The Only Serious Monk
Yu Yan walked to the front yard.
At this time, most of the monks of Lan Xing Temple were receiving pilgrims in the front yard.
Of course, they were just maintaining basic order, giving some verbal blessings , and saying some flattering words after seeing someone make a donations
The abbot, Shen Hui wanted him to go down the mountain to attend the banquet, so he had to solve a very important problem first - how to get to Thorn Ridge
'I have to find someone to inquire about the route.'
'It would be a small matter if I fail to complete the abbot's task, but it would be a major matter if I get lost, even if I don't starve to death, I might a snack for some ghost or demon.'
'Life matters!'
When he came to the front yard, as expected, there were monks in twos and threes, maintaining the order of the pilgrims that came to burn incense and worship the Buddha.
Yu Yan looked around and saw two monks dozens of steps away, so he walked over to ask for directions, but in the end, after walking a few steps, he saw two square brackets floating in his field of view.
Yu Yan glanced at the content in the brackets, then corners of his mouth involuntarily twitched, this time the content really surprised him.
He felt so overwhelmed That he almost said a bad word to suppress his shock.
Of the two monks that he saw, one was named Cheng Xu and the other Cheng Ming, the reason why these two monks became monks was roughly similar to that Yu Yan's body's original owner, it was also to avoid taxes.
In fact, in this Lan Xing Temple, apart from the abbot Shen Hui, several chiefs, and the monk Shen Xing who came here to avoid disaster, the purpose of becoming a monk, without exception, is to avoid taxes!
The taxation of the Song Dynasty was really heavy.
Compared to Yu Yan's predecessor, who had almost no contact with his family after he became a monk, Cheng Xu and Cheng Ming, although they had become monks, have been in constant contact with their respective families, and even go back to live for a while every now and then.
Among them, Cheng Xu, not only married a wife, but also raised a concubine.
There is more than one concubine, and this year he happened to have a new concubine.
Although this concubine is young, she was a candidate for the oiran cultivated by Yu Qing Fang Brothel!
Not to mention a good looking face, but she is also proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, this is really a win in life...
Yu Qing brothel is a relatively famous place in Luo Yang prefecture, which is comparable to the imperial court's Jiao Si Fang Brothel.
However, different from Jiao Si Fang, Yu Qing Fang accepts women regardless of their background, as long as they are good-looking, unlike Jiao Si Fang, which only accepts female relatives from the prisoner's families.
In the place of "fireworks" in Su Tanghe County, most of the famous women in it come from Yu Qing Fang.
Because of this, in this Luo Yang Prefecture, among the gentry, a very unique "custom" has formed - it is be proud of having a woman from Yu Qing Fang by your side!
It is a very grand etiquette to use a woman from Yu Qing Fang to "entertain" guests.
Whether it is a banquet party or a visiting guest, one will feel very...proud?
As for the other monk, Cheng Ming, he didn't marry a wife or take concubines, but he liked to have fun, and every time he went back, he had to eat meat and drink, not to mention, this guy even gave his eldest brother a green hat (made him a cuckold).
In addition, monk Cheng Ming had an improper relationship with his niece, and it was this bald donkey who bullied and forced the other party.
In short, describing them as unclean and dishonest would already be flattering these two bald donkeys.
"Master, what are you looking at?"
At this moment, the monk Shen Xing suddenly appeared, he caressed the rosary in his hand as he walked, pretending to be decent.
He arrived beside Yu Yan, and followed Yu Yan's line of sight.
What he saw were two monks in the temple, so he felt puzzled, he carefully looked again, and found that Yu Yan was looking at these two monks, not others, so he asked strangely:
"What is there to see about these two monks?"
Yu Yan proclaimed the Buddha's name, and then said seriously.
"What you see is what the poor monk sees, but what the poor monk sees is not what you see."
After all, it is was true. He could see it, but the monk Shen Xing couldn't see those two square brackets!
Yu Yan couldn't help slandering from the bottom of his heart,
'I might be the only serious monk in this temple!'
'However, of these two people, one can buy a concubine from Yu Qing Fang, and the other likes to have fun, obviously, they know Su Tanghe County very well.'
Thinking of this, Yu Yan came In front of these two monks.
Because he was hugging the cat, he raised his palm, and then proclaimed the Buddha's name,
"Namo Amitabha, two younger brothers."
When Cheng Xu and Cheng Ming saw it was Yu Yan, their faces were astonished, because they had no friendship with Shen Xiu in the past.
They are close friends of senior brother Cheng Yan, so they took the initiative to distance themselves from Shen Xiu, and they never greet each other when meeting, so both of them were puzzled, how could Shenxiu take the initiative to talk to them?
Thinking of this, the two looked at each other, and then nodded in a tacit understanding.
They had already decided to take the opportunity to find out why Shen Xiu was acting out of character, and then they could tell the eldest brother Cheng Yan!
"There is something I would like to ask the two junior brothers. I wonder if the two junior brothers know how to get to Thorn Ridge?"
Yu Yan asked directly.
"Thorn Ridge?"
The two monks thought it was related to the temple, or some distinguished guest.
After all, several nobles came to the temple today, and their elder brother Cheng Yan took the initiative to receive them.
They knew about Thorn Ridge, but they didn't say it directly, but asked instead,
" Why, does senior brother Shen Xiu want to go to Thorn Ridge?"
"Do I need to ask for permission from the two of you everytime I go out?"
Yu Yan asked with a smile on his face, he seemed to be joking, but deep down he was very unhappy with these two bald donkeys.
...
The end