CH 68

Ban Hua and Rong Xia took the beggars to the Capital and handed them to the Court of Judicature and Revision.

Rong Xia smiled an apology, “I want to stay with you a little longer, but due to what we have encountered, I am afraid I have to go to the Palace.”

Ban Hua nodded, “This is an urgent official business, you can feel free.”

Rong Xia got on top of his horse, his eyes followed as Ban Hua walked away. He asked Du Jiu, “The magistrate of Qizhou is from Shi family?”

Du Jiu nodded, “The magistrate of Qizhou is Shi-furen‘s nephew from her maternal family side.”

“This magistrate is quite vicious, many refugees trying to flee the disaster have been chased and killed on the way. Only a few can reach the Capital.”

Rong Xia turned his horse around, “Find out who is secretly protecting them.”

Without anyone protecting, how could this family of old and young reach the Capital? Their horses and valuables were gone, but they still stayed on the road. Either they were well prepared, or very determined to reach the Capital to report to the Emperor?

“Master, now that you are going to the Palace, Shi family…..”

“I took these people in, if I pretend ignorance, His Majesty wouldn’t believe me.” Rong Xia’s lowered eyes concealed the coldness within. “You don’t need to worry, I have a plan.”

Du Jiu knew his master had a plan, he dared not speak more.

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—

At home Ban Hua casually chatted with her family about this matter.

“Snowstorm?” Yin-shi frowned, “Qizhou isn’t far from the Capital. How bold the local official is to cover this up?”

Last winter’s snow was heavier than the previous year’s, but there was no news of any disaster. The officials had been saying things like ‘auspicious snow augurs a bountiful year’, no disaster mentioned.

“Just him alone isn’t enough to cover up something this big.” Ban Huai was very serious, “More likely he has allies in the Capital.”

“Who?” Ban Heng curiously asked.

“How do I know?” Ban Huai said as a matter-of-fact, “Me, this father of yours, if I knew these things, would I still be a wastrel?”

Ban Heng nodded, “That’s right too.”

Everytime this pair of father and son bantered like this, Yin-shi always felt they were a mess. Had they not been her own husband and son, they would have been too annoying to even look at.

“My good girl, did you go with Rong Junpo to look at peacocks today?” Ban Huai looked at Ban Hua with suspicion, “Just a few peacocks and you spent so much time to look?”

“I ran into something on the way, and had some trouble with Shi family miss…..”

“Shi family again?” Ban Huai frowned, “Since Yan family lost power, Shi family has been getting more and more rampant. The Crown Prince hasn’t ascended yet, and they have been acting like they were the nation’s in-laws. They will bring troubles to the Crown Prince.”

The Bans fell silent at once. They still remembered that the downfall of Yan family was…… somewhat related to them.

T/N – (Refresher) Remember Yan Zhen and his misguided infatuation.

“Shi family getting more rampant, we don’t need to be afraid.” Ban Huai slapped the table, “Hua Hua, you can’t lose to her. We don’t rely on Shi family for anything.”

“That little miss Shi looks fine, it’s just that she has too much in her mind.” Yin-shi shook her head, said to Ban Hua, “She better stops it, otherwise her life will be tiring.”

Ban Heng twisted his lips, “Not only having too much in mind, her brain has problem. The way she looks at Sister is sometimes too scary.”

“I am not scared of her.” Ban Hua softly humphed, “In my dream, she and Xie Qilin have ambiguous relationship. Xie Qilin is injured on the way back from sending her a poetry book.”

“Xie Qilin that skirt-chaser one-eyed dog is related to Second Miss Shi?” Ban Heng gasped in shock, after a long time he said, “Isn’t that working girl his true love?”

“If it was true love, he wouldn’t have abandoned her outside and went home by himself.” Yin-shi was really not fond of hearing Xie Qilin’s name. “We were blind to give your sister that kind of fiance.”

“Mother, it’s not your fault. That time I agreed to it myself.” Ban Hua smilingly hugged Yin-shi’s arm, “Besides, have I not changed to a new fiance now?”

Ban Heng: My dear Sister ah, changing fiances isn’t the same as changing clothes.

—

Ban Hua thought that His Majesty should be enraged to hear about the major disaster in Qizhou, but after a few days the Court was still as calm and quiet as usual, there wasn’t even a mention of Qizhou.

She didn’t understand the Court, and didn’t understand politics. She only felt people who died during the disaster in Qizhou were pitiful.

In the past she did not understand death, but since the two dreams, and her grandmother’s passing, she obtained a new awareness.

Death, who noone could escape, meant the deceased could no longer be seen, could no longer be touched. Only memories were left of that person, memories that little by little formed the recollection of their face. But as time gradually faded away, the face in the memory would also change, it would pale out, and in the end only a hazy face left.

She sat by the window, stared at the somewhat dispirited pomegranate tree outside. The tree-master said that newly transplanted trees would look that way. This one was done carefully without damaging it’s major roots, so it would definitely survive.

Sunlight passed through the leaves, shadowy spots reflected on the ground, Ban Hua couldn’t help but thinking back of the past.

After a long while, she said to Ruyi behind her, “Ruyi, tomorrow I want to go to Zhengde Temple to offer incense. Go ask Shizi if he wants to go with me.”

Ruyi had been anxious to see Ban Hua looking lost, worried that she was in a bad mood. When she found Ban Heng, she mentioned in passing of how Ban Hua had been looking melancholic.

Ban Heng felt uneasy, he followed Ruyi back to Ban Hua’s courtyard.

“Sis, are you going to the temple tomorrow?” Ban Heng walked into her room, picked up a small jade ornament from the duobao shelves to play, “I remember you don’t like going to the temples. You said that monks reading sticks and telling fortunes are scammers stealing Taoist priests’ jobs.”

T/N – Telling fortune is usually Taoist priest’s occupation, you should have seen them exorcising ghosts in Chinese movies. See bottom for reading sticks.

“I said I don’t like scammer monks, I never said I don’t like all monks.” Ban Hua snorted, “I don’t like men who deceive women, does it mean that I don’t like all men in the world?”

Ban Heng: ……

“Alright, you have a point, I can’t talk over you.”

Ban Heng felt he had never been able to talk over his sister since they were little. They had the same mother and father, why was his mouth so stupid?

—

Ban Hua got up early the next day, she picked up the still sleeping Ban Heng and threw him into the carriage, then they left the City. Everywhere all along the way was the pictures of prosperity and flourishment. Ban Hua lifted the curtain to look at stream of people outside the carriage. She couldn’t help thinking that the Capital was indeed a prosperous place, but what about other places?

She shook her head, she had thought too far. Such mind-numbing things were not for her to ponder.

Zhengde Temple was famous, but Daye’s prominent clans believed in Daoism more, so the commoners also preferred temples like Matchmaker God’s temple or Offspring Goddess’ temple. It was the reason the incense offering at Zhengde Temple was not abundant.

T/N – The two other temples are Daoism temples: The Matchmaker God 月老, Offspring Goddess 送子娘娘. There is a myriad of deities for various purposes in Daoism.

Ban Hua and Ban Heng’s arrival made the monks and samaneras at Zhengde Temple happy, even the abbot had personally appeared to welcome them.

Renounced people should have realised the emptiness of all wordly existences, but since they have not became Buddhas yet, and they still needed food and clothing, so for the time being it did not have to be fully empty.

“Laona heard magpies chirping on the trees early this morning, didn’t expect Junzhu Niangniang and Shizi really visited.” The Abbot gave the siblings a Buddhist salute and led them into the main hall. When Ban Hua offered incense, the Abbot had also personally chanted and knocked wooden fish for them, they were given a complete service.

* laona 老衲 = This Old Monk (referring to self)

The Ban siblings liked complete service the most, so they didn’t hesitate to drop a large sum on incense and oil money. The Abbot became even happier, he invited them to the backyard for tea.

“This tea was picked by laona and disciples in the mountain. It isn’t any good tea, please Junzhu and Shizi do not mind.”

“Abbot is too kind.” Ban Hua picked up the tea for a sip, “My brother and I aren’t particular. Good tea or not, tea is just for quenching thirst.”

“Junzhu is ingenious, able to see through worldliness and perceive the essense.” The Abbot put the bamboo cup down, he recited a little. “Pinseng sees Junzhu looked restful, but there are unresolved sorrows on the eyebrows. Not sure what it is, if Junzhu does not mind, Junzhu can tell it to pinseng. Pinseng has developed a pair of windy ears, whatever comes into the left will leave from the right.”

* pinseng 贫僧 = This Poor Monk (humble, referring to self)

Ban Hua smiled and shook her head, “Before coming here, I did have some problems in my mind, but after meeting Abbot and drinking this tea, I seem to have gained some understanding.”

“Amitabha.” The Abbot put his hands together, “It is good that Junzhu Niangniang understands. In life, seeing things through is most difficult, to avoid adding burdens to self.”

Ban Hua laughed, “That is right, some things need to be realised. Otherwise it’s just making troubles for ourselves.”

The Abbot smiled but didn’t respond. He looked like a very kind-hearted elder, noone could dislike this kind of person.

“Having disturbed Abbot for so long, This Little Woman should take my leave.” Ban Hua put her cup down, she rose and saluted the Abbot. “Abbot, I heard there is a Buddhist text that if chanted every day, it can protect the deceased and lead them to a blissful rebirth?”

“The Buddha crosses all sentient beings.”

Ban Hua smiled widely, “Because all sentient beings are suffering?”

The Abbot shook his head slowly, “How can there be good things without the bad?”

Ban Hua took out two silver paper money and offered them in her both hands to the Abbot, “Then requesting the honoured senior monks to recite suttas for all beings. May they all have peaceful and safe rebirths, experiencing more good things than the bad.”

“Junzhu Niangniang is benevolent.” The Abbot smiled kindly, “On behalf of all sentient beings, pinseng thanks Junzhu Niangniang.”

Ban Hua smiled plainly, “I am just pretending to be benevolent.”

“Junshu is wrong on this. To do good is to be good at heart, so what is true and what is false?”

Having met the silver-tongued Abbott, Ban Hua has finally understood the reason that even though many people in Daye were not Buddhists, but Buddhism was able to spread all over Daye.

Perhaps…… The gift of the tongue made each of the words spoken sounded pleasant the listeners, so they couldn’t help but dropping a little more money for incense.

—

After seeing off the Ban siblings, the Abbot went to the back room and knocked, “Master Count, the lady benefactor has left.”

A gongzi with a jade-like face clad in a sombre coloured cotton robe with a jade pendant hanging on his waist walked out. He went to the stone bench Ban Hua just sat on. After sitting down he raised his head to silently look at the bald monk who was still sporting a slight smile.

“Master Count’s fiancee is a very good woman.” The monk saluted, but this time it was a layman’s salute. “Congratulations Master Count, for finding a wife after your heart’s wish.”

“I only ever heard layman congratulating ladies for finding their ideal husbands, this one is rare.”

“Perhaps because in pinseng‘s eyes, all beings are equal.”

The man laughed lightly at that, he lifted up the already cold cup of tea, “Tell me, what do you invite me here for?”

The monk looked at the tea cup in his hand, and smiled.