with water, gold and powder, with paintings of Buddhas, companions, dolls, martyrs, and ghosts, all dressed naked, wearing shoulder pads, headbands, flower crowns, earrings, bracelets, necklaces... Zhang Yawuzhao looked strange, I don't know what the story is.On the east side, the wall is full of golden and purple staggered, painted with canopy, pipa, subduing magic pestle, nine-tin stick, Liuyun support, leopard tail spear, bull ear knife... What else are there treasure streamers, cloud heads, fancao, orbs, square flags, wind The fire wheel is Mulian saving the Buddha's mother, and there are images of Tathagata cutting meat and feeding eagles on the snow mountain. There is no benefit in messing around.On the contrary, the twenty-eight heavens in front of the Buddha, some are kind and kind, some are thoughtful, some are sad, some are laughing, some are old and gentle, some are gentle, some are mighty and ferocious. Thought-provoking.After all, Wu Sidao, who had just recovered from a serious illness, after tossing and rejoicing for a while, he felt qi deficiency and sweating, and his stomach seemed to be a little hungry.Because there are few tourists on rainy days, knowing that there is no place to buy food, I wandered out of the hall thinking about it, but I saw plain curtains, white curtains, and spiritual flags hanging high outside the Eastern Zhaifangjingshe, a white coffin shed, paper flowers and gold leaves in the breeze. Trembling, as if weeping for someone leaving.Wu Sidao knew that this was the place where Zhang Shiping's coffin had stopped, and when he thought of the people talking just now, he felt sad, but he couldn't shed the tears, so he walked over and stood leaning on the pillar, staring blankly with sadness and joy on his face. The ritual seemed to be coming to an end.Several family members standing in front of the mourning altar, wearing pockmarked shoulders, staggered against the shed pillars, stretched and yawned one after another, looking exhausted.A man who looked like a butler brought out a large plate of offerings, and placed it on one end, while yelling at everyone: "Are you going to die? Today is a serious day! The old lady will arrive soon, and the prime minister may also come with her. This The errands are in a mess, so carefully peel off the skin! Look at the paper horses over there, some have broken legs, some have no tails, and the paper sedan chairs are also wet, so hurry up and straighten the sacrifices in the porch—— Anyway, after today, my wife must have a holiday, there will be a time for you to stand up!" Everyone gathered together to tidy up.Wu Sidao was about to leave when suddenly a person from the west staggered over with his face covered in his hands, weeping loudly.Wu Sidao was stunned for a moment, and when he fixed his eyes, he was even more surprised: it turned out to be Li Fu!