Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 137 The Great Illusion Ends

On April 26, Concubine Jia gave 120 taels of silver from the palace and asked the Rong family to go to Qingxu Temple to hold a three-day peace ceremony from the first to the third day of May. She also specifically asked Baoyu to kneel and burn incense.

After Shi Xiangyun returned to Rong Mansion, less than an hour later, the mansion sent Yuanyang to Lin Mansion to invite Lin Daiyu and Jia Tanchun to visit Qingxu Temple together on the first day of the new year.

Jia Tanchun refused outright: "My stepmother just passed away a few days ago? I'm going out for a stroll? I won't go."

Lin Daiyu also smiled and looked at Yuanyang: "You see, what the Third Miss said is very reasonable. Not to mention that she is not going, I can't go either."

Yuanyang went back to report embarrassedly.

Even Jia's mother felt her face burning. She couldn't help but complain to Wang Xifeng: "You didn't mention me either."

Wang Xifeng sighed, "Even the matter of going to the palace to select a tutor, come to think of it, Third Sister, Sister Xue, and my cousin from the Wang family are all in filial piety and should not go.

"But since the Empress had spoken and the Empress Dowager wanted to see you again, I had no choice but to go despite the etiquette. I also specially prepared plain clothes for my third sister.

"But I heard that, not to mention Sister Xue's gold and silver, my cousin is even more dressed in red and green. Fortunately, the palace didn't make a fuss. Otherwise, if anyone complained, our family would have no way to explain.

"For this peace ceremony, why don't we just give the money, have the ceremony done, and have Brother Bao kneel down and burn incense, and that's it. Why don't we all just not go?"

Grandmother Jia nodded repeatedly and reminded Sister Feng: "Those who should wear mourning should still wear mourning, and those who should eat vegetarian food should eat vegetarian food. You should watch over it."

Wang Xifeng agreed to go out, and turned a corner. When she saw Ping'er was alone by her side, she sneered, "My aunt's coffin hasn't even been buried yet, and someone has come to propose marriage, and someone is even thinking about taking a concubine! How can I propose what this family does? How can I do it?!"

Ping Er sighed and whispered, "I heard that the Second Master has been to Little Flower Branch Lane twice."

"Let him go!" Wang Xifeng sneered and whispered, "If he dares to marry that You girl, I can control him for the rest of his life!"

On the first day of May, Xue Baochai officially began to serve as a "study companion" to Princess Shouchang and moved into Princess Tongyi's mansion.

No one in the Jia Mansion left, except Baoyu, who rode in a carriage to the Qingxu Temple alone. He was dressed in mourning clothes and knelt down to burn incense in the main hall.

Rong Guogong's substitute monk, Taoist Zhang from Qingxu Temple, was personally called "Dahuan Immortal" by the Supreme Emperor. He now holds the seal of "Daolu Si" and is currently named "Zhongle Zhenren". When he went to the main hall, he saw Baoyu, who was emaciated and no longer as plump as he was when he saw him two years ago. He couldn't help feeling a little sad.

Yin stepped forward, squatted down, and gently patted Baoyu's shoulder.

Baoyu tilted his head, saw it was him, and nodded politely: "Hello, Grandpa Zhang!"

Taoist Zhang looked at his thin face with heartache and said softly, "Brother, no matter how hard you study, you still have to put your health first!"

Baoyu pulled the corner of his mouth, raised his head and looked up at the Three Pure Ones, and whispered: "It's just a stinking skin bag, what's the big deal..."

Taoist Zhang showed more sympathy and his voice became lower and lower: "Brother, don't be like this. Even if the Ning Mansion, the Wang Family, and the Shi Family are gone, you still have a bright future.

"Everyone at home and outside the family is counting on you. If you don't take good care of yourself, how will you support the family business in the future?"

Baoyu glanced at him, seeing his face full of eagerness for worldly affairs, and could not help but sneer. He first chanted "Amitabha" and then asked him: "Grandpa Zhang, the Supreme One called you 'Dahuan', and now he has given you the title 'Zhongluo'. Do you know what it means?"

Taoist Zhang's face changed: "Brother, do you know?"

"Illusion is something that seems fake but is not real! Enlightenment means that it ends here! Grandpa Zhang, you have been pretending for your whole life, that's enough!

"If you keep pretending, you'll fool yourself into believing it. Do you think you can really live forever and become an immortal?!"

After Baoyu finished speaking, he kowtowed towards the statues of the Three Pure Ones, then closed his eyes and listened attentively to the Taoists chanting sutras at the assembly.

Taoist Zhang's face flashed with anger, and he stood up coldly. He gritted his teeth for a long time, but he couldn't help but snorted coldly: "You don't know what's good for you! If you didn't come from Rongguo Mansion for me, do you think I would take care of you?!"

He flicked his sleeves and strode away.

Baoyu turned his head to glance at his arrogant and vigorous back, and his expression gradually became solemn.

The Ning Mansion is gone, the Shi family has also declined, and now only the Wang family is in its heyday - what's more, the Jia and Wang families are likely to turn against each other because of his deceased mother.

How did he know that the Jia and Wang families were in danger?

How could he be sure that the Rong family's property would definitely fall into his hands?

Seeing the back figure turning a corner and disappearing, Baoyu looked up at the Three Pure Ones and subconsciously prayed in a low voice: "God of Heaven, please forgive me for my future and the misfortunes and blessings of my family..."

As he bowed his head, suddenly a faint singing voice came into his ears: "Flowers fade and fly all over the sky, who will pity them when their red fades and their fragrance disappears..."

Baoyu's body trembled and he remained frozen in that position, but his eyes suddenly opened and widened!

This, this is!

The fragment of the spiritual platform that appeared in my past...

Outside the Qingxu Temple, a crowd of pilgrims who were watching the fun pushed each other away and said, "The imperial concubine in the palace has reserved the entire place for now. We can't burn incense or worship the gods. Let's go!"

"It seems there aren't many people inside! It seems there's only one young man kneeling in the hall..."

"It's not your turn to go in! Go, go, go!"

Emperor Zhaoming was dressed as a rich young man, and he was still accompanied by Tao Xingjian, who was dressed as a steward, Lu Changqing, who was dressed as a servant, and Zang Ao, who was dressed as a bodyguard.

Emperor Zhaoming frowned and looked at Tao Xingjian: "Noble Concubine?!"

Tao Xingjian smiled and said, "Any concubine in the palace, except the Empress, is called the Imperial Concubine by the people."

Emperor Zhaoming nodded in understanding, accepting the trick, and pointed inside with his fan: "What? These people are offering incense, so the common people are not allowed to enter?"

"Not really. It's just that this time, Concubine Jia said she was holding a peace ceremony, but in fact, she also performed a ritual for her mother in the backyard. Kneeling in the main hall was Jia Baoyu, this fool, confused, he seemed to have no idea.

“I just heard that he originally wanted to seal off only the main hall, and let the people enter the rest of the place freely.

"It was Taoist Zhang who said, if the main hall is sealed, why would the people come here? To enjoy the view? To treat Qingxu Temple as a garden? Who is the one being fooled then?"

When Tao Xingjian said this, Emperor Zhaoming couldn't help but laugh, shook his head, and said, "This old man speaks one thing to one person and another to another. If it weren't for his advanced age and his good deeds, I would have to expose his fake face no matter what I say!"

"If the water is too pure, there will be no fish; if the person is too pure, there will be no followers. Forget it! The Supreme Lord is not unaware of his tricks. A country is big, there must be one or two charlatans, right?"

Tao Xingjian asked Emperor Zhaoming to go somewhere else.

The emperor and his ministers strolled around for the whole morning and had a delicious lunch in a crowded restaurant. Emperor Zhaoming felt a little sleepy.

Tao Xingjian took the opportunity to persuade him to return to the palace: "It's so noisy outside that you can't even take a nap in peace."

"I will not be able to live in peace if I go back." Emperor Zhaoming complained and yawned.

Lu Changqing couldn't help but mutter to Zang Ao: "It would be great if I hadn't quarreled with Miss Lin. The last time I saw her new Luohan bed, it was so long and wide, it was obviously prepared specially for Your Majesty!"

Emperor Zhaoming closed his eyes and snorted coldly.

Tao Xingjian had already kicked him away.

Zang Ao didn't say anything. He took Lu Changqing and hurried out. The two of them stood outside guarding the door.

"Otherwise, why don't you come to my house and rest for a while?" Tao Xingjian said with a smile.