The Beauties of the Song Dynasty - Chapter 123
The sudden sound from behind made Zhao Defang turn around abruptly. He looked at Wang Jisi, who was holding a Qin document, and asked him in confusion.
Zhao Defang smiled faintly, stepped into the hall, raised his eyes to meet the surprised eyes of the two people inside, and said, "Seeing that you seemed to have something to do, I waited outside and did not come in."
Wang Jisi, bending over, presented the memorial in his hand, saying, "Your Majesty, this is Prime Minister Xue's memorial."
"Bring it here."
Wang Jisi presented the memorial, then quietly slipped out, closing the palace door behind him.
Zhao Defang looked at Zhao Dezhao, who was hanging his head and seemingly lost in thought, then turned to Zhao Jiong, who was reading memorials, and said loudly, "Uncle, I have something to tell you."
Zhao Jiong immediately looked up. "What is it?"
"About the Empress Dowager," Zhao Defang said, glancing again at Zhao Dezhao, who remained silent. "The Empress Dowager is going to Xiangguo Temple to worship Buddha and has requested that Wanlan accompany her. I think she hasn't had a chance to mention this to you yet."
"What? She wants to leave the palace? No way—"
“Uncle.” Zhao Defang quietly interrupted him, seeing his face change drastically and his extremely nervous appearance, she really didn’t know how to comfort him. “The Empress Dowager has always lived deep in the palace, so please let her go out for a walk.”
Zhao Jiong's breath hitched, and he abruptly turned around with his hands behind his back, saying in a deep voice, "I understand."
"Then I shall take my leave."
Zhao Defang walked to Zhao Dezhao's side, smiled, and said, "Brother, let's go together."
Chapter 108 Affection Left Behind Upon Return
Xiangguo Temple is a famous Buddhist temple in my country, a sacred site of Zen Buddhism, and occupies an important position in the history of Chinese Buddhism.
The name Xiangguo Temple originated in the Tang Dynasty.
According to the "Ru Meng Lu" (Record of Dreams), Xiangguo Temple was originally the former residence of Wuji, the Prince of Wei during the Warring States period. During the Song Dynasty, a pavilion called Xinling Pavilion was built here, named Xinlingfang.
Buddhism flourished during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. In the sixth year of the Tianbao era of the Northern Qi Dynasty, a temple named Jianguo Temple was built here, which was later destroyed by war.
In the early Tang Dynasty, this place became the residence of Zheng Jing, the Sima of Qinzhou.
In the first year of the Tang Dynasty's Chang'an era, the famous monk Huiyun came to Kaifeng from the south and used the money he raised to buy Zheng Jing's residence and garden. In the second year of the Tang Dynasty's Jingyun era, he built a temple and named it Jianguo Temple after the old stele of the Northern Qi Dynasty's Jianguo Temple that was unearthed during the construction. At the same time, he placed a beautiful 3-meter-high bronze statue of Maitreya Buddha, which he had raised funds to cast, in the temple.
When Jianguo Temple was rebuilt, Emperor Ruizong of Tang personally wrote the plaque "Da Xiangguo Temple" for the temple, which is the origin of Xiangguo Temple.
During the Northern Song Dynasty, Xiangguo Temple was a royal temple, but it held five temple fairs every month, attracting more than 10,000 merchants. In addition, there were cultural activities such as acrobatics, drama, storytelling, and street performances, making it a very prosperous place.
Wanlan accompanied the Empress Dowager to Xiangguo Temple, but they happened to run into a temple fair, and their carriage almost couldn't get through.
Wanlan lifted the carriage curtain and looked out at the bustling crowd. Palace maids and eunuchs, disguised as ordinary servants, struggled through the crowd and slowly drove towards the main hall.
"It's hard to believe... Xiangguo Temple is so lively."
She murmured softly, glanced back at Song Huining who sat with her eyes closed, paused, and then spoke: "Mother, Imperial Uncle—"
"Lan'er, stop talking."
Wanlan sighed inwardly.
Originally, the Imperial Uncle did not allow the Empress Dowager to leave the palace, but she insisted on going. The Imperial Uncle also mentioned that today was the monthly temple fair at Xiangguo Temple, which was really inconvenient. He originally planned to ask the Empress Dowager to reschedule, but the Empress Dowager's stubbornness left the Imperial Uncle feeling frustrated but helpless.
The carriage slowly came to a stop. Just as Wanlan looked up to ask a question, a slightly aged and slow voice came from outside.
"This old monk, Jiechen, respectfully welcomes the Empress Dowager and Princess Qin."
Wanlan turned to look at Song Huining and saw that she had opened her eyes, so she said, "Mother, someone has come to pick us up."
"Okay, let's get off."
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Wanlan, carrying the infant in her arms, bowed and stepped out of the carriage. She carefully stepped off the carriage using the low stools placed by the palace maids beside it, and immediately saw a white-bearded monk.
A moment later, Song Huining also got out of the car. Upon seeing the monk in front of her, she smiled and said, "Abbot, I apologize for disturbing you."
"Yes, please follow me."
Jiechen led the way through the main entrance.
The main gate is a paifang-style building, with the three characters "Xiangguo Temple" written on it. There are a pair of stone lions on both sides of the gate, which are elegant and dignified.
After entering the main gate and walking a short distance, you will arrive at the Hall of Heavenly Kings.
The Hall of Heavenly Kings has five bays and three gates, with upturned eaves and a roof covered with yellow glazed tiles. In the center is a seated statue of Maitreya Buddha, with kind eyes and a smiling face, sitting on a lotus basin.
The Four Heavenly Kings stood on either side, each with wide, angry eyes, glaring menacingly, as if they were about to annihilate all evil in the world.
The one holding the pearl and the snake is Virupaksha, who is known for standing high and seeing far; the one holding the red umbrella is Vaishravana, who is known for his extensive knowledge; the one holding the sword is Virupaksha, who hopes that the kind hearts and roots of kindness in the world will greatly increase; and finally, the one holding the pipa is Dhritarashtra, who plays music from all directions and protects peace among all nations.
Song Huining knelt in worship in the hall. Wanlan handed the child to Xuan'er, who was attending to her, and knelt down with Song Huining, praying sincerely.
To the north of the Hall of Heavenly Kings is a garden with artificial hills, an elegant landscape reminiscent of the saying "A winding path leads to a secluded spot, where flowers and trees surround a Zen room."
Further north lies the renowned main hall, the Mahavira Hall.
The main hall features double eaves and bracket sets, carved beams and painted rafters, and a dazzling display of gold and green.
The main hall is surrounded by white marble balustrades with carved lions, and there are carved dragons on the stone steps south of the hall. Below the steps to the south is a small garden with a Taihu stone fountain, creating an elegant landscape.
After another round of kneeling and bowing, Song Huining finally felt at ease and decided to rest.
The main hall is flanked by two symmetrical rows of pavilion-style buildings. The east side is the east wing, also known as the East Pavilion, and the west side is the west wing, also known as the West Pavilion. Wanlan, Song Huining, and some of their personal maids were arranged to live in the East Pavilion, while the others lived in the small courtyard behind the East Pavilion.
After all that fuss, it was already past midnight.