The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 194 Everything is ready and everything is ulterior motives

 The food table in the main room has been set up long ago, but there is still no movement in the study room with the door ajar. Liuli took a step forward and wanted to knock on the door. After hesitating for a moment, she turned back and saw Mr. Kang looking at the case in a daze.

On the ebony dining table with sterling silver edges, there are seven or eight dishes scattered randomly. Green leeks, tender green peas, browned grilled meat and snow-white tofu are all placed in a transparent glass bowl with some blue spots. In the middle is a colorful stained glass round bowl, which contains hot yokan. , there are two gold foil glass plates on the side with freshly baked small ancient buildings, jade noodles and various dried and fresh fruits from Xizhou. There are also two light colored glasses and a painted glass in front of Pei Xingjian and An Sanlang's seats. The red wine color of the double-eared glass jug makes the blond beauty on the jug more vivid.

Seeing Liuli coming over, Mr. Kang let out a sigh of relief, pointed at the table and said with a smile, "These glazed vessels are so beautiful. Put together they look like paintings. How can I put them down with chopsticks?"

Liuli smiled and said, "They are just some gadgets found in the market. They are fresh and beautiful." These Roman glasswares are rare in Xizhou, and they are even rarer in Chang'an, and there are no people there. After the steamed buns are cooked, they are used to serve vegetables and cakes—in fact, she herself is reluctant to part with them on weekdays. It's just that the food in Xizhou is not much different from that in Chang'an. Today, she is going to the workshop to check on the progress of the slingshot. The home-cooked dishes made by the cook in a hurry are almost the same as An's daily meals. She also I had to use these glass dishes to fill the scene.

Kang looked at it carefully for a long time, then clicked his tongue and shook his head, "How can such a rare glass vessel be used to hold hot things? Wouldn't it be a pity if it cracked?"

Liuli was startled and didn't know how to explain that this was soda-lime glass produced in Rome. It had a different composition from the lead-barium glass in the Central Plains and was not fragile due to heat. She could only smile and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, I've tried it all. These are not afraid of heat.”

Kang suddenly remembered that he seemed to have heard someone say that the colored glaze from Tianzhu was a little different from the ordinary ones... He wanted to ask again, but then he heard the wooden door of the study squeak, and An Sanlang and Pei Xingjian walked out. Pei Xingjian No matter that, he still looked gentle and relaxed as usual, but Anzaburo's eyes were shining, his face was red, and his beard looked higher than usual.

Kangshi smiled and took a step forward, "I thought Jiulang was talking to you, but you didn't even know you were hungry or full."

Pei Xingjian smiled quickly and leaned forward, "Sister-in-law, don't be surprised. She is the one who kept the promise. She pulled my brother to talk, but she forgot the time."

  Yasaburo chuckled, "That's not the case, I would like to do it a few more times!"

The four of them were chatting and joking while taking their seats at the table. An Sanlang glanced at the table and couldn't help but be stunned. Pei Xingjian glanced at Liuli with a smile, stood up and filled An Sanlang's glass with a glass of wine. "This is Liuzhong's three-year-old wine. Sanlang might as well try it."

But Anzaburo lowered his head and looked carefully at this glass, which was obviously not the Central Plains style, for a long time. He picked it up and took a sip, sighing, "It's really a good wine... Did this glass come from Tianzhu?"

Pei Xingjian nodded, "Sanlang has a good eye. She just likes these items and bought many of them."

Anzaburo glanced at the room and couldn't help but laugh. The layout of this room is unique. The silk surface of the six-curved sandalwood screen is exquisitely hand-painted with pictures of Hu Nu. The floor is covered with a large food carpet with beige and ocher animal patterns. A curved-horned sheep head oil lamp is hung on the wall. , in the vase on the high table, there are actually two twisted black branches inserted. Each of them is quite unusual, but they are arranged together, but they are not awkward at all, but have an indescribable charm.

Ansaburo was in a good mood at this time. He drank heavily and praised it profusely. He ate another jade noodle tip and nodded, "This noodle is delicious with filling!"

Kang saw his smiling face that didn't stop at this moment, and couldn't help but ask, "What did Jiulang say to you today, and why are you so happy?"

An Sanlang smiled and said nothing, and glanced at Pei Xingjian. Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "I have something to trouble Sanlang to help me."

Anzaburo hurriedly said, "Where can I help? Don't tell me about this matter. It will be a great good thing for An family and business in Xizhou!"

Pei Xingjian saw Liuli and Kang looking at him curiously, and explained with a smile, "When the army arrives this autumn, I want Sanlang to take the merchants to deliver food with the army."

Liu Li was still a little confused, but Kang's face showed surprise, "Is it possible that the An family took over this matter?"

An Sanlang glanced at her and said, "This is confusing. Even if the An family has three heads and six arms, how can they handle this matter? It's just to take the lead and let all the merchants from the branch who come to Xizhou all the time come in. Let's calculate the approximate inventory and inventory of the merchants. It's just the shortage of each military warehouse!" The merchants were originally willing to do business with the imperial court. According to the price Pei Xingjian currently said, the military rations will naturally make a lot of profit, and An Jia is taking the lead, so the benefits are self-evident! He came to Xizhou this time not to open two small stores, but to expand Anjia's business in Xizhou. Unexpectedly, he encountered such a golden opportunity!

Liuli immediately understood that this was tantamount to turning the official task of military rations into a business, allowing merchants to collect and deliver grain. Anjia was already the leader of merchants in Xizhou, so it was natural for him to come forward to organize it. However, businessmen are looking for profits, so how can they make money without money? An Sanlang and his wife didn't know what was going on, but she knew that there was not much money in silk in the Duhu Mansion. What was Pei Xingjian planning? Liuli couldn't help but look at him in confusion.

Pei Xingjian didn't want to say much. He just smiled and asked Liuli, "The bear meat in the jade noodle tip is quite plump today. When did you buy it?"

Liuli also knew that this was not the time to ask questions. She just thought about the origin of the bear meat and couldn't help but smile on her face, "Where did you buy it? It was given by the Korean miracle doctor!"

Pei Xingjian was startled, shook his head and laughed. Han Si is now a serious medical practitioner, but unfortunately he has a good reputation. Who among the richer families would be willing to find a veterinarian who steals all over Xizhou to treat him? Most of the people who come to him now are Orion herdsmen who look down on ordinary doctors. They bring some meat, melons and fruits as medical fees. When they encounter rare venison and bear meat, Han Si will send it to this house. Liuli knows He was not well off, so he often asked Aqin to take people to see what was missing in the house and give him some food, rice, oil and salt in return.

Kang was curious and hurriedly asked what happened to this "miracle doctor". Hearing Liuli tell about his glorious deeds, he laughed so hard that he couldn't speak. But Ansanlang said, "What do you know? I talked to Chang'an Liangzhou several places I have been dealing with many doctors for several years. Judging from his behavior, it is unknown whether he will be a miracle doctor in the future!"

Liuli nodded and said, "I heard from Aqin that although this Han Si has a strange temperament, he is very good to patients and his treatment methods are also quite clever."

Yasaburo pondered for a moment, then asked where he now practices medicine, "I want to open a medicine shop, but there is a lack of a doctor."

Liuli smiled and said, "It's easy to ask him. Brother, just prepare more beef!"

Pei Xingjian coughed as soon as a sip of wine hit his throat. After a few people chatted and laughed, Ansaburo left happily, saying that he wanted to discuss the matter with several relatives in Xizhou. Kang told Liuli that it would be Buddha's birthday in two days, and he and Liuli would go to the Great Buddha Temple to offer incense. Liuli nodded in agreement.

Seeing that An and his wife had already walked away, Liuli quickly pulled Pei Xingjian and asked, "What's going on with this army ration? Have you really got an idea now?"

Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "Originally, I was only 50 or 60% sure. After talking with Sanlang for half a day, I am 80% convinced. It is not unprecedented to let merchants accompany the army, open military markets, and deliver military rations. Speaking of which, whether merchants are collecting grain or delivering grain, Food was originally more powerful than the government, but it also had many disadvantages in previous years. First, the accounts were easily confused and expenditures were too large. Second, the supply and shortage of military warehouses near and far were uneven, which easily caused things to go wrong. Saburo and I have discussed these details today. I came up with a few ideas and thought that this disadvantage would no longer exist. Although the price of food seemed to be slightly higher, how much manpower would the government save in transporting food? There will be worries about shortages.”

Liu Li nodded. This is easy to understand. Market behavior must be more flexible and efficient than government behavior. But, "How much money does the Protectorate have now?"

Pei Xingjian said calmly, "There are about more than one thousand copper coins and two thousand pieces of silk."

 In other words, it’s still far from enough! Liuli suddenly felt a little annoyed. If she had known this, she should have kept a few thousand of the 20,000 gold given by Mrs. Wu!

Pei Xingjian glanced at Liuli with a smile, "I have this stupid idea again, I can't keep a penny of that money!" He held her hand and walked into the courtyard, "Don't worry, I have my own sense of control over these things. What do you think you should give as a congratulatory gift to Saburo Mu?"

Liuli patted her forehead and said with a smile, "Exactly! I almost forgot, Sanlang said that there will be merchants going to Chang'an tomorrow! After all, you have become a Yue Lao for a time, so our gift must not be too light. "Mu Sanlang temporarily took refuge in the Kang family in Guazhou. Unexpectedly, he fell in love with the youngest daughter of the Kang family. The Kang family was originally the prominent surname among the nine surnames of Zhaowu, and this family was extremely wealthy. According to the news When the news returned to Chang'an, the Mu family was naturally happy to see its success. Now the head of the Kang family has taken his daughter and Mu Sanlang to Chang'an. They also met An Sanlang and his wife on the way. In the words of the Kang family, so did the Kang family's Yanniang. "A handsome man, and Saburo of the Mu family are a perfect match." If Qu Chongyu knew that he had done such a good deed, his expression would probably be even brighter!

Liuli also wanted to ask Pei Xingjian what his idea was to raise money, but Pei Xingjian smiled and said, "You haven't been to the Great Buddhist Temple in the north? It's really worth seeing. Some places are even more impressive than the Great Ci'en Temple, and the murals are also very beautiful." good."

 Better than Daci’en Temple? Liuli naturally knew that although Xizhou was a small town, there were dozens of temples, and the Great Buddha Temple located behind the Great Buddha Pagoda at the north end of the avenue was the most magnificent. However, after she came to Xizhou, she was either busy making carvings or rolling carts. Pei Xingjian told him not to go out, but he hasn't even taken a look until now. But thinking about it, the whole city of Xizhou is not much bigger than a small square in Chang'an. She has witnessed the momentum of Da Ci'en Temple with her own eyes. If there can be a temple in such a small town that can compare with Da Ci'en... Liuli can't help but look at it suspiciously. Pei Xingjian glanced at him. Did he change the subject on purpose?

It was only two days later, when Liuli actually stood in front of the main hall of the Great Buddha Temple, that she realized that Pei Xingjian's statement was absolutely correct.

On the eighth day of April, which is the birthday of the Buddha, Buddha flags were flying all over the city. People from Xizhou almost came out in droves. Believers from all over the country poured into the city early, waiting for the procession of the statue on both sides of the avenue. Liuli and Kang came to the Buddhist temple early in the morning, accompanied by two female relatives of the An family. They were accompanied by several strong servants, but they finally managed to get through the passage between the two towers and entered the south gate of the temple.

I saw that this temple was like other houses in Xizhou, with walls made of raw soil, but the roofs were much higher than ordinary houses and the eaves were deeper. There were also two towers facing each other in the front courtyard, and the main hall was located on a high platform on the north side of the backyard. The extremely thick wall is several feet high, and you need to look up high to see the stretched dark black eaves above. When you walk into the palace gate, you will see a tower column over three feet high in the middle of the main hall, with niches on all sides. Inside, large and small Buddha statues are all carved solemnly. The main statue on the front Buddha platform is sitting in lotus position, and the inscribed patterns on the clothes are smooth and concise. , but the smile on his face is slightly formal. You can tell at a glance that it is quite old. The walls around the Buddhist hall are covered from top to bottom with patterns of various sayings and stories from Buddhist scriptures, mostly in ocher and cinnabar colors. Many places are even covered with gold foil, which makes them look dazzling at first glance.

Kang had already asked for incense. When he saw Liuli staring blankly at the mural on the wall, he couldn't help but feel funny. He quickly pulled her away gently. Liuli came to her senses and started to offer incense. I saw the two aunts from the An family pushing towards the more crowded west hall. Liuli couldn't help but feel a little scared, but Kang's face was full of joy, "Is that the bronze Buddha in the west hall?"

An aunt from the An family turned around and said with a smile, "Of course, you should also do more meritorious deeds!"

Walking into the west side hall, the interior becomes increasingly crowded. The walls are covered with gold foil paintings, set against a brilliant bronze Buddha, making it even more luxurious. Several people waited for a long time before kneeling in front of the Buddha one by one. Kang prayed silently for a while before he raised his head, took out a stack of silver coins from his purse, and respectfully put them into the merit cabinet. Aunt An's wife each sent a few gold coins in. Seeing Liuli's indifferent expression, Mrs. Kang hurriedly lowered her voice and said, "It doesn't matter if it's somewhere else, it's better to do some merit here."

Liuli was puzzled, so she turned around and took half a copper coin from Xiaotan's hand and put it in. Kang finally breathed a sigh of relief, but the two aunts of the An family turned around and looked at Liuli in surprise, looking like they were hesitating to speak. As he stood up and walked out of the side hall door, Kang said to Liuli in a low voice, "You have been in Xizhou for a long time. Is it possible that you haven't heard about the Buddha statue in the west hall?"

Liuli shook her head blankly, and Kang said "Oh", "No wonder you weren't prepared! I heard Aweng mention it in Chang'an. This great Buddhist temple has been around for a hundred years, but this bronze statue is more than ten years old. The former Duhu Mansion was erected when it moved from Gaochang City to Xizhou City, but the magical power came out the next year. It was very hot in Xizhou that year, and Guo Duhu forced everyone to dig out the city, and many people died. Within two days, the Buddha statue began to shed tears and sweat. Immediately, Xizhou was shaken. Believers from the surrounding areas rushed over. Guo Duhu was also afraid, so he stopped working during the day. The Great Buddha Temple was not as good as the Chengma Temple in Gaochang. , and since then it has become the largest temple in Xizhou. A few years ago, when Chai Duhu came, he said that he would worship Taoism and suppress Buddhism, so he built a Taoist temple in the east wing of the Great Buddha Temple. As a result, the Buddha statue shed tears and sweat again. , then the matter of repairing the Taoist temple was dropped..."

 The bronze statue will sweat and cry? Liuli couldn't help but take two steps back and took a look inside. The bronze statue was placed on the main Buddhist altar in the side hall. The open space on all sides was crowded with believers. It didn't look like it could be poured water on quietly. But it’s a bit incredible that such a big bronze Buddha can sweat like a human! She couldn't help but shook her head gently, and an aunt from the An family hurriedly smiled and comforted her, "Those who don't know are not guilty. As long as they are sincere, it is normal to make up for it in the future."

Is this... Liuli smiled and said nothing, but the two aunts of the An family were regular visitors to the Buddhist temple. He took Liuli with him from a small room by the wall to the east room. When the little novice monk guarding the door saw them, He smiled and lifted the door curtain, and saw that the hall inside was spacious and the mats were exquisite. Several female guests were already sitting there. When he saw the two Aunt An, he immediately greeted them familiarly. It was probably another guest in the temple. A resting place prepared for the female guest. Just as Liuli sat down to take a breath, she heard a crash outside. Everyone in the room hurriedly stood up and walked out. However, the statue of Prince Sakyamuni from the Great Buddha Temple was invited out and was to be loaded onto a treasure cart in Xizhou City. Parade in a circle.

Liuli glanced outside the door curtain and saw that the temple, which had just been very crowded, was filled with people. Her forehead couldn't help but hurt. She smiled bitterly at Mrs. Kang and said, "Sister-in-law, please go and deliver the Buddha statue first. I'm feeling a little unwell and I need to rest for a while."

Kang didn't want to go out, so he hurried forward and spoke to the two Aunts An, then turned around and looked at Liuli carefully, "You should eat more on weekdays. You are too thin after all."

After about a cup of tea, the sounds outside gradually stopped. As the Buddha statue left the temple gate, the temple that was noisy just now suddenly became quiet, and the sound of birds singing could be clearly heard.

Liuli secretly breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, "Sister-in-law, let's go out too." Kang looked at Liuli's face, nodded with a smile and said "Okay".

A few people had just walked to the door when a mellow voice floated in from outside the curtain, "Master, although you are relieved, the Great Buddha Temple is such a solemn and precious place. How can the purity of the temple be disturbed by idle people and mundane affairs? If someone has bad intentions, , just come to the Governor’s Mansion to find me!”

To Liuli, this voice was so familiar that she couldn't help but stop behind the curtain.

  Four thousand nine hundred and eighty, this is Alan’s little thought. I wish everyone a happy Christmas Eve! I originally wanted to code 5,900 words, but the transitional chapters were too difficult to write... If I am short of 1,000 words, I will add an update tomorrow.

 (End of this chapter)