Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Shi Sanlang wandered around for half a day and returned with exciting news.

The renowned ancient temple of Xiagui County—Lianhua Temple—was about to hold a grand "Open Almsgiving" ceremony for three days around the 19th of June, the day commemorating Guanyin's attainment of enlightenment. During this time, the temple gates would be wide open, offering free vegetarian meals to all, regardless of whether they were monks or laypeople.

Shi Sanlang said excitedly, "Lianhua Temple's vegetarian fare is famous far and wide! Normally, they only serve wealthy patrons, but this time, they're offering it for three whole days. We can all go grab a free meal!"

Bao Zhu wasn’t particularly interested when she heard it was vegetarian food, but Shi Sanlang quickly added, "I’ve heard their dishes are just like the real thing—both in taste and appearance, they’re dead ringers for meat. Jiu Niang, you must try it! Besides, this Dharma assembly is being held to enshrine a one-of-a-kind treasure. Even if you’re not there for the food, it’s worth going just to see it and broaden your horizons."

"Oh? Is it a Buddhist relic or a sacred bone?" Bao Zhu asked curiously.

Shi Sanlang shook his head. "I’m not sure about that. I heard it’s a treasure from Xuzhou, temporarily enshrined at Lianhua Temple before being transported to the imperial palace in Chang’an. Once it’s gone, there’ll be no chance to see it again."

The weather was sweltering, and Bao Zhu wasn’t keen on jostling through crowds. But she was young, naturally fond of good food, fun, and lively gatherings. Unable to resist Shi Sanlang’s repeated pleas and persuasion, she eventually decided to go. Who would have thought that a proud noblewoman like her, born into nobility, would now be scrambling for a free meal? The thought struck her as both pitiful and amusing.

The gatekeepers of Xiagui County had already been bribed, and the next morning, the three of them checked out of the inn and led the donkey into the city.

The streets leading to Lianhua Temple were abuzz with excitement, far more crowded than usual, as everyone was eager about the rare Dharma assembly and the mysterious treasure. Many had traveled from the countryside just for this occasion—to them, the assembly was no different than a country fair. Once inside the temple gates, the crowd became even denser, packed shoulder to shoulder, voices rising in a clamor. Some were even pushed into the mercy pond (where animals are released for merit).

Lianhua Temple was already a wealthy institution, further bolstered by generous donations from devout, affluent families. Every monk, from the highest to the lowest, had pulled out all the stops preparing for this event. In front of the main hall, the bronze incense burners were filled without restraint with incense cakes and sticks, the flames roaring and the smoke billowing skyward like a raging fire.

Strangely, aside from the temple monks, many government officers were also maintaining order, wielding batons to push and block the crowd. Though the visitors were numerous, the situation hadn’t yet descended into chaos.

Bao Zhu had long forgotten her earlier self-pity, her curiosity piqued as she looked around. The crowd made it impossible to keep her wide veil and face covering on, so she took them off and handed them to Shi Sanlang. When she had first recovered from her illness, her face had still been pale and gaunt, but over the past few weeks, her two companions had made sure to give her the best portions of food. Now, her vitality had gradually returned, and under the sunlight, her face seemed to glow with a translucent radiance, her spirited gaze exuding an unmistakable air of nobility.

In the imperial harem, where beauties were abundant, she might not have stood out. But in this temple fair, teeming with common folk, she was strikingly conspicuous. These people knew nothing of decorum or restraint—when they saw a beautiful young woman, they gawked openly, completely forgetting they had come to worship the Bodhisattva and accumulate merit.

Most, sensing her noble bearing, assumed she was a young lady from a prestigious family and merely stared without daring to approach or offend.

However, there were a few street ruffians who "feared neither the capital's magistrate while alive nor Yama after death," deliberately squeezing beside her, hoping to cop a feel amid the chaos. Yet before they could even graze her sleeve, someone lightly kicked the back of their knees, leaving half their bodies numb and aching. They collapsed to the ground, unable to stand no matter how they struggled, nearly trampled to death by the surrounding crowd.

Bao Zhu remained completely unaware, only feeling uncomfortable under the stares of those around her—this kind of attention was unfamiliar from her palace days. In a daze, she recalled a scene from many years ago, when people had gazed at her mother with the same rapt, awestruck gaze. It was back when her mother was still alive.

With the tinkling of jade ornaments and a faint waft of fragrance, her mother’s appearance at a palace banquet had illuminated the entire hall. Whether old men or youths, aristocrats or commoners, even those high-ranking officials well-versed in worldly affairs and surrounded by concubines would—upon seeing her mother—react no differently from these unsophisticated country folk: stunned, enchanted, bewildered, fervent… Their expressions were identical.

She smiled faintly. Court officials would babble incoherently; a single pipa melody would leave military officers fumbling their wine cups. Everyone lost composure, every soul was captivated...

"Where exactly is that treasure?"

A pilgrim's impatient shout yanked Bao Zhu back from those opulent memories to reality. She had assumed the treasure would be enshrined in the main hall, but some claimed it was kept in the temple’s Many Treasures Pagoda and wouldn’t be publicly displayed.

A radiant middle-aged monk ascended the dharma platform before the main hall, adjusting his silk kasaya before drawing out his syllables in a sonorous chant: "The praise of the Buddha’s treasure is boundless, its merit forged through countless kalpas. Majestic, the sixteen-foot golden form, awakened beneath the snowy peak. The jade-light between his brows shines brilliantly, dispelling the darkness of the six realms." His booming voice, deep as a bell, immediately drew the devout gazes of the faithful.

Someone pointed and said, "That’s Abbot Liaoru of Lianhua Temple, a renowned eminent monk."

Standing on tiptoe to peer from afar, Bao Zhu saw the scripture-reciting monk on the high platform had a round face, thick lips, and ox-like eyes—decidedly unhandsome. Whether he was an eminent monk or not held no interest for her. She turned and quietly asked Wei Xun, "Where's the vegetarian food being served?"

All three shared the same thought, weaving against the crowd until they arrived before a two-story pavilion—the Jinghua Hall. Originally the temple’s dining hall for major patrons, the monk at the door, awed by Bao Zhu’s noble bearing, didn’t dare slight her. Smiling warmly, he invited them in ahead of time.

Shi Sanlang, a regular at scrounging temple meals, was used to blending in with the monks in the communal dining hall. Never had he entered such a bright, clean private room. The novice monk sighed in admiration, "Today’s privilege is all thanks to Jiu Niang. Being beautiful really has its perks."

Bao Zhu shot him a glance, thinking that a free meal hardly warranted such admiration. The child knew nothing of beauty’s true power—she had inherited only a third or so of her mother's beauty. True, nation-toppling beauty was the kind that made men willingly die for her at first sight.

The second floor of Jinghua Hall offered an excellent view, away from the stifling heat and crowds in the courtyard. The private seating was furnished no differently from a city tavern.

Once seated, the guest-receiving monk first served tea, followed shortly by Lianhua Temple’s famed vegetarian dishes: whole "chickens" and "fish," "eight-treasure crispy duck"—all molded from wheat flour mixed with tofu, stuffed with diced cucumbers and assorted mushrooms, then deep-fried. While the taste was nothing extraordinary, the shapes were remarkably lifelike, with intricate details like fish scales and chicken skin texture, clearly crafted with care.

Bao Zhu took a few bites, increasingly amused. She was about to share a laugh with Wei Xun about the monks’ hypocrisy, but he remained preoccupied, barely touching his food, his gaze fixed absently out the window.

"Didn't you get enough rest? The dark circles under your eyes have gotten much worse. You said you slept early and woke up late—could you have lied about resting and actually sneaked out at night?"

Bao Zhu also looked outside. Down below, the crowd was still packed tight, jostling and bustling, but the courtyard just beyond the wall was completely empty. Seven or eight yamen officers patrolled in their uniforms, and behind them stood the Lotus Temple's pagoda—the Many Treasures Pagoda.

The seven-story pagoda had a canopy-like top, with each tier of its waist eaves adorned with a circle of bronze bells. Thousands of chimes swayed gently in the breeze, their tinkling melodies pleasant to the ear. Elegant as it was, in Chang'an—where temples rivaled palaces in splendor—this pagoda wasn’t particularly special among those Bao Zhu had seen.

With her sharp eyesight, Bao Zhu noticed something odd from afar: the pagoda's ground-level entrance was secured with three distinctly different large locks, arranged both horizontally and vertically. This puzzled her greatly.

She wondered: What treasure’s inside that pagoda to need such heavy security? And why is Wei Xun so fixated on it?