Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 237 How could things be so coincidental

"I have been in the government for many years, so I didn't pay much attention to him at first. But within two or three days, I discovered that this 'father' was actually a kidnapper.

"And this little girl who was kidnapped and sold is none other than the young lady from Master Zhen's family who got lost while watching the lanterns: Zhen Yinglian!"

Hearing this, Aunt Meng was already furious and said:

"Since you knew that he was a kidnapper, and this girl was pitiful, and she was the descendant of an old friend, and you were in the government office, so it was extremely convenient, why didn't you help her out?!"

"I have discussed this matter with my wife. Saving her is not worth much. But many years have passed, and only the rouge mark between the girl's eyebrows can serve as evidence.

"I got the news a long time ago. After Master Zhen's house was burned down, he took his wife to live with his father-in-law. Later, I don't know how he became a monk and followed a crazy Taoist priest. No trace of him has been found since.

"His wife missed her daughter and husband so much that she passed away a few years later.

"I don't even have a witness. Can I win the case against the kidnapper with just my mouth? Does anyone know?

"Besides," Jueshan sighed and bowed his head in shame, "my wife also said that even if we really rescued her, we would still have to support her. I was living a carefree life at that time and didn't want to get involved.

"A few days later, a young man from the street, whose family was well-off, fell in love with the child and exchanged silver with the kidnapper. He also valued the child very much and wanted to marry her after three days, vowing not to marry anyone else.

"I thought, since it's nearby, I can take care of it in the future. It's also a good home, and the man and the woman are a perfect match. I felt relieved.

"Who knew that the kidnapper would sell her to Xue Pan, the dull bully in Jinling, intending to take the money from both families and run away..."

Daiyu couldn't help but blame him when she heard this: "Xue Pan killed the young master and robbed Yinglian. You clearly knew that he was wrong, so why didn't you tell the prefect?"

"Why didn't I say that?" Jue Shan smiled bitterly. "I did. The prefect was dismissed for something and was planning his future. How could he offend the four families of Jinling for an orphan girl?

"I recognize the prefect who came later." He paused and glanced at the screen. "I think the princess will recognize him too."

Daiyu's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Do you know that Jia Hua was my childhood teacher?"

"Oh, Lord Jia keeps talking about this and showing off everywhere. Who doesn't know it?" Jue Shan couldn't help but sneer, took a deep breath, lowered his head, chanted a Buddhist chant, and then continued,

"I also told him the whole story from beginning to end. Because he was just a poor scholar who went to the capital from Huzhou and had no money, so he lived in my temple.

"It was because Master Zhen couldn't bear to see his ten years of hard study go to waste that he gave him fifty taels of silver and two sets of winter clothes, which enabled him to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official.

"But what about him? He first ran into the lady of the Zhen family and asked for her maid to be his second wife. He said he was looking for her daughter. But the daughter of his benefactor was right in front of him, and for the sake of the power of the four families, he turned a blind eye."

Jue Shan smiled bitterly, "I met him when we were humble. He didn't want people to know how poor he was back then, and how he betrayed his gratitude, so he found an excuse and sent me away for three thousand miles!"

Daiyu and Aunt Meng were both stunned.

So, Monk Jueshan is the witness to Jia Yucun’s two most despicable behaviors: poverty, flattery and ingratitude?

Considering Yucun's cunning and viciousness, it was a foregone conclusion that this master would be sent away!

"So where were you exiled to?" Daiyu couldn't help but ask.

Jueshan smiled sadly: "Northwest, and be a slave to the border troops."

This time, even Chu Qian looked at him with some sympathy.

Being a slave to the border troops, in your twenties with delicate skin and tender flesh, is not a good experience.

Jueshan sensed the silence and sympathy in the room, laughed at himself and said, "I endured a year in the northwest.

"Unable to bear it any longer, he shaved his head, exposing the scars on his head, and sneaked into the nearest temple to hide.

"The border troops came looking for me and were about to take me back and beat me to death, but someone suddenly appeared and saved my life."

When Jueshan said this, he couldn't help but stand up excitedly, bow deeply towards the northwest, and chant the Buddha's name.

The other three people in the room were silent.

No one responded.

Jueshan was not embarrassed at all. He sat back calmly and continued softly, "This person is none other than Master Zhen who practiced with Immortal Miaomiao!"

Daiyu and Aunt Meng finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at each other.

This monk's experience is indeed complicated!

"Master Zhen testified for me that I had indeed been a monk since I was young. I don't know where he got me a certificate of ordination. He also wrote a Buddhist name for me on it: Jueshan."

Jueshan smiled, "Many people outside say that I gave myself this Dharma name, but that's not true. Although Master Zhen refused to tell me his current identity, I know that he must have achieved success in his practice.

"He gave me this certificate of ordination and told me to return directly to the Hulu Temple in Suzhou. He also gave me the deed to his house. He asked me to expand Taoyuan Temple and pray for lovers in their next life."

As he said this, he actually took out a piece of deed paper from his bosom and stretched it towards the screen.

Chu Kua received Daiyu's signal and walked over to take it. He saw that there were not only the title deed and land deeds of the Zhen family's house, but also a receipt signed by Zhen Fei, stating that the Zhen house would be donated to Taoyuan Temple forever!

Daiyu looked at it carefully, then raised her head to look at Chu Kui with a questioning look in her eyes.

Chu Qi looked at it carefully and nodded: "It should be true."

Jueshan was outside and continued, “I took these things and begged for alms all the way back to Suzhou.

"Who would have thought that Taoyuan Temple has been deserted for more than ten years, and someone wants to occupy Master Zhen's house, and it is haunting the government office.

"I took the things and went to find the abbot of Panxiang Temple. That's how we have the Taoyuan Temple today, and I, the sinful abbot Jueshan, came into being."

Although he was just describing it in a plain way, once you think about the journey from Suzhou to Jinling, from Jinling to the Northwest, and from the Northwest back to Suzhou, you will be afraid of the countless hardships, dangers, humiliations and tortures along the way.

Just thinking about it made Lin Daiyu feel terrified. When she looked at Jueshan again, she felt that after walking thousands of miles, even a bodhisattva would have some anger. How could he still be so calm?

After a long silence, Daiyu sighed and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work, monk."

Jueshan clasped his hands together and said: "Amitabha. This is because I was not firm in my practice, so I suffered this disaster. It is all destined. It is not painful."

"If you say it's not hard, you must be lying!" Aunt Meng also looked at him sympathetically, "You refused to talk about these things in the temple, and you must go to the Lin Mansion and talk to the princess one by one.

"Could it really be just for this piece of contract from the Zhen family? I don't believe it!"

Jueshan lowered his head. After a long while, he raised his head and said, "Later, I asked someone to go to Jinling to see my wife and children in the secular world.

“I had only been gone for three days when my son went to play in the river and fell into the water and died.

“My wife buried our son and then hanged herself.

"My Lord, I will not lie. I absolutely do not believe that such a coincidence could happen."